Although it’s not easy to fly to Thailand during COVID-19, it’s entirely possible.
You need to have the proper visa and all documents required by the Thailand Government.
In this article, we will show you everything you need to know in order to fly back to Thailand during this “new normal” period.
To fly back to Thailand, there are basically 5 things you need to do:
- Have one of the allowed visas
- Get a Certificate of Entry
- Book an alternative state quarantine
- Book a flight to Thailand
- Buy health or travel insurance with COVID-19 coverage
- Get a COVID-19 test
- Get a “Fit-to-fly” medical certificate
- Prepare Necessary Paperwork for Boarding
Thailand has strict regulations on each step that isn’t mentioned on their announcement. You need to follow all of them in order to come to Thailand during this time.
Let’s take a look.
*The article will be updated on a regular basis to make sure that the information is up-to-date as much as possible.
Contents
Where to Get Started
If you want to come to Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic, you should contact your local Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai Consulate.
They are the only ones that can approve your entry to Thailand.
Each Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate has different procedures and requirements.
Some may accept online applications. Alternatively, you might need to be there yourself or send documents by post.
Some might allow you to enter Thailand with a retirement visa or the special tourist visa while others won’t.
Based on what we have seen so far, a lot of Royal Thai Embassies have started becoming much more active via email.
So, if you are serious about coming to Thailand, it’s a good idea to contact them by email. They should be able to provide precise information on what you need to do in order to come to Thailand.
Get a Proper Visa
As of October 2020, here are some of the visas that can enter Thailand:
- Non-immigrant Visa B a.k.a Working or Business Visa
- Non-immigrant Visa O based on marriage
- Non-Immigrant Visa O based on retirement
- Non-immigrant Visa ED (for those who study at schools and universities only)
- Elite Visa
If you are eligible for the aforementioned visas and don’t yet have the visa stamp in your passport, it’s still possible to get one at a Thailand Embassy or Consulate.
Please note that you may not get the visa stamp right away after the visa approval. Instead, you can get a confirmation letter and will get a proper visa stamp after your 14-day quarantine in Thailand.
The Thailand Government just recently announced that Thailand is going to have a new visa called the “Special Tourist Visa” or STV in October 2020.
The STV gives you a 90-day stay in Thailand. After that, you can extend it two times giving you a maximum of 270 days in Thailand.
More information about the STV should be released soon.
The U.S. Embassy website has an updated list of types of people that can enter Thailand.
Get a Certificate of Entry
Once you have a visa, you need to get a Certificate of Entry from the Thailand Embassy or Consulate from your country in order to enter Thailand.
You might be able to get it online. There are three main documents you need in order to get the Certificate of Entry:
- A confirmation of a booking with an alternative state quarantine location
- Flight confirmation
- Proof of medical insurance
You should note that you should apply for the Certificate of Entry at least 15 business days before your departure date.
This is to make sure that your application will be approved before the departure date. However, some Thailand Embassy or Consulate might approve it within a few days.
In addition, please note that each Thailand Embassy or Consulate may require different documents. Some may ask for the 2 inches photo graph with light background taken within 6 months.
You should check their website or contact them personally in order to get their list of all required documents.
Book an Alternative State Quarantine Hotel
All foreigners coming to Thailand are required to stay in an alternative state quarantine (ASQ) for 14 days.
An alternative state quarantine is basically a hotel that’s approved by the Thailand Government to quarantine everyone who enters Thailand.
The Royal Thai Consulate in Washington DC has a list of ASQ in Thailand. The starting price ranges from 30,000 baht to over 140,000 baht for a 14-day quarantine, depending on how luxurious they are.
You can also see the hospital that’s partnered with each ASQ there as well. If you test positive for COVID-19 while in quarantine, you will be sent to that specific hospital.
The real challenge of finding an ASQ is that they tend to be fully booked all the time. You need to contact each hotel individually to find out whether they are available during your stay in Thailand or not.
LINE and phone calls are usually the best way to contact these hotels.
Fortunately, you can now book an alternative state quarantine through agoda.com. It is much more convenient.
If you hold an Elite Visa, they have a support team to help you book the ASQ, which is a very convenient perk.
Please note that some ASQ might not accept certain nationalities depending on how severe COVID-19 is in that country at that time.
You can read a review of many ASQs on this ASQ Hotel Review facebook group.
Book a Flight to Thailand
You can’t book just any flight to Thailand.
If you book a commercial flight, it’s highly possible that your Certificate of Entry application will be denied.
It must be a repatriation flight that’s approved by the Thailand Government. You should be able to see a list of these flights from your local Thailand embassy or consulate website.
Alternatively, you can use https://ihanatour.com/thai if you want to fly from the US or European countries.
You can also ask them to hold payment until your Certificate of Entry is approved.
A private yet is also acceptable.
Get a Travel/Medical Insurance
The Thailand Government requires you to have medical or travel insurance that comes with COVID-19 coverage of at least $100,000 USD or THB equivalent.
Please note that even if you have health insurance that already covers COVID-19, you may still need to purchase additional insurance.
As required by the Thailand Government, your proof of medical insurance should clearly state that:
- It has COVID-19 coverage
- It has Thailand coverage
- It covers you for the time that you are in Thailand
- It has at least $100,000 USD medical coverage.
You can see a list of known insurance providers that can give you a proof of medical insurance from our Thailand health insurance article.
Because of this, you have two choices between asking your broker or insurance representative to give you proof of insurance or buying travel insurance.
If you want to buy travel insurance, check out ACS Globe Traveller. The insurance certificate is sent immediately to your email after the payment.
Get a COVID-19 RT-PCR Test
Once your Certificate of Entry is approved, now is the time to get a COVID-19 test.
Please note that it must be RT-PCR only.
Although it is said that “the test needs to be taken within 72 hours of departure”, it is still acceptable as long as you get the test results within 72 hours, since it might take more than 5 days to get the test results at some clinics.
Again, you need to plan your time well.
Get a “Fit-to-fly” Medical Certificate
As soon as you get the COVID-19 test, you should immediately go to a clinic or a hospital to get a “fit-to-fly” medical certificate. It can be the same place that you do for the COVID-19 test.
There’s no official form for the fit-to-fly certificate.
You can download a form sample from the Royal Thai Embassy of Washinton D.C. and ask a clinic or a hospital to fill it out.
Prepare Paperwork for Boarding
You should prepare at least five sets of all documents mentioned above before boarding including:
- T.M. 8 form – which is available from the AOT application. (Android/iOS)
- A copy of the Certificate of Entry
- A copy of the Alternative State Quarantine confirmation
- A copy of your proof of insurance
- A copy of the COVID-19 test
- A copy of the “fit-to-fly” certificate
You should keep these documents with you at all times since you need to give a set of each of them to the airline, the local embassy staff, Thailand immigration, and so on.
Arrival in Thailand
Once you are in Thailand, you will be first checked for COVID-19 at the airport and then immediately sent to the alternative state quarantine hotel that you booked.
Then the hotel staff will ask you to download another mobile application for monitoring and communication.
During the quarantine period, you will be tested for COVID-19 again one or two times. You should also follow the instructions and regulations set by the Thai Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
They have the right to cancel your visa and send you home if you don’t comply.
If you are COVID-19 negative after the quarantine, then you can stay in Thailand and live your life normally during the COVID-19 period.
If you are COVID-19 positive, then you will be sent to the hospital that’s partnered with your alternative state quarantine hotel.
Further quarantine may be required as well.
Where to Get Up-to-Date Information
New information and regulations regarding foreigners being allowed to come to Thailand are released on a regular basis.
You shouldn’t follow news from newspapers or news websites. Information there usually leads to confusion.
For example, they may say that Thailand already allows people to use the new special tourist visa to come to Thailand. However, it has only been approved by the government but the exact regulations haven’t been released yet – which means you can’t come to Thailand with the special tourist visa yet.
Farangs Stranded Abroad Due to lockdown in Thailand is a useful Facebook community where foreigners share their successful experiences of coming to Thailand during the lockdown.
ASQ Hotel Review Facebook group is another good Facebook group if you want to find a good alternative state quarantine.
Your local Thai embassy’s Facebook page or your own country’s embassy in Thailand Facebook page is another good place.
For example, the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangkok regularly posts new information regarding the Thailand lockdown on their Facebook page.
Now, on to You
We hope that this article tells you everything you need to know about flying to Thailand during the COVID-19 situation.
You should keep in mind that the requirements and procedures mentioned in this article are subject to change. We will keep updating them as well.
If you have experience flying to Thailand during this “new normal” or have any questions, please feel free to leave your comments below.
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