New Test & Go station eases entry for Malaysian motorists at Sadao border crossing
After a two-year closure due to the pandemic, international travellers can now enter Thailand from Malaysia through the Sadao land border in Songkhla province. A hotel at the border began serving as a Test & Go station from April 1, so that travellers don’t have to commute to the city of Hat Yai for Covid-19 testing. Travellers from Malaysia entering through the border must apply for Thailand Pass, which many of them are forgetting. Since the cancellation of the pre-arrival RT-PCR rest requirement on Friday, they’re no longer required to obtain a negative test before travelling.
Upon crossing the border, arrivals will fill out a screening form and present their passport to register for Covid-19 testing. Arrivals will be tested at Paramount Palace Hotel which is staffed by personnel from Bangkok Hospital Hat Yai. The fees for the test range from 500 to 3,900 baht depending on the package chosen. Once travellers have been tested, they will head to their SHA Extra Plus approved hotel to await the result. Vaccinated travellers will be allowed to leave the hotel once they obtain a negative result. Unvaccinated travellers are required to quarantine in an Alternative Quarantine (AQ) hotel for five days.
It is also now possible to enter Thailand via land borders in Satun, Nong Khai and Udon Thani provinces, or by sea at ports in Surat Thani, Phuket and Chonburi provinces. Travelling from Thailand into Malaysia through the same border is possible, but proof of a negative RT-PCR test taken 48 hours before departure is required. Other requirements include at least 20,000 US dollars of health insurance and proof of at least two doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Unvaccinated travellers can enter Malaysia but are required to quarantine for ten days.
For travellers who have their paperwork ready, the journey from Malaysia into Thailand is fairly simple. Somphon Chiwawatthanaphong, president of the Tourism Council of Songkhla, said all sectors are ready to accommodate travellers from Malaysia and Singapore. The measures in use will contribute to tourist safety, he added.
SOURCE: National News Bureau of Thailand
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