The Immigration Bureau (IB) plans to ask the cabinet for approval of a new package of measures for three different categories of foreigners in Thailand affected by the Covid-19 crisis.
The proposal comes after Prime Minister Prayut expressed concern about foreigners stranded in Thailand. Many airlines have temporarily ceased their activities and a number of countries are subject to a travel ban.
The foreigners who are detained in Thailand are divided into three groups:
- foreigners with residence visas who normally reside in Thailand but cannot return to Thailand due to the Covid-19 crisis;
- foreign tourists who cannot leave Thailand due to the crisis;
- and visitors from neighboring countries who have temporary border passes and were trapped in Thailand after the borders were closed.
Foreigners in the first group are normally required to return to Thailand within a year of their departure. As they may not be able to return to Thailand in a timely manner, the IB will propose extending their mandatory return deadline until after the pandemic is over. This group is advised to return to Thailand as soon as possible as soon as travel is allowed again.
Foreign tourists in the second group, who applied to immigration for a 30-day extension after their visa expired on March 26 or after, will have their visas automatically extended every 30 days until the pandemic is over, Lt. General Sompong of the Immigration Service. Due to the government's social distancing policy, these tourists no longer need to visit the immigration office and do not risk catching the virus in a crowd. However, this proposed measure does not apply to foreigners who work and/or have a family in Thailand. They will still have to report regularly to the immigration authorities.
Visitors from neighboring countries, the third group, are allowed to stay in Thailand until the borders are reopened. They must leave Thailand within seven days after the borders have reopened.
Other foreigners who are now in Thailand and affected by the Covid-19 crisis, but do not fall under the above three categories, are advised to adhere to the usual rules.
According to Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, around 500.000 tourists are stuck in Thailand and will overstay their visas as countries in Europe have closed their borders due to Covid-19. Most of the tourists who are stuck are elderly travelers from Germany, Italy and Russia. The so-called hibernators.
Source: Bangkok Post
Note from Ronny: This is a proposal. Immigration's previous proposal was to give everyone an automatic extension until the end of June and it also failed. So watch out!
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
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The BP is also not always correct of course.
“Foreigners in the first group are normally required to return to Thailand within a year of their departure.”
It would be more correct that they must return before the end of their stay (year extension) and if they have a re-entry.
Now it seems that you always have a year to come back, although in theory you could if you left just after obtaining your annual extension.
The first group concerns holders of a permanent residence permit. That group is allowed to stay outside Thailand continuously for a maximum of 1 year in order to maintain the PR status.
It only refers to a non-existent “resident visa”.
“….with resident visas who normally reside in Thailand….
But possibly only the "Permanent resident" is meant
That's what I mean by it's just some notes from a journalist and we don't know the details.
This article is not “translated verbatim as it appears in the Bangkok Post…Hence my question: what about Non-Immigrant O visa holders?
Thanks for any clarification…
Yan
I sincerely hope that the Immigration Offices will also take their responsibility to come up with something as soon as possible so as not to squeeze a large crowd into too small a space when it is busy.
Read today in the NationThailand that a German had complained about the unfriendliness of the staff at the Immigration on Koh Samui.
In addition, he complained that with so many people in one room at the same time, the risk of Corona contamination is very high. The story was accompanied by a photo of the crowds there.
I very much agree with him.
Of course, visitors should also take their own responsibility to keep the risk of contamination as small as possible.
But I can also expect the Immigration Offices to take appropriate and effective measures to protect both themselves and the visitors.
The way things are at the moment is far below par.
What is in the article is a proposal in broad outline, and therefore read it purely for information.
It is a free translation of an article by the editors of what appeared in a newspaper (Bangkok Post). Not by me, by the way, which is why it didn't appear in a TB Immigration Info Brief.
That translation does not have to be literal, because what appears in a newspaper is not official and only has an informative value. The editors simply want to reproduce here what has appeared in the newspaper. Nothing wrong with it.
It only reproduces what was recorded by a journalist during a press conference. It is therefore no more than a few outlines of what one wants to propose.
As you can also read, it also concerns a package of additional measures. This may mean that certain previous measures are retained.
It now seems mainly aimed at 3 main groups;
1. Long-stayers who had previously obtained a residence period, but cannot return to Thailand due to the closure of borders.
2. The many tourists who cannot leave Thailand and the overwhelming immigration offices as a result.
3. The transit passengers who get stuck in Thailand
It is now waiting whether it will be accepted by the Cabinet. If so, it will later appear in an Immigration Order and only then will we know what the details are and what the consequences are for the various visa holders, both Tourist and Non-immigrant (Borderrunners).
For the Non-immigrant holder who is still staying here on an annual extension as a Retired/Thai marriage, everything will remain as it was before the Corona situation. They can simply apply for their year extension as they did before. This also applies to those with a Non-immigrant B.
It is therefore awaiting the official version that will appear in an Immigration Order.
Until then you can't say a sensible word.
Asking what the consequences are for you personally is therefore pointless. I'm not going to go into that either.
Dear Ronny, my piece in addition to your valued contribution. You write about Non-Immigrant (border runners). I belong to the mentioned group 1 who are stuck abroad and cannot return to their country of residence Thailand for the time being. It is not a border run, but just a temporary stay (work and/or holiday and/or family visit) abroad that causes problems. The government won't let us in, the airlines won't fly, that's the bottom line. The person with a border run of 1 day could have read in the news that the borders were closing and would not have had to make a 1-day trip or could have done so quickly. It is different if you are already far away and could not return due to the aforementioned work / vacation / family visit, return date flight booking or otherwise. Would the Thai government be lenient to implement any (annual) extensions of the residence permit that may have been missed as a result of this when one has returned to Thailand And, above all and firstly, that one is given the opportunity to return to Thailand, not if tourist but as a resident.
Yes, it is to be hoped that this will also be applied to those with an annual extension who have temporarily left Thailand.
One can take the re-entry as a reference. Those who applied for this were already planning to return in time.
Those who did not apply for re-entry did not intend to return in time.
And if you don't succeed, start again with a Non-immigrant O Single entry of course.
Or re-enter on Visa Exemption, have it converted to Non-immigrant and then again with an annual extension. All extra walking of course.
First problem will be coming back in. Will people hold on to that Corona proof that your Belgium / Netherlands is not available for a long time, because you have to be tested for that.
By the way, it only says something about your past, nothing about your current state, let alone the future.
It remains to be seen what will come out of the hat this time.
I understand that the previous proposal has completely ended up in the shredder and what will become of this proposal.
By the way, completely agree about “border runners”…. If they had made an early “border run” three weeks ago, they would have gained time and would have been rested for another 3 months. There were enough signs that the borders were going to be closed.
Then it would still work out for me and I don't have to go to the embassy for a new non O, my retirment visa runs until May 13 and I have a re-entry. I'm in Holland pppfff . Let's hope so because I understand that this is only a proposal. Keep well greetings Joop