KCM3

I agree with the OP. As a concrete example of what can be done I would point out that the Thai Embassy in Singapore has done everything electronically for years and even holds the information. I was happy to find that when I had renew an annual visa some years back all of my information was pre-filled in on the website and all I had to do was amend any fields as/if needed. It was easy and efficient. Now as for me being comfortable my info on file electronically won’t leak out via a hack…. That’s another question. But the point is that at least at some level, this is already being done by the government. Now they just need to roll it out to other offices. I tell them every time I renew my visa in-country and the local clerks nod in agreement with me but it ends there I guess.

I respectively disagree. Charging reasonable fees for visas helps offset the cost of the Immigration Service. If not for those fees (on non-local arrivals) then our domestic taxes would be higher in one form or another. Certainly the cost of a Thai Visa is competitive with other countries. And many tourists don't need an 'official' visa in the first place.

It’s still a thing.

I have left and returned 2 times in the past 6 months and have another trip upcoming. While the spontaneity of hopping on a plane and traveling anywhere in the world is gone, travel right now is not impossible if you have good insurance, the ability to navigate the moving target of test and go or sandbox, and as long as you are not working against work leave deadlines. However, if I was closer to 70 I would not have this opinion due to the increased risk of a bad outcome if infected as well as the much higher cost of the insurance required for travel.

These stories never fail to amaze, especially given the constant worries over annual renewals and 90 reporting and TM30 etc on this site. One wonders why we bother…. Oh yea, we are not criminals.

Every time I see something like this I wonder why I bother with the TM30. Surely hotels file these, and any wayward tourists should be rounded up in about 30 seconds….

My wife got 2 x AZ here and got the Yellow Book as proof. This worked to enter the USA in early Dec.

*I have just re-entered Thailand via the ThaiPass. The OP description is reasonably accurate based on my experiences, but as always, your results may vary. *I also entered in Oct under the CEO/Sandbox program, and the ThaiPass is easier to sign up for online and easier to get through checkpoints when entering Thailand (less paperwork). *Regarding pdf’s etc., I simply scanned all my docs to my phone via Apple Notes and then was able to upload those images to the ThaiPass application very easily. This is much better than the COE online applications, which was not compatible with IOS. You needed a laptop to complete the application. *I agree that having everything printed out is better than having it on your phone. *The timing for the PCR test varies greatly depending on were you get it. I got a proper (accepted) PCR test with a 1 hour turn around in NYC. Generally you can get a 3 hour turn-around most other places if you are prepared to pay, otherwise its usually 24 hours. You need the negative result to check in at your initial departure gate, so time it wisely. *We flew NYC/Dubai/Bangkok. The only time my vaccine record and insurance were checked was at the initial airport check-in. In Thailand itself I was asked for the QR code from my ThaiPass, my negative PCR test, and my boarding pass. They will check your documents and stamp your entry card with a blue stamp prior to sending you to immigration. Immigration is close to normal - present your passport/visa, entry card and ThaiPass QR code and customs is as normal. The toughest/most stressful document check was prior to boarding in Dubai. A number of passengers were denied entry based on paperwork issues. The flight was delayed due to these checks and then the offloading of their bags. *The Test and Go hotel drill seems to be reasonably smooth if you are going through Bangkok. We came in on a very full A380 and were in our hotel room in less than 2 hours. *As an aside, a reasonable percentage of the passengers on the Dubai to Bangkok leg seemed to be genuine tourists, mostly from France and Eastern Europe/Russia. The flight was 95+% full. *Overall my experience with ThaiPass was ok and while you can’t just jump on a plane to travel to Thailand anymore, the process will not deter me from traveling even more frequently in 2022.

I had a similar problem when I applied for a COE in Sept. 2021. They reversed my family and given name inexplicably. I called the Thai embassy in my country and they told me they would reject my application as it would not pass airline or immigration inspection, and I should resubmit. The second time was fine. No issues.

In my personal Chiang Mai experience its red (deng), yellow (luang), green (kiao). They seemed surprised when I did the test in Thai. They said English (or Mandarin!) would have been fine after I passed. Maybe it’s my bad Thai!? ????

In my personal Chiang Mai experience its red, yellow, green. They seemed surprised when I did the test in Thai. They said English would have been fine after I passed. Maybe it’s my bad Thai!? ????

Yes, standing by.

This matches my assumptions, but I wanted the ‘expert’ opinions!

I am in Thailand on a Non-O, marriage visa. I extend it annually, let’s say based on a 31 July expiry. I go in to immigration several days/weeks before the expiry. They accept the paperwork and give me an ‘under consideration’ stamp for 30 days. I go back a month later, and get the ‘official’ extension stamp. This has been no issue over the past few years. My question is, what happens if I have to travel during this ‘under consideration’ time period, the month between my visa expiry and the ‘official’ restamp? Can I Ieave the country in the intervening month and renter using the ‘under consideration’ date? What if I cannot get back before the expiry of the ‘under consideration’ date?

We recently visited NYC, which has similar rules in place re having to be vaccinated to enter a restaurant. However, the difference is that NYC has plenty of doses available, and they are specifically using this rule to incentivize people to get the jab. We arrived unvaccinated and wanted to go to a particular restaurant that was enforcing the rule. We went to the local govt vax site and got sorted out within an hour. Note that NYC only requires proof of the first jab to enter restaurants (and gyms, etc); you don’t have to be ‘fully’ vaccinated. Realities of the system from our personal experience: 1) enforcement levels (actually checking vaccination cards) can vary from place to place; 2) the rule does not apply to outdoor dining, so you can still go to places that serve outdoors if you are unvaccinated; 3) some of the restaurants that we went to were using the rule as a marketing tool….we want our employees and customers to know that we are doing what we can to keep them safe(r); 4) the managers we spoke with thought the rule was much better than the alternative of potentially facing another period of shutdowns.