Entering Thailand with the Sandbox Programmes

The global Covid pandemic has made travel difficult for travellers with every country having their own entry rules to keep their population safe from any imported infections and Thailand is no exception.

In November after tentatively opening the Phuket sandbox programme back in July, Thailand opened it's borders to both vaccinated and non-vaccination foreign tourists under three schemes - Test & Go (one night SHA Plus hotel stay awaiting arrival PCR test results) and Sandbox Programmes (7 night SHA Plus stay & 2 PCR test) in some blue zone provinces within Thailand and ALQ (10 nights stay in a quarantine hotel for unvaccinated visitors).

We were delighted to welcome many of our guests over the peak Christmas & New year period many of which entered who entered under the Test & Go scheme.  

TEST & GO

Due to the rising cases the new Omicron varient of Covid globally applications for the Test & Go entry scheme was suspended on 22nd December and will be reviewed for a new start date on 31st January. Visitors who had already received their Thailand Pass under the above scheme before the suspension are still still able to enter on their original arrival date with no cut off date announced at the current time. 

We are hopeful that the Test & Go scheme will return soon.

SANDBOX SCHEMES

With Thailand being one of the top destinations for a winter escape for visitors especially from Europe and the USA plus other factors such as the amazing beaches, non stop sunshine, the delicious cuisine and the smiles and hospitality of the Thai people there is always going to be great demand to enter the country and enjoy this amazing lifestyle for a short time.

Thailand is now open to fully vaccinated visitors who can enter directly from overseas through sandbox schemes in 4 provinces in southern Thailand. The sandbox schemes allows for a minimum 7 nights stay in a SHA Plus hotel or villa. There is a PCR test on arrival at the airport with results the next day and a further test on day 6/7 after which you are free to explore the rest of Thailand with a sandbox release paper.

PHUKET SANDBOX

KOH SAMUI SANDBOX (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan & Koh Tao)

KRABI SANDBOX

PHANG NGA SANDBOX ( Koh Lak & Koh Yao) 

THAILAND SHA PLUS VILLAS

We have a number of Thailand villas that are SHA Plus certified and you can bee viewed in our collection of Thailand SHA Plus villas

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BAAN PURI - LIPA NOI BEACH- KOH SAMUI.               VILLA KOH KOON - CHAWENG

To view all our Thailand villas please visit our Thailand Retreat website

THAILAND PASS

Applications for any of the above sandbox schemes can be processed through the Thailand Pass - an online digital platform set up for streamlining the entry process to Thailand.

To obtain a QR entry code or Thailand Pass ID, travelers will have to:

• Register at Thailand Pass web portal https://tp.consular.go.th/en/plan
• Input personal details
• Choose which sandbox scheme and name of accommodation
• Submit the required information and documents (jpeg format)
• Receive a confirmation email after registration (within seconds after registration)
• Wait for the Thailand Pass approval QR code (within an hour or up to 7 days)

Requirements

• Bio page of passport (6 mths remaining until expiry)
• Any Visa (if not visa exempt country)
• Flight Number and arrival date
• Vaccine Certificate (fully vaccinated = 2 shots of approved vaccine)
• Health Insurance Certificate with medical cover of at least $50,000 including Covid cover
• Confirmation of prebooked fully paid accommodation (SHABA Certificate) and payment of 2 PCR tests

There is a support email/telephone contact for the Thailand Pass should applicants experience difficulties

A negative RT-PCR test is required withinn 72 hours before departure.

FLIGHTS

Flights for the Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi sandboxes must arrive in Phuket from overseas. Phang Nga and Krabi sandboxes are accessed by car from Phuket airport.There are a number of airlines operating Phuket flights. It is not possible for any flights to Phuket to transit through Bangkok at the current time.  

In the case of Koh Samui flights, flights can transit through Bangkok airport however the international flight and domestic flight to Koh Samui must be booked on one ticket with luggage checked through and not to clear immigration in Bangkok. Travellers are held in a transit area in Bangkok before boarding one of two specially sealed Bangkok airways flights to Koh Samui that operate daily at the current time.  If two separate tickets are issued the current rules are that the traveller will have to spend 7 nights in a quarantine hotel in Bangkok before getting a flight to Koh Samui.

The sealed flight numbers with Bangkok Airways from Bangkok to Koh Samui are PG 5125 (12.00pm) and PG 5171 (5.00pm) and they do not carry any domestic travellers from Bangkok.

Bangkok Airways also operated flights from Singapore to Koh Samui 3 times a week for visitors transitting here with approved airlines from the Singapore authorities. Again if flying with an international airline to Singapore and onward travel to Koh Samui with Bangkok Airways, it is recommended that both flights are on one ticket as unless you plan a long stop over in Singapore the entry requirements for Singapore are occasionally quite strict.

CHECK IN

The Thailand Pass QR code together with copy printouts of the relative documents plus the results of the negative test will need to be presented at check in and will be needed again by immigration on arrival at your chosen destination Thailand province. The documents can also be shown on your phone as images however it is quicker to pass over the printouts rather than search for each of the imageswith a queue growing behind you.