Foreigners allowed to enter Thailand on case-by-case basis

[webfact]

Foreigners allowed to enter Thailand on case-by-case basis

By The Nation

 

Foreign Ministry's deputy spokesman Natapanu Nopakun

 

Under phase 3 of the lockdown relaxation, foreigners with work permits or permission from the Labour Ministry or other government agencies will be allowed to enter the country after registration, the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday (May 29).

 

“Permission to enter does not cover all groups as we are proceeding step by step,” said deputy spokesman Natapanu Nopakun at a daily briefing on the Covid-19 situation.

 

The Foreign Ministry has informed Thailand’s foreign chambers of commerce about the relaxation.

 

Eligible foreign nationals are invited to submit applications at Thai Embassies in their countries. They must have health insurance and a health certificate. They will also be subject to 14- quarantine on entry to Thailand, either in a state facility or in a private facility at their own cost.

 

Details of the letter sent to all foreign chambers of commerce in Thailand are as follows:

 

1. The Royal Thai Government's invocation of the Emergency

Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations BE2548 (2005)

(No I) dated 25 March BE2563 (2020) to control the outbreak of the

Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19), closes the entry into the Kingdom of non-

Thai nationals, in accordance with the laws on communicable diseases and

immigration. However, clause 3 (5) of the Regulation issued under the said

Emergency Decree, also allows non-Thai nationals who either possess a

valid work permit or have already been granted permission from a Thai

government agency to work in the Kingdom, to apply for permission to

enter the Kingdom.

 

2. It is, however, requested that only those in urgent need to

enter the Kingdom may submit an application for entry. The Ministry of

Foreign Affairs, in consultation with the Board of Investment and the

Ministry of Labour, will consider all requests for entry on a case by case

basis, taking into account urgency and economic importance, among others.

 

3. The procedure for non-Thai nationals who wish to submit an

application for entry are as follows:

 

3.1 Contact the Royal Thai Embassy or the Royal Thai

Consulate-General in their country of departure to apply for 'Certificate of

Entry into the Kingdom of Thailand" at least 10 working days before the date

of intended departure. The applicants must present: (1) copy of his work

permits or copy of Ietter of permission issued by a Thai Government agency

(in most cases, by the Ministry of Labour) to work in Thailand;

(2) a valid health insurance policy covering all expenditures of medical

treatment, including Covid-19 worth at least 100,000 USD.

 

3.2 The Thai Embassy/Consulate-General will forward

the application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok. If the

application is approved, the Thai Embassy/Consulate-General will be

instructed to issue the "Certificate of Entry into the Kingdom of Thailand"

and appropriate visa to the applicant.

 

4. At the port of departure/embarkation (eg airline check-in

counter), the approved applicant is required to present (I) a "Certificate of

Entry into the Kingdom of Thailand" issued by the Royal Thai Embassy

Consulate-General; (2) a completed and signed "Declaration Form" obtained

from the Embassy/Consulate-General; (3) a Fit to Fly Health Certificate'

issued no more than 72 hours before departure; and (4) a health insurance

covering all expenditures of medical treatment, including Covid-19, while

traveling to Thailand in an amount of at least 100,000 USD.

 

5. Upon entry into the Kingdom, non-Thai nationals will be

subjected to a 14-day state quarantine at a government-designated

Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility at their own expenses, and

obliged to comply with the government's disease prevention measures

pursuant to clause 11 of the Regulation issued under Section 9 of the said

Emergency Decree.

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Bangkok,

28 May BE2563 (2020).

 

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30388723

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-05-29

 

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[JCP108]

Good luck getting a "health certificate" if you are coming from the United States.

[taninthai]

Get all that and still a bit difficult to enter as flight ban is still operating....lol

[scorecard]

37 minutes ago, JCP108 said:

 

A little confusing considering the announcements yesterday. 

 

This announcement today seems to mainly focus on Thai Work Permit holders and doesn't mention Thai Permanent Residents, whereas the reports yesterday had a main focus on Permanent Residents.

 

The report yesterday mentioned changed/adjusted requirements to enter including mention of possible changes to 14 days quarantine.

 

The report today is a word for word repeat of reports some 2 weeks ago which did mention Thai Work Permit holders but made no mention of Thai Permanent Residents.

 

What does it all mean and how up to date is the report today?

 

Does it mean that the requirements to enter for Thai Work Permit holders remain the same as 2 weeks ago. But now there's another specific announcement (yesterday) relating to Thai Permanent Residents.

 

I guess we wait and see. 

[CharlieH]

The Hub of "hoops to jump thru" ! 

Make it difficult enough and they may not bother seems to now be the standard op procedure.

 

 

[treetops]

28 minutes ago, taninthai said:

Get all that and still a bit difficult to enter as flight ban is still operating....lol

WP holders can now apply to get on the repatriation flights, and there's still plenty of these.

 

1 hour ago, JCP108 said:

Good luck getting a "health certificate" if you are coming from the United States.

Note it is not a Covid Free certificate but a Fit to Fly one.

Edited May 29, 2020 by treetops

[poohy]

i am pretty desperate to leave back to Uk( things to do people to see..so dont be nosey )

flight changed from April to early September

Confident i can fly out without any issue 

Uk will probably drop quarantine by then, if not i am sure i can be worked around i doubt even you would be checked

 

Big problems is the return (Dec /Jan ish) here with this bunch of "cluckwits" running the show and whatever "requirements they will dream up.

I have feeling the same cosy easy rules that apply to any returning  tourists will not be extended to a returning expat .and it could prove tiresome and expensive

Seriously might be time to just make here a holiday home for a fews months a year so i am looking at shipping dogs back and let the mrs(who would never leave her daughters an grand kids) fend for herself for a while

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Foreigners allowed to enter Thailand on case-by-case basis

 

It's a pretty poor and misleading headline for this news report...

 

Considering that the news report ONLY deals with those holding work permits and some other vague permits to work from the Thai government.

 

And apparently doesn't deal at all with all the expats who are here on retirement or marriage, or are stranded abroad on retirement or marriage status.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 minutes ago, poohy said:

i am pretty desperate to leave back to Uk( things to do people to see..so dont be nosey )

flight changed from April to early September

Confident i can fly out without any issue 

Uk will probably drop quarantine by then, if not i am sure i can be worked around i doubt even you would be checked

 

Big problems is the return (Dec /Jan ish) here with this bunch of "cluckwits" running the show and whatever "requirements they will dream up.

I have feeling the same cosy easy rules that apply to any returning  tourists will not be extended to a returning expat .and it could prove tiresome and expensive

Seriously might be time to just make here a holiday home for a fews months a year so i am looking at shipping dogs back and let the mrs(who would never leave her daughters an grand kids) fend for herself for a while

 

I think a lot of expats, much like yourself, will be quite rightly reassessing their long term plans based on what has happened and what may happen. I know a few of my friends are. 

 

It is quite clear to me that if you don't have a work permit or PR you are on a shoogly peg. 

 

Can't say I am surprised as the writing has been on the wall for a while now though with immigration purges on overstayers, good guys in bad guys out, biometrics, immigration smart cars, door to door visits and general tightening of the rules.

[Mr Meeseeks]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And apparently doesn't deal at all with all the expats who are here on retirement or marriage, or are stranded abroad on retirement or marriage status.

A clear signal is being sent as to who is not wanted back IMO.

[vinny41]

12 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

It's a pretty poor and misleading headline for this news report...

 

Considering that the news report ONLY deals with those holding work permits and some other vague permits to work from the Thai government.

 

And apparently doesn't deal at all with all the expats who are here on retirement or marriage, or are stranded abroad on retirement or marriage status.

 

the first lines in the op make it crystal clear who it is for and who it isn't for

Under phase 3 of the lockdown relaxation, foreigners with work permits or permission from the Labour Ministry or other government agencies will be allowed to enter the country after registration, the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday (May 29).

 

“Permission to enter does not cover all groups as we are proceeding step by step,” said deputy spokesman Natapanu Nopakun at a daily briefing on the Covid-19 situation.

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And apparently doesn't deal at all with all the expats who are here on retirement or marriage, or are stranded abroad on retirement or marriage status.

True. Also number wise the biggest group of Xpats stuck outside of Thailand.

Few added things may be an issue. For example if your on Retirement extension and your most recent permission of stay has expired then not so straight forward. Many countries including my joint, AU, do not issue non o based on retirement. Keep in mind many guys married to a Thai obtain their extensions based on retirement.

Some assume that visa exempt entry to Thailand will still be available. I'm not so sure. 

Seems like Xpats without work permit down the line, followed lastly by tourists.

Finally what job would Thai imm consider very highly of. They did mention "urgent need". Would a school teacher, for example, be included or what about car/realestate sales guy?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

the first lines in the op make it crystal clear who it is for and who it isn't for

 

Then perhaps the headline might better have been written:

 

Foreigners [with work permits] allowed to enter Thailand on case-by-case basis

 

But no, they didn't write it that way to reflect what actually is going on.

 

[paulikens]

what i don't get is this insurance that covers covid 19,no new insurance policy is going to cover you for covid 19. so do i presume that your only gonna get in if you have a insurance that you took out before all this happened.

[JCP108]

35 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

It's a pretty poor and misleading headline for this news report...

 

Considering that the news report ONLY deals with those holding work permits and some other vague permits to work from the Thai government.

 

And apparently doesn't deal at all with all the expats who are here on retirement or marriage, or are stranded abroad on retirement or marriage status.

 

A distressing situation for me. I have an extension based on retirement. Married to a Thai here. As soon as travel is doable between here and the U.S., I must return to deal with some family stuff. At that point, looks like I will be stuck there. Getting wife there looks like a <deleted> show with the current crisis and U.S. administration. 

[JCP108]

Just now, paulikens said:

what i don't get is this insurance that covers covid 19,no new insurance policy is going to cover you for covid 19. so do i presume that your only gonna get in if you have a insurance that you took out before all this happened.

Right. And who the <deleted> will be able to get a "health certificate?"

[paulikens]

3 minutes ago, JCP108 said:

Right. And who the <deleted> will be able to get a "health certificate?"

other thing that isn't clear because when you read it all, it says a fit to fly certificate under the main headline.so who knows? is it a fit to fly certificate or a covid 19 free cert?

[tgw]

are these the regulations until they plan to open up in July, or ??? does anyone know?

[Otto2020]

Why dont you just close the country. Not even poor thai people have the things you mentioned. The discriminations are never good. Thai people have more better easy access and get more respect in other countries and thailand must learn from that. 

[vinny41]

3 minutes ago, tgw said:

are these the regulations until they plan to open up in July, or ??? does anyone know?

I think people assumed that when they said they would open up on July 1st that everything would revert back to pre covid19 days

I think you will find that is not the case

“Permission to enter does not cover all groups as we are proceeding step by step,” said deputy spokesman Natapanu Nopakun at a daily briefing on the Covid-19 situation

It would be stupid to quarantine a Thai National on June 30th and then allow unrestricted access no quarantine to anyone on July 1st

[Berti]

Everyone who pays for his/her 14 day quarantine should be allowed to enter.

Tell me any counter-argument (which is non-racist and non-"grumpy old man who loves lockdowns").

[Berti]

700.000 hotel rooms in Thailand and they can only handle 300 repatriates per day.

This is more and more like a joke.

[vinny41]

4 minutes ago, Berti said:

700.000 hotel rooms in Thailand and they can only handle 300 repatriates per day.

This is more and more like a joke.

I believe the number is between 500-600 per day, How many Hotels want this type of business, How many hotels have submitted requests to handled this type of business and how many hotels have been inspected and approved to handle this type of business not all hotels would be suitable as it unlikely they meet the requirements

[Berti]

32 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

I believe the number is between 500-600 per day, How many Hotels want this type of business, How many hotels have submitted requests to handled this type of business and how many hotels have been inspected and approved to handle this type of business not all hotels would be suitable as it unlikely they meet the requirements

 

We don't know.

But I think a hotel could be fully booked with this type of business for several months. Bad?

 

[Traubert]

51 minutes ago, Berti said:

Everyone who pays for his/her 14 day quarantine should be allowed to enter.

Tell me any counter-argument (which is non-racist and non-"grumpy old man who loves lockdowns").

There isn't many flights and those there are, are over subscribed..

[sungod]

2 hours ago, CharlieH said:

The Hub of "hoops to jump thru" ! 

Make it difficult enough and they may not bother seems to now be the standard op procedure.

 

 

Or maybe its just a phased approach?

[sungod]

2 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

A clear signal is being sent as to who is not wanted back IMO.

Do you think Thailand is the only country in the world with these restrictions,they are taking a phased approach or do you think the gates should just open tomorrow and left everyone in again?

[Berti]

12 minutes ago, Traubert said:

There isn't many flights and those there are, are over subscribed..

That's a circle, there are not many flights because borders are closed, because there are not many flights, because borders are closed.....

???

[uffe123]

I dont  think to many people will be going/returning to thailand with this kind of requirement, 

while traveling to Thailand in an amount of at least 100,000 USD. this is absurd.

[holy cow cm]

With those hoops such as the insurance and it covering covid19 and certificate of covid free, I am never going to leave this country as I would never get back in. This government is getting worse and worse every day. Good luck to the guys stuck outside.