Thailand Pass will offer instant approval from 1 June

From 1 June, Thai nationals will no longer require a Thailand Pass, while fully vaccinated non-Thais will enjoy instant approval.

Although there was hope that the highly-unpopular Thailand Pass would finally be scrapped from 1 June, it looks like we’re stuck with it for at least another month.

On the bright side, the Thai authorities will be fixing one of the big bugbears of the scheme: turnaround times. While Thailand Pass approval has already been shortened from seven days to two, the lack of instant approval still rules out spur-of-the-moment trips. 

From 1 June 2022:

  • Thai nationals will no longer require a Thailand Pass
  • Non-Thais will enjoy instant Thailand Pass approval, subject to the submission of the necessary information

Unvaccinated travellers will be allowed to enter Thailand without quarantine (though pre-departure testing will be required), while nightlife businesses like pubs and bars will also be permitted to resume operations in the green and blue zones (covering most tourist areas). 

Thailand Pass changes from 1 June

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has confirmed the following changes to the Thailand Pass scheme, effective 1 June 2022:

  Thai Nationals Vaccinated Foreign Nationals
Thailand Pass Not required Required
Information Required N/A
  • Passport details
  • Proof of vaccination
  • Proof of US$10,000 travel insurance policy
Approval N/A Instant

Thai nationals will no longer be required to apply for a Thailand Pass.

Foreign nationals will still need to apply for a Thailand Pass, by submitting passport details, vaccination proof and proof of a travel insurance policy with at least US$10,000 coverage for COVID-19 medical treatment. 

Upon submission, the Thailand Pass system will automatically issue a Thailand Pass QR code to applicants (instead of the current two-day turnaround period).

Vaccinated travellers will undergo entry screening upon arrival in Thailand (i.e. temperature screening; on-arrival testing is not required), and then be allowed to travel anywhere within the country. 

Unvaccinated travellers will be required to take a pre-departure PCR/ART within 72 hours of departure, and submit the results via the Thailand Pass portal. Upon arrival they will be treated the same as vaccinated travellers, with no quarantine or on-arrival testing, and free to travel anywhere within the country.

For a list of the cheapest places to take a pre-departure PCR/ART in Singapore, refer to the guide below.

Cheapest pre-departure COVID-19 ART and PCR tests in Singapore

Applying for a Thailand Pass

Thailand Pass

Thailand Pass applications are free of charge (beware of lookalike websites that charge a fee!).

Applications can be made up to 60 days in advance of travel, and approvals are valid for +/- 7 days from the stated date of entry. For example, if I apply for a 15 June entry date, I can use my Thailand Pass to enter Thailand anytime from 8 June to 22 June. 

Recap: Travel to Thailand

Here’s a reminder of how the travel process to Thailand will look like from 1 June 2022.

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ Thailand Entry Requirements
(from 1 June 2022)
  • Fully vaccinated with approved vaccine (age 17 and below exempt, if traveling with vaccinated parents)
    • Unvaccinated travellers may enter without quarantine, provided they present a negative ART or PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure
  • Purchase travel insurance with min. US$10K COVID-19 medical coverage (foreigners only)
  • Apply for Thailand Pass (instant approval for fully vaccinated travellers)
  • Download MorChana app (Android | iOS
  • No isolation or testing required on arrival

No testing is required for fully vaccinated travellers, which means that Singapore residents can enjoy completely test-free travel to Thailand.

For those having difficulty keeping up with all the changes, here’s how the process has evolved since the start of this year. 

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ Changelog: Travel to Thailand
Date Change
1 Feb 2022
1 Mar 2022
  • Travel insurance requirement reduced from US$50K to US$20K
  • Day 5 PCR test replaced with ATK
1 Apr 2022
1 May 2022
  • On-arrival testing and Day 5 test scrapped
  • Travel insurance requirement reduced from US$20K to US$10K
  • Mandatory hotel booking scrapped
1 Jun 202
  • Thailand Pass requirement scrapped for Thai nationals
  • Thailand Pass approval now instant for non-Thai nationals

Conclusion

As with all changes to Thailand’s entry requirements, nothing’s official until it’s published in the Royal Gazette, which should happen in the next few days. Once that’s done, last-minute travel to Thailand will become much more feasible- I won’t say it’s back to the pre-COVID era yet since you still need to apply for a Thailand Pass, but we’re getting ever closer.

Hopefully July will be the month we see the Thailand Pass requirement scrapped altogether. 

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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Dave

Notarised PDF proof was accepted, QR code came after 5 minutes this morning. Looks like this is live already.

Do we really need insurance for Th?

Can reco wch cheap travel insurance accepted in Th? Just for the sake of compliance w requirement? Or can get TH pass w/o insurance?

L

Yep! I applied for mine on Thursday. PDF proof was accepted except for optional QR codes for vaccinations (only .jpeg type files accepted).

chk

I was hoping no more Mor Chana app like in KL no need to flash it anymore

Sorn

Nobody uses the app, local and foreigners alike. Nobody checks it. And the app doesnโ€™t work. Welcome to Thailand.

Liem

Does anybody have experience about changing the port of entry? I changed my flight from DMK to BKK, do I need to resubmit the Thailand Pass? It doesn’t seem to allow me to edit my information (the change button is grayed out).

chk

13.5 hours to get TH Pass email with QR code for June travel. Maybe cos I uploaded PDF of vax cert & pdf of insurance policy by a Thai company.
Next the Mor Chana registration.

chk

Oh. For my Malaysia MySejahtera & Thailand Pass, I never notarized anything. Just upload PDF Immunization cert from HealthHub.