Thailand clarifies its entry rules due to COVID-19 after confusion over whether vaccinations are required to enter the country
Thailand clarified the rules for entering the country at the beginning of 2023
Thailand has clarified its COVID-19 entry rules after confusion over whether vaccinations are required to enter the country.
Authorities announced on Saturday that proof of vaccination would be required for arriving passengers due to insufficient immunization rates in China and the rest of the world.
This comes after China reopened its borders and lifted quarantine requirements for travelers. Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia and a flood of visitors from China is expected.
But two days later, tourism officials decided to reverse the decision to require proof of vaccination after a panel of health experts on insisted on it. This has caused widespread confusion among travelers regarding entry requirements.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has just released a statement clarifying the rules for vaccination, insurance and testing for COVID-19.
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, foreign travelers arriving in Thailand are not required to show proof of vaccination.
Charnvirakul told reporters that “producing proof of vaccination would be cumbersome and inconvenient.”< /p>
Foreign tourists are also not required to present COVID test results. Unvaccinated travelers can enter the country without restrictions.
However, if you are arriving from or traveling to a country that requires a negative PCR test to enter, you must have health insurance covering COVID-19 treatment in Thailand, the TAT said.
This is in case of an infection that will prevent you from leaving the country and must cover at least US$10,000 (€9,315) for treatment plus an additional seven days of stay.
“While Thailand welcomes all visitors, the visitor's country of origin or the next destination country may require incoming visitors, including its nationals returning home, to undergo a negative PCR test, — TAT said in a statement.
“Therefore, Thailand strives to comply with the rules of these countries and requires COVID insurance for visitors from these countries or visitors to Thailand traveling to these countries in the event of a positive test result.”< /p>
China and India are cited as examples of such countries.