Traveling to Thailand in 2021 | Required Documents, Visas, and more!
I can’t believe I am saying this, but Lawrence and I have finally made it to Thailand! After two years of saving, planning, and praying, we have finally embarked on our journey to travel the world for one full year. We had no idea when we first dreamt of this moment that we would be starting this incredible journey in the midst of a global pandemic. I don’t think anyone would fault us for postponing our dreams and waiting on a “better time” to start the trip, but as we all know there is no better time than the present to make your dreams a reality.
With these unexpected times comes unexpected travel requirements for each country. This blog post was designed to help you navigate through the requirements to enter Thailand. Please note that I can only speak on the requirements for a US citizen. Also, we are living in ever-changing times, which means requirements often change. Please check this website for the most up-to-date requirements.
Let’s jump right in!
Embarkment Day!
Document Requirements:
The Certificate of Entry (COE) is the most important document. This document is a letter issued by the Thai Embassy that certifies that you have met the requirements and allows a visa holder to enter Thailand. In order to receive this letter, you should allow 14 business days to complete the process. Check to ensure that you are eligible to receive the COE before applying here. Once you have confirmed your eligibility, you can begin the pre-approval process with the Thai Consulate. For this first step you will need:
A copy of your passport: which must be valid for at least six months from the expected date of arrival in Thailand.
Proof of Health Insurance: which must be in English covering healthcare and treatment expenses for COVID-19 per applicant for the whole duration in Thailand, with coverage clearly identified as no less than $100,000 USD.
If all of your documents meet the requirements above, the Thai embassy will approve you to move onto the next step of the process. This usually takes about 3 business days.
In the second stage of the process, you will need to upload proof of your flight reservation and proof of your ASQ reservation. We booked our ASQ reservation through this website. After the reservation was made, the ASQ location sent the proper documents directly to our email by the next day. After the embassy reviews your documents, successful applicants will then receive their COE via email notification from the embassy regarding how to download your document.
VISA Requirements:
US citizens are not required to apply for a visa before flying to Thailand. US citizens can receive a Visa on Arrival (VOA) at immigration when they get to the airport. If you wish to stay in Thailand for a longer period than the 30 day period (extended to 45 days to make up for the quarantine period), you must apply for a different visa. The visa you apply for will differ depending on your reason for entering the country. You can check here for a list of visas and their requirements.
Additional Information:
It may seem like an overwhelming process, but we promise once you begin the process you’ll realize that it's not as scary as it appears to be. When planning this trip, we found this Facebook group to be very useful. There are thousands of people who review their ASQ stays, give insurance recommendations, and provide any other relatable information that makes the process easier.
We hope the information in this article makes the trip to Thailand a lot easier.
Thanks for doing life with us!