Cabinet okays 9-month visas for foreigners

[MRToMRT]

It's gotta start somewhere so why not this way. I see this just as a transitionary measure. Another 2 or 3 months and it will either be more flexible or closed down completely. 

 

If I get the opportunity I will return on this system but somehow I don't think its gonna work re the numbers. Simply not enough ASQ rooms. Gonna be a cat fight if only 1200 a month. Theres also the issue of the deputy FM saying China, Korea and other local nations can support Thailand fully re tourist needs.

[bwpage3]

23 minutes ago, phetphet said:

They think all these well heeled tourists are going to spend big. Only problem is half the things or places they would like to spend on are closed.

 

 

The majority of well off tourists don't go to Thailand ever.

 

Monaco yes, Thailand no!

[Peterw42]

5 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

Is there any guarantee it will be extended 100% each 90 days or is it up to each immigration office to approve the extension?

 

If you did not want to live in Thailand the full 12 months, this might be a good thing for those folks that are retired and can afford to live in Thailand and in their home country.

 

 

 

 

I get the feeling this visa will only be around for a short time, to meet the immediate covid situation. I doubt it will stay on the books as an ongoing option.

[vermin on arrival]

22 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

From Bangkok Immigration phone hotline last week: visas that have a sticker/stamp in passport (the visa stamp, not arrival stamp) can be extended for 30 days at the time. Those that don't have stamp (visa-free entry), need to leave the country before or after 26 September. There are some exceptions, like for medical reasons or no flights available - but these require a certificate/letter.

I think that's the same as what was posted on this very forum, and there was no suggestion of any changes to above coming.

 

Called for someone else asking the question (who entered half a year ago on 30 days stamp - no visa of any kind - and used amnesty after that), as there is no embassy of that country in Thailand. Was told he would have to find a flight and leave by 26 Sep or would be on overstay from "day that his stamp expired"... I'm not sure that's correct, so I didn't bother posting, and rather waited for someone else to post something. I mean if that were true, then anyone who leaves on 27 September would already get charged 20k baht and banned for 6 months overstay... can't be...

Actually I was referring to Sheryl's comment about whether these special visas are able to be switched to and used by people currently in country on amnesty. I have US embassy letter as a fallback as well as the usual bribery route through a special fixer agent for a long stay visa (that many have done) as potential fallback options, but thanks....

 

Also for those on amnesty overstay will not start until Sept 27...I'm sure that other comment was incorrect.

Edited September 15, 2020 by vermin on arrival

[elliss]

2 hours ago, Nicknoodle said:

Are there any different rules about funds for this visa? 

 

 Spot on . 

            Thai people , 14 days in quarantine , costs 40,000 .

             Foreigner / alien , up to 200,000 Thb .

              Sounds , fair enough to me ..

[tomazbodner]

2 minutes ago, vermin on arrival said:

Actually I was referring to Sheryl's comment about whether these special visas are able to be switched to and used by people currently in country on amnesty. I have US embassy letter as a fallback as well as the usual bribery route through a special fixer agent for a long stay visa (that many have done) as potential fallback options, but thanks....

It has just been approved by cabinet today. Let's wait a couple of days to see the fine print...

[Peterw42]

I dont get why everyone appears to be so negative about this visa, I have 6-8 friends cheering about it.

They can come back to Thailand, they can be here in 2 weeks time, they can quarantine at home, they can stay 9 months.

It coincides with Thai airways starting up charter flights from the major places.

[Peterw42]

1 minute ago, elliss said:

 

 Spot on . 

            Thai people , 14 days in quarantine , costs 40,000 .

             Foreigner / alien , up to 200,000 Thb .

              Sounds , fair enough to me ..

This new visa, you can quarantine at your own home

[elliss]

1 minute ago, Peterw42 said:

This new visa, you can quarantine at your own home

 

      You are , fortunate to own your Home .

       Suggest , you read the small print . 

      My wife , owns the House , i paid for ...

        

[Ganesh108]

12 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

The majority of well off tourists don't go to Thailand ever.

 

Monaco yes, Thailand no!

Not entirely true. I know some very rich Indians who often visit to Phuket. Sometimes by private plane. The 1000+ $ / day for a discreetly located posh villa are nothing for them.  But of course they're a tiny minority.

[polpott]

31 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I think I said "people I've worked with".

And I think I said the majority of posters haven't worked in Thailand.

[mybeat]

5 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

I dont get why everyone appears to be so negative about this visa, I have 6-8 friends cheering about it.

They can come back to Thailand, they can be here in 2 weeks time, they can quarantine at home, they can stay 9 months.

It coincides with Thai airways starting up charter flights from the major places.

Not everyone is negative, I would do 2 week ASQ in a heartbeat if only commercial flights were available and maybe no test before flight (this one is doable but a huge pain/risk).

 

People will always itch, can't change that ????

[Peterw42]

3 minutes ago, elliss said:

 

      You are , fortunate to own your Home .

       Suggest , you read the small print . 

      My wife , owns the House , i paid for ...

        

You dont have to be the owner, you can basically quarantine where you live

 

• Evidence of long-term residence in Thailand such as hotel reservation, rental contract in traveller’s name or that of family members residing in Thailand or title deed of a purchased unit.

Edited September 15, 2020 by Peterw42

[HaleySabai]

So,that's all the breaking news coming from the Cabinet meeting today?....no discussion around that 'A'-word?...is it safe to conclude the 'A'-word has been buried?

[vermin on arrival]

1 minute ago, HaleySabai said:

So,that's all the breaking news coming from the Cabinet meeting today?....no discussion around that 'A'-word?...is it safe to conclude the 'A'-word has been buried?

At least for this week.

[elliss]

14 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

I get the feeling this visa will only be around for a short time, to meet the immediate covid situation. I doubt it will stay on the books as an ongoing option.

 

        Much the same as, Big Joke .

         He done well for himself . Cushy office job ..

[Peterw42]

There appears to be no mention of the $100k insurance requirement, hopefully that has been dropped.

[Peterw42]

There appears to be no mention of the $100k insurance requirement, hopefully that has been dropped.

[elliss]

3 hours ago, PatOngo said:

They are only one way............. from China! ????

 

 Whuan Airlines , now offer special fares,  on re-patriate, fights .

   Virus on Arrival ..

 

Edited September 15, 2020 by elliss

[vermin on arrival]

4 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

There appears to be no mention of the $100k insurance requirement, hopefully that has been dropped.

maybe...details will be forthcoming this week I think.

[Sheryl]

22 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

I dont get why everyone appears to be so negative about this visa, I have 6-8 friends cheering about it.

They can come back to Thailand, they can be here in 2 weeks time, they can quarantine at home, they can stay 9 months.

It coincides with Thai airways starting up charter flights from the major places.

 

I very much doubt they can come in on this visa in just 2 weeks time. They are talking, optimistically, of maybe October. And likely limited to only countries with low COVID transmission.

 

And then there is the delay in getting a COE to consider with all the associate hoops (insurance, COVID test, ASQ booking)

 

They definitely cannot quarantine at home, that is clear. Must book into an ASQ facility for 14 days at own expense (40K on up).

[Ganesh108]

50 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

From Bangkok Immigration phone hotline last week: visas that have a sticker/stamp in passport (the visa stamp, not arrival stamp) can be extended for 30 days at the time. Those that don't have stamp (visa-free entry), need to leave the country before or after 26 September. There are some exceptions, like for medical reasons or no flights available - but these require a certificate/letter.

I think that's the same as what was posted on this very forum, and there was no suggestion of any changes to above coming.

 

Called for someone else asking the question (who entered half a year ago on 30 days stamp - no visa of any kind - and used amnesty after that), as there is no embassy of that country in Thailand. Was told he would have to find a flight and leave by 26 Sep or would be on overstay from "day that his stamp expired"... I'm not sure that's correct, so I didn't bother posting, and rather waited for someone else to post something. I mean if that were true, then anyone who leaves on 27 September would already get charged 20k baht and banned for 6 months overstay... can't be...

This is very interesting re. the sticker / visa thing. I was told at another immigration that I could not extend the visa. Did Bangkok immigration specify that one also needs an embassy letter in this case? My useless embassy does not supply the letter.

Edited September 15, 2020 by Ganesh108

[stuarty]

32 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

This new visa, you can quarantine at your own home

It doesn't say that...

 

Here are the basic published provisions approved today…

1. A foreigner who wishes to travel to stay for a long period (Long-stay travel) in Thailand.

2. A foreigner who has acknowledged they are willing to comply with Thailand’s public health measures in Thailand, and agree to conduct a state quarantine at an Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALSQ) for 14 days.

 

3. A foreigner who provides evidence of long-term residency in Thailand, including evidence of payment for the hotel accommodation or hospital accommodation that provides Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) service in Thailand and at least one piece of the following evidence…
• Proof of payment for hotel accommodation or hospital accommodation after the state quarantine
• A copy of ownership of an apartment or condominium belonging to foreigners or family members of foreigners
• A copy of a rental license or deposit payment of the purchase of apartment, condominium, or house by foreigners in Thailand

[NorthernRyland]

2 hours ago, Totoandlilly said:

I don't understand, but Thailand have nothing to loose to let people already in the country

They've never been willing to make a visa on the premise "you're not married or 50+ and you can afford to live in Thailand for months/years on end because you have money or an income stream which originates outside of the country" so it stands to reason they don't want to allow this now.

 

Why? Maybe because it would be embarrassing to the elites that Thailand is actually a cheap country and therefore more wealthy countries can afford to take advantage of this. I'm pretty cynical recently and it would not surprise me in the slightest if this was all about face. Another possibility is they simply don't want us around for too long because we offend or upset them in some other way.

[thinktoomuch]

2 minutes ago, genericptr said:

They've never been willing to make a visa on the premise "you're not married or 50+ and you can afford to live in Thailand for months/years on end because you have money or an income stream which originates outside of the country" so it stands to reason they don't want to allow this now.

Isn't that what the Elite visa is?

[MRToMRT]

2 minutes ago, genericptr said:

They've never been willing to make a visa on the premise "you're not married or 50+ and you can afford to live in Thailand for months/years on end because you have money or an income stream which originates outside of the country" so it stands to reason they don't want to allow this now.

 

Why? Maybe because it would be embarrassing to the elites that Thailand is actually a cheap country and therefore more wealthy countries can afford to take advantage of this. I'm pretty cynical recently and it would not surprise me in the slightest if this was all about face. Another possibility is they simply don't want us around for too long because we offend or upset them in some other way.

 I am not sure its because they don't like us per se. I think they don't like the stereotype of us. They have no reason to dislike us on an individual basis because they have few dealings with us in country. I think they like the types that they deal with on their overseas sojourns but we (farangs in Thailand) are largely associated with our poor stereotype and manners.

 

In truth many farangs (I am not saying you or me) have exactly the same negative views of Thais be they elites or normal joes. You just have to read a lot of the Thai bashing that goes off on this forum. I would estimate 80% of all posts in the news section are derogatory to Thais or Thailand in one way or another. 

[Peterw42]

23 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I very much doubt they can come in on this visa in just 2 weeks time. They are talking, optimistically, of maybe October. And likely limited to only countries with low COVID transmission.

 

And then there is the delay in getting a COE to consider with all the associate hoops (insurance, COVID test, ASQ booking)

 

They definitely cannot quarantine at home, that is clear. Must book into an ASQ facility for 14 days at own expense (40K on up).

 

11 minutes ago, stuarty said:

It doesn't say that...

 

Here are the basic published provisions approved today…

1. A foreigner who wishes to travel to stay for a long period (Long-stay travel) in Thailand.

2. A foreigner who has acknowledged they are willing to comply with Thailand’s public health measures in Thailand, and agree to conduct a state quarantine at an Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALSQ) for 14 days.

 

3. A foreigner who provides evidence of long-term residency in Thailand, including evidence of payment for the hotel accommodation or hospital accommodation that provides Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) service in Thailand and at least one piece of the following evidence…
• Proof of payment for hotel accommodation or hospital accommodation after the state quarantine
• A copy of ownership of an apartment or condominium belonging to foreigners or family members of foreigners
• A copy of a rental license or deposit payment of the purchase of apartment, condominium, or house by foreigners in Thailand

Apologies, I got that from facebook and, appears its a bit of misinformation

Edited September 15, 2020 by Peterw42

[NorthernRyland]

5 minutes ago, thinktoomuch said:

Isn't that what the Elite visa is?

yes, that's correct but I'm not turning over 15k USD though. Again Thailand is cheap and that's why we're here. If I was more successful I would come to Thailand as a tourist and far less often because I would have a better situation in another more advanced country. Thai elites simply don't understand who are the types of people that are willing to live in their country, and we don't have 15k USD to just toss out.

[polpott]

13 minutes ago, stuarty said:

It doesn't say that...

 

Here are the basic published provisions approved today…

1. A foreigner who wishes to travel to stay for a long period (Long-stay travel) in Thailand.

2. A foreigner who has acknowledged they are willing to comply with Thailand’s public health measures in Thailand, and agree to conduct a state quarantine at an Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALSQ) for 14 days.

 

3. A foreigner who provides evidence of long-term residency in Thailand, including evidence of payment for the hotel accommodation or hospital accommodation that provides Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) service in Thailand and at least one piece of the following evidence…
• Proof of payment for hotel accommodation or hospital accommodation after the state quarantine
• A copy of ownership of an apartment or condominium belonging to foreigners or family members of foreigners
• A copy of a rental license or deposit payment of the purchase of apartment, condominium, or house by foreigners in Thailand

Yellow book?

[elliss]

3 hours ago, polpott said:

Quality tourists only need apply.

     Correct ,

  With proof of a substantial amount of cash  800K . comes to mind .

Deposited , in a  Goverment, approved Thai bank account ...

 

 

Edited September 15, 2020 by elliss