Malaysia-Thailand Land Border Checkpoints Reopen After 2 Years

Malaysia and Thailand’s land border checkpoints reopened today (Friday), after being closed for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thai PBS reports, that around 20 Malaysians passed through the main “Thailand Pass” checkpoint in the Sadao district of Thailand’s southern province of Songkhla, from a total of 107 applicants. Immigration and health officials were on hand to screen the arrivals.

Those wishing to enter Thailand via land checkpoints are required to apply for the “Thailand Pass”, have travel and health insurance, and pay for the RT-PCR test upon arrival in Thailand.

However, most of the local shops in the Sadao district remain closed. In response to the closure of the border checkpoint, one of the shopkeepers shut down her clothing store permanently and began selling drinks instead.

Furthermore, she believes that the current immigration restrictions and costs might also be contributing to the low number of arrivals. It is her belief that, if the restrictions are further eased, the number of arrivals will increase, resulting in an improved local economy.

Passports required for Malaysia

Thais arriving in Malaysia are not yet permitted to enter duty-free malls and Malaysia is not accepting Thai workers. Immigration officials of both countries discussed the matter yesterday.

Passports are required for arrivals in Malaysia, whereas temporary border passes are only permitted for drivers of goods transport. Additionally, they should provide proof of a negative RT-PCR 48 hours before departing for Malaysia.

Moreover, they need health insurance of at least 20,000 dollars, as well as a COVID-19 inoculation certificate, which verifies that they have received at least two doses of the vaccine.

Otherwise, they must enter quarantine for which they must pay.

For entry into Thailand, travelers must obtain a “Thailand Pass”, obtain travel and health insurance, and pay for their RT-PCR tests in Thailand.