Thailand Pass Is Up And Running

[KhaoYai]

1 hour ago, goldmagpie said:

If you have Line installed, there's a QR code scanner there.

I have? really?   555  I honestly didn't know - checked and yes, its there.

 

I rarely rely on technology - I can honestly say that its been useful on some occasions but it has also let me down at crucial points. In March 2020 I spent 5 hours trying to book a hotel and a flight online when my card, one I'd used the same day successfully, was rejected.  To make 2 phone calls and book those items would have taken around 15 minutes but neither company offered that service (or should I say they tried their best to hide their numbers and when I did find them, they were 'experiencing high call volumes at the moment'.

 

My (chipped) passport has been rejected at 'the E gates' at Manchester airport way more times than its worked - even for their staff. The result, I join the back of an even longer queue for manual scanning than it would have been. I now refuse to use 'E gates'.

 

I worked for medium sized company not too many years ago and we had 2 technology outfits come and present their products to us. Barcodes were the thing then and I wasn't a fan of those either.  All I can tell you is that far from being 'customer focused' their products were more about getting customers to do our work for us and in some cases getting rid of them altogether, thereby cutting down on the cost of staff. 

 

I have to be honest and say that this is not always the case but are you aware that on most occassions when you phone a company and are given a list of numbers to press for a particular queery (press 1 for X, press 2 for Y), that is actually a prioritising system?  Calls to sales are the highest priority and it goes downhill from there.  There's a display in the call centre that lets staff know how many calls are waiting and for what. With most of companies employing such systems, you will speak to the same person whether you are a new customer (priority) or someone wanting to know where their order has got to (time waster). The salesmen from these tech companies had no problem with telling us that anyone wanting anything other than to buy, was a cost!

 

When I add someone to LINE, I prefer to just ask for their number or LINE ID - the old fashioned ways are often the best but thank you for letting me know I already have a QR code scanner

[KhaoYai]

10 hours ago, aldriglikvid said:

I've tried for 3 days now to make the hotel print something more formal and detailed as the one above, without success. 

Strange. Have you checked their booking confirmation letter which you need in any case?  Mine simply says 'This letter is to confirm that the guest has already paid the full amount in an Alternative Quarantine Package. My pass was approved.

Edited November 11, 2021 by KhaoYai

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Come on, the Thailand Pass site is a doddle if you get all your documents together first, in jpg format (Paint converts pdf to jpg).

A "doddle"? 

I guess that's why it has amounted to a 65 page thread in couple of weeks.

Not to mention the numerous other threads with the daily reports of frustration and questions. 

Worse than water torture.

Keep in mind that for many this process is for a 'holiday' .

Unrelated....I can imagine folk anxious to get to Thailand who have family here, as for tourists they must have rocks in their head.

[KhaoYai]

1 hour ago, goldmagpie said:

He said within 72 hour of the date listed in the pass is OK. He said nobody will check my birth date. But if I'm worried about it, I can reregister, even if I already got approved, because I have the time (my departure date is sufficiently far ahead).

Appreciated but would he give you a letter to that effect to show the check in staff - they're the ones holding all the cards as to whether you board or not.

[goldmagpie]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

A "doddle"? 

I guess that's why it has amounted to a 65 page thread in couple of weeks.

Not to mention the numerous other threads with the daily reports of frustration and questions. 

Worse than water torture.

Keep in mind that for many this process is for a 'holiday' .

Unrelated....I can imagine folk anxious to get to Thailand who have family here, as for tourists they must have rocks in their head.

It would have been a «doddle», once I watched videos on the process and read advice. Although I was unprepared for it not accepting multiple files for insurance. I had to quickly start up photoshop again, load the first file, enlarge the canvas then paste the next, crop, save. Not sure you could do that in Paint?

 

Apart from that the actual filling of the forms was painless. Until I got the results back and discovered the bug on the server!

[KhaoYai]

14 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

(Paint converts pdf to jpg).

I'm on Windows 10 and mine doesn't - it won't even open a PDF

 

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, goldmagpie said:

I had to quickly start up photoshop again, load the first file, enlarge the canvas then paste the next, crop, save. Not sure you could do that in Paint?

With respect, my point is that there are MANY people that don't understand any of that. 

They use a cell phone for making calls. That's it.

Photo formats, crop pictures etc etc they wouldn't have a clue. 

 

Lot of travellers to Thailand are 100% unfamiliar with the 'new age'.

"Paint" to many means a 4 litre tin you buy at hardware to put on walls. 

"Incognito mode" means hiding in a bar. "Hotmail" is clearly referring to Tinder.

Some would struggle with the basics. 

Edited November 11, 2021 by DrJack54

[EVENKEEL]

8 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

With respect, my point is that there are MANY people that don't understand any of that. 

They use a cell phone for making calls. That's it.

Photo formats, crop pictures etc etc they wouldn't have a clue. 

 

Lot of travellers to Thailand are 100% unfamiliar with the 'new age'.

"Paint" to many means a 4 litre tin you buy at hardware to put on walls. 

"Incognito mode" means hiding in a bar. "Hotmail" is clearly referring to Tinder.

Some would struggle with the basics. 

You're right, you described me. Had to search how to do scanning and cropping. Even bought a kick ass phone to help.

[goldmagpie]

12 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

With respect, my point is that there are MANY people that don't understand any of that. 

Of course. Hopefully they'll have someone like me in their lives to help them out.

 

But the process seems to have become much easier than it was. And if it hadn't been for the date bug, I would have been quite pleased.

 

I don't see that there's a way around using images, though, with a fully automatic system. I got the QR code almost as soon as I pressed send. It was already in my inbox by the time I checked mail.

[KannikaP]

30 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

A "doddle"? 

I guess that's why it has amounted to a 65 page thread in couple of weeks.

Not to mention the numerous other threads with the daily reports of frustration and questions. 

Worse than water torture.

Keep in mind that for many this process is for a 'holiday' .

Unrelated....I can imagine folk anxious to get to Thailand who have family here, as for tourists they must have rocks in their head.

Certainly a doodle compared with applying for a UK Visa, or a Schengen.

[PabloSanDiego]

9 hours ago, bubba said:

Thailand Pass can automatically verify and approve QR codes of digital vaccine certificates from only the following regions at the moment:

• The European Union (EU Digital COVID Certificate, or DCC for short)
• Singapore (Notαrise)

Support for digital vaccine certificates from the following countries is in progress:

• China (International Travel Health Certificate)
• India (DIVOC)
• Indonesia (PeduliLindungi)
• Israel (once it joins the EU’s DCC program)
• Malaysia (MySejahtera)
• Philippines (VaxCerts)
• United States (SMART® Health Card, available in some states)

https://medium.com/thailand-pass/vaccine-certificates-from-which-countries-can-be-auto-approved-f05c11c11f05

 

So no, MFA does not have QR code automation up and running for most countries.

well things seem to be incrementally getting better. I have to go thru this all again in about 3 weeks but it should be easier and less stressful.

 

The ability to check status is huge, relieves a lot of anxiety. And the ability to read our US SMART Health Cards will hopefully allow me to get an instant QR Code which wasn't possible when I did it last week.

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Certainly a doodle compared with applying for a UK Visa, or a Schengen.

I hear you. Have taken my Thai partner to Oz many times and the paperwork required for visitor visa to Oz takes some time and effort.

However currently for travel to Thailand the visa or visa exempt entry or reentry permit etc isn't what the topic is about.

There will be some saying that the TP is painless process.

In Oz we call them S.A

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

I hear you. Have taken my Thai partner to Oz many times and the paperwork required for visitor visa to Oz takes some time and effort.

However currently for travel to Thailand the visa or visa exempt entry or reentry permit etc isn't what the topic is about.

There will be some saying that the TP is painless process.

In Oz we call them S.A

S.A?  I guess you mean Smart <deleted>. I would call them logical.

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

S.A?  I guess you mean Smart <deleted>. I would call them logical.

Yep.....just up to 66 pages of issues now. 

Lot of logical folk in the thread it would seem.

[PabloSanDiego]

I didn't think to open and look at my TP using my phone's QR reader before, but I did it and relieved to see everything is correct.  One interesting thing, My trip is for less than 2 weeks but my Pass shows an "Expire Date" in February.  I'm going to be coming back again next month for 2 weeks again.  So do I even have to apply for another Thailand Pass since this one won't be expired by the end of my trip?

 

Of course my 1st night hotel will be a different booking, I'm probably going to change insurance companies, and my flight will definitely be different. But the main purpose of the Pass to validate the vaccines will be the same.

 

[Danderman123]

57 minutes ago, PabloSanDiego said:

I didn't think to open and look at my TP using my phone's QR reader before, but I did it and relieved to see everything is correct.  One interesting thing, My trip is for less than 2 weeks but my Pass shows an "Expire Date" in February.  I'm going to be coming back again next month for 2 weeks again.  So do I even have to apply for another Thailand Pass since this one won't be expired by the end of my trip?

 

Of course my 1st night hotel will be a different booking, I'm probably going to change insurance companies, and my flight will definitely be different. But the main purpose of the Pass to validate the vaccines will be the same.

 

Your Thailand Pass QR code has an arrival date.

[JCP108]

Two questions:

 

1) What's the current turn-around time for people who don't have qr codes on their vaccination certificates getting the pass? Anyone recently in that category who can report how many days they had to wait?

 

2) What's the current backlog of unprocessed applications? They reported this in the first few days. Anyone seen a recent such report? I'm worried that they can only process 1-2k applications per day via manual review. If they have a backlog now of, say, 90k applications, that will take a lot of time to process. 

[stickymango]

I wanted to report back:  I submitted my third Sandbox request (first two were rejected) and received approval 18 hours later. Note that my third application was exactly the same as my first two.  Unfortunately, since my flight is in 4 days, I also submitted a Test and Go application and "forgot" to include my trip to Mexico last week.  I received approval for my Sandbox application 2 minutes after I submitted my Test and Go application.  Hopefully, they will not cancel my approved Sandbox due to this second inconsistent application.  Good luck to everyone!!

[JCP108]

2 minutes ago, stickymango said:

I wanted to report back:  I submitted my third Sandbox request (first two were rejected) and received approval 18 hours later. Note that my third application was exactly the same as my first two.  Unfortunately, since my flight is in 4 days, I also submitted a Test and Go application and "forgot" to include my trip to Mexico last week.  I received approval for my Sandbox application 2 minutes after I submitted my Test and Go application.  Hopefully, they will not cancel my approved Sandbox due to this second inconsistent application.  Good luck to everyone!!

Does your vaccine certificate have a qr code on it?

[DrJack54]

2 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Even bought a kick ass phone to help.

As some would say....."it ain't the Car it's the Driver"

[stickymango]

8 minutes ago, JCP108 said:

Does your vaccine certificate have a qr code on it?

Yes.  My vaccine certificate has a QR code from California.  Now I have to do all this again for my family and my 2 kids have been vaccinated but don't have QR codes. 

[NHMA]

TP support success rate:

 

Contacted [email protected]: waited for 24 hours, no reply

24/7 Call Center: all lines are either ringing, no one is answering, or busy, or straight to voicemail

MFA call center: long wait and patience ran out

 

Resubmitted application for my wife. No CORS extension, no extra spaces in passport number. Got immediate email confirmation with access code. 

 

Baby steps in the right direction. 

[Marcel72Swiss]

Hello everyone

Finally iam here in Thailand so I will share my experiences.

At the Airport Zurich they controlled everything again, You will need Copys of all the Document you already Used for the Thai Pass. Including Thai Pass.

Make 2 Copies from all, you will need this because some of the control keep some of them.

 

At Singapore Airport nothing to show.  At the Airplane you have to fill out 2 Forms.

When you come to Phuket then you have to show it on the Pass Checkpoint, Healt Control and for Pce Test.

So finally everywhere all the Document again and again. I asked myself for what was this Thai Pass worthy? I was thinking just to show this and all okay, so I was wrong ????????

[omjduval]

12 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Where? I thought it was done at the hotel by a nurse from the partnered hospital?

No idea where, it might have been at another hotel. The van stops and they come inside to administer your PCR.

[omjduval]

12 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

It would be interesting to know what time you get your result when it comes - see if their 'Hospital Partner must report result within 6 hours' statement holds any water.

It was outside my room this morning at 10am, didn't think to check earlier as had passed out jetlagged....

[asiam110]

48 minutes ago, Marcel72Swiss said:

Hello everyone

Finally iam here in Thailand so I will share my experiences.

At the Airport Zurich they controlled everything again, You will need Copys of all the Document you already Used for the Thai Pass. Including Thai Pass.

Make 2 Copies from all, you will need this because some of the control keep some of them.

 

At Singapore Airport nothing to show.  At the Airplane you have to fill out 2 Forms.

When you come to Phuket then you have to show it on the Pass Checkpoint, Healt Control and for Pce Test.

So finally everywhere all the Document again and again. I asked myself for what was this Thai Pass worthy? I was thinking just to show this and all okay, so I was wrong ????????

How busy was the flight from SIN to BKK?

Ignore i see you said phuket

Edited November 11, 2021 by asiam110

[KhaoYai]

8 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

With respect, my point is that there are MANY people that don't understand any of that. 

They use a cell phone for making calls. That's it.

Photo formats, crop pictures etc etc they wouldn't have a clue. 

 

Lot of travellers to Thailand are 100% unfamiliar with the 'new age'.

"Paint" to many means a 4 litre tin you buy at hardware to put on walls. 

"Incognito mode" means hiding in a bar. "Hotmail" is clearly referring to Tinder.

Some would struggle with the basics. 

And its not only the 'older' generation - my daughter asks me how to do things on computers simply because, as is common with the younger generation, she does everything on her phone.

 

In fairness, once you have the basic knowledge (as I do - only basic) its not too difficult to lean how to use programs like Paint etc. But I agree - having to do all this will put many off.

[KhaoYai]

8 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Certainly a doodle compared with applying for a UK Visa, or a Schengen.

Agreed - first time I used the VFS site it was a nightmare - however they do accept multiple formats.

 

With respect, can you explain the 'confused' reaction to my previous reply to your post - the Paint program on my W10 laptop will not open PDF's, never mind convert them - as I showed in the attachment.

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Agreed - first time I used the VFS site it was a nightmare - however they do accept multiple formats.

 

With respect, can you explain the 'confused' reaction to my previous reply to your post - the Paint program on my W10 laptop will not open PDF's, never mind convert them - as I showed in the attachment.

Sorry I was quoting someone else. I printed the pdf, scanned it back in as a jpg photo. 

[KhaoYai]

4 hours ago, Marcel72Swiss said:

At the Airport Zurich they controlled everything again, You will need Copys of all the Document you already Used for the Thai Pass. Including Thai Pass.

Make 2 Copies from all, you will need this because some of the control keep some of them.

Surely this makes a mockery of the system? For all the high tech and QR codes, they still want to check and check again manually.

 

What's the point?