CCSA to consider changing Thailand Pass requirement next week

[at15]

from may 15 vietnam is dropping pre flight testing bringing them to no requirements same as 2019. thailand better get going soon.

Edited May 14, 2022 by at15

[josephbloggs]

7 hours ago, Capella said:

Thais don't need insurance, but we still need a Thailand Pass.

 

As others have said, it's pointless. If they want to check vaccination status, they can do it at flight check in.

To all the people saying the airlines can check vaccination status.  Would you REALLY want that rather than having it done online before you travel?  Imagine how annoying and slow check in would be as they checked each person, different people vaccinated in different countries with different types of documentation - it would be a nightmare!!  Totally impractical and would slow things down immensely.   A horrible idea.

 

Just have it verified online in advance.  

I am travelling to Singapore next month, that beacon of efficiency.  I have to have my vaccination status verified online to generate a letter for Singapore immigration.  What's the problem with that?  Why would you want the airlines doing that at check in??  I want my check in to be as quick and painless as possible.

[d2b2]

8 hours ago, Capella said:

Travel insurance is a very good idea, and may well be here to stay given the number of tourists who get into accidents, but airlines could verify this at check in. 

 

Thailand Pass may be easy to get, but it's off-putting to those who have never applied for one, who may think it's more difficult than it actually is. 

So the problem isn’t the Thailand Pass, it is that people are too lazy and/or stupid.

[sungod]

13 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

I thought transmission had ceased to be the issue. The issue  is vaccination mitigating against severity- you are reliving yesterday's anti vax arguments

I am not reliving anything, there are schools out there that are forcing kids to have vaccines to attend school.

 

2 shots of AZ, anti vax am I? ????

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, josephbloggs said:

To all the people saying the airlines can check vaccination status.  Would you REALLY want that rather than having it done online before you travel?  Imagine how annoying and slow check in would be as they checked each person, different people vaccinated in different countries with different types of documentation - it would be a nightmare!!  Totally impractical and would slow things down immensely.   A horrible idea.

 

Just have it verified online in advance.  

I am travelling to Singapore next month, that beacon of efficiency.  I have to have my vaccination status verified online to generate a letter for Singapore immigration.  What's the problem with that?  Why would you want the airlines doing that at check in??  I want my check in to be as quick and painless as possible.

Then there would be the people who aren't vaccinated or don't have the correct proof - the arguments at the desk as they are told they can't fly, all the people waiting behind them.

It is an incredibly stupid idea and I can't believe so many people here are proposing it rather than a simple online pre-flight verification process.  And to think these same posters say Thais have no logic!

[Capella]

2 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

To all the people saying the airlines can check vaccination status.  Would you REALLY want that rather than having it done online before you travel?  Imagine how annoying and slow check in would be as they checked each person, different people vaccinated in different countries with different types of documentation - it would be a nightmare!!  Totally impractical and would slow things down immensely.   A horrible idea.

 

Just have it verified online in advance.  

I am travelling to Singapore next month, that beacon of efficiency.  I have to have my vaccination status verified online to generate a letter for Singapore immigration.  What's the problem with that?  Why would you want the airlines doing that at check in??  I want my check in to be as quick and painless as possible.

There's a big QR code on international vaccination certificates. It can be scanned and checked in seconds, just like a passport. 

 

Airlines could also collect it via their own websites along with other APIS data that they already collect. 

 

Too easy.

[Irate priest]

1 hour ago, josephbloggs said:

Then there would be the people who aren't vaccinated or don't have the correct proof - the arguments at the desk as they are told they can't fly, all the people waiting behind them.

It is an incredibly stupid idea and I can't believe so many people here are proposing it rather than a simple online pre-flight verification process.  And to think these same posters say Thais have no logic!

You have to show your Thai pass and proof of vaccination before boarding in UK

[NoshowJones]

23 hours ago, bluemoon58 said:

In my opinion they're only keeping it to make sure you have insurance. 

Which means the constant arrival of brown envelopes.

[sandyf]

10 hours ago, Capella said:

Thais don't need insurance, but we still need a Thailand Pass.

 

As others have said, it's pointless. If they want to check vaccination status, they can do it at flight check in.

Why should the airlines work for other entities, they have their own rules to deal with. I had to show my vaccination certificate to board flight to UK a few days ago.

[sandyf]

10 hours ago, Capella said:

Thailand Pass may be easy to get, but it's off-putting to those who have never applied for one, who may think it's more difficult than it actually is. 

Not as much as online visas, I know many that stopped coming before the pandemic started, of course it is easier to blame TP.

[richard_smith237]

2 minutes ago, sandyf said:

10 hours ago, Capella said:

Thais don't need insurance, but we still need a Thailand Pass.

 

As others have said, it's pointless. If they want to check vaccination status, they can do it at flight check in.

Why should the airlines work for other entities, they have their own rules to deal with. I had to show my vaccination certificate to board flight to UK a few days ago.

The Airlines are responsible for the return travel of the passenger IF rejected entry.  

 

That is ‘why’ airlines should check if the passenger meets entry requirements and that is exactly what they do. 

 

The Airlines Check Visa status, they check return or onward tickets. 

The IATA lists entry requirements for all airlines to use to cross check entry requirements to different countries. 

 

 

 

 

 

[10baht]

21 hours ago, jacko45k said:

They were not wasted hours, just waiting time of a couple of hours, he baked a pie and got a Thai pass out of it. It appears you are wasting more time griping and crying on here about how onerous this trivial effort is for you. 

Or maybe I am a person showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment in the matter and thinks someone in a position to junk the Thai Pass will get the message when enough people bitch about it. 

[josephbloggs]

3 hours ago, Capella said:

There's a big QR code on international vaccination certificates. It can be scanned and checked in seconds, just like a passport. 

 

Airlines could also collect it via their own websites along with other APIS data that they already collect. 

 

Too easy.

So every single airline should invest in online systems to check vaccination status from any country and make sure it will satisfy the (ever changing) rules of every single country they fly to?  

 

Really?? 

 

Or how about they don't do the work of every single country's health department and instead you upload to them directly to make sure they are satisfied and you can fly without stress. That sounds good doesn't it? 

 

Why don't airlines just put the ESTA form on their website too? Perhaps they could also handle via applications too as they already have websites that do stuff. 

 

[Capella]

1 hour ago, josephbloggs said:

So every single airline should invest in online systems to check vaccination status from any country and make sure it will satisfy the (ever changing) rules of every single country they fly to?  

 

Really?? 

 

Or how about they don't do the work of every single country's health department and instead you upload to them directly to make sure they are satisfied and you can fly without stress. That sounds good doesn't it? 

 

Why don't airlines just put the ESTA form on their website too? Perhaps they could also handle via applications too as they already have websites that do stuff. 

 

I flew to Fiji recently. The airline check in staff took just a few seconds to check my vaccination certificate, travel insurance, and prebooking for a covid test after arrival.

 

Why do some people want covid drama to go on forever, and are addicted to mindless bureaucracy? Does it make people feel artificially safe? Is everyone suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

[wasabi]

On 5/13/2022 at 8:12 AM, josephbloggs said:

Exactly the same.  I just did it for the first time as I'm going to the UK.  Was expecting it to me a nightmare after all the moaning you read on here.........then you realise most of those moaning have probably never even done it.

It was really pretty simple, fill out some info, upload a few images.  5 minutes max.  Really not that big a deal.  And like someone else has said if that puts you off then how the hell do you manage to book a flight or a hotel?

Would I rather I didn't have to do it?  Of course, and I expect pretty soon you won't have to.  Was it difficult or troublesome?  Not in the least.  And the insurance cost me a whopping 650 baht.

where did you find insurance for 650 THB?

 

***update found the site with the low cost insurance using FWD insurance which was accepted.

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, wasabi said:

where did you find insurance for 650 THB?

 

***update found the site with the low cost insurance using FWD insurance which was accepted.

Glad you found it.  It is actually linked to on the Thailand Pass site.   30 days' cover, 650 baht.  

Here's a direct link in case it helps anyone else:

https://partner.fwdgi.co.th/en/fwdgi/corona-virus-inbound-insurance?utm_source=tqmbroker

[josephbloggs]

2 hours ago, Capella said:

I flew to Fiji recently. The airline check in staff took just a few seconds to check my vaccination certificate, travel insurance, and prebooking for a covid test after arrival.

 

Why do some people want covid drama to go on forever, and are addicted to mindless bureaucracy? Does it make people feel artificially safe? Is everyone suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

Great, took you a few seconds.  Not everybody would have everything in order or be so easily checked, especially if they were vaccinated in different places.  There would undoubtedly be delays and annoyances and congestion at the check in.    Why wouldn't you want that stuff cleared up for everybody in advance so check in is just as simple as can be?

And if you were referring to me I have no idea why you think I want the Covid drama to continue.  I actually think they should drop Thailand Pass now and just go back to how things used to be (and I suspect that within a month that will happen).  But until that happens I would rather have people getting cleared online by the destination health authority and not have that done by airlines at check in.  Too much potential for mess and people delaying me.  Just because you say you got checked once quickly it does not mean that would be the same for every passenger.

[ThaiVisaCentre]

21 hours ago, garyk said:

Ok, 650/person , conservative estimate of 100,000/Mo.  at 30 baht / person = 2 million one hundred and sixty six thousand dollars x 12 = twenty six million dollars / year.  

At 250,000 people / mo. = 5,416,666 dollars / mo.  and 65,000,000 / year.

I don't think it is the 650 bath people are moaning about it is the blatant rip off.

Any travel insurance from any country is acceptable, and with such a low minimum coverage its hard to find a policy which does not meet it.

You are NOT required to buy from a Thai insurer, we see travelers get approved using 100 THB WorldTrips policies every day (which is NOT a Thai insurer, and Thailand does not profit from these policies).

Heres an example of how low 2 day coverage can get. If you are staying less than 30 days then you most likely will save money depending on your age. Otherwise the FWD policy is a great option for those over the age of 45 as they do not increase price based on age (the downside being that you cannot buy less than 30 days).



Requirements will eventually be dropped, but we are in a MUCH better situation now than a six months ago when things were 100x more expensive, and you had to deal with the possibility of an expensive 14 day hospital quarantine if testing positive (this has all been removed).

The risk now is paying $2 - $20 for an insurance policy, and filling out a 15 minute form.

The ironic part of all of this is there will be a $10 fee added to tourists anyways in the upcoming months, so actually there is very little difference for the traveler (some may even be saving money by arriving now).
 

Edited May 14, 2022 by ThaiVisaCentre

[jacko45k]

16 hours ago, 10baht said:

Or maybe I am a person showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment in the matter and thinks someone in a position to junk the Thai Pass will get the message when enough people bitch about it. 

Foreigners bitching seems to be mere venting. They will do it in their own time. Their MO seems to be gradual easing rather than a simple sudden change. 

[teelac777]

As a result, Thailand welcomed fewer tourists in the first 4 months  of 2022 than used to enter  in a week.

 

 

[Harveyboy]

On 5/13/2022 at 2:06 PM, bluemoon58 said:

In my opinion they're only keeping it to make sure you have insurance. 

yep insurance ..scam scam scam

[Harveyboy]

23 hours ago, d2b2 said:

So the problem isn’t the Thailand Pass, it is that people are too lazy and/or stupid.

or because some people  realise its a circus ..just sayin !!

[Harveyboy]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Foreigners bitching seems to be mere venting. They will do it in their own time. Their MO seems to be gradual easing rather than a simple sudden change. 

Poms suppose to Whinge..its in their blood

[bluejets]

So would the insurance requirement also go along with the TP, I'm sort of leaning towards, no way.

[UTH001]

On 5/13/2022 at 7:07 PM, croftrobin said:

 

Rubbish

 

I came to Thailand on the 2nd of May. My UK bought travel insurance covers me for 10 million US Dollars. This was accepted for the Thailand Pass.

 

If you do not know, do not write rubbish.

Well, I am thrilled for you, of course. But there is possibly a slight difference between ME LIVING HERE and YOU NOT. AXA travel insurance is not accepted (purchased locally, which I have to do as I live here!), I am told to buy AXA SAWADEE instead. 

And I rarely to never write rubbish, just by the way!

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, Harveyboy said:

yep insurance ..scam scam scam

Yawn Yawn Yawn.

Explain who is being scammed and how.  The coverage amount required is extremely low, you can use any insurance company you like, Thai, foreign, it doesn't matter.

You do realise the government, hoteliers, absolutely everyone, would make heaps more money if there were no entry requirements.  So explain the scam.   I suppose you also said hospitels were a scam but they got rid of that requirement months ago, oh then the quarantine was a scam but, oh, they reduced that down to one day months ago but it was still a scam (even though those same hotels would make a lot more money if the country was open) but then they dropped that requirement so maybe it wasn't a scam.

Oh, but now the insurance is a scam even though they have continually lowered the amount of coverage required now to a very small amount that costs peanuts to buy...........and you can buy from whoever you like.

Can you even think for yourself?  Or are you one of those posters who just goes around shouting "scam" at everything??  

[croftrobin]

3 hours ago, UTH001 said:

Well, I am thrilled for you, of course. But there is possibly a slight difference between ME LIVING HERE and YOU NOT. AXA travel insurance is not accepted (purchased locally, which I have to do as I live here!), I am told to buy AXA SAWADEE instead. 

And I rarely to never write rubbish, just by the way!

Use jairoo then

 

https://insure.roojai.com/quote/#/covid-inbound-travel

 

 

 

[ThaiVisaCentre]

16 minutes ago, croftrobin said:

Use jairoo then

 

https://insure.roojai.com/quote/#/covid-inbound-travel

 

 

 

Just tried that form, they just recommend FWD, and did not even mention the limitations of the policy (which is misleading).

[sandyf]

On 5/14/2022 at 7:41 AM, richard_smith237 said:

The Airlines are responsible for the return travel of the passenger IF rejected entry.  

 

That is ‘why’ airlines should check if the passenger meets entry requirements and that is exactly what they do. 

 

The Airlines Check Visa status, they check return or onward tickets. 

The IATA lists entry requirements for all airlines to use to cross check entry requirements to different countries. 

After 20 odd years traveling back and fore I am well aware of what airlines do.

When I came back last October the check in guy was using a crib sheet for the requirements and hadn't got a clue, I had to put him right on a couple of points. Took about 20 minutes to check in as he kept disappearing to verify. Quite ridiculous as what he got wrong had already been dealt with for the COE. That is all the airline should have been checking.

It is unrealistic for people on this forum to think everything can be put on the airlines to relieve their own responsibility. All it does is create longer queues at check in, of course not a problem for those that are more concerned about whinging over the TP.

[sandyf]

On 5/14/2022 at 1:18 AM, at15 said:

from may 15 vietnam is dropping pre flight testing bringing them to no requirements same as 2019. thailand better get going soon.

Are they also removing the insurance requirement to enter Vietnam, and what about the app they use?