If you are one of the tourists who would like to travel to Phuket, Thailand under the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ plan, the The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has published all the requirements you must meet to be able to travel to the Thai island from July 1st.
Do remember, however, those requirements have not yet received final approval, and will not have done until they are published in the Royal Gazette. That is likely to happen sometime in the next few days.
Once that happens, the requirements will become law.
What are the requirements for travel to Phuket, Thailand under the ‘Sandbox’ plan?
- Foreign travellers must travel from countries/regions with a low to medium risk of SAR-CoV-2 virus as announced and constantly updated by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on this link (mostly in Thai). They must also have already stayed in the said countries/regions no less than 21 days before the travel date;
- Thai nationals and foreign expatriates must travel from countries/regions with a low to medium risk of SAR-CoV-2 virus as announced and constantly updated by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on this link (mostly in Thai);
- They must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine registered with the MoPH or approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) no less than 14 days before the travel date, and must have a vaccine certificate to verify their vaccination;
- Children under 6 years of age are allowed when travelling with fully vaccinated parents or guardians;
- Travellers who have a history of COVID-19 infection must also be fully vaccinated no less than 14 days before the travel date;
- Travellers must have a medical certificate with an RT-PCR laboratory result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued no more than 72 hours before departure;
- Travellers must have a COVID-19 health insurance policy with a minimum coverage of US$100,000.
Travellers who are qualified and equipped with the required documents are advised to submit application for the Certificate of Entry (COE) via www.entrythailand.go.th.
The application process is relatively complicated, so allow plenty of time to read through the directions and submit the appropriate paperwork.
Approval for the Certificate of Entry can also take up to 3 days, and you must book your flight within 15 days of receiving the COE, so plan accordingly.
Here are some of the restrictions you can expect to experience once you arrive in Phuket.
