[Covid] How to enter Thailand right now? (Visa Exemption, CoE, Tourist Visa, STV)
After asking around here and there, I found several ways to enter Thailand during this Covid period.
Here, I’ll just talk about visas, not PCR tests, doctor’s documents, etc.
The list is long, but it’s totally doable without going through agencies if you’re in Paris and you understand English.
There are 3 ways to enter Thailand right now for tourists:
- Visa Exemption
- Tourist Visa
- e-visa (not mentioned here because it’s brand new)
| Visa Exemption | Tourist Visa (TV) |
|---|---|
| Length of stay: 45 days max (including quarantine) | Length of stay: 60 days max (including quarantine) |
| Quarantine: 10 days | Quarantine: 10 days |
| Extension possible: yes, 30 days for 1900 baht (about 50 €) without leaving the country | Extension possible: yes, 30 days for 1900 baht (about 50 €) without leaving the country |
| Then you can apply for the Covid Extension Visa for 60 days and renew it every 60 days. Note that the Covid Extension Visa can be stopped at any time | Then you can apply for the Covid Extension Visa for 60 days and renew it every 60 days. Note that the Covid Extension Visa can be stopped at any time |
| No need to give your passport to the embassy, everything is done online | You must give your passport to the embassy |
| DAY 1: You apply for the COE (Certificate of Entry online) DAY 3 or 4: The embassy pre-approves your file online and you have 15 days to provide the documents 2-3 DAYS LATER: You receive your COE | DAY 1: You apply for an e-visa on the website and get an appointment at the embassy DAY 3-4: You drop off your passport at the embassy DAY 6: You pick up your passport DAY 6: You apply for the COE (Certificate of Entry online) DAY 7-8: You receive your COE |
OK, now if we look at the documents to provide
| Visa Exemption | Tourist Visa (TV) |
|---|---|
| You just need to apply for the COE (Certificate of Entry) on https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ | DAY 1: GO TO THE WEBSITE http://thaievisa.go.th/ TO APPLY FOR THE VISA FIRST Passport information page (must be valid at least 6 months from the date of departure) |
| DAY 1 | Residence permit (only for holders of travel documents and foreigners with residence in France) or proof of address for European passports (electricity or telecom bill) |
| Passport information page (must be valid at least 6 months from the date of departure) | Official color ID photo (Photomaton) |
| **new since COVID** A health insurance policy in Englishwith a minimum coverage of USD 100,000, including COVID-19 treatment, valid for the entire duration of your stay. You can get it through Chapka (around €55/month) | **new since COVID** A health insurance policy in Englishwith a minimum coverage of USD 100,000, including COVID-19 treatment, valid for at least 3 months from your arrival in Thailand. You can get it through Chapka (around €55/month) |
| DAY 3 or 4: the Embassy pre-approves your file online and you have 15 days to provide the additional documents, namely: **new since COVID** The hotel booking confirmationfor the fortnight« Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ)» for 10 days upon your arrival in Thailand(delivered directly by the hotel; an invoice or a booking request is not sufficient) | **new since COVID** The hotel booking confirmationfor the fortnight« Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ)» for 10 days upon your arrival in Thailand(delivered directly by the hotel; an invoice or a booking request is not sufficient) |
| Round-trip flight ticket of less than 45 days. | as well asa proof of accommodation(hotel reservation or an invitation letter from a property owner with proof of ownership and ID)for at least 7 days following your ASQ. |
| Financial proof (in euros):**new since COVID**thebank statements from the last three monthswith a minimum balance of€2,000 per applicant(or €4,000 for a joint account)on each statement.A photocopy of the family record book is required if the bank statement is not in the applicant’s name, who is under 20 years old. | |
| Round-trip flight ticket of less than 60 days. | |
| AFTER ONLINE PAYMENT, YOU WILL BE OFFERED A DATE (WITHIN 2-3 DAYS) TO SUBMIT YOUR PASSPORT TO THE EMBASSY | |
| You drop off your passport at the embassy (it takes 3 minutes); you can drop off someone else’s passport provided you come with their summons | |
| 2-3 business days later, you come to pick up the passport with the visa affixed to it | |
| THEN APPLY FOR THE COE (Certificate of Entry) ON https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ | |
| The COE will ask for exactly the same documents as you already have. However, you must scan the recently obtained visa. | |
| the COE is validated in about 2 business days. |
Actual costs
| Visa Exemption | Tourist Visa (TV) |
|---|---|
| Fee: free | Fee: around €30 |
| Price of each visa extension: €50 | Price of each visa extension: €50 |
| Round-trip flight ticket about €500 | Round-trip flight ticket about €500 |
| Health insurance $100,000: €50/month | Health insurance $100,000: €50/month |
| ASQ Quarantine Hotel: about €1,000/person | ASQ Quarantine Hotel: about €1,000/person |
| Booking accommodation for 7 days after quarantine | |
| At least €1,600 to pay before even going to Thailand | At least €1,800 to pay before even going to Thailand |
Which visa to choose?
It all depends on the thickness of your wallet, how long you plan to stay in Thailand, the country you’re leaving from, and whether you can make it to the embassy in Paris.
Personally, I find that the tourist visa only adds 15 more days but requires two trips to the embassy, which extends the processing time.
I’m going to go with visa exemption, then extend my visa once I’m there. The paperwork will be much easier from Thailand. I know many people go through agencies just for the COE, but clearly I see no administrative difficulty here. Unless you don’t speak any English at all.
I’ve detailed here how to get the COE for visa exemption (with screenshots and explanations about the documents to provide)
Challenges encountered
There are some documents that might seem hard to get. Or maybe you’re afraid of sorting everything out and not being able to leave because of a positive PCR test or a refused visa. Here are some tips:
- Round-trip ticket: even if you plan to apply for a visa extension once there, they still want you to provide an outbound ticket before the allowed stay period (45, 60, or 90 days). Note that until the end of the year, Air France lets you modify/cancel any ticket, even changing the departure or destination without any penalty. You just pay the price difference if needed. It’s great because you can provide this return ticket to board the plane, then change the return date several times before the end of the year
- Book with peace of mind: our tickets are modifiable and refundable, regardless of the fare chosen.
- Flights scheduled until December 31, 2021: ticket refundable if cancellation before departure of the first flight, in the form of a refundable credit note
- For the outbound ticket, in the current context, you can choose a ticket to Turkey, for example, if you’re on a world tour, but that means you won’t be using Air France anymore, and in that case, I don’t know their modification/cancellation conditions. Personally, we opted for a round-trip Paris-Bangkok ticket. Outbound with a layover in Amsterdam (to bypass the compelling reason requirement for any travel outside the EU), but the return non-stop, with Air France.
- International insurance $100,000 : Chapka will quickly provide you with a certificate in English
- Quarantine hotel: there’s an Excel file available on Google here, where you have the list of all hotels and their brochures. Beware, some hotels don’t accept civil partnership couples, so you need to ask about that too, otherwise you’ll be forced to quarantine separately and pay more. For married couples, it’s very simple; you just need a scan of the marriage certificate (we sent it in French). Demand is very high and many hotels won’t have availability for your desired dates. So the easiest is to go through Agoda, which is approved for online bookings, to see which hotels are still available on your date (Agoda link). Note: go through this special ASQ link because the rates are not the same as regular rooms. The advantage of using Agoda is the ability to cancel, for many hotels, until the day before without justification (check the cancellation terms carefully!). Whereas if you book directly with the hotel, you need to make a deposit of 5,000 THB, justify cancellation with a positive Covid test, or the refusal of the COE 3 days before arrival. Agoda also lets you pay by bank card in euros, which saves you from expensive, complicated international transfers with exchange fees. Note, the quarantine duration depends on your arrival time & whether you’re vaccinated
- Proof of accommodation for 3 months (for the STV): not hard to get with a cheap hotel just to obtain the visa, but it has an impact on your extension if you plan to stay another 3 months. You must do it at the place where you declared your residence when applying for the STV.
- Thai insurance : (for the STV) They all cost the same, but AXA’s insurance has the best interface. Just go to their website then “Quote now” to fill out a simple form. I received the quote a few hours later. Here are the rates they offer based on our age
- Regarding extensions and visa changes once there, check out this excellent group Thai Visa advice, where you can follow news on Covid visa extensions, etc.
Planning a trip to Thailand? Our partner Get Your Guide offers entry tickets and guided tours with French-speaking guides at very reasonable rates. Click here to see what they offer and book online.
