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Thaiophil
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Posts posted by Thaiophil
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Not the most realistic.
1 you would need to be insane to set foot on a cruise ship just now. 9 of these behemoths are anchored off the coast near my home in the UK mothballed since March. So there aren’t going to be any coming to LoS
2 I don’t think they quite get what a cruise is. You go from country to country spending a short time in each port. 14 days in ASQ is not on the schedule. Nor will anyone start or finish their cruise here given the onerous paperwork
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Phuket IO seems to have been quite fair throughout, warning “tourists” (surely no genuine tourists still stranded by now) that ddl falls at the weekend.
Even immigration officials are entitled to spend Loy Kratong with their kids????
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5 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:
Did fly with Emirates if so what were the entry requirements for Dubai, what was your departure airport ?
yes Emirates from London. Required documents for Thailand allow transit in Dubai as well-
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10 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:
Thanks for this report. Very helpful for those considering a similar track.
One question > You didn't mention it but for which Visa did you apply that was eligible for the CoE?
mine was non-immigrant F, but the types of visa allowing COE are set out on the Thai Embassy website and you will find numerous threads on the sameHad I not been able to get a visa through work, I researched the O-A as a fallback and it seems not so hard to get if over 50
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19 minutes ago, jayboy said:
Excellent report.One question if you don't mind.Many of us have work or private insurance covering the COVID risk already.Can one just show the policy or is a letter required from the insurance company needed confirming the specific Thai requirement on cover?
as just replied to another poster, I think it is driven by the type of visa you have or will get -
31 minutes ago, ronaldo0 said:
Is the COVID insurance with a Thai company or uk ? If I return and have to take out covid insurance with a Thai company as well as insurance I have then it will cost me around 20-40,000bht more as I will be living there all year .
I am not an expert, but it likely depends on which visa you are applying for. For the “retirement” visas(O-A, O-X), you need a Thai policy covering the full length of your stay. My visa was work related so our office corporate health insurance was enough-
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11 minutes ago, madmen said:
That cost is fairly reasonable compared to numbers thrown around the forums
Full Covid insurance as per Thai requirement would add extra cost. Mine was already covered by my work
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I finally got back to Thailand after 7 months in the UK yesterday. Now starting 2 weeks quarantine. I thought it could be helpful to run through the process step by step and offer a few tips to help others who qualify for a Certificate of Entry. The process may differ in other countries and is still evolving, so keep checking the Thai Embassy website.
Bottom line; the process is navigable, but stressful and fairly expensive. If any of the required steps fail, you risk being back to square one and losing money. If you don’t need to come back to Thailand just now, you may wish to consider waiting.
I found the RTE in London really responsive and efficient throughout. You have to keep trying their phones in the afternoons, but they will answer eventually and give good advice. Eventually, a senior staffer started giving me helpful email advice.
You need to start by synchronising flights, ASQ booking and Covid test booking. Best not leave the latter too late as they get booked up. I would allow 3 weeks lead time at least.
By now there are several commercial flight options. When I booked, only Emirates was authorised. Before booking, I checked their daily record on Skyscanner/Flightradar and was reassured that both flights had operated as planned every day for a week. Beware of airlines cancelling. Your COE is restricted to the booked flight only! My flight to Dubai was half empty. Not all airlines would have operated it.
As regards ASQ there seems to be plenty of capacity at various prices from about 30,000 baht up. Various people I know have reported that their ASQ was fine. But check the fine print in cancellation policy carefully. What if your flight is cancelled or you test positive? Some charge 100% for late cancellation.
I booked the Covid test early through a local private GP. To be ultra safe given risk of no result or false positive, I also booked a second test in London with a 24 turnaround. Work out the logistics of the 72 hour rule carefully. Eg, don’t book a flight on Mon or Tues if your test takes 48 hours to come back and your clinic or their lab does not work weekends.
The Fitness to Fly certificate can be obtained from a private GP or online Dr but check what you will actually get. I ended up telling the Dr what I thought the Thais would want and it worked, notably A huge bold title
I needed a visa. I applied online to the RTE once my office had requested the COE. The online system is clunky and needs a good internet connection. I twice lost the connection and had to start again. Uploading docs is especially finicky. But it worked in the end. I easily got an appointment within a couple of days at the RTE and didn’t wait long when delivering the application.
in my case, the COE was the most difficult. My office had to apply with all the required papers in Bangkok and did so 4 weeks ahead. Even so, despite reminders, COE only arrived 36 hours before the flight. Really stressful. RTE were sympathetic, but only Bangkok could approve. I think the new online application process for private cases looks much better.
My work insurance covers the Covid requirement, but I got a private one to recoup costs in case of failed Covid test.
Do fill out the other two forms from the website in advance including the T8 health declaration. This saves hassle at airport check in and on arrival at Bkk. Those without the latter had a much longer wait. make sure you have all papers and copies at check in. It was quite random what Emirates checked and different in London and Dubai
Here are the approx costs in my case:
One way flight £ 450
ASQ 60,000 baht
Visa £60
Covid test £200
FTF £85
Travel insurance £50
Two round trips to London re visa £150
Good luck!????
Will likely report back on ASQ experience in due course
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This is the least convincing case so far as he got back successfully, though having just completed the hoops to return myself, it is certainly very stressful. COE delivered only two days before the flight
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I sympathise with the excluded groups highlighted, but most of the the cases involve people over 50 who could fairly easily get an O-A visa which would get them in. Yes it means getting Thai health insurance and doing ASQ, but it seems many prefer to stand on their principles and complain.
Many other countries are not allowing foreigners in period.
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39? Not going to fill many foot nibbling fish bowls...
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A “further hammer blow” to a dead horse makes no difference...
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Thanks for all the Trinkisms. Takes me back...????
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19 minutes ago, MRToMRT said:
In the UK the O-A is now being issued in less than a week (incl post) and CoEs in hours. I know quite a few people who are coming back now and next month.
Hoping to do just that next Thurs
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56 minutes ago, Donga said:Wonder if some embassies are able to quietly process applications objectively on humanitarian grounds based on past visa info, perhaps with property and/or loved ones?
No. Embassies have zero discretion either way. Rules set in Bkk, then Embassies apply them. If you meet the criteria you will get a CoE, if not not. Rumours about secret quotas, different approaches in different Embassies etc are just that - rumours.
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1 hour ago, Kadilo said:
From the UK website. I think it’s up to date:
The list of airlines with flight permits to carry passengers to Thailand
Foreigners who wish to go to Thailand can fly only with the following airlines:
- Thai Airways International : tickets can be purchased online at https://www.thaiairways.com/ or send email to [email protected] if you already have tickets or vouchers.
- EVA Air
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Austrian Airlines
- Swiss Air
- KLM
- Air France
- Cathay Pacific
Passengers can buy tickets directly from the airlines' websites or through travel agencies.
I chose Emirates on the specific recommendation of the london Embassy (at the time I booked only Emirates were allowed)
I would advise checking actual departure records on flightradar before booking. If the airline cancels, you have to rebook ASQ etc all over again
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7 hours ago, crazykopite said:
8 months later there are still 1,000s of Thais stranded abroad as there are so few repatriation flights
This is out of date. There are at least 10 airlines now authorised to fly to Bkk, so there is no problem for Thais (or farangs) to get flights If they can get a COE
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9 hours ago, webfact said:
This person has made their life around Thailand for more than three decades but was recently told by the TAT in London that the prevalence of the virus in the UK made any applications to come back from there pointless.
Why not apply for an O-A visa? This allows people to travel from the UK as clearly set out on the London Embassy website. TAT quote is a red herring as it obviously refers to the STV scheme
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Simplest solution is just to abolish the age restriction on the O-A visa and allow working FROM Thailand as opposed to in Thailand. Financial requirements and quarantine will keep out the riffraff????
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32 minutes ago, Jen65 said:
My worry is that as a Non Immigrant O-A (retiree) visa holder with valid extension of stay to April next year , I am going to run into problems getting back in November
Why? O-A is allowed. Only non-O retirees not allowed
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If over 50 and with bank balance of £20000 people can apply for an O-A visa instead. The only expensive part is the compulsory Thai health insurance.
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5 hours ago, Dart12 said:
can you do western union transfers online? or do you have to go to their location?
Online works perfectly. If any issues, they answer the phone quickly
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Chinese tourists created the original Covid outbreak in Thailand, but they are first allowed back. Does that seem fair to you?..
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On 9/30/2020 at 4:33 AM, KarenBravo said:
No, there is a fixed fee of around US$30 per transfer. That is all fees charged by both banks.
I bank with Barclays UK and they charge like a wounded bull.
If you can do online banking with Barclays, they now offer fee free transfers to bank accounts in several countries including Thailand.
I often also use Western Union online which charges about £2.50 for debit cards and free for direct bank transfers.
WU likely offer better exchange rates so you can work out which is cheaper . Certainly no need to pay $30.
Committee Agrees to Reduce Travel Quarantine
in Thailand News
Posted
I am 7 days into my 14 of ASQ. I am not holding my breath for early release. All previous border relaxations have been dropped, modified or heavily delayed as the medicos push back.
BTW I heard the Samui lady was really Thai or at least dual national. But convenient to badge her as French