Jul 15, 2021, 6:39 pm
Last edit by: Global321
In an effort to consolidate the material information for entry into the Phuket Sandbox, the rules at present are:
Eligible travelers (both non-Thais and Thais)
A passport with at least six months validity.
A visa, if required. For U.S. citizens, no visa is required. A 45-day entry is granted on arrival.
Round-trip airline ticket to Phuket.
Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or Ministry of Public Health of Thailand no less than 14 days before departure. Travelers must show proof of vaccination issued by a government authority. Children under the age of 18, traveling with parents, are eligible without proof of vaccination.
Must come from permitted countries/areas by the Thai Government to enter Phuket Sandbox (The U.S. is included) and travelers must have been in these eligible countries prior to travel for at least 21 consecutive days. A list of eligible countries can be found at: https://www.tatnews.org/wp-content/u...12.07.2021.jpg
Must have health insurance which covers treatment and medical expenses in relation to COVID-19, with a minimum coverage of $100,000 USD.
Health Insurance Providers
https://covid19.tgia.org/
https://www.axa.co.th/en/
Certificate of Entry ("COE")
A COE must be obtained prior to entry into Thailand. Applications are submitted at https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ and require proof of the entry requirements listed above.
Airlines Offering Service to Phuket
No connections inside Thailand to Phuket allowed. Must fly non-stop into Phuket from an international destination.
El Al, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways International (THAI) are offering flights.
Entry
A PCR test will be conducted at the airport.
You must have SHA+ transportation pre-booked from the airport to the SHA+ hotel. You must isolate in your room until the test results are obtained, which is being reported as approximately 7-hours after the sample is taken.
Once a negative test result is obtained, you are able to travel freely on the island of Phuket. The typical turn time for the first test is 6 to 8 hours.
Hotels
Must stay at a hotel that meets the “SHA+ (Safety and Health Administration Plus)” standard for at least 14 nights, unless travelers have proof of return tickets leaving Phuket (to another country) within 14 days.
Confirmation of “SHA+” hotel booking must be issued under the SHABA system (SHA Plus Booking Authentication system) or booking under http://entrythailand.go.th/
Must stay at the same hotel for at least the first 7 days and may change after that (the hotel must be on Phuket only)
After 14 nights, travelers may travel to other parts of Thailand. Departure earlier than 14 days is possible only for destinations outside of Thailand.
COVID-19 tests
Travelers must present RT-PCR negative test results issued no more than 72 hours before departure for Phuket.
Upon entry, travelers will have to undergo three COVID-19 tests during their 14-night stay in Phuket (travelers must provide receipt of COVID test appointment and payment from your hotel to apply for the COE).
Tracking application
Travelers must install and use a tracking application as prescribed by the Thai Government throughout their 14 days in Phuket, otherwise they may not be allowed to leave Phuket to other parts of Thailand after these 14 days. A local sim card can be obtained at the airport, but you must bring a sim unlocked smartphone.
Apps are Thailand Plus and Mor Chana. Only the Mor Chana app will be checked and verified installed at the Phuket airport.
Travel to Other Parts of Thailand
Allowed after 14-nights is spent in Phuket.
N.B.
Rules can change with little or no notice.
If you test positive for COVID on arrival, you will be hospitalized for 14-days.
If you arrive on an airplane and anyone close to you on the plane tests positive for COVID, you will be quarantined for 14-days at your own expense. Close has been reported as same row and/or two rows before or behind the infected person.
Masks are required when outdoors, including at the swimming pool and on the beach. Masks are not required while swimming.
Eligible travelers (both non-Thais and Thais)
A passport with at least six months validity.
A visa, if required. For U.S. citizens, no visa is required. A 45-day entry is granted on arrival.
Round-trip airline ticket to Phuket.
Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or Ministry of Public Health of Thailand no less than 14 days before departure. Travelers must show proof of vaccination issued by a government authority. Children under the age of 18, traveling with parents, are eligible without proof of vaccination.
Must come from permitted countries/areas by the Thai Government to enter Phuket Sandbox (The U.S. is included) and travelers must have been in these eligible countries prior to travel for at least 21 consecutive days. A list of eligible countries can be found at: https://www.tatnews.org/wp-content/u...12.07.2021.jpg
Must have health insurance which covers treatment and medical expenses in relation to COVID-19, with a minimum coverage of $100,000 USD.
Health Insurance Providers
https://covid19.tgia.org/
https://www.axa.co.th/en/
Certificate of Entry ("COE")
A COE must be obtained prior to entry into Thailand. Applications are submitted at https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/ and require proof of the entry requirements listed above.
Airlines Offering Service to Phuket
No connections inside Thailand to Phuket allowed. Must fly non-stop into Phuket from an international destination.
El Al, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways International (THAI) are offering flights.
Entry
A PCR test will be conducted at the airport.
You must have SHA+ transportation pre-booked from the airport to the SHA+ hotel. You must isolate in your room until the test results are obtained, which is being reported as approximately 7-hours after the sample is taken.
Once a negative test result is obtained, you are able to travel freely on the island of Phuket. The typical turn time for the first test is 6 to 8 hours.
Hotels
Must stay at a hotel that meets the “SHA+ (Safety and Health Administration Plus)” standard for at least 14 nights, unless travelers have proof of return tickets leaving Phuket (to another country) within 14 days.
Confirmation of “SHA+” hotel booking must be issued under the SHABA system (SHA Plus Booking Authentication system) or booking under http://entrythailand.go.th/
Must stay at the same hotel for at least the first 7 days and may change after that (the hotel must be on Phuket only)
After 14 nights, travelers may travel to other parts of Thailand. Departure earlier than 14 days is possible only for destinations outside of Thailand.
COVID-19 tests
Travelers must present RT-PCR negative test results issued no more than 72 hours before departure for Phuket.
Upon entry, travelers will have to undergo three COVID-19 tests during their 14-night stay in Phuket (travelers must provide receipt of COVID test appointment and payment from your hotel to apply for the COE).
Tracking application
Travelers must install and use a tracking application as prescribed by the Thai Government throughout their 14 days in Phuket, otherwise they may not be allowed to leave Phuket to other parts of Thailand after these 14 days. A local sim card can be obtained at the airport, but you must bring a sim unlocked smartphone.
Apps are Thailand Plus and Mor Chana. Only the Mor Chana app will be checked and verified installed at the Phuket airport.
Travel to Other Parts of Thailand
Allowed after 14-nights is spent in Phuket.
N.B.
Rules can change with little or no notice.
If you test positive for COVID on arrival, you will be hospitalized for 14-days.
If you arrive on an airplane and anyone close to you on the plane tests positive for COVID, you will be quarantined for 14-days at your own expense. Close has been reported as same row and/or two rows before or behind the infected person.
Masks are required when outdoors, including at the swimming pool and on the beach. Masks are not required while swimming.
Phuket Sandbox 2021/2022
May 23, 2021, 8:02 pm
#46
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: BKK
Programs: TG ROP Platinum, M&M Senator, IHG Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 8,331
I really admire the pragmatic flexibility of the authorities!
keep rules floating and no details ahead of the last minute...
that's modern just-in-time management
keep rules floating and no details ahead of the last minute...
that's modern just-in-time management
May 23, 2021, 11:56 pm
#47
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,702
May 24, 2021, 5:30 am
#48
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2014
Programs: BA GGL, Gold for Life
Posts: 590
May 24, 2021, 2:15 pm
#49
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 526
Getting to Pattaya
If and when Pattaya opens up for no quarantine , will a person be able to transfer from BKK to Pattaya by bus, taxi, etc. ? If so , are there any specifics to consider and how about getting to the other sandbox destinations via BKK. I have my covid shots. Thanks.
Last edited by anc305; May 24, 2021 at 2:41 pm
May 24, 2021, 11:00 pm
#52
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: London; Bangkok; Las Vegas
Programs: AA Exec Plat; UA MM Gold; Marriott Lifetime Titanium; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,745
May 25, 2021, 12:28 am
#53
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 526
I have a flight booked into BKK in November. Does not look like Bangkok will be quarantine free until after the 1st of the year. Would considered Pattaya for the 5 days if I can get there without jumping thru hoops. Never been there. Been to Bangkok several times. I figure a few days at the Hilton or IC would be ok ?
May 25, 2021, 12:45 am
#54
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: ZRH
Programs: QR Gold / M&M FTL / Marriott Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 655
I have a flight booked into BKK in November. Does not look like Bangkok will be quarantine free until after the 1st of the year. Would considered Pattaya for the 5 days if I can get there without jumping thru hoops. Never been there. Been to Bangkok several times. I figure a few days at the Hilton or IC would be ok ?
But nothing confirmed yet.
May 25, 2021, 1:00 am
#55
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,702
I have a flight booked into BKK in November. Does not look like Bangkok will be quarantine free until after the 1st of the year. Would considered Pattaya for the 5 days if I can get there without jumping thru hoops. Never been there. Been to Bangkok several times. I figure a few days at the Hilton or IC would be ok ?
Quarantine measures aside (as that is very much crystal ball territory these days), there are much nicer places than Pattaya to go within driving range of Bangkok!
May 25, 2021, 3:53 am
#57
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,720
Koh Samui has unexpectedly announced today that they plan on joining the Phuket sandbox on the 1st of July. That one seemed to come out of nowhere. We've not had any Covid cases for 11 days, so who knows, maybe it's possible. I wouldn't have thought they'd get as many tourists as Phuket though in the short term, as we have fewer condos and a lot fewer sex tourists. It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out. It would be nice if they allow bars to reopen by then as a start...
May 25, 2021, 5:01 am
#58
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: BKK
Programs: TG ROP Platinum, M&M Senator, IHG Platinum, Accor Platinum
Posts: 8,331
The governor of Chonburi (where Pattaya is located) is one of the more cautious and impulsive ones when it comes to COVID restrictions, so I would not hold my breath regarding Pattaya being a front-runner for opening up, but maybe BinSabai has better insights. Personally, having lived in Thailand for a number of years now and travelled here extensively before that for over two decades, I have always given Pattaya a wide berth. It just does not appeal to me, but of course - as with so many things - it is a personal preference. Only been there once to try out the InterCon, and granted it is a nice property, especially if you book one of the Club Suites (cannot remember the exact name) and outside the main city.
Quarantine measures aside (as that is very much crystal ball territory these days), there are much nicer places than Pattaya to go within driving range of Bangkok!
Quarantine measures aside (as that is very much crystal ball territory these days), there are much nicer places than Pattaya to go within driving range of Bangkok!
the current governor is not a heir of the long time influential family, the major of Pattaya is.
The numbers in Pattaya have declined a lot during last 2 weeks, but a new problem has arised in the province: clusters in production plants
Chonburi is not only tourism like Phuket and Koh Samui, but is highly industrialized with tens of thousand of factory workers, which certainly exceeds the GDP contribution of Pattaya tourism by far
so it will be a very difficult path out of the crisis for authorities in Chonburi to balance between opening for tourism and keeping people safe and factories running
May 25, 2021, 5:37 am
#59
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BKK
Programs: Mucci Chevalier de la Brosse a Cheveux Dore, SK *GfL, BA Gold, WY G, HH DIA, IC Plat Amb., Hertz PC
Posts: 3,702
We still need to get that beer sometime when things become even remotely normal
May 25, 2021, 6:27 pm
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Posts: 12,375
Yeah, this is "interesting".
It did come from somewhere though, a backside I assume.
Can't see this getting much traction.