So you want to travel to Thailand in 2022? Then you’ll want to bookmark this page.

We flew from London Gatwick to Phuket, Thailand via Doha, Qatar on 15th March 2022 and as we all know, travel post-covid looks a little different and this is especially true for us Brits when venturing outside of Europe.

There are a long list of requirements that need to be checked off prior to travel and to save you the headache of figuring this out yourself I’ve compiled a list along with some handy tips because trust me when I tell you that it’s like trying to decipher the Da Vinci code when it comes to the embassy websites.

Now it seems a lot because it is, but trust me it’s worth reading through these points. We had a very long-winded check-in process as we were missing one key piece of information. We also witnessed a lady at Doha being turned away as she didn’t have the correct insurance.

So, if you are planning to travel to Thailand in the next few months please check for any official updates as these things do change, but this should give you a guide as to what you’ll need prior to departure.

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THAILAND PASS (PASSENGER LOCATOR FORM)

You want to make sure you complete these at least 7 days before travel.

Once submitted you should receive a response within 24 hours but it can take up to 7 days and you do need this to board the plane so do it sooner rather than later.

Be prepared to sit down for at least 30 minutes to complete your Thailand Pass – they are as frustrating as they are long but providing you have all of the information listed below you should breeze through them.

• Passport
• Vaccination certificate/NHS QR codes
• Valid Covid-19 Health Insurance (further information below)
• Confirmation of SHA+ Hotel booking for day 1
• Confirmation of PCR test on arrival booking
• Flight information

LINK TO THAILAND PASS FORM

DOWNLOAD THE MORCHANA APP

You are required to download this app. Once you have received your Thailand pass you must scan the QR code into the app, uploading all of your info.

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VACCINATIONS

Entry into Thailand currently requires you to be fully vaccinated or you will be subject to quarantine and that’s a whole other ball game – it’ll cost you time, money and a lot of swab to nose discomfort.

If you have the NHS app, download a PDF copy of your Covid vaccination records, you’ll also need individual screenshots of each QR code to complete your Thailand pass form.

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COVID 19 HEALTH INSURANCE 

In order to enter Thailand you have to have valid health insurance that covers you should you need hospitalisation for covid. The Thai Embassy obviously has a partnership with Axa as everything seems to link to them but it’s quite expensive.

I dug around for a while and found insurance covering us for 60 days that cost 1,050 THB per person which is approximately £24. If you’re travelling for a shorter period of time this will be cheaper.

Check out FWD General Insurance – Accident & Coronavirus Disease for a quote.

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SHA+ HOTELS & TRANSFER PICK UP

There are tons of SHA+ hotels available in Thailand and booking day 1 & day 5 at one of these hotels is the current requirement.

Thailand’s Safety & Health Administration has approved certain hotels to register covid test results as well as keep up safety standards including staff vaccinations.

You can find approved hotels through booking.com or just search Google for SHA+ hotels.

We spent our first week in a fantastic hotel opposite Patong Beach, Phuket – which is around an hour from the airport – I’ll get a separate blog post up on our experience there.

MANDATORY TRANSFER PICK UP

You must arrange this directly with your hotel it is a requirement of entry. We paid 800 THB directly to the driver which is approximately £18.25 for around a one hour drive from the airport.

To collect your transfer, you’ll exit the testing area where you’ll meet a gentleman with a megaphone, he’ll ask your hotel name, he’ll scream it out and then your driver will give you a wave.

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PCR TESTS

PRE-DEPARTURE

We travelled mid-March 2022 and needed a pre-departure PCR test which cost us a shocking £50 each and a one hour round trip to be jabbed in the throat and nose but if you’re reading this I would hazard a guess that you’ll be flying after 1st April 2022 so you’ll no longer need to have a PCR test prior to departure just a test on arrival and a self-administered test on day 5.

DAY ONE

If you are arriving in Phuket via the Sandbox/Test & Go schemes (which you will be if you’re fully vaccinated) then you’ll need to pre-book a ‘DAY 1’ test.  Each test costs 2,100 THB so as of writing about £48.

You can book via this link www.thailandpsas.com

You’ll need to create an account but this is pretty straightforward.

After going through passport control and collecting your suitcases you’ll need to make a right and head for the testing area where you’ll be asked to show your passports. Trust me when I tell you this is a well-oiled machine, the staff here are super helpful and they’ll direct you on where to go for your test.

It’s the usual swab up the nose jobby, and yeah it sort of tickles to put it nicely, but once that’s done you can head out to the arranged transfer area, easy peasy.

DAY FIVE

You must also pre-book your day 5 self-administered test directly with your hotel. We did not do this and spent way longer than needed checking in at Gatwick as they have a very strict list of documents they need to see, this being one of them.

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VISAS

For any British passport holders wanting to travel to Thailand for up to 30 days your tourist visa is totally free and provided on arrival. You just need to complete a landing card on the plane which they’ll staple into your passport and give you a cute little stamp with your exit date.

Extending your stay is something different – we’re staying for an additional 30 days but this needs to be processed locally and I’ll do another post on this for those of you wanting to stay longer than the initial 30 days.

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ON ARRIVAL

You’ll be asked to take a seat in a waiting area – this is before going through security.  This is an opportunity for you to gather all of the relevant paperwork – there are signs everywhere telling you what you’ll need to present.

A member of staff will come over to you and check you have everything – Thailand Pass QR (MUST BE PRINTED), insurance documents, completed landing card and your passport, of course.

You’ll then be directed to a queue where they’ll take a look at everything and collect your printed Thailand Pass QR code.

Finally you’ll queue for border security – here you’ll only require your passport and landing card. They ask you to scan your fingerprints, they also ask you to remove your mask so they can take a photo and after stamping your passport you can go collect your suitcases.

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TIPS & CHECKLIST

Print a copy of everything. I know it’s 2022 and I know you can get everything on your phone, but you will need to show paper copies and if you don’t have them you’ll be charged for printing, just print two copies of each document and pop them in a folder and you can thank me later.

CHECKLIST

• Thailand Pass QR – received & printed copy
• Vaccination proof – downloaded an up to date copy & printed copy
• Insurance cover – printed copy
• Booking & payment for ‘day 1’ test – screenshot payment/confirmation and/or printed copy
• Booking for day 5 self-administered test – screenshot confirmation
• Confirmation of hotel booking with address & arranged transfer
• MorChana app downloaded – Thailand Pass QR code uploaded

EXTRA NOTE FOR ANYONE WANTING TO EXTEND THEIR STAY

You will also want to bring along a passport-sized photograph and a colour copy of your passport. I’ll pop another blog post up on visa extension in Thailand but if you can print before arriving it’ll save you some hassle and some coins.

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I hope this information helps with your preparations before flying out to tropical Thailand. If you did find it useful and would like to join us on our adventures please subscribe.

Join me next time when I’ll be sharing our experience in Patong, Phuket including details of our SHA+ hotel, our favourite local dishes and the best place to kick back with a cold Chang.

Sawatdee ka,

Laus & Carlos