Senior Player

As I posted elsewhere, shifting your vaccination status to the TM6 form is still NOT living with Covid. Until the entire bureaucratic system is scrapped and the country adopts the UK approach, which is all travellers are treated equally with or without these vax shots, I won't be booking a flight there. 

Scrapping the Thailand Pass is a step in the right direction. However, transferring it to the TM6 immigration form is still not the answer if you want to boost tourism. Travelling to the UK you do not need to complete a UK passenger locator form before you travel, take any COVID-19 tests or quarantine when you arrive in England. This applies whether you're vaccinated or not, which is just as it should be. When Thailand scraps all its bureaucratic COVID-19 rules, I'll consider booking a flight.

Just now, DrJack54 said:

You wouldn't have an issue. First visit was a one year visa.

 

Perhaps if you were doing back to back visa exempt entries via air you may have had issues. 

 

True. I'd also flown back to England before my first year was fully up and re-entered to get an additional 11 or 12 months on the first visa, something you were allowed to do. It was on my next visit after this that I just went for a bog standard visa exempt. But you're right, I've never done back-to-back visa exempts. Well, not since 2011, and I didn't have a problem even then.

One thing I've noticed, and there's no exact science to it, but I think certain people are just pulled up and made an example of, especially in front of long queues.

On 4/11/2022 at 11:39 PM, Mac Mickmanus said:

Tourist visas and Visa exempts are meant for tourists .

People who have been in Thailand for many years are not tourists and that's why they were questioned  .

  People just need to get the correct visa for the purpose of their visit 

Surely it doesn't matter what your previous visa history is when entering Thailand, as personal circumstances can often change. For instance, I came in on a 1-year visa once, but then the next time I visited I just went for a normal 30-day exempt which I was perfectly entitled to do. The only thing the immigration officer said to me upon arrival was: "Only staying for 30-days this time, not a whole year?" My reply was "not this time" or words to that effect. He simply smiled, quickly stamped my passport and I was waived through.

On 4/15/2022 at 12:15 PM, freedomnow said:

Reading in another thread the removal would realistically be

May 15th onwards.....hope it is just the 1st.

 

The last time I read anything about dropping all restrictions it was to be done on 1st of July. This was on the proviso that the virus became endemic and meets the approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Are you saying the Thai authorities have brought the date forward from July 1st since this previous announcement?

On 3/20/2022 at 9:02 PM, webfact said:

The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and Thai Chamber of Commerce have both stated the changes are not enough to encourage wider foreign tourism and travel.

And they're both correct. Just in case anyone from TAT is reading this, I won't be booking a flight to Thailand until ALL restrictions are lifted. And just to make sure that the Thai government doesn't do another U-turn, I will be leaving it for a couple of months after their so-called 1st of July Victory-Day with the proviso of it being "dependent on incoming infection rates and approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO)". Not sure why Thailand has to wait for the WHO giving them the green light, but there you go. With a good wind at my back, I might even be sunning myself in Thailand by early September at this rate.

What's the vaxx status for entering Thailand right now from the UK? There doesn't appear to be any info on their Thai embassy website for how many jabs are needed to avoid a longer quarantine. Is it 2 dose or is it 3 (the so-called booster)?

8 hours ago, Stargeezr said:

I agree with you superal, that All international flights with all airlines 

should only allow people who have at least 2 COVID19 vaccinations.

I don't know whether you're aware but there's now a nasal spray available that's passed its Phase 3 clinical trials called the SaNOtize Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray designed to kill the Covid-19 virus in the upper airways, preventing it from incubating and spreading to the lungs. I honestly no longer see the need for this constant barraging of the unvaxxed when a few squirts up the hooter will be the future. It's also just been approved in India, Israel, Bahrain, Indonesia & Thailand.

A very illuminating read. Provides further grist for the mill as to why I won't be booking a flight to Thailand any time soon. 

9 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Actually for many people (depending on type of computer and what software they already have) it will  require researching the process and downloading and installing new software. PDF to jpeg/jpg is not something one needs to do often.

 

4-5 documents involved (depending on how the vaccine record is set up).  Insurance certificates and hotel confirmation come in pdf. It is hardly user friendly to set up a system that won't accept the format these documents typically come in.

I agree, it can be a total headache if you've never had to do it before. Fortunately, I've had some experience with the Thai electronic visa application system with these types of files. However, there are free converters available online that allow you to upload your PDF which converts the document to a JPG format and then downloads it to your PC, or phone, or whatever device you use. There is no real need to purchase software and install it as it can be done totally for free via a website.

Here is such a free online PDF converter to JPG site...

https://pdf2jpg.net/

There's plenty more, but that was the first one I happened across. You just need to make sure your settings for the file size come within the Thailand Pass upload parameters before you upload the final converted JPG file from your PC to the Thailand Pass site.

I hope that helps.

On 10/16/2021 at 5:15 PM, natway09 said:

UK 40,000 daily infections, NZ 70 & not on the list ?

If you're doubled jabbed and pass the required PCR tests, then it doesn't matter what your home country daily infections are. But don't fret, you can have my place, because I'm not flying to LOS, despite being doubled jabbed. Not until these hurdles are totally removed.

Until a COE is no longer a requirement, or special insurance, or a stay in an approved hotel for 6 days, I'll be putting off my return to Thailand for my usual 2 to 6 month stay. Yes, it's good that Thailand has reduced the number of days in quarantine, but it's just not enough to tempt me back into making that longhaul flight to the land of smiles.

On 10/19/2020 at 5:31 PM, trappedinasia said:

Is she using an agent to get a long term visa, or just to get the Nov 30th stamp?

She's using an agent. I've posted the name on the other topic link that you provided.

5 hours ago, trappedinasia said:

The only thing new I've seen since I posted that is that they're now telling people to come back on Oct 29th. I guess they realized that having weeks of applicants come back on the same day could be a bit much... But two days seems like far too little, as well, and I have no idea why they're adding this extra step at all. 

Thanks @trappedinasia. My girlfriend has decided to use an agency and send her passport to the Bangkok immigration office. She was told this morning by Jomtien immigration that they wouldn't be able to do it there. Something about not being able to access her records on the computer due to her previous stamp being issued originally at Bangkok. Sounds like a total cop out to me, but she's not waiting until October 29 to see if they change their stance.

For those wondering which agency my girlfriend is using in Pattaya to send her passport via, it's called Cha Passport & Visa. I hope this info is helpful to those that are struggling to come up with a solution to their stamp extension dilemma. This isn't a recommendation, nor is it a promotion. I simply asked my girlfriend which agency she was using to sort out her extension stamp problem by and this was her response.

My Laos girlfriend who is living in Jomtien has just informed me that she went to their immigration building today and was told that she had to go back to Bangkok where she got her previous stamp from. Something to do with their computers couldn't process it. I admit the info is a little vague but that's what she just told me. She said she's sending it via an agency to guarantee the new passport stamp.

So far, I'm hearing from a few people in Pattaya that they're having difficulty in obtaining another stamp extension to their existing one that expires at the end of this month for free. Can anyone validate this, or are other people going to Jomtien Immigration and getting their free visa extension stamp (having paid previously before Sept 26) without any problems? 

And yet the Deputy Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, told The Daily Telegraph that he predicts that the country’s borders would not reopen to tourists until 2021. He added: “The Christmas period, usually the high season, is in jeopardy and I’m looking horribly even to Chinese New Year in February." Further adding: "It is not a rosy picture."

Sadly, tourism is unlikely to reopen for Thailand until sometime next year. Without a crystal ball it's impossible to say exactly when, but let's assume we're talking another year from now. That's going to drive the LOS fanatics up the wall if they have to wait well into next year before they can go on a holiday there.

Let's not forget that currently, only certain categories of foreign nationals can enter Thailand. If you're eligible to enter, you will be subject to 14 days in quarantine at your own expense. The same applies if you're returning from Thailand to the UK with requirement to self-isolate for 14 days. That's a total of 4 weeks self-isolation just for going to Thailand and coming back!! Call it an entire month, might as well. I'm sorry, but under those restrictions very few apart from the total diehards are going to want to travel to Thailand.

7 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

not bizarre.  Some  of the seafood related GI infections are lethal, especially shellfish.  There most likely was extensive dehydration and  extensive lab work to identify what it was. B 40K isn't that expensive.

 

 

You are correct. There can be lethal infections from bad shellfish. According to the report, the bill in question was spread over more than one family member. The first bill was for 20,000. Again, it's unclear why the other family members were charged an additional 20,000.

I think the reason why this particular case has aroused so much interest is that many of us have had something similar after eating dodgy seafood or drinking contaminated water, but haven't immediately rushed to the hospital for tests or treatment, hoping that we could get the restaurant to cover the medical costs afterwards. The vast majority of us simply pop down to the local pharmacy and get something to ease the problem, and self-care for a few days.

Treatment of food poisoning depends on the cause; most people self-care in a few days, but some cases may benefit from specific antibiotic or antiparasite treatments once the cause is identified.

The story is quite vague. I'm still unsure as to why the other family members decided to have the same battery of tests, especially when the first family member had already had them. Surely the results would be exactly the same? Why not wait for the first test results to come back and simply get the same medication as prescribed? Meanwhile, just self-care. If the first person's tests come back as something really serious, then you know you've got a problem and also need specific antibiotic or antiparasite treatments as well. I guess what I'm implying is that the family became hysterical rather than approaching it from a wait-and-see approach.

I've used private hospitals in LOS on a number of occasions and before they give you any treatment or drugs of any kind, they always take you to see their finance department to see how much you're willing to pay and how you're going to pay. It's at this stage that you get to haggle over the bill. Before this process there's always a consultancy appointment by a specialist, which tends to be a standard fee, depending on whether you're a farrang or a Thai national the price can vary. 

I think the majority of us that have had a severe case of diarrhoea in Asia have never resorted to going to hospital for treatment, despite the pain or discomfort we've had. My own worse case was on a trip to Myanmar, which was either due to the fish I'd eaten or contaminated water. Fortunately, the hotel staff there were willing to go to a pharmacy and buy the Imodium for me, which I needed badly as I had a flight back to BKK the very next day. The golden rule is to drink plenty of bottled water so as not to become dehydrated. Regardless, the diarrhoea passed within a few days (I can't remember exactly how many) and I was back to normal.