The information in this article is being constantly updated and supplemented. We are monitoring the situation and will post the latest information as soon as possible.
There are currently 3 options to get into Thailand: through quarantine in Bangkok (no vaccination), no quarantine in Phuket (with vaccination), no quarantine in Samui (with vaccination). We have described each in detail in our article.
The Thai Ministry of Health approved the Sputnik V vaccine for quarantine-free entry into Phuket and Samui on August 17, 2021.
Quarantine restrictions due to COVID-19 have made adjustments to the vacation plans of many Russians. A number of countries have restricted entry to their territory, including Thailand, a favorite of Russian tourists. In February 2022, it is difficult but not impossible to enter the country of sun and smiles. In this article you can find information about how to enter Thailand today and what are the problems that the Russians and citizens of CIS countries may encounter.
The main restriction for Russians to enter Thailand in 2021 is compulsory 14-day quarantine (7 days for inoculated, if you arrive in Phuket or Samui), which will have to spend in one of the special hotels. A sandbox option is available for tourists.
>How to get to Phuket without quarantine through the Phuket Sandpit + Test&Go program
Phuket is open to vaccinated foreign tourists starting July 1, 2021.
August 16, 2021, the Thai Ministry of Health approved the Russian vaccine Sputnik V!
In the Phuket Sandpiper program, Thailand is ready to receive tourists from 78 countries. Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are among them. The full list of countries is shown in the image below.
Update: Starting Oct. 1, 2021, vaccinated tourists from any country can fly in under the Phuket Sandpiper program.
List of allowed countries to enter
List of Allowed Countries for Entry. Document dated September 22, 2021.
The opening of Phuket to tourists is the first step in a program to gradually open free entry to Thailand. So far, more than 90 percent of the island’s residents have received 2 doses of the vaccine.
What-to-do-before-departure
Vaccination
To get to Phuket you should vaccinate at least 14 days before departure and receive a certificate in English. For Russian citizens this can be done on Gosuslugi.
List of vaccines approved by the Ministry of Health of Thailand:
- Sputnik V
- ASTRA ZENECA
- CoronaVac/Sinovac;
- Janssen (Johnson&Johnson)
- MODERNA;
- Vero Cell, Inactivate COVILO (SINOPHARM);
- Vero Cell, Inactivate COVILO (SINOPHARM)
- COMIRNATY VACCINE (PFIZER);
- COVISHIEL (SINOPHARM)
- COVISHIELD (ChAdOz1_nCoV-19);
Please note that other Russian vaccines (Sputnik Light, EpiVac, CoronaVac) are not on the list. Those vaccinated with these vaccines will not get into Thailand under the Sandbox program.
Children under 12 years of age do not need a vaccination certificate, a negative PCR test will suffice. Children from 12 to 18 years of age will need to take an additional Rapid test on arrival, the vaccine is not required.
The vaccine is not required.
Insurance
When you have your vaccination certificate in hand, it’s time to take out insurance.
You can fly to Phuket under the Sandpiper program with valid insurance, which includes COVID-19 insurance with coverage of $50,000. The policy must be active for the duration of the trip. This policy can be taken out online in a couple of clicks.
When selecting the criteria, remember to check that “COVID-19 disease assistance” is checked and the amount of insurance coverage is from $50,000. The cost of a monthly insurance with the right conditions will be 4000-5000 rubles per person.
Hotel SHA+
The next step is booking a hotel in Phuket. After your arrival in Phuket you will need to spend 7 nights in a special hotel which meets SHA+ standards. At the moment there are 433 such hotels in Phuket in different parts of the island. Prices start from 1000 rubles per night.
If you are arriving under the Test&Go program (available from February 2022) you can only book the hotel for 2 nights – the night of arrival and the 5th night of stay in Phuket. Keep in mind that if you arrive after 6pm local time, your arrival day is considered “zero”, i.e. you need to book a SHA+ hotel for the first 2 nights and the 5th night.
Important! A complete list of approved direct-booking hotels is available on Hotellook. Note that the hotel name must have SHA+ in it. You can additionally check if the hotel is approved to accommodate quarantined tourists here. If the hotel is on this site, you can safely book it. After booking the hotel, you have to contact the hotel representatives directly by mail (the contacts will be listed in your reservation) or in the Agoda chat and ask them for a SHABA booking confirmation and information about prepayment of the PCR test. As of December 2021 the SHABA system has been abolished, a confirmed reservation from the hotel or a reservation from an aggregator site is now sufficient. Please note, reservations must be paid in full in advance!
And here’s a list of the top 10 verified SHA+ hotels to quarantine. We recommend reading the selection and booking a stay at one of them. These hotels have been verified by hundreds of tourists who have managed to quarantine here.
Pay for PCR tests
In Phuket, you will have to take two PCR tests. The first on arrival at the airport and the second on the 5th day of your stay in Thailand. You have to pay for the tests in advance, before you submit your documents to Taipas, on this website.
You will be given a QR code at the airport to check your score. It usually takes 6-12 hours to get your results.
After you receive your first negative test, you are free to move around the island.
Airline tickets
Then you need to buy tickets. From Russia to Phuket fly S7 and Ural Airlines. You can also fly with connections, the most convenient ports of call are Istanbul/Doha/Dubai/Singapore. Don’t forget that the entire itinerary must fit within 72 hours, after passing the PCR test.
Passing ThaiPass
After you have collected all the documents you will need to obtain a ThaiPass. To obtain it, you will need:
- vaccination certificate;
- paid airline ticket booking
- confirmation of payment for 2 PCR tests;
- Paid SHA+ hotel reservation.
Flight authorization is processed through this link. The system generates a QR code with the permit to fly. Without this QR code you will not be allowed on the flight.
Keep in mind that processing a certificate of entry can take up to 14 days. We recommend that you gather all the documents and request the permit in advance.
After you receive the certificate you only need to take the PCR test before departure and remember to print all the documents.
What to do when you arrive in Phuket
- Clear customs and border control. At this point you should have the following app installed: link for Android, link for iOS. Fill in all the information you need.
- The first PCR test will be taken when you arrive at the airport.
- After taking the test, go to your hotel. You can only be transferred through the SHA+ hotel where you have booked your stay. If the hotel does not provide a shuttle service, you can pay for it at the arrival area. The cost depends on the area you wish to travel to, and is between 600-1000 Baht.
- Wait for the results of the first test in your hotel room. If the result is negative, you are free to travel around the island.
Hereby note, that even though you should be free to travel around Phuket after the first test, you should only stay 7 nights in a SHA+ compliant hotel that you have booked.
On the 5th day of your stay at the quarantine hotel, you will have to take a second PCR test. The test you chose when you paid for the tests on the website from the item above. If the result is negative, you are free to travel throughout Thailand without restriction.
How to get to Samui without quarantine with samui plus program
The procedure for arriving to Koh Samui without quarantine is similar to that of Phuket. You also need to get a ThaiPass (entry permit), and for this you will need: certificate of vaccination, airline ticket booking, hotel reservation. But there are some nuances.
Flight to Samui
Tourists must arrive at Koh Samui Airport on a direct international flight, i.e. from another country. Transfers in Bangkok are only permitted on approved Bangkok-Samui flights the flight numbers PG5125/ PG5151 or PG5174.
Bangkok connecting flights must be booked in one booking. This is important because individually booked tickets do not work.
Tickets with Bangkok must be on the same reservation.
Hotels on samui during quarantine period
There are several categories of quarantine hotels on Samui – standard SHA+ and hotels with COVID-enhanced Samui Extra+ protocols. For the first 7 nights you need to stay in a SHA+ hotel.
Full list of hotels available for SHA reservations here.
How to get into thailand through quarantine in bangkok without vaccination
If you don’t plan to get vaccinated and need to get into Thailand, there is an option to do so through an alternative 14-day strict quarantine, without being able to leave your room for the entire time.
Step 1: Obtaining COVID-covered insurance
Thailand lets travelers in with valid insurance, which includes coronavirus insurance with coverage of $100,000 or more. The policy must be active for the entire duration of the trip. Such a policy can be taken out online in a couple of clicks.
The policy can be taken out online in a couple of clicks.
When selecting criteria, be sure to check that “COVID-19 Disease Assistance” is checked and the amount of coverage is $100,000. The cost of a month’s insurance with the right conditions will be 5000-6000 rubles per person.
The cost of a month’s insurance with the right conditions.
Step 2: Issuing a certificate of entry (COE)
The certificate is processed online and received electronically. It takes about two weeks to process, so we recommend that you submit all necessary documents in advance. You will need a scan or photo of your passport and COVID-covered insurance for the dates of travel, which we arranged in the last step. The application is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and here you will find clear instructions in Russian on the process of obtaining the certificate.
Step 3: Booking a quarantine hotel
When insurance is processed and a certificate of entry is obtained, you can get busy booking a hotel. As of April 1, 2021, the mandatory quarantine period has been reduced from 15 days to 10 days, and to 7 days for vaccinated tourists.
The mandatory quarantine period has been reduced from 15 to 10 days.
UPD: As of May 1, 2021, quarantine is again increased to 14 days, whether you have a certificate of vaccination or not.
Weekly quarantine is available to travelers vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine. Sputnik-V is not one of them, so Russian citizens will have to spend 14 days in quarantine in any case.
Weekly quarantine is available to tourists vaccinated with WHO-approved vaccine.
At the moment, 69 hotels in Thailand are ready to accommodate tourists in quarantine. 62 of them are located in Bangkok, 5 quarantine hotels in Pattaya and 2 on the island of Phuket.
The most convenient way to get to a hotel is to stay in the city.
The best way to choose a hotel is via the Hotellook. website. You will find a list of all the quarantine hotels in Thailand ready for you to book on your dates.
step 4: Take a PCR test for COVID-19
You need a negative PCR test for coronavirus in English to be allowed on the flight. The test must be done no earlier than 72 hours before departure.
Step 5: Buying airline tickets
Step 6: Putting flight and accommodation information on the certificate of entry
The COE certificate we received in step 2 needs to additionally include a copy of the flight and quarantine hotel reservation information.
Additional step: Visa processing
Visa-free entry for up to 30 days is possible for Russian citizens. These conditions are still valid, but if you are planning to stay for a longer period it is recommended to apply for a tourist visa for Thailand.
After you have gone through all the preparatory procedures, it’s just a matter of a small thing – to get on the plane and arrive in sunny Thailand. Upon arrival you will be asked for a Certificate of Entry, passport, negative COVID test (original), insurance, hotel reservation.
Quarantine hotels arrange transfers for their guests, so once you get through customs, look for someone who has a sign with your name on it.
How much will it cost to get to Thailand in 2022?
Let’s calculate how much it would cost to travel to Thailand during the current coronavirus restrictions.
No vaccination with ALQ quarantine
- Insurance: 5500 rubles
- PCR test: 2000 rubles.
- Airfare (round trip): 50000 rubles, direct flights Aeroflot on the route Moscow-Bangkok-Moscow.
- Quarantine hotel: from 60000 rubles.
- Country airfare and hotels for the remainder of the holiday: at your discretion.
Total amount comes to around 117500 rubles for one person and 175000 rubles for two. The main item of expenditure is the quarantine hotel, in the calculations we took the accommodation with the lowest cost of passing the quarantine.
With vaccine-sandbox program
- Insurance: 5500 rubles
- PCR test on departure: 2000 rubles.
- PCR tests in Thailand: 10000 rubles.
- Tickets (round trip): from 40000 rubles.
- SHA+ hotel: from 2,000 rubles (2 nights stay on the Test&Go program)
The total amount is about 60000 rubles per person, which in general is not very different from the dock prices.
In terms of bureaucracy, the procedure for preparing to fly to Thailand is simple – everything can be done in 1-2 days without much running around.
When will Pattaya open for the Russians
On May 27, 2021 the mayor of Pattaya said at a press conference that by the 4th quarter of 2021 more than 70% of Pattaya’s population will be vaccinated, allowing the doors to open to foreign tourists without quarantine. A vaccination procedure (2 doses) will be a prerequisite. According to preliminary data, the Sputnik V vaccine will also qualify.
When will Thailand fully open for tourists from Russia?
If you have read this article and realized that you are not ready to fly under the current conditions, all you have to do is wait. The Thai government is working on a plan to gradually open the country to tourists, but there are no specific dates yet.
It depends on many factors and could change 100 more times. To stay up to date, we recommend that you save this page as a bookmark and check back periodically for new information. We are monitoring the current situation and will update the material as the rules of entry change.
Fresh news about thailand opening
- April 21, 2021:The planned opening of Phuket to foreign tourists on July 1 may not take place. The reason is the third wave of coronavirus in the kingdom of Thailand. More than 1,500 new infections are recorded daily.
- The third wave of coronavirus in the kingdom of Thailand.
- May 1, 2021: Mandatory quarantine increased to 14 days for all tourists.
- May 16, 2021: Phuket and Samui are scheduled to open to vaccinated tourists from July 1 with a reduced (3-day) quarantine.
- May 27, 2021: From October 1, 2021, Pattaya will cancel quarantine for vaccinated tourists, including those from Russia.
- June 4, 2021:Emirates and Qatar Airways have added flights to Phuket to their flight program.
- August 17, 2021: Thailand’s Ministry of Health has approved the Sputnik vaccine for entry without quarantine.
- August 19, 2021: Thailand’s Foreign Ministry has added Ukraine to the list of countries allowed to enter under the Sandbox program
- September 22, 2021: Thai Foreign Ministry has added Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to the list of Sandbox countries allowed to enter
- September 22, 2021: Thai Foreign Ministry has added Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to the list of Sandbox allowed countries
- October 9, 2021:The mandatory quarantine under the Sandbox program is reduced to 7 days, the number of mandatory PCR tests is reduced to two.
- December 2021: The Sandbox program can now only fly to Phuket. Samui has been reopened for Sandbox arrivals.
- February 2021: Only Phuket is now available.
- February 2022: Phuket has reopened the Test&Go program to all countries.