News Forum - November 1 re-opening of Thailand – The Fine Print

[Thaiger]

And now for some of the fine print, answering questions you may have had about re-entry to Thailand from next Monday, November 1. Who can travel to Thailand? Travellers will be categorised into 3 groups… • The first are fully vaccinated visitors from 46 countries (www.thaiembassy.com).  They must stay one night in either a SHA+ certified hotel or an ASQ hotel for a RT-PCR test and wait for the result. Then they can travel anywhere in Thailand. • The second group is fully vaccinated visitors from countries NOT on the list of 46.  They must stay in SHA+hotels for 7 […]

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[traveller]

one question can apply now, get the qr and fly in january?

[Jayce]

Still needs more fine print according to me though: they keep mentioning the 1 night for the SHA hotel on arrival yet they also say 'until a negative test result has been received'.

Those 2 things aren't necessarily the same! Test results might take much longer, swabs can get lost, etc....

So if you book just 1 night and aren't allowed to leave the hotel because you haven't received your results back yet but the hotel is fully booked the next day (unlikely at this point,  but just for the sake of argument let's assume it is) what happens then? You can't stay but you can't leave either

Or what if you book 2 nights just for safety's sake but then the tests results take 5 days: you lose the money you paid for your second place of stay and get forced to book extra days in the SHA hotel (assuming they have enough rooms available)?

If the latter, then that's a surefire way to get SHA hotels to drag their feet on getting you the results back...

Or are you allowed to leave the SHA hotel after the first night as long as you communicate your next place of stay?

Maybe the 1st night is only required because the SHA hotels are allowed to administer the tests.

[Jason]

I just wonder why we can't expect from Thailand, what Thailand expects of us.....

[Jayce]

Also, still no fine print as far as I'm aware on how transit from bkk to other airports will be handled. 

I'm still assuming that it's best not to book a directly connecting flight even though carriers are happy to offer you a bundle option you might not even be able to take. I'm reading the lack of clarity to mean that if you arrive in bkk, you'll have to exit the airport and go to an SHA hotel within a 2 hour drive radius before being able to catch a domestic flight the next day at the earliest.

[riclag]

Wow to travel to Thailand ,the Govt has created a well organized revenue stream for themselves! 

Edited October 29, 2021 by riclag

[Bob20]

  On 10/29/2021 at 5:44 AM, riclag said:

Wow to travel to Thailand ,the Govt has created a well organized revenue stream for themselves! 

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What was it that JFK said?

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your PM's wallet. 

It's a long time ago, I may not be completely accurate

[JohninDublin]

  On 10/29/2021 at 5:09 AM, Jayce said:

Still needs more fine print according to me though: they keep mentioning the 1 night for the SHA hotel on arrival yet they also say 'until a negative test result has been received'.

Those 2 things aren't necessarily the same! Test results might take much longer, swabs can get lost, etc....

So if you book just 1 night and aren't allowed to leave the hotel because you haven't received your results back yet but the hotel is fully booked the next day (unlikely at this point,  but just for the sake of argument let's assume it is) what happens then? You can't stay but you can't leave either

Or what if you book 2 nights just for safety's sake but then the tests results take 5 days: you lose the money you paid for your second place of stay and get forced to book extra days in the SHA hotel (assuming they have enough rooms available)?

If the latter, then that's a surefire way to get SHA hotels to drag their feet on getting you the results back...

Or are you allowed to leave the SHA hotel after the first night as long as you communicate your next place of stay?

Maybe the 1st night is only required because the SHA hotels are allowed to administer the tests.

Expand  

I think you are overcomplicating matters. You talk about one of your scenarios being "unikely at this point", and I am not aware of ANY inordinate delays in delivering test results are just a couple of examples. It is not the hotels who control the speed of the delivery of the test results. Based on events from Phuket, tests are administered by healthcare pros on arrival at the airport. You are allowed to leave the hotel once the negative PCR test is received.

[Luigi]

Note that the approval process will be faster if the traveler's vaccine certification is in digital format.
 Please what does it mean?

[Alavan]

  On 10/29/2021 at 8:47 AM, JohninDubin said:

I think you are overcomplicating matters. You talk about one of your scenarios being "unikely at this point", and I am not aware of ANY inordinate delays in delivering test results are just a couple of examples. It is not the hotels who control the speed of the delivery of the test results. Based on events from Phuket, tests are administered by healthcare pros on arrival at the airport. You are allowed to leave the hotel once the negative PCR test is received.

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Info I now have (for Phuket) is that you book your arrival test and 2nd and 3rd test if needed through http://www.thailandpsas.com/ and they have a test center at the airport. To book the arrival test you need a SHABA code which the SHA+ hotel will give you after paying for your booking

[riclag]

  On 10/29/2021 at 10:01 AM, Luigi said:

Note that the approval process will be faster if the traveler's vaccine certification is in digital format.
 Please what does it mean?

Expand  

Good ?

Edited October 29, 2021 by riclag

[BIGGLES]

Got to be extremely desperate, to put yourself through this nonsense, and for what, nothing is legally open after 10pm?

Better to stay away, visit other places that value the tourists. Clearly,  the people being on the bones of their arse is not bad enough for the PM and his government.

They genuinely believe that tourists are queing up at the departure gates, gagging to put themselves through this crap.

NON SO BLIND AS THEM WHO WILL NOT SEE!

[Soidog]

  On 10/29/2021 at 10:01 AM, Luigi said:

Note that the approval process will be faster if the traveler's vaccine certification is in digital format.
 Please what does it mean?

Expand  

I read that if your country provides Thailand with what they are calling “A digital Key”, this allows them to verify your vaccination status directly through your local healthcare vaccination system. So for example, here in the U.K., if we allow the embassy to have this “Digital key” to the NHS that will allow the embassy to easily and quickly verify my vaccination status. I think I’ve got that right. 

[Benroon]

  On 10/29/2021 at 5:09 AM, Jayce said:

Still needs more fine print according to me though: they keep mentioning the 1 night for the SHA hotel on arrival yet they also say 'until a negative test result has been received'.

Those 2 things aren't necessarily the same! Test results might take much longer, swabs can get lost, etc....

So if you book just 1 night and aren't allowed to leave the hotel because you haven't received your results back yet but the hotel is fully booked the next day (unlikely at this point,  but just for the sake of argument let's assume it is) what happens then? You can't stay but you can't leave either

Or what if you book 2 nights just for safety's sake but then the tests results take 5 days: you lose the money you paid for your second place of stay and get forced to book extra days in the SHA hotel (assuming they have enough rooms available)?

If the latter, then that's a surefire way to get SHA hotels to drag their feet on getting you the results back...

Or are you allowed to leave the SHA hotel after the first night as long as you communicate your next place of stay?

Maybe the 1st night is only required because the SHA hotels are allowed to administer the tests.

Expand  

Too many if's which may never happen - worry about what IS happening. I know 2 people who came on the old COE and they both received their clearances next day. The likelihood of any hotel being fully booked, or you can't find another one is zero !

[Benroon]

  On 10/29/2021 at 6:08 PM, Soidog said:

I read that if your country provides Thailand with what they are calling “A digital Key”, this allows them to verify your vaccination status directly through your local healthcare vaccination system. So for example, here in the U.K., if we allow the embassy to have this “Digital key” to the NHS that will allow the embassy to easily and quickly verify my vaccination status. I think I’ve got that right. 

Expand  

When you get your vaccination status from the UK you get 2 barcodes, (you can get it online or they will send it to you) one for each vaccination on 1 piece of well laid out paper - I'm assuming the Thais will be able to read those barcodes ? or if not they are on NHS headed paper and couldn't be any clearer, right down to dates, vaccine type and batch numbers - I got mine today.

[Benroon]

  On 10/29/2021 at 5:44 AM, riclag said:

Wow to travel to Thailand ,the Govt has created a well organized revenue stream for themselves! 

Expand  

They have exploited it every step of the way. Right now the UK haven't even got a red list anymore (the states too I think ?) - the thai hotels aren't going to let go of this little covid nest egg without a fight ! I still want to know who's picking up the revenue for the pointless post flight PCR tests!

[Benroon]

  On 10/29/2021 at 8:47 AM, JohninDubin said:

I think you are overcomplicating matters. You talk about one of your scenarios being "unikely at this point", and I am not aware of ANY inordinate delays in delivering test results are just a couple of examples. It is not the hotels who control the speed of the delivery of the test results. Based on events from Phuket, tests are administered by healthcare pros on arrival at the airport. You are allowed to leave the hotel once the negative PCR test is received.

Expand  

That's correct -  now if only someone could clarify that you get tested at BKK airport likewise on arrival as if so why are all AQ hotels including a PCR test in the price of their packages ?

[L-Dogg]

  On 10/29/2021 at 5:15 AM, Jayce said:

Also, still no fine print as far as I'm aware on how transit from bkk to other airports will be handled. 

I'm still assuming that it's best not to book a directly connecting flight even though carriers are happy to offer you a bundle option you might not even be able to take. I'm reading the lack of clarity to mean that if you arrive in bkk, you'll have to exit the airport and go to an SHA hotel within a 2 hour drive radius before being able to catch a domestic flight the next day at the earliest.

Expand  

This is correct. I will arrive on the night of the 7th, have to do the quarantine at hotel, then return to the airport for my flight out the next day. Same if you want to pick up a rental car, schedule it the next day. I have talked to a few people that have done the existing quarantine, and they say results after you reach your hotel take about 2-4 hours usually. From my friends and my own experience it seems if you book a quarantine hotel that partners with a local hospital the results come back much faster. The longest it has taken for anyone in our group to get results has been just under 8 hours. I have friends arriving on the 3rd and 4th before me that are going to give me more info before I arrive on the 7th.

[L-Dogg]

  On 10/29/2021 at 6:34 PM, Benroon said:

That's correct -  now if only someone could clarify that you get tested at BKK airport likewise on arrival as if so why are all AQ hotels including a PCR test in the price of their packages ?

Expand  

You do not get tested at the airport. I have been thru the airport a few times under current guidelines and you arrive, process paperwork, clear customs, then you go to a designated area and look for your ASQ driver holding a sign with the hotel name on it. You arrive at the hotel, and are tested there. They do have a rapid testing lab at the airport, but it only gets used if you get tagged with a high temp, or are showing symptoms. Then be prepared to fork over 1000 baht for the test.

[JohninDublin]

  On 10/29/2021 at 6:34 PM, Benroon said:

That's correct -  now if only someone could clarify that you get tested at BKK airport likewise on arrival as if so why are all AQ hotels including a PCR test in the price of their packages ?

Expand  

Yes! It doesn't make sense unless it's about preventing the testers having any access to cash.

[Benroon]

  On 10/29/2021 at 6:41 PM, L-Dogg said:

You do not get tested at the airport. I have been thru the airport a few times under current guidelines and you arrive, process paperwork, clear customs, then you go to a designated area and look for your ASQ driver holding a sign with the hotel name on it. You arrive at the hotel, and are tested there. They do have a rapid testing lab at the airport, but it only gets used if you get tagged with a high temp, or are showing symptoms. Then be prepared to fork over 1000 baht for the test.

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Nice precise explanation - cheers.

When I get there my flight lands at 07:25 - lets see how keen they are to pick me up then 

[Benroon]

  On 10/29/2021 at 6:38 PM, L-Dogg said:

This is correct. I will arrive on the night of the 7th, have to do the quarantine at hotel, then return to the airport for my flight out the next day. Same if you want to pick up a rental car, schedule it the next day. I have talked to a few people that have done the existing quarantine, and they say results after you reach your hotel take about 2-4 hours usually. From my friends and my own experience it seems if you book a quarantine hotel that partners with a local hospital the results come back much faster. The longest it has taken for anyone in our group to get results has been just under 8 hours. I have friends arriving on the 3rd and 4th before me that are going to give me more info before I arrive on the 7th.

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That's really interesting - as stated above my flight lands at 07:25 so I should get the results long before I need the nights accommodation - obviously I would still have to pay the hotel but presumably I would be free to go a few hours after I got there which would be roughly early afternoon ! 

You say you get there night-time - when I was looking at the Agoda list of quarantine hotels (111 of them) - it stated any flights arriving after 16:00hrs there would be an additional nights surcharge. As you were kind enough to help me I thought I would pass that on.

[PapayaBokBok]

  On 10/29/2021 at 5:45 PM, BIGGLES said:

Got to be extremely desperate, to put yourself through this nonsense, and for what, nothing is legally open after 10pm?

Better to stay away, visit other places that value the tourists. Clearly,  the people being on the bones of their arse is not bad enough for the PM and his government.

They genuinely believe that tourists are queing up at the departure gates, gagging to put themselves through this crap.

NON SO BLIND AS THEM WHO WILL NOT SEE!

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Your last sentence explains perfectly why I will put myself thru the thai nonsense to get out of the states..

[BIGGLES]

  On 10/29/2021 at 7:46 PM, PapayaBokBok said:

Your last sentence explains perfectly why I will put myself thru the thai nonsense to get out of the states..

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Lol! Understandable!

[Soidog]

  On 10/29/2021 at 6:28 PM, Benroon said:

When you get your vaccination status from the UK you get 2 barcodes, (you can get it online or they will send it to you) one for each vaccination on 1 piece of well laid out paper - I'm assuming the Thais will be able to read those barcodes ? or if not they are on NHS headed paper and couldn't be any clearer, right down to dates, vaccine type and batch numbers - I got mine today.

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Assume so. But if you download the NHS app you can get a bar code for domestic use (nightclubs etc) or international travel. I would assume the “digital key” allows the embassy to access this international travel data and confirm your vaccination status 

What I don’t understand is how all this Thailand pass BS is ANY different from the COE. They say you won’t need the TM8 and TM6. So what. You still have to replace that with the Mor Prom app. Total nonsense and nothing more than Thai logic at play