There are many questions like “when will Thailand reopen to tourists without quarantine?” as countries around the world start to open up. Surely, because of Omicron and its development, the answer to this question might change over time. We have just travelled into Thailand from Singapore under a Test and Go arrangement with Thailand Pass. Here is a review of the process. Disclaimer, Test and Go is currently on hold due to Omicron variant concern.

Overview of Thailand travel vaccinations

Thailand has different schemes for tourists who wish to visit depending on where they are flying from, vaccination status and where they are flying into Thailand.

Test and Go
Sandbox
Quarantine

As a tourist, you will need to choose which scheme you fall under and then apply for a Thailand Pass from there.

Thailand Pass application process

All tourists who wish to visit Thailand will need to apply for and obtain Thailand Pass before they can enter Thailand. The time required for the process varies, but in general it is between 5-7 working days.

However, we heard from some of our friends of varying nationalities that they have different kinds of experience. The fastest one that we know so far is of our Singaporean friend going to Phuket on a Sandbox scheme and it took her only a few minutes to get the Thailand Pass. Personally, our process took 5 working days for the Test and Go scheme in Bangkok.

Some others have said their Thailand Pass application process take as long as 1 week+ so start your application process early.

Test and Go travel arrangement review

Before flying into Thailand

Make sure you have all your documents hard-copy ready before you go to the airport in your home country. Just to be safe, make sure all documents you submitted for your Thailand Pass application are with you.

We flew from Singapore Changi airport to Suvarnabhumi and we needed to produce the Thailand Pass and PCR test result during check-in.

At Thailand's airport: Thailand Pass & document check

Once you get off the plane, you need to queue to get your Thailand Pass and its related documents checked. The line might look long but the process is quite efficient and the line moves fast.

Pro tip: Make sure you have insurance coverage with the amount covered stated explicitly on the insurance certificate. Also, ensure that the insurance certificate states explicitly that Covid-19 related medical expenses are covered.

After you pass this stage, you just need to head to the immigration as usual and produce all the documents to the officer. If you have the documents ready, the process will be very smooth.

Once you have your luggage with you and you head out from the custom section, look for your hotel staff. The scene looked very much like a travel fair with hotel logos adorning the desk and its display board.

They will pick you up and they will carry a big board of the hotel name so it should be easy to spot them. Then they will escort you to the designated car waiting for you outside the building.

PCR test before arriving at hotel

From my personal experience, the PCR test for the Test and Go program took place outside the hotel. Before the driver brought me to the hotel, he brought me to the affiliated hospital’s PCR drive-through station to take the test. The process was very quick and there were two tests: using sample from the nose and sample from the throat.

After the test was done, we went to the hotel and the hospital informed the hotel with the test result. In my experience, it took almost 24 hours for the result to be out, but this may vary across individuals.

How Test and Go scheme (with Thailand Pass) help vaccinated travelers enter Thailand?

Travelers with complete vaccinations can enjoy a convenient process through Test and Go. The waiting process for Thailand Pass approval was a bit daunting as it was our first time doing it (not sure what might go wrong during the process).

Also, make sure you give enough time between your flight and Thailand Pass application start dates, so that you can catch your flight with Thailand Pass in hand.

The Test and Go scheme is now on hold due to Omicron variant. However, there is a possibility that it might resume again in the future. Therefore keep a lookout for the resumption of this scheme in the future if you are interested!

Check out our other posts about Thailand:

Thailand quarantine: a review of my travel during Coronavirus in 2021

As Coronavirus situation improved earlier this year, I decided to fly back home from Hong Kong. It has been more than 12 months since I last flew. Many things have changed including fewer flights, travel restrictions and quarantine requirement. I will be sharing my Thailand quarantine experience for anyone who is looking to fly to Thailand during Coronavirus pandemic.

Updated review using Thailand Pass as of December 2021 can be found here.

Traveling to Thailand during Coronavirus pandemic

I am a Thai national, but Thailand is still welcoming foreign travelers so flying there is possible. However, be sure to check Thailand travel restrictions and special requirements before you make any decision.

Foreign travelers will need to obtain an approval, take Coronavirus test, purchase medical insurance, and undergo quarantine in Thailand.

The Hong Kong International Airport was barely recognizable as the airport was really empty. This was a rare sight even during very early morning or late at night before Coronavirus outbreak.

Upon arrival at the Suvarnabhumi airport, all travelers will need to go through a document checking and health declaration process. The whole airport was divided into sections where officers would come, process and tag travelers. For example, I was tagged as a Thai national who had opted for Alternative State Quarantine or ASQ in short. ASQ is a self-booked hotel quarantine and is the only option available for foreign visitors. The whole process was controlled and done in small groups to ensure social distancing. Immigration and luggage collection process was mostly normal, and it took about 60 minutes from landing for me to finally get out to the arrival hall. I was later approached and escorted directly to the quarantine site by hotel staffs.

Process at the Suvarnabhumi international airport and hotel arranged private transportation to the quarantine site.

Thailand quarantine experience at an alternative state quarantine hotel

Alternative state quarantine hotels are hotels that, in partnership with local hospitals officially operate as quarantine sites. These hotels can be found via websites like Agoda and Locanation. I have personally used Locanation to do research as it offered extra details such as deposit amount and hospital partnership.

Locanation offers detailed information as well as many useful filters.

I chose Courtyard by Marriot Bangkok as my ASQ hotel mostly because I had stayed with Marriot before.

The 14-day Thailand quarantine experience started off with a swab test for Coronavirus. The quarantine duration has since been reduced to 7 to 10days!

The check-in process came after the test and it followed a strict social distancing measure. No visitor of any kind was allowed through the quarantine.

The quarantine room

I was provided with a 35 sqm. room, which I considered spacious having just flown in from Hong Kong.

Some other spacious alternatives include ASQ service apartments. You can find rooms as large as 60 sqm. (some with balcony) at a similar price tag. Staying at a hotel however, gave some peace of mind on service quality since I will be stuck there for 14 days.

My quarantine room came with hand gel, face masks, a thermometer and dish washing detergent/sponge outside of standard equipment. Yoga mat and weight equipment were also offered as add-ons for anyone who are looking to do exercise.

Food and beverage during quarantine in Thailand

Thailand quarantine experience was special due to (delicious) food and beverage selection. Daily meal included breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every meal was made up of an appetizer/salad, a main dish,
a desert and a cup/can of juice and soda. You have about 3-4 Thai/international options to choose from in each meal, one of which would be vegetarian.

Food quantity was generous, not quite comparable to the U.S. portion size but would still be filling for most guests. You can also make special requests to the hotel during order submission. Some of my personal requests were:

Soda replacement with a cup of coffee
Food to be served hot
Meal replacement with a bowl of salad
Extra seasoning

Courtyard staffs were kind enough to accommodate all of my requests.

The food was great and the room had ample supply of water bottles, tea bags and instant coffee. You can also choose to pay extra to have a Nespresso machine. You are, however not allowed to order food from outside so no GrabEat (UberEat equivalent).

What to do if anything is missing? you can order food from the dinning menu or ask the hotel to make a run to convenient stores.

Meals were served with plastic utensils until the result of the first swab test came out.

Daily quarantine routine

Every day fell roughly into a similar routine during my stay at Thailand ASQ. I kept myself busy with work, but outside of work hour the room came equipped with a smart TV (with Netflix available. The hotel can also lend a HDMI cable for laptop connection (for free), Playstation 4 was also available but at a fee.

I had to submit meal order (once per day) via Google form and measure /submit temperature reading (twice per day) via a mobile app.

Guests were not allowed outside of the room in general. However, I got to step out of the room briefly during the 2^nd and 3^rd Coronavirus tests. Guests were invited to take turn at relaxation area after their 2^nd test came back negative (their rooms will be cleaned in the meantime).

The verdict on ASQ quarantine in Thailand

Thailand quarantine using ASQ was extremely comfortable, but it also came at a monetary cost. Thailand has shortened the quarantine period from 14 days to 7-10 days, however this is not being implemented right now due to an on-going third wave of Coronavirus.

If you are looking to travel to Thailand during Coronavirus pandemic, make sure to do your research about your quarantine site and prepare yourself accordingly (for example bring your caffeine fix, your favorite books, sauce/seasoning from your home country, laundry powder etc.). Apart from Coronavirus quarantine measure, feel free to check our other posts about Thailand safety tips.

Tag: Thailand quarantine

Thailand Pass review and Thailand travel for the vaccinated