Thailand welcomes foreign tourists again as “Test&Go” scheme relaunched today under new requirements

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I think it could be surmised that you are dealing with adults who have more emotional development, than what we have here. Here, we have an extreme fear and loathing of expats, on the part of a highly toxic immigration bureau. 

 

For this and other reasons, not only are tens of thousands of expats leaving, or planning their exit, but the silly proposals to attract wealthy expats to come and live here will never work. 

Well said, I totally agree.

Immigration appear to hate and despise the very people that provide the reason for their continued employment.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

13 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I renewed my retirement extension and files a new 90-day report a week past Monday. Took about 20 minutes. The drive to and from immigration was longer.

 

YMMV

You obviously lead a charmed life!! Not everyone is so lucky!

[Bangkok Barry]

It isn't Test and Go. It's Test and Go and Come Back and Test and Then Maybe Go. Very different to before. But I guess it's the famous Thai Same Same But Different.

[Bangkok Barry]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Well said, I totally agree.

Immigration appear to hate and despise the very people that provide the reason for their continued employment.

And you can judge how seriously they take 'us' by employing so few who speak anything other than Thai, when the vast majority of their 'clients' do not.

[Pheat123]

49 minutes ago, worldexpress said:

The moment you think they can't out dumb themselves, they surprise you. ???? You have to give credit for their never ending creativity. In the main article, it says "wearing a facial mask is highly mandatory in all public areas."  I didn't realize there were different levels of mandatory. ????

Don’t forget it is Thai law to mandatory wear a face mask whilst riding a motorcycle at 50 miles an hour

you couldn’t make this sh it up 

[overherebc]

Today there is a report ( can't name the newspaper ) that the hotel has to verify the bookings for T&G within 30 hours.

Who do they verify it to and does that mean the 'pass' won't be issued to the applicant until 30 hours have passed, or am I looking at it the wrong way?

[dade7812]

I'm going to go to Philippines instead.  None of this insanity of testing upon entry nor any special hotels to take my money. 

[Lemonltr]

In the meantime Denmark has cancelled every law or regulation concerning covid. Back to prior covid times. 

They only ask that the population take care but can decide for themselves. 

[Eaglekott]

14 hours ago, starky said:

Having a test on the 5th day after being free to roam the country and thus pick up the virus anywhere is complete insanity. I love the joint but a test on day 5 is surreal particularly in a country where testing positive basically is akin to incarceration 

 

14 hours ago, smedly said:

book hotel 2x nights for PCR testing on 1st and 5th day 

 

after the 1st test you are free to go out and mingle and get infected 

 

2nd test on 5th day test positive ................................ banged up your 3 week holiday ruined

 

If I Understand this correct the incubation time for Covid is 5 to 10 days, meaning if they is tested positive on day 5 they should have been exposed for the virus before their arrival to Thailand.

[starky]

14 hours ago, mickj88 said:

Someone should let the Thai embassy know, the UK embassy still has no link to application for test and go. We booked a flight on Dec 19th for the Mrs to fly out on Jan 10 only for them to cancel all applications from Dec 20th which stopped going as the confirmation didn't arrive before we could get hers in. That has cost me over £200 and now we have to pay for another test costing a further £100 so all in all at present I'm going to be  £300 down. No doubt the flights will be more expensive now too. I read all the time on here, people banging on about the tourists , what about the poor Thais trying to get home to see their families. Poor lass hasn't seen her ailing mum for 3 years  and unless they relax the entry restrictions then I may never see my mother in law again. If I go in April as originally planned I cant afford to stay in BKK for 6 days waiting on a 2nd test. There are no SHA+ hotels up in Isaan for me to check into on the 5th day , so 6 days in BKK puts £600+ on to my visit. I doubt the TAT realise that a hell of a lot of their tourists actually arn't  toutists but are spouses and when these spouses visit they spend more than most tourists as they generally  have a weeks holiday and then spend money treating their inlaws. I would guess between the Mrs and myself we spend over £3k in the month we are usually there but that will not happen if its costing us an extra £1k just to get into the place .

Not sure where about in Isaan you are but there are SHA + hotels there. I'm in Udon and there are some there. Also not ideal but you don't have to stay in BKK you could travel back if BKK is that expensive for you

[starky]

9 hours ago, kimamey said:

I think there are some hotels in Khon Kaen. I'll try to find where I saw them

Yep there's definitely a few in Udon as well. Isaan a big place though lol.

[Enoon]

28 minutes ago, starky said:

Not sure where about in Isaan you are but there are SHA + hotels there. I'm in Udon and there are some there. Also not ideal but you don't have to stay in BKK you could travel back if BKK is that expensive for you

SHA+ yes, I spent 2 nights in one in Korat, not as part of COVID regs.

 

But the poster needs a T&G hotel for day 5.

 

I believe that hasn't previously been on offer in the "outer" regions.

 

I'm not sure that it is now.

 

 

 

 

[Chernsarmkhuat]

15 hours ago, smedly said:

book hotel 2x nights for PCR testing on 1st and 5th day 

 

after the 1st test you are free to go out and mingle and get infected 

 

2nd test on 5th day test positive ................................ banged up your 3 week holiday ruined

 

anyone that agrees to this needs their head looked at 

 

there are now 200 positive tests in Phuket every day that are listed as  "from abroad" these are people who test positive within 7 days after arriving in Thailand - over 2000 per week   

Friend of mine, negative test before flying to Phuket, negative test first day, day 5 positive test, locked up in an old mosquito infested hotel. No symptoms whatsoever.  

[richard_smith237]

Just now, Chernsarmkhuat said:

Friend of mine, negative test before flying to Phuket, negative test first day, day 5 positive test, locked up in an old mosquito infested hotel. No symptoms whatsoever.  

And more than likely picked it up from someone in Thailand. 

 

I know loads of people in Thailand who have caught Covid-19 locally - thus, IF doing the ’Test & Go D1, D5’  it probably makes sense to keep a very low profile before the day 5 test. 

 

----

 

That said: Did your ‘friend’ doing the 1 Night Test & Go with a Thailand Pass which was approved before 22nd Dec ? (i.e. only has to do 1 night Test & Go and then a PCR test at hospital on Day 5 - no need for a day 5 SHA++ hotel)...   As applications for the ’Test & Go D1, D5’ has only started from 1st Feb - so theoretically the only ‘Day 5’ers’ are going to be tested on 8th Feb at the earliest.

 

 

 

[Hanuman2547]

3 hours ago, superal said:

It is set up to favour the Thai authorities  to gather farang money after the day 5 testing positive . A further 14 day quarantine with more pcr tests totalling in excess of 100,000 baht has already happened. If you are fully vaccinated a 7 day quarantine in Bangkok ( that is what I have just done ) or the Phuket sandbox deals are a better bet IMO . The Phuket deal , I would stay somewhere out of the way to avoid the virus which is being reported in bigger resorts e.g. Patong 

Yes, it is all set up by the Thai authorities in order to extract as much money from foreign tourists as possible.  They should also include a free BTS and MRT pass to all visa exempt tourists.  That way they could ride crowded trains and further increase their chances of testing positive the next time they need to take a test at the 5 day mark or when boarding a plane.  A nice quarantine hotel or hospitalization would help fill the government coffers.  

[starky]

34 minutes ago, Enoon said:

SHA+ yes, I spent 2 nights in one in Korat, not as part of COVID regs.

 

But the poster needs a T&G hotel for day 5.

 

I believe that hasn't previously been on offer in the "outer" regions.

 

I'm not sure that it is now.

 

 

 

 

I might be getting mixed up with the terminology here but are sha+ not test and go hotels as well technically? 

 

[steven100]

2 hours ago, dade7812 said:

I'm going to go to Philippines instead.  None of this insanity of testing upon entry nor any special hotels to take my money. 

tell that to  TAT ....   send them an email 

[HappyExpat57]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

the scheme may be slightly complicated

Understatement of the year.

[HashBrownHarry]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

And you can judge how seriously they take 'us' by employing so few who speak anything other than Thai, when the vast majority of their 'clients' do not.

I would suggest that people from neighbouring countries are the vast majority of 'clients', not farangs. They would speak Thai.

[NoshowJones]

16 hours ago, FalangKino said:

Everything to do with immigration in this country is so unnecessarily difficult with many hurdles to do things that really doesn't need to be that complicated.

 

This is probably the only place in the world that lays out the welcome mat but doesn't want to let you come inside.

What else can you expect from a bunch of Military Academy educated tinpot soldiers?

[Neeranam]

16 hours ago, FalangKino said:

Everything to do with immigration in this country is so unnecessarily difficult with many hurdles to do things that really doesn't need to be that complicated..

I totally disagree. Especially for retirees, so easy to get a long-term visa. For example, if I want to go to the US to retire, I need to invest 16 million baht, compared to just putting 800,000 in the bank here. 

[trevoromgh]

If Thailand actually made Test & Go simple for fully vaccinated tourists i.e. one PCR test before you arrive and you're in (i.e. with no hotel and no day 5 test) they could do very well with British tourists especially as Spain and the rest of the EU seem determined to make entering their countries difficult to us right now.

[Neeranam]

2 minutes ago, trevoromgh said:

If Thailand actually made Test & Go simple for fully vaccinated tourists i.e. one PCR test before you arrive and you're in (i.e. with no hotel and no day 5 test) they could do very well with British tourists especially as Spain and the rest of the EU seem determined to make entering their countries difficult to us right now.

It doesn't matter if they are vaccinated, they can still bring in the virus. 

[HashBrownHarry]

49 minutes ago, Hanuman2547 said:

Yes, it is all set up by the Thai authorities in order to extract as much money from foreign tourists as possible

Returning Thais are not exempt, so it's not just tourists that are getting the shaft, it's everyone entering Thailand.

[Mickmouse1]

Can a "well informed ????" person list down the CATCHes?

200,000 visitors X 60,000=$400 MILLION £268 mil PER MONTH????????? Dream on !!

 

[HashBrownHarry]

20 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Understatement of the year.

CoE was worse.

 

It's the same the first time you do anything, perhaps a bit overwhelming but at the end of the day it's only booking hotels / uploading docs / getting a test before travel.

 

It's really not that difficult.

[connda]

They should call it "Empty-Your-Wallet-And-Go".

[newnative]

Still a complicated mess.  Back to the drawing board.

[connda]

7 minutes ago, trevoromgh said:

If Thailand actually made Test & Go simple for fully vaccinated tourists i.e. one PCR test before you arrive and you're in (i.e. with no hotel and no day 5 test) they could do very well with British tourists especially as Spain and the rest of the EU seem determined to make entering their countries difficult to us right now.

Well, the tourist destinations which do offer entry with one PCR test prior to arrival and no further drama will take the tourism market share off of Thailand's greedy hands.
Some people will come - smart tourist (actual tourists) will go where there is no hassle.  And when tourists get use to their new tourism destinations?  They won't be coming back.

[tomyami]

2500 arrivals yesterday on 46 flights thats 54 per flight and 500 of that are flight and cabin crews

All those flights are lose making because of thai complicated money gouging rules for testing, hotel and insurance

Hope people continue to vote with their feet