Thailand to Require Mandatory COVID-19 Insurance for Travellers from India and Other Countries

As of January 09 2023, Thailand has reinstated certain travel restrictions for international travellers entering the country, including the requirement for a vaccination certificate and COVID-19 travel insurance.

We published a comprehensive guide on COVID-19 vaccines for travel to Thailand yesterday, which covers everything you need to know about the vaccination requirements for travel to Thailand based on the most recent travel restrictions.

However, due to the last-minute implementation of these requirements, many passengers are confused about them, particularly the requirement for COVID-19 travel insurance.

Thailand Covid-19 Insurance Requirement

Despite the advisory from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has clearly mentioned that Covid-19 travel insurance is only mandatory for travellers who are coming from countries with measures to prevent people infected with COVID-19 from returning to the country, we continue to receive queries from travellers asking whether travel insurance is required for all travellers.

We would like to clarify that COVID-19 travel insurance is only required for travellers who need to take a mandatory RT-PCR test (as a requirement to enter their own country) before departing from Thailand.

The reason for this requirement is that if a traveller tests positive for the coronavirus before returning home, they may not be able to leave Thailand and may need to be hospitalised for treatment. COVID-19 medical insurance would come into play in this situation and could potentially save your life.

According to an update posted by Thai Airways, this additional requirement of is for passengers arriving from countries such as India, Japan, Mainland China etc.

It is worth noting that the;

• Medical/Health insurance covering USD 10,000 for medical treatment.
• The general policy is acceptable providing that the policy does not exclude Covid-19 treatment.

This does not apply to:

• Diplomatic passport holders.
• UN passport holders.
• Passengers transferring/transiting through Thailand to other destinations outside Thailand.

For passengers who are required to have Health Insurance as mentioned above, the Health Insurance Policy can be purchased at a cost prior to disembarkation.