Covid19 - updates on immigration and visa extensions

[Big Boy]

Not the way I read it. They have ฿ signs in their eyes. They aren't going to miss out on that

[REEM]

They have ฿ signs in their eyes.

I am inclined to agree with you. With the almost certain prospect of a huge reduction of foreign tourists and long stay visitors for the foreseeable future, immigration departments up and down the country are facing the nightmare scenario of the shutting down of both their over the table and under the table, i.e. agent derived, revenue streams.

This is their last chance to profit from foreign revenue before the shutters finally come down on a nice little earner for them.

[stretch]

If they do charge over stayers 500 baht a day then wait for the back lash from the rest of the world .

[MrTea]

Thai immigration may give blanket extension until June 30. More details on the other forum...

[PeteC]

Thai immigration may give blanket extension until June 30. More details on the other forum...

Yes, it is on there but not worth copying to here or for people to get all excited about it yet. Immigration proposed it to the Cabinet last week and the Cabinet hasn't responded with anything yet. When and if they do we'll post up the details on here.

[buksida]

LONG LINES CONTINUE AT IMMIGRATION DESPITE EXTRA VENUE
Long lines continued to form at the Immigration Bureau in spite of the agency’s decision to open another venue for extending foreigners’ stay in Thailand for 30 days.

Immigration Bureau spokesman Phakkhaphong Saiubonsaid said the new facility is now open at the Central Investigation Bureau headquarters in Muang Thong Thani. Yet a large queue is still seen at the new facility even at the same time the government is promoting the measure of social distancing.

“We have opened the new facility in Muang Thong Thani to cope with massive queues at our Chaengwattana office,” Col. Phakkhaphong said. “The new office has more space, so social distancing can be fully implemented.”

However, in a photo posted today by well-known blogger and longtime British expat Richard Barrow showed that people are still flocking to the new office to extend their stays.

“We are really hoping that a visa amnesty will be announced today after the weekly cabinet meeting,” he wrote in a caption. “Many other countries have done this already as it’s crazy and dangerous to queue up like this during a pandemic.”

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/cri ... tra-venue/

[MrTea]

I saw this post on Richard Barrows''s Facebook page

xhttps://www.facebook.com/richardbarrowthailand/ ... 56/?type=3

"Rochelle Shepherd Webgotnour visa in Hia on on35 mins. Bluport shopping Mall downstairs. Easy! Worth the trip to Hua Hin. 2000 in a taxi!"

Isn't the Blueport office closed? Did they really go by Taxi to Hua Hin? That's a minimum 7 hour round trip from BKK.

[caller]

Yes, Bluport immigration closed

[MrTea]

A British guy went to do a 30 day tourist extension at Hua Hin today and was knocked back.

"need 2 photos of the bungalow, a copy of the owners deeds, owner ship of the resort.2 copy of the mail I sent to embassy asking for a letter from them, 2 letters where they confirmed. my visa ran out today so as from tomorrow I'm overstayer"

[MrTea]

Is this standard now for a basic 30 day extension? I'm up on Thursday, have no embassy letters, and no flight booked. Why would I want to fly anywhere? I don't want to leave the house at all. Australia has 6 baggage handlers with Covid19 now. QANTAS has also cancelled all international flights.

Are there even any buses going to BKK now? Isn't it illegal to travel across provinces?

"The government has come up with a goal to cut public journeys by as much as 90% in order to "flatten the curve" of new coronavirus infections."

[MrTea]

Apparently, this is the list of requirements for the 'emergency extension' in Hua Hin Hin.

[thecolonel]

Apparently, this is the list of requirements for the 'emergency extension' in Hua Hin Hin.

I appreciate that you state this is for the emergency extension

But, does anyone think(or know) that some of these extra documents will be needed for 'standard' renewals of say retirement visas and such like

For example...

-the Lessors ID and house book, that's a new one

-Photographs at the property

I didn't need those at last renewal

Anything else that might be needed?

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

[MrTea]

I'm going tomorrow to get a 30 day extension for my visa exempt. I'll report back.

A lot of posts I see don't make it clear what kind of visa they are on, or how many extensions they may have had.

[Governor]

I was there this morning, after being refused an extension based on retirement, after spending two and a half hours yesterday, because the letter from the bank had been locked in the bank in BluPort and was no longer valid when I was able to collect it as it was more than seven days old. My wife and and I had to spend another couple of hours getting another letter, with exactly the same information but with yesterdays date on it, an absolute waste of my and their time.
I did observe the hassle people who were stuck here were getting both yesterday and this morning, famiies with young kids, regular tourists, older couples and elderly men and women who could hardly stand, were all treated the same, absolutely abysmally.
People went there looking for help, and unless you could comply with these rules that were clearly made up on the hoof, no help was forthcoming.
I can't answer for sure if these extra requirements were for also for 30 day extentsion, but I think it may be the case, I wasn't asked for any of them, but all my details will already be in the system.
Some people were saying that their Embassy wouldn't supply the letter that was now a requirement, but they were told you'll have to go back to them and say they must.
People had booked through overseas travel agents or Airbnb and the like, their pleas that they had no way of getting an ID Card and Blue Book of the owner, which most of them had never heard of, and were just told that they had to get.
Thai Immigration don't seem to realise that the whole world is in total chaos, or if they do they don't seem to care. Governments around the world are allowing stranded passengers to automatically extend or to do so via an email with the minimum of fuss, certainly there's no global requirement that you have to have three photos out side of accomodation.
Thai Immigration seem to be making as difficult as they can, maybe they're incompetent or maybe they enjoy the power, I really wouldn't like to speculate, but as somebody who has been professionally involved with Immigration Services in a number of countries over a considerable period of time, I'm ashamed at what I'm witnessing.

[buksida]

Deplorable indeed, it was a similar situation after the tsunami. Thai immigration are only there to take money and make a profit, not help foreigners in times of chaos, they don't give a rats arse.