Thai govt confirms extension of visa amnesty to 26 Sept

[ExpatOilWorker]

This is just a blanket free for all amnesty,  right?

No Embassy letter or visit to immigration required. What was then the purpose of relocating part of immigration to Muang Thong Thani?

[time2093]

I hope they keep extending this amnesty till the end of the year and longer. If the world is getting hit with 2nd,3rd wave of Covid as by the looks of things its getting bad again and if countries are forced to close their airports and boarders again across the world how can they not keep extending it.

Edited July 22, 2020 by time2093

[asiacurious]

6 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

This is just a blanket free for all amnesty,  right?

No Embassy letter or visit to immigration required. What was then the purpose of relocating part of immigration to Muang Thong Thani?

I'd guess (and my guess is as good as anyone else's) that it was a preemptive move by immigration in an effort to persuade the government not to do an automatic extension (i.e. with a larger area to handle the crowds (plenty of space for social distancing) there's no good reason to automatically extend).

 

Of course, there ARE good reasons to extend automatically.  Here's one.  Assume the 50K expat estimate is correct.  Let's say each one one of those people spends THB 60,000 over the extra 57 days of the extension.  (Roughly 1000 per day for food, lodging, doing things.)  Many (most) will spend more, quite a few will spend a lot more.  Some may spend less (hard to do for people on tourist visas, but ok, it's a nice round number to work with).  That's an extra THB 3B into the economy.  Not an enormous sum, but not nothing either.

 

[overherebc]

Can anyone give a clear answer?

Must your visa/extension be approved before 26 Sept or does it mean you must have the application submitted before 26 Sept'

[micmichd]

15 hours ago, padthaininja said:

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

According to former US president in his rare brighter days WW3 started decades ago. A trade war between the Global North and the Global South - and the Global North (lead by the USA) lost it. In Vietnam. 

[eyup]

3 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Can anyone give a clear answer?

Must your visa/extension be approved before 26 Sept or does it mean you must have the application submitted before 26 Sept'

No details released yet So everybody is just speculating. Wait for the official announcement?

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, padthaininja said:

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

No your illegal entry does !

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, RR2020 said:

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. 

 

.

Not everyone is here as a tourist. The majority of those 'trapped' in Thailand live here and commonly do border runs and/or their visa has expired. The availability of repatriation flights back home are irrelevant to them.

In fact, tourists could have left many weeks ago when they saw how the pandemic was developing and before flights were cancelled, but many chose to remain. They probably didn't anticipate that the situation would extend over several months.

[Bender Rodriguez]

finally some good news... now let's do something about 90 days useless reporting

 

no programmer at immigration that could make all the paperwork into the digital age ?

 

thumb print and here you go ... 1 year extension, naaaah, just dreaming

[brianthainess]

16 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.

I think it coincides with the date ie 26th since amnesty began

[miamiman123]

WRONG

I did not do my 90 day check in may because of the 90 day check amnesty. 

Went to immigration yesterday and did the late 90 day check

immigration told me that if I had not completed the 90 day check yesterday or buy July 31,  I would be fined the 2000 baht fine for lateness.

Now they say it September amnesty and don’t need to do it until 26th.

Something ain’t right in Denmark and Thailand? 

[brianthainess]

2 hours ago, luckyluke said:

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. 

 

Extensions still have to be done on time.

[Colmera]

16 hours ago, Calvin1976 said:

Pay for your stay or prepare to go home. 

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

If there is 100,000 people covered by this amnesty spend 1000 baht a day who would have been gone from Thailand more than makes up for the visa fees lost and keeps the Thai economy ticking over. Must sad day for people who are upset that amnesty continues please get a life?

[luckyluke]

7 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Extensions still have to be done on time.

That's a very important information for many.

[HaleySabai]

YIPEE!! ????‍♀️????‍♀️????️‍♂️????‍♂️????????????????????

[0815]

17 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?

What else to do between 2 beers? ????

[0815]

17 hours 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. 

Or lean back again, relax, doing nothing and start asking for solutions on several forums with "experts" from September 23rd on?

[JensenZ]

15 hours ago, overherebc said:

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

Aug'+ Sept' is 61 days.

Just askin?

I think it is because it's the end of the last full week of September. If they used September 30, that would be Wednesday.

[0815]

16 hours ago, padthaininja said:

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

26 is the last Saturday in September.
1. IOs don't want to start the new week with desperate and grumpy foreigners who are begging for a solution what they didn't care about since April ?
2. Less traffic jam to Swampy on Sunday 27th ?

[0815]

16 hours ago, coastguard said:

How about we just accept some good news? We are all good for two more months. No crowding into Immigration rooms. Maybe they will even give up on 90 day reporting altogether. They don't want to have anything to do with dirty farang anyhow. I just hope they don't kick us out. I think we are safe as long as tourists are gone. We are the only game in town now.

You contradict your own positive starting comment from lane 2 on ?
And who's US and WE ?

[Max69xl]

17 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 not a strange date. It's 6 months from March 26 when the "amnesty" kicked in. 

[RR2020]

55 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Not everyone is here as a tourist. The majority of those 'trapped' in Thailand live here and commonly do border runs and/or their visa has expired. The availability of repatriation flights back home are irrelevant to them.

In fact, tourists could have left many weeks ago when they saw how the pandemic was developing and before flights were cancelled, but many chose to remain. They probably didn't anticipate that the situation would extend over several months.

 

I think the point is, a lot of people were complaining there was no way to leave, so there MUST be another visa extension for those who live on tourist visas.

 

They are now arranging flights out - so come September there can be no crying, no wailing, no moaning that its impossible to leave and so another extension must happen...........  its quite clear that the 26th September is the final date. 

 

If you have not left by then and still on a tourist visa, you will likely be in trouble.

 

 

 

 

[CH1961]

17 hours ago, padthaininja said:

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

No, on 27th the hunt will begin. 

[overherebc]

11 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

I think it is because it's the end of the last full week of September. If they used September 30, that would be Wednesday.

Sorry I should have made my reason for asking clear.

I should have mentioned it was ref- money in the bank timing.

Got the answer just now.

60 days.

[0815]

16 hours ago, Zikomat said:

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. 

Agree with sentence 1 and 2. 3 might have a different reason. ???? 

[Snow Leopard]

17 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.

Amnesty planned ending date the 30th of September perhaps? 

[Max69xl]

17 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

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

"Good idea. What's for lunch?"

As if the stranded tourists here are big spenders. 

[Max69xl]

17 hours ago, vermin on arrival said:

Try 300,000-400.000.

There aren't that many here who are really able to extend their extensions. Expats can apply for their extensions as usual. Stranded tourists have to leave. 

[Bangkok Barry]

1 minute ago, RR2020 said:

 

I think the point is, a lot of people were complaining there was no way to leave, so there MUST be another visa extension for those who live on tourist visas.

 

They are now arranging flights out - so come September there can be no crying, no wailing, no moaning that its impossible to leave and so another extension must happen...........  its quite clear that the 26th September is the final date. 

 

If you have not left by then and still on a tourist visa, you will likely be in trouble.

 

 

 

 

I agree, except there is no basis at all to say there would not be an amnesty extension for those who are not tourists - which is the majority. If borders are still closed then those on any long-term visa would be in the same position they were when the first amnesty was granted.

 

My guess is that by 26th September local borders might be open again as long as long distance visitors are still banned from entry. Or, they might decide that's too difficult to control and so keep the borders closed. But that date is a very long way off, the way the situation is evolving, ebbing and flowing, second waves etc.

[Jeffro008]

30 minutes ago, 0815 said:

Or lean back again, relax, doing nothing and start asking for solutions on several forums with "experts" from September 23rd on?