The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has published a set of 7 rules that will apply to all non-Thai arrivals between January 9 and January 31.
Updated on January 10 : Thailand has just canceled the requirement for passengers to present proof of vaccination :
Faced with cancellations, Thailand is dropping the requirement to have two vaccines
It is the airlines that will be responsible for verifying the new documents required by Thailand.
These 7 rules are as follows:
Non-Thai passengers aged 18 years or older must present documents confirming that they have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine or a medical certificate attesting that they have recovered from a COVID-19 infection in the last 180 days.
Unvaccinated individuals must present a letter from a doctor explaining why they are not vaccinated.- Non-Thai passengers from countries that refuse entry to infected persons must have purchased COVID insurance valid for the entire duration of their stay in Thailand plus seven days before departing for Thailand.
Those who arrive in Thailand on business or as aircraft crew must have letters of guarantee from their employer. - Thai passport holders are exempt from presenting a vaccination certificate and health insurance coverage.
- Transit passengers are also exempt from presenting a vaccination certificate or proof of health insurance coverage, but they are required to comply with the regulations of their destination country.
- Airlines are required to verify the aforementioned documents of their passengers.
If a passenger is unable to present the required documents, the airline must not allow them to board the aircraft. - Airlines are required to ensure that passengers wear masks during the flight, except during meals or in case of emergency.
- Passengers who develop COVID symptoms during their journey will be asked to undergo rapid antigen tests upon arrival at their destination.
Important to know
You do not need insurance unless you have planned a trip to a country that requires an RT-PCR test before boarding, such as India and China, after your trip to Thailand.
For the unvaccinated, you should find a doctor who can write you a letter explaining why you cannot be vaccinated.
You certainly need to have medical reasons, but so far, we don't know exactly what they want on the explanatory letter.
Updated on January 9 :
The Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, said that the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) decided late on Saturday to change the wording of its announcement.
As a result, travelers who do not have proof of the required Covid-19 vaccination can still take the plane and travel to Thailand, he said.
See: Thailand's new rules are scaring tourists away
The application of these new rules coincides with the return of Chinese tourists after the easing of travel restrictions for its citizens, starting from this Sunday, January 8.
See: China reopens its doors in January, Chinese tourists soon to return
It is mainly unvaccinated people who will suffer.
Finally, this late information will embarrass unvaccinated people who have to leave on Monday the 9th.
See also:
According to a Thai expert, Covid from the West is more dangerous than that from China
The upcoming influx of Chinese tourists raises concerns in Thailand
Source : Thai PBS News
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24 comments
And what are the rules for travelers currently in Thailand who have to take domestic flights starting from the 9th?
You're done for Axel, you'll have to stay in your new house with Dee.
It's not so bad 🙂
Best regards,
Philippe
And we don't talk about it in the 7 rules "laid down" by the government's gray eminences (eminences... what?... who is it?) of unvaccinated people under 18, since, apparently, those who have to present proof of vaccination are those over 18..
But we don't talk about people under 18, ???
If they have to present a PCR test less than 72 hours old or an antigen test less than 48 hours old… or nothing at all?
What a mess, all this just to avoid putting the Chinese under a different status than other tourists…
But as the Thai authorities are having a fit at the idea of letting the Chinese in without control in Thailand, like all other tourists since July 1st, everyone is being punished by going back to the restrictions of 2021, early 2022 !!!
They'll be kicking themselves, because the arrival of the Chinese en masse won't happen overnight, while on the other hand, cancellations at travel agencies and flights by airlines outside of China are already being felt at all international airports around the world, and the Thai tourist high season was in full swing!!!!
But what a bunch of lunatics !!!
And so in principle these provisions are applicable until January 31st…
Will there be a new meeting and a new change in arrangements depending on the arrivals of the Chinese and the evolution of the health situation in 3 weeks?
It will already take at least 3 weeks for Chinese airlines to reorganize to offer their citizens eager for Thai vacations, an acceptable supply and frequency of flights (up to 15 to 20 flights scheduled per day !!!).
It's going to be a real free-for-all at Bangkok, Uta Pao and Phuket airports when it's time to control the hordes of Chinese expected and eagerly awaited…
Will they meet the expectations of the Thai authorities who are rolling out a red carpet studded with tacks?
One thing is certain: they should expect a general decline in tourist arrivals from all other countries that had responded since July 1st !!!
They say that stepping in a big pile of dog poop brings good luck, but in this case, I think it's a fall into a manure tank!!!
The little dogs of China.
In which document can we find the list of countries that refuse entry to infected people?
Does France make part of these countries?
Hello everyone, can we leave without being vaccinated and with a negative PCR test?
Who thinks they have a clear answer on this subject?
Thank you
Yes, you can now travel to Thailand without being vaccinated, the rule has been abolished.
But when will the Thai people, like the Chinese, understand that COVID is deadly for people over 75 years old or with a fragile health condition, such as obesity, diabetes, or serious respiratory problems, and that the vaccine is very dangerous for people in good health.
Hello,
Thank you for your articles.
As a French person traveling to Thailand in February with my family (including my two children), do I need to take out insurance (considering that I don't think France refuses infected foreigners?).
If so, is my CB Gold insurance valid (Europe Assistance insurance)?
Thank you in advance for your response.
Dear Guillaume… I wouldn't want to substitute for the 'all Thailand' edition, but I strongly advise you, (especially with children) and to have a peaceful holiday at the health level, to take out hospitalization insurance including covid for each member of your family traveling in Thailand…
Your Gold card may not be accepted in all Thai hospitals and you will have to advance often significant sums in case of hospitalization following an illness or an accident before leaving the hospital! (but you can always inquire by contacting them by phone, mainly private hospitals, such as the BDMS hospital chain, such as "Bangkok Hospital", "Burumgrad" or other reputable medical centers that you can find on the Internet.
Choose an international insurance company that you can contact both in Europe and in Thailand, such as AXA. (see their site: Axa Thailand.
Hoping to have been able to help you…
Thank you for your advice, however, as in the second response provided, I have uploaded my certificate that covers my entire family up to €155,000:
EUROP ASSISTANCE, a company governed by the Insurance Code, with its registered office at
2 rue Pillet-Will 75009 Paris, hereby certifies that the following person(s):
is (are) covered under the conditions and according to the terms provided for in the insurance contract concluded on 01/01/2015, under the title and
for the validity period of the bank card: GOLD MASTERCARD No. expiring on 00/0 during the private stay in
THAILAND during the period from February 2, 2023 to February 23, 2023.
The contract provides** in particular in case of Illness (including COVID-19 disease) as defined in the contract:
Reimbursement as a supplement to medical expenses incurred abroad up to the limit provided for in the insurance contract (maximum €155,000).
Repatriation in case of illness and/or accident according to the decision of the doctors of Europ Assistance,
Repatriation of the mortal remains in case of death.
Done to be valid as of right in the context of the visa application formalities.
I think that should be enough…
The insurance on the Premier Visa card is okay, it specifies insurance of €156,000 including in case of Covid.
We edit the certificate on mon-assistance.fr for ourselves and the whole family.
In addition, I am leaving from Geneva (being French), I don't know if that changes anything for insurance?
On the Thai Embassy website in Paris, we only find this:
New regulations related to Covid-19 for foreign nationals arriving in Thailand from January 9, 2023 at 8:00 (Thai time).
1. All passengers over 18 years old must provide proof of full vaccination or a medical certificate attesting to recovery from Covid within the last 6 months (180 days) or a medical certificate explaining the reasons for not being vaccinated.
2. These control measures do not apply to passengers in transit/transfer, holders of a Thai passport, holders of an official/diplomatic passport.
Nothing on the TAT website…
On France diplomatie :
Entry conditions to Thailand change from Monday, January 9 at 8:00.
Passengers over 18 years old must provide proof of full vaccination or a letter from a doctor certifying that the passenger has recovered from Covid 19 within the last 180 days.
Unvaccinated passengers must produce a letter from a doctor specifying why they are not vaccinated.
Transit passengers are exempt from vaccination checks.
We're canceling our trip scheduled for February 20th immediately, flights and hotels will be canceled in the coming days, impossible to wear a mask for 13 hours locked in a flying box, Thai tourism provisional will suffer, too bad, we should think before taking these idiotic measures…
Well, my guy, I've been in it since yesterday...
Cancel your flight and you'll see.
If you cancel it after a 24-hour period after making your reservation... YOU WON'T BE REFUNDED, SIMPLE AS THAT.
For now, I've got 2500 euros in my flight...
And yet, I had taken out a cancellation insurance...
But it obviously doesn't cover that and I've just realized it!!!!
Not sure that airlines apply this.
Moreover, if you have a layover, only your second flight should meet this obligation.
In my case 7:45. I won't cancel my flight, knowing that I got vaccinated at the end of December in anticipation of this kind of change that the Thai government is accustomed to.
I'm leaving on January 28, if by then it hasn't changed again…
Haven't they finished with their stupid rules…?
No! I think it's because they themselves aren't finished!
Any information coming from Thailand, especially from the Ministry of Health, requires some distance until the next piece of information…
Apart from all these constraints, you have to be a bit masochistic to come and catch a fresh Covid from China.
Too bad for the Thais and their tourism economy, back to basics in the rice fields.
The return of the Thai government's utter nonsense.
All this to please the Chinese who are reopening at the very moment they're heavily affected.
Clarification on insurance, you don't need insurance unless you plan to travel to India or China after your trip to Thailand, we'll tell you more about it in class.
For the unvaccinated, you should find an understanding doctor who can write you a letter explaining why you can't get vaccinated, there must be some.
Thai politicians are corrupt and slaves to the terrorist Xi, and the Thais are convinced that it is the Westerners who bring the covidiot, they will have a new influx of cases with Chinese tourists, and the cycle will be closed again.
Total contempt of Thai politicians for all the millions of poor people who live on tourism, the rich do not have any worries, they do not, BKK, the city with the largest number of brothels in Asia.
I have to leave on 02/02, it's great their rules are applicable until 01/31, they're going to make an announcement on 02/01 with new prerogatives (or not) and I'm going to be stuck, unable to cancel and sit on all my reservations.
Or even better, new rules while I'm on the plane to really annoy everyone.