changnaam

Further update if anyone is following, I have found Covid insurance which has come up as THB 2,250 for each child through AXA Thailand, and is specific for travellers OUTSIDE Thailand for up to 30 days cover.

No option on the website to do a family cover so will contact them, but in our case better than taking a day out at the Thai Embassy London. 

Thanks UbonJoe, I believe that to get an Emergency Passport we have to travel to the Thai Embassy, which due to location will cost more and require a day off work and school so is just not worth it. I am trying to sort Covid insurance for the trip now but I am guessing the cost of that will be less than the cost / time of going to London for the Emergency Passport. 

You are correct though, that would be an option, cheers. 

Finally got an answer from the Thai Embassy in London. As I expected / feared anyone entering on a non Thai passport is considered as a foreigner, even if they are a Thai national, so Covid insurance for the kids it is. Not even going to comment on my view on this, we tried multiple times to renew their passports.

 

So the "Thailand Pass" is going to be as foreigners for the children.

 

Requirements for Foreigners travelling to Thailand during COVID-19 travel restriction and FAQ on Thailand Pass from 1 November 2021 - Royal Thai Embassy, London

 

This is the link if it helps anyone.

Thanks for the input guys, the more I think about it the more I think that getting Covid insurance for the kids and using UK passports is the way to go. If we get the Thailand pass based on their Thai passports ( meaning Covid insurance should not be required) but then the airline refuse to check them in with their UK passports as the Thailand Pass is linked to their Thai passports, and refusing to check them in on UK passports as there is no Thailand Pass linked to that passport is probably not a risk worth taking. With £250 in pre flight tests, £500 for SHA+ as well as the cost of the flight it is not worth taking a risk of failing to fly due to any possible grey areas. 

Its a shame because it should be clear, as Thais they don't need the additional insurance but not worth the risk. Of course their passports should be up to date but every time we have asked to renew have been told emergency only. 

Will try and keep this brief.......

 

I am waiting for answers to this question from the Thai Embassy in London and the support page on the Thailand Pass website, but as I hold my breath I thought I would ask for opinion on here.

 

Flights are booked, Quarantine hotel booked and vaccinations done for adults, children all under 12. I believe that only NON Thai nationals need to provide the Covid cover and this is where the confusion lies for me, or where we could come unstuck ( I will organise normal travel insurance as my private healthcare has sufficient Covid cover).

1 of the children's Thai passports have run out ( they hold Thai and UK passports) and the embassy in the UK has been unable to renew "due to Covid", so they will have to travel on their UK passport with the plan to renew in Thailand. 

 

It is not clear on the Thailand Pass website if they will be accepted as "Thai" for the application and for the travel ( for travel they will be UK nationals as that is the valid passport). Even when you do the application as a Thai national in English still offers the option to add insurance details but I thought that Thai nationals would not require Covid insurance?

 

The "reasoned" part of me would suggest that they can apply as Thai nationals ( using their expired passport as evidence) so from a Thailand Pass position they are a Thai national entering Thailand ( and do not require Covid insurance), but from the flight and entry into Thailand they will have to use their UK passport. 

But........ having lived in Thailand for 20 years all reason goes out of the window, so I expect that this will not be seen in the same way..... "your passport has run out so you are not Thai until you get a new passport" is what I would expect the answer to be, and "you are entering Thailand on a non Thai passport so you are not Thai and need Covid insurance" is what I would be expecting to hear. 

 

Of course it would be sensible to have the Covid insurance anyway in case anyone tests positive on entry but it would be good to get a better idea of how we stand in this area of "grey" which is so often the case in Thailand.

 

Maybe I have answered my own questions already and the safest option would be to apply for all children as UK nationals, travel on UK passports ( we are staying less than 30 days) and get insurance for everyone but to add a further shade of grey we did this once and were questioned at length as to why Thai nationals were entering Thailand on UK passports.....

 

If anyone has already faced a similar situation or has any further thoughts it would be appreciated.

Thanks

I traveled from Thailand to UK early Dec 2019 and 3 days after returning to UK had a really bad fever, second only to dengue which I had years before. Fever improved and I got the worst cough ever, then when that cleared up and I was back at the gym I couldn’t breathe well for a week.

Thought it was something I picked up on the flight, probably got it at the airport but now convinced it was COVID.

Non of my family in the UK got it, and we didn’t distance as we knew nothing at the time.

P.S.

Didnt mean to hijack the thread but thought question was relevant  to this thread. 

Good list, thanks for posting, seems like you have covered everything we have come across.

We are looking to submit the application ASAP but with my wife being in UK on holiday we have been unable to do language test and TB test. She has been getting conflicting information on when the test results need to be provided but I think this could be from people using agents who are submitting information gradually to the agent.

 

My understanding is that when you have the appointment for submission of docs at VFS ALL documentation relevant to the application must be submitted at the same time as it has to be scanned (optional) and sent to the UK.

if you turned up 3 days later with English / TB test results they would not be added  to the application.

 

My wife has been lead to believe she can submit the application and then follow it up with test results while the application is being processed and they will be required before the visa is released.

This info has come from people who have used agents, and Thai forums in UK.

 

Any experience on this would be appreciated 

Thanks Bob, appreciate your thoughts through this thread. Yes I think the second app could have gone either way, and to be fair I think odds were against us after my comments on first app.

Anyway live and learn, and hopefully this helps others who may be in a similar situation.

Next step to see how she gets on with first flight!!

I decided to stay away from the thread while we made the second submission for the visa . Thanks to those who made positive suggestions , it is appreciated.

Happy to say the ECO saw sense that is was a genuine application and we got the visa second time.

Lessons which I learned from this.

1) Be as brief and to the point as you can.

2) don't make suggestions which would give them an easy excuse to reject.

3) Be persistent if you think you have a legitimate reason to reapply.

Thread of the week. Belligerent OP who not only refuses to recognse the rules for his own home country, but also belittles and mocks those in the know who try to help him.

Rubbish, those who have contributed to the thread were thanked, the mocking was saved for those who clearly did not understand the situation.

Importing a granny

Visa every 3 months

Not prepared to pay for child care

The thread has gone way off target and seems to be getting personal!

My kids were brought up with the considerable hindrance of their grandmother and I would have paid to have her leave us alone!

The issue is related to comments made in a visa application that were honest but unwise. It gave an ECO an excuse to reject the application that probably would not have happened otherwise. Telling falsehoods on applications risks major repercussions but sometimes it is better to say less!

Good luck with the second application!

Thanks Bobrussell you are right, a little too much info given in the original application but live and learn from that.

Shame about the friends I have gained here, look forward to support their future woes

Now I definitely hope you fall straight on your face. Good night.

Thanks for your positive input, wish you all the best too x.

Point you are missing John is day to day with 3 kids is fine. 2 months (60 days) 24 hours a day with 3 young children would be very hard for anyone, so grandma comes for support. I am sure any parent would agree.

Anyway let's see the result of the second try, thanks for the best wishes.

FYI my Father died when I was a young child.

My Mother cared for 3 young children 24/7/365 until we reached an age of independence and then she continued to care.

Not taking away from your mum , and sorry your father passed away when you were young. fair play to her her but not really same situation.

Not taking away from your mum but did you not go to school, or have friends and family around? 2 months alone is a tough call and we are only talking about having grandma around to support the kids.

Seriously the way a few of you guys talk we are asking for some kind of diplomatic favor, gran comes to uk for 2 months to help / spend time with grand kids. Pretty small issue when you look at rest of UK immigration mess at the moment.

Yep. We went to school and we had long summer holidays during which Mother ensured our care without the assistance of Granny or anyone else.

We had no family close to where we lived.

Jeez mate give it up.

Was your mum in her home for summer hols?

Surrounded by people she knew well?

Was she in her home country?

In her home town?

Friends around?

You had your school friends around as well?

We are talking apples and oranges.

Mum is in a foreign country

Does not have local network / friends

Kids don't have school friends that they can play with

I am sorry for your situation but my kids traveling to the other side of the world for their summer holiday and wanting to bring grandma to help mum along a bit is slightly different to you being at home with your year round network.

Point you are missing John is day to day with 3 kids is fine. 2 months (60 days) 24 hours a day with 3 young children would be very hard for anyone, so grandma comes for support. I am sure any parent would agree.

Anyway let's see the result of the second try, thanks for the best wishes.

FYI my Father died when I was a young child.

My Mother cared for 3 young children 24/7/365 until we reached an age of independence and then she continued to care.

Not taking away from your mum , and sorry your father passed away when you were young. fair play to her her but not really same situation.

Not taking away from your mum but did you not go to school, or have friends and family around? 2 months alone is a tough call and we are only talking about having grandma around to support the kids.

Seriously the way a few of you guys talk we are asking for some kind of diplomatic favor, gran comes to uk for 2 months to help / spend time with grand kids. Pretty small issue when you look at rest of UK immigration mess at the moment.

Point you are missing John is day to day with 3 kids is fine. 2 months (60 days) 24 hours a day with 3 young children would be very hard for anyone, so grandma comes for support. I am sure any parent would agree.

Anyway let's see the result of the second try, thanks for the best wishes.

7 by 7 thanks for the comments. Was 99% spot aside from my wife cannot manage 3 kids without her mothers help.

Not even going to bite, as she manages the kids all the time in Thailand.

The point was that MIL assists sometimes, and would be helpful for 2 months when I am back in Thailand working. My original application was not correct I agree but the point is not that MIL is a hired help, she does what any grandma would do.

Anyway we are submitting the second app next week, I will post the results.

Baerboxer appreciate your comments, yes you have hit the nail on the head. Thought I was talking a different language here so thanks for that. In hind sight I should have never mentioned that she comes to help sometimes and we give her some money as she has to take time away from her normal job.

I think it can be explained and express the importance of grandma coming to UK to see where her grandkids will potentially end up in the future. I am sure they will see sense and yes I did not explain it correctly first time around but live and learn !!

​Lets see what the second application brings.

Sorry John did not see much need to respond.

The need to take grandma with us to uk for 2 months when I will have to return to work and we have 3 children under 5 to look after is our decision, if you think it is not warranted or lazy up to you.

Reason for return is a non issue which I answered already. Do you really think a 50 something Thai lady would want to remain in UK when the other 5 members of her family return to work and school after holiday???

Your story is all over the place now, but I forgive you. It's still not a good place to be in after the refusal.

Extremely hard to wriggle out of this one going forward.

So difficult that you might as well employ the services of a lawyer and hope for the best. Do you understand now?

I think the story is fairly clear, for a "Pom" anyway , assume you were brought up in the eastern "burbs" I can understand it would be tough. Thanks for your input.

Can you help with a lawyer?

Only pulling your leg btw,

Thanks bobrussell that is what I was thinking. Maybe I was not clear enough in original application and will try to re word / explain more detail.

We may move back to UK so would be nice for grandma to see where grand kids will end up, have an understanding of what their future will bring. They just seemed to have latched onto "working" .

I certainly don't think reason to return is an issue, or financials but could have worded application better.

Just to make sure I made my point correctly.

Mother in law usually leaves her work every 3 months to stay at our home in Thailand for a month and we support her while she stays with us. So the assumption by UK is that she will be working if she joins us in UK for holidays. Not trying to import her every 3 months to be a nanny in UK.

Take it you have never looked after 3 young children before?

Don't insult me as I'm trying to help you, changnaam. In other words, don't shoot the messenger.

As much as I sympathise with your nursery care difficulties, you are totally screwed if you believe that you can import grandma every three months.

Pay up the going rate in the UK, as that is the best you're going to achieve. Tsk.

I think you are missing the point. Not trying to import grandma every 3 months. We live in Thailand, go to UK for summer hols but I cannot stay whole 2 months. Want to take grandma for the holiday and then all return to Thailand for start of next school year.

Not insulting you btw, you suggested I was "bonkers"

Reason for visit and return are pretty simple. We have done same for past 4 years, kids have to return for start of international school year. Have bills to show.

Maybe

Like we leave gran in UK to fend for herself when kids go back to school?