After the CCSA announced yesterday that Thailand will scrap requirements for pre-travel PCR tests for foreign flyers, the foreign affairs ministry reminds wannabe international travellers that most land border crossing points remain closed to them. The CCSA also says that only four land border posts are open to tourists and expats: Nongkhai and Udon Thani (near the Laos border) and Songkhla and Satun (near Malaysia). Tourists entering Thailand through these posts must still apply via Thailand Pass, which requires pre-travel PCR tests.
Thailand Pass requires several documents including vaccination status, proof of booking into a Thai hotel pending the result of the RT-PCR post-arrival test, the US$20,000 insurance requirement, and personal documentation. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the process can take up to seven days.
Thai immigration authorities are also reminding long-stay tourists and expats that holding a re-entry permit upon leaving Thailand does not cancel out the requirement to apply online for Test & Go before coming back. Returning expats have been refused boarding of their flight when they failed to show a Test and Go QR code.
“A valid re-entry permit protects an existing visa, but all entrants require prior Thailand Pass permission irrespective of visa status”.
SOURCE: Pattaya Mail