Immigration Is Allowing 30 Day Extensions Of Entries (memorandum dated 18/03)

[jackdd]

23 minutes ago, dougiemac52 said:

They don't seem to have a scooby whats going. I note they haven't said how much the extension will be each time. This is the shock when you go along to the immigration office

An extension always costs 1900THB, i think there is no exception to it.

But theoretically they could issue consecutive weekly extensions, instead of 30 days extensions, which would mean 1900THB per week.

[bangkokboy888]

arrived this morning to CW 40 minutes early before opening time. 

 

i knew it would be busy, but i did not expect there to be 560+ people in the queue when i arrived ???? (i am #565 in the queue today)

 

i entered Thailand late January on visa exempt stamp, extended for 30 days at end of February. my extension is running out this week. 

 

i showed the immigration officials a Thai printed copy of the letter that UbonJoe posted (Thanks Joe!). they seemed to know what the deal was. 

 

they immediately asked me if i had a letter from my embassy. i told them that i do not. i told them that i had a flight cancellation and could not travel. i asked them for help. they insisted that i need a letter. 

 

i am writing american citizen services at the following inbox: [email protected]

 

[bangkokboy888]

thinking if i should just try my luck with yet another immigration officer and see if they will process the extension without the letter? 

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, bangkokboy888 said:

thinking if i should just try my luck with yet another immigration officer and see if they will process the extension without the letter? 

Your having a tough time. I presume many others there for same reason. Any indication what "paperwork" others have.

Sounds like the letter from embassy is mandatory? 

[bestie]

why tourists can extent 30 days without the letter and a non immigrant visa holder need the embassy letter. Or I'm wrong? I don't get it.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by bestie

[nomad2019]

Ive allready got 30 days extension untill aprill 11th.

Will i get a further 30 days and is there a cost 1900 baht.

Advise please thanks

[PST]

2 minutes ago, bestie said:

why tourists can extent 30 days without the letter and a non immigrant visa holder need the embassy letter. Or I'm wrong? I don't get it.

 

 

The way i see it, a NON O holder would only need a letter if they had exhausted all their extension options which they could get under normal circumstances, (60 day extension after any 90 day period to stay, or 1 year extension), and their visa had expired.

[bestie]

7 minutes ago, PST said:

The way i see it, a NON O holder would only need a letter if they had exhausted all their extension options which they could get under normal circumstances, (60 day extension after any 90 day period to stay, or 1 year extension), and their visa had expired.

Thank you PST, I'm an NON ED Visa and it expires end of May. Some of my friends has a NON B visa who are in the same situation. I guess we can only hope to make a border run in this time again. Because the German embassy will not give us the letter. They make it clear. But we will see what happens in this time.

 

Do you know if I can try to get a 30day extension at the immigration office right now?,

Or do I have to wait until my visa expires, Because I have 60 days left.?

 

Thank you

Edited March 23, 2020 by bestie

[gav2013]

What about guys with non o Visas ie marriage that are going to expire. We have wives children what do we do?

[bangkokboy888]

25 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Your having a tough time. I presume many others there for same reason. Any indication what "paperwork" others have.

Sounds like the letter from embassy is mandatory? 

Asked only one guy but he was not here for the same thing. Will ask around.  
 

In the one interaction I had with immigration officer yes they said it was mandatory 

[PST]

20 minutes ago, gav2013 said:

What about guys with non o Visas ie marriage that are going to expire. We have wives children what do we do?

you can get a 30 day extension of any 90 day entry, so get it before your visa expires,,,,after the 60 days expires, providing you have the financial requirements, you can then extend for a year based on marriage. The financials required however have to be ina Thai bank 2 or 3 months prior to the application

[PST]

27 minutes ago, bestie said:

Thank you PST, I'm an NON ED Visa and it expires end of May. Some of my friends has a NON B visa who are in the same situation. I guess we can only hope to make a border run in this time again. Because the German embassy will not give us the letter. They make it clear. But we will see what happens in this time.

 

Do you know if I can try to get a 30day extension at the immigration office rightnow?,

Or do I have to wait until my visa expires, Because I have 60 days left.?

 

Thank you

there would be no need to get a 30 day extension now if you can get a 60 day extension the day before your visa expires.

 

NON ED im not sure if its the same as NON O regarding extensions

 

Theres a difference too between your visa expiring, and your current permission to stay ending

 

Thats my take on it, maybe Ubon Joe or another admin may be able to clarify

Edited March 23, 2020 by PST

[Zikomat]

Pattaya immigration this morning. Hundreds of people packed in one big line. Perfect conditions for getting a virus. No need for a further proof: they do hate us.

p.s.: looks like letter from embassy is obligatory.  

[Zikomat]

Pattaya immigration this morning. Hundreds of people packed in one big line. Perfect conditions for getting a virus. No need for the further proofs: they do hate us.

p.s.: looks like a letter from embassy is obligatory.  

Edited March 23, 2020 by Zikomat

[Maestro]

Removed some off-topic posts.

[RocketDog]

19 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

No. 2 would apply to anyone on a non-immigrant visa who needs to exit the country but currently is unable to, right?

 

The U.S. Consulate in BKK, for example, has ZERO appointment dates available for notarial services for anytime in the coming months, I presume because of the coronavirus. So how's anyone supposed to get that kind of consulate document right now?

 

 

 

Ah.. Therein lies the rub. Very predictable. 

A previous post regarding getting extensions in Phuket stated the embassy letter must specifically state that applicant must be unable to return to home country. 

 

So even if you could obtain (and pay for) said appointment it seems unlikely that they would produce such a letter as long as flights to USA are available albeit with a possible 2 week free stay in a government hotel (read military base quarantine). 

 

For folks with non O visas this is an unworkable restriction that will prove useless. 

 

It's up to the IO to now simply grant 30 day extensions for ALL visas via an online site. 

[OJAS]

9 hours ago, jacob29 said:

Can you name one country unreachable via flights at this time?

Italy

[SunsetT]

Only applies to the  English so the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish are f e c k e d then......????.......555.

[PST]

2 minutes ago, RocketDog said:

Ah.. Therein lies the rub. Very predictable. 

A previous post regarding getting extensions in Phuket stated the embassy letter must specifically state that applicant must be unable to return to home country. 

 

So even if you could obtain (and pay for) said appointment it seems unlikely that they would produce such a letter as long as flights to USA are available albeit with a possible 2 week free stay in a government hotel (read military base quarantine). 

 

For folks with non O visas this is an unworkable restriction that will prove useless. 

 

It's up to the IO to now simply grant 30 day extensions for ALL visas via an online site. 

Surely if a NON O ME holder has a visa which is still valid, and they cant leave to a border to do a run to get another 90 days, then they simply extend by 60 days as per normal circumstances?

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, bangkokboy888 said:

arrived this morning to CW 40 minutes early before opening time. 

 

i knew it would be busy, but i did not expect there to be 560+ people in the queue when i arrived ???? (i am #565 in the queue today)

 

i entered Thailand late January on visa exempt stamp, extended for 30 days at end of February. my extension is running out this week. 

 

i showed the immigration officials a Thai printed copy of the letter that UbonJoe posted (Thanks Joe!). they seemed to know what the deal was. 

 

they immediately asked me if i had a letter from my embassy. i told them that i do not. i told them that i had a flight cancellation and could not travel. i asked them for help. they insisted that i need a letter. 

 

i am writing american citizen services at the following inbox: [email protected]

 

How the hell does Thai Immigration not know that this letter is impossible to get?? If they insist that every American should e mail to that address. Is there any other e mails we can send to??  What is the best e mail to reach someone at the USA embassy in Bkk?  Sorry for your troubles and thanks for your post. Please update us. 

[sallecc]

Good thread... First report from BKK is not good, they still insist on that damn embassy letter... Let's wait for other reports, hope to hear from Phuket...

[richiejom]

That photo above looks horrifying, a death sentence in fact...... I have a half face gas mask p100 filter for mand my wife planning to go there early next month to apply for marriage extension.... could they argue against me wearing it in there?  Would Autin approve?

 

Ive got til May 11th left on current visa, in a conundrum now what to do

[Bangkok Barry]

20 hours ago, KhunKenAP said:

However, going to the Thai Immigration office could expose you the virus. Why force people to go to a crowded office full of potential carriers? Just make it automatic and check on departure.

Too simple. That isn't the Thai way. As I read this, someone like me with a marriage visa needs to get a letter from my embassy, and I'm guessing that embassies are getting sick and tired of Thai authorities putting more and more demands on them to satisfy their short-sighted and unnecessary bureaucracy.

Everyone knows that all but essential travel is discouraged or downright outlawed. Everyone knows that borders are being closed. Everyone knows that airlines are cancelling most or all of their flights. Yet Thai immigration needs a letter saying you can't travel and, for example, do the totally pointless exit from the country for 30 minutes after being in Thailand for 90 days. The same as Thais overseas who are now being told their passport isn't a sufficient form of identification and they have to get more paperwork before they can return to their own country.

 

I'm certain that somewhere in a dark corner of Government house there lurks a Minister of Complications, whose sole job is to dream up ways to obstruct and make life as difficult as possible for as many people as they can.

When are they going to wake up and realise that normal rules, even those of Thai bureaucracy, no longer apply for the foreseeable future.

[PST]

5 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

How the hell does Thai Immigration not know that this letter is impossible to get?? If they insist that every American should e mail to that address. Is there any other e mails we can send to??  What is the best e mail to reach someone at the USA embassy in Bkk?  Sorry for your troubles and thanks for your post. Please update us. 

just seen this on another forum,,,,seems to be a standard letter for US citizens

[bestie]

4 minutes ago, PST said:

there would be no need to get a 30 day extension now if you can get a 60 day extension the day before your visa expires.

 

NON ED im not sure if its the same as NON O regarding extensions

 

Theres a difference too between your visa expiring, and your current permission to stay ending

 

Thats my take on it, maybe Ubon Joe or another admin may be able to clarify

Again thank you for help PST. I know nobody can tell what is happening and there is a lot of confusing right now. Anyway... 

 

No , normally you can't extend an ED visa by 30 or 60 days before it expires. Only by 7 Days and it cost also 1900baht.  

Normally, I have to leave the country after every year. Make a border run. 

 

So I thought I could maybe get a 30day extension right now by the new rules because Germany is a high risk country. So that would give me some more time. 

But it sounds like they need the embassy letter and And no, I don't get a letter from my German embassy. They make a statement. 

 

I think I will ask my school in the next week what I should do. They should know. There are a lot of people like me who are staying on different visas. I had the hope that the immigration will make it more easily for everyone in this situation. ????  also to avoid over crowded offices. 

 

Thank you again! stay safe

 

 

 

 

 

[PST]

3 minutes ago, richiejom said:

That photo above looks horrifying, a death sentence in fact...... I have a half face gas mask p100 filter for mand my wife planning to go there early next month to apply for marriage extension.... could they argue against me wearing it in there?  Would Autin approve?

 

Ive got til May 11th left on current visa, in a conundrum now what to do

IMO if you have the option under your normal visa conditions to extend either by 60 days due to not being able to do a borders run, they do that, or extend for a year. Those options are available anyway regardless of the situation with COVID

[bangkokboy888]

1 hour ago, nomad2019 said:

Ive allready got 30 days extension untill aprill 11th.

Will i get a further 30 days and is there a cost 1900 baht.

Advise please thanks

This is exactly what we are all trying to figure out!

[richiejom]

10 minutes ago, PST said:

IMO if you have the option under your normal visa conditions to extend either by 60 days due to not being able to do a borders run, they do that, or extend for a year. Those options are available anyway regardless of the situation with COVID

Whats best to do though? visit there early next month 2-3rd and apply for a year and have to go back one more time in May to get confirmation or go and apply for 60 days immediately and be back in the same situation in June?   Its a tough choice but I think I'm going to try for the one year..I just got to wait til April first to get my 2nd bank deposit transferred (they require 2 months deposits of 40K for first marriage extension)

I'm on Non O at the moment, I'm going to wear my half face gas mask... if they want to make an issue they can

Edited March 23, 2020 by richiejom

[justin case]

18 minutes ago, PST said:

Surely if a NON O ME holder has a visa which is still valid, and they cant leave to a border to do a run to get another 90 days, then they simply extend by 60 days as per normal circumstances?

are you kidding me ... to what country, at what risk and need that no-virus LAB TEST + 100k USD insurance and still can end up 14 days in quarantine...

[alex8912]

5 minutes ago, PST said:

just seen this on another forum,,,,seems to be a standard letter for US citizens

Ok Thanks I contacted them already. 
min wondering if anything is being done for Americans who want to leave but having trouble ?? We have no non stop flights to USA so have to deal with at least 3 countries rules for travel including USA and Thailand. I’m trying to get to USA on Sat but I’m not sure if my BKK to Hing Kong flight will leave and then my Hong Kong To Boston flight will leave. Getting trapped in Hong Kong is now mandatory 14 day quarantine. I thought it was strange vice Pres Pence said he was aware of Americans trapped in Morocco but my first thought was there must be tons of flights from Morocco to ( any big city in Europe ) to the USA!! Why was he saying that about Morocco ?  I think some citizens complain more than others.