Below is all the information you need to travel to Thailand in 2022 under the Test and Go program.
Announcement – Friday, March 11, 2022
To ensure sufficient time for the registration and approval process in the Thailand Pass system and eliminate the need for travelers to adjust their travel itinerary, from 10 February 2022 onwards, Thailand Pass system will not permit registration less than 2 day before departure date. To ensure a smooth journey it is highly recommended that you plan your travel at least 7 days in advance. In case of emergency travel, please send your request and supporting documents to testgo@consular.go.th.
Please note, the processing time for the Thailand Pass is 3 – 7 days. Applicants are strongly advised to plan ahead and submit the registration for Thailand Pass at least 7 days prior to departure.
Where to apply for the Thailand Test and Go program?
Apply here: https://tp.consular.go.th/
Test and Go Requirements:
- Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no less than 14 days before travelling from any country
- Booking an approved SHA Extra+ hotel for first day upon arrival in Thailand (Day 1)
- Obtain a negative COVID-19 test result (RT-PCR), issued within 72 hours before departing for Thailand (RT-PCR result must be ‘negative’ or ‘not detected’)
- If RT-PCR result is positive or detected, a medical certificate or signed proof of recovery from a doctor stating that your first date of detection is at least 14 days but less than 90 days before travelling is required
- Exempted from quarantine after testing negative for COVID-19 (RT-PCR) after arrival in Thailand
Test and Go Required Documents:
- Passport
- Certificate of Vaccination
- Paid SHA Extra+ hotel reservation confirmation for one day (Day 1), and the booking must include the fee for 1 RT-PCR test, 1 ATK self-test kit and airport transfer.
- Travel Health Insurance with minimum coverage of 20,000 USD (not required for Thai nationals / foreign residents in Thailand can use social security or certificate from their employer).
Other items you need when registering for the Test and Go program online:
- Your Flight Number (for the segment of your flight that is arriving in Thailand)
- Input your personal information including passport photo
- Input your Covid vaccination information
- Input your SHA Extra Plus accommodation information (you need the confirmation document from your hotel first before registering for the Thailand Pass)
- Input your health insurance information including proof of coverage document
General Thailand Travel Requirements and Other Information
- Passport Validity: 6 months from date of entry recommended
- Blank Passport Pages: 1 page per stamp
- Tourist Visa Required (information for U.S. citizens):
- No, if your stay is less than 30 days
- Yes, if your stay is longer than 30 days (With a Tourist visa, you can stay in Thailand for no longer than 60 days. If you wish to stay in Thailand for more than 60 days, you can extend your stay with the Immigration Bureau while in Thailand.)
- Obtain Thailand e-Visa if required: https://www.thaievisa.go.th/
Recommended Medical Insurance for Thailand Pass Registration
While staying in Thailand, your insurance must cover COVID-19 related cost as below:
- Medical expense coverage of 20,000 USD minimum per person
- Hospital isolation covered
- Your insurance policy must be valid for the entire duration of your stay in Thailand
We recommend buying the Luma Thailand Pass health insurance:
https://www.lumahealth.com/travel-insurance/covid-insurance/
Listing of all Thailand approved SHA Extra Plus hotels:
https://web.thailandsha.com/shaextraplus
We recommend the Arte Hotel SHA Test and Go package on Agoda here:
P.S. The nurse they hired onsite to perform the first PCR test upon arrival was great and the test there did not hurt.
Have more specific questions? Refer to the Thailand Pass Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) here: https://consular.mfa.go.th/th/content/thailand-pass-faqs-2
List of eligible countries and territories: All (none are excluded as of March 2022)
Thailand Test and Go Risks
It’s important to understand the following risks when traveling to Thailand under the Test and Go program:
- If you test Positive within 72 hours prior to departure to Thailand and are unable to get a medical certificate of recovery or fit to fly report from a doctor, then you risk losing all pre-paid travel costs and your vacation to Thailand will get postponed or canceled.
- If you test Positive for Covid upon arrival, during your second ATK test, or at anytime while in Thailand, then you must quarantine for 10 days at your own expense.
- If you test Positive and have symptoms, then you will be required to quarantine and be admitted to a local Thailand hospital, at your own expense.
- If you test Positive and are asymptomatic, then you must quarantine for 10 days and you may still be required to quarantine at a Thailand hospital, at your own expense.
- If you test Negative, but your traveling companion(s) test Positive, or if you were sitting next to someone on the flight that tested Positive, then you may also be required to quarantine, but for 14 days, at your own expense at either a hospital, hospitel, or hotel.
Look, it goes without saying, that you need to weigh your personal risk tolerance with the real health and financial risks of traveling to Thailand in 2022. If you decide to take the risk, then be sure to mitigate it by purchasing really good Covid health insurance (read the policy fine print for what scenarios they will and will not cover), get your vaccinations and boosters, wear your mask properly and practice good hygiene and social distancing measures.
Want to know what the full experience is like traveling to Thailand in 2022 under the Test and Go program? Watch our full experience here:
If you have any questions, let us know in the comments below.
I am planning to Arrive in Bangkok on November 5th. I was hoping to go on a local flight to Chiang Mia for the lantern festival the same day I arrive in Bangkok. I think that may be doubtful unless rules change.
I am going to spend December in Bangkok and then fly to Hanoi, Vietnam; spend a couple weeks ther the a couple weeks in DaNang; the a couple weeks in Ho Chi Min City. Then bus to Cambodia for a couple of weeks and then back to Thailand to visit the southern Islands for a month; then to Malaysia and depart from Singapore back to the USA.
Will I need to get Covid insurance twice for Thailand and how about Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore?
With a November 2022 arrival, there will hopefully be no restrictions in Thailand anymore (assuming another wild outbreak doesn’t happen around then). Below are Thailand’s current plans to ease travel restrictions in 2022. Please note, these change quickly and may not be implemented according to plan.
Effective April 1st, travelers will be allowed to enter Thailand without the need to show proof of a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of travel. Two tests remain in place for the Test & Go program: RT-PCR test upon arrival (Day 0) and an antigen self-test on Day 5. However, we highly recommend still getting a PCR test within 72 hours before departure because at least you’ll know before you leave home if you’re Positive and will be forced into quarantine. Then you can easily decide to stay home at that point. Thailand removing that test, but still keeping the others with a forced quarantine if Positive from Day 0-5 makes absolutely NO sense. Don’t risk it even though they’re removing that pre-departure test. Not until they remove the other risk/requirements would we recommend that.
From May 1, you will only be required to take a supervised ATK on arrival (whether at the airport or designated venue), so no PCR test or compulsory SHA+ hotel stay for the first night.
By July 1st, Thailand plans to be in an endemic stage with Covid rather than pandemic. Hopefully by then they will relax the remainder of the travel restrictions.
Again, these are all ‘planned’ and not officially approved yet.
Your route is almost the same that we originally planned to do in early 2020! We also made it to Laos, which we highly recommend. Based on current rules, you’d probably need the Thailand insurance twice, unless you found an insurance plan that covers all countries that you could wrap up into one. We used the Luma Thailand Pass insurance, and they also have a Luma ASEAN insurance plan, which covers all countries you mentioned except for Singapore. https://www.lumahealth.com/travel-insurance/luma-asean-pass/
I’ve booked the same hotel as you but my confirmation didn’t include an RT-PCR test or airport pick-up, even though I selected |Quarantine pack…
\having gone back to the initial hotel and room info pages, I read that it says the room ‘MAY’ include these options on the payment page but there’s nothing on hte payment page about these options, sp please can you let me know how you were able to book this room with test & pick-up included, thanks.
Hi Rory, we saw your comment on YouTube first and answered you there. Hopefully the info we gave helped you. Let us know if you have any other questions.
Hey! I’m planning to a trip to Thailand for around the 10th of April. Would you be able to tell me what the travel qualifications and quarantine requirements are at this time? If you could share a link, that would be really helpful as well. Thank you )
Ashley & Jordan— we enjoy your YouTube channel. Your videos on the Chang Mai showing the very inexpensive offerings made me wonder: Do you always exchange dollars for the local currency? If not not why not? If not always when do you elect not to?