Have you been waiting to travel to Thailand, but COVID-19 keeps getting in the way? With COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, the thought of travelling can be overwhelming. Well, thanks to the Phuket Sandbox program, you can get ready to book your next flight to Thailand without the worry of having to quarantine. So you can now get ready to have the adventure of a lifetime with the Phuket Sandbox program.
In this article, we will highlight everything that you need to know about the Phuket Sandbox program, including how the programs, the requirements of the program, and a list of a few sandbox hotels.
After COVID-19, there has been a decrease in the number of tourists visiting Thailand, which is why The Phuket Sandbox program was created in an effort to resume tourism. The Phuket Sandbox program allows foreigners to visit Thailand with no quarantine required. However, there are specific requirements that foreigners will have to meet to visit the country with this program.
Tourists visiting Thailand with this program are required to stay a minimum of seven nights at one of the Sandbox hotels. These tourists will have to be at least 18 years old and will have to have been vaccinated. Other requirements of this program in
Here is a list of the requirements for all tourists who plan on visiting Thailand through the Phuket Sandbox program:
All tourists will need to be vaccinated a minimum of 14 days before visiting Thailand with the Phuket Sandbox programs. Tourists will be required to carry proof of vaccination, including a vaccination certificate, in order to be eligible for this program.
The Phuket Sandbox program requires a total of two RT-PCR COVID-19 tests to be done. The first test will need to be done before your trip to Thailand, and as long as your test results are negative, you will be able to continue with the trip.
The second RT-PCR COVID-19 will need to be done before you leave Thailand to return to your home country. This test will need to be booked and prepaid for this test via the official Phuket Sandbox system. Once you have prepaid for your test before you leave Thailand, you can visit one of the Sandbox testing centres.
A Thailand Pass will be required for all tourists visiting Thailand via this program. The Thailand Pass system generates a digital certificate of energy to approve visitors to enter Thailand. In order to get your Thailand Pass, you will be required to fill out health information and submit the COVID-19 requested information. You can go ahead and apply for your Thailand Pass via their official system by yourself before your trip. You can also get Thailand Pass assistance.
While COVID-19 Travel Insurance is a must travel with the Phuket Sandbox program, anyone who is planning on travelling right now should think about getting COVID insurance. COVID-19 insurance covers many COVID-19 related costs, including quarantine, COVID tests, medical expenses, and life insurance. However, it is essential to keep in mind that any additional costs that will not be covered under this insurance plan will need to be covered by the traveller.
The final requirement when staying in Thailand with the Phuket Sandbox program is that you will be required to stay at one of the Sandbox Hotels. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of Sandbox Hotels to choose from. These include being committed to ensuring that they prevent the spread of COVID-19.
These hotels have a SHA+ certification, and to get this certification, they had to follow specific requirements. These requirements included having all of their staff members be vaccinated, agreeing to follow the guidelines and safety protocol of travelling to the hotel, and prioritising cleanliness.
Here is a list of just a few of the Sandbox Hotels that you can choose to stay at when you visit Thailand with the Phuket Sandbox program:
After a fantastic holiday, you will have to visit a COVID-19 swab testing centre to conduct your RT-PCR COVID-19 test, which you would have already prepaid for. However, finding a testing centre that you plan to visit before your trip will be a good idea. Here is a list of a few of the COVID-19 swab testing centres where you can get your RT-PCR COVID-19 tests done at:
In conclusion, travellers can now return to Phuket, Thailand and have the adventure of their dreams by exploring this beautiful island. So if you are ready to visit with the Phuket Sandbox program, make sure to get vaccinated if you are not already. Then it is time to book your flight and follow the other requirements listed above to enjoy your trip with no quarantine required.
On the 1st of February 2022, Thailand resumed having new applications for the country’s Test and Go Program. With this program, fully vaccinated tourists who travel by air from any country will be able to enter the country with no quarantine requirements.
In this program, tourists will only need to be tested for COVID-19 when they arrive in their SHA+ hotels and get a negative result. Then you will need to go back to their SHA+ Hotels for a second COVID-19 test.
The “test and go” program is, also sometimes referred to as “Exemption from Quarantine”, is one of the latest programs that Thailand’s government implemented to encourage travellers to visit Thailand.
The program began on the 1st of November 2021, and only visitors from pilot regions and countries were eligible for the program. However, the government suspended the program in December 2021.
As of the 1st of February in 2022, the government decided to recommence the “Test and Go” program. Under the renewed program, tourists from all countries travelling to Thailand via air travel and who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are eligible for this program.
Under Thailand’s “Test and Go” program, tourists can travel all over Thailand after they’ve received a positive result on their first COVID-19 test. However, on your fifth day, you must stay in any of the SHA Plus + Hotels with a partnered hospital while you wait for your second test’s results.
You will need to meet some requirements to be eligible for the “Test and go” program. These requirements include the following:
Since Thailand resumed the Test and Go program for tourists, a list of approved AQ and SHA+ Hotels is provided to travellers.
Below is a list of approved test and go hotels located in Bangkok. The hotels include the following:
Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sukhumvit 11
Carlton Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit
The Continent Hotel Bangkok by Compass Hospitality
The Salil Hotel Sukhumvit 57 – Thonglor
Solitaire Bangkok Sukhumvit 11
Centre Point Silom River View Hotel
Below is a list of approved test and go hotels located in Pattaya. The hotels include the following:
Golden Tulip Pattaya Beach Resort
Below is a list of approved test and go hotels located in Pattaya. The hotels include the following:
Four Points by Sheraton Phuket
The Senses Resort & Pool Villas Phuket
You apply for the Thailand Pass Test and Go Program 2022 via https://tp.consular.go.th/.
Remember that the processing time could take three to seven business days. So you’ll need to apply at least seven business days before you plan to travel to Thailand.
To apply for the Test and Go program, you must bring the necessary documents mentioned above.
You can upload the QR code of your vaccination documents to make the application process go a lot quicker.
If you managed to get your Thailand Pass under the Test and Go program before the government suspended the program in December 2021, you wouldn’t need to re-apply. Your Thailand pass from this period will still remain valid.
The second step will involve going through the COVID 19 RT-PCR test and hopefully getting a negative test result within three days of leaving for Thailand.
In some cases, airlines will request that you take the test three days before your flight to Thailand. If you’ve had COVID-19 before your trip, you will need a medical certificate stating that you’ve recovered. The certificate will need to be dated between 14 to 90 days of your departure date.
Children younger than six years and travelling with their parents won’t need to undergo the pre-departure RT-PCR test.
When tourists first arrive at the airport or their hotel or designated venue, they have to undergo the first RT-PCR test and wait for the result in their hotel room. Children and adults must be tested for COVID-19.
If the test is negative, you will travel all over Thailand. You will also be able to take the second RT-PCR test on the fifth day of your trip.
However, if you test positive for COVID-19, officials will refer you for the necessary medical treatment. The tourists will be responsible for the medical expenses. In some cases, insurance policies might not pay for your isolation expenses.
On the fifth day of your trip, tourists will need to go through the second RT-PCR test at an approved hotel or approved venue. Just like with the first test, you will need to wait for the test result in your hotel room.
Just like the first test, if you test negative for COVID-19, you will be allowed to travel anywhere in the country. If you test positive, you need to receive the necessary medical treatment.
Typically, the application process shouldn’t take three to seven business days. However, if this process takes longer than seven days, you can contact the Thailand Pass system via email or telephone. You will be able to send an email to the following addresses:
Thailand has reopened its borders for tourists. International visitors can once again visit Thailand as long as they meet specific requirements under the Thailand Pass System.
The Thailand Pass system is a free online system meant to document tourists travelling to Thailand more efficiently. The Thailand Pass is intended to be more efficient than the Certificate of Entry (COE) application.
The Thailand Pass system collects both your health and travel information from the required entry forms. This information can include information from your vaccine certificates.
The main goal of the Thailand Pass system is to assist with the country’s “Ease of Travel” system after the government reopened its borders. The system is also meant to fill out the information and upload your travel information faster.
Both foreigners or Thai nationals have to apply for the Thailand Pass system based on the following travel requirements:
At this time, partially vaccinated or even non-vaccinated travellers are still permitted to travel to Thailand. However, they are required to undergo a mandatory ten-night quarantine.The quarantine needs to occur in an approved ASQ or AQ quarantine hotel. After the quarantine, travellers will be allowed to travel all over Thailand.
Vaccinated under Sandbox Program
Any fully vaccinated tourist will be allowed to enter the country with no quarantine or sandbox stay. However, as tourists under the Sandbox Programs, they will need to stay in Samui Sandbox, Phuket, Hua Hin, and Pattaya.
However, travellers will need to spend seven nights in an approved SHA+ Hotel in these areas. After they’ve paid a minimum of seven days in quarantine in an approved Thailand Pass Hotel, tourists will be allowed to different parts of Thailand.
Fully Vaccinated for the Test and Go Program
Tourists that are fully vaccinated can travel to and enter Thailand without going through a sandbox stay or a mandatory quarantine. However, they will need to spend one night in a Thailand Pass hotel or ASQ while waiting for their COVID 19 RT-PCR test result. This test will need to be taken on their arrival and then again on day five.
Thailand Pass requirements
There are various ways that you can apply for the Thailand Pass. You can use the Thailand Pass system yourself or pay for Thailand Pass assistance.
The Thailand Pass system generates a QR code that tourists can get. To get a QR code or a Thailand Pass ID, tourists will need to do the following:
When your application has been approved, the system will send you an email with your QR entry code or your Thailand Pass ID, which you will need to enter Thailand.
Apply for Thailand Pass by Yourself
You can apply for the Thailand Pass on the MFA website with this link: https://tp.consular.go.th/.
If you want to check your status, you can use the following link: https://tp.consular.go.th/en/check-status.
If you haven’t received your Thailand Pass or your application was rejected, you can email one of the following email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected].
Thai Legal Visa and Thailand Pass Application Assistance
Applying for the Thailand Pass is entirely free when you don’t use any professional assistance to apply. But in some cases, you can choose to pay for a law firm to assist you with the application.
These service providers can prepare your documents and even submit them on your behalf. Using these services can help prevent struggling with your papers that haven’t been uploaded correctly or submitting inappropriate information.
These reasons mentioned above mean that it will be handy to use a service provider to assist with the application. Service providers such as Siam Legal will often have service packages to help with the application.
Package 1: 200 USD (Visa + Thailand Pass)
Package 2: 100 USD (Thailand Pass)
On the Thailand Pass portal, you will be able to see a list of approved acceptable medical insurance providers that you can use for your Thailand Pass insurance. But keep in mind that you’ll need a minimum coverage of 100 000 USD. This coverage could mean that your Thailand Pass insurance could be more expensive than typical travel insurance policies.
It can be exciting to travel to Thailand. Still, many questions can pop up, especially with the new travel laws and restrictions, including the Thailand Pass, that the Thai government enacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How long does the Thailand Pass approval process take?
The process can take at least three to seven business for your application to be approved. It’s recommended that tourists submit their application seven business days before they intend to depart for Thailand.
Is a Thailand Pass registration required for all three schemes travelling into Thailand?
Anybody travelling by air to Thailand under the three schemes must register for the Thailand Pass to be allowed to enter the country. The three schemes are the following:
If I plan to travel to Thailand by land or sea, do I need to register with Thailand Pass?
No, if you’re travelling by sea or land won’t need the Thailand Pass. This pass is just for visitors who are travelling to Thailand by air. However, you will need a COE to enter Thailand. It’s recommended that you contact the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulates in your country to apply for a COE.