Will they understand that I am not a tourist in Phuket?

[Sam B]

Are there any problems to be expected when I go on vacation to Phuket as a Thailand expat (not having left the country for more than 5 years)? Specifically, will I be mistaken for a "tourist" and will I be required to meet the appropriate sandbox criteria?

[stretch5163]

Not being funny but did you read what you wrote before hitting send.

 

You are still going on vacation...you will still be entering phuket so you will still have to follow the rules.  You will atill be classed as a toursit due to the fact you are not Thai. Even if you were thai you would still have to follow the sandbox rules if coming from anywhere outside Phuket.

 

Because you have been an Ex pat in thailand for 5 years deosnt give you any sepcial privileges.

Edited July 3, 2021 by stretch5163
spelling error

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, stretch5163 said:

Even if you were thai you would still have to follow the sandbox rules if coming from anywhere outside Phuket.

Not if he is already in Thailand.

He would though have to have a negative covid 19 test or proof of being vaccinated to enter Phuket at the bridge or airport.

[impulse]

I can understand why the OP is nervous if he's hopping on a connecting flight from BKK that may mingle local passengers with international passengers transiting BKK. 

 

Or if, like me, he doesn't even know if it's a possibility he'd get caught up in that. 

 

My disaster scenario would be innocently booking a flight from BKK-HKT and finding out it's the extension of a flight from (for example) Dubai.  Would I get whisked off to an SHA+ hotel on arrival in HKT?  Or are they even allowing local passengers to get on those flight extensions to Phuket?

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by impulse

[edwardandtubs]

42 minutes ago, impulse said:

I can understand why the OP is nervous if he's hopping on a connecting flight from BKK that may mingle local passengers with international passengers transiting BKK. 

 

Or if, like me, he doesn't even know if it's a possibility he'd get caught up in that. 

 

My disaster scenario would be innocently booking a flight from BKK-HKT and finding out it's the extension of a flight from (for example) Dubai.  Would I get whisked off to an SHA+ hotel on arrival in HKT?  Or are they even allowing local passengers to get on those flight extensions to Phuket?

 

There are plenty of expats in Phuket and plenty who visit from other parts of Thailand so I'm sure your fears will be unfounded. I can't see how it's at all possible to accidentally book flight which is an extension of a flight from Dubai but if you're really worried about it just book with AirAsia or Nok.

[gk10012001]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

I can understand why the OP is nervous if he's hopping on a connecting flight from BKK that may mingle local passengers with international passengers transiting BKK. 

 

Or if, like me, he doesn't even know if it's a possibility he'd get caught up in that. 

 

My disaster scenario would be innocently booking a flight from BKK-HKT and finding out it's the extension of a flight from (for example) Dubai.  Would I get whisked off to an SHA+ hotel on arrival in HKT?  Or are they even allowing local passengers to get on those flight extensions to Phuket?

 

there is a similar post on the website about somebody that just flew from BKK to Udon but got dragged off to isolation and cheap free quarantine,  No money  or chose not to ASQ and was not expecting to.  He was an expat teacher or something or other.  So some weird and un expected travel things may happen.

[impulse]

1 minute ago, gk10012001 said:

there is a similar post on the website about somebody that just flew from BKK to Udon but got dragged off to isolation and cheap free quarantine,  No money  or chose not to ASQ and was not expecting to.  He was an expat teacher or something or other.  So some weird and un expected travel things may happen.

 

Yes.  I always try to keep in mind that not every poster here on TVF is an old salt who knows everything there is to know about negotiating life in Thailand. (Or at least they think they do).  We were all noobs at one time, and counted on advice from the old codgers- without being derided for being idiots.

 

I really felt for that guy who got sent to quarantine out of the blue...

 

[wensiensheng]

5 hours ago, stretch5163 said:

Not being funny but did you read what you wrote before hitting send.

 

You are still going on vacation...you will still be entering phuket so you will still have to follow the rules.  You will atill be classed as a toursit due to the fact you are not Thai. Even if you were thai you would still have to follow the sandbox rules if coming from anywhere outside Phuket.

 

Because you have been an Ex pat in thailand for 5 years deosnt give you any sepcial privileges.

Not quite correct.

 

sandbox rules do not apply.

 

you will need 1 dose of az, or 2 doses of sinovax, or, a negative test within 72 hours, or quarantine at a hotel/house in Phuket for 14 days.

 

none of the sandbox stuff applies.

[skatewash]

Thank you for the opportunity to once again outline the difference between international and domestic arrivals in Phuket.  The Phuket Sandbox is a series of rules that deals exclusively with international arrivals in Phuket.  If you are a domestic traveler to Phuket you have to meet none, not even one, of the Phuket Sandbox rules.

There are other rules for domestic arrivals in Phuket.  They are separate from the Phuket Sandbox rules (which once again apply only to international arrivals).

This graphic does a good job of outlining the major differences.  International arrivals in Phuket please read the left column.  Domestic arrivals in Phuket please read the right column.  Ignore people who like to pick options from each column and mix them together in some Frankenstein monster that doesn't really exist.

[skatewash]

Guide on how not to be mistaken for a Phuket Sandboxer (that is, an international arrival in Phuket under the terms of the Phuket Sandbox):

You are not a Phuket Sandboxer if...

1) Your latest entry stamp in your passport is stamped with a date prior to July 1st, 2021.  [That is the date the Phuket Sandbox started, if you were in Thailand before it started you can't be in the Phuket Sandbox.]

2) Your latest entry stamp in your passport is stamped with an entry at an airport other than Phuket.  [If you entered Thailand anywhere other than Phuket airport, like say one of the Bangkok Airports, then you can't be a Phuket Sandboxer because all Phuket Sandboxers enter Thailand in Phuket.]

If either, or both, of those two things are true, you are not a Phuket Sandboxer and don't have to follow any of the Phuket Sandbox rules (which only apply to international arrivals).

If you're not a Phuket Sandboxer...

1) You don't have to stay in an SHA Plus accommodation.  You can stay anywhere you want to stay.

2) You don't have to take three (3) RT-PCR tests while you are staying in Phuket.  [You may have to take a covid test to enter Phuket if you're not already vaccinated, but a rapid antigen test OR a RT-PCR test will do.]

 

[skatewash]

To put your mind at rest with regard to accidental mixing of international and domestic air travelers on the Bangkok - Phuket route:

1) There will be no international travelers on airplanes going from Bangkok to Phuket because all participants in the Phuket Sandbox have to arrive in Thailand in Phuket (arrival in Bangkok is not allowed if you expect to participate in the Phuket Sandbox).

2) The only flights going from Bangkok to Phuket are domestic flights.  The passengers on these flights have either been vaccinated, received a negative covid test within 7 days of departure or have recovered from covid and have a doctor's certificate to prove it.

[Chris.B]

You need to get one of those t-shirts with the words "I AM NOT A TOURIST I LIVE HERE!" on it.  heheh

Edited July 3, 2021 by Chris.B

[skatewash]

Look at it this way.  For the most part international arrivals can do everything you as a domestic arrival can (except for needing to stay in SHA Plus hotels).  The only difference is that as a domestic arrival you can leave Phuket and go elsewhere whenever you want to.  While international arrivals need to prove that they have complied with the Phuket Sandbox rules, have stayed 14 days in Phuket in a SHA Plus hotel, have taken and passed 3 RT-PCR tests.

So it's only really an issue when you want to leave Phuket (airport or ground).  If you're a domestic arrival all you need to prove is that you're not an international arrival (part of the Phuket Sandbox).  How you do that is explained above, but basically you show your entry stamp in your passport.  If you're an international arrival it's more work as you have to prove you've complied with all the Phuket Sandbox rules.  The only places you will likely need to prove you are international or domestic is when you leave Phuket at the airport or at the Tha ChatChai checkpoint before crossing the bridge to Phang Nga.  I don't think it will come up in any other context.

Edited July 3, 2021 by skatewash

[skatewash]

You will also need to prove you are not a Phuket Sandboxer (international arrival) if you want to go on an off-island excursion during which you will visit other provinces (e.g., Phi Phi islands).  Again, done the same way by referencing your arrival stamp in your passport.

[ubonjoe]

9 hours ago, impulse said:

I can understand why the OP is nervous if he's hopping on a connecting flight from BKK that may mingle local passengers with international passengers transiting BKK. 

It is impossible for that to happen. International passengers cannot transit to a domestic flight now.

[Henryford]

So as an expat living in Thailand you can not book any flight or hotel to Phuket until you are sure your 7 day Covid test is negative.

[KannikaP]

14 hours ago, stretch5163 said:

deosnt give you any sepcial

Did YOU read what you typed before hitting SEND?   LOL

[scorecard]

14 hours ago, stretch5163 said:

Not being funny but did you read what you wrote before hitting send.

 

You are still going on vacation...you will still be entering phuket so you will still have to follow the rules.  You will atill be classed as a toursit due to the fact you are not Thai. Even if you were thai you would still have to follow the sandbox rules if coming from anywhere outside Phuket.

 

Because you have been an Ex pat in thailand for 5 years deosnt give you any sepcial privileges.

 

Plenty of other locations in Thailand for a vacation.

[ChipButty]

9 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

there is a similar post on the website about somebody that just flew from BKK to Udon but got dragged off to isolation and cheap free quarantine,  No money  or chose not to ASQ and was not expecting to.  He was an expat teacher or something or other.  So some weird and un expected travel things may happen.

I read the same story

[skatewash]

2 hours ago, Henryford said:

So as an expat living in Thailand you can not book any flight or hotel to Phuket until you are sure your 7 day Covid test is negative.

Any person in Thailand, including Thais and expats, has to receive a negative covid test result within 7 days before being allowed to enter Phuket.  You can book whatever flight or hotel in Phuket you want but if you can't show a negative covid test result you won't be able to board your plane to Phuket or to cross at the Tha ChatChai checkpoint by land into Phuket.  Actually, I don't know that it's much of an advantage to book a flight from Bangkok to Phuket more than 7 days in advance.  You can book accommodations in Phuket on agoda or booking.com that you are able to cancel.

[impulse]

13 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

23 hours ago, impulse said:

I can understand why the OP is nervous if he's hopping on a connecting flight from BKK that may mingle local passengers with international passengers transiting BKK. 

It is impossible for that to happen. International passengers cannot transit to a domestic flight now.

 

That's good info, and makes sense.  It should reduce the number of things that could go sideways.

 

On a related note, does that also mean all Sandbox tourists will fly direct to HKT, or will there be some flights landing in BKK first, unloading some BKK passengers, with the rest then continuing onto Phuket without deplaning in BKK?

 

Edit:  skatewash's info seems to indicate "no".  No international flights from BKK to HKT.  But I can imagine the airlines wanting to fill more seats than a non-stop HKT flight may fill.  I could also envision a dedicated "Sandbox Transit Lounge" set up in BKK some time in the near future to make it more economical to service the HKT route.

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by impulse

[Aussieroaming]

Anyone travelling to Phuket for vacation would be classified as a tourist. In your case its "domestic tourist" rather than "international tourist". If you don't reside in Phuket and are not travelling there for work then you are by definition arriving as a tourist.

[jackdd]

On 7/3/2021 at 5:37 PM, Sam B said:

Are there any problems to be expected when I go on vacation to Phuket as a Thailand expat (not having left the country for more than 5 years)? Specifically, will I be mistaken for a "tourist" and will I be required to meet the appropriate sandbox criteria?

Sounds like you actually are a tourist.

[jomtienisgood]

On 7/4/2021 at 7:57 AM, KannikaP said:

Did YOU read what you typed before hitting SEND?   LOL

Maybe he / she wanted to write ' skeptical ' ????? 555555

[jomtienisgood]

34 minutes ago, Aussieroaming said:

Anyone travelling to Phuket for vacation would be classified as a tourist. In your case its "domestic tourist" rather than "international tourist". If you don't reside in Phuket and are not travelling there for work then you are by definition arriving as a tourist.

That makes me also a tourist when I go from Jomtien to Pattaya. 555555

[sandyf]

28 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Sounds like you actually are a tourist.

The term is quite wide ranging with the significant differentiation being international or domestic.

When I went up to Kao Koh last September under WTT the place was awash with tour buses, but as far as this forum was concerned there were no tourists in Thailand.

[Sam B]

On 7/4/2021 at 8:01 AM, scorecard said:

 

Plenty of other locations in Thailand for a vacation.

Not if you want to meet friends who come from outside Thailand.

[Sam B]

On 7/3/2021 at 5:50 PM, ubonjoe said:

Not if he is already in Thailand.

He would though have to have a negative covid 19 test or proof of being vaccinated to enter Phuket at the bridge or airport.

Thanks that helps.

[treetops]

On 7/3/2021 at 3:23 PM, impulse said:

My disaster scenario would be innocently booking a flight from BKK-HKT and finding out it's the extension of a flight from (for example) Dubai.

 

The flights from Dubai (also Doha and Abu Dhabi) are stopping at Phuket first then going on to Bangkok.