WhateverDude

Did a bit more digging, and even though QA doesn't require the PCR test results nor SFO, the CDC states that ALL US citizens and residents entering the country need to have a test done within 3 days of departure date.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
 

So I guess I will still have to get the test, FWIW. I'm posting this info in case it helps clarify things for someone else.

15 hours ago, treetops said:

 

I think Qatar Airways removed that requirement a few months ago.

Wowww.... I think you're right. When I first booked the ticket, the reply said that QA required a negative PCR test from all passengers. Now when I check the entry requirements via their site it says I don't need one.

Wow... can that really be true? If so, it's a HUGE load off my mind. I will verify with the airline of course, but yeah, from what they're saying I don't need the PCR test.

Thanks for chiming in with this info! ????

NOTE However: California's travel info site says that all arriving US passengers must have a negative COVID PCR test result. I'm digging a bit deeper to see what's correct and not correct.

https://covid19.ca.gov/travel/

3 hours ago, Elkski said:

What about flying from Thailand to USA?  They now require a test before entering USA right?  Where is the best place to get a test in BKK?  And with all these testing places full or out if tests I imagine results take longer.   Hopefully it will be possible in 25 days for fiancee to get a test and results in a timely fashion. 

I'm planning on flying out on the 17th, BKK - DOH - SFO. 

Qatar Airlines is requiring a PCR test within 72 hours, but the US and SFO aren't. What they ARE doing now in California is requiring that I self-quarantine for 7 days upon arrival where I will be staying. If I didn't have a PCR test, it would need to be for 10 days. Other airports/cities may have different rules & requirements. For example, LAX has other requirements than SFO does.

Hope this helps!

56 minutes ago, WhateverDude said:

Does anyone know where in Bangkok area I can get the PCR test (to travel) done and receive the results within 24 hours or less? The hospital I usually go to in Bangkok (Sukumvit) has temporarily stopped doing the test and they couldn't tell me when they'll resume. I'm trying to fly out on the 17th to get to the US.

Any good tips are appreciated!

 

 Nevermind on this! I did a bit more digging and searching, and managed to find quite a few options. I think I'm good. ????

Does anyone know where in Bangkok area I can get the PCR test (to travel) done and receive the results within 24 hours or less? The hospital I usually go to in Bangkok (Sukumvit) has temporarily stopped doing the test and they couldn't tell me when they'll resume. I'm trying to fly out on the 17th to get to the US.

Any good tips are appreciated!

 

On 3/25/2021 at 7:38 PM, DrJack54 said:

Yes just turn up for stamp. I'm more than happy for expert to chip in and advise you to just exit and forget about final stamp. In fact that's why I bumped your reply to obtain extra opinion.

Ok, that's what I thought too, thanks for confirming!

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Good reply. You certainly can leave Thailand prior to obtaining final stamp. I'm conservative so if your able to wait then thinking that's best option. 

So what would that entail? Going to immigration before flying out to get stamped? Just curious about that. Thanks again.

On 3/24/2021 at 7:19 AM, ubonjoe said:

You could apply for the extension early so that the under consideration stamp report back date is before you leave the country. If you did it now the stamp would be for the first week of April.

Yeah, I've already come to terms with the idea of leaving in mid/late April after I get the next extension. I'm pretty flexible and just wanted to know if it was possible to leave while still on the UC stamp. Thanks for your response!

On 3/23/2021 at 9:26 PM, DrJack54 said:

Very unusual post. I get the situation. 

You won't get extension stamp at airport.

I'm very conservative so I would return on due date to MTT if it's prior to flight out.

Apart from that going back to USA just to have have vaccine shot IMO is serious crazy. If you have other reasons fine. 

 

Well, staying until I get the final extension stamp isn't going to be a big deal for me. I have an appointment for the 29th, so I'm guessing that I'll have to go back around the 13th for the extension stamp. That should work out fine as far as my travel plans go. I was just wondering if it was possible to stamp out before getting it if I found a good option to fly out before then.

And yeah, I do have other important reasons to get back to the US, vaccine notwithstanding. So I might as well go sooner than later and get everything done in one shot (no pun intended). Being able to get vaccinated when I get there is just gravy.  Thanks for the input!

Ok, so I have a question. I have to get the extension, by March 30th. But... I'm also trying to leave Thailand to head back to the US by mid-April (where I now have a FAR better chance of getting vaxxed sooner).

Now, there's no doubt that I'm going to get the "under consideration" stamp that's going to make me go back to MTT two weeks later to get the full extension stamp.

But here's my question... What if I end up booking a flight and leaving BEFORE the return date of the UC stamp (which is entirely possible)? Will they just give me the extension stamp at the airport and then stamp me out? I really don't want to go to MTT before the date just to get the damn extension stamp if I don't have to.

I'd appreciate any insights. I searched the forum about this issue and didn't find anything.

3 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Have you thought about the possibility that they aren't allowed to give you the extra month until early November? 

Even though it was officially announced that ALL extensions would be effective as of November 1st?

And even though people I know in the same situation as me who went to CW and got their extension stamps for November 30th?

So no, I haven't.

Any other questions?



 

On 10/7/2020 at 4:35 PM, AndrzejK said:

Let me be clear. Pattaya IO, September 17. Submitted all the required documents including 'letter of support' from my Embassy. Paid 1900 Baht. Got stamp 'Application of stay is under consideration.....must contact this office again on 07 OCT 2020'. And was told 'when you come on Oct.7 you will get visa extension until end of October'. So today I went to the IO. Half empty, gave my passport and 10 minutes later she gives me back my passport with..... another...."under consideration....must contact this office again on 03 NOV 2020". And  she says 'when you come next time you will get a new stamp with 30 of November stamp'.   Just a sick joke, what they do! 

Same thing happened with me at Samut Prakan today. But get this, I got stamped for Oct 31st, which is a Saturday. When I asked the trainee who gave me back my passport why I didn't just get the stamp for Nov. 30th like it was officially announced, she led me to a counter.

The lady there told me that I actually didn't have to come back until November 2nd since the under consideration stamp fell on a weekend! And then... on THAT day I would get the stamp for until the 30th. Apparently, I was supposed to be happy about that and that was supposed to make everything all better. I couldn't frickin' believe it. They are just making this so unnecessarily difficult and bureaucratic for no reason whatsoever.

1 minute ago, worldfun said:

really?

meanwhile office at CW quoted as not knowing a thing about any extension. biz as usual? ????

My companion is at CW right now trying to get her working visa to teach at a school. The IO she spoke with, who initially denied her the visa until the school apparently went over her head, played dumb when she brought up the upcoming announcement. The IO even acted a tad surprised that she knew anything about it.

2 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

I was told that amnesty is only possible under state of emergency. Funny how foreigners bash state of emergency unaware that's the only thing keeping many of them in the country...

Man oh man, my ignore list on this forum is just growing by the hour.  Good riddance to you! ????

1 hour ago, JacksSmirkingRevenge said:

Apparently Chiang Mai is giving the full 30 days on the spot and no under consideration stamp.  

Imagine that.

36 minutes ago, JeffGroves said:

similar but I will be going on the 28th

 

I suspect things will be pretty much back to normal there on the 28th. Because they won't be dealing with the letter/extension people like me for at least another two weeks or so after that.

57 minutes ago, hanuman2 said:

@WhateverDudeI will go to the same office tomorrow. Was it crowded? Trying to get 60 days extension on a non-o.

Get there before they open at 8:30, get in good position in line. We got there about 8:15 and it was pretty much perfect. The queue got MOBBED by 9-9:30. We were out of there by 11, and that was only because they made us do two copy runs that added at least 45 minutes to the total time.

1 minute ago, allencraig said:

A little off topic, but can anyone living in bkk go to Samut Prakan immigration office? It would so much easier for me transportation-wise.

No, you have to be living somewhere in Samut Prakan province to be handled there.

We went to Samut Prakan (Pak Nam) immigration today. We both got "under consideration" stamps that say to come back on October 14th for the "final" extension stamp. I asked if I can come back sooner, and they said to only come back on the 14th unless there is another official announcement.

So all told, my current "extension" is good for just shy of 3 weeks. For good measure, I will likely be going back with a new embassy letter for October, just to stay "officially" covered somewhat.

13 minutes ago, FlyingThai said:

I just showed this post to my friend who works at ACS here in Bangkok. I'm not gonna repeat what he said about you because it'd breach forum rules. Stop drinking dude!

Sure you did. ????

Funny how you mention your ACS-insider friend now, yet before all you can do was cite the embassy's announcements. Funny dat indeed. Which incidentally, you also got wrong.

And yet, you double down now with even more stupidity. Bravo.

So tell me, does your "friend" deny that the USA is a teeming COVID hot zone too?

Enlighten us, oh drunk one.
 

12 minutes ago, checkered flag said:

I don't know about your information. The US embassy has for months telling Americans to book flights and go home for months. Read their announcements.

You're right, you don't know. I've been talking with ACS at the embassy on almost a weekly basis over the past 3 months. You've been reading their "announcements".

They were sticking to that tune until about the middle/end of August. That's when they finally figured out that telling Americans to fly back to the US in its hot zone state was essentially a stupid idea. They figured out that it would come back to haunt them later.

Why do you think that they finally started issuing letters again? Rest assured that it was because of people like me who had been bugging them about it for months.

What else don't you know?

2 hours ago, FlyingThai said:

Have you been in contact with your embassy since March trying to get a repatriation flight?

 

At this point there shouldn't be a single legitimate individual "stuck" in Thailand as repatriation efforts have been going on for half a year now. All that remain do so because they didn't take action.

Why would I or anyone else in their right mind want to repatriate to a country that's a hot zone? My embassy issued me and other Americans letters because they came to the realization that for us to try to repatriate now would be just plain STUPID.

And there you go again with that hilariously stupid farang bs. Making positively idiotic judgement calls on things that you know absolutely NOTHING about.

I've been trying to effectively leave Thailand to get to any place that can be deemed "safe" to arrive and without having to go through any unnecessary quarantine or any other bs for months now. Hasn't panned out. Again, I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks just because I would like to go somewhere else.

And what the HELL are you talking about regarding "repatriation efforts going on for half a year now"? Are you drunk or something? ????

Most of the developed world was in LOCKDOWN for at least 3-4 months starting in March. Europe only started reopening in early June and by most accounts it has been a dismal failure. Most of the US reopened way too soon in most of the country, thus causing a massive spike in cases/deaths with no end in sight. Any repatriation efforts going on at that time were a joke at best.

So yeah... just stop. You're making an idiot of yourself out here.
 

I sent the embassy a rather scathing email last month. Several others that I talked to who are essentially "stuck" here like we are did the same thing. I'm sure that collective effort had a lot to do with them having to change their tune.