Thailand Reinstates Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement For All Visitors

by John Ollila

January 5, 2023

Reading Time: 2 mins read

Thailand will revive its Covid-vaccination requirement within a week before Chinese are allowed to travel freely out of the country, according to Thai authorities.

The requirement will be in place for all international visitors who must be able to prove that they have been vaccinated at least twice. Also, those who continue to travel to countries requiring proof of a negative covid-19 test will need to prove that they have adequate travel insurance (in case they test positive while in Thailand and need to extend their stay).

Excerpt from the Bangkok Post:

New measures are necessary because Thailand is a major destination for travellers from many countries including China but the measures must be non-discriminatory, Mr Anutin said.

“The principle is there will not be any discrimination against a particular country because Covid-19 is spreading in all countries and the strains are similar.So, Covid-19 should not be an issue of discriminating against any country,” he said.

He did not say when the new measures would take effect but officials said they should start before the arrival of Chinese visitors.

Authorities in tourist provinces should prepare their hospitals and hospitels, while employees of tourism and transport services should have at least four shots of Covid-19 vaccine, Mr Anutin added.

You can read my experience of entering Thailand using the Phuket Sandbox in 2021:

And then in the spring of 2022, after I had to scrap my original plans earlier that year when I tested positive twice (pre-departure PCR-RT tests):

Conclusion

It is suddenly starting to feel like 2020 again, and I am right here in Bangkok, on my way to Japan.

Chinese tourists have been essential to Thailand’s tourism sector, and the government doesn’t want to displease the mainland leadership by requiring only them to provide vaccination or negative covid-tests.

I genuinely hope that we are not soon back to 2021 when most countries required some form of negative covid test and/or proof of vaccination to enter (many both).

These sudden changes will also affect people who are planning their trips. What if the entry requirements suddenly change again? It doesn’t build confidence to book travel in advance.