Follow seven steps for a safe return to Thailand

At the daily briefing on the Covid-19 situation in Thailand on Thursday (July 9), Natapanu Nopakun, deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry’s Information Department, announced the steps Thais and foreigners under 11 groups need to follow before they are allowed entry into the country.

The steps are: 

1. Contact the Thai embassy or consulate in your country to book a seat on a repatriation flight;

2. Foreigners must book a room at an alternative state quarantine site, get a fit-to-fly health certificate as well as a Covid-19 test that is negative and has been taken no more than 72 hours before departure. Foreigners are also required to have insurance coverage of US$100,000 specifically for Covid-19. Thais, on the other hand, only need to provide a fit-to-fly certificate; 

3. All these documents must be submitted to the embassy or consulate to secure a seat on the flight; 

4. Follow preventive measures while awaiting departure; 

5. Upon arrival, foreigners will undergo health screening before they are transported to the alternative state quarantine site; 

6. On the third to fifth day of quarantine, individuals will undergo Covid-19 tests. If negative, a second test will be applied between the 11th and 13th day of quarantine to confirm the end of the virus’s incubation period; 

7. People can travel around Thailand, provided they notify health authorities of their whereabouts, strictly follow health instructions as well as download and use the ThaiChana platform for tracking. 

Meanwhile, foreign fathers who are not legally married to their children’s mother can return to Thailand provided their name is mentioned in the child’s birth certificate. However, foreigners with a partner in Thailand whom they are not legally married to will not be allowed to return. 

Natapanu said every Thai mission overseas will follow the government’s guidelines, but the arrangement of repatriation flights also depends on local regulations. 

He added that Thailand will now allow 600 stranded foreigners per day to take repatriation flights that are heading to their country to pick up stranded Thais. Foreigners seeking to return home must contact their embassy, submit required documents and wait to be allocated a seat, because some countries are still not allowing commercial flights.