Embassy Letter when your Embassy WON'T give it to you!! How to extend???

[madmen]

2 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

They did, indeed. By sending evacuation planes to pick them up and take them home.

At 5000 dollars a head from Peru! No price gauging going on there

[Olmate]

1 minute ago, tomazbodner said:

They did, indeed. By sending evacuation planes to pick them up and take them home.

Qantas and Virgin are apparently doing evac flights to London,LA,Hong Kong and Auckland but nothing to this region ! Carrying freight outbound ,contact the airlines for details

[Olmate]

2 hours ago, madmen said:

From my embassy oz email last week

 

If you require a letter from us to support your visa extension for Thailand, we will happily do so if you can prove to us that you are a long term resident. If that’s the case, 

A pal contacted Embassy staff by phone today, yes today,re retirement ext letter, asked him to email a request .Said they were very accomodating but extremely busy.

[madmen]

2 minutes ago, Olmate said:

A pal contacted Embassy staff by phone today, yes today,re retirement ext letter, asked him to email a request .Said they were very accomodating but extremely busy.

What does a letter mean, a 30 day extension or a 12 month extension or what? I guess we will find out when someone does it

[samsensam]

9 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

As said - you are requested/expected to return to home country ASAP as has been the mantra for a month or more by most countries to their traveling nationals.  

 

agreed, tourists have had, and do have, the opportunity to return home, e.g. there are daily flights to the uk for any brits, if an existing ticket cannot be rescheduled then a new ticket can be bought, there are some crazy prices but if you book around 5-7 days ahead you have been able to get flights 450GBP - 650GBP. i see some brits claiming they are stranded in thailand... unless they have no money (in which case how can they survive in thailand anyway?) or a medical condition preventing them flying they are choosing to stay, they are not stranded.

[DrJack54]

24 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

They did, indeed. By sending evacuation planes to pick them up and take them home.

Any available tomorrow? When in Thailand did these evacuation planes do their rescue missions.

I'm not saying your wrong. I never heard of any. Just give update of flights bkk to Oz now. 

I live bkk so all this no issue for me. 

On March 16 flew back from Saigon to Bangkok. On that day it was announced Singapore had started 14 day self isolation.

BTW all flights cancelled Saigon to Singapore that day except first 2.

Back to Bangkok, I was still thinking I would be returning Saigon in next 3 weeks.

(We all know how quickly Vietnam acted).

I had flight to Osaka march 18. That flight already cancelled. The gf said no problem let's go Phuket. I almost did. If had flown their I would be stuck 100% in Phuket. 

Fortunately I ended up on closed island.

Point of long story, this whole thing changed by the hour at that time.

Having said that AU gov were saying for LONG time GET BACK AU NOW.

Many foolish people have not. 

BTW early march Oz PM stated code 100. Do not travel. Over following 2 weeks 16,000 AU citizens flew out of Australia.

 

[Olmate]

36 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Any available tomorrow? When in Thailand did these evacuation planes do their rescue missions.

I'm not saying your wrong. I never heard of any. Just give update of flights bkk to Oz now. 

I live bkk so all this no issue for me. 

On March 16 flew back from Saigon to Bangkok. On that day it was announced Singapore had started 14 day self isolation.

BTW all flights cancelled Saigon to Singapore that day except first 2.

Back to Bangkok, I was still thinking I would be returning Saigon in next 3 weeks.

(We all know how quickly Vietnam acted).

I had flight to Osaka march 18. That flight already cancelled. The gf said no problem let's go Phuket. I almost did. If had flown their I would be stuck 100% in Phuket. 

Fortunately I ended up on closed island.

Point of long story, this whole thing changed by the hour at that time.

Having said that AU gov were saying for LONG time GET BACK AU NOW.

Many foolish people have not. 

BTW early march Oz PM stated code 100. Do not travel. Over following 2 weeks 16,000 AU citizens flew out of Australia.

 

Sure PM announced return now advice but it wasn,t early March,think it was 17th, agree anyone leaving Oz then was foolish. However some flights were available from Bkok to Oz till late March and don,t forget many booked early April flights only to have them cancelled.We know how that ended up...a credit not cash back. Now what’s so hard to schedule some flights Bkk to Oz I wonder?

[bbi1]

2 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

They did, indeed. By sending evacuation planes to pick them up and take them home.

Something that the Oz government would never do, as has been written on the homepage of their embassy website.

 

 

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, Olmate said:

Sure PM announced return now advice but it wasn,t early March,think it was 17th, agree anyone leaving Oz then was foolish. However some flights were available from Bkok to Oz till late March and don,t forget many booked early April flights only to have them cancelled.We know how that ended up...a credit not cash back. Now what’s so hard to schedule some flights Bkk to Oz I wonder?

Agree. My reply was to someone suggesting Oz gov had organized evacuation planes. He won't reply because never happened. In another thread France did do exactly that. 

IMHO if some countries such as France asked folk in Thailand to register and return home things would be achievable.

My thinking most Au want just stay in Thailand and claim they have no choice.

Only a guess, but I think half living in Thailand on the old visa exempt border entry combo. 

[Kalasin Jo]

Perhaps the point here is that the availability of this emergency extension needs to be widened,  the extension itself lengthened and paperwork removed by the Thai authorities? This is an unprecedented and dangerous world-wide health crisis. Perhaps they will. Most  countries have closed their immigration facilities to avoid personal attendances and avoid unintended overstay by simply granting amnesties. France for example has granted a currently 3 month amnesty on all expiring visas. 

 

Take my situation here, if you want to read on. I won't be offended if you don't as I've made my pitch above

 

I'm now on a 60 day extension to my 90 day permission granted on entry back in January using  my non O multi entry based on marriage and the visa itself expired shortly after entry. I'm not a tourist, I'm visiting my wife. So what happens when this extension expires on 9 June?

 

I had planned on going to Savanakhet for a new 12 month visa, this week, returning with another 90 days permission. Then Laos closed its borders and I believe shortly before that the Thai Consulate there started asking for a medical Covid clearance certificate and insurance anyway. So I got the 90 day extension at my IO last week.

 

I had also planned to leave for France at the beginning of May, taking my wife with me as we have done many times. Neither looks likely right now. At least I can now postpone leaving without overstaying until early June if necessary. But if shutdowns and border closures continue, what then?

 

First there is the problem of getting to Swampy now for both of us unless things are more normal than now.

 

For her additionally because although she has a visa valid until August France is only allowing its nationals and residents to enter and she is neither.  If that continues she doesn't want me to leave here until she can.

 

I am a Brit with French residency so can enter, although currently might need medical clearance and would have to isolate for 14 days once there.  I have flights with a transit stop to Paris, not yet cancelled or changed by it or by me, even though the airline is not currently operating any flights. It is saying it intends to resume on 1 May out of Bangkok. Even if I  get to Paris there is currently the problem of getting from the airport there to my  French home which under normal circumstances is a straightforward 3 hour journey by train and the last bit by car with a friend picking me up. At the moment there are no trains due to the French lockdown. A friend is not permitted to pick me up, even if willing. A taxi all the way might be possible if a taxi will take someone just arrived from a Covid affected country but at 300 plus km of travel normally horrendously expensive. Now?!? And particular documents are currently required for the whole journey in France.

 

So both  an international and national journey that was simple before Covid is now fraught with problems and uncertainties. It is not simply a matter of getting a flight out!

 

I hope the Thai authorities will recognise the problems farangs, not just tourist farangs, are facing and show rather more flexibility and sympathetic grace. So far, even for farang tourists, as Rooster has said in his weekly round up. they appear to be being, deliberately or not, cruel as well as putting their own officers at considerable risk of infection and exacerbating the spread.

[lee b]

8 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

was that for 30 day extensions or ALL extensions?

Sorry I was only refering to 30day tourist extensions, I am unaware of rules for other visa types.

[lopburi3]

13 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

agreed, tourists have had, and do have, the opportunity to return home, e.g. there are daily flights to the uk for any brits, if an existing ticket cannot be rescheduled then a new ticket can be bought, there are some crazy prices but if you book around 5-7 days ahead you have been able to get flights 450GBP - 650GBP. i see some brits claiming they are stranded in thailand... unless they have no money (in which case how can they survive in thailand anyway?) or a medical condition preventing them flying they are choosing to stay, they are not stranded.

Actually some have valid money issues as airlines have taken money and they have not been refunding - some have paid for up to 5 tickets and had all canceled and no refunds yet so indeed they may be very short of money.  This is a time when home government should be making such reservations and providing a means for payback later or at least putting real pressure on airlines to refund.  

[bahtty]

45 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Actually some have valid money issues as airlines have taken money and they have not been refunding - some have paid for up to 5 tickets and had all canceled and no refunds yet so indeed they may be very short of money.  This is a time when home government should be making such reservations and providing a means for payback later or at least putting real pressure on airlines to refund.  

Although this thread isn't relevant to me, I thought Id read it out of interest.

 

I have had 4 flights cancelled over the last month, and am waiting on a decent amount to be refunded, one of which could take up to three months disgracefully. The money due would easily cover a month in Thailand, maybe 2 if budgeted correctly, so I completely agree with your point.

 

A friend of mine, has had two flights cancelled, and isn't getting a refund, only a travel voucher, although that is in America, so possibly not relevant.

[worldfun]

11 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Perhaps the point here is that the availability of this emergency extension needs to be widened,  the extension itself lengthened and paperwork removed by the Thai authorities? This is an unprecedented and dangerous world-wide health crisis. Perhaps they will. Most  countries have closed their immigration facilities to avoid personal attendances and avoid unintended overstay by simply granting amnesties. France for example has granted a currently 3 month amnesty on all expiring visas. 

 

Take my situation here, if you want to read on. I won't be offended if you don't as I've made my pitch above

 

I'm now on a 60 day extension to my 90 day permission granted on entry back in January using  my non O multi entry based on marriage and the visa itself expired shortly after entry. I'm not a tourist, I'm visiting my wife. So what happens when this extension expires on 9 June?

 

I had planned on going to Savanakhet for a new 12 month visa, this week, returning with another 90 days permission. Then Laos closed its borders and I believe shortly before that the Thai Consulate there started asking for a medical Covid clearance certificate and insurance anyway. So I got the 90 day extension at my IO last week.

 

I had also planned to leave for France at the beginning of May, taking my wife with me as we have done many times. Neither looks likely right now. At least I can now postpone leaving without overstaying until early June if necessary. But if shutdowns and border closures continue, what then?

 

First there is the problem of getting to Swampy now for both of us unless things are more normal than now.

 

For her additionally because although she has a visa valid until August France is only allowing its nationals and residents to enter and she is neither.  If that continues she doesn't want me to leave here until she can.

 

I am a Brit with French residency so can enter, although currently might need medical clearance and would have to isolate for 14 days once there.  I have flights with a transit stop to Paris, not yet cancelled or changed by it or by me, even though the airline is not currently operating any flights. It is saying it intends to resume on 1 May out of Bangkok. Even if I  get to Paris there is currently the problem of getting from the airport there to my  French home which under normal circumstances is a straightforward 3 hour journey by train and the last bit by car with a friend picking me up. At the moment there are no trains due to the French lockdown. A friend is not permitted to pick me up, even if willing. A taxi all the way might be possible if a taxi will take someone just arrived from a Covid affected country but at 300 plus km of travel normally horrendously expensive. Now?!? And particular documents are currently required for the whole journey in France.

 

So both  an international and national journey that was simple before Covid is now fraught with problems and uncertainties. It is not simply a matter of getting a flight out!

 

I hope the Thai authorities will recognise the problems farangs, not just tourist farangs, are facing and show rather more flexibility and sympathetic grace. So far, even for farang tourists, as Rooster has said in his weekly round up. they appear to be being, deliberately or not, cruel as well as putting their own officers at considerable risk of infection and exacerbating the spread.

Good post with valid travel current issues. However in coming months things are likely to normalize more or less so I think we just need to pass current 1-2 months & travel will be more or less back to normal ????

 

 

I'm in similar situation as you with 1 year Non O multi from Laos ????

Luckily I just got latest visa in January so now my current 90 days is due to expire & with the usual border run seem impossible how do I extend? You were able to get another 90 days at local IO? I heard normally 60 days extension in country is possible but 90 days?
What kind of docs needed? Need to bring wife?

 

Finally any ideas of borders reopen partially interested for Myanmar(Ranong) or Malaysia? And subsequent entry back to Thailand (without covid entry restrictions as at airports)?
Thanks ????

[TigerandDog]

21 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

I've also just fired off an email to Senator Payne making her aware of this dispicable behaviour by the aussie embassy. Hopefully she will act on it.

Here's the reply received from Dept of Foreign Affairs, and as you can see they have got it completely wrong.

 

"Thank you for your email.

 

As per the below screenshot taken from the homepage of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok’s website, there is no fee for this service and it is available only by email at [email protected].

 

 

 

Kind regards

 

Alexandra Crofton

Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women

Suite M1.49 Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600

T: (+61) 02 6277 7500