Test & Go
This scheme allows fully vaccinated travelers and unvaccinated children 17 or younger to enter and explore Thailand after a PCR test upon arrival and one-night stay within 5 hours of the airport they arrived in. They must also stay in a SHA++ hotel anywhere in the country on their 5th night while waiting for results for a second PCR test to be performed either at the hotel or at a designated facility.
Here is everything about Test & Go Scheme
Blue Zone Sandbox
With the opening of Test & Go to all nations, Sandbox is seen now more as a ‘backup plan’ in case Test & Go is paused again. This scheme allows fully-vaccinated travelers from any country to enter and explore ‘Sandbox’ destinations quarantine free for a period of 7 days before being eligible to travel elsewhere in the country. They will still need to do a second PCR test on day 5, though it appears that hotel confinement will not be required. There are currently 8 Sandbox areas to choose from: Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao (Surat Thani Province), Krabi and Phang Nga, Chonburi (Pattaya) and Trat (Koh Chang, Koh Kood).
Here is everything about Blue Zone Sandbox Scheme
Happy Quarantine
Formally call Alternative Quarantine, the scheme is for travelers who are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated and involves a 10-day hotel quarantine before being free to travel and explore.
Here is everything about Happy Quarantine Scheme
Thailand Pass
The “Thailand Pass” system (https://tp.consular.go.th/) is a web-based system developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Digital Government Development Agency (DGA). The system allows Thai and foreign travelers to fill in their travel and health information and upload the related documents before travelling. The purpose of the system is to support the “Ease of Traveling” policy, which will be implemented after the reopening of the country.
More information can be found on the Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand’s website (https://consular.mfa.go.th/), or you may contact the Royal Thai Embassy / Royal Thai Consulate-General in your area for more information.
Here is detailed information about Thailand Pass
Is it possible to switch between SHA PLUS approved hotels during the 7 days of the sandbox?
Before Omicron it was possible to stay in 2 different hotels after the 3rd day. but in recent weeks this option has been canceled and currently all seven days must be completed in just one hotel.
[Sandbox] What actually happens after landing?
Before you leave the airport, you will undergo an RT-PCR test first and from there on the special shuttle to the hotel. After check-in at the hotel, wait in the room until the results are received, which are sent to the subject’s email. In addition hotel representatives can check the results through their internal website.
Until you receive the answer you will be in the room in “isolation” and are considered HIGH RISK and therefore no service providers are allowed to enter the room. You will stay in the room for 6-10 hours (the speed of receiving the answer is conditional on the number of people who passed through the field that day), so it is recommended to order food through the room service that places the tray outside the door and not through the various apps.
Once you get a negative answer to the first test you are considered a LOW RISK and can actually leave the room and walk freely all over the city / island (depending on where you perform the “sandbox”).
On the 5th or 6th day you will have to do the second test that you have already ordered and paid for in advance. The hotel staff can help and change the date or location of the test but the request should be no later than two days before the original test date.
If the second test is also negative, you will receive a confirmation from the hotel on the end of the 7 nights of the “sandbox” and are free to travel all over Thailand without exception.
Should I take a test at the airport on landing and what happens if it comes out positive?
Yes, you need to take a RT-PCR test which you have purchased in advance. If the test results are positive (in all probability), the medical certificate indicating recovery must be presented. The results of the test and the medical certificate will be forwarded by the hotel to the local health authority, where the decision will be made as to whether the traveler is obliged to enter the isolation or whether he can continue the trip.
What happens if the first test returns positive?
Currently SHA PLUS hotels have also been approved to function as isolation hotels, as long as they meet government criteria and only for their original guests. In case the hotel guest is verified he can choose to carry out the isolation in the hotel where he is staying and in this case he is transferred to a room in another wing. The isolation will cost an additional amount to be paid to the hotel and then sue the insurance company.
- Isolation in a room that will include a doctor’s examination at the end of 10 days of isolation and official approval will cost 1000 baht in addition to the original payment.
- Isolation in a room that includes medical equipment, a doctor’s visit, heat tests, blood oxygen level and medical clearance at the end will cost 12,000 baht.
What if in a case of a couple or family that only one person gets a positive answer?
A verified guest will be placed in solitary confinement for 10 days and those who have been in close contact with him will have to be in solitary confinement for 14 days.
You can choose to do the insulation together and then the length of the insulation for everyone will be 14 days. If during the isolation someone else gets a positive answer during the follow-up tests, everyone will have to do an additional 14-day isolation.
Is it possible to ask for a re-test if the result was positive?
Yes, it is possible to do 2 more tests provided the two labs are different. If 2 tests out of 3 are negative, the data and documents will be sent to the Thai Ministry of Health, where they will make the decision whether to continue the isolation or cancel it.
If a positive answer is received you can request another test as long as you meet the following criteria:
- Asymptomatic
- CT level above or equivalent to 30 (Cycle Threshold)
- Re-test must be within 24 hours of the first test
Criteria for a second re-test:
- CT level below 30
- Test within 24 hours of the previous test
- Depending on the results of the tests, a decision will be made to isolate or continue the trip.
What does hotel isolation mean?
The people who are transferred to isolation rooms will be in a room with no possibility of leaving it, in addition the room will have all the necessary equipment for the next ten days and there will be no cleaning on behalf of the hotel. It is possible to order food from the hotel or from outside through the various apps, which will be left at the door. If there are children in the isolation, ask the hotels if they can provide games.
Can someone who has recovered from Covid-19 fly to Thailand?
Yes it is possible! The traveler must be vaccinated with at least one dose and present an official medical certificate in English, care must be taken that the certificate is formally signed.
Unvaccinated can enroll in the AQ program. Those arriving on this program will stay in isolation at the designated hotel (AQ) for 10 days
Should the test be done before the flight and what happens if it turns out positive?
Yes, the test should be done before the flight. The policy regarding the test results of the recovering persons is at the discretion of the airline.
30/12/2024
Jolie LIEMMy name is Jolie, I am a Vietnamese girl growing up in the countryside of Hai Duong, northern Vietnam. Since a little girl, I was always dreaming of exploring the far-away lands, the unseen beauty spots of the world. My dream has been growing bigger and bigger day after day, and I do not miss a chance to make it real. After graduating from the univesity of language in Hanoi, I started the exploration with a travel agency and learning more about travel, especially responsible travel. I love experiencing the different cultures of the different lands and sharing my dream with the whole world. Hope that you love it too!