Does Test & Go Thailand Pass over land from Laos STILL require PCR test?

[AventurasEnMadrid]

Hello:

 

I am already approved for a land travel Thailand Pass arriving by land from Laos on the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai this Monday, March 21. 

 

When I applied, the rules stipulated that I have a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival. HOWEVER, I am now seeing that several YouTubers are claiming that the rules have changed and a PCR test is no longer necessary.

Could somebody please confirm this is accurate, that I DO NOT need a PCR test for my Monday crossing? I have emailed the Thailand Pass email address but have not yet received a response.

Thank you for your help.

Best Wishes.

[ubonjoe]

There are ongoing discussions about not requiring a RT-PCR test before entering the country but it has not been finalized.

I think you should plan on getting the test done. 

[AventurasEnMadrid]

59 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

There are ongoing discussions about not requiring a RT-PCR test before entering the country but it has not been finalized.

I think you should plan on getting the test done. 

Thank you for the always reliable information, sir.

[internationalism]

khasod english on the fb page some 2h ago:

"The government on Friday announced that it will do away with mandatory RT-PCR tests 72 hours prior to entering Thailand starting April 1".

[Maestro]

And from Thai PBS World, as quoted in https://aseannow.com/topic/1253975-thailand-drops-pre-departure-rt-pcr-tests-for-overseas-arrivals-allows-songkran-celebrations/

 

 

"The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has agreed to cancel the requirement for pre-departure RT-PCR tests for international arrivals, effective from April 1st..."

 

[ba ba]

dose not the airline and insurance comp require the test too

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, ba ba said:

dose not the airline and insurance comp require the test too

Some airlines may still require the covid 19 test before boarding the flight to here.

I am not aware of any insurance company requiring the test.

Even if the airline and Thailand does not require the test before traveling to here I think I would do at a least a antigen test before traveling to be more certain you are not infected and testing positive when arriving here,

[ba ba]

a friend is going over on the 23 march and AXA have told him to go and have the test done here in australia and sent him an adress of where he has to get it done he can not go to a public one

[ubonjoe]

54 minutes ago, ba ba said:

a friend is going over on the 23 march and AXA have told him to go and have the test done here in australia and sent him an adress of where he has to get it done he can not go to a public one

That would be the required RT-PcR test before arriving here that is still in effect until April first.

[RedReding]

Does this mean that if we apply for a Thai Pass today and you're due to cross the Nong Khai border after the 1st of April that the PCR test on departure won't be necessary ?

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, RedReding said:

Does this mean that if we apply for a Thai Pass today and you're due to cross the Nong Khai border after the 1st of April that the PCR test on departure won't be necessary ?

A RT-PCR test would not be required when entering Thailand on the first 1st of April or after.

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Even if the airline and Thailand does not require the test before traveling to here I think I would do at a least a antigen test before traveling to be more certain you are not infected and testing positive when arriving here,

 

I fully agree with this but I would make that a PCR test - the problem with antigen tests is they will often miss infection in the earliest stages, and on arrival in Thailand you will get a PCR test. So still a good chance of a positive result even if you had a negative antigen test, if you were in earl;y days of infection.

 

The consequences of testing positive once in Thailand can be very  expensive and unpleasant.

[RedReding]

Right, thanks.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

I fully agree with this but I would make that a PCR test - the problem with antigen tests is they will often miss infection in the earliest stages, and on arrival in Thailand you will get a PCR test. So still a good chance of a positive result even if you had a negative antigen test, if you were in earl;y days of infection.

 

The consequences of testing positive once in Thailand can be very  expensive and unpleasant.

There is a flaw in that logic. A PCR test taken 48 hours in advance is much less likely to reveal a positive test "in the early stages" than an antigen test done on the morning of your departure. (Use a lateral flow test if possible.) In fact, although the PCR test has much higher sensitivity, by the time you would receive a positive PCR test, viral replication is so rapid that it is only a few hours until any decent antigen test would be positive also. By all means, go for a PCR test if using the modern processing methods that can give results in a couple of hours (typically rather expensive) but use a 15 minute antigen test (preferably lateral flow) if the alternative is a PCR test giving results 24 hours or more later.

[BangkokReady]

So the Laos land border is open?

[sqwakvfr]

Not to  crash the party but if you transit in a third county a PCR or an Anti-gen test could still required.   For the instance used to have  Singapore had a 48 hour PCR test requirement just to transit.  Things could be different now but after April 1 check to confirm whether or not the transit country has a Covid test requirement or not.  

[ba ba]

after april if you didn't have a RT-PCR test won't that give the insurance companies 1 more reason to wipe you ?, and dose anyone know when you have to show your insurance policy is it before you board your flight , to be on the safe side i think i would still get a test

[RedReding]

Quote

Hello:

 

I am already approved for a land travel Thailand Pass arriving by land from Laos on the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in Nong Khai this Monday, March 21. 

 

When I applied, the rules stipulated that I have a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival. HOWEVER, I am now seeing that several YouTubers are claiming that the rules have changed and a PCR test is no longer necessary.

Could somebody please confirm this is accurate, that I DO NOT need a PCR test for my Monday crossing? I have emailed the Thailand Pass email address but have not yet received a response.

Thank you for your help.

Best Wishes.

it would be great if you could share your experience with us after you successfully crossed the border... Also, I'd be curious to know how you got approved to cross the border by land via the Thai Pass as i'm trying to do exactly the same thing.

 

Which hotel did you book in Thailand ? Was it in Nong Khai ? I tried to book one from the list of SHA EXTRA+ resorts available on the Thai Pass Website (VANA Welness Resort) but the person I talked to at the hotel was completely clueless and kept talking about a COE I should provide as well as Certificate of Covid Recovery... Completely clueless.

 

Looking forward to your answer.

[Sheryl]

8 hours ago, ba ba said:

after april if you didn't have a RT-PCR test won't that give the insurance companies 1 more reason to wipe you ?, and dose anyone know when you have to show your insurance policy is it before you board your flight , to be on the safe side i think i would still get a test

 

You have to show insurance to get the Thailand Pass in the first place. Airline may or may nto also check it before boarding.

 

I don't see how not getting a PCR before boarding would affect insurance, the big problem people have with insurance is that it pays only for medically necessary care and not for hotel quarantine or hospitalizations that are medically unnecessary (both of which may be mandated by the Thai authorities if you test positive on arrival here). etc. For which reason it is certainly wise to still get a test before boarding.

[chricha]

My understanding is that the Test & Go for Visa Exempt changes back to one night in SHA+ with a PCR test on April 1st and then a subsequent RAT on day 5.
But how does this work when arriving by land from Laos?
When arriving at BKK (or HKT) the transport is waiting to convey you to the hospital and then the SHA+ hotel to await the result. (Still recommend at least a RAT test before departing for peace of mind but the airlines may still require PCR for their safety!) 

Do they trust you to comply by Land or is it Policed?

 

Supplementary question. I plan to have an extended stay from mid April to end of May in Thailand.

So I will need to renew my 30 day exempt visa during this time.

Prior to COVID (2019) I crossed the border at Mae Sot into Myanmar for an hour and came back but that is not a great idea since the coup!

I also crossed at Huai Kon (very boring drive and area) into Laos in December 2019 as it's also feasible from Khao Kho where my family lives.

 

Is crossing into Laos for a visa renewal option still available and if so will I need to go through the Test & Go PCR test again?

Is Nong Khai open as it's not too far from Khao Kho? Huai Kon may be closed due to COVID restrictions.

Any advice appreciated.

Edited March 20, 2022 by chricha
supplement

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, chricha said:

Supplementary question. I plan to have an extended stay from mid April to end of May in Thailand.

So I will need to renew my 30 day exempt visa during this time.

It seems you are not aware that you can visit an immigration office and get a 30-day extension of your permission to stay for 1,900 baht. Unless you are right next to a border, this will probably be cheaper, even without all the current Covid mandated extra expense.

[Dart12]

both Laos and Thailand are allowing land crossing's now (or soon)?

[audaciousnomad]

1 hour ago, Dart12 said:

both Laos and Thailand are allowing land crossing's now (or soon)?

Laos to Thailand....but not yet Thailand to Laos.

Have not heard of anyone who has done this crossing, but it's available.

Need Chrome browser to translate the page, and scroll down about half way as the first half is for Thais.

https://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/2022/03/4999/

 

[ba ba]

17 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

You have to show insurance to get the Thailand Pass in the first place. Airline may or may nto also check it before boarding.

 

I don't see how not getting a PCR before boarding would affect insurance, the big problem people have with insurance is that it pays only for medically necessary care and not for hotel quarantine or hospitalizations that are medically unnecessary (both of which may be mandated by the Thai authorities if you test positive on arrival here). etc. For which reason it is certainly wise to still get a test before boarding.

thanks for the answer, the reason i don't trust them , plus i was just reading the instuctions for the Antigen rapid test and at the end it said there is a 50/50 chance of a ( a false negative )

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, ba ba said:

thanks for the answer, the reason i don't trust them , plus i was just reading the instuctions for the Antigen rapid test and at the end it said there is a 50/50 chance of a ( a false negative )

All the rapid antigen tests are different. They vary in terms of sensitivity and specificity. It is known that the Thai authorities purchased some very low quality tests from China. China does have some better tests, and there are also good tests available from South Korea, Switzerland and other countries. If possible, research specific tests before buying. If you feel unable to do so, pick a test manufactured in Switzerland or South Korea. The information leaflet with the test states the sensitivity (probability of a positive result when you are actually infected) and specificity (to simplify, the probability that a positive result is genuine). I go for tests with high sensitivity, and worry less about false positives (which I can deal with by follow up tests if necessary).

[KhaoNiaw]

17 hours ago, audaciousnomad said:

Laos to Thailand....but not yet Thailand to Laos.

Have not heard of anyone who has done this crossing, but it's available.

Need Chrome browser to translate the page, and scroll down about half way as the first half is for Thais.

https://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/2022/03/4999/

 

In Facebook groups like Laos in the Time of Covid, there seem to be people making the journey both ways. Need COE, visa, booking etc. to get into Laos. Seems as though people are picked up on the Thai side and driven over to their quarantine hotel. 

Edited March 21, 2022 by KhaoNiaw

[chricha]

20 hours ago, BritTim said:

It seems you are not aware that you can visit an immigration office and get a 30-day extension of your permission to stay for 1,900 baht. Unless you are right next to a border, this will probably be cheaper, even without all the current Covid mandated extra expense.

Thanks heaps BritTim!

I was vaguely aware this was possible but previously travel was the incentive for the border crossings.

This time with the Thai regime's COVID xenophobia I think the extension will be the best choice by far.

So a trip to Phitsanulok for my visa extension and my wife can get a new Thai passport there as well.  

 

I have now firmed up my travel plans as my wife needs me there very soon due to family issues.

She and my son have a return ticket dated 31st May.
I intend to leave on the 3rd April and return with them on the 31st.

 

By my calculations I will need to get a visa extension by the 2nd May which is day 30 since arrival.

2nd May lists as Labour day in the Public holidays - will Immigration be closed on this day?

If I go on the 3rd May (day 31) will it be OK? or should I delay my departure for a day or two for safety?

Can the extension be obtained prior to the end of the 30 days and added on or must be on the last day to get the full 30 day extension?

 

I could also apply for a tourist visa for 60 days from the Thai Embassy in Canberra Australia where I live.

But the paper work is onerous (the form https://canberra.thaiembassy.org/wp-content/uploads/V3Tourist-VISA-COVID-FORM-NEW-WEBSITE.pdf) and almost duplicates the Thailand Pass requirements. The upside is it's slightly cheaper at $60 (about 1400 baht) but takes about 5 business days plus snail mail time.

Edited March 21, 2022 by chricha
supplement

[audaciousnomad]

1 hour ago, KhaoNiaw said:

In Facebook groups like Laos in the Time of Covid, there seem to be people making the journey both ways. Need COE, visa, booking etc. to get into Laos. Seems as though people are picked up on the Thai side and driven over to their quarantine hotel. 

Nice. Package deal through a Laos agency? 

[problemfarang]

On 3/19/2022 at 7:50 PM, BangkokReady said:

So the Laos land border is open?

nong khai is open but only from laos side. So you need to fly to vientiene and then can cross the border by land.

Edited March 21, 2022 by problemfarang

[ubonjoe]

46 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

nong khai is open but only from laos side. So you need to fly to vientiene and then can cross the border by land.

You can cross to Vientiane if you are part of tour group from the info I have read about it.