Thailand – Changes in Visas and Quarantine Periods for Entry into Thailand

Jump to: More Details  |  Changes in Quarantine Periods

The Thai government announced changes to the status of certain visas permitting entry into Thailand and reduced the quarantine periods for vaccinated travellers, as of 1 October 2021.  (For prior coverage, see the following issues of GMS Flash Alert: 2021-231 (3 September 2021) and 2021-141 (12 May 2021).)

These measures have been passed to relieve restrictions tied to battling COVID-19 and thereby help ease travel to Thailand and encourage economic recovery.  For organisations and individuals that rely on travel to Thailand in pursuit of cross-border business objectives, awareness of these measures is important to help manage operations, plan budgets, and foster smooth cross-border activities. 

In light of the evolving changes to the travel, testing, and quarantine rules, it is important for organisations and their globally-mobile employees to keep apprised of this very fluid situation and plan accordingly.  

Among the changes announced by the government are:

• The “Visa on Arrival” scheme has been restarted.¹
• The Visa exemption period has been shortened from 45 days to the original 30 days.²
• The Special Tourist Visa (STV) scheme has been extended until 30 September 2022.³   
• As before, an STV is valid for 3 months from the date of issuance.
• Travellers must enter Thailand within the said 3-month period.
• They will be allowed to stay in Thailand for a period of up to 90 days.
• An STV can be extended twice within Thailand for a period of up to 90 days per extension.
• The quarantine period has been reduced as per the details shown below.⁴

• 7-day quarantine
  • Travellers who are fully vaccinated and who have received a second vaccine no less than 14 days before their travel date, with a vaccine approved by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or the World Health Organisation (WHO),⁵ must present a vaccine certificate (either the original or a printed copy) at the point of entry into Thailand.
  • During quarantine, fully vaccinated travellers are required to undergo two RT-PCR tests: first upon arrival on Day 0 - 1, and the second before finishing the quarantine period on Day 6 - 7.
• 10-day quarantine
  • Travellers who have not been vaccinated, who do have a vaccine certificate, or who are partially vaccinated, and who arrive in Thailand by air will be required to enter a 10-day quarantine and undergo two RT-PCR tests: first upon arrival on Day 0 - 1, and the second on Day 8 - 9.
• 14-day quarantine
  • Travellers who have not been vaccinated, who do not have a vaccine certificate, or who are partially vaccinated, and who arrive in Thailand by land, will be required to enter a 14-day quarantine, and undergo two RT-PCR tests: first upon arrival on Day 0 - 1, and the second on Day 12 - 13.  

We, at KPMG in Thailand, would strongly recommend that persons with exceptional cases get in touch with the Thai Embassy/Consulate in their location for more information about how to prepare the necessary documents prior to arriving in Thailand.

1  Information for the Visa on Arrival and Visa Exemption at:  https://www.thaiembassy.org/ .

2  Ibid.

3  STV has been extended to 30 September 2022.  See:  http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2564/E/240/T_0009.PDF .

4  See the latest developments regarding quarantine period in Thailand at: http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2564/E/239/T_0125.PDF . 

5  The list of vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) can be found at:  https://covid19.trackvaccines.org/agency/who/ .

* Please note the KPMG International member firm in the United States does not provide immigration or labour law services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.

The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in Thailand.