BREAKING: Thailand ends “Test and Go” program because of Omicron!
(Brickinfo Media / Shutterstock.com)
The information below has been amended a number of times due to incorrect coverage in the Thai media. It is now clear what the official and new rules are regarding the Test & Go program. Read the correct and up-to-date information here:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws-uit-thailand/officiele-updates-over-test-go-programma-door-het-thaise-ministerie-van-buitenlandse-zaken/
Thailand is suspending the 1-day 'Test and Go' quarantine program for fully vaccinated tourists from 63 countries until at least January 4, 2022, due to concerns about Omicron, according to Prime Minister Prayut, who just announced this.
Arrivals already approved for the Test & Go program can still travel to Thailand, but no new “Thailand Pass” will be issued for the 'Test & Go' program.
According to the prime minister, there are 90.000 people who have already received a Thailand Pass, they can simply enter the country. If you already have the Thailand Pass you can travel to Thailand, new is that you now have to undergo a PCR test twice.
It is not the case that Thailand is completely locked down. International tourists can still use the Phuket Sandbox scheme.
There will be a press conference tomorrow and more details will be announced then.
Source: Multiple Thai media
What a relief for us we leave on Sunday, but very much for the people who booked their trip after January 10th.
I leave February 8 and have had my Thailand pass for a while. I am very curious what will happen to my pass because it is after January 10 & what KLM will do now with long flights.
Menno,
My intention is to leave February 10, 2022. With KLM. But don't have a Thailand pass yet. Already have COVID-19 insurance. I'll wait mid-January.
I follow on YouTube : Ride with Gabi.
Now on Facebook he also has a page. Gabriel DM. Info and questions from travelers about Thailand pass etcetera.
Menno,
My intention is to leave February 10, 2022. With KLM. But don't have a Thailand pass yet. Already have COVID-19 insurance. I'll wait mid-January.
I follow on YouTube : Ride with Gabi.
Now on Facebook he also has a page. Gabriel DM. Info and questions from travelers about Thailand pass etcetera.
Well,
KLM and other airlines will continue to fly after January 10.
Laksi,
yes, I understand that KLM will continue to fly after January.
but that applying for a Thailand pass will not work until January 4th
I leave February 12 and already have my Thailand Pass and also fly with KLM ... indeed hope it will continue because I have the TP but after January 10 departure ... does anyone know if there is an "use by" date?
Then I will go and immerse myself in the Phuket Sandbox scheme. The combination of 2 weeks Phuket with 2 weeks Pattaya also seems nice.
Kees,
did the phuket sandbox last october it was only 7 days more then.
Turned out very well. After the result of the PCR test at the airport (waiting for the room for about 5 hours) we were outlawed to tour the island.
can i go in the sandbox without thailand?
we leave on 30 dec, does anyone know anything more about this
They only take Phuket sandbox
I think all approved thailand pass qr codes are valid also with arrival after 10-01-2022
We have already received the Thailand Pass but would fly January 11th. Can the trip now be brought forward or does this mean that the Pass has to be adjusted and is therefore no longer eligible?
I have the same problem. Fly to BKK on January 13, 1 night + PCR test there and flight to Phuket the next day. Everything is already arranged and booked. If I could book an earlier flight (arrival BKK 9 for example) should I have the Pass adjusted and/or dates on the insurance?
I am flying on January 12, according to the information on the THAI embassy site you can travel as long as you have the THAI pass!! I don't understand why and why someone pulled the date January 10 out of the air
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Nice then until January 10 and I would leave on January 15….
I would arrive on January 16, that is also on the pass, could I also leave earlier and is my pass also valid??
Regards Jan.
No, Thailand pass is valid for three days, so you can arrive with the pass between January 15 and January 17.
Then we seem to be lucky. We have only received our Thailand for some time and will leave on January 9, 2022 and will arrive on January 10… Just in time.
But yes, Thai government decisions are just as changeable as the Dutch weather.
Still waiting for a while though.
It says until January 10th and not until January 10th. In other words, arrival on January 10 also seems too late to me. I have already booked everything with arrival on January 12. So I'm also really bummed. Since the Thailand pass is also dated, in my opinion it can no longer be adjusted to an earlier date. I guess I'll have to wait until January 4th.
Do not understand that it says that those who already have a Thailand Pass can travel to Thailand until January 10th. The official message from Ministry of Foreign Affairs literally says: Applicants who have registered their Thailand Pass QR Code can enter Thailand under the scheme they have registered.
No date of January 10 is mentioned anywhere!!
Very happy that we can still travel in a few days. The only difference is that after a week instead of the self-test, you now have to undergo an extra PCR test in a location designated by the government. Well, if that's all… I'm going to assume that this is well spread across Thailand.
Sad for the people who still had to start the application, although it seems that this can be done before midnight. Even sadder for the Thai who harbored a glimmer of hope that the country would really open again.
Wasn't Phuket Sandbox reduced to 1 week?
But how do you get into the plane/Thailand without a Thailand Pass?
Attached is the announcement of the Thai Embassy in The Hague. Also here nowhere the date of January 10!!
URGENT NOTICE
Announcement:
Thailand Pass is closed to all new Test and Go and Sandbox applications (except Phuket Sandbox), from December 22, 2021 until further notice from 00.00:XNUMX.
New measures will apply to all Thailand Pass applicants, as follows;
1️⃣ Applicants who have received their Thailand Pass QR code can enter Thailand under the scheme they have registered.
2️⃣ Applicants who have registered but have not received their QR code will have to wait for their Thailand Pass to be considered/approved. Once approved, they can enter Thailand under the scheme they have registered.
3️⃣ New applicants cannot register for Test and Go and Sandbox measures (except Phuket Sandbox). Thailand Pass only accepts new applicants who wish to enter Thailand under Alternative Quarantine (AQ) or Phuket Sandbox.
4️⃣ Passengers who have arrived in Thailand or arrive in Thailand under the Test and Go and Sandbox program must have their 2nd COVID-19 test using the RT-PCR technique (not an ATK self-test) in government-designated facilities (no extra costs)
I received this message through an organization that arranges the Thailand Pass for money. I did this myself and it worked well: this is not the entire text because only point 1 is important to me.
NOTICE: Test & Go Announcement: Thailand Pass will be closed to all new Test and Go and Sandbox applications (except Phuket Sandbox) until further notice from 00.00:22 AM on December 2021, 1. The following new measures apply to all applicants for the Thailand Pass; 2. Applicants who have received their Thailand Pass QR code can enter Thailand according to the schedule they registered. 3. Applicants who have registered but have not received their QR code must wait for their Thailand Pass to be considered/approved. Once approved, they can enter Thailand according to the schedule they registered. 4. New applicants cannot register for Test and Go and Sandbox measures (except Phuket Sandbox). Thailand Pass only accepts new applicants who wish to enter Thailand under Alternative Quarantine (AQ) or Phuket Sandbox. XNUMX. Passengers arriving at destination Test and Go and
question about test&go program.
I am leaving for Thailand January 10, 2022, arriving January 11, 2022.
which is not clear to me whether it means departure on January 10 or arrival on January 10.
No, until January 10. So I assume that the new regulation will come into effect on 10 January. Otherwise it would say until 10 January.
We applied for the pass last Wednesday for departure to Thailand on January 4. My wife has already received her QR code. I don't yet. Do I understand correctly that I can still get this??
This can be found on the website of the Dutch embassy.
2️⃣ Applicants who have registered, but have not received their QR Code must wait for their Thailand Pass to be considered / approved. Once approved, they can enter Thailand under the scheme they have registered.
Sincerely
Tom
From Richard Barrow's just published newsletter:
' One very important piece of information that the Thai media got wrong is the cut-off date for arriving in Thailand. Basically, there isn't one. Earlier, the media were saying you must arrive before 10th January if you didn't want to do quarantine. That's not true. You can arrive on the date that was approved on your application. For example, if you said you are arriving on 25th January, then you still can use Test & Go and only wait one night for the test results.'
Can someone verify this last comment it would save a lot of stress as I am leaving on the 15th January
Greetings Jan
See my post Jan 15:36pm
You can't blame Thailand, but the whole world is playing panic football again, just like with the Wuhan virus. Omnikorn will soon be dominant everywhere, so don't let that stop you. In fact, we are back to square one; vaccines do not work against omnikorn. Personally, I wonder if a booster would work, because that's just the vaccine we got before (and it doesn't work). And all the expectations that are now being made come from the same people whose previous 'promises' were wrong.
Thailand can close the country just like in 2020. That would be catastrophic, if it isn't already. But both NL and TH politics are of course also partly for the stage. I therefore hope for everyone that the Test & Go will continue to exist, valid for people who have had the booster (and with 2 PCRs). The experts contradict each other or pass on the hot potato, but Corona will be among us for a while. It is better for countries to have a long-term vision than to go into panic mode and lock things down again and again. That makes no sense, so taking a senseless measure every time solves nothing and only causes more damage to society.
Omnikorn? Invented a new variant myself 😉
I am flying to Bangkok on January 13 under the Test & Go program. Have all documents including Thai Pass in your home for some time. I asked the Thai Embassy this morning by email (they could not be reached by telephone) if I can simply travel on January 13 under the current Thailand Pass. Received an email back within 1 hour confirming that this was no problem :). So for anyone who already has a pass and leaves later than January 10th, this doesn't seem to be a problem.
Hi,
To avoid misunderstandings, no statement has yet been made about January 10. If you have a Thailand pass and it has been approved, you can enter. I can recommend this article to everyone.
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/richardbarrow/issues/full-details-about-suspension-of-test-and-go-947139
What a shame. Just booked a trip to Thailand last Sunday. Been trying to apply for the Thailand pass for 2 days now. To cry
If you have already booked and you can suddenly no longer go to Thailand, that is indeed very disappointing!
But what exactly do you mean by two days busy? Because if you have all the documents in order, you can go through the application within a few minutes. Perhaps you mean that the application was made two days ago and you are still waiting for an answer? Then I think you're still lucky because even with an already applied for but not yet approved Thailand pass you can probably still travel via the Test & Go program, without additional quarantine.
See here : https://www.getrevue.co/profile/richardbarrow/issues/full-details-about-suspension-of-test-and-go-947139?via=twitter-card-webview&client=DesktopMobile&element=issue-card
really sucks, but what do you mean by 2 days busy? I also booked on Sunday
do you mean you applied for the pass or can't get through
Thank you all for the info… a bit reassured. If all goes well I will be on the plane to Thailand on Feb 12!! Been coming here for 27 years and miss it quite a bit…
Khob khun crab!!
Thailand pass applied for this morning
1,5 hours later, the entire family receives the QR code.
convert everything into jpg file and the $50000 travel insurance with hotel is certainly important
s6
I'm here in Chiang Mai and I understood the following. Thailand pass is leading. If you have that, nothing changes (besides 1 pcr extra). If you don't have a pass, hold on. However, the 63 "safe" countries will be assessed again on Friday. This means that no Thailand Pass is sacred anymore. It's a bit of a wait and see but certainly no reason to worry.