A Long, Long List

Here is a list of the requirements we each needed to travel to Thailand during COVID-19 + requirements for our TEFL program for teaching abroad. The list itself may not be long, but it sure felt like it while we tried to figure out how to safely and affordably acquire all the necessary documentation.

• A valid passport (can’t go far without one of those)
• A negative RT-PCR (Rapid COVID Test) no more than 72-hours before our first flight (can’t get on a plane with COVID – don’t worry, we’ve been vaccinated, but still)
• A Certificate of Entry (COE) – which cannot be obtained until the following are first obtained:
  • Proof of Travel Medical Insurance of up to $100,000 dollars in COVID coverage (quantity specific to our program)
  • Proof of Vaccination with name, current address, and passport number (of course, no state vaccination record had our passport number – states can’t really require that for vaccination when so many people don’t have passports – but it seemed to work out)
  • Proof of SHA+ accommodation (our regulated quarantine hotel)
  • SHABA ID (given once your SHA+ booking is confirmed and needed to schedule the following PCR tests and enter Thailand)
  • Proof of three purchased and scheduled RT-PCR tests to be taken upon arrival and throughout our 14-day quarantine (we’re quarantining on a resort island through Thailand’s “Sandbox” program – can travel all over the island, just can’t leave it for 14 days, except on the days we receive our PCR tests: those three days we have to quarantine for 24 hours in our hotel room)
  • Proof of Flight Reservations with arrival date and location of entry (we’re doing our best to avoid Bangkok right now – that’s where the worst of their COVID numbers are)
  • Picture of a valid passport
• ThailandPlus App or another of its kind (to track possible COVID-19 interactions)
• A local background check (for potentially working with minors in school)
• Our original diplomas with our university degrees (to prove we did actually graduate from a university)
• Our official transcripts from our university (to see how competent as students we were?)
• Transportation from Phuket (our quarantine resort island) to Chiang Mai (the city of our training and school placement – a distance of 980 miles by land and 754 miles by plane)
• Proof of onward travel (out of Thailand after our 40-day tourist period has expired)

There’s probably something I’ve forgotten. As we begin our travels I’m sure we’ll quickly discover if there’s anything we missed on the documentation side of things. If new requirements come up or I remember anything I missed, I’ll add them here, so keep an eye out for updates!

If we forgot anything important, you can probably look forward to reading all about it as a separate blog post. Possibly under a title like, “Entering a Foreign Country Without…”

Cross your fingers, say a prayer, or send us good vibes for smooth travels!

Updates from Thailand soon!