Communicable Diseases Act, B.E. 2558 (2015) · immunisation

Notification of the National Communicable Disease Committee Re: Issuance of Certificate of Immunization, B.E. 2566 (2023)

Published in the Government Gazette 12 October B.E. 2566 (2023); in force from 13 October B.E. 2566 (2023)

Whereas it is expedient to prescribe the criteria, procedures, and conditions for the assignment of authority to issue certificates of immunization, as well as for the collection or exemption of expenses related to the issuance of such certificates, for the purpose of preventing global communicable diseases.

By virtue of section 43 of the Communicable Diseases Act, B.E. 2558 (2015), the National Communicable Disease Committee hereby issues the following Notification:

Clause 1. This Notification is called the “Notification of the National Communicable Disease Committee Re: Issuance of Certificate of Immunization, B.E. 2566 (2023)”.

Clause 2. This Notification shall come into force after the expiration of thirty days from the date of its publication in the Government Gazette.

Clause 3. The Notification of the National Communicable Disease Committee Re: Issuance of Certificate of Immunization in the Case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), B.E. 2564 (2021), dated 29 October B.E. 2564 (2021), shall be repealed.

Clause 4. In this Notification,

“Certificate of Immunization” means a certificate issued to a person who has received a vaccine for the purpose of international travel, provided that such vaccine is either registered in accordance with the law on drugs, certified by the World Health Organization, or as otherwise prescribed by the Ministry of Public Health.

Clause 5. The issuance of the certificate of immunization shall be carried out in the form of a document, application program, electronic method, digital format, or any other forms or methods as prescribed by the Department of Disease Control.

Clause 6. The Director-General of the Department of Disease Control shall consider assigning authority to the following officials to issue the certificate of immunization:

(1) Officials under the Ministry of Public Health holding the following positions:

(1.1) Officials of the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, holding the following positions:

(1.1.1) Provincial Public Health Physician

(1.1.2) Directors of Medical Centre Hospitals

(1.1.3) Directors of General Hospitals

(1.1.4) Directors of Community Hospitals

(1.2) Officials of the Department of Disease Control holding the following positions:

(1.2.1) Deputy Director-General of Department of Disease Control

(1.2.2) Director of Division of International Disease Control Port and Quarantine

(1.2.3) Director of the Division of Epidemiology

(1.2.4) Director of Division of Communicable Diseases

(1.2.5) Director of Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute

(1.2.6) Director of Institute of Urban Disease Prevention and Control

(1.2.7) Director of Raj Pracha Samasai Institute

(1.2.8) Directors of Office of Disease Prevention and Control, Region 1 – 12

(1.2.9) Directors of divisions or equivalent-level agencies of the Department of Disease Control, as deemed appropriate by the Director-General

(1.3) Officials of the Department of Medical Services holding the following positions:

(1.3.1) Director-General of the Department of Medical Services

(1.3.2) Deputy Director-General of the Department of Medical Services

(1.3.3) Director of Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital

(1.3.4) Director of Rajavithi Hospital

(1.3.5) Director of Lerdsin Hospital

(1.3.6) Director of Priest Hospital

(1.3.7) Director of Neurological Institute of Thailand

(1.3.8) Director of the Institute of Pathology

(1.3.9) Director of the National Cancer Institute

(1.3.10) Director of the Institute of Dermatology

(1.3.11) Director of the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health

(1.4) Officials of the Department of Health holding the following positions:

(1.4.1) Director-General of the Department of Health

(1.4.2) Deputy Director-General of the Department of Health

(1.4.3) Director of the Metropolitan Health and Wellness Institution

(1.4.4) Director of the Bureau of Health Promotion

(1.4.5) Directors of Health Promotion Centers, Region 1 - 12

(2) Officials of the Royal Thai Police holding the following positions:

(2.1) Surgeon General of the Police General Hospital

(2.2) Persons assigned to act as heads of other medical facilities under the Police General Hospital

(3) Officials under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) holding the following positions:

(3.1) Director of Medical Service Department

(3.2) Director of the Health Department

(3.3) Directors of Public Health Centers, Health Department

(3.4) Director of Communicable Disease Control Division of Health Department

(3.5) Directors of hospitals of Medical Service Department

(4) Directors of hospitals of the Ministry of Defence

(5) Directors of hospitals of public universities

(6) Directors of hospitals under the Thai Red Cross Society

(7) Heads of government agencies or units, or directors of hospitals or medical facilities under government agencies, as deemed appropriate by the Director- General of the Department of Disease Control.

Clause 7. The Director-General of the Department of Disease Control shall consider assigning authority to individuals who are officials of government agencies or state entities, or personnel of medical facilities under the law on medical facilities, possessing any of the following qualifications, to issue the certificate of immunization:

(1) Medical doctors licensed to practice medicine;

(2) Registered professional nurses licensed to practice nursing and midwifery at the highest level;

(3) Persons appointed as communicable disease control officers under the Communicable Diseases Act, B.E. 2558 (2015).

Clause 8. The Division of Communicable Diseases, Department of Disease Control, shall propose individuals holding positions under clause 6 or possessing qualifications under clause 7, together with supporting documents showing such positions or qualifications, or any other relevant evidence, to the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control for consideration and assignment of authority to issue the certificate of immunization.

Clause 9. In the case where an individual requests to obtain the certificate of immunization issued in document form, the following procedures shall apply:

(1) If the request is made on the date the individual receives the vaccine, the person assigned by the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control under clause 7 shall issue the certificate of immunization to the applicant;

(2) If the request is made after receiving the vaccine or international communicable disease prophylactic medication, the person assigned by the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control under clause 6 or clause 7 shall issue the certificate of immunization to the applicant.

Clause 10. In the case where an individual requests to obtain the certificate of immunization issued through a program, application, electronic method, digital format, or any other forms or methods, whether the request is made on the date of vaccination or thereafter, the person assigned by the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control under clause 6 or clause 7 shall issue the certificate of immunization to the applicant.

Clause 11. In the case of issuing the certificate of immunization under clause 9 and clause 10, the persons assigned by the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control under clause 6 and clause 7 shall consider or include supporting documents verifying that the applicant has been properly and completely vaccinated, or any other relevant documents, as part of the consideration for issuing the certificate of immunization.

Clause 12. In the case where the certificate of immunization is issued in document form, a fee of 50 baht per issuance shall be collected from each applicant.

In cases where there are special reasons justifying consideration for exemption from the fee for issuing the certificate of immunization, the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control or the person assigned by the Director-General under clause 6 and clause 7 may exempt the applicant from such fee.

The special reasons under the second paragraph that shall be taken into account are the age, biographical information, health condition, occupation, income, or other relevant factors of the applicant.

Clause 13. The collection, preservation, and expenditure of money under clause 12 shall comply with the laws, announcements, regulations, or rules of governmental authorities or according to the guidelines prescribed by such authorities.

Clause 14. The persons assigned by the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control under clause 6 and clause 7 shall report information regarding the issuance of the certificate of immunization to the Department of Disease Control, in accordance with the methods and formats prescribed by the Department of Disease Control.

Clause 15. All certificates of immunization, whether issued in document form, through programs, applications, electronic methods, or any other methods under the Notification of the National Communicable Disease Committee Re: Issuance of Certificate of Immunization in the Case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), B.E. 2564 (2021), dated 29 October B.E. 2564 (2021), shall remain valid until certificates of immunization in accordance with this Notification are issued.

Clause 16. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health shall be responsible for the implementation of this Notification. In the event of any issue arising in connection with the implementation of this Notification, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health shall have the authority to make a final decision and such order or decision shall be deemed final.

Announced on the 21st Day of September B.E. 2566 (2023)

Chonlanan Srikaew

Minister of Public Health

Chairperson of the National Communicable Disease Committee

Unofficial English translation by the Division of Legal Affairs, Department of Disease Control (August 2025), book page 221; the Thai text prevails.