Updates on COVID-19 vaccines for international travellers to Thailand under the pilot reopening programs, including the Phuket Sandbox, Samui Plus, and Phuket Sandbox 7+7 Extension
To be eligible for the programs, international travellers, including returning Thais and foreign residents, who are above 18 years of age should get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or the World Health Organization (WHO) no less than 14 days before their travel date. Travellers who have recovered from COVID-19 should also get fully vaccinated.
List of approved COVID-19 vaccines
Currently, the MoPH has approved the following manufacturers and vaccines:
- CoronaVac by Sinovac Biotech Ltd – 2 doses needed / 2-4-week interval;
- AstraZeneca or Covishield by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, SK Bioscience (South Korea), Siam Bioscience, and Serum Institute of India (Covishield) – 2 doses needed / 4-12-week interval;
- Pfizer–BioNTech or Comirnaty by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech 2 doses needed / 3-week interval;
- Janssen or Janssen/Ad26.COV2.S by Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. – 1 dose needed;
- Moderna by Moderna Inc. – 2 doses needed / 4-week interval);
- Sinopharm or COVILO by Sinopharm Co., Ltd. – 2 doses needed / 3-4-week interval);
- Sputnik V by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology – 2 doses needed – 3-week interval).
Meanwhile, the WHO’s guidance on the COVID-19 vaccines is available here.
Have you been fully vaccinated?
According to the MoPH, travellers are considered fully vaccinated if:
- They get their second dose of a 2-dose vaccine; such as, the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines, no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand.
- They get a single-dose vaccine; such as, Janssen vaccine, no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand.
- In case of mix-and-match vaccines, travellers should get their second dose of a different vaccine within the recommended interval of the first vaccine no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand. For example, if the first vaccine is CoronaVac from Sinovac Biotech and the second vaccine is AstraZeneca, the time between the two doses is 2-4 weeks.
Travellers who do not meet these criteria may be denied entry into Thailand.
Requirements for the ‘Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination’
The travellers’ Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination should contain the following details:
- Given name and last name;
- Date of Birth;
- Nationality;
- Passport or Identification No.;
- Name of the COVID-19 vaccine;
- Vaccination dates;
- Vaccine manufacturer and lot/batch number;
- Authorised organisation in the country of origin.
In addition to being fully vaccinated, international travellers should have all of their advance arrangements in good order for arrival and entry.
These include a Certificate of Entry (COE) issued by the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate; a COVID-19 health insurance policy with a minimum coverage of US$100,000; confirmation of a SHA Plus hotel booking, and a medical certificate with a RT-PCR laboratory result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued no more than 72 hours before departure. (TAT)
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