Immigration set to announce automatic visa extensions and suspension of 90 day report

 

 

Thai Immigration looks set to introduce a number of measures to help foreign tourists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

According to popular blogger Richard Barrow, the Immigration Bureau has put forward plans to grant all foreigners in Thailand an automatic 30 day visa extension, as well as temporarily suspend the 90 day reporting requirement.

 

The plans are just waiting for approval from Prime Minister Prayuth, Richard tweeted.

 

 

The news comes after stories continue to hit the news both in Thai and English media of overcrowded immigration offices as foreigners desperately try to extend their visas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

On Tuesday, Thaivisa reported about hundreds of foreigners seen queuing outside Immigration in Pattaya. 

 

The incident was also picked up by Thai language media who described the scene as shocking and questioned the safety of making people line up in close proximity.

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-04-08

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Needless to say that I'll keep doing my 90-days reporting on time (via post) just to be on the safe side ????

1 minute ago, kotsak said:

Needless to say that I'll keep doing my 90-days reporting on time (via post) just to be on the safe side ????

Ditto,  I don't want to give them any excuse to levy a fine,when things return

to normal.

regards Worgeordi

A most welcome news...On behalf of all foreigners in the kingdom, Thank you Immigration department and may the spirit of compassion and understanding will prevail and expand to other departments having to do with your guests in this country...

so what happens when the 90-day is reinforced? do we all get fined for doing it late?

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

The plans are just waiting for approval from Prime Minister Prayuth,

Still doing the slamming the ham.

They (Imm) have waited for approval some days by now. Guess there are reasons why it has not been approved. Bad smell.

3 minutes ago, kotsak said:

Needless to say that I'll keep doing my 90-days reporting on time (via post) just to be on the safe side ????

I have never done my 90 day by post, but does it not entail going the post office (soi 5) and also getting all the documents copied (soi 5 or any copy shop) not sure how many documents/stamps ect and if it can be done in one venue? totally the first for me, I have had iffy experience's trying to use the online method for basically anything re Immigration? but I am no Techy

by any stretch. and its a shame as the 90 day report is the Dogs B****cks 

of any of my dealings with Immigration.

 

No more prevarication please. This suggestion has been around for some time already. Just announce that it is a done deal, and stop putting foreigners and immigration staff at so much unnecessary risk.

6 minutes ago, fertilizer said:

They (Imm) have waited for approval some days by now. Guess there are reasons why it has not been approved. Bad smell.

They dont have a clue about what they are doing. Left it until the last minute so they can drain as much money as possible before the <deleted> hit the fan.

19 minutes ago, kotsak said:

Needless to say that I'll keep doing my 90-days reporting on time (via post) just to be on the safe side ????

i think good idea.....they are well known for CHANGING THEIR minds in this place !!

18 minutes ago, kotsak said:

Needless to say that I'll keep doing my 90-days reporting on time (via post) just to be on the safe side

Won't they still fk you around and reject it / fine you later? It's already hard enough figuring out the time window to apply by post or online for 90 day reports so changing it with a new requirement will confuse the dates even more? I wish they either stop 90 day reports for ever or leave the thing alone as is.

19 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

so what happens when the 90-day is reinforced? do we all get fined for doing it late?

thats what I want/need to know......

and thanks to Richard Barrow who has been Tweeting photos of the long lines with zero social distancing at various immigration offices for the past weeks.

 

 

 

 

24 minutes ago, kotsak said:

Needless to say that I'll keep doing my 90-days reporting on time (via post) just to be on the safe side ????

Even that is a pain as Bangkok said 10 baht stamp and another said 5 baht stamp and post office seems to only have 3 baht stamps available.  Bangkok clearly said 15 days or more prior to mail - others say between 15 and 7 days.  I always mailed 15 or more to Bangkok and most had stamp to mail in proper time period next time.  If receipt not obtained in 30 days you have to make trip to immigration to resolve.  

2 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Even that is a pain as Bangkok said 10 baht stamp and another said 5 baht stamp and post office seems to only have 3 baht stamps available.  Bangkok clearly said 15 days or more prior to mail - others say between 15 and 7 days.  I always mailed 15 or more to Bangkok and most had stamp to mail in proper time period next time.  If receipt not obtained in 30 days you have to make trip to immigration to resolve.  

nothing is all that simple IS IT ???

Give Pinocchio a large whisky, put a pen in his hand and get it done!!

 

Its better than nowt and the current farce, but cant see Covid resolved in a month, unless the figures have already be prepared for the next few weeks and they are also just waiting approval.

8 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Even that is a pain as Bangkok said 10 baht stamp and another said 5 baht stamp and post office seems to only have 3 baht stamps available.  Bangkok clearly said 15 days or more prior to mail - others say between 15 and 7 days.  I always mailed 15 or more to Bangkok and most had stamp to mail in proper time period next time.  If receipt not obtained in 30 days you have to make trip to immigration to resolve.  

I can't recall having any issues in the past when I had to use the postal service for 90-days reporting . I always prepare the return envelope affixed with a 10 baht stamp and make sure I send in my application 2 weeks before deadline via EMS. And always keep a copy of the original 90-days receipt in case things go south.????

So this is the 4th announcement that an announcement is to be announced without an announcement?Talk about flogging a dead horse.I do know that the imminent announcement will be made because I got called into immigration yesterday to get the second set of stamps for my automatic extension which has now consumed 2 full pages of my passport.gnikcuF excellent!

3 minutes ago, kotsak said:

2 weeks before deadline

Lets hope the 'set to announce automatic extensions' don't fk with he deadline dates. This is doing my head in.

4 minutes ago, kotsak said:

I can't recall having any issues in the past when I had to use the postal service for 90-days reporting . I always prepare the return envelope affixed with a 10 baht stamp and make sure I send in my application 2 weeks before deadline via EMS. And always keep a copy of the original 90-days receipt in case things go south.????

I did the same, except used registered mail as instructed.  But almost all were stamped send in correct time period next time and recently no return of any copies so no need for 10 baht stamp.  Also when receipt no received was treated like Billy the Kid at immigration, even showing receipt, until they found it has been received and approved on computer - after that started doing in person again.  Yesterday attempt to buy stamps and PO only had 3 baht - had someone try to get 10 baht earlier and nobody had.  Small things I know but can see no justification for the requirement in this day and age.   

they keep on repeating this mantra and waiting for weeks and the result is: more paperwork...

 

hope they include non-o 90 day runners...

2 minutes ago, justin case said:

they keep on repeating this mantra and waiting for weeks and the result is: more paperwork...

 

hope they include non-o 90 day runners...

Yeah, me too, though I was lucky enough to have done my last hop right before all this fustercluckery started.

56 minutes ago, ezzra said:

A most welcome news...On behalf of all foreigners in the kingdom, Thank you Immigration department and may the spirit of compassion and understanding will prevail and expand to other departments having to do with your guests in this country...

2 weeks ago, I went there with my child, overcrowded chaos, no social distancing, all required papers ... divorce, court, bank, tm7, photos ...asked for one year extension to be able to raise my child ... DENIED ... because ex piece of trash does not want to give a signed id card & tabien baan, even court (divorce agreement) CLEARLY prints I can live there but IMMIGRATION wants ex to sign an extra paper that my ex does not want ... hahaha compassion

 

so I got a 1 time 60 days and they said, afterwards: YOU LEAVE

 

so the IO could  have given my extension, even asking her boss, but same problem last year, DENIED, when my ex suddenly left familial house to start the <deleted> I am in ...

Waiting approval from PM, hopefully it will approve today. Stay safe, everyone.

14 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Yesterday attempt to buy stamps and PO only had 3 baht - had someone try to get 10 baht earlier and nobody had

my little local mail office ... stamps ? NO HAVE ... try to explain this in english that you need a stamp to put in a self addressed envelope ... my child asked in Thai ...

All foreigners , so including 90 day Non O or is this aimed at tourists only ?

 

If the borders are closed everyone of the border bouncers will be queueing sharing the virus with ech other and the imigration untill all applicants or officers die ?

 

Surely thaye can sort it out on the way out add it on to the airport taxes.

54 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

No more prevarication please. This suggestion has been around for some time already. Just announce that it is a done deal, and stop putting foreigners and immigration staff at so much unnecessary risk.

That's right! This inhumane game they're playing has lasted way too long. It's great that it's finally got the attention it deserves (thanks to Richard Barrow and other reporters). Hard to believe anything before we really see the official announcement that the "automatic extension" will really include all of us and nobody will have to visit the immigration offices before this is over.

 

The news report yesterday had all kinds of nonsense exceptions again which sounded ridiculous and created a lot of confusion. Hope that's not part of the plan anymore (something about Non-Immigrant visa holders and tourists who haven't extended their visas before Mar 26 having to go to the immigration anyway). That made it sound like not everyone's safety matters - some would still have to visit the immigration.

I see a number of people saying that the post office doesn't have 10baht stamps, why can't you use 4 x 3baht stamps ?