Vaccinated travellers can still enter Thailand under ‘Phuket Sandbox’ scheme

The Thailand Pass is temporarily suspended until further notice for all new Blue Zone Sandbox applications (except the Phuket Sandbox).

This information has been updated on 28 December, 2021.



The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to provide an update on the latest announcement published on 22 December, 2021 in the Royal Thai Government Gazette that officially orders a temporary suspension of the Thailand Pass for all new applications under the Living in the Blue Zone Sandbox Destinations entry programme (except the Phuket Sandbox), effective from 22 December, 2021.

Protocol for Sandbox travellers who have obtained their Thailand Pass QR code before 22 December, 2021, with scheduled arrival dates in Thailand from 24 December, 2021, onwards.

*They must have proof of a confirmed payment for at least a 7-day stay at an approved accommodation; such as, a SHA++ hotel, within a Blue Zone Sandbox destination. The prepayment must also include the expenses for 1 RT-PCR test.

1. Travellers must complete the TM6 Immigration Form (while on the plane).
2. Upon arrival in the airport’s terminal, travellers must complete and sign the Quarantine Form before proceeding to the Health Control screening point. Children under 12 years of age can use the same form as their parents/guardians. *Soon this step will be conducted while on the plane.
3. Present the required documents, including the Thailand Pass, arrival date and RT-PCR test results to the Communicable Disease Control officers to carry out the checks. Provided that all documents are in order, the officers will then affix the Quarantine Form with the official seal of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, along with instructions on either to under a quarantine or mandatory stay, and the 2 required RT-PCR tests.
4. Travellers will receive a copy of the affixed Quarantine Form, along with a QR code indicating the list of government-designated hospitals/lab centres for their second RT-PCR test (no additional cost).
5. Travellers can then proceed to the Immigration. As well as going through the Immigration procedures, travellers must also present their copy of the affixed Quarantine Form and passport to the Immigration officer to carry out the checks. Provided that all are in order, travellers will then be allowed to proceed to a prearranged transfer to the reserved hotel.
6. Upon arrival at the hotel, travellers must present their copy of the affixed Quarantine Form to the hotel staff to carry out the checks on the type of entry scheme permitted to the travellers. The travellers’ information will then be registered on the COSTE system. Afterwards, travellers must undergo the first RT-PCR test (except for those who have already taken the test at government-designated hospitals/lab centres prior to their arrival at the hotel.)
7. If receiving a negative RT-PCR test result, travellers must inform the hotel staff of their intended accommodation on Day 5-6 to be registered on the COSTE system.
8. On Day 5-6, travellers must go to their appointment at the government-designated hospitals/lab centres to undergo their second RT-PCR test, and must bring along their affixed Quarantine Form.
9. Travellers give their copy of affixed Quarantine Form to the hospitals/lab centres for billing. (There will be no additional cost for travellers who have obtained their Thailand Pass before 22 December, 2021.)

New travellers under the Phuket Sandbox   

All new Phuket Sandbox applications submitted from 22 December, 2021, onwards, and received a Thailand Pass QR code with scheduled travel dates from 24 December, 2021, onwards must have all the required documents and will be subject to 2 RT-PCR tests under the following conditions:

• They must have proof of a confirmed payment for at least a 7-day stay at an approved accommodation; such as, a SHA++ hotel, within Phuket. They must also have proof of a confirmed payment for 2 RT-PCR tests, which can be reserved via www.thailandpsas.com (2,100 Baht per 1 test, or totaling 4,200 Baht for 2 tests).

Existing conditions for pre-approved Thailand Pass or new Phuket Sandbox applications only

Pre-Arrival Requirements

All eligible travellers travelling from eligible countries must have the following documents for entering to Thailand:

• A Thailand Pass, which can be applied via https://tp.consular.go.th/. *The system is currently closed for all new Sandbox applications, except for the Phuket Sandbox.
• 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.
• An insurance policy with coverage no less than US$50,000.
  • Thais and foreign expatriates under Thailand’s national healthcare coverage are exempt from this requirement.
• A confirmed payment for at least a 7-day stay at an approved accommodation; such as, a SHA++ hotel, within the Sandbox destination. The prepayment must also include the expenses for the RT-PCR tests. *See new COVID-19 testing conditions as described above.
• 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.
  • 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

All travellers must undergo ‘entry screening’ including body temperature check at the point of entry.

For Sandbox travellers who have obtained their Thailand Pass QR code before 22 December, 2021, with scheduled arrival dates in Thailand from 24 December, 2021, onwards, they must undergo ‘entry screening’ and the 9-step procedure as described above.

For “Phuket Sandbox” travellers who have applied for Thailand Pass from 22 December, 2021, they must arrive on a direct flight to Phuket International Airport only.

Remarks:

• If testing positive for COVID-19, travellers will be referred to a healthcare facility for appropriate medical treatment, for which the expenses must be covered by the required insurance, or national healthcare coverage for Thais and eligible foreign expatriates.
• Travellers with negative test result can enjoy travel activities within the Sandbox destination throughout the 7 days, but must return to their prearranged accommodation on a nightly basis. They are not allowed to stay overnight in any other places.
• Travellers must stay at least the first 7 nights within the Sandbox destination if planning to continue the journey to other destinations in Thailand. If staying less than 7 nights, the traveller must leave Thailand to another country immediately.
• 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.

Guidelines for Domestic/International Departure

• For international departure, it is the responsibility of travellers or their organizations to make sure that the travellers meet the requirements of their specific international destination regardless of the point of departure.
• For domestic departure, after having completed the required 7-day mandatory stay within the Sandbox destination, travellers are free to go anywhere in Thailand.