Thailand Pass Remains A Requirement Until End Of June

Yesterday was a mixed bag, as the Thailand Pass was abolished for Thais starting next month but remained a requirement for foreigners until the end of June.

The only positive news for foreign tourists was the removal of mandatory quarantine for unvaccinated or under-vaccinated arrivals. Now, unvaccinated travelers may come to an airport and undergo an Antigen test under the guidance of a medical practitioner. If negative, they may continue their journey and self-mo in Thailand. However, if they test positive, they must go to a hospital for treatment, which will be paid for by their mandatory ‘Covid’ insurance (which remains in place for all foreign arrivals and has a value of $10,000 USD.

Even when the 5-day quarantine for unvaccinated travelers has been lifted, it may be replaced with an even lengthier mandatory hospital stay until you can provide a negative Antigen test result. The costs will be at the traveler’s expense.

All foreigners are still required to apply for Thailand Pass before entering Thailand. However, the government has eased the requirements by promising to expedite applications. Fully vaccinated tourists still must submit their passport, vaccination data, and proof of medical insurance with $10,000 USD coverage.

Currently, the Department of Disease Control approves Thailand Pass applications, which could take from a few hours to up to 3 days.

From April 29 until May 18, 521,139 applications for Thailand Pass were submitted. 6,789 are still being processed, while the remaining are either granted or denied. This week, the number of foreign arrivals surpassed 1 million for the first time since the start of 2022, with approximately 60-70%, a significant decrease from the average of 3.3 million arrivals per month in 2019, the year where 39.6 million foreign arrivals were recorded in the country.

Additionally, yesterday’s CCSA statements included the ‘official’ reopening of bars in the Green and Blue zones, including all tourist spots.

Current Green Zones are Chai Nat, Trat, Nakhom Phanom, Nan, Buriram, Pichit, Ang Thong, Mahasakam, Yasathon, Lampang, Surat Thani, Surin, Udon Thani, and Amnat Charoen.

Blue Zones include Krabi, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nonthaburi, Narathiwat, Pathum Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phang Nga, Phetchaburi, Phuket, Rayong, Songkhla.

All announcements will take effect on June 1. CLICK HERE to see the Thailand Pass website.

For more information on how to get into Thailand hassle-free using a Thailand Elite Visa, CLICK HERE. Apply now and get a free 3 months visa extension.