Thailand to Drop Pre-arrival COVID-19 Tests for Vaccinated Visitors

Starting from April 1, 2022, fully vaccinated visitors for COVID-19 will no longer be required to perform a test before traveling to Thailand. 

The requirement of RT-PCR on-arrival testing and self-administration of rapid antigen test on the Day 5th of stay in Thailand remain in place. 

Thailand is looking to rebuild its lucrative tourism sectors after the consequences of prolonged lockdown as most foreign tourists stopped coming to the country from April 2020.

In February 2022, the country restored the Test&Go Pass scheme allowing fully vaccinated visitors a quarantine-free entry to Thailand.

Thailand is another country after its neighbor Cambodia (whose tourism sector similarly was hardly stricken by the pandemic) to lift the pre-arrival testing requirement for fully vaccinated travelers. Cambodia has even taken a step further and removed the rapid antigen testing upon arrival too. 

Requirements to enter Thailand

Before starting plans to travel to Thailand every person should first check their eligibility. Thailand is currently open for international travelers but they need to meet special requirements.

There are three programs allowing entry to Thailand. Namely, Test and Go, Sandbox, and Quarantine schemes. More details on the requirements to be met for every scheme can be found here.

Generally, every traveler will need to obtain a Thailand Pass and a visa (if not coming from visa-exempt countries). From September 2021, travelers from 37 eligible countries can apply for an electronic visa to Thailand. The country has been offering tourist e-Visa and 8 other e-visas depending on a traveler's needs and travel purposes. 

All electronic visas to Thailand are issued as single-entry visas and allow stay for up to 60 days while remaining valid for 3 or 6 months from their issuance date.

Eligible applicants should submit an online application form at least 15 business days in advance of the planned trip to Thailand.

The approved e-Visa will be delivered to the applicant’s email address.

Current coronavirus situation in Thailand

The health authorities in Thailand are currently dealing with record numbers of daily coronavirus cases and covid-related deaths in 2022. Last week, the country reported more than 50,000 cases in one day. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the country has confirmed around 3.3 million cases of which 24,075 were fatal. 

There is a concern about the potential spread of the coronavirus during the Songkran festival celebrating the Thai New Year in April. For this reason, the Thai authorities have prohibited the tradition of water splashing and banned the consumption of alcohol during the public celebration. The authorities expect mass travel of inhabitants of the cities to rural areas where the celebrations will take place.

When it comes to the vaccination rates in Thailand, 126 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were already administered. At least 54.6 million have been vaccinated with at least one dose, which accounts for over 78% of the entire Thailand population. 50 million Thai citizens have been administered at least two shots, and 22 million received boosters.