houstoniron

Thank you for the prompt response

I am here on a retirement extension - I need to get COVID Insurance for Thailand Pass - is the duration of the COVID insurance the date of my retirement extension?

13 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

As I wasn't thinking they would jab me and I was just making an enquiry I went at about 1pm. Not many people there and was done and dusted in 15 minutes. Not promising it's the same every day. May have just hit lucky. Let us know how you go on

I don't need to go until the end of January but I will post when I go. I was going to go back to the USA but with the upcoming onslaught of Omicron and the uncertainty how the CCSA will handle this, leaving Thailand right now is risky

19 hours ago, mrbojangles said:

I went to Banglamung Hospital about 3 weeks ago, really to see if I could register and put my name down for a booster jab (my first 2 I had in Saudi Arabia about 10 months ago). Filled in a form and 15 minutes later I was jabbed and waiting in the 30 minute side effects waiting area. Went back the next day for my blue paper certificate and last week got the e-mailed one which is free on Mor Prom. A friend of mine in Patters just got his booster done today at the big Stadium.

Thanks, I will give this a try - what time of the day did you go to the hospital?

7 hours ago, oceanbreeze851 said:

My Thai wife (Pfizer) and I (moderna) received our Vax shots in USA. I wish we could get our booster in Nakhon Ratchasima. 

You are in the same situation as me - the CDC vax cards we are issued at this time have no weighting regarding boosters. Nor are they any good to get into events that require proof of vaccination because we cannot get the QR code that folks get when they are vaccinated in Thailand. 

It seems like - in Thailand eyes - we are not vaccinated. I was recently denied access to the Pattaya music festival because the guard kept asking for the QR code that I cannot get - he did not accept my CDC card as proof of vaccination probably because he could not read it.

I have looked everywhere for an opportunity to register for a third shot without success. It seems the only way to get a third shot for those that were vaccinated outside of Thailand is to return to that country.

There appears to be a walk in vax and the central mall but when I went these last, they were giving out tickets in the thousands.

As many have posted, this protocol means little and actually prevent some tourists / expats from entering such events.

I was lucky enough to get vaccine in the USA. However my CDC vaccination card for example does not get me entry to the Pattaya music festival because it is in English and the "guards" cannot read English.  Thailand want to attract tourists but will not accept - it seems - foreign vaccination card for in country events. The guards told me I must have a QR code. A person who was vaccinated outside Thailand cannot get a QR code because in Thailand there is no proof of vaccination for a visitor that was vaccinated outside Thailand.

Further, I have always been puzzled by these testing requirements. Event entry requirements now often say that persons must have a negative COVID test but they nothing about what this actually means. Do all participants have to go to a hospital and get a test there? Can they turn up with an ATK in their pocket and do one at the entry. Can they present the test they had a month ago?

Thailand will have some time to get things straight - anyone reading about the COVID situation in Europe and the USA know what this new COVID variant is doing to these countries. It has been identified in Thailand although there is not much written about it. I think the CCSA knows it is inevitably coming here - they are now re-activating all the field hospitals to take care of the expected rise in COVID cases but as of now little has been written about this.

The protocols at the airport also make little sense to me. Sure I understand the push to open everything up and get tourists back into Thailand. First, the 2 weeks quarantine that I had to endure in August was relaxed to essentially a one night stay in a hotel until a negative PCR COVID result can be presented. This was put in place before the new COVID variant was identified. 

Now as European countries go into full lockdown (The Netherlands implement this starting today) the airport protocols continue unchanged. 

It is not a question of if this new COVID variant will promulgate in Thailand, it is a question of when and what government action is taken to control the spread.

Words really escape me - every single app issued by Thai immigration and the health authorities are rife with serious bugs, get expectedly overloaded because the programmers do not realize that putting such apps out require data storage - even when an app does work, and the data is compromised as we saw with some of the vaccination

apps

The government dept that is responsible for developing and putting these apps out there should be ashamed of themselves - gross incompetence

if these apps were released by a company - the company would be bankrupt.

I found a Post on a thread title “Immigration Templates” on the Immigration forum dated May 13^th 2017 from Mr. Ubon Joe that gives links to editable pdf forms templates required for immigration that were very useful.

Are these forms still current or is there an updated link?

11 hours ago, cclub75 said:

Sure !

 

"Hua Hin Today: Only people who have been fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test result will be allowed to dine in at restaurants in Hua Hin from 1st October"

 

Source : https://www.huahintoday.com/hua-hin-news/vaccine-proof-needed-to-dine-in-hua-hin-restaurants-from-oct-1/

 

Stop the non sense. Scrap all Covid so called "restrictions". Open up the country.

Further, expats that were vaccinated outside Thailand cannot get at present this Certificate of Vaccination. Therefore without a COV supposedly they cannot go into restaurants.

My retirement extension expires on October 14^th. I understand I can renew it 45 days before it expires. My question is regarding the expiry date of the new extension, is it October 14^th 2022 or I is one year from the date I apply to renew?

For what it is worth, I entered Thailand form Germany 2 days ago. There are detailed checks on all documents you need to enter Thailand right now. I have never seen so many health professionals in one place. At no time was I asked to show the App that are required.

That said anyone that does not have smart phone even the most basis is going to have problems. It seem to me that LINE is the preferred communication method. In my quarantine hotel, everything is communicated via LINE, meal nurse, special requests.

I have just gone through the procedure for getting a COE. Upon my return to Thailand, I will get a COVID test when I arrive at the quarantine hotel, one mid stay and one at the end of 14 days. What happens if any of the three tests is positive? I looked on the internet and could not find anything useful.

Do international travelers returning to Thailand still have to file a TM30 within a few days of their return? if so I would assume this is filed after a traveler competes the 14 days quarantine and returns to his original home.

Download Adobe scan from your App Store it is free and creates perfect images in jpg or pdf format, I use it for pretty much everything that requires uploading or scanning.

There is a lot of information here, I did read the comments and if I were in your situation I would be totally confused.

Now to muddy the water further 

The World Health Organization came out with a recommendation NOT to mix vaccine types. The reason given in their press release was because the combinations have not been properly tested and validated as safe.

Thailand clearly does not agree with this recommendation

i am cautious about mixing vaccines because they work on the body radically differently

I fear that Thailand is becoming a huge testing population. I agree with you that the best vaccine so the one you can get.

Eventually nRNA vaccines will be available here but I don’t think you will be able to choose them until late next year.

I probably would go with two vaccines the same type

I read many comments that say the Chinese vaccines are no good. That is very wrong, all the vaccines available in thailand are good vaccines and have good efficacy. Flu vaccine efficacy is just over 50% the Covid vaccines are all tested at greater than 90% so they are all very good vaccines. The question still to be answered is how long does protection last. The key though is to get a vaccine on board. With no vaccine you have zero protection

I hope this helps, the government has really confused people with their current strategy

i know of no other country that is mixing vaccines

1 hour ago, A Display Name said:

There was no question of keeping the appointment or not - it was going to definitely be kept. Also, the option of requesting AZ was possible, so the due dilegence on which to ask for was time well spent. I agree not to won't worry about what I can't control, but here there was at least the potentional of having some control.

 

I just finished up and ultimately, they initially did give me a slip for second dose of Sinovac. I do believe that while Sinovac overall efficacy is lower (pretty clear info on that), Sinovac does provide fairly good protection against severe symptoms. On the other hand, the info on Sinovac-AZ mix is extremely limited. For that reason, it wasn't a clear cut choice, but I did decide was comfortable with the mix (and the added protection it hopefully provides), so asked to change. It added about an hour to the trip as they redid paperwork, etc., but they were able to make the switch.

 

In regards to it being official policy, that seems to be the case but it appears the next few weeks are going to dictated on getting more AZ doses so that they can actually follow that policy. For those coming up on their appointment for a second dose of Sinovac, I think for the next short while it will stay Sinovac. I saw a lot of people with "Sinovac Shot 2" paperwork today, so clearly that is still the approach being used.

 

Also, the process today was much less organized then when I got the first shot four weeks ago. Four weeks ago was great - everything was clear, fast and well done. Today wasn't bad by any means, but they have completely changed how (and where) they are doing both initial registration and the vaccinations. It wasn't nearly as well organized and there were quite a few confused people. The staff was great and very helpful, which helped offset this for the most part. Kudos to them.

 

If I left Thailand say 6 months ago and I returned, the REP would look the same as this one, there would be no immigration stamp on it to say it has been used.

There is no stamp on a REP I used 

It seems that Immigration does not stamp an REP when entering the country.

How does immigration or anyone know whether a re-entry permit is valid or not?

This is the re-entry permit I currently have in my passport. It is exactly the same as the re-entry permit from a prior year that I used. The previous permit dot not have an immigration stamp but it has been used.

It seems that immigration does not stamp a Re-entry permit when returning to Thailand?

I am not quite sure what to do with needed travel to the USA, I have been living in Thailand 9 years, I entered Thailand came in on a Non-O visa, I have done yearly extensions in Jomtien since then. My current EOS expires on 14 October 2021. I am now married and have 2 children.

I have some important business to take care of in the USA, I have tickets and plans to return to the USA in September. My plan was to renew my Extension of Stay around 13 September and get a re-entry permit before I left Thailand. I would then return after 4 weeks in the USA, go through the COE/Quarantine process etc. and go home.

The reason I left my USA visit until September was to allow me to renew my Extension of Stay and get a new Re-Entry permit so I would be able to return to Thailand on the same basis that I have now.

With the rising COVID cases in Thailand and the USA and recalling the situation at Suvarnabhumi Airport at the beginning of this COVID mess, I fear there is a possibility that the airport will again be restricted in October when I plan to return to Thailand.

The timing of my visit to the USA in October is flexible, I could go next week if I wanted to.

My question is this If I returned to the USA say in the next 2 weeks, and during my stay in the USA and I was unable to return because the airlines stopped flying to Thailand or whatever, and my Extension of Stay expired, what Immigration entry process should I follow?

My Non-O visa was given for visiting my child. I, therefore, do not need health insurance to keep renewing my EOS. If I could only get a Retirement Visa, I would need to show health Insurance for eternity. I fear that because of my health and age (69, Birthday mid-August, I may not be able to get health insurance that I could afford.

If I was unable to return to the USA, could I re-apply on the basis I have now i.e. visiting my child? Or is there any other route back to Thailand where health insurance is not required?

When you book a flight from BKK to the USA nearly all transit via Japan or Taiwan. Taiwan has been stopping transits from Thailand on and off for the past year, now they are on again. Pity because I always enjoyed the EVA air flights. I think Japan airports are going to be in trouble, Japans vaccination % is very low and right now a State of Emergency has been declared. Soon the Olympic Games will begin. Already before the games begin athletes are testing positive inside the bubble. I really do not see hew they can finish the games with this situation in play. 

I am hoping to get back to the USA in September. Give the above, I decided to fly back on Lufthansa through Frankfurt. When I planned this journey, i wanted to go through an airport where international passengers do not have to enter the Schengen area, in Frankfurt, international flights are in the same terminal. Also there is a decent hotel inside the international terminal. 

I also looked at the history of the location with the COVID situation. Frankfurt has never closed or denied transit passengers. 

Time will tell if I can make this journey if anyone is looking to go back to the USA stay away from Japan, Taiwan or Seoul - go the other way. 

How soon before you travel do you have to get a COE for "pre-aproval". If you leave Thialnd for 4 weeks, can you apply for the Pre-Approval COE before you travel?

I wanted to get COVID Insurance for returning to Thailand following a USA visit, I hit the link given in this thread "tipinsure" and filled out the form. I got a quote for 42,000 Baht, I filled out the application form, one year coverage, 69 and one risk condition, I got a message that I did not meet their requirements, the message thanked me for using their service.

After a few hours of searching, I found an insurance company that had a simple application form, I got the needed one year COVID insurance for Thailand entry at 32,000 Baht.

These insurance companies are taking in huge profits. The insurance cover is for only $100,000, if you get hospitalized for COVID, the cost of a COVID hospitaalization even with mild complications will far exceed $100,000. if you make a claim and COVID impacts another condition you have had, perhaps controlled hypertension, guess what if you make a claim you will be denied because you had a pre-existing condition. 

There is little downside to this COVID insurance but lots of upside for insurance companies.