Covid-19 has made this year a real mess around the world, especially for travelers and the tourism industry. Apparently it all started in a market in Wuhan, China, in November of last year, and in January the first cases outside the Asian giant were discovered. The first known case outside of China, on January 13, was indeed in Thailand.
However, the spread of Covid19 in the country has been limited. Thailand has been a country that, miraculously, has almost escaped Covid19.
And after a period of partial quarantines, closure of all event centers, entertainment, shopping centers and schools, which remained to a greater or lesser extent between April and June, Thailand was experiencing a “new normal” until December 2020 when new Covid19 cases made the government enforced new measures. Today, on February 2021, life is quite normal in Thailand but the whole society still in alert since everyday there are new cases of Covid19.
Pol, author of this website, alone in the Grand Palace of Bangkok during Covid19
Here you can find:
Can you travel to Thailand now?
It is a question that we are often asked and the best answer would be that you have to be patient.
The quick answer to this question is: yes, but with conditions that make 99.9% of people not interested.
And what are these conditions? As of February 2021, you can travel to Thailand but they will ask you for a 14-day quarantine upon arrival that you will have to pay out of pocket and it will cost you about € 1,300. In addition, you will need to have travel insurance that covers a hospitalization of up to $ 100,000 and covers Covid19.
How and when will you be able to travel to Thailand normally?
The quick answer to this question is: no one knows for sure but not before March 31, 2021.
The Minister of Sports and Tourism of Thailand has ensured that the country does not foresee the opening of borders, in a normalized way and without quarantines, before March 31, 2021.
Our sources from the Tourism Authority of Thailand told us, in an informal conversation, that the government actually anticipates an opening of the country in April 2021, being optimistic and in June 2021 being more realistic. We will have to be patient and wait. Right now nobody knows anything clearly. We believe that things won’t be normal until 2022.
Thailand is acting very cautiously when it comes to opening its borders.
Latest news: Mandatory quarantine for 14 days upon arrival (02/15/2021)
Thailand didn’t have almost no cases of local transmission of Covid19 for many months. Unfortunately, on December 19, more than 500 cases appeared among the Burmese community in a market in Samut Sakhon. Since then, Thailand has detected cases daily, and as of January 5, they continue to appear. The government has taken action again and schools, gyms, massage parlors, bars, etc. have been closed.
Coronavirus in Thailand as of 02/15/2021
- Number of infected people: 24,405 pax
- No. of people recovered: 21,180 pax
- No. of people with covid-19: 3,145 pax
- No. of deaths: 80 pax
Entry conditions to Thailand as of February 2021
Despite this, the conditions for entry to Thailand remain as follows:
Thailand continues with its borders closed but, for the first time since the crisis began, it again allows travelers of the following 56 nationalities to enter without the need for a visa, yes, quarantine is mandatory.
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Principality of Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Republic of Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Peru, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
The conditions to enter today are:
- Passport.
- Fit To Fly certificate (apt to fly) made less than 72 hours before flying (a certificate made by a doctor that ensures that you are healthy to fly, the certificate must say FIT TO FLY).
- Photocopy of confirmed hotel reservations for the entire stay in Thailand after quarantine.
- Photocopy of the confirmed reservation of the ASQ hotel with coverage for the 14 days of quarantine.
What is an ASQ hotel? It is one of several hotels in Bangkok and Phuket authorized by the Thai government to offer quarantine packages that include room, transfers, food and PCR testing. These packages are around 50,000 THB or more. - Round trip flight tickets
- PCR proving that you do not have Covid19 done 72 hours before flying.
- An insurance policy that provides a minimum coverage of $ 100,000 and includes treatment for Covid19.
New STV VISA: From 90 to 270 days in Thailand
Recently Thai government have created a 90-day visa that can be extended 2 times 90 more days. It allows you to be in Thailand for a total of 270 days. You can apply for it at any Thai Embassy abroad.
The requirements are quite crazy. Here you have an example from a friend of us:
1) One way plane ticket € 450 – Departure from Thailand to Singapore € 50
2) Hotel to quarantine € 890 (https://www.cinnamon-residence.com/)
3) COVID19 insurance for 3 months € 170
4) Normal medical insurance for 3 months € 600
5) Form T8 with personal data
6) Entry Certificate
7) Hotel reservation after quarantine
8) PCR 72h before flying € 110
9) STV visa form € 70
10) Medical certificate € 25
11) Criminal record certificate
12) Fit to Fly Document € 11 (contact whatsapp Medconsultasia +66922691347)
Total expenses € 2386
When will the vaccine arrive in Thailand?
Between February and April 2021, 2 million doses of the Chinese vaccine, Sinovac Biotech, will reach Thailand. Health personnel will be the first to receive doses.
Later, in May 2021, AstraZeneca is expected to deliver an additional 26 million doses to the Thai government. And it is that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be, in part, produced by the Thai company Siam Bioscience.
When will the population of Thailand be vaccinated?
The government aims to vaccinate 60% of the population of Thailand for free before the end of 2021. The rest of us will have to pay for the vaccine, if we want it.
