top of page
Search

Thailand opens for International travelers: What you need to know before you go?

  • TUSNEEM AHMADTHIRAKUL
  • Feb 28, 2022
  • 8 min read

Thai Government relax entry restrictions. Vaccinated travelers will only need to take 1 PCR test on arrival and wait 1 day in the isolation. Travel Thailand anytime soon? we have guideline for you.


From 1st March , Thailand restarted its "Test & Go" program, allowing vaccinated international travelers from all countries to enter without lengthy quarantine restrictions. Travelers must stay within the room as they await the results of their mandatory RT-PCR test on Day 1 and report self-ATK result on Day 5 in the MorChana application.


Here’s what you need to know before travel to Thailand :

  • Thailand Pass system is opened for registration for travels under the schemes of

    • Test & Go (TG);

    • Sandbox (SB) for Chon Buri (only Pattaya City, Bang Lamung, Si Racha, Si Chang, and Sattahip – only Na Jomtien and Bang Saray) and Trat (Koh Chang), in addition to SB for Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, and Suratthani, and;

TEST & GO scheme (Day 1 at the SHA Extra+ hotel, in order to wait for the COVID-19 RT-PCR Test result)

Travelers eligible to travel to Thailand:

- Travelers from all countries - Those who have received 2 doses of vaccine, no less than 14 days, before their departure to Thailand (The date of the second dose injection is considered as Day 0 and the next day is considered as Day 1). - Those who were infected by COVID-19 for more than 3 months and have received at least 1 dose of vaccine, not less than 14 days before their departure to Thailand (The date of vaccine injection is considered Day 0, and the next day is considered day 1). - Those who have received 2 doses of vaccine before being infected by COVID-19 and have completed no less than 14 day quarantine period before their departure to Thailand with medical certificate from the doctor, stating the recovery from COVID-19 and asymptomatic confirmation. - List of vaccines, approved by Thai authorities : Check the Vaccines list - Travelers of ages between 6-11 years old, who are not vaccinated or fully vaccinated but traveling with fully vaccinated guardians. - Travelers of age between 12-17 years old, who have received 1 dose of vaccine can independently enter Thailand under TEST & GO scheme. Travelers in this group who have not been vaccinated can enter Thailand under TEST & GO scheme with fully vaccinated guardians.

Pre-Arrival Requirements

All travelers must have the following documents for entering Thailand:

1. A Thailand Pass (via https://tp.consular.go.th/) for arrivals by air and land; or a Certificate of Entry (via a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate-General) for arrivals by water.


2. A Medical Certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued no more than 72 hours before traveling.

  • Travelers under 6 years of age, traveling with parents with a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before traveling, are not required to have a pre-arrival negative RT-PCR test result and can have a saliva test when entering the Kingdom.

  • For arrivals by water, everyone on board the vessels must have a medical certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected within the officially specified time frame. Anyone on aboard with a history of COVID-19 infection within a period between 14-90 days must have a medical certificate of recovery.

3. An insurance policy with coverage no less than US$20,000. Thais and foreign expatriates under Thailand’s national healthcare coverage are exempt from this requirement.

  • TAT recommends that travelers make sure to check the small print of any COVID-19 insurance policy before purchasing. Ultimately, the policy should cover the cost of treatment and other medical expenses associated with being infected with COVID-19, including in-patient hospitalization, hospital isolation, hotel isolation, or related quarantine. The insurance policy should also cover the whole duration that travelers are planning to stay in Thailand, plus at least 10 extra days as a precautionary measure in the event that the traveller’s second swab test result returns as positive.

4. A proof of prepayment for 1 night of accommodation at government-approved hotel/s; such as, SHA Extra Plus (SHA++) on Day 1, which should also include the expenses for 1 RT-PCR test on Day 1 and 1 Antigen Self-Test Kit (self-ATK) on Day 5.

5. A Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination/Recovery

- Everyone 18 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with an approved vaccine at least 14 days before traveling to Thailand. - Travelers 12-17 years of age traveling to Thailand unaccompanied must get vaccinated with at least 1 dose of an approved vaccine. Those traveling with parents are exempt from this requirement. - Travelers 6-11 years of age, traveling with parents, are exempt from this requirement. - Travelers who have received at least 1 dose of an approved vaccine after post-infection must have a certificate of COVID-19 recovery.

All travelers must undergo ‘exit screening’ at the point of departure, i.e., at the airline check-in counter and present the required documents to the person-in-charge to carry out the checks.


On-Arrival Requirements / During the Stay

1. All travelers must undergo entry screening including body temperature check, and presenting the required documents to the Immigration/Health Control officer to carry out the checks.

  • 1.1 Arrivals by air:

    • Arrivals on a direct flight to Thailand’s international airport: At the point of entry.

    • Arrivals with domestic connecting flights: At either the first point of entry before boarding the transit flight, or at the final airport.

  • 1.2 Arrivals by land and water: at the point of entry.

2.Proceed to the prearranged accommodation or medical facility to undergo the Day 1 RT-PCR test. *Travelers under 6 years of age, traveling with parents, can have a saliva test.

  • 2.1 Arrivals by air and land: The trip must be by a prearranged vehicle on a sealed route within a traveling time of no longer than 5 hours. Then, all travelers must wait for the test result within the hotel only.

  • 2.2 Arrivals by water: All travelers must wait for the test result on board the traveling vessel (yacht).

    • Travelers whose test result returns as negative are free to go anywhere in Thailand, but will be provided with 1 Antigen Self-Test Kit for a self-test on Day 5 and be required to report/record the result via the MorChana application or another specified application.

    • Travelers whose test result returns as positive will be referred for appropriate medical treatment in accordance with Thailand’s Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015). The expenses must be covered by the required insurance / own expense for foreign travelers, or national healthcare coverage for Thais and eligible foreign expatriates.

      • Pending on their conditions, they may be medically advised to receive treatment in either hospital hotel isolation or community isolation.

      • During receiving the medical treatment – at least 10 days, they must remain in their accommodation only. They should not leave their accommodation unless utmost necessary, and must notify the Communicable Disease Control officer in-charge.

      • After having recovered from COVID-19, they will receive a medical certificate of recovery.

3. While in Thailand, travelers are advised to strictly follow standard, good personal hygiene practices; such as, wear a mask in public, maintain hand hygiene (washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer), and keep physical distance of at least 1 meter from others.

  • Travelers who are experiencing COVID-like symptoms should get tested. If testing positive they must get appropriate medical treatment.

4. All travelers must download and install the MorChana application, and set it on at all times for the COVID-19 precautionary measures and to record the self-ATK result on Day 5 in the application.

  • The self-ATK on Day 5 will not be required if the traveller’s length of stay is less than 5 nights, or his/her scheduled international departure date out of Thailand is on Day 5 or before. For example, if the traveller plans to stay in Thailand for 3 days, then he/she does not have to report the self-ATK result, but he/she must leave for another country immediately. However, the traveller may be required to take another test depending on the airline and the final international destination.


List of SHA Extra+ hotels: https://web.thailandsha.com/shaextraplus

List of AQ hotels: http://hsscovid.com/

Thailand Pass FAQ ;




Sandbox scheme (Stay and travel within Sandbox areas for 7 days) Sandbox areas are as follows:


Eligible travelers/countries: Fully vaccinated Thai citizens and foreign travellers from all countries/territories.

Points of entry:

  • By air at Phuket International Airport for Krabi, Phang-Nga, and Phuket.

  • By air at Krabi International Airport for Krabi.

  • By air at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, then transit on a sealed flight for Ko Samui or Phuket.

  • By air at Suvarnabhumi Airport, then travel by a prearranged vehicle on a sealed route to Bang Lamung, Pattaya, Si Racha, and Sattahip – only Na Jomtien and Bang Saray – in Chon Buri, and Ko Chang in Trat.

Eligible Sandbox destinations:

  • Krabi, Phang-Nga, Phuket, Surat Thani (Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan, and Ko Tao), Chon Buri (Bang Lamung, Pattaya, Si Racha, and Sattahip – only Na Jomtien and Bang Saray) and Trat (Ko Chang).

  • Sandbox Extension – Phuket, Phang-Nga, Krabi, and Ko Samui/Ko Pha-ngan/Ko Tao.

Pre-Arrival Requirements

All travelers must have the following documents for entering Thailand:

1. A Thailand Pass, which can be applied via https://tp.consular.go.th/.

2. A Medical Certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued no more than 72 hours before traveling.

  • Travelers under 6 years of age, traveling with parents with a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before traveling, are not required to have a pre-arrival negative RT-PCR test result and can have a saliva test when entering the Kingdom.

  • For arrivals by water, everyone on board the vessels must have a medical certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected within the officially specified time frame. Anyone on aboard with a history of COVID-19 infection within a period between 14-90 days must have a medical certificate of recovery.


3.An insurance policy with coverage no less than US$20,000. Thais and foreign expatriates under Thailand’s national healthcare coverage are exempt from this requirement.

  1. Travelers make sure to check the small print of any COVID-19 insurance policy before purchasing. Ultimately, the policy should cover the cost of treatment and other medical expenses associated with being infected with COVID-19, including in-patient hospitalization, hospital isolation, hotel isolation, or related quarantine. The insurance policy should also cover the whole duration that travelers are planning to stay in Thailand, plus at least 10 extra days as a precautionary measure in the event that the traveller’s second swab test result returns as positive.


4. A proof of prepayment for 7 nights of accommodation at government-approved hotel/s; such as, SHA Extra Plus (SHA++) hotel, within the eligible Sandbox destinations.

5. A proof of prepayment for 1 RT-PCR test on Day 1 and 1 Antigen Self-Test Kit (self-ATK) on Day 5-6;

  • Krabi, Phang-Nga and Phuket: Travelers can reserve and prepay for the RT-PCR test via www.thailandpsas.com (2,100 Baht/test).

  • Surat Thai (Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan, and Ko Tao): Travelers can book and prepay for the RT-PCR test when booking and prepaying for accommodation at SHA++ hotels (2,200 Baht/test). The test on Day 1 will be conducted at Samui International Airport.

  • For travelers under the Sandbox Extension program, as well as travelers to Chon Buri (Bang Lamung, Pattaya, Si Racha, Si Chang, and Sattahip – only Na Jomtien and Bang Saray) and Trat (Ko Chang), please contact your hotels for more information.

6. A Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination/Recovery


All travelers must undergo ‘exit screening’ at the point of departure, i.e., at the airline check-in counter and present the required documents to the person-in-charge to carry out the checks.

On-Arrival Requirements / During the Stay

1. All travelers must undergo entry screening including body temperature check, and presenting the required documents to the Immigration/Health Control officer to carry out the checks at the point of entry for arrivals on a direct flight to Thailand’s international airports, and for arrivals on a domestic connecting flight either at the first point of entry before boarding the transit flight or at the final airport.


2. Proceed to the prearranged accommodation or medical facility to undergo the first RT-PCR test. The trip must be by a prearranged vehicle on a sealed route within a traveling time of no longer than 5 hours. Then, all travelers must wait for the test result within the hotel only. Travelers under 6 years of age, traveling with parents, can have a saliva test.

  • Travelers whose test result returns as negative can enjoy travel activities within the Sandbox areas throughout the 7 days (nights), but must return to their prearranged accommodation on a nightly basis. They are not allowed to stay overnight in any other places. In addition, they will be provided with 1 Antigen Self-Test Kit for a self-test on Day 5-6 and be required to report/record the result via the MorChana application or another specified application.

  • Travelers whose test result returns as positive will be referred for appropriate medical treatment in accordance with Thailand’s Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015). The expenses must be covered by the required insurance / own expense for foreign travelers, or national healthcare coverage for Thais and eligible foreign expatriates.

    • Pending on their conditions, they may be medically advised to receive treatment in either hospital hotel isolation or community isolation.

    • While receiving the medical treatment – at least 10 days, they must remain in their accommodation only. They should not leave their accommodation unless utmost necessary, and must notify the Communicable Disease Control officer in-charge.

    • After having recovered from COVID-19, they will receive a medical certificate of recovery.



3. Travelers must stay at least the first 7 days (nights) within the Sandbox destination/s if planning to continue the journey to other destinations in Thailand. If staying less than 7 days (nights), the traveller must leave Thailand to another country immediately.

  1. While in Thailand, travelers are advised to strictly follow standard, good personal hygiene practices; such as, wear a mask in public, maintain hand hygiene (washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer), and keep physical distance of at least 1 meter from others.

  • Travellers who experience COVID-like symptoms should get tested. If testing positive, they must get the appropriate medical treatment.


4. All travelers must download and install the MorChana application, and set it on at all times for the COVID-19 precautionary measures and to record the result on Day 5-6 in the application.

5. The self-ATK on Day 5-6 will not be required if the traveller’s length of stay in the Sandbox destination/s is up to 5 nights, or his/her scheduled international departure date out of Thailand is on Day 5 or before. For example, if the traveller plans to stay in Thailand for 4 days, then he/she does not have to undergo the self-ATK, but he/she must leave for another country immediately. However, the traveller may be required to take another test depending on the airline and the final international destination. For travelers who intend to stay 6 days (nights), they will be required to undergo the self-ATK on Day 5-6 although they are scheduled to leave for another country the next day.

6 . Travelers who intend to stay more than 7 nights and to continue their journey to other parts of Thailand must undergo the self-ATK on Day 5-6. After receiving a negative test result, travelers can obtain a ‘Release Form’ and continue their journey domestically.


Resources :

  • https://www.tatnews.org/2022/02/thailand-reopening-exemption-from-quarantine-test-go/

  • https://www.tatnews.org/2022/02/thailand-reopening-living-in-the-blue-zone-17-sandbox-destinations/


Comments

Thanks for subscribe!

bottom of page