Date: 21 January, 2023
I write this one day after taking my COVID test (my results came back negative) and the night before I head back to India. I was in the middle of my vacation in the Philippines when the news broke late December that the Indian government announced those visiting Thailand, would have to show a negative test results from an RT-PCR test and fill out the Air Suvidha form as a requisite before landing in India. (Children under 12 years of age are exempted; see rules)
Considering I was going to be spending 6 days in Bangkok — not transiting — I had no choice but to find a clinic from where I could get an RT-PCR test done. I thought of going to a government hospital but when I tried making some calls, the answers or voice recordings were only in Thai, so it didn’t help and I had little time to run around.
I was staying near Phrom Phong BTS station but the private clinics near me were charging obscene amounts of money for RT PCR tests. Pulse clinic, 3250 baht (Rs. 8k!), and Pathlab, 2800 baht (Rs. 6940). I had no inclination to spend that much for a COVID test, so I searched on Facebook and a few Indian travelers in some groups suggested a private clinic called MedConsult. And as my luck would have it, they were located just 1.2kms from my hotel!
Their website was advertising RT PCR test for 1000 baht (Rs. 2400). Still not as cheap as the prices we pay back in India for the same test but way better than paying three times more elsewhere.
If you are taking the BTS metro service, you need to get off at Phrom Phong station.
I decided to walk it after booking my appointment online. By the way, you don’t have to pay anything online. You only pay at the clinic on the day of your visit.
I followed the Google Maps path on my phone and you first arrive here:
The ‘M’ logos I highlighted in the above photo are MedConsult’s logos. You need to go up to the second floor.
Pretty much all the staff speak good enough English to guide you.
I paid the 1000 baht fee (they accept cash as well as credit cards) and walked in for my test. After three years since COVID began… this was first time doing a COVID test. Oddly enough, I got tested outside India!
By the way, MedConsult does accept walk-ins but if you did not book your appointment online, you have to do the form filling on your phone after scanning a QR code and then wait your turn. It will save you a lot of time to just fill out your details when making the appointment online prior to your visit.
After coming in for my 11:45am appointment, I got my results via email (the report is a PDF file) by 5:40pm that same evening. Fortunately my test results came out negative or “not detected” (is how they wrote it).
Back in my hotel, I uploaded the PDF test result and filled out the Air Suvidha form. Once completed, the Air Suvidha websites generates a PDF that is your ‘self declaration form’. Travellers to India need to show this self declaration form upon arrival at an Indian airport. The form maybe shown on your phone or you may take a print out. I asked my hotel’s front desk to take a print out of both my negative test result and the Air Suvidha self declaration form, just to save me time upon arrival.
UPDATE: I am adding this section here to give my readers a first hand view of what I experienced at both airports.
When I went to check-in for my Indigo flight from Suvarnabhoomi airport, IndiGo staff were there to inspect your documents.
One fellow printed out the IndiGo airlines self declaration form — no, that is NOT what you need to show. You must show the self declaration form which you get after you fill out the Air Suvidha form online. Printing out both the Air Suvidha self declaration and your negative RT PCR test will save you a lot of time at the time of checking in. You will not be allowed to check-in unless you show both these documents!
Bengaluru airport officials were checking every passenger’s documents.
Even though the above photo shows vaccination certificates, I took out mine and the staff lady said “no, not needed”. If you did not take RT-PCR test, you must go to the airport testing center to undertake the test.
Since I showed everything they asked for, I was given the go ahead to head straight to immigration. I was out of the airport in just 15 minutes after that.
I hope other Indians find this blog post helpful when searching for where to get a RT PCR done in Bangkok without having to spend so much. But I do recommend, if you are near a government hospital in Bangkok, try there first. You may not even have to pay 1000 baht at a government hospital.
