PHUKET: Phuket officials have announced that the Thailand Pass website for approving foreign tourists to enter the country no longer accepts applications for people wanting to travel to Thailand within 24 hours of applying.
"To ensure sufficient time for the registration and approval process in the Thailand Pass system and eliminate the need for travelers to adjust their travel itinerary, from 7 February 2022 onwards, Thailand Pass system will not permit registration less than 1 day before departure date. (to ensure smooth journey it is highly recommended that you plan your travel at least 7 days in advance)," said the notice posted online today (Feb 9), in English.
The notice was posted online at 10:18am today, despite explaining that the change in policy came into effect two days ago.
"In case of emergency travel, please send your request / supporting documents to testgo@consular.go.th," the notice added.
The standard processing time for Thailand Pass approval is three to seven days, the notice continued.
"Applicants are strongly advised to plan ahead and submit the registration for Thailand Pass at least 7 days prior to departure," it said.
Not ironically, the notice also said, "The DDC will reject any incomplete or non-compliance documentation, and a notification email will be sent within 7 days."
In essence, any tourists wanting to come to Thailand must allow one week for approval before their planned departure date in case their application is denied due to their application being deemed incomplete.
According to the notice, tourists applying for a Thailand Pass in order to enter the country under the revised Test & Go scheme launched on Feb 1 must be fully vaccinated and must provide the following:
- Passport and Visa (if required)
- Certificate of Vaccination
- Insurance with minimum coverage of 50,000 USD for medical expenses (not required for Thai nationals / foreign residents in Thailand can use social security or certificate from their employer)
- Paid Reservation Confirmation from SHA Extra+ / AQ Hotel for 2 nights (Day 1 and Day 5)
– Day 1 hotel reservation and fee for 1st RT-PCR test and airport transfer.
– Day 5 hotel reservation and fee for 2nd RT-PCR test.
The notice also explained Thailand Pass approval process as follows (verbatim):
- Upon submission of your registration, staff of your booked hotel will authenticate the reservation (room for Day 1 and Day 5 + airport transfer + 2 RT-PCR test fees). Once verified/approved, your registration application will be sent to the Department of Disease Control (DDC) officials for further consideration (vaccine certificate and etc.)
– The hotel will reject any incomplete or non-compliance documentation, and a notification email will be sent to resubmit the additional documents. For any inquiries at this stage, please contact your hotel directly.
* It is highly recommended that travellers book their hotel accommodation (room + airport transfer + 2 RT-PCR tests) directly with the hotel to expedite the authentication process by hotels. *
- After hotel authentication and approval, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) will verify your Certificate of Vaccination and the Thailand Pass QR Code will be sent to you via email within 7 days upon approval.