Tanee Sangrat, the spokesman for the ministry, said that since April 2020, the ministry has approved more than 400,000 COE requests by Thai nationals and foreign visitors for travel to Thailand.
Now that the government will reopen the country, the Department of Consular Affairs has collaborated with the Digital Government Development Agency (DGA) to develop the “Thailand Pass” system, the web-based system for Thai and foreign travelers to fill in their travel and health information and upload related documents before traveling.
The new system will help reduce unnecessary procedures and visitors can register on tp.consular.go.th from Nov 1, said Mr Tanee, who also serves as director-general of the ministry’s Department of Information.
He said the Department of Consular Affairs and Thai embassies and consulates in foreign countries were testing the new system to get a good grasp before its official launch on Nov 1.
“Thai embassies and consulates will change their original role of issuing the COEs to publicizing and giving advice on the registration of the Thailand Pass system. This means there will be no more process of seeking their approval,” Mr Tanee said.
The ministry, Thai embassies and consulates all over the world are stepping up campaigns to promote the country’s reopening and explain the requirements for arrivals from 45 countries and one territory without quarantine, as well as arrivals under the sandbox and alternative quarantine programmes, he said.
The Thailand Pass system is a web-based system designed to make the documentation process for travelers entering Thailand more efficient than the COE application by collecting both travel and health information and also facilitating the filing of TM6 and T8 forms.
The Thailand Pass is required for all fully vaccinated Thais and foreign travellers from the 46 low-risk countries listed by the government, as well as those who enter Thailand under the sandbox programme or who have not yet been vaccinated or received only one shot and enter Thailand under the alternative quarantine programme.
According to the website, the processing of a Thailand Pass application takes three to five days depending on the Thai embassy or consulate where the application has been submitted. It is recommended to apply for the Thailand Pass at least seven days before the intended date of departure.
According to bangkokpost.com
