Thai govt confirms extension of visa amnesty to 26 Sept

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Thai govt confirms extension of visa amnesty to 26 Sept

 

 

As expected, the Thai government on Tuesday confirmed an extension of the visa amnesty for foreigners in Thailand.

 

The amnesty has been extended until 26 September, government spokesperson announced Traisuree Taisaranakul.

 

This means foreigners in Thailand are also exempted from doing the mandatory 90 day reporting.

 

The move will allow foreigners to either extend their permission to remain in Thailand or have sufficient time to arrange travel to their home country.

 

News of the visa amnesty extension was first reported by Reuters last Friday ahead of its approval by Cabinet at a meeting on Tuesday (21 July).

 

The extension is expected to be published in the Royal Gazette later this week, confirming it to law.

 

Thailand currently has a blanket ban on foreign tourists entering the country, except for certain groups. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-07-21

 

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*post updated to clarify visa terminology.

[ThailandRyan]

Extra, Extra Read all about it.  Extension to do whats needed by the 26th of Sept. Just a strange date is all.

[greggraham]

Congrats on your 11,000th post @Jonathan Fairfield.

 

Any more info on the "will allow foreigners in Thailand to either obtain a new visa" part, or is it not something there's actually info about yet?

[thaibestlover]

Yup. Great movement of TH gov. Thumbs double up. 

[Captain_Bob]

The sound of 50,000 sighs relief heard across the country. An extra 55 days to get your visa sh *t together or plan an exit strategy. 

[NCC1701A]

"Hey maybe we should keep the tourists that are actually here!"

"Good idea. What's for lunch?"

[Kadilo]

Those kind ” kick em out we don’t need them ere” posters are gonna be gutted. 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Kadilo

[masvil]

18 minutes ago, greggraham said:

Congrats on your 11,000th post @Jonathan Fairfield.

 

Any more info on the "will allow foreigners in Thailand to either obtain a new visa" part, or is it not something there's actually info about yet?

This.

[vermin on arrival]

18 minutes ago, Captain_Bob said:

The sound of 50,000 sighs relief heard across the country. An extra 55 days to get your visa sh *t together or plan an exit strategy. 

Try 300,000-400.000.

[padthaininja]

Why the 26 and not the 30th? Does WW3 start the 27th? ????

[lee b]

Excellent news. They made the correct decision by extending this.

[vermin on arrival]

2 minutes ago, padthaininja said:

Why the 26 and not the 30th? Does WW3 start the 27th? ????

6 months from the emergency decree I think-March 26

[Calvin1976]

43 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The move will allow foreigners in Thailand to either obtain a new visa or have sufficient time to arrange travel to their home country.

Pay for your stay or prepare to go home. 

How much on the visa income reduced for the past few months??? ????

[racket]

Good move! 

This will be a relief for many and thailand will still enjoy some of the tourists that are still here. 

[Zikomat]

Bad news for some TV users. Good news for the rest of us. Looks like one more time the Immigration bureaucrats were silenced by some higher authority in the government. 

[Yorkshire Tea]

3 minutes ago, Zikomat said:

Bad news for some TV users. 

Wonder how many keyboards got trashed when they read the headline ????

[khunjeff]

48 minutes ago, vermin on arrival said:

Try 300,000-400.000.

Total foreigners currently in some kind of limbo, probably, but the great majority of those are laborers from neighboring countries who are waiting for the land borders to reopen. For the "foreigners" that we typically picture (westerners, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Indians, etc.), I would agree with @Captain_Bob that the number affected by this announcement is probably more in the range of 50,000 (or fewer).

[Jurg]

13 hours ago, padthaininja said:

Why the 26 and not the 30th? Does WW3 start the 27th? ????

This is an important date! It is exactly 14 after my birthday????

[overherebc]

Is 60 days 2 months or is 60 days 1 day short of two months?

Aug'+ Sept' is 61 days.

Just askin?

[Carlosm]

Might get a good nights sleep now ????

[bristolgeoff]

My friend is happy he was struck in cnx,now the extension is happening.his plan is another mth then he is ready to leave for home. many  I imagine would be thinking the same.a good result for people who are struck there

[LawrenceN]

13 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Extra, Extra Read all about it.  Extension to do whats needed by the 26th of Sept. Just a strange date is all.

It's six months from the declaration of the emergency. 

[Mattd]

34 minutes ago, bristolgeoff said:

My friend is happy he was struck in cnx,now the extension is happening.his plan is another mth then he is ready to leave for home. many  I imagine would be thinking the same.a good result for people who are struck there

Why is your friend stuck? (or for that matter anybody who actually wants to leave for their home country)

There are flights out of the country with seats available daily, anybody who WANTS to get to Europe for example can.

True, there are folks stuck here from more local countries, Vietnam, PI etc. that do have a problem getting home as they must get on a repatriation flight (to their country) and the wait lists are long, anybody from Europe does not have those flight issues.

[MichelM]

Hi, is this also valid for people who are here with a "retirement" visa...? Thanks

[RR2020]

Thai Airways are now emailing out "Repatriation flights now available in August to take foreigners in Thailand back to their home country"

 

Allowing anyone with a Thai ticket out of the country to take a special Thai flight back to their home country.  Now they are doing this, it means the 26th September will be a final cut off date.  If you have not left by then there will be no more extension.

 

So yes, its extended to 26th Sept but also they are arranging a load of flights August and September for people to get out of Thailand, which tells you, no more extensions. 

 

.

[luckyluke]

4 minutes ago, MichelM said:

Hi, is this also valid for people who are here with a "retirement" visa...? Thanks

I am on a "Retirement Visa". I still do my 90 days on line as previously and it is still accepted. I will do my extension as usual. I. Offices are still open, only much less people. 

So it suits me better. 

Others may prefer to wait for whatever reason. 

 

[iamariva1957]

This gives 55 extra days... anyone remember the film 55 Days in Peking? I am just waiting for the fighting on the wall to start. For between the country's financial situation going to pot, companies still furloughing people on half salary ... if any, hundreds of hotels restraunts/bars for sale or closed for good, domestic "tourism" being a joke (visiting the grandparents on a long weekend is not tourism), and the run on the Visa Elite package by those in Hong Kong... we had better be ready with the cannon and be coordinated for what will come next.

[BritManToo]

Just now, iamariva1957 said:

This gives 55 extra days... anyone remember the film 55 Days in Peking? I am just waiting for the fighting on the wall to start. For between the country's financial situation going to pot, companies still furloughing people on half salary ... if any, hundreds of hotels restraunts/bars for sale or closed for good, domestic "tourism" being a joke (visiting the grandparents on a long weekend is not tourism), and the run on the Visa Elite package by those in Hong Kong... we had better be ready with the cannon and be coordinated for what will come next.

As far as I can see ...... the whole world is the same.

[BritManToo]

14 hours ago, greggraham said:

Congrats on your 11,000th post @Jonathan Fairfield.

 

Any more info on the "will allow foreigners in Thailand to either obtain a new visa" part, or is it not something there's actually info about yet?

That part was made up and has absolutely nothing to do with the government announcement.

There's just as likely to be another extension after this one, unless the land borders are open allowing the foreign workers to return home.

 

This extension was the same as the last, and probably the same as the next.

Edited July 22, 2020 by BritManToo

[Fairynuff]

It’s a rare day when we have an opportunity to praise this government