Auto-visa for tourists, am i the first one? (08-04-2020)

[Nismooo]

Hello guys, first post here but been reading awhile so thought i would share my experience today at Samut Prakan immigration.

 

Arrived around 15:00. I came a bit late but thought if theres too many people i will go back tomorrow instead.

 

Had all the documents with me which they checked slowly and carefully. I had to make a few copies and then got a queue number. I asked the immigration staff quickly about further extensions if Covid 19 dont get any better after a month and i was told that i had to come back again and extend again. This was between 15:30 and 16:00. Never mind i thought, im sure she cant give any info without anything being officially announced.

 

Sat down outside and saw a western man recieve his passport, he looked satisfied. Great i thought, i hope there wont be any trouble today.

 

Waited for another 30 minutes and with only three numbers ahead of me the guard let me inside the building were i waited another 15 mins. Finally my number was called. Happy it was soon finally over and prepared with loads of documents, i went up to the counter...

 

Even before i handed in my documents the officer said something i couldnt hear. Sorry, what? Before she could answer some others cut the line and started to ask questions in thai. Please dont tell me they closing for today or similar i thought.

 

When those in front left, the officer told me that visa was now automatic. They just sign the papers but it has not been officially announced yet. Then she said that my visa will be automatically renewed every 30 days but if the Covid 19 situation become better, i need to leave within 7 days. Not sure if i heard correctly or if this was some kind of mistaken info but NOT what i wanted to hear. If all the tourists in the whole country need to leave within 7 days... well you can imagine. Anyway, for now im just happy to be able to stay and not having to go to immigration again.

 

And again, to be clear nothing has been offically announced yet, so rules might change in the future.

 

Cheers!

[jackdd]

There are several active threads covering this topic, the two biggest are these:

 

 

But you might be the first person who was told about this at an immigration office.

Did they process your application for an extension?

[Nismooo]

Yes i have seen the news before and been waiting as long as i could but decided today to make a run for it. If i just waited another day... lol. 

 

No they did not process my extension and i did not get any confirmation/receipt so really hope this will be announced tomorrow. I do not want to go back there again.

[DrJack54]

40 minutes ago, Nismooo said:

Yes i have seen the news before and been waiting as long as i could but decided today to make a run for it. If i just waited another day... lol. 

 

No they did not process my extension and i did not get any confirmation/receipt so really hope this will be announced tomorrow. I do not want to go back there again.

So what is your post about

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, UncleMhee said:

His first, first hand experience at an immigration office you dill......

Experience of what?  Not being able to obtain extension. Read thread header. 

[jacob29]

25 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

So what is your post about

That they were turned away, on the basis it's automatic. I'm not sure what you meant earlier when you said it might not be automatic.

[jacob29]

Hopefully the must leave within 7 days thing, means from the date of your automatically extended visa. So it at least staggers out all the departures over a month, instead of one week.

 

You were attempting a CV19 extension right (requiring the embassy letter)?

[Nismooo]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

So what is your post about

If you think my post is irrelevant why do you reply? Even more irrelevant reply.

 

Mods can delete the post if they want, no problem at all.

[Nismooo]

57 minutes ago, jacob29 said:

Hopefully the must leave within 7 days thing, means from the date of your automatically extended visa. So it at least staggers out all the departures over a month, instead of one week.

 

You were attempting a CV19 extension right (requiring the embassy letter)?

Yes correct i had the embassy letter, TM30, all the pictures from where i stay etc. I had extended once previously (normal extension) before they started to cancel flights.

[justin case]

lady at counter 1 ? with a look on her face like ...why you disturbing me ?

 

the day I was there, 2 weeks ago, it was packed, full chaotic, thai tv playing for immigration officers, a number written on a piece of paper, the computer screen was not working

 

was there with my child, they don't think, dangerous for the child, let them cut the line, nope...

[uberfarang]

@Nismooo Could you confirm if this was the first time you applied for an extension? From my xp at CW office today, they said automatic extension doesn't apply to people who have already applied before.

[ANDREW999]

He was planning to get a 2nd extension. He mentioned the embassy letter.

39 minutes ago, uberfarang said:

@Nismooo Could you confirm if this was the first time you applied for an extension? From my xp at CW office today, they said automatic extension doesn't apply to people who have already applied before.

On 4/8/2020 at 11:21 PM, Nismooo said:

Yes correct i had the embassy letter, TM30, all the pictures from where i stay etc. I had extended once previously (normal extension) before they started to cancel flights.

[audaciousnomad]

But then...TODAY there were 2 folks who DID NOT get auto-extended. This was at Chaeng Wattana.

Left hand is not talking to the right hand!!!

 

 

 

[ANDREW999]

4 minutes ago, audaciousnomad said:

But then...TODAY there were 2 folks who DID NOT get auto-extended. This was at Chaeng Wattana.

Left hand is not talking to the right hand!!!

 

 

 

This is going to be an absolute chaos soon

[uberfarang]

43 minutes ago, ANDREW999 said:

He was planning to get a 2nd extension. He mentioned the embassy letter.

got it. so in his case, he hasn't applied yet for the extension with letter but was about to but eventually received an automatic extension. In my case I've already applied with the letter 10 days ago and was told today it is not automatic and will never be (for my case). Or maybe this is just a miscommunication and different offices are doing different things.. 

[ANDREW999]

2 minutes ago, uberfarang said:

got it. so in his case, he hasn't applied yet for the extension with letter but was about to but eventually received an automatic extension. In my case I've already applied with the letter 10 days ago and was told today it is not automatic and will never be (for my case). Or maybe this is just a miscommunication and different offices are doing different things.. 

No clue! I guess we will have to discover it each one of us. My 2nd extension ends in April 25.  My embassy says i dont need to go for a 3rd extension, but if IMM says I do, im screwed.

 

 

[sapson]

13 minutes ago, ANDREW999 said:

But then...TODAY there were 2 folks who DID NOT get auto-extended. This was at Chaeng Wattana.

Left hand is not talking to the right hand!!!

Guys need to stop going to immigration and just accept everybody has amnesty and permission to stay until 30th April and that may be extended, you dont need it stamped in your passport.

 

Their is no need to visit any immigration office for this............unless of course i read the government statement incorrectly, the whole purpose was to stop the huge numbers at immigration offices.

[OffshoreMig]

I think the poster misunderstood.  What I would expect that they will automatically extend a persons visa until the "All Clear" is given then they will have  7 days to either leave or to apply for another extension/new visa

[worldfun]

17 hours ago, sapson said:

Guys need to stop going to immigration and just accept everybody has amnesty and permission to stay until 30th April and that may be extended, you dont need it stamped in your passport.

 

Their is no need to visit any immigration office for this............unless of course i read the government statement incorrectly, the whole purpose was to stop the huge numbers at immigration offices.

The consensus being formed from these actual & different IO experiences are as follows as I'm gathering:

 

Auto extension does NOT apply if you already have done the 'covid' application (either with new permit to stay or come back in 15 days to get permit). Once started this process you will have to continue it forever as much nonsense it appears ????

 

Everybody else don't need to see your IO ????

 

For this case as SP IO the alien had already done a normal 30 day extension which was OK while active covid extensions means no amnesty!

[Nismooo]

On 4/10/2020 at 4:29 PM, uberfarang said:

@Nismooo Could you confirm if this was the first time you applied for an extension? From my xp at CW office today, they said automatic extension doesn't apply to people who have already applied before.

Hey as i said before, i had a previous extension (normal), not for Covid19. My normal extension were going to expire few days ago. 

 

This was the first time i tried to extend because the virus.

 

This is starting to get really confusing now... 

[ANDREW999]

On 4/11/2020 at 11:36 AM, worldfun said:

The consensus being formed from these actual & different IO experiences are as follows as I'm gathering:

 

Auto extension does NOT apply if you already have done the 'covid' application (either with new permit to stay or come back in 15 days to get permit). Once started this process you will have to continue it forever as much nonsense it appears ????

 

Everybody else don't need to see your IO ????

 

For this case as SP IO the alien had already done a normal 30 day extension which was OK while active covid extensions means no amnesty!

That is not the consensus so far. I have already a "permitted to stay until" stamp with covid extension and I was told by IMM not to come back on 25 April when this expires. The consensus is that those with "under consideration stamp" (1st step on covid extension) should come back to imm. And after that they will be included in the amnesty list (there is one user that even stated that he was highlighted off from a covid list when he attended to imm on under consideration date. He was also told not to come back with a new letter when new stamp expires)

 

However, note that this is just an informal consensus. Every affected person should take its own decisions.