BritTim

5 hours ago, natway09 said:

Where do you come from ?

I believe if you have well done your time if a visa on arrival is possible it will be given.

Bring your old passport to prove same. It may take half an hour but you will get in if you do not have a criminal record here

If you try to check in for a flight to Thailand while on the blacklist, the airline will receive a DNB ("do not board") instruction which comes without explanation, and is pretty much unappealable. I have heard different stories on what happens if you arrive at a land boarder with the original court documents and old passport. Some suggest that it is possible to appeal the denied entry with a good chance of success. Definitely better to ensure you are removed from immigration's database as a PNG before trying to come.

25 minutes ago, RayHaas said:

Do it by mail from abroad. You dont need to be there when HR is renewing the visa. Once done mail it back to sender.

A well connected agent might actually manage this. However, your passport will indicate that you are not currently in Thailand, and (officially) an extension of your permission to stay requires you to attend immigration in person.

EDIT: There would also be complications with the re-entry permit.

51 minutes ago, Kalorymetr said:

One's HR could negotiate with the embassy to have their "essential" employee let on the repatriation flight - given there are any from your country or country you are allowed to travel. 

 

Question is, what is cheaper for the company - new visa/WP or this.

I think everything has been said here, now we wait.

The embassy has no say in the matter. Only the Prime Minister can give an exemption to the total ban on foreigners entering Thailand at this time.

21 minutes ago, luk AJ said:

What if you arrive with a Covid-free certificate at hand?

Unless a Thai national, you will not be able to board a plane to Thailand. You could try arriving by private yacht and scuttling it so you must be allowed ashore. Failing that, it is difficult to see how a return can be arranged, regardless of any kind of papers you might offer.

23 minutes ago, Mops59 said:

As far as I know with a valid visa and work permit you at able to return. But have to quarantine for 2 weeks in hotel in Bangkok at your own expense. Ask the embassy for update info about repatriation.

Right now, only Thai nationals can return, and then only under repatriation agreed with the embassy. Short of a special exception granted by the Prime Minister, even permanent residents of Thailand cannot return. Maybe, there will be limited exceptions in the June/July time frame, but I would not count on it.

Are you in Bangkok? I am unsure about the situation with buses. Air Asia has daily flights from Don Muang to Khon Kaen (about an hour by road from Kalasin depending on where exactly in the province the girl is going).

2 hours ago, Jaxxper said:

Keep an eye on the British embassy website. They know passports expiring are a problem and have apparently engaged Thai immigration on the subject. VFS ( the agent the British embassy used) is currently closed down.

not much help I know. Hope you get your issue fixed.

The British passing the buck is just aggravating. They could easily solve the problem by simply allowing UK nationals to send their applications by courier direct to the UK. This would be better for all concerned than forcing people into crowded lifts at Trendy to apply for a new passport.

8 hours ago, Toosetinmyways said:

The definition of tourist in Thailand is defined by the Thai immigration not some dictionary 

Perhaps, you could provide a link to a source that has the immigration definition of tourist. I have never seen one. What I have seen is various opinions by members here on, for instance, how someone cannot be a tourist if they might be liable for tax in Thailand. All the differences, for example, in which Thai entry points will allow long stay tourists and which will not is a direct consequence of the fact that Thai Immigration has no definition of what a tourist is, and no common understanding.

OP, you seem to have at least as good an understanding of the situation as those responding to you. There is just one other option that you could take advantage of (too early to say if it will be necessary and/or possible). You could apply for an emergency passport in September (validity one year) and use that to make a round trip to whatever country is open. The O-A visa in your regular passport would still be valid and usable for entering Thailand. 

3 hours ago, fondue zoo said:

Not too keen on the idea of Covid in a Can Van, if re-entry is made possible with the usual paperwork can a person drive to a nearby border and make use of a land crossing exemption?

When the borders reopen of course.

If the coronavirus suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth like a miracle, and countries decided there was no longer any need to control the virus, then borders could reopen under the same rules that applied before the virus arrived on the scene. My own view is that there is about a 0.000001% chance of that happening, and a similar chance that Thailand and neighbouring countries would suddenly decide to remove restrictions in spite of this sentencing many of their own citizens to death.

In the 99.9999999% chance that the coronavirus remains a threat, and countries continue attempts to contain it, we will need to wait to see what controls are imposed. If you are hoping to make border runs for visa exempt entry I think you will be waiting quite a while.

As stated by others, some immigration offices may be OK with this, especially if you explain the current uncertainty and your inability to plan far ahead because of it. However, some offices will give you problems.

Look at the pinned post "Online 90 day reporting available on April 1"

You have a permission to stay valid until 31st July based on the automatic extension.

If (big if) you are able to leave Thailand and return before the August expiry of your multiple entry Non O visa, you will be given a fresh 90-day permission to stay upon entry.

The conditions that will be required for visas (whether in Savannakhet or anywhere else) after August is totally unpredictable. Hopefully, requirements for visas and entry into Thailand will become clearer as Thailand prepares to admit certain foreigners on a limited basis, perhaps starting as early as the July/August time frame. I believe it overly optimistic to expect a sudden return to conditions as they were before the Covid-19 epidemic.

29 minutes ago, RedReding said:

Could land borders between Laos and Thailand open before the air routes ? What do you guys think it's the most likely ?

If Thailand wants to enforce strict quarantine on arrival, they may restrict entry by foreigners to a couple of major airports in the first instance. Also, they are likely to want to limit the numbers arriving. However, it is all guesswork.

11 minutes ago, johnny1966 said:

In saying this, do you think that the days of the multiple entry non o visa may be numbered?

Some other multiple entry Non Immigrant visas are no longer issued, and multiple Non O visas are now issued by fewer consulates than in the past. It is known that some in Immigration feel people should be applying for long term extensions instead. These trends started long before the current crisis. Those in power who want to see the multiple Non O visas end might see this as an opportunity to overcome resistance. Time will tell.

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Agree on the TR applicants, but there are  a lot of Non-O people backed-up, at this point.  How crowded, and the ability to avoid them, depends on the  proxmimity of border-opening dates and the automatic-extension "amnesty" end-date. 

 

With a 3+ week window, go a week after the borders first open, and it might not be so bad (miss the early-birds and the procrastinators).  If a shorter time-frame, it could be bad.

Non O (marriage and parent) is potentially tough. The Thai authorities might decide to make conditions tough for visas, but ease slightly the requirements for extensions. The objective would be to facilitate families staying together without the need to travel. That would still create a difficult situation for some families who have limited financial means. That would be additional to others who ought (in my view) to qualify for family visas that do not currently qualify for extensions or visas. Examples are those in same sex relationships and those supporting children that are not their own.

The fact is that life is not always fair. The current crisis is undoubtedly going to end up hurting some other than merely financially.

7 hours ago, gamesgplayemail said:

I also think that this is what they will do or consulates around Thailand will be overwhelmed for months...

I think the conditions for tourist visas (if they are issued at all) will for a long time be such that few will qualify. That will keep crowds down at consulates.

Your permission to stay is automatically extended until July 31st. In the highly unlikely event that Thailand and a neighbouring country removed all controls on foreigners entering their respective countries before June 25th, you would be able to do a border bounce for a fresh 90-day entry.

On the 60-day extension, it is unclear. Logic dictates that you cannot take advantage of both an automatic extension until July 31st, and a subsequent standard extension starting from July 31st. If you want a standard rather than automatic extension, that would run from April 14, the end of your original permission to stay. That said, maybe Immigration would decide to have your extension run from the date of application, rather than the end of your existing permission to stay as is normal.

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

In June, it is possible that some foreigners might be allowed into Thailand (probably with 14-day quarantine). Examples are those with Thai spouses and children, and those with work permits.

Based on your gut feel?

To a large extent, yes.

Critical foreign workers important to businesses are likely to be one of the first categories.

International treaties, plus Thai belief in the importance of families, means that foreign close relatives of Thais is another group that should be near the front of the line for readmission.

While retirees may be prioritised over tourists, I do not expect them to be among early waves of foreigners allowed in. Recognise that Thailand cares little about the interests of foreigners unless there is a direct impact on Thais. Single retirees, in general, are of no greater value to the Thai economy than long stay tourists.

What will be interesting is to see if any deference is shown to Thailand Elite visa holders. My instinct is that they will be treated pretty much like other lower priority groups.

20 minutes ago, noodleslayer said:

well if it is banned june 5th ill just cancel. Is it confirmed banned until june 1st now?

Recognise that there is a difference between allowing flights to land with passengers, and allowing easy entry to foreigners as in the pre Covid-19 era. In June, it is possible that some foreigners might be allowed into Thailand (probably with 14-day quarantine). Examples are those with Thai spouses and children, and those with work permits. While the hotel and restaurant business is being decimated by the lack of tourism, Thailand is not about to change its mind and just allow the virus to spread uncontrolled through the country.

There is virtually no chance that you will be able to enter Thailand as a tourist in early June. There is a good reason why people already in Thailand are being given automatic extensions of their permissions to stay until the end of July. Freely moving between countries is simply not going to be a thing for the foreseeable future.

3 hours ago, Kalorymetr said:

I don't want to ask here every day, so is there a website with land border crossing status?

May be in Thai.

For the foreseeable future, unless you are a citizen of a neighbouring country, the status of border crossings is irrelevant. Locals might be able to cross, typically in conjunction with quarantine requirements (as, for instance, for a limited number of Thais at the border crossings with Malaysia) but foreigners will not be permitted to cross.