We did it, we arrived and they let us in so we must have done something right!
I am writing this post on the 14th March 2022 so the information is only valid as far as today as things change so quickly with regard to COVID-19 rules. Before you travel, you should obviously check all information to make sure everything is up to date and you are aware of any changes to all rules. Two websites I found very useful when researching my trip were:
- Thai Embassy | Thailand Pass | Thai Elite (I subscribed to their newsletter which they send out each week – easier to work out what changed this week)
- Homepage | Smartraveller
Is it achievable though? Absolutely. Do you need to book via a travel agent to make sure it all works? Absolutely NOT. I’m not a fan of travel agents but that’s another story.
So, here is a list of things you need to do.
What are the COVID rules to get into Thailand from Australia
To get into Thailand, currently, from Australia, you must have:
- Your passport (usual 6 month validity rule)
- Thai Pass
- Your airline tickets
- Negative Travel RT-PCR test within 72 hours from departure (note: since writing this post, the Thai government have updated requirements and this will no longer be required for departures from 1st April 2022).
- Insurance with COVID-19 cover for USD20,000
- You will need to do another RT-PCR test on arrival in the country
- You will need to submit results of RAT test that you do yourself on Day 5 of your stay
Let’s talk Thai Pass
The Thai Pass is basically an administration process to ensure you have all your COVID-19 documents in order before you fly. You submit everything, they check it and then send you the pass. It is a very quick and easy process but you do need to do some work before you apply.
To apply for a Thai Pass you will need to have organised the following.
- Flight information
- Passport – you will need your passport information and will need to upload a copy of it. Take a picture of it and save it to your computer as a jpeg file
- International Vaccination certificate – print a copy and then take a picture and save it as a jpeg file (easier for uploading to Thai Pass website). You can get a copy of your international vaccination certificate from your medicare app.
- COVID-19 insurance. This has recently changed and you now need minimum COVID-19 cover of USD20,000. Keep a copy of your certificate of insurance and the letter they send you. The certificate of insurance will list an “effective date” you’ll need that date for when you apply for the Thai Pass also.
- Confirmation of hotel booking in SHA+ hotel for at least the first night. With this booking, you must also ensure you get car transfer to the hotel and book and your first RT-PCR test which will be conducted at the airport when you arrive. This must also be pre-paid. You can organise the RT-PCR test payment yourself but I found it easier to just do it with the hotel booking.
There were a couple of things that were annoying about applying for the Thai Pass
- FILE TYPE – Nearly the whole way through the application process, every time it asked for you to upload something, it would only allow you to upload a picture image and then it still can’t be a huge file. For example, it will ask you to upload your insurance information. You can only upload one file but I had the letter from the insurance company plus the certificate of insurance which was two or three pages. I wasn’t able to get my insurance documents as a picture image from the PDF that they sent me. In the end, I did a screen shot (snipping tool) of page one of the letter from the insurance company and saved it as a jpeg. I uploaded that to the section on insurance. Right at the end of the application process they allow you to upload other documents as PDF. In this section, I then uploaded the full letter and Certificate of insurance as a PDF, Bit of a pain but it works. In this last section you get to upload maybe three or four additional documents which can be PDF.
- The Thailand App (Monchara) they tell you to log into… This didn’t work at all for us until we arrived in Thailand. No one asked for it at the airport and from the research I did, it looks like no one can access it properly. So, if it doesn’t work, don’t stress. Try again when you get there.
How to apply for the Thai Pass
- You can apply for this yourself directly through clicking here. Obviously if you’re flying you will click that you’re arriving via air travel.
- You will get a warning about scam information etc. Have a quick read and just be aware of what you’re looking for when they email you to confirm your pass has been approved then click the x at the top to take you back to the main page.
- As Australians, we are Non Thai Nationals so click that box and then that you want English etc.
- Select the Test and Go program (Phuket is part of the sand box program as well but the Test and Go looked like a better option to me)
- Read the information, click the confirmation box and then select Confirm
- Now you just follow along, adding your information in as you go and uploading what you already should have saved from above, when required.
- “First arrival port in Thailand” is the place where the plane will land in Thailand. For us, it was Phuket as we had a direct flight from Melbourne to Phuket.
How quick was the Thai Pass application process?
They say to allow 3 – 10 working days. It came the day after we applied. Having said that, tourism hasn’t picked up too much at the moment so I would aim to apply with at least 10 days before you fly. We did ours 10 days out. If we come back, I’ll do it as soon as I have all the information together (this time it was 10 days before we left but next time, I’ll be far more organised now that I know what to do and how easy it is).
The response came back on email. You had a page to print off and this gave you your QR code for the Thai Pass. Print this as you’ll need the physical copy to show at the airport as well.
Before you leave – Travel RT-PCR Test
NOTE: on 19th March 2022 the Thai government released a document saying that this will no longer be required from the 1st April 2022.
Thailand currently have a requirement that you must test negative on a RT-PCR test within 72 hours from departure.
THIS IS NOT A NORMAL PCR TEST THAT YOU DO WHEN YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS.
You must go to a place that will issue you the relevant certificate for a Travel RT-PCR test. The test itself is the same but the documentation is not.
We went with 4cyte Pathology. They were quick (had results within 12 hours) and provided all relevant information that was required. They were also cheaper than the others that came up (they were $120, the others seemed to be $150 per test).
The information will be emailed to you. Make sure you print this off. You’ll need to show it to get into the country.
Note: not all countries have the same requirements and Thailand could change their requirements as well at any point. For example, to go home to Australia we will only require a RAT but this must be completed under the supervision of a pharmacist who will need to give you paperwork etc. Some countries require the test to be completed within 48 hours so it is worth double checking before you fly that this is still the same requirement.
What should you take with you?
Get a document wallet to hold or your documents. Make sure you go to the airport with:
- Passport
- Printed copy of your Thai Pass (page with the big QR code on it)
- Printed copy of your negative Travel RT – PCR test that you did within the correct timeframe before departure.
- You don’t need a copy of your flight details if you remember them but if you’re worried and just want everything together, you can print a copy of your flight information to take with you also (we didn’t, we just told the check in staff which flight we were checking in for and they took our passports etc)
- Printed copy of your RT-PRC receipt for the test you need to do on arrival
- Printed copy of your insurance letter and Certificate of Insurance (you shouldn’t need to show this as you have uploaded it for your Thai Pass but should have a copy incase of any issues)
- Printed copy of your International COVID Vaccination Certificate
- Printed copy of your reservation letter, booking information, car transfers etc. This should be everything that they email you when they confirm your booking for your first night in Thailand at SHA + hotel
SHA+ Hotels
They are everywhere and you are not restricted here. Just do a google search and look up some of the booking websites to see what is available and to research where you want to stay. You might be better off booking with them direct for night one though if the booking websites don’t include the mandatory night one information (such as the car transfers and the RT – PCR test at the airport).
Note: you can book for the RT – PCR test at the airport separately yourself. You will still need the copy of the receipt to show at the airport on arrival though (I found it easier just to do it all in one transaction but the option is available to book this test separately).
What happened at Phuket Airport
We arrived and as we got off the plane we walked through a temperature recording area (we didn’t have to do anything, just walked by).
We then got to some chairs where everyone sat down. They checked that every passenger had the correct information at hand before allowing anyone up to the health officials. This was brilliant because it meant no one was holding up the processing at the desks with questions etc. We didn’t even sit here for 5 minutes before we were allowed to the health officials.
The health officials line was also quick. They checked your Thai Pass against your passport etc and then sent you on your way to customs.
Customs was the normal process but was very quick with no lines due to smaller tourist numbers. We were the only plane being cleared at that time so they only had a couple hundred people to process.
From customs, we collected our bags, headed straight through the nothing to declare section and then headed to the doors to leave the airport.
At the exit, you had to show your receipt for the RT-PCR test you had booked.
They sent you to a table and someone there processed the receipt and gave you a bag with all testing requirements and your name on all the tubes etc.
As you head toward the street you go through a section where there are a heap of booths. They take your swab here and give you a sticker to say you have been tested.
You then head to the street where you tell a guy with a microphone where you’re staying etc and he calls it out. Someone has your name on a piece of paper and your hotel information and they confirm you’re with them.
You head over to them, they get you your car and send you on your way to the hotel.
At the hotel, it’s the normal check in process with the added check of your Thai Pass and they’ll scan your vaccination certificates etc. also.
Note: When they conduct your swab test at the airport they will hand you a piece of paper attached to the document they hand you back. This piece of paper has a website. You need to log into that and supply your passport information and email address that you want the results sent back to. Make sure you’re using an email address that you can access in the country you are in! We logged in and completed this once at the hotel.
EASY!
What we did to get here – who we booked everything through
Airline
We flew with Jetstar as they had an amazingly cheap deal with return flights under $300.
Who you fly with is up to you. It was easy to fly direct to the location you plan to stay in though without adding complexities about arriving in one city and then trying to get to another. If you’re doing this, you want to be especially vigilant on rules as some of the COVID restrictions at the time we visited had quarantine requirements for some locations and other arrangements for other locations. I’d say if you’re coming to Phuket, look to fly in direct.
Hotel
We stayed at Patong Paragon Resort & Spa.
We decided we wanted to stay in their Double Room with Pool Access. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a package for this on their website. Their packages for the one night stay for the mandatory requirements were in their deluxe rooms. In the end, we booked directly through their website for just our first night in their deluxe room. This covered all the mandatory entry requirements to get into Thailand.
From there, we then logged into booking.com which had some great rates on the room we wanted to be in and booked the remaining nights through them.
I emailed the hotel to confirm that we had the two bookings so that they knew we would be checking out of one room and into another the following day. When we arrived, they put us straight into the Double Room with Pool Access so we didn’t have to do anything at all. It was great.
I printed all information from the hotel incase I needed it at the airport. The hotel will also email you a separate receipt to show that you have paid for your first RT-PCR test to be conducted at the airport on arrival. This you will definitely need to print as they ask for it as you exit at the airport.
Travel Insurance
We booked travel insurance through CoverMore Insurance. They cater for COVID and met all the minimum requirements for insurance by Thailand.
Travel RT-PCR Test
We booked this through 4Cyte Pathology. They were fast and cheaper than others. We paid $120 per test and the results were back via email within 12 hours. I printed these results and they will collect this at the airport.
Overall, getting to Phuket was quite straightforward!
