Thailand
Regulations on entry, stay, residence, and treatment access for people living with HIV
The categories of restriction are:
- Unclear restrictions - it is not clear to what extent restrictions apply.
Restrictions on entry to Thailand
It is unclear whether Thailand imposes restrictions on entry of people living with HIV.
According to UNAIDS, Thailand does not have any HIV-related restrictions on entry.
However, the US Department of State reports that some HIV entry restrictions exist for visitors to and foreign residents of Thailand. These restrictions are not specific, however it is noted that they are generally not enforced.
Nothing in the list of documents required to request a visa, available on the Thai e-visa official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggests an HIV related restriction on entry.
According to the Thai Immigration Act 1979, Section 12(4), people who have ‘any of the diseases as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations’ are barred from entering Thailand. However, we cannot access the list of prescribed diseases so it is not clear if HIV is included.
Restrictions on short-term stay in Thailand
We found no evidence of any official restrictions on short-term stay in Thailand based on HIV status.
According to UNAIDS, Thailand does not have any HIV-related restrictions on short-term stay.
Restrictions on long-term stay in Thailand
It is unclear whether Thailand imposes restrictions on long-term stay of people living with HIV.
According to the information available on the website of the Royal Thai Police, among the requirements to apply for a resident’s visa in Thailand: ‘The applicant must not have a prohibited disease as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation Number 14, B.E. 2535 (1992), such as leprosy, tuberculosis, drug addiction, elephantiasis, or third phase of syphilis.’
According to the Thai Immigration Act 1979, Section 44(2) a residence permit will be denied to someone who ‘is unable to earn own living because of physical infirmity or mental defect or having any diseases as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations.’
According to the information available on the website of the Department of Consular Affairs, among the requirements to apply for a long term visa, applicants should provide a ‘Medical certificate from the country where the applicants apply visa stating that applicants don’t have any prohibited diseases according to the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E.2535) which include Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Elephantiasis, drug addiction, third stage of Syphilis. The medical certificate must not be issued over 3 months.’
It is not clear if any of these regulations would exclude entry to those living with HIV.
Treatment access in Thailand
The following summarises available information on access to healthcare for people living with HIV in Thailand. There is no evidence that non-nationals are restricted from accessing treatment in the same way as nationals.
IOM reports that in practice, all migrants, regardless of their migratory status, may access public healthcare services. Migrant workers with regular status not working for sectors subject to the Social Security Act (1990), including border pass migrants, have access to Government-funded health services through the Migrant Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS). The MHIS is a self-contributory health-care scheme for migrant workers and their dependants up to 18 years of age. Under the MHIS, eligible migrants must register at the specific hospital where they receive their health screening on arrival, to then be linked to this service provider for the whole year. This health insurance scheme covers various medical services such as general medical examination, high-cost medical care, emergency accidents, and control, prevention and surveillance of communicable diseases. Furthermore, migrant health workers (MHW) and migrant health volunteers (MHV) are trained in public health knowledge and skills to reach migrant workers in community areas, provide care and report public health situations promptly and efficiently. These MHW and MHV are also trained in language skills as well as understanding of the religious and cultural context of migrants.
CHARM (Center for Health and Rights of Migrants), a citizen’s group that supports HIV-positive people that aims to bring about a society where everyone live in good health, provides an information on treatment access for non-nationals in Thailand.
Sources
The HIV Justice Network's Global HIV Criminalisation Database
Visit the Thailand page on the Global HIV Criminalisation Database to see more information about known HIV criminalisation laws in this country, an overview of how the laws are used, and any significant advocacy developments.
UNAIDS Global AIDS monitoring data
This information about access to HIV services comes from UNAIDS https://lawsandpolicies.unaids.org/, a platform to view data on HIV-related laws and policies. This is information provided by national authorities and civil society and may contradict other sources.
Migrant populations
| Laws/policies enable documented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens | Yes |
| Laws/policies enable documented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) | Yes |
| Laws/policies enable undocumented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens | No |
| Laws/policies enable undocumented migrants to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) | N/A |
| Migrants are able to access HIV services | Yes |
Refugees and asylum seekers
| Laws/policies enable asylum seekers to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens | No |
| Laws/policies enable asylum seekers to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) | Yes |
| Laws/policies enable refugees to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens | No |
| Laws/policies enable refugees to access HIV services under the same conditions as citizens implemented (countries with such laws/policies) | Yes |
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This site focuses on information about HIV travel. Please also consult your own Foreign Office/Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, or the local consulate of the country you are visiting, to see what restrictions there are specifically for you as a citizen of your country, regardless of your HIV status.
