Travellers with Thailand Pass QR code allowed to enter country, skip quarantine with negative COVID-19 test results
SINGAPORE: Travellers who have received their Thailand Pass QR Code will be permitted to enter the country under the existing conditions of the scheme that they have registered for.
However, they will have to undergo two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said on Tuesday (Dec 21).
The second test will take place at a government-designated facility at no additional cost.
Those who have registered for the Thailand Pass, but have yet to receive their QR code, must wait for their pass to be considered or approved.
"Once approved, they can enter Thailand under the scheme they have registered," said the authority.
Thailand Pass is a web-based system for citizens and foreign travellers to declare their travel and health information in order to enter the country.
The announcement comes after Thai authorities on Tuesday said they would reinstate the country's mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for foreign visitors and scrap a quarantine waiver.
New applicants will also not be able to register to enter Thailand under the Test and Go scheme or Sandbox programme.
Under the current conditions for Thailand's Test and Go scheme, travellers must proceed to their prearranged accommodation or medical facility for an on-arrival COVID-19 test. They must then self-isolate within the hotel while they wait for the results.
Travellers are then free to go anywhere in Thailand upon receiving a negative result, according to guidelines by the tourism authority.
The decision on Tuesday to halt Thailand's Test and Go waiver means visitors will have to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine, which ranges between seven to 10 days.
Thailand's sandbox programme, which requires visitors to remain in a specific location but allows them free movement outside of their accommodation, will also be suspended in all places with the exception of Phuket.
"Thailand Pass will only accept new applicants seeking to enter Thailand under Alternative Quarantine or Phuket Sandbox only," said the ministry.
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