@Mark *******

depends where you're based. In the UK you can apply for the CoE but once agreed by Bangkok they won't issue the CoE until you send them:

Flight booking

ASQ booking

Fit to fly certificate showing free from Covid 19

@Garrett **********

the "couple of hours " tests are restricted to essential personnel and at risk individuals.

@Garrett **********

latest from the UK testing centres is that they have gone from 2 days to 5 days for results due to the numbers of tests being requested. There are tests you can buy (at £250 a go) that offer a 48 hour turnaround.

@Barry ******

not apply but to get it issued you do:

While Thailand still puts in place travel restriction, work permit holders who wish to return to Thailand can apply for the Certificate of Entry. The decision will be made in Bangkok by a committee comprising relevant authorities and this process takes time.

Required documents, which must be submitted by email to :

Your passport copy

A copy of your Thai visa (if already expired, you have to apply for a new one)

A copy of your work permit (even if it is already expired, which you have to extend in Thailand), or a copy of letter of permission to work in Thailand from a Thai government agency

A copy of letter from your employer (or yourself if you own a company) that you need to return to work in Thailand

Declaration form, duly completed and signed

A copy of your health insurance policy with coverage including COVID-related treatment in Thailand in the amount no less than 100,000 USD (or a company letter certifying that they will pay for your medical expenses including COVID-19)

All non-Thai passengers will be subject to a 14-day quarantine at their own expenses at one of the facilities for Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) that have been approved by the Thai authorities. The reservation can be made later and need not be submitted at this stage.

"Once approved, you will be duly notified. Then, you would need to (1) book a flight, (2) book an ASQ hotel, and (3) prepare a fit to fly health certificate within 72 hours before departure that you are free from COVID-like symptoms, and send a copy to the Embassy to issue a certificate of entry to Thailand."

So you can apply without it but to get the certificate you need the Covid test result and fit to fly. Which means you are at the whim of the embassy dependant on how long their turnaround time (with so many expats trying to get back to their families and teachers trying to get back to their schools) is going to be. So it is wise to budget for a second test because if the CoE takes more than 60 hours turnaround you then have to face immigration officers on arrival in the kingdom with a Covid and fit to fly over the 72 hour limit because most of the flights from London are currently around 34 hours.

@Barry ******

yes, you need the test to get the CoE from the embassy, so by the time you have sent your paperwork in and got the CoE back from the embassy there is no guarantee you'll still be within the 72 hours required by the airlines/immigration to get you into the kingdom.

Bear in mind that, certainly from the UK, you need to send the Covid result and fit to fly in with your application. Now, since these have a 72 hour shelf life and embassy staff are not exactly rushing the letters out to people this will mean adding in the cost of a second Covid test and fit to fly certificate. My surgery charges £25 for the certificate if the doctor doesn't see the need to examine you and you already have the Covid result. If you don't already have the Covid result a medical will be £50. A rough rundown of costs I did last week, based on getting a place in the 35,000 baht quarantine hotels came out at just shy of 120,000 baht plus flights.

Just read a post saying that Chang Mai immigration were refusing overseas insurance policy with a $2,000,000 cover. Again, this can all boil down to which office and which officer you see. It was mentioned that soneone in BKK had sent a letter out saying foreign policies were okay if they had the $100,000 inpatient and 40,000 baht outpatient cover but apparently not all immigration points and officers are accepting that.

@Barry ******

Thais will not accept any old insurance. Has to be from a list of approved insurers from what I've heard.

@Terary *********

very true, there is no black and white approach when dealing with Thai immigration. The response you get varies from office to office and even from officer to officer. Until someone in power says "This is what is required and it is nationwide." dealing with immigration offices is still a crap shoot.