vkuehne

Glueckwunsch! Happy it worked out for you in the end, and glad to hear the ambassador actually helping some people. But how much stress...

In my case they completely failed (you can see my summary of their incompetence in a comment under his letter video on FB).

BTW, how did you even get the letter/Konsularbescheinigung, and would you mind posting the exact wording? 

Danke und viel Erfolg in nem Monat!

If anyone can get the exact wording of the embassy letter, I'm very curious. Probably not many have or will manage to get it bc of the hurdles they have put in place. But you never know.

Austrian embassy started issuing by email today (source: Austrian dude I'm chatting with).

Any other updates to the list?

35 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

There are also consulates here and there in Thailand, for example in Pattaya. Can't they issue the letter?

If the weird rules apply then pretty sure, yes. I talked to the Consul in Phuket in length today but didn't ask that question, bc she couldn't have given me one anyway.

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

I think he had not applied for a 30 day extension of his visa exempt entry so that is what they gave him.

Right, I kinda read what I wanted to read. "on VE with an extension available". Explains it. Sigh.

Thanks man! After going all in today to convince the German embassy to issue letters would be great if we don't actually need them. From what I gleaned from a few behind the scene talks I would urge other EU citizens to try the same. They might have a struck a face saving deal.

Edit: nevermind, he obviously still had a normal extension available, so nothing changed. Rest of us probably still need letter.

1 minute ago, Adam219 said:

Germans do not need an embassy letter. I know this first hand as the guy i met at MTT today, on a VE, had no embassy letter and they let him through the queues, same as me. 

 

What is more interesting, is that without the letter, he got an "under consideration stamp" for 21st October... but it was crossed out! then, on the next page, a full 30 day extension stamp until 26th October.

 

I had a british embassy letter, and got the under consideration stamp until 21st.

 

If you're german and on VE with an extension available, I would say just go for it.

Wow, that's awesome info.... first time I heard this. Maybe they *did* work out some kind of face saving deal behind the scenes. I will be able to report back only Friday when I hit Krabi immigration.

3 minutes ago, Letseng said:

Do you believe what you are rambling on about here? Thai embassy in Berlin is well aware that the situation in Germany is anything but desperate.  What are 1000 infections with 90 mio inhabitants? 

Dude, stop derailing the thread with your pointless comments from Austria. We are talking about the letter from our embassy, so stay on topic or <deleted>.

Registered here so I could post an update. I was superannoyed by the way our embassy is handling this letter business. I actually need it, but am excluded bc I still have my residence address in Germany, even though I've been traveling for 3 years and came to Asia in Feb 2019.

Anyway, decided to find out what's going on and fight to get this letter.

Spoke in length to Consul in Phuket (very friendly), she can't do anything bc the order came from Berlin. So I worked the Foreign Ministry until I got hold of the Thailand officer there.

Awesome guy, we spoke for a looooong time, he explained that yes, they were - together with other Europeans - pressuring the Thais to do away with this letter business, apparently unsuccessfully.

And then embassy would consult with lawyers back in Foreign Ministry how far they could go, without actually lying in the letters.

He could *not* explain the weird restrictions to certain visa types - I also don't see why ppl on spouse or work visas would get any different treatment in the letter business.

He could also not explain why not simpy email+pdf like in March.

He promised to call the embassy again and take up my suggestion to just issue us a generic letter not mentioning flights, just something about the general situation, which my guess is would be plenty satisfactory for immigration for their file.

I'm now still waiting for the call back from the ambassador, left my number in morning, but he was out til afternoon, said his secretary.