Thailand reopening to Singapore travellers from November 2021

Thailand has announced that it will be reopening to a total of 46 countries including Singapore from 1 November 2021, allowing fully vaccinated travellers to enter without quarantine.

Travellers will only be permitted to enter Thailand by air, and must undergo two COVID-19 PCR tests: one prior to departure, and one on arrival. Additional requirements like medical insurance and a one-night reservation at an SHA+/AQ (formerly known as ASQ) hotel apply, but otherwise, Singaporeans can enjoy relatively frictionless travel to Thailand once more. 

Singapore travellers exempt from Thai quarantine

From 1 November 2021, travellers from Singapore may avoid quarantine on arrival in Thailand provided they meet the following conditions:

• Have a 21-day travel history only featuring Singapore and/or the other 45 eligible countries
• Be fully vaccinated with a recognised vaccine
• Purchase medical insurance with min. coverage of US$50K
• Present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of flight to Thailand
• Make a reservation for 1 night in an SHA+ or AQ hotel
• Undergo a COVID-19 PCR test on arrival in Thailand and self-isolate at SHA+ or AQ hotel until result is released

In terms of process, it’s quite similar to what Singapore has in place for incoming VTL travellers. Instead of quarantine, fully vaccinated passengers undergo a pre-departure and on-arrival test, and enjoy unrestricted movement once the results are out. 

The main difference between Singapore and Thailand’s schemes are that Thailand looks at your 21-day history (vs 14 days for Singapore), allows pre-departure testing to be done within 72 hours (vs 48h for Singapore), and arrivals must stay at designated SHA+ or AQ hotels while waiting for their test results (vs any hotel in Singapore). 

With the latest developments, Thailand will now operate three schemes for entering the country by air. 

There’s still SHN on return to Singapore…

While Thailand will effectively be completely open to vaccinated Singapore residents, there’ll still be issues returning to Singapore. 

Thailand is currently categorised as a Category IV country, which means that all arrivals must serve a 10-day SHN in a hotel, regardless of vaccination status. This costs S$1,450 plus testing. 

…unless you make a further visit to a VTL country

However, if you’re able to take a slightly longer period of leave, you can work Thailand into your itinerary and still return to Singapore quarantine-free. 

The key to this lies with VTL countries. Travellers whose 14-day history consists of only Singapore and/or VTL countries may take designated VTL flights to Singapore and avoid an SHN on arrival. 

In other words, visit Thailand first, then proceed to a VTL country and stay at least 14 days before returning to Singapore. You’ll probably need at least 2.5 weeks to make the entire trip worthwhile, but if there’s one thing Singaporeans have been accumulating during this period, it’s annual leave. 

Of course, this is contingent on the VTL country accepting travellers from Thailand without quarantine. Here’s the relevant regulations by VTL country.

Conclusion

Singapore residents will be able to enter Thailand without quarantine from 1 November 2021. While they’ll still face a 10-day SHN on return to Singapore, this can be avoided with a further 14-day stay in a VTL country after their Thailand trip. It means that weekend getaways to Bangkok aren’t on the radar just yet, but every little bit helps. 

With the easing of quarantine also comes a loosening of COVID-19 restrictions, such as the lifting of curfew and plans to reopen nightlife venues (albeit at a later stage).