Integrity Legal - Law Firm in Bangkok | Bangkok Lawyer | Legal Services Thailand Back to
Integrity Legal

Legal Services & Resources 

Up to date legal information pertaining to Thai, American, & International Law.

Contact us: +66 2-266 3698

info@integrity-legal.com

ResourcesVisa & Immigration LawThailand Immigration LawTraveling into Thailand in the Aftermath of COVID-19 Shutdown

Traveling into Thailand in the Aftermath of COVID-19 Shutdown

Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing travel into Thailand in the aftermath of Coronavirus or COVID-19 and the travel restrictions that we have previously seen here in Thailand. 

Now I am making this video in sort of a speculative capacity where we are still in the middle of a lockdown here in Thailand and I am making this to sort of provide some insight in what I think it is going to look like in the aftermath of this for traveling into Thailand. 

So, in a recent article from Bangkok Post, that is bangkokpost.com, the article is titled Ministry Floats Ideas on Exit Strategy. Quoting directly:  "First, the screening of inbound visitors must remain stringent and facilities for 14-day state quarantine must be ready at all times." A couple of things here. Let's be clear. Facilities for a 14-day state quarantine must be ready at all times. I don't think that necessarily should be presumed to mean everyone is going to be quarantined but they need to have the facilities ready to go at a moment's notice if an outbreak flares up and they need to deal with quarantining folks as they are coming in. More importantly, to the point of, as a practical matter what do I think traveling in to Thailand is going to look like in sort of the immediate and midterm aftermath in dealing with this again they note "screening of inbound visitors must remain stringent". I think it is possible that we could see visa applications requiring medical screenings in the future. I also think it may be required folks have a certificate of some sort when coming into Thailand to be able to present that to the adjudicating Immigration Officer upon the entry of those folks into Thailand. 

Again, don't take that necessarily as a foregone conclusion but I think that these are solid logical inferences to presume based on what we are seeing and based on what officials are talking about with respect to bringing Thailand back online in the aftermath of COVID-19. 

So "Do I think that Thailand is going to open back up?" Yeah sure I do. "Do I think that they are going to have some new requirements associated with being able to travel into Thailand?" Yes I do. "Do I think that there will be more requirements for getting a Thai Visa?"  Yes, I do. I have also made videos on this channel with respect to, I do believe that we are going to see I hesitate to use the term cumbersome but definitely a more complex process associated with the practice of visa runs or border runs here in Thailand in the aftermath COVID-19 for a host of different reasons most notably, third countries are probably going to have new protocols in place for those looking to come into their country and Thailand is probably going to institute new protocols for returning to Thailand.

So, in the future I think we are going to see a slightly different process for coming into Thailand and I think that those slight alterations will also pertain to things like a visa run to a Thai Embassy outside of Thailand to get a visa and return or a border run wherein one hops across the border and hops back in, in order to maintain lawful status in the Kingdom.