Sambotte

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Is this a seriously a post asking for advice.

If your currently in Thailand do not exit under any circumstance if your intention is ongoing stay in Thailand. 

Just as he said.

And OP : just read a little bit of info here or anywhere about the nightmare very possibly awaiting you if you exit and want to come back : you may not be able to come back. Or have to provide a ton of requirements, insurance, etc. With flights possibly canceled, ban re-instaured, etc.

Strange asking...

Arg...

Anyone has more info on that ?

I thought there was no renewing of driving license during the emergency state ?...

The "dirty farang" thing is going on.

Met a few "massage girls" saying that, never happen before.

Funny thing in Thailand where they barely understand the use of TOILET PAPER ! ????

Plane B.

I dreamed of it, having a private jet. Especially for the ability to avoid the total mess airport have become...

Interesting website.

Found a short Sci-Fi novel about quantum / parallel universes.

Yep, because on the virus i was thinking how beautifully complex life is, then thinking quantum physics is the mind-blowing complex thing... 

Ok, nobody cares ????

Never mind !

I doubt many Chineese will buy this "not-so-Elite" Visa.

Unless one who plan to stay in Thailand with no travel, or one willing to adapt (when possible) to the numerous travel requirements changes. Today : + 100.000$ insurance. Tomorrow ? So 5 years minimum is just a very risky bet now. 

Was maybe relevant depending on your situation and plans.

It's DEAD now unless :

- You plan to STAY in Thailand for long with NO travel at all, for years.

Or

- You accept the numerous changes in travels requirements, paperwork, quarantine, bans, etc. And now a 100.000$ assurance... I wonder if it's legal to change so much the terms, but i guess yes. Bad deal. Next ?...

Not to mention the minimum for TEV is 5 years, you can be sure nothing is sure for traveling in the years to come, as it looks the world react... 

Others visas, or agent, looks better now.

I think the OP mean he came on visa exemption a few months ago.

Did not had to make an extension 30 days, because amnesty.

When amnesty ends, will we (same case for me) be able to make the extension ?

Ubonjoe aswered me here that probably yes.

Of course we have to wait and expect anything...

Hundreds billions stars in one galaxy... Hundreds billions galaxies...

Life probably exists. In other forms than carbon-based or other standard we have here, maybe.

But not only space is a problem (distance, spaceship able to travel that, and time it would takes without a "breakthrough' discovery (to not being limited by light speed or to shortcut space-time)...) ->

Time could be to consider in another way : let's say a civilization last 1000 years, let's say universe has life since 10 billions years : what are the chances we meet in time ?! Even if a civilization last 1 million years, it's still a possible problem.

I'm used to pay 100 bahts or more here for 100g. Actually not much more than in Europe i think, for quality. It last me a few days.

So i guess, with no offense, that either you are broke, either a serious consumer...

Maybe consider import via container ? ????

I feel the same.

They just don't care at all about farangs staying in Thailand, nothing new.

Here it's a very easy decision to make it "no problem" for 3 or 6 more months.

Can not make ANY problem. And would look good.

But nop, looks like they are thinking about how farangs are a bad thing, and how they rule them.

So it could take more time, and could even been very disappointing.

Actually ONLY THE TEST BEFORE DEPARTURE MAKES SENSE imo.

Imagine you are good, you quarantine 2 days on arrival, still ok but wait... ONE guy on the plane was positive ! You are f... At least for 2 more weeks.

Yep obviously TESTS are the only way.

IF they are accurate (did not search too much but it does not look enough sure ?...).

2 days quarantine is borderline i would say. A rapid test would be much better. Or test before departure.

Any other complicated list of requirements, documents, and possible quarantine, are just a no-go for anyone with a working brain and a minimum of freedom, unless absolute necessity.

So i am kind of (not) surprised to see many governments trying both to get tourists back but still make it unreal, at least at the beginning... 

EDIT : so this poll (sondage in french) does not makes sense imo, too restrictive, i could not answer. Like, hopefully, many.

I did not check seriously, but 6 more groups of foreigners are allowed to come back, and it still does not include the "Elite" (????) no ? 

25 minutes ago, wasabi said:

I agree with you and in another thread I posted that this is a missed opportunity from immigration and Thailand Elite to attract the high end tourists they seek. I could see some complaining that you shouldn't be able to buy your way into the country if they did allow TE holders priority access, but it is called the Privilege Card and this is Thailand not the west so those who took offensive wouldn't  carry much weight. If they let TE holders in early they would likely sell a record amount, most of whom willing and able to spend more than the average tourist. It is short sighted not to let TE holders in and I am disappointed even though I personally am already in Thailand and not effected.

Yep. Like i said in other topic, they should consider too an Elite visa 1 year. Would match the "high net" target.

But : real Elite so with privileges compared to tourist. (at least same priority to come back as business travellers).

And 1 year ! Obviously no one with sense would bet on 5 years from now (unless ready to stay in Thailand with travel lockdown or excessive restrictions to flight).

Yes just good if one plan to STAY in Thailand.

Otherwise with all travels uncertainties, it looks like a very bad bet to put minimum 1/2 million bahts for tourism for the next 5 years minimum (not to mention 10 or 20). Zero garantee and actually low chances to be able to travel normally for years to come, sadly. Unless the world goes back to some decent normalcy.

But yeah i guess Chineese who plan to live out of China for long can find this interesting.

Again : only if one plan to STAY in Thailand (and can actually come, it's not done now). Any travel after and the "Elite" visa could become "locked out"...

Clear as mud...

What about the risk to not been allowed to make the return, if anything suddenly change ?

Transits ?

Previous travels ? Or based solely on passport ???

What about quarantines ? What if 1 passenger is detected sick after take-off ? All in quarantine ? Nice vacations...

Good luck for traveling like that.

And i am a very eager to travel again, but "normally".

Will never work. Tourism will be on "perfusion" with over-complicated rules changing every month, until a vaccine, if it works, or until they find a rapid accurate test and produce it en masse.

And that's the only way IMO, strange not many action in this direction ?

Test on departure, good to go, or no-go, period. Big + : will not be affected by some news-panic. And same rule for everyone, anywhere, anytime.

Very likely human body does not forget an immune response, unless some other problem (like cancer cells the body fight until it can't, or like auto-immune problem).

Looks pretty much like scare/fear news. Bad.

Another example of human body capacities : yellow fever vaccine, until only a few years, was considered valid for 10 years. Now they admit it's for life !

Science and medecine are largely in the unknown. Should not talk like they guess right with so few actual knowledge, especially when it's always in the "fear" direction.

The whole life process is to adapt, to change, to evolve. Very unlikely human body "forget" something like a destructive virus.

For the "crowd" like the OP says, but actually the crowd who as no immunity to basic media news fear, better worries :

- This virus can mutate worse, it's a kind of a lottery. 

- There will be other micro-organism pandemies, it's how life works.

And in the end, death is part of life ! Better admit it and have a real life.

As Alexandre Dumas was writing many times : "against all doctors efforts, the patient survived"...

Can be good if you do not have or do not want to travel, from now, considering the situation.

For those outside, it looks like a bad deal imo.

And travels will not be "normal" before long i am pretty sure.

Masks are ugly, anti-social, does not stop a pandemy but slow it down... But at least one can LIVE with that. I wear it in places where scared people are many, or where it's imposed, not for me.

Nothing as bad as lockdowns, travels bans, business closures, quarantines, etc. all those, NOT normal and NOT social, atmosphère and privations of freedom and LIFE...

Main point being still on top : stop living "normally" because of a simple virus that kills less than 1%, old or already sick people mostly ? Because of fear ? Because of medical business ? Because of mass-manipulation exercice ? (i do not think so for the later but it end up as that effect).

Only valid reason would be "this virus is expected to mute in a very deadly form", witch is not the case as far as i know.

In this crazy world, nobody cares about climate change, pollutions and cancers (makes money though for medical), alzheimer (no cure, very ugly, 200.000 new cases per year in France alone), atomic weapons, hunger, misery...

But a (natural at least) virus ? Panic !

Human live with virus since the very beginning, a lot of our ADN comes from viruses even. 

The only way is our immune system (not necessarely via a vaccine), like human do since millions of years, way better than medecine. And it's what happen, at least 80% people get this virus without problem.

Malaria, Dengue fever, etc. kills way more. Are you wearing a protective suit agains moskitos and panic if media makes it a "breaking new" ?

Thailand : 7000 deaths and 1/2 million injured by road accident in 6 months !!!!! Nobody cares, absolutely nothing is done about. Ho yes, of course, wear a helmet... Like masks, does not really fix the problem.

Corona : 60 deaths and 3000 sicks = panic mode ? (like the rest of the world i must say, Thailand just follow here).

So the masks... Not the main problem, nor solution.

Crazy world... By fear of death, stop living. That's something.

People are in denial of death. Although it's the only certainty in life.

One better LIVE TO DIE, preferably another day yes, but not at all cost, not by stop living, in fear via media, seeking a fake safety via doctors and gouvernements. Everybody dies ultimately. Better live really before that no ?

For me : i have no time to die by not living !

And damn they postpone this James Bond because of a virus ?! Seriously. 

My name is... Botte. James Botte.

If they really want high-worth tourists / long stay, they should change the Elite visa :

- 1 year (nobody will bet on 5 years from now), renewable.

- No quarantine obviously (like IATA intelligently said : 

- No TMxyz whatsoever...)

- No lottery at airport of course.

1 hour ago, Sundown said:

If not What's the advantage of having Elite visa? Setting up a company for the sole purpose of the visa is cheaper and you don't have to shell out all the cash at one time. Ri-di-cu-lous

Could be a better way indeed.

I don't know how complicated it is though ?

Very easy in Panama for example. I guess Singapour too. Still international easy business oriented countries.