The Tourism Authority of Thailand confirms that Phuket will be the first destination in Thailand to open to vaccinated tourists on July 1 without the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
In an official letter sent to international travel partners on May 27, TAT confirmed that the 'Phuket Sandbox' project would go ahead as planned on July 1, 2021. The decision follows news that nearly half of Phuket's population is now vaccinated against Covid-19. The goal is to have 70% of the islanders vaccinated by July.
Phuket will open to international visitors (nationals or residents of medium to low risk countries) who have a Covid-19 vaccination certificate valid at least 14 days to a year prior to arrival in Phuket.
Visitors must stay in Phuket for seven nights before being allowed to visit other destinations in Thailand. They do not have to comply with the 14-day quarantine rule that applies to unvaccinated travelers. At the end of the seven-day stay, they must test negative for Covid-19 in order to visit other destinations in Thailand.
The approved vaccines are: Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Covishield. Other vaccines will be added to the list later. Unvaccinated children under the age of 12 traveling with vaccinated parents do not need to show proof of vaccination upon arrival.
Unvaccinated children aged 12 to 17 traveling with vaccinated parents must undergo a rapid Covid test at their own expense upon arrival at Phuket International Airport.
To fly to Phuket, travelers must provide a valid negative PCR test result within 72 hours of boarding the flight. One still needs to apply for a visa, provide USD 100.000 insurance and apply for a CoE at the Thai embassy.
Only direct international flights to Phuket International Airport (HKT) are allowed for 'Sandbox' travelers. This is possible via the hubs in the Middle East and Asia with a transfer in Doha, Dubai, Singapore, Taipei, Istanbul and Hong Kong. Thai Airways International will offer scheduled flights from Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Paris and London.
Travelers are required to download the Thailand Plus Mobile App which enables contact tracing in case of infection.
During the seven-day stay
A stay in Phuket must be booked in an accommodation certified by SHA (Amazing Thailand Safely & Health Administration). At the end of the seven-day stay in Phuket, tourists must undergo a PCR test before being allowed to travel from Phuket to other destinations in Thailand.
It is possible to stay less than seven nights in Phuket and travel directly back to the country of origin or another country without visiting other cities in Thailand. In that case, a PCR test is required 72 hours before departure.
These are preliminary details on the reopening and entry requirements for Phuket. The TAT will publish full and final requirements in the coming days, including a list of medium to low-risk nationalities eligible for the 'Phuket Sandbox' experiment.
Source: TTRweekly.com
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So for me it will be a while before I go to Thailand again. I have been vaccinated, but I do not intend to cooperate with all those additional conditions. We just have to wait and see which country in Southeast Asia will accept vaccinated people without fuss. Indonesia, Vietnam or the Philippines.
Thailand wants; Thailand expects, Thailand plans…No one follows the course of events when the plans fall apart. This is press release journalism, depicting the authorities uncritically. I've always told my editors, pick up the phone and ask the who, what, where, why.
Much is still unclear, less than a month before the sandbox opens. Unvaccinated children under 18 will be tested upon arrival, the parents are vaccinated. Should the children be quarantined, alone or with the parents? That risk seems high to me, so few children (who, by the way, can hardly get vaccinated anywhere).
According to an article in Thailand business week, the same governor is quoted as saying the plan is still awaiting final approval from the CCSA and the PM. It will then be published in the Royal Gazette. This is expected mid-June.
“However Mr Yuthasak said an official announcement of the Phuket sandbox model in the Royal Gazette will take place around mid-June after receiving approval from the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) and the cabinet.”
So.. don't cheer too soon. Until it is in the Royal Gazette and the Thai embassy in The Hague indicates that a CoE for Phuket is possible, it remains only a nice plan.
https://www.thailand-business-news.com/tourism/84157-thailand-confirms-phukets-reopening-date-of-july-1st.html
Indeed, don't celebrate too soon. TAT has no decision-making authority in this regard and no decision has yet been made.
I just read on the internet that the Ministry of Public Heath would like a period of 14 days instead of seven, and that would largely negate the - relative - attractiveness
I wonder when the mandatory Statement Of Insurance stating the amounts will be relaxed. Do you still need a CoE to enter Phuket or just the vaccination certificate?
This morning I was informed by telephone by CZ that they will no longer state amounts on their insurance statements. They refer to the law, which would not allow them to state amounts. This can be highly doubted because they do not want to confirm the reason in writing. CZ further states that the matter is known to the government, but that is also not confirmed in writing.
Because I have been biting myself into this subject for some time, I will now write to Health Insurers Netherlands as well as the Ministry of Health. If it doesn't help, it won't hurt either.
I do hope that several bloggers will put pressure on their insurers or Health Insurers Netherlands ([email protected]) write.
Nice this information. I am flying to Amsterdam via Dubai the day after tomorrow. And come back around July 20th hoping I can take advantage of Phuket. I am flying with Emirates and have asked to fly Dubai Phuket. Well, they don't know about that yet. Hopefully mid-July or possibly. Be able to use it at the beginning of August. At least not yet possible to book.
Greetings Jan
The final decision will not be made until mid-June. The decision making discussed in the letter from the TAT is about the initial decision to proceed with the planning. It is not a decision to start implementation.
A final decision will be made in mid-June whether the Phuket Sandbox will start on July 1. This has been confirmed in various media today.
https://chiangmaione.com/featured/covid-19-variants-in-each-country-to-determine-criteria-for-phuket-sandbox-stays
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2124663/virus-variants-to-dictate-phuket-stays
The same information is also shared here. Decision and publication in the Royal Gazette expected mid-June.
Does anyone have a link or a list that lists the registered hotels in Phuket. At least Google doesn't give me any results.
mvg French
https://www.thailandsha.com/shalists/?type=&province=83-Phuket&keyword=
According to my information there are no hotels registered yet. If there are, they would be published on this website: https://www.thailandsha.com/index
What seems most frustrating to me for all those people who still have to receive their money from Thai airways and will now see a group of new holidaymakers flying with newly booked tickets from 4 European locations with the same airline to Phuket.
I think I would explode with anger.
Jan Beute.
Specially certified hotels? If I understand you correctly, you can move anywhere in Phuket, but you must stay in one of the certified hotels. Does anyone know why that is? Do the migrant workers also have to stay in certified hotels or? Don't understand anything anymore. I'm getting more and more the impression that they keep the farang under control and why on earth.
I am looking for an option to return to Thailand without much expensive fuss.
After reading the many posts about this, I still see the following stumbling blocks and/or ambiguities:
1) covid insurance [or health insurance statement with amounts] - no matter which route you take
2) whether NL is considered a low-risk country.
Germany still considers NL as a high incidence risk country [reduced from high risk]
3) which proofs of vaccinations from NL are accepted by Thai immigration.
Thailand only recognizes the yellow WHO vaccination booklet in my opinion. I think it will be months before the EU QR code proof can be scanned outside the EU
4) finally, if Friday decides whether July 1 will continue
Just a bit more optimistic: I booked for our family last month, at the first messages, at risk to Phuket on July 7, with KLM. My wife and 2 kids (11 and 12 y) have (also) Thai nationality/passport. Nowhere does it say that you must play golf, but that you must stay in an ASL hotel, but that seems logical to me to keep some overview / control. Health insurance/travel insurance is sufficient. I assume a visa on arrival and my wife and I have both been vaccinated 2 x with the unsurpassed (Opel) Astra vaccine. After 8 days, after 3 years, we go again to grandma (85 y) in the neighboring province and back home at the end of August..
The only uncertainty is whether KLM has the right stopover before landing on Phuket and whether the whole story will get the green light next Friday. So… let me know where I'm missing the boat
Regards, Liam
I think you need a CoE or you can't get into Phuket.
Indeed, nothing will change for the time being. Incidentally: assuming a visa on arrival seems to me to be an incorrect starting point - that does not apply to Dutch and Belgians. Moreover, those 'visas on arrival' are not even issued at all during these Covid times.
It is of course the “Visa Exemption” that he will mean.
The Visa Exemption has been in effect for a long time and now even 45 days instead of 30 days.
In principle, those 15 days are extra to cope with the quarantine, but I think they will also get that now.
“GROUP 12 : Dutch passport holders who wish to visit Thailand for a tourism purpose under the visa-exemption scheme (45-day stay inclusive of quarantine period). You must be able to present a bank statement with adequate funds for your stay in Thailand when applying for a COE.”
https://hague.thaiembassy.org/th/content/118896-measures-to-control-the-spread-of-covid-19?page=5f4d1bea74187b0491379162&menu=5f4cc50a4f523722e8027442
The CoE is also still in effect.
Category of non-Thai nationals permitted to enter Thailand: Tourist (visa exemption scheme)
Passport holders of countries that are entitled for visa exemption scheme may enter Thailand without a visa up to 45 days including the quarantine period of 15 days.
For Belgians:
Tourists who are nationals of Belgium and Luxembourg are permitted to enter Thailand on a visa exemption scheme for a period of 45 days.
However, an application for a Certificate of Entry (COE) is mandatory for all travelers.
Source: https://www.thaiembassy.be/2020/07/09/info-for-non-thai-nationals-traveling-to-thailand/?lang=en
For Dutch people:
Dutch passport holders who wish to visit Thailand for a tourism purpose under the visa-exemption scheme (45-day stay inclusive of quarantine period). You must be able to present a bank statement with adequate funds for your stay in Thailand when applying for a COE.
Source: https://hague.thaiembassy.org/th/content/118896-measures-to-control-the-spread-of-covid-19?page=5f4d1bea74187b0491379162&menu=5f4cc50a4f523722e8027442
More than likely you will have to rebook your KLM flight via Singapore or Hong Kong. Beware: multiple airports in Hong Kong.
According to my latest information, it must be a direct flight to Phuket, on the understanding that a transfer in eg Dubai is also regarded as a direct flight.
Best to wait and see what is told on Friday, and then hope that my conditions will not change afterwards.
Have a pleasant journey.
Indeed, KLM itself will only fly to Phuket itself from November 1 and gAt will then fly via Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), so you cannot avoid a transfer. As long as the transfer is outside Thailand, you meet the relevant requirements,
By the way: multiple airports in Hong Kong?? Chek Lap Kok is the international airport, Shek Kong Airfield is an air force base,
Correction to the above: ….and will do that via Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), so escape…..etc.
KLM continues to offer flights via Suvarnabhumi Airport to this day. At least if you search online http://www.klm.com
Either their information isn't accurate or they have information the TAT doesn't have (lol).
As already said, wait until Friday.
It does not matter where your stopover is, even if you make 10 in as many different countries. The only requirement (if you want to use the Sandbox) is that when you land in Thailand, it must be Phuket. If you land at BKK Airport or another airport in Thailand, you will still have to quarantine for 14 days since no transfer to Phuket is allowed.