COVID-19 Vaccine Guide for Travellers to Thailand (10/12/2021)

International travellers, including returning Thais and foreign residents, who are above 18 years of age should get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or the World Health Organisation (WHO) no less than 14 days before their travel date.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to provide an update to our guide to COVID-19 vaccines for international travellers to Thailand effective from 16 December 2021.

International travellers, including returning Thais and foreign residents, who are above 18 years of age should get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or the World Health Organisation (WHO) no less than 14 days before their travel date.

• Travellers 12-17 years of age, travelling with parents under the TEST & GO entry scheme and Sandbox Programme,are not required to be vaccinated but must have a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before travelling. Those unaccompanied must get vaccinated with at least one dose of an approved vaccine and must have a negative RT-PCR test result.
• Travellers 6-11 years of age, travelling with parents under the TEST & GO entry scheme and Sandbox Programme,must have a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before travelling.
• Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents with a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before travelling,are not required to have a pre-arrival negative RT-PCR test result and can have saliva test when entering to the Kingdom.

Travellers previously infected within 3 months before travelling must have a medical certificate of recovery or get vaccinated with at least one dose of an approved vaccine for an unspecified period of time before travelling.

List of approved COVID-19 vaccines

Currently, the MoPH has approved the following manufacturers and vaccines:

1. CoronaVacby Sinovac Biotech Ltd – 2 doses needed / 2-4-week interval;
2. AstraZeneca or Covishield by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, SK Bioscience (South Korea), Siam Bioscience, and Serum Institute of India (Covishield) – 2 doses needed / 4-12-week interval;
3. Pfizer–BioNTech or Comirnatyby Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech 2 doses needed / 3-week interval;
4. Janssen or Janssen/Ad26.COV2.Sby Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. – 1 dose needed;
5. Modernaby Moderna Inc. – 2 doses needed / 4-week interval);
6. Sinopharm or COVILOby Sinopharm Co., Ltd. – 2 doses needed / 3-4-week interval);
7. Sputnik Vby the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology – 2 doses needed – 3-week interval).

Meanwhile, the WHO’s guidance on the COVID-19 vaccines is available here.

Have you been fully vaccinated?

According to the MoPH, travellers are considered fully vaccinated if:

• They get their second dose of a 2-dose vaccine; such as, the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines, no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand.
• They get a single-dose vaccine; such as, Janssen vaccine, no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand.
• In case of mix-and-match vaccines, travellers should get their second dose of a different vaccine within the recommended interval of the first vaccine no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand. For example, if the first vaccine is CoronaVac from Sinovac Biotech and the second vaccine is AstraZeneca, the time between the two doses is 2-4 weeks.

Travellers who do not meet these criteria may be denied entry into Thailand.

Requirements for the ‘Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination’

The travellers’ Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination should contain the following details:

• Given name and last name;
• Date of Birth;   
• Nationality;
• Passport or Identification No.;
• Name of the COVID-19 vaccine;
• Vaccination dates;
• Vaccine manufacturer and lot/batch number;
• Authorised organisation in the country of origin.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, international travellers should have all of their advance arrangements in good order for arrival and entry. For more information on Thailand’s reopening programmes, see: https://www.tatnews.org/thailand-reopening/.

Thai Cabinet reverses CCSA relaxation of on-arrival Covid testing protocol

The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration’s approval of the relaxed testing requirement has been overturned by the Cabinet in light of the new variant.

The on-arrival RT-PCR Covid test requirement for international travelers entering Thailand via the Test & Go pathway was scheduled to be lifted on December 16 and replaced with a simpler ATK test, until the recent emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration’s approval of the relaxed testing requiremen Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha disclosed that the meeting of cabinet ministers on November 30 reversed the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration’s lifting of the on-arrival RT-PCR test requirement for international travelers. The decision came in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha elaborated that the Cabinet resolved to keep current practices for screening international arrivals in place, including the on-arrival RT-PCR test, in light of the emergence of the Omicron variant. He attributed the decision to the incomplete information available on the new variant. He also expressed confidence that if found, cases of Omicron variants will be traceable

The minister said he was concerned over illegal entries at borders, as infections carried into Thailand through this channel will be difficult to trace. He added that the prime minister has told responsible agencies to stringently tighten border security, and has threatened punishment for security lapses.

Asked whether the opening date for entertainment venues – currently set for mid-January – would need to be postponed, Mr. Sathit said domestic Covid measures remain unchanged as there is yet to be information pointing to the Omicron variant being present in Thailand.

Source: The Tourism Authority of Thailand, National News Bureau of Thailand