Govt now requires arriving foreigners to specify countries recently visited

 

 

BAGKOK(NNT) - The Immigration Bureau has announced that all foreigners arriving in Thailand must now specify the countries they have recently visited on their arrival card, to filter out the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus.

 

Immigration police deputy spokesperson Colonel Cherngron Rimpadee today announced that the Immigration Bureau after discussions with relevant agencies had resolved to ask all foreign passengers arriving in Thailand to list all the countries they have recently visited.

 

Prior to the announcement, the arrival card that foreigners fill in, only requested basic information, such as personal information, country of residence and the accommodation each individual was staying in, while in Thailand.

 

On March 5, the government declared four countries and two territories to be at high-risk of COVID-19, namely, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Italy, and Iran.

 

Currently, the kingdom welcomes roughly 4,500 passengers daily from these countries.

 

Disease Control Department Deputy Director-General Kajornsak Kaewjaras, shared today that all passengers from these high-risk destinations, and those who have visited them in recent times, must identify themselves to authorities.

 

Officials will provide a free medical check up, and ask for contact details throughout their stay in the kingdom; government personnel will then be able to monitor their well-being.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2020-03-10

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So. I guess when I do a border bounce to Mae Sai tomorrow, I can put thailand as very recently visited. & no problems getting back in ????

3 minutes ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

I can put thailand as very recently visited. & no problems getting back in ????

Let us know if they quarantine you on reading the card ????

24 minutes ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

So. I guess when I do a border bounce to Mae Sai tomorrow, I can put thailand as very recently visited. & no problems getting back in ????

now,,you Do realize you are dealing with thai people ,,right ?

so, they have totally redesigned and reprinted newly reformatted TM6s? 

the current format only has enough space for annotating the Place of Departure... or do you simply write all over the blank areas until its all full?

Can they check your passport for this info?

Show your copy of the latest TM30.

Should be your free pass, similar to Thai Elite Visa. 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

filter out the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus.

So they aren't interested in stopping the spread but merely filtering it out.Excellent plan!

1 hour ago, Yorkshire Tea said:

So. I guess when I do a border bounce to Mae Sai tomorrow, I can put thailand as very recently visited. & no problems getting back in ????

This will only apply at airports. It's obvious when you arrive in Thailand from Myanmar, they'll be like "oh he just came back from Myanmar". I just came back from Laos. No screening is done on either side of the border. It's business as usual....for now.

A few months ago, it was announced that the TM6 form would be abolished. What's taking them so long? Thailand, get with the times. Even Myanmar has stopped using this form (except at the Mae Sot border).

 

Laos and Cambodia no longer want or care about the departure portion (you only fill in the arrival form now).

Doesn't the TM-6 already ask for a flight number ?

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

On March 5, the government declared four countries and two territories to be at high-risk of COVID-19, namely, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Italy, and Iran.

 

Currently, the kingdom welcomes roughly 4,500 passengers daily from these countries.

I don't get it.

From yesterday all passengers (But Thai) coming from these 6 countries must submit a health certificate.

Slightly different from one airline to another.

That's the template from Thai Airways : Health certificate must be issued 48 hours before travel !

https://www.thaiairways.com/en/news/news_announcement/news_detail/certificate-covid19.page

Cathay requires a health insurance covering at least for $ 100,000 !!

https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/travel-information/travel-preparation/travel-advisories/notice-regarding-travel-restrictions.html?cxsource=nc

 

 

 

45 minutes ago, tifino said:

the current format only has enough space for annotating the Place of Departure... or do you simply write all over the blank areas until its all full?

Fill out a T8 as per those from high risk countries would seem logical.

 

Edited March 10, 20206 yr by Salerno
Added T8

did'nt they cancell this arrival form?

7 minutes ago, drbeach said:

A few months ago, it was announced that the TM6 form would be abolished.

i also remember this news...

... a cumbersome form to be stapled into a Passport!

I can visualise yet another page with a big staple tear init!

Just a hint for the Thai authorities:  "Psst! Look in their passports!" 
<Not a lot of sharp tacks in the box>

3 minutes ago, connda said:

Just a hint for the Thai authorities:  "Psst! Look in their passports!" 
<Not a lot of sharp tacks in the box>

A european could move anywhere within the EC through many countries and not have one stamp in his passport. 

48 minutes ago, drbeach said:

This will only apply at airports. It's obvious when you arrive in Thailand from Myanmar, they'll be like "oh he just came back from Myanmar". I just came back from Laos. No screening is done on either side of the border. It's business as usual....for now.

Whooosh, the sarcasm emoticon went miles over your head ???? 

  

57 minutes ago, connda said:

Just a hint for the Thai authorities:  "Psst! Look in their passports!" 
<Not a lot of sharp tacks in the box>

 

Psst! Why?

 

As for tacks another saying about glasshouses comes to mind 

Ready, set, go, 14 day vacation, flying in from Singapore, oh wait, 14 day quarantine upon arrival, so no vacation.  What 5 star accommodations will i be booked into along with my free medical screening procedure......sorry my sarcastic inner child could not resist.....

From Cathay Pacific website - Travel Restrictions

 

Thailand

Effective 12 March 2020, passengers departing from Mainland China (including Hong Kong SAR & Macao SAR), Korea, Italy and Iran are required to have the following at check-in: Health insurance document that provides at least USD100,000 coverage in Thailand (not applicable to Thai nationals) Health certificate, Link opens in a new window operated by external parties and may not conform to the same accessibility policies as Cathay Pacific issued within 48hours of flight depature certifying that they are free of COVID-19 (applicable to all nationalities) Further, passengers from the above zones will be subject to a 14-day self-quarantine upon entering Thailand or the length of their visit (if less than 14-days). For more information on the new travel regulations, please visit Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health., Link opens in a new window operated by external parties and may not conform to the same accessibility policies as Cathay Pacific

 

That is the first I have heard of insurance.

 

The link to Ministry of Public Health is also interesting.

 

https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index_more.php 

Question is, Will this be the new norm for world travel?  It looks like the airlines are looking at ways to absolve themselves from some costs....

How recent is "recent"? 1 month, 3 months, 6 months ?

I was in Japan in Janaury and will be travelling to Thailand in April, although Japan isn't on the "high-risk" list am I going to have issues ?

Edited March 10, 20206 yr by Chelseafan

7 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

i also remember this news...

I thought they cancelled it only for Thais

8 minutes ago, Chelseafan said:

How recent is "recent"? 1 month, 3 months, 6 months ?

I was in Japan in Janaury and will be travelling to Thailand in April, although Japan isn't on the "high-risk" list am I going to have issues ?

7 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Aha. Didn't see that. Thanks, that's given me a little reassurance.

7 minutes ago, Chelseafan said:

Aha. Didn't see that. Thanks, that's given me a little reassurance.

"little" being the optimum word there. Getting us all to fill in a T8, which is where the above comes from, is IMO the logical step (given those from the high risk countries have to) but as per usual they haven't exactly been crystal clear.

8 hours ago, drbeach said:

This will only apply at airports. It's obvious when you arrive in Thailand from Myanmar, they'll be like "oh he just came back from Myanmar". I just came back from Laos. No screening is done on either side of the border. It's business as usual....for now.

That’s a false Information. They screen at several borders, even if you had the positive experience in Laos. Crossed on SAT at Ban Phu Nam Ron. They didn’t care that I stay in Thailand. I hold a high-risk country pass =he has to be screened ????. They took a photo of my passport, my address etc. 

On 3/11/2020 at 3:45 AM, Salerno said:

"little" being the optimum word there. Getting us all to fill in a T8, which is where the above comes from, is IMO the logical step (given those from the high risk countries have to) but as per usual they haven't exactly been crystal clear.

Well thats a surprise.

 

My only concern is that nearer the time as things get worse they dont ask me to quarantine myself for two weeks, espeically as I'm only there for 10 days ????