Thai govt issues guidelines on entering Thailand for nonThai residents, travellers

Bangkok: Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Saturday released several guidelines on steps required to enter Thailand, after the government decided to allow more categories of foreigners into the country last week.

Travellers are required to contact the Royal Thai Embassy or consulate to get an entry visa and a certificate of entry, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the urgency, said CCSA in a statement.

Applications for inbound travellers must include travel details, health insurance with a coverage of at least US$100,000 (FJ$46,926.33) as well as booking at an alternative state quarantine site.

Once the inbound traveller lands in Thai soil, he or she will need to demonstrate to airport and health authorities a certificate of a COVID-19 test taken within a 72-hour period with a negative result and a fit-to-fly certificate.

However, to ensure that the traveller carries no symptom of COVID-19, he or she will need to undergo another COVID-19 test at a Thai airport, and then be transferred to an alternative state quarantine site that should have been booked in advance. The CCSA said that the groups of foreigners allowed into Thailand may include spouses, parents or children of Thai nationals; non-Thais with rightful papers to work in Thailand, or on student visa, and tourists who had already made appointments with Thai hospital for medical treatments.

The CCSA reiterated that all inbound travellers must go through 14-day mandatory quarantine under their own expenses.

For those on very short trips to Thailand including filmmakers and business people participating in trade fairs, they will have to stick to their itineraries and will not be allowed to wander to public venues or take public transport.