April 2022 Update: South East & East Asia reopening
As key destinations in Asia begin opening up, I’ve decided to note give individual updates on how countries are progressing and instead provide a more broad update on the status of borders in South East and East Asia. Hopefully this will be helpful in you making decisions on your Asia visits. Note I’ve given every country a Red, Amber or Green rating with the relevant explanation at the end. Please, as always, refer to the latest restrictions on Government websites before making final decisions due to the fast changing nature of the world today!
Last updated: 03 April 2022 at 16h30.
Singapore 🟢
Vaccination status for entry: 🟢 Fully vaccinated (2 dose; 1 dose for Janssen) with a WHO approved vaccine in Singapore, VTL country, EU member state or a country that is connected to the EU Digital Covid Certificate system (e.g. UK, Thailand, Turkey). Note that although you will be able to enter the country, to gain admission to some venues e.g. restaurants you must have your booster within 270 days of the second dose to be deemed Fully Vaccinated.
Pre-departure test: 🟠 PCR or Rapid Antigen Lateral Flow test within the 2 days prior to departure (e.g. if your flight was on a Wednesday at midday GMT, you can take your test at any time on the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday prior to the flight). In some countries, the Singapore Government allow teledoctor-based testing, but I would opt for in-person instead. Note some airlines are enforcing the incorrect rules of 48 hours prior to the flight. If you are opting for the Rapid test, then leave this as close to departure as possible to ensure you are not caught out.
Pre-departure application: 🟢 (was 🟠) no pre-departure Covid Travel Pass required although you the Singapore Government have enacted an electronic Arrival Card.
Booking flights: 🟢 (was 🔴) any flight can now be taken to Singapore, including transits via the Middle East.
Post-arrival test & quarantine: 🟢 (was 🔴) no post-arrival test or quarantine.
Further testing: 🟢 no further testing.
Other considerations: 🟢You will be exempt from pre-departure testing if you have proof of recovery within 90 days of arrival in Singapore and meet the vaccination status requirement. The Singapore Government has a useful tool here to check eligibility.
Callum’s view: After their progress faltered a little earlier in the year, Singapore have returned to their region-leading policies because of advancements in their Living with Covid strategy. This is great news and the simplified process of just a pre-departure Lateral Flow makes getting into Singapore extremely simple.
For more information on the Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme and for frequent updates, consider going to Mainly Miles’ dedicated webpage here - it’s extremely useful and unique.
Thailand🟠
Vaccination status for entry: 🟢 Fully vaccinated (2 dose; 1 dose for Janssen) with a WHO approved vaccine.
Pre-departure test: 🟢 No pre-departure test required.
Pre-departure application: 🟠 Travellers must apply for a Thailand Pass prior to arrival. You are recommended to apply at least 7 days prior to your departure. Find out more on how to apply for Thailand Pass here.
Booking flights: 🟢 Any flight is allowed from any country, connecting or direct, providing you meet the requirements for entry. Connecting flights to islands or non-Bangkok regions must be on a single ticket from your inbound international flight.
Post-arrival test & quarantine: 🔴 Travellers must pre-book a Test & Go 1-night hotel package for Day 1 (day of arrival) with inclusive private airport transfer and RT-PCR test. You must isolate until you receive your negative test result.
Further testing: 🟢No further testing required.
Health insurance requirements: Health insurance with Covid-19 coverage up to USD 20,000 (was USD 50,000).
Other considerations: The Thailand Pass website does state ‘if RT-PCR result is positive or detected then a recovery certificate or proof of covid recovery for at least 14 days before travelling but less than 90 days from the first date of detection’. This is quite unclear although it seems to suggest you will still need to take the tests but if they return positive you will be exempted - although I cannot verify this with the authorities.
Callum’s view: There’s been a slight improvement in visiting Thailand as of the 1st April 2022 with the end of the pre-departure PCR test. My primary concern with this is that some travellers may get caught out travelling positive, but they only find out they are positive after arrival. Personally, this is a little risky for me and I would strangely prefer having the pre-departure test exclusively. The Thai government have released a roadmap towards normality which should mean by the second half when most tests are eliminated.
The Philippines 🟢
Vaccination status for entry: 🟢Fully vaccinated (2 dose; 1 dose for Janssen) with a WHO approved vaccine. The country has reopened to all countries, not just those with visa free privileges.
Pre-departure test: 🟢(was 🟠) RT-PCR test within 48 hours of departure or professionally administered Rapid Antigen/Lateral Flow Test within 24 hours of departure.
Pre-departure application: 🟢 No pre-departure application required
Booking flights: 🟢 Any flight is allowed from any country, connecting or direct, providing you meet the requirements for entry. The Philippine Government are still placing capacity limits on flights, however, and this will mean that the number of available seats into the country will be limited creating artificially high prices. Other impacts will be some airlines limiting award space e.g. Singapore Airlines, traditionally with great connectivity to the country, have no availability inbound but tonnes on the return to Singapore.
Post-arrival test & quarantine: 🟢No testing or quarantine after arrival.
Further testing: 🟢No additional testing but you are advised to self-monitor for symptoms for the 5 days after arrival - but you should be doing that anyway.
Health insurance requirements: 🟢Travel insurance for Covid-19 treatment costs with a minimum coverage of USD 35,000 for the duration of the stay.
Other considerations: 🟢 Most domestic Covid test requirements appear to have been eliminated for Fully Vaccinated travellers. Philippine Airlines has a useful resource here.
Callum’s view: The Philippines has improved from its great score from February thanks to reducing the entry requirement from exclusively PCR to Rapid Antigen Test. This makes the process of getting into the country easier, less stressful and quicker.
Vietnam 🟢
Vaccination status for entry: 🟢Fully vaccinated (2 dose; 1 dose for Janssen) with a WHO approved vaccine. The country has reopened to only those with visa free privileges, including the UK.
Pre-departure test: 🟢Pre-departure Lateral Flow test within 24 hours of departure or 72 hours for an RT-PCR test.
Pre-departure application: 🟢 No pre-departure application required
Booking flights: 🟢 Any flight is allowed from any country, connecting or direct, providing you meet the requirements for entry.
Post-arrival test & quarantine: 🟢No testing or quarantine after arrival.
Further testing: 🟢No additional testing or quarantine.
Health insurance requirements: 🟢Travel insurance for Covid-19 treatment costs with a minimum coverage of USD 10,000 for the duration of the stay.
Callum’s view: After many rumours and limited information, the initial reopening in March was marred by a lack of information but thankfully this was cleared up soon after with testing requirements as simple as The Philippines. Vietnam has become a regional leader in their reopening and simplicity in visiting for responsible vaccinated tourists.
Cambodia 🟢
Vaccination status for entry: 🟢Fully vaccinated (2 dose; 1 dose for Janssen) with a WHO approved vaccine. You are advised to produce a printed version of the vaccination record by the UK Government.
Pre-departure test: 🟢 No test required
Pre-departure application: 🟢 No covid-specific application required but you do need to make a tourist visa application online.
Booking flights: 🟢 Take any flight to the country,
Post-arrival test & quarantine: 🟢 No test required.
Further testing: 🟢No additional testing.
Health insurance requirements: 🟢 No Covid-specific insurance is required but you are strongly advised to take out travel health insurance regardless.
Other considerations: 🟢 Very few other restrictions for people visiting Cambodia.
Callum’s view: Information appears to now be more forthcoming since our last update with Cambodia becoming the first South East Asian country to drop all Covid-related entry requirements - bar requiring travellers to be fully vaccinated.
Laos 🔴
No changes since February 2022 Update. I have included Laos on this list but you certainly shouldn’t be going if you are looking to have a happy go lucky time. For now, you will need to have effectively a guided tour into the country with very limited and restrictive movements - which is not particularly fun for anybody. You can read more about it in my previous article but I will note that they do have a pathway to tourism normality which does show some hope for tourists later in 2022.
Indonesia 🔴
Vaccination status for entry: 🟢Fully vaccinated (2 dose; 1 dose for Janssen) with a WHO approved vaccine. You are advised to produce a printed version of the vaccination record by the UK Government.
Pre-departure test: 🟠 PCR or Lateral Flow test within 48 hours prior to departure - although the Indonesian government describe this confusingly as 2x24 hours
Pre-departure application: 🟠 Download the PeduliLindungi app, registering your PCR test alongside e-Hac (vaccination), eCD (customs declaration) and proof of hotel quarantine booking
Booking flights: 🟠You can only take flights to Bali and Riau Islands. This can be on a direct flight or from an International Connecting Hub, such as Qatar or Singapore, but not on Garuda Indonesia via Jakarta.
Post-arrival test & quarantine: 🔴 Post-arrival PCR test and isolation until you receive a negative result.
Further testing: 🔴 Day 3 test requirement but with no isolation needed.
Health insurance requirements: 🟠 Minimum health insurance coverage of USD 25,000.
Other considerations:🔴 In order to enter Indonesia, you must go via Bali and have a minimum 3 nights hotel stay. After receiving your Day 3 negative test, you would then be able to travel around the rest of Indonesia.
Callum’s view: While it is good to see Indonesia open, the rules are simply too complex even when compared to Thailand. If you are heading here for an extended trip and specifically want Indonesia, then it may be worth jumping through the multiple hoops Indonesia’s Government has implemented, but if you’re more flexible it just doesn’t seem worth it. Head across to Cambodia, Vietnam or The Philippines instead.
Malaysia 🟠
Vaccination status for entry: 🟠Fully vaccinated (2 dose; 1 dose for Janssen) with a WHO approved vaccine. You are advised to produce a printed version of the vaccination record by the UK Government. Note that strangely, the Malaysia Government has different definitions for ‘Fully Vaccinated’ depending on your age group.
Pre-departure test: 🔴 Complete a Covid-19 RT-PCR test within 2 days of departures (assume 48 hours)
Pre-departure application: 🔴 Download MySejahtera app and complete the pre-departure travel form. Separately, go to mysafetravel.gov.my to verify overseas issued Covid-19 vaccination certificate.
Booking flights: 🟢 Take any flight to the country,
Post-arrival test & quarantine: 🟠 Post-arrival rapid lateral flow test within 24 hours.
Further testing: 🟢No additional testing or quarantine if you test Negative.
Health insurance requirements: 🟢 Travel and health insurance with coverage up to USD 20,000.
Callum’s view: While it is great to see Malaysia open their borders to some degree, having been later than most of the region, the entry requirements are still limiting and will cause people some stress thanks to the PCR test requirement. Better than Indonesia and Thailand for sure, but some way to go in order to be as easy to access as Singapore, Cambodia, The Philippines or Vietnam.
South Korea 🟠
Vaccination status for entry: 🟠Fully vaccinated (2 dose; 1 dose for Janssen) with a WHO approved vaccine within 180 days. No time limit once you have a booster shot.
Pre-departure test: 🔴 Complete a Covid-19 RT-PCR test within 48 hours of departure.
Pre-departure application: 🟠 Submit home country vaccination records into the Korean Q-CODE system enabling a South Korean Covid QR Code.
Booking flights: 🟢 Take any flight to the country,
Post-arrival test & quarantine: 🔴 Post-arrival PCR test within 24 hours of arrival
Further testing: 🟠Rapid antigen test required on the 6th or 7th day of arrival.
Health insurance requirements: 🟢 Unclear if you are required to have Covid-specific insurance but you are advised to have travel insurance regardless.
Callum’s view: South Korea has become the first East Asian country to reopen their borders in a big way. While it is not quite as lax as countries in South East Asia, it does show that even this part of the world that has been very hesitant to international visitors is beginning to change their practices.
The rest of the region
Unfortunately countries, regions and territories in this category show almost no progress towards reopening - either due to extensive quarantine periods making tourism impossible or barring foreign nationals.