Phuket sandbox application taking forever

[RandolphGB]

Applied for Phuket sandbox on January 2. It’s now January 12 and nothing back from them. No emails. And there are no phone numbers to call to check.
 

Anybody who has done this recently that has experience of the processing time? 

[richard_smith237]

Its taken too long.... Make another application (no harm in applying more than once). 

 

Ensure the following: 

- Do not use a hotmail account (they’ve historically been problematic with the Thailand Pass site)

- Ensure after the initial application you receive an e-mail from [email protected] conforming your registration / application.

- IF no confirmation of registration / application e-mail has been received, your application was not correctly submitted. 

 

 

- Submit Hotel SHABA Booking certificate 

- Submit PSAS Booking / Payment receipt

- Submit 50k (min) insurance certificate

- Submit Vaccine Certificate 

[Don Chance]

They process them in order of urgency.. When is your departure date?

[RandolphGB]

40 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

They process them in order of urgency.. When is your departure date?

January 21.  

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by RandolphGB

[RandolphGB]

45 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Its taken too long.... Make another application (no harm in applying more than once). 

 

Ensure the following: 

- Do not use a hotmail account (they’ve historically been problematic with the Thailand Pass site)

- Ensure after the initial application you receive an e-mail from [email protected] conforming your registration / application.

- IF no confirmation of registration / application e-mail has been received, your application was not correctly submitted. 

 

 

- Submit Hotel SHABA Booking certificate 

- Submit PSAS Booking / Payment receipt

- Submit 50k (min) insurance certificate

- Submit Vaccine Certificate 

Received the confirmation  email with the six digit number... but  haven't heard anything since then,

 

All the other documentation was correct. 

[richard_smith237]

14 minutes ago, RandolphGB said:

Received the confirmation  email with the six digit number... but  haven't heard anything since then,

 

All the other documentation was correct. 

Can you log in and check the progress of your application ????

 

 

It seems your application was submitted correctly (some people failed to submit their PSAS documentation which is why I asked - they were simply ignored, so the importance of having the correct documentation submitted cannot be understated). 

 

In the meantime I read that your date of travel is the 21st....  There is no harm in applying again... it seems there is no rhyme or reason as to why someone received instant confirmation while others do not....  

 

Thus...  in your shoes, I’d submit another application.....  (just to be sure and just for the hell of it !).

Edited January 12, 2022 by richard_smith237

[RandolphGB]

7 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Can you log in and check the progress of your application ????

 

 

It seems your application was submitted correctly (some people failed to submit their PSAS documentation which is why I asked - they were simply ignored, so the importance of having the correct documentation submitted cannot be understated). 

 

In the meantime I read that your date of travel is the 21st....  There is no harm in applying again... it seems there is no rhyme or reason as to why someone received instant confirmation while others do not....  

 

Thus...  in your shoes, I’d submit another application.....  (just to be sure and just for the hell of it !).

I'll submit the application again.  

 

My flight and hotel dates are flexible and can be changed for free.  Do you recommend pushing back the departure date to give more time for the application?

 

I saw one reply that said the less urgent travel  dates take longer to process. Even two weeks seems pretty urgent to me.

 

 

 

 

 

[underthesky]

25 minutes ago, RandolphGB said:

I'll submit the application again.  

 

My flight and hotel dates are flexible and can be changed for free.  Do you recommend pushing back the departure date to give more time for the application?

 

I saw one reply that said the less urgent travel  dates take longer to process. Even two weeks seems pretty urgent to me.

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't change any booking dates. I'd wait another 5 days and if no success, I'd pay an agent to push the application through.

[hamdan5485]

You may try the numbers below

 

 

 

[RandolphGB]

3 minutes ago, hamdan5485 said:

You may try the numbers below

 

 

Yup, when someone finally answered they said they only dealt with ASQ 

[richard_smith237]

15 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

I'll submit the application again.  

 

My flight and hotel dates are flexible and can be changed for free.  Do you recommend pushing back the departure date to give more time for the application?

 

I saw one reply that said the less urgent travel  dates take longer to process. Even two weeks seems pretty urgent to me.

As I understand it Thailand Pass aims to provide approval within 7 days....  (obviously thats not the case with your initial application). 

 

As you plan to travel on 21st Jan you still have plenty of time - I see no need for you to push back your dates & no harm in making a duplicate application. 

[hamdan5485]

6 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Yup, when someone finally answered they said they only dealt with ASQ 

Another way is to contact the consular section of thai embassy in your country. That what the advice given to me by the embassy staff in Kuala Lumpur. I got my QR the next day after l seek help from the consular in KL. Somehow they will help to push our TP to the approving team in Bkk. 

[DFPhuket]

I applied on Jan 4 for a Jan 15 arrival. I submitted a second application on Jan 6. I received two approvals an hour apart on Jan 9. 
 

This is my third Sandbox. I agree with what others have mentioned - they review in the order of those traveling earliest. There is likely nothing wrong and yours will slowly reach the top of the pile. 

[ncc1701d]

My 18 and 16 year old applied independently and received hkt sandbox in 2 hours and 8 minutes. There are people going to do a washout in hkt for 21 days to get back to hkg that have said they got it in under 10 minutes. My kids used the Thai axa insurance - not sure if that makes any difference or not. 
 

I believe you can just reapply without any issues - but not 100% sure on that.

[Jaymatheson]

20 hours ago, hamdan5485 said:

You may try the numbers below

 

 

 

Thailand Pass does not approve Phuket Sandbox applications.  It goes through their website but the permit is issued through the Phuket government.... via an office / entity in Nakhon Si Thammarat.  Calling Thailand Pass won't help... they'll pass you on to a rabbit hole of telephone games which will eventually work if you're persistent, clever and fluent in Thai.

 

My experience / understanding, Thai Embassies won't help you until the last minute.... day before travel.

[Sheryl]

Reapply, or use an agent (or both)

[stigar]

5 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Reapply, or use an agent (or both)

This agent help.They are serious and it only cost 596 SEK

www.thaipass.net

[Sheryl]

Actually, I forgot to mention but agent can often untangle an altrady pending application without need to reapply.

 

@ThaiVisaCentre cost is under 3,000 baht

[RandolphGB]

5 hours ago, ncc1701d said:

My 18 and 16 year old applied independently and received hkt sandbox in 2 hours and 8 minutes. There are people going to do a washout in hkt for 21 days to get back to hkg that have said they got it in under 10 minutes. My kids used the Thai axa insurance - not sure if that makes any difference or not. 
 

I believe you can just reapply without any issues - but not 100% sure on that.

How long before flying did they apply?  Some people saying it seems to make a difference

[Timbob]

I applied on 5th January and have yet to be approved either. My flight to Phuket is on 26th.

 

I'm not overly concerned as I think it's logical that they approve those who are flying first. That said, I would like confirmation sooner or later for peace of mind.

 

Please update the thread if you get approval. I will do likewise.

[ncc1701d]

6 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

How long before flying did they apply?  Some people saying it seems to make a difference

They applied 10th and flying 15th (arriving 16th)

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

 truth is that the sandbox application system is broken. it just does not work.

i had the same problem as yours. was waiting and waiting and waiting until my flight date

arrived and i lost 8000 baht as result of cancellations.

no phone not email worked. second application did not work.

i created a post on this site called "horror story of my thailand pass application",

you can read all about it.

at the time i applied, mid december, i even had help from thai people in thailand who

tried to help me complete a payment on PSAS for PCR,but they coluld not do it because THE WEB SITE DOES NOT WORK, as the site support addmited in an email to me.

if you are just coming to a holiday - forget about thailand and take your money elsewhere.

we do not deserve this treatment.

at least we deserve a REJECTION  email , which in my case did not arrive until today.

they simply are too lazy to send REJECT email or to tell you what the hell is their problem

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 1/12/2022 at 7:32 AM, richard_smith237 said:

Its taken too long.... Make another application (no harm in applying more than once). 

 

Ensure the following: 

- Do not use a hotmail account (they’ve historically been problematic with the Thailand Pass site)

- Ensure after the initial application you receive an e-mail from [email protected] conforming your registration / application.

- IF no confirmation of registration / application e-mail has been received, your application was not correctly submitted. 

 

 

- Submit Hotel SHABA Booking certificate 

- Submit PSAS Booking / Payment receipt

- Submit 50k (min) insurance certificate

- Submit Vaccine Certificate 

all your advices here are not valid, as you could learn from my post "HORROR STORY OF MY PASS APPLICATION".

the reality is that the PASS application system is broken / corrupt and the applicant will not even get

any email or response to a phone call until the day of his flight departure.

so what to do?

just forget about thailand until they fix it.

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

5 hours ago, Timbob said:

I'm not overly concerned as I think it's logical that they approve those who are flying first

you cannot tell how they work or think.

in my case they simply did not reply at all until i lost my flight.

and yes, i did send a second application and they ignored it too (got the registration

numbers on both requests but no more).

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 1/12/2022 at 7:36 AM, Don Chance said:

They process them in order of urgency.. When is your departure date?

that is not true. you have no way how they process them and if they process them at all.

what they promise on their web site is to give an answer within 3-7 days.

they do not even mention if they mean 7 working days.

in my case i was waiting 15 days and....no reply at all !! on both applications !!

later ichecked on CHECK MY STATUS link which seem to work sometimes,and saw no record

of my application (few days before it said "under consideration").

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

14 hours ago, DFPhuket said:

they review in the order of those traveling earliest. There is likely nothing wrong

this is not true.

i know few cases who received NO REPLY AT ALL

just gone with the wind until their flight date came

[Timbob]

32 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

you cannot tell how they work or think.

in my case they simply did not reply at all until i lost my flight.

and yes, i did send a second application and they ignored it too (got the registration

numbers on both requests but no more).

That sucks. What a nightmare.

 

I guess I'm relaxed at the moment but I won't be in a week's time if I've not heard anything. I'm definitely not paying for an agent. I've waiting 20 months so worst case scenario I'll wait longer.

 

It did say "3 to 7 working days" so I'm still within that, but only just.

[texanaust]

I applied on the 4th and received approval yesterday for Feb 21st.  I submitted a second application on the 12th because I forgot to upload the PSAS receipts (used same email address).  My approval was given without the hotel being paid in full surprisingly.  I was about to do a third application after paying the hotel, but was approved before the hotel replied to me.  

[RandolphGB]

On 1/13/2022 at 6:56 AM, Sheryl said:

Actually, I forgot to mention but agent can often untangle an altrady pending application without need to reapply.

 

@ThaiVisaCentre cost is under 3,000 baht

Approval received within 24 hours of using this service to take on the case.

 

Thank you  for the recommendation.

 

I recommend anyone using Thailand Pass do through an agent as the fee is  tiny and well  worth it compared with the stress of waiting and not  knowing why,  or if you have done anything wrong.

[RandolphGB]

22 hours ago, Timbob said:

I applied on 5th January and have yet to be approved either. My flight to Phuket is on 26th.

 

I'm not overly concerned as I think it's logical that they approve those who are flying first. That said, I would like confirmation sooner or later for peace of mind.

 

Please update the thread if you get approval. I will do likewise.

If you are still waiting, I recommend the agent  mentioned in previous posts. They sorted mine out in under 24 hours. Approval here now, so the peace of mind is well worth it for 3000 baht.