To Thailand and a non-covid statement
When you travel to Thailand this year, you may be faced with a so-called non-covid statement. Thailand currently requires foreigners (who fall under the exception category) to be able to submit such a statement upon entry.
The non-corona or non-covid statement is a document that is issued after you have tested negative for the coronavirus (Covid-19). The statement states that at the time of testing there was no corona contamination.
A condition for a valid statement is often that it may not be more than a few days old. Travelers must therefore have the test carried out shortly before departure. Thailand uses a maximum of 72 hours for this. The statement may therefore not be older than 72 hours before departure.
How do you get a Covid-19 statement?
To relieve the burden on GGDs, it has been decided that they will not issue non-covid statements, but there are companies / organizations that do. Travelers can go to most travel clinics or vaccination centers in the Netherlands. On coronavirustest.nu you will find an overview of test locations per province.
Cost of the document
The costs for a test with a statement can vary and depend on where you have the test performed. Please note: the costs of this test are not reimbursed by the government. You have to pay this yourself, you may be able to declare the costs of this to your health insurer, inquire about it.
PCR-test
A so-called PCR test is required for a valid non-corona declaration. This test determines whether you are currently infected with the corona virus. In the PCR test, a swab is taken from the throat and nose with a cotton swab. You will receive the results of this test approximately 24 to 48 hours later. Rapid PCR tests (< 1 hour) available are not intended to obtain a non-covid statement.
Just to be clear, there is still an entry ban for tourists to Thailand. There are only exceptions for certain groups including foreigners with a work permit or who are married to a Thai national.
Apart from the substantive info about the Covid statement, I find the info about the group that is allowed to enter (the italic part) confusing:
I think foreigners who are married to a Thai national are only admitted if they have a permanent residence certificate.
It escapes me by the way why you can't enter if you have a Retirement Visa, but you do qualify for a permanent visa, but only don't do this because of the total, crazy high costs (comparable to a Privilege Card).
I understand your displeasure, Goort, but a permanent residence permit is not the same as an annual extension of a visa based on 50+.
For a permanent residence permit, more is needed than just money. You also have to master the Thai language etc…
Goodbye,
What if you've already had covid?
The remark that, in your opinion, married couples “are only admitted if they have a permanent residence certificate” is not correct. The requirement is that one must be married under Thai law.
I refer to this article in the Bangkok Post
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1962167/caat-lifts-entry-ban-on-select-foreigners
which describes the groups that may enter under certain conditions.
The four groups are non-Thai nationals with a certificate of permanent residency, including their spouses and children; non-Thai nationals with work permits, including their spouses and children; non-Thai nationals permitted to enter under a special arrangement, and migrant workers whose employers are allowed to bring in workers.
You're right, Dirk. See, among others, category 6 in the summary in the article below:
https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/11-groups-of-people-allowed-to-fly-into-thailand-as-of-today