Thailand's Test & Go Policy: Quarantine Exemption for Travelers [Update in July 2022]

Test & Go - Thailand's newest solution to welcome international tourists post COVID-19

Thailand began reopening on July 1st on its most popular island, Phuket, where the majority of locals have been vaccinated. From that time, Thailand only planned to allow travelers from about 10 "low-risk" countries, including Singapore, China, and the US, to enter by air without requiring quarantine, if they were fully immunized with the Covid-19 vaccine and tested negative before boarding the plane and after arriving in Thailand.

On the 1st of November, Thailand expanded the number of countries/territories deemed "low-risk" to 46, and travelers from these areas will be exempt from quarantine if they meet the requirements set by the Thailand government. However, the appearance of the Omicron - a new strain of COVID-19 caused the Thais government to temporarily stop the Quarantine-free program.

Fortunately, from the 1st February 2022, Thailand announced a new Test & Go program which is quite similar to the quarantine-free policy at the end of 2021 but has more restrictions. The advantage of this  Test and Go 2022 version is that according to its policy, Thailand is totally open for foreign travelers from all countries and territories who are fully vaccinated and have negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test result no more than 72 hours before arrival. On the other hand, some restrictions are still available. Due to this program, visitors must take a PCR test on the 1st day of the trip. They must install a mobile app called "MorChana" so that the government can monitor and send notifications. Tourists must pay the cost of the test and Covid-19 treatment in advance if travel insurance purchased when arriving in Thailand is not included.

As to wait for RT-PCR test results, guests must stay in a government-designated hotel (SHA+ hotel) on day 1 of their trip and are allowed to travel freely around the country if the test result is negative.

Approved hotels for quarantine-free in Thailand

As mentioned, from Feb 1st, 2022, Thailand is quarantine-free to travelers from all countries and territories. However, on the 1st day of your Thailand trip, you must stay in a SHA+ hotel that is approved by the Thais government to do the RT-PCR test for tourists and quarantine them on test days.

Below are the 50 best SHA+ hotels approved for the Test & Go quarantine-free program in Thailand.

You can find more approval SHA+ hotels and resorts on the websites of SHA Thailand or the Thai Embassy.

Document requirements for entering Thailand following Test & Go program (updated July 2022)

• A valid passport
• Visa to Thailand (if you are required)
• A certificate of fully vaccinated with the 2nd no less than 14 days before arrival applied for everyone from 18 years old. This certificate is not required for tourists under 18 accompanied by fully vaccinated parents.
• 5 - 17 years old children who aren't accompanied by vaccinated parents, must provide a certificate for at least 1-dose vaccination (valid no less than 14 days before arrival).

Immigration procedure for quarantine-free travelers

The immigration procedure is quite simple for quarantine-free travelers. Let’s take a look at the below steps:

• Submit required documents to officials at the airport
• Download and install MorChana App (a Thailand COVID-19 alert application)
• Travel anywhere in Thailand

Strict entry requirements and quarantine measures have kept Thailand under control until recent months. However, these measures have prevented a huge number of foreign visitors from visiting this amazing country. Therefore, the quarantine exemption for all countries and territories seems like a good solution for both Thailand residents and international tourists which not only help this country welcome more guests next year but foreign visitors also can enter Thailand easier.

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MinKJ

Image source: Internet