This was our trip during TEST&GO Program on 1st January 2022.
Thailand Travel Updates for May 1, 2022. NO MORE for The Test & Go and Sandbox schemes, No RT-PCR testing when entering Thailand, but YES you need the approval of Thailand Pass to enter Thailand! more info: https://youtu.be/hgtQMpSrW2g
(ภาษาไทย)
Finally we got to go back to visit our house in Thailand, It’s been 2 years between visits due to Covid-19! Our experience based on TEST & GO program (Fully Vaccinated Tourist) with a red eye flight arriving in Bangkok (almost midnight!)…
For all tourist that plan to go to Thailand, YOU HAVE TO REGISTER FOR A THAILAND PASS – to get the BARCODE to show at the Custom when you check in Thailand.
But you can’t just do it , you have to have your (1)Covid-19 Vaccination info, (2)flight detail, (3)Certified hotel booking confirmation and (4)Health Insurance that cover $50,000! (Thai national, don’t need the insurance).
!Remember, you have to take pictures of those documents – You can only upload your files in image type (JPEG is the best!) on the Thailand pass system! (We changed PDF files to JPEG by Snipping Tool)
And hey! you have to leave your email address on Thailand Pass but they won’t accept HOTMAIL, Outlook and Live.com (Read More: ‘Can I use any email address to register?’)
First: You have to get fully vaccinated, and have your vaccination card ready, scan it in JPEG File.
We are fully vaccinated Modena, plus the its boosters!
Second: Book your flight!
We fly with Japan Airline from Seattle to Narita then to Bangkok. Our flight arrives Bangkok Airport VERY LATE, 23:35hrs (10.35pm) on 1st of January 2022!
So when I called to ask the HOTEL how I should book the hotel, BECAUSE ALL TEST&GO PACKAGES are for 24hrs. Do I have to check in on arrival time and check out about midnight the day after?
Technically, the Hotel should have the room ready for that day, no matter when you arrive. So we have to book our room on 1st Of Jan.
The hotel reservation told me, normally the tourist will get the result before 6pm the day after arrival. So then you can check out!
Certified Hotel list (SHA+) in Thailand: https://www.shathailand.com/
THIRD: HOTEL BOOKING – and it has to be hotel in SHA+ List!
As I mentioned above, calling the reservation is the best way to solve the booking problem.
In our case, I didn’t know that I have to wait for 1-3 days to get the a CONFIRMATION LETTER from hotel after I booked it! This confirmation letter that we need to put in Thailand Pass system!
*We booked hotel on its website on Wednesday night, then we got the confirmation letter from hotel reservation on Friday early morning!
We booked hotel for 7 nights, just because our house is outside Bangkok and we wanted to spend our first week in Downtown Bangkok.
We paid 12,900 Baht for our 7nights (If only one night, it will be just 6,900Baht for 2 of us (~$210). Included the airport pick-up, PCR Test, 3 meals)
The reason I picked this hotel is….They will test Covid-19 in YOUR ROOM and they have daily schedules during 9am – 9pm. (Our case, we arrive after 9pm, so we will get to test the next day at 9am)
And the price is right for us (and it says this is 5-star hotel!). This program is non-refundable, so we had to make sure that we won’t lose big money!
Well, I don’t get any discount or paid by this hotel but you are welcome to try to stay at the same hotel with us: https://www.berkeleypratunam.com/ (10mins walk from Chidlom BTS Station)
Note: you have to book the room that’s listed as “RT-PCR BY PAOLO 4-6HRS RESULT”.
Check out another Certified Hotel list (SHA+) in Thailand: https://www.shathailand.com/
Last: Health Insurance
This requirement drives us crazy! Most people we know, they just make it easy and buy Covid-19 insurance from Thailand (check Insurance costs: https://asq.in.th/thailand-covid-insurance?fbclid=IwAR29csBV9dAgXDMwFE1onjZ77O1hm7dRAQ0FdhgGAinIzIaQotVH0pyRKoM)
But we do have health insurance, so we called the company to provide a letter for us. We were unsure that this letter will work on Thailand Pass System, so we attached our insurance card in more information section.
LET’S DO IT, THAILAND PASS !!!
!!!Thailand Pass will be closed for all new Test and Go and Sandbox applications (except Phuket Sandbox),
starting from 00.00 hrs. on 22 December 2021 until further notice.
After I got all documents ready from 1 – 4 above. I started to register on Thailand Pass at https://tp.consular.go.th/.
Even though we are travelling together, same flights, same hotel but we have to do ONE PERSON AT A TIME. (Unless you have kids traveling with you).
I was confused that I’m Thai but I will be travelling with my American Passport (my Thai Passport just expired!) I tried to call the call center which is a 24/7 hotline (+66 2572 8442), but no one answers the phone.
As I mentioned above, you have to attached files for Covid-19 vaccine card, passport, insurance, hotel booking in JPEG or images type only!
So we did it on Friday in the morning (USA Central time). after we submitted, we got email that says it’s REVIEWING and it will take 3-7days to approve.
Some people said, they got it back in 15 mins! One of our friends said he got it back on the day 3 after he summited it.
For us, it took about 5 nights to wait! but it’s only 3 business days (Mon-Wed). I guess, they don’t do it over the weekend?!?!
So I think the Thailand Pass clears based on the order of the submitted time. I submitted for Tim first, that’s why he got it before me!
In case you have to change the arrival date, if it is within 3 days from your registered date, you don’t have to re-submit Thailand Pass. Example, if you have submitted to arrive Thailand on 1st of January, you can still use the same barcode if you change your arrival date to 2nd or 3rd of January.
but if your arrival date is sooner (example: before 1st of Jan), you have to re-submit it.
WHAT’S NEXT???
3 Days or 72 hours before departure time…Yes, you have to have RT-PCR Covid-19 test.
So our departure time is 12:30pm On 31st December (Friday). We have to start to get Covid-19 test anytime after 12:30pm on 28th December (Tuesday)!
We flew from Seattle to Thailand, we went to do Covid-19 test at Any Lab Test. They offer RT-PCR test on same day result at $189 per person.
Actually, it was an over night result, we did the test during the day time, and they said we would get the result back after 10pm – 7am. (We did the test on Wednesday at 1pm and we got email of result on Thursday at 6.30am).
They also offer 2hours result for RT-PCR test at $250 per person.
FYI: I have been reading many reviews that you can get FREE COVID -19 TEST at Walgreen, but most of reviews got the result back after 24-48hrs!
Another places that offers free Covid-19 test:
COVID-19 Testing & Health Services | Curative
*You have to print out the test result*
Arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport!!!
We arrived Bangkok Airport on 1st of January 2022 at 11.35pm!!!
After landing we walked into the airport terminal and there were airport staff waiting for us at the gate with an acknowledgment form to sign that we will get two Covid-19 tests within the first week of arrival.
Then we kept walking until we saw hundreds of chairs with about 20 people in protective (PPE) clothing at the end that were there to help us get all our required documents ready for review. Next we had a paperwork check by some official looking staff at a makeshift checkpoint.
The regular immigration desk was next, we were questioned about where we would stay after our one night quarantine (hotel).
We took only 22 minutes from walking out of the airplane to get our suitcases tonight!
Once we got out, we saw many hotel representatives in the main hall. We looked for our hotel and the hotel representative asked to checked our names and passports.
He took us to the vehicle that the hotel provided for us, it’s very nice. Tim said, he feels like a VIP on this trip!
Our hotel is in Pratunam, Bangkok. But it took only 25mins without traffic to arrive!
The inside of our car was really nice with a clean and professionally installed barrier between the driver and passenger.
We arrived at our hotel after midnight, it was very quiet but they did a very good job getting us checked in. The check-in lady also gave us 2 packs of fried rice with crabmeat as a welcome since it was so late (we were hungry and it was good).
