How Do I Enter Thailand and Obtain a Tourist Visa?

2021 How do I enter Thailand and obtain a tourist visa? Steps required to enter Thailand: Requirements, Procedures, and Restrictions.

US passport holders are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes and will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 45 days on each visit (effective until 30 September 2021)

Foreigners in the UK/Ireland can check if you meet the requirements here.

Application for Certificate of Entry to Thailand for non-Thai nationals.

Apply for a COE (Certificate of Entry) from the local Thai embassy in your country. Pleases allow 5 – 15 working days for the embassy to process your application with the following steps:

Step 1: Register and fill your personal details, and upload supporting documents. The embassy will screen and pre-approve the applicants who meet the requirements. 

To obtain the COE for visa exemption scheme, please fill the information online here and upload the required documents as below:

• Copy of passport
• Confirmed air ticket with proof of payment (Repatriation flight) or Semi-commercial flight
• A confirmation of booking
• A copy of the recent bank statement (700 USD per person)
• Medical insurance guaranteeing that the insurance company will cover a minimum of 100,000 USD (or equivalent in other currencies) of medical costs incurred by the applicant in Thailand, including medical costs in the event that the applicant contracts COVID-19 (the insurance must cover the whole duration of stay in Thailand).  For the list of companies that offer COVID-19 insurance click here.

Step 2: The applicants who are pre-approve can then buy flight tickets and book ASQ hotels. 

Flights to Thailand

1. The Thai government organizes repatriation flights for Thai nationals to return to Thailand on a regular basis and here is the list of semi-commercial flights that are permitted to enter Thailand and please contact the airlines or through travel agencies directly. 
2. Repatriation flights. The schedules are as follows:

• Arriving in Thailand on 11 May 2021 – Etihad Airways (americacorporate@etihad.ae)

• Arriving in Thailand on 13 May 2021 – Korean Air

• Arriving in Thailand on 14 May 2021 – EVA Air (chissbr@evaair.com)

• Arriving in Thailand on 20 May 2021 – Asiana Airlines

• Arriving in Thailand on 22 May 2021 – Japan Airlines

• Arriving in Thailand on 25 May 2021 – Emirates (ekthai@emirates.com or bkkrestktg@emirates.com). Allowed to fly direct to Phuket.

• Arriving in Thailand on 27 May 2021 – All Nippon Airways

• Singapore Airlines 

• Lufthansa

• Austrian Airlines

• Swiss Air

• KLM

• Air France

• Cathay Pacific

• Qatar Airways (allowed to fly direct to Phuket).

Book ASQ (Alternative State Quarantine) or ALQ (Alternative Local Quarantine) for 15 days. The official list of ASQ approved hotels is available on http://www.hsscovid.com/ or agoda.

• Passengers arriving in Suvarnabhumi Airport can choose to quarantine at ALQ hotel in Chonburi or Prachinburi.

• Passengers arriving in Phuket have to stay for quarantine at ALQ in Phuket.

Regulatory updates on the quarantine period for travelers entering Thailand from 1 May 2021. The new regulation elevating the quarantine period to 14 days for all travelers entering Thailand, regardless of nationality and vaccination as follows:  

1. Travelers who obtain the COE after 1 May 2021 must be quarantined for no less than 14 days.

2. Those arriving in Thailand from 6 May 2021 onwards will be quarantined for no less than 14 days. 

Remarks: while undergoing quarantine, travelers will be allowed to engage in leisure activities subject to time and conditions such as fitness room, outdoor exercising, swimming, cycling within a controlled area, and ordering goods and food from outside.

Step 3: When the COE has been approved, you can download your COE online.

Checklist for the documents each passenger needs to have for going to Thailand. They must present these to the airlines and the Thai authorities. 

1. Valid visa or re-entry permit, except visitors under the 45-day visa exemption scheme. 
2. COE
3. COVID-19 test (RT-PCR method) results with a laboratory result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected and issued within 72 hours before departure. Some airlines do not accept home kit tests. 
4. Copy of insurance policy which covers COVID and no less than 100,000 USD (please print every page).
5. Copy of confirmed ASQ hotel booking (or AHQ and permission from the Ministry of Public Health in case of medical treatment).
6. T.8 Form
7. Declaration Form (for Thailand)
8. Travel declaration form (for England as per the UK government’s travel restriction)

Download ThailandPlus Application. All travelers who have received COEs are required to download and register via the ThailandPlus Application. They are required to show a QR code generated from the registration via the application to be scanned by the Thai authority upon arrival in Thailand.