@Stuart ********

: Good point. I will check that with the hotel before booking. Thanks for the advice and all your help!

Great. I arrive in Bangkok at 5:50 AM on December 26th. So I guess its pretty safe to take an afternoon flight the next day. 😊

@Stuart ********

: Thank you for the confirmation. I think that I will spend my first night in Bangkok and then continue onward to Phuket (where my hotel is already booked for 7 days). Hopefully the PCR test will come back early the next day so that I can catch an earlier flight into Phuket.

@Jean-Sébastien ********

: I am booked directly via Swiss Air, and there is supposedly no change fee. However, I do have to cover fare changes from the time I booked.

I will compare the option of delaying by one day vs the option of cancelling.

@Stuart ********

: Thanks Stuart. I guess I will have to update my travel plans. From your response, I understand that this constraint (must fly directly into Phuket) applies even in the case of the Sandbox scheme (i.e., 7 days). Is my understanding correct?

Thanks for the update! I think I will need to do the same thing then. Ugghh.

@Brett *********

: The 60 day tourist visa (TR) is actually a better option for stays under 60 days. You can apply online, and the conditions/criteria are a lot easier for the TR than for the STV.

@Stuart ********

: My best bet was finally to apply for the 60 day tourist visa (TRV). Very easy to apply for online (via e-visa), and this way I don't have to change anything to my tickets which were already booked.

@Chan ************

: Not necessary, at 60 day Visa is the same price as the 30 day extension on the Visa exemption. Its also a lot more convenient. You can do the whole thing online and not have to waste any time going to an immigration office in Thailand.

@Bobby *******

: I finished doing my Thailand pass application, and nowhere does it ask anything about Visas. So, I don't think that the Thailand Pass approval process checks into Visas. All it looks for are the following:

PassportCertificate of Vaccination

Paid AQ / SHA+ hotel reservation confirmation (including the fee for one RT-PCR test)

Insurance with minimum coverage of 50,000 USD

However, I decided to apply for the 60 day visa via the online system. Its much less hassle than having to extend the visa exemption in Thailand, and the cost for the two options is the same.