COVID 19 Related to THAILAND Posts

[dcfc2007]

7 hours ago, Jambo said:

It will make a big difference to me if I wish to visit my family in the UK under the current returning requirements.

The only plus is that having a Thai wife I have a definite right to return.

The downsides are not inconsiderable:

1. On return I will have to pay 40 - 60K for my two week quarantine in one of their designated hotels. That is more than my last return BA flight.

2. I will need to obtain a "fit to fly" certificate from a Doctor within a couple of days of flying. That will not be easy in the UK although I suppose possible if one can get one on a "Private" basis at a price.

3. A Covid19 insurance certificate.

Yes but I don't think its a way of reducing the number of expats or retirees. 

[Toy Boy]

29 minutes ago, dcfc2007 said:

Yes but I don't think its a way of reducing the number of expats or retirees. 

Like every country, they have to make a judgement about the balance between the economic damage being done by continued restrictions, and the even greater damage that would be caused by a second lockdown resulting from probably allowing C19 to arrive with millions of tourists. It's a political decision ultimately, and while some people might feel that they're erring too far on the side of caution it's the Thai government's decision and nobody else's. Personally, I think that Britain has opened up too soon, and it's certain that the US did. As one of the old-fart-wth-pre-existing-condions crowd, I'd sooner they play it safe rather than fast and loose like Boris and Donald. It's just such a shame about the poor Thais who are bearing the brunt of the hardship, the government should be helping them but it doesn't seem to give a fig. 

[Horizondave]

1 hour ago, dcfc2007 said:

Yes but I don't think its a way of reducing the number of expats or retirees. 

Agreed.

Also the retirement visa for many is just that, it's for retirement and many never leave the Kingdom so they won't be affected.

I liked to travel a lot as I had airline concessions so previously I was leaving the country more often than not. If I lived there now I would just find more places to visit within Thailand and wait for this pandemic to subside hoping that entry restrictions would also change.

I think they are just trying to get those numbers of foreigners just enjoying a long holiday in Thailand to leave.

Don't forget guys, anybody returning to the UK from Thailand presently needs to quarantine for 14 days.

 

 

[Esco]

9 hours ago, Jambo said:

It will make a big difference to me if I wish to visit my family in the UK under the current returning requirements.

The only plus is that having a Thai wife I have a definite right to return.

The downsides are not inconsiderable:

1. On return I will have to pay 40 - 60K for my two week quarantine in one of their designated hotels. That is more than my last return BA flight.

2. I will need to obtain a "fit to fly" certificate from a Doctor within a couple of days of flying. That will not be easy in the UK although I suppose possible if one can get one on a "Private" basis at a price.

3. A Covid19 insurance certificate.

This is what you need to do to return when you have a Thai spouse. The fit to fly certificate is indeed required but you also require to do a COVID-19 test before departure. 

Procedure of Applicants 
 
 1. An applicant can contact the Embassy to submit a request for visa (if applicant does not 
have a valid visa) and for a COE for entering Thailand. The required documents are as follows: 
(1) A complete visa application form for a temporary stay visa (Non Immigrant) 
with passport (if the visa is needed) (or passport with visa stamp/ valid re-entry permit from 
the Immigration Bureau) 
 (2) Complete Declaration Form 
 (3) Marriage certificate or 
 (4) Document issued by the government certifying the relationship between a 
non-Thai citizen who is the parent or the child of a Thai national 
 (5) Health insurance with the face amount that covers medical expenses in 
Thailand, which includes COVID-19 medical expenses in the financial amount not less than or 
equal to 100,000 USD 
 2. Once all required documents are submitted and the application is approved, the Embassy 
will issue a visa (if needed) and the Certificate of Entry to the applicant. 
 3. The COE will be given to the applicant ONLY WHEN the Embassy has received a proof of 
confirmed reservation at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility for 14 days. 
 4. Apart from a valid visa, travellers must prepare the following documents in order to enter 
Thailand: 
 (1) COE and Declaration Form with applicant’s signature acknowledging and 
accepting the terms stated therein 
 (2) Medical certificate affirming good health in traveling (Fit to Fly/ Travel Health 
Certificate 
 (3) Medical certificate affirming a negative result of Corona (COVID-19) RT-PCR 
test examined or issued not over 72 hours before departure 
 5. Travellers shall, immediately after entering Thailand, strictly follow the health 
procedures by quarantining at an ASQ for 14 days at their own expense 
* * * * * * * * * * *

[Esco]

I went to the embassy yesterday and informed them we are planning to travel in September.

They asked me not to submit our application yet because once everything is approved you get put on a list and they will put you on the next available repatriation flight basically. 

I'll wait with ours until late August I reckon, and potentially limited commercial flights will be available by then because the embassy hinted as such. 

Edited July 25, 2020 by Esco

[dcfc2007]

16 minutes ago, Horizondave said:

Agreed.

Also the retirement visa for many is just that, it's for retirement and many never leave the Kingdom so they won't be affected.

I liked to travel a lot as I had airline concessions so previously I was leaving the country more often than not. If I lived there now I would just find more places to visit within Thailand and wait for this pandemic to subside hoping that entry restrictions would also change.

I think they are just trying to get those numbers of foreigners just enjoying a long holiday in Thailand to leave.

Don't forget guys, anybody returning to the UK from Thailand presently needs to quarantine for 14 days.

 

 

 

If they were that 'racist' towards farang they would have boot them out at the first opportunity. I believe the decision to end the amnesty in September is because they will be hoping to recommence commercial air travel.

You can't allow some people to remain in the country on a 'visa amnesty' whilst telling new arrivals they have to be out within 30 days. I think people are looking for offense where there is none. 

There are guys that work offshore that travel in and out every other month on VOA stamps. Its going to be a nightmare for them, but I hate to say it, if you are operating in grey area, you have to accept that some times the ball isn't going to bounce your way. 

Edited July 25, 2020 by dcfc2007

[dcfc2007]

2 minutes ago, Esco said:

This is what you need to do to return when you have a Thai spouse. The fit to fly certificate is indeed required but you also require to do a COVID-19 test before departure. 

Procedure of Applicants 
 
 1. An applicant can contact the Embassy to submit a request for visa (if applicant does not 
have a valid visa) and for a COE for entering Thailand. The required documents are as follows: 
(1) A complete visa application form for a temporary stay visa (Non Immigrant) 
with passport (if the visa is needed) (or passport with visa stamp/ valid re-entry permit from 
the Immigration Bureau) 
 (2) Complete Declaration Form 
 (3) Marriage certificate or 
 (4) Document issued by the government certifying the relationship between a 
non-Thai citizen who is the parent or the child of a Thai national 
 (5) Health insurance with the face amount that covers medical expenses in 
Thailand, which includes COVID-19 medical expenses in the financial amount not less than or 
equal to 100,000 USD 
 2. Once all required documents are submitted and the application is approved, the Embassy 
will issue a visa (if needed) and the Certificate of Entry to the applicant. 
 3. The COE will be given to the applicant ONLY WHEN the Embassy has received a proof of 
confirmed reservation at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility for 14 days. 
 4. Apart from a valid visa, travellers must prepare the following documents in order to enter 
Thailand: 
 (1) COE and Declaration Form with applicant’s signature acknowledging and 
accepting the terms stated therein 
 (2) Medical certificate affirming good health in traveling (Fit to Fly/ Travel Health 
Certificate 
 (3) Medical certificate affirming a negative result of Corona (COVID-19) RT-PCR 
test examined or issued not over 72 hours before departure 
 5. Travellers shall, immediately after entering Thailand, strictly follow the health 
procedures by quarantining at an ASQ for 14 days at their own expense 
* * * * * * * * * * *

Will you be able to get tested before your flight mate? I'm not aware of any private covid tests here in NI, not that I've been looking. 

[Esco]

1 minute ago, dcfc2007 said:

Will you be able to get tested before your flight mate? I'm not aware of any private covid tests here in NI, not that I've been looking. 

Yes you can get tested here when you want to. Otherwise just pretend you think you have covid and they'll want to test you lol. 

[dcfc2007]

1 minute ago, Esco said:

Yes you can get tested here when you want to. Otherwise just pretend you think you have covid and they'll want to test you lol. 

Do you get a certificate to say you are clear? You can get tested easily here, but to my knowledge, there's no certificate or anything. If you have covid they will contact you, if you don't have it, then you won't hear anything. 

[Esco]

By the way, the embassy staff were very kind and helpful, not to mention extremely busy. They're trying their hardest for everyone who fits the criteria to get back to Thailand. 

There was a farang who came to the embassy without an appointment and went crazy when they wouldn't help him because you need to have an appointment, calling the staff all names under the sun etc do they escorted him out. He then carried on outside acting like an idiot to the point someone had called an ambulance. Bizarre scenes while we were inside working with the staff on my son's birth registration. 

[Esco]

4 minutes ago, dcfc2007 said:

Do you get a certificate to say you are clear? You can get tested easily here, but to my knowledge, there's no certificate or anything. If you have covid they will contact you, if you don't have it, then you won't hear anything. 

You get a test result confirming you are negative don't you, at least when you ask for one? 

[dcfc2007]

2 minutes ago, Esco said:

You get a test result confirming you are negative don't you, at least when you ask for one? 

Here in NI you only hear anything back if you get a positive result. When you go for a test, they tell you that if you don't hear anything within 48hrs, the result was negative and you don't have to worry. It's because 99% of tests here are negative, they wouldn't have the time or resources to follow up with certificates etc. 

[Nightcrawler]

At the moment it does not seem clear exactly what is meant as a valid certificate by the Thai Authorities .

There are loads of Private Clinics in London offering testing and they will supply a letter of verification, but will or would that be acceptable? Who knows. Will the Certificate need to be standard or like an insurance certificate which is issued by an Insurer?

It is still rather vague. However I see eventually that a certificate of some sort will replace the current 2 week quarantine which can't go on forever because few holiday makers are going to want to spend two weeks in isolation in a BKK hotel and have to pay for the pleasure.

[dcfc2007]

1 hour ago, Nightcrawler said:

At the moment it does not seem clear exactly what is meant as a valid certificate by the Thai Authorities .

There are loads of Private Clinics in London offering testing and they will supply a letter of verification, but will or would that be acceptable? Who knows. Will the Certificate need to be standard or like an insurance certificate which is issued by an Insurer?

It is still rather vague. However I see eventually that a certificate of some sort will replace the current 2 week quarantine which can't go on forever because few holiday makers are going to want to spend two weeks in isolation in a BKK hotel and have to pay for the pleasure.

There are more twists and turns to come yet. Hold on to your hats! 

[Jambo]

If I was intending/able to visit my family in the UK I would already have a Retirement visa and a re-entry stamp in my passport.

So on returning to Thailand does only the following apply?

 4. Apart from a valid visa, travellers must prepare the following documents in order to enter 
Thailand: 
 (1) COE and Declaration Form with applicant’s signature acknowledging and 
accepting the terms stated therein 
 (2) Medical certificate affirming good health in traveling (Fit to Fly/ Travel Health 
Certificate 
 (3) Medical certificate affirming a negative result of Corona (COVID-19) RT-PCR 
test examined or issued not over 72 hours before departure 
 5. Travellers shall, immediately after entering Thailand, strictly follow the health 
procedures by quarantining at an ASQ for 14 days at their own expense 

I use the term "ONLY"very losely as the additional cost alone would make such a visit a non-starter for me always assuming in any event return flights were available and guaranteed.

1. There is no chance at all of my family from the UK visiting me this year let alone using their currently rearranged flights on the 6th September.

2. I do not see me personally being able to leave Thailand by air to visit the UK and being able to return until "normality" returns to incoming tourism and who knows when that may happen. It is going to be a couple of years, not months, before the rest of the world gets Covid19 under some kind of acceptable control. The UK and particularly the USA are going to be the last countries that Thailand will admit without severe restrictions and who can blame them?

[tommy dee]

Just now, Jambo said:

If I was intending/able to visit my family in the UK I would already have a Retirement visa and a re-entry stamp in my passport.

So on returning to Thailand does only the following apply?

 4. Apart from a valid visa, travellers must prepare the following documents in order to enter 
Thailand: 
 (1) COE and Declaration Form with applicant’s signature acknowledging and 
accepting the terms stated therein 
 (2) Medical certificate affirming good health in traveling (Fit to Fly/ Travel Health 
Certificate 
 (3) Medical certificate affirming a negative result of Corona (COVID-19) RT-PCR 
test examined or issued not over 72 hours before departure 
 5. Travellers shall, immediately after entering Thailand, strictly follow the health 
procedures by quarantining at an ASQ for 14 days at their own expense 

I use the term "ONLY"very losely as the additional cost alone would make such a visit a non-starter for me always assuming in any event return flights were available and guaranteed.

1. There is no chance at all of my family from the UK visiting me this year let alone using their currently rearranged flights on the 6th September.

2. I do not see me personally being able to leave Thailand by air to visit the UK and being able to return until "normality" returns to incoming tourism and who knows when that may happen. It is going to be a couple of years, not months, before the rest of the world gets Covid19 under some kind of acceptable control. The UK and particularly the USA are going to be the last countries that Thailand will admit without severe restrictions and who can blame them?

proof of covid insurance too

[Horizondave]

Notice BA confirming they will operate a daily 787 to Bangkok from September.

May be old news but might be a good indicator of changes to come.

[Toy Boy]

53 minutes ago, Horizondave said:

Notice BA confirming they will operate a daily 787 to Bangkok from September.

May be old news but might be a good indicator of changes to come.

I should imagine the Thais are watching what's happening in Spain with great interest, and probably already crossing out the date they had in mind for resuming foreign tourism.

[dcfc2007]

11 hours ago, Horizondave said:

Notice BA confirming they will operate a daily 787 to Bangkok from September.

May be old news but might be a good indicator of changes to come.

I think that would make sense, I can definitely see more foreigners being allowed into the country come September, that's providing the situation improves.

[Krapow]

They'll be watching what's happening in Vietnam. 

[dcfc2007]

1 hour ago, Krapow said:

They'll be watching what's happening in Vietnam. 

The only thing they will be watching is the situation in their target markets. They will be looking at China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. 

[Krapow]

13 minutes ago, dcfc2007 said:

The only thing they will be watching is the situation in their target markets. They will be looking at China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. 

If Vietnam's new cases spread after having none since April, Thailand will take notice. 

[dcfc2007]

Just now, Krapow said:

If Vietnam's new cases spread after having none since April, Thailand will take notice. 

Possibly, I think they are more interested in the countries that they were proposing travel bubbles with.

Considering all of those countries have suffered new outbreaks, it's unlikely there will be travel bubbles anytime soon.

[boydeste]

7 hours ago, dcfc2007 said:

Possibly, I think they are more interested in the countries that they were proposing travel bubbles with.

Considering all of those countries have suffered new outbreaks, it's unlikely there will be travel bubbles anytime soon.

Ditto,

I think Thailands boarders will be closed for a good while yet.

[dcfc2007]

18 minutes ago, boydeste said:

Ditto,

I think Thailands boarders will be closed for a good while yet.

I think they will allow more foreigners in over the coming months, but with the same conditions of entry that are currently imposed, can't see a return to commercial tourism yet. I don't think that will come until a vaccine is working.