Foreign Ministry advises against non-essential travel to Thailand

Maldivian Foreign Ministry has advised against all non-essential travel to Thailand at the moment.

Following the speedy surge of the new COVID-19 variant – Omicron – in the country, Thailand has tightened restrictive measures recently.

New restrictive measures imposed in Thailand

•          Tourists who have received Thailand Pass’s QR code prior to December 22 from the tourists set to travel the country under the ‘Test and Go’ scheme prior to January 10, 2022 – will be able to still travel to Thailand.
•          Tourists who have applied for Thailand Pass prior to this month will still be able to travel to the country under the ‘Test and Go’ scheme upon receiving the QR code.
•          Tourists applying for Thailand Pass after December 22 will only be able to travel to Thailand under the Alternative Quarantine or Phuket Sand Box scheme.

In addition to this, tourists arriving at the country under the ‘Test and Go’ scheme must take a PCR test after their arrival. Furthermore, a second PCR test will have to be done from a facility of the Thai government’s choosing. Foreign Ministry said that the second test is done at the expense of the Thai government, free of charge.

Stressing that the measures announced are subject to change in the future – Foreign Ministry advises against non-essential trips to the country, as well as to educate oneself of the latest travel guidelines prior to departure.

They have also advised all locals residing in foreign countries to register with the Ministry and the nearest Maldivian diplomatic mission from the place of residence.

The Ministry also said that it is especially important to subscribe to COVID-19 travel insurance at the moment when traveling out of Maldives.