COVID-19 vaccine guide for travellers to Thailand under Sandbox program

By Pattaya Mail
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International travellers, including returning Thais and foreign residents, who are above 18 years of age, planning to travel to Thailand under either the TEST & GO and Sandbox entry schemes must get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with an approved vaccine no less than 14 days before their travel date.

Thailand has approved two additional COVID-19 vaccines for international travellers to Thailand under the Sandbox program. The latest additions are Medigen COVID-19 vaccine or MVC-COV1901 by Medigen, and Sputnik Light by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

International travellers, including returning Thais and foreign residents, who are above 18 years of age, planning to travel to Thailand under either the TEST & GO and Sandbox entry schemes must get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or the World Health Organisation (WHO) no less than 14 days before their travel date. Those travelling to the kingdom under the Alternative Quarantine system, their vaccination status will be the key factor determining their quarantine period.



List of approved COVID-19 vaccines

  1. CoronaVac by Sinovac Biotech Ltd – 2 doses needed / 2-4-week interval;
  2. AstraZeneca or Covishield by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, SK Bioscience (South Korea), Siam Bioscience, and Serum Institute of India (Covishield) – 2 doses needed / 4-12-week interval;
  3. Pfizer–BioNTech or Comirnaty by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech 2 doses needed / 3-week interval;
  4. Janssen or Janssen/Ad26.COV2.S by Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. – 1 dose needed;
  5. Moderna by Moderna Inc. – 2 doses needed / 4-week interval);
  6. Sinopharm or COVILO by Sinopharm Co., Ltd. – 2 doses needed / 3-4-week interval);
  7. Sputnik V by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology – 2 doses needed – 3-week interval);
  8. Covaxin by Bharat Biotech International Limited – 2 doses needed / 4-week interval;
  9. Medigen or MVC-COV1901 by Medigen – 2 doses needed / 4-week interval (Sandbox programme only);

Sputnik Light by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology – 1 dose needed (Sandbox programme only).

Meanwhile, the WHO’s guidance on the COVID-19 vaccines is available here.

Have you been fully vaccinated?

According to the MoPH, travellers are considered fully vaccinated if:

  • They get their second dose of a 2-dose vaccine; such as, the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines, no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand.
  • They get a single-dose vaccine; such as, Janssen vaccine, no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand.
  • In case of mix-and-match vaccines, travellers should get their second dose of a different vaccine within the recommended interval of the first vaccine no less than 14 days before their travel date to Thailand. For example, if the first vaccine is CoronaVac from Sinovac Biotech and the second vaccine is AstraZeneca, the time between the two doses is 2-4 weeks.

Travellers who do not meet these criteria may be denied entry into Thailand.

Thailand has approved two additional COVID-19 vaccines for international travellers to Thailand under the Sandbox program – Medigen COVID-19 vaccine or MVC-COV1901 by Medigen, and Sputnik Light by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.

Requirements for the ‘Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination’

The travellers’ Certificate of COVID-19 Vaccination should contain the following details:

  • Given name and last name;
  • Date of Birth;
  • Nationality;
  • Passport or Identification No.;
  • Name of the COVID-19 vaccine;
  • Vaccination dates;
  • Vaccine manufacturer and lot/batch number;
  • Authorized organization in the country of origin.


Vaccination guidelines for travellers under 18 years and those with the history of infection

  • Travellers 12-17 years of age travelling to Thailand under the TEST & GO entry scheme or the Sandbox program unaccompanied must get vaccinated with at least one dose of an approved vaccine. Those travelling with parents are exempt from this requirement.
  • Travellers 6-11 years of age, travelling with parents, are exempt from this vaccination requirement.
  • Travellers under 6 years of age, travelling with parents with a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours before travelling, are not required to have a pre-arrival negative RT-PCR test result and can have a saliva test when entering the Kingdom.
  • Travellers with the history of COVID-19 infection who have recovered by medical treatments and travellers who have received at least 1 dose of an approved vaccine after post-infection must have a certificate of COVID-19 recovery.
  • *All travellers, except those under 6 years of age, must have a Medical Certificate with an RT-PCR lab result indicating that COVID-19 is not detected issued no more than 72 hours before travelling.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, international travellers should have all of their advance arrangements in good order for arrival and entry. For more information on Thailand’s reopening programs, see: https://www.tatnews.org/thailand-reopening/.

*This information has been updated on 21 February, 2022. (TAT)









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