Thailand’s updated ‘Sandbox Entry’ rules effective from March 1

Travellers who plan to continue their journey to other Thai cities are still required to stay at least 7 days (nights) in the Sandbox destinations, but the COVID-19 testing requirement has been revised to 1 RT-PCR and 1 self-ATK, while the health insurance coverage has also been reduced to no less than US$20,000.

*This information has been updated on 27 February, 2022.

The following rules will be in effect from 1 March, 2022, and will also apply to travellers who have applied/obtained the Sandbox Thailand Pass with scheduled arrivals from this date.

Eligible travellers/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 travellers 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 travelling.
   • Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents with a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before travelling, 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. • TAT recommends that travellers 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 hospitalisation, hospital isolation, hotel isolation, or related quarantine. The insurance policy should also cover the whole duration that travellers 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.
2. 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.
3. A proof of prepayment for 1 RT-PCR test on Day 1 and 1 Antigen Self-Test Kit (self-ATK) on Day 5-6;

1. • Krabi, Phang-Nga and Phuket: Travellers 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): Travellers 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 travellers under the Sandbox Extension programme, as well as travellers 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.
2. 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 travelling to Thailand.
   • Travellers 12-17 years of age travelling to Thailand unaccompanied must get vaccinated with at least 1 dose of an approved vaccine. Those travelling with parents are exempt from this requirement.
   • Travellers 6-11 years of age, travelling with parents, are exempt from this requirement.
   • For arrivals by water, everyone on board must be fully vaccinated. This is except for travellers under 18 years of age, travelling with parents or guardians. *We will provide an update on this as soon as the official information becomes available.
   • Travellers with a history of COVID-19 infection who have recovered by medical treatment and travellers who have received at least 1 dose of an approved vaccine after post-infection must have a certificate of COVID-19 recovery.

All travellers 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 travellers 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 travelling time of no longer than 5 hours. Then, all travellers must wait for the test result within the hotel only. Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents, can have a saliva test.
   • Travellers 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.
   • Travellers 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 travellers, 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. Travellers 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.
4. While in Thailand, travellers 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 sanitiser), and keep physical distance of at least 1 metre from others.
   • Travellers who experience COVID-like symptoms should get tested. If testing positive, they must get the appropriate medical treatment.
5. All travellers 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.
6. 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 travellers 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.
7. Travellers 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, travellers can obtain a ‘Release Form’ and continue their journey domestically.

Guidelines for Domestic/International Departure

For domestic departure, after having stayed the first 7 days (nights) in the eligible Sandbox destinations, travellers must obtain a ‘Release Form’ from their accommodation and from Day 8 are free to go anywhere in Thailand.

For international departure, it is the responsibility of travellers or their organisations to make sure that the travellers meet the requirements of their specific international destination regardless of the point of departure. (TAT)