News Forum - Updated regulations on Thailand’s quarantine period for international arrivals

[Axel]

On 9/30/2021 at 3:35 PM, morgas said:

So I am at my 3rd day of 14 as of 30/09 fully vaccinated with all paperwork in order. My thoughts are do I get to have a reduced quarantine time or do they not really care and made no plans for those people like me.

Same arrival date here,  just got a message from agoda (booked my SHA+ Hotel via them) saying my compulsory stay has been reduced and hotel will give me new details tomorrow. 

Not counting on getting any money back but at least get going earlier...

[Soidog]

10 hours ago, farang said:

reply to andyn,i know how you feel.i too have been away since march 2020.hopeing to get back soon over this last year and a half. coming up on two years soon.i had started to get all my o/a visa papers ready then hit a wall!!the required insurance has stopped me a  others i know.for one thing all the guys im talking about have insurance that pays even in other countries.but thai dont accept it.and we are all 75 plus years.so the thai company wont even sell us the insurance. looking at any and all sites i have found no way around this.so maybe this will be changed soon.i hope soon as most of the guys have started looking at giving up and going some where else.i have a gf in thai we have been together over 12 years.and its breaking our hearts to be apart this long.i hope the  people working on  visa requirements will look at that cost as well.so that insurance requirement they have now is blocking ,many,many people from coming back.why not drop it and just charge a set fee on arrival that we can pay thats put into a medical  account.charge  according to how long the stay.like usd 100 for 30 days,200usd /60 days, 300 for 90 days,500 for 6 months and 800 to 1,00 per year.if all in coming  to thailand paid this on arriving it would over  take care of and cost on covid for any . and the fund/pot  would grow  year after year.as most would never use it by being fully vaccinated before they can enter.just an idea.thanks for reading/and i wish all to be safe and happy travels. farang.

Sorry to hear of your problems, a common situation for many. May I enquire how long you plan to stay in Thailand once you can return? 

[JamesR]

On 9/30/2021 at 9:47 AM, Stonker said:

Well, it's better than 14 days quarantne - at least for Phuket!

It depends if you want to walk around your room or around Phuket.  Close call .....

You seem to be in the know on such things so my question is would I have to fly directly into Phuket from the UK or are we allowed to transit at Bangkok where I stay in the airport and take a connecting flight to Phuket within a few hours of arriving at Bangkok airport?

[Stonker]

4 minutes ago, JamesR said:

You seem to be in the know on such things so my question is would I have to fly directly into Phuket from the UK or are we allowed to transit at Bangkok where I stay in the airport and take a connecting flight to Phuket within a few hours of arriving at Bangkok airport?

Not "in the know" as I'd have to do some research to see if there'd been any changes, but certainly the original Sandbox system was strictly for direct flights to Phuket only, with no provision at all for flying into Bangkok on an international flight then transferring to a domestic flight on to Phuket and AFAIK that hasn't changed.

[JamesR]

35 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Not "in the know" as I'd have to do some research to see if there'd been any changes, but certainly the original Sandbox system was strictly for direct flights to Phuket only, with no provision at all for flying into Bangkok on an international flight then transferring to a domestic flight on to Phuket and AFAIK that hasn't changed.

Thanks for the info.

[JamesE]

1 hour ago, Stonker said:

Not "in the know" as I'd have to do some research to see if there'd been any changes, but certainly the original Sandbox system was strictly for direct flights to Phuket only, with no provision at all for flying into Bangkok on an international flight then transferring to a domestic flight on to Phuket and AFAIK that hasn't changed.

Yeah, it changed in late-September with the transit being allowed. But what wasn't specified is how you had to book it. Does the final flight need to be on the same itinerary? How is transit handled in BKK? Who's flying?

TAT just said: "A: Yes, transiting via Bangkok is possible. Please check availability with your respective airlines." https://www.tatnews.org/2021/10/phuket-sandbox-faqs/

[JamesR]

2 hours ago, JamesE said:

Yeah, it changed in late-September with the transit being allowed. But what wasn't specified is how you had to book it. Does the final flight need to be on the same itinerary? How is transit handled in BKK? Who's flying?

TAT just said: "A: Yes, transiting via Bangkok is possible. Please check availability with your respective airlines." https://www.tatnews.org/2021/10/phuket-sandbox-faqs/

Thanks for the info, I will have a look at your link.

[Stonker]

8 hours ago, JamesE said:

Yeah, it changed in late-September with the transit being allowed. But what wasn't specified is how you had to book it. Does the final flight need to be on the same itinerary? How is transit handled in BKK? Who's flying?

TAT just said: "A: Yes, transiting via Bangkok is possible. Please check availability with your respective airlines." https://www.tatnews.org/2021/10/phuket-sandbox-faqs/

 

5 hours ago, JamesR said:

Thanks for the info, I will have a look at your link.

The link has now been removed from the TAT site, as has a similar one from CAAT.

Doing a reverse search using the quote from the link, this has been discussed elsewhere in other forums and customers who've tried to book an international flight to Bangkok and a connecting domestic flight to Phuket have been told that this was never implemented and isn't possible. 

The same applies to some who reportedly recently tried to do so to leave Phuket before their 14 days were up (or 7+7) using the same TAT information, who were told that it wasn't possible and the only flights they could leave Phuket on were international flights.

Edit:

It's clearly left hand / right hand yet again. TAT don't have the authority to change the Sandbox system, so if implemented this would have to have been published in the Royal Gazette as the Sandbox was.

[JamesE]

47 minutes ago, Stonker said:

The link has now been removed from the TAT site

All of the FAQ pages have been removed but TAT have not removed the links to those pages. Click on a link on the TAT site and up pops the 404! True professionals.

[Alavan]

20 hours ago, JamesR said:

You seem to be in the know on such things so my question is would I have to fly directly into Phuket from the UK or are we allowed to transit at Bangkok where I stay in the airport and take a connecting flight to Phuket within a few hours of arriving at Bangkok airport?

There is one weekly direct flight London-Phuket, I think on Friday.

[JamesR]

16 minutes ago, Alavan said:

There is one weekly direct flight London-Phuket, I think on Friday.

Which airline?

[Soidog]

6 hours ago, JamesR said:

Which airline?

It doesn’t need to be direct to Phuket. You can travel via Dubai or Doha for example and then direct in to Phuket. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad are all offering such options from the U.K. I find it odd that they allow this and yet haven’t allowed transit in Bangkok where they could control the transfer safely …

[Soidog]

Some U.K. newspapers suggesting a number of countries such as Mexico, Indonesia and South Africa will be removed from the U.K. red list. They say Thailand could also be removed “but that was a much closer call”. Looking promising mind you and if not this time, perhaps in a couple of weeks if Thai numbers continue to fall. Hopefully good news if you are wanting to travel and return to the U.K.?  

[JamesE]

7 hours ago, JamesR said:

Which airline?

THAI.

[JamesE]

1 hour ago, Soidog said:

It doesn’t need to be direct to Phuket. You can travel via Dubai or Doha for example and then direct in to Phuket. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad are all offering such options from the U.K. I find it odd that they allow this and yet haven’t allowed transit in Bangkok where they could control the transfer safely …

I think the BKK issue is that they realize there are not many people scrambling over each other to buy tickets right now. Keeping the direct to HKT model helps fill THAI planes (and the others as well). They're running on fumes - economically speaking - right now and directing even a  few passengers to BKK could make some of them bail. I think the other argument is equally valid, though, drop the Phuket flights entirely and route everybody through BKK. I think the problem with that is that one of the draws of the Sandbox is not flying into BKK.

[Lowseasonlover]

On 10/1/2021 at 8:59 PM, Axel said:

Same arrival date here,  just got a message from agoda (booked my SHA+ Hotel via them) saying my compulsory stay has been reduced and hotel will give me new details tomorrow. 

Not counting on getting any money back but at least get going earlier...

I saw a post on FB this morning and the guy had also booked through Agoda and will be getting a refund if he doesn't want to stay at that hotel and a refund on his 3rd test, true or not

[morgas]

57 minutes ago, Lowseasonlover said:

I saw a post on FB this morning and the guy had also booked through Agoda and will be getting a refund if he doesn't want to stay at that hotel and a refund on his 3rd test, true or not

I have no idea my hotel refuses to even discuss it and they insist quarantine is 10 days even after I got assured from both embassies my country and Thailand's that it is 7 as long as I you have vaccination proof

 

P.s if anyone got news about this topic a message would be appreciated!

Edited October 3, 2021 by morgas

[wandere]

On 9/30/2021 at 6:06 PM, Thaiger said:

Starting tomorrow, the mandatory quarantine period for vaccinated travellers entering Thailand will be reduced from 14 days to seven. Those who are either unvaccinated, or who cannot show proof of their vaccination status, face a longer quarantine period of between 10 to 14 days. The mandatory isolation period is waived for vaccinated travellers entering Thailand through the pilot reopening projects on the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui. The government’s Phuket Information Centre recently announced that visitors arriving under the Phuket “Sandbox” project will now only need to stay at a SHA+ hotel for seven days. During that time, they […]

The post Updated regulations on Thailand’s quarantine period for international arrivals appeared first on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

 

 

If you want to use the Phang Nga Sandbox how do you get to Phang Nga from overseas? Can you fly into Phuket then go straight to Phang Nga? Can you have a 3 (Phuket) plus 4 (Phang Nga) Sandbox? Can you fly into Krabi for the Krabi Sandbox?

 

 

 

 

 

 

REPLY

 

 

 

REPLY

 

 

 

[Lowseasonlover]

8 minutes ago, morgas said:

I have no idea my hotel refuses to even discuss it and they insist quarantine is 10 days even after I got assured from both embassies my country and Thailand's that it is 7 as long as I you have vaccination proof

P.s if anyone got news about this topic a message would be appreciated!

 

Phuket Sandbox island quarantine reduced to seven days

https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-sandbox-island-quarantine-reduced-to-seven-days-81546.php

 

[MrStretch]

8 minutes ago, morgas said:

P.s if anyone got news about this topic a message would be appreciated!

It's pretty clear.  If you are double vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the Thai Health Ministry or the WHO, your quarantine/Sandbox period is only 7 days, with two Covid tests during that time. Day 1 and Day 6.

If you are negative, your mandatory stay is 7 days.

If your hotel won't agree, cancel with those idiots and make a new reservation with a hotel that doesn't want to screw you.

[Lowseasonlover]

28 minutes ago, morgas said:

I have no idea my hotel refuses to even discuss it and they insist quarantine is 10 days even after I got assured from both embassies my country and Thailand's that it is 7 as long as I you have vaccination proof

P.s if anyone got news about this topic a message would be appreciated!

Also get onto Agoda customer services,

Ive just noticed on the SHA Plus web site they have not updated the info it still says 15 days

https://www.shathailand.com/

[Alavan]

17 hours ago, JamesR said:

Which airline?

Thai Airways. Every week one direct flight from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Kopenhagen and Zurich.
Otherwise you have to fly Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Singapore airlines through Persian Gulf or Singapore.

[Jeremie]

So i asked my hotel and here we're allowed to leave after 10 days of quarantine if we arrived before October 1st. In my case I arrived September 25 and I'm allowed to leave October 5. The 3rd pcr test is not necessary and is refundable. Extra hotel nights could be refunded as well.

[morgas]

1 hour ago, Jeremie said:

So i asked my hotel and here we're allowed to leave after 10 days of quarantine if we arrived before October 1st. In my case I arrived September 25 and I'm allowed to leave October 5. The 3rd pcr test is not necessary and is refundable. Extra hotel nights could be refunded as well.

Witch hotel is that? I am staying at ibis   Styles Bangkok Sukhumvit Phra Khanong  and they do not give any refund for days I am not staying or the 3rd PCR test.

[Jeremie]

Im in Phuket (Sandbox), Andamantra hotel.