Time Required to get COE through MFA (Land Border)

[jdlancaster]

I've been stranded one place or another for the last few months. Currently in Cambodia. I've been told no flight options, so I have to work out getting an ambulance ride from Poi Pet to an ASQ. 

My question is has anyone sent a request in to the MFA (through local embassy) and gotten a COE for a land border crossing? How long did it take? I need to know for planning the ASQ and ride as they're pre-reqs for the COE.

 

US Passport, student visa (University) in case it matters. Thanks.

[sqwakvfr]

At the current time A Land Border Crossing into LOS will be difficult. This would mean the government would have to set up an entry screening system at the Lander Border similar to what they have at BKK Airport.  This would require Covid 19 Testing facility, a team of Health Care professional to screen all who enter and ultimately a secure way to transport arrivals to their ASQ?  Unless the Government changes the Entry Criteria I can’t see any lander border entries in the near future.  It is complicated and difficult just get people in from the airport.

Edited July 24, 2020 by sqwakvfr

[jackdd]

Afaik you can't enter Thailand by land (this is only an option for migrant workers and is currently still in the making), your only option is to enter by air.

[drbeach]

9 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Afaik you can't enter Thailand by land (this is only an option for migrant workers and is currently still in the making), your only option is to enter by air.

If they can process thousands of foreign migrant workers at a land border then surely 1 farang is not going to be an issue.

[DrJack54]

OP, feel sorry for your situation, however have you even been following the many threads regarding returning to Thailand. 

Land borders are closed. Flights are repat flights. On top of that there is a priority system. PR, married to a Thai etc.

Long time to return to Los.

The borders at some point will open to nationals of countries such as Cambodia but that won't include tourists Ed visa holders etc.

You can wait it out in Cambodia. Did they make available "ongoing stay" for $2/day.

Your other option is to return to USA and wait to return to los.

OH....There is one group on "the list". Medical wellness. You could into that but just about a Dreamworld option

Edited July 24, 2020 by DrJack54

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

Afaik you can't enter Thailand by land (this is only an option for migrant workers and is currently still in the making), your only option is to enter by air.

For Laos it is only done at the crossings in Nong Khai and Mukdahan. No repatriation flight by air are available.

Probably the same for Cambodia at the Poi Pet/Aran crossing.

[Sheryl]

30 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, feel sorry for your situation, however have you even been following the many threads regarding returning to Thailand. 

Land borders are closed. Flights are repat flights. On top of that there is a priority system. PR, married to a Thai etc.

Long time to return to Los.

The borders at some point will open to nationals of countries such as Cambodia but that won't include tourists Ed visa holders etc.

You can wait it out in Cambodia. Did they make available "ongoing stay" for $2/day.

Your other option is to return to USA and wait to return to los.

OH....There is one group on "the list". Medical wellness. You could into that but just about a Dreamworld option

 

There is another option though costly - fly to a 3rd country like Korea that has flights to Thailand, connect there

 

This assumes you meet criteria for entry i.e., have a Thai spouse or get approved as a Medical Tourist

[pantsonfire]

How to get approved as a medical tourist?

[jdlancaster]

3 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

At the current time A Land Border Crossing into LOS will be difficult. This would mean the government would have to set up an entry screening system at the Lander Border similar to what they have at BKK Airport.  This would require Covid 19 Testing facility, a team of Health Care professional to screen all who enter and ultimately a secure way to transport arrivals to their ASQ?  Unless the Government changes the Entry Criteria I can’t see any lander border entries in the near future.  It is complicated and difficult just get people in from the airport.

They have Thai nationals and a few foreigners that have gone through here. Not sure what they are doing testing wise for those in state quarantine in Sa Kaew. The 2 foreigners i saw in the news took an ambulance into BKK where they presumably do all testing there. So the land border is open if you qualify it is just how long it takes to get approved I need to know so I can schedule it.

[jdlancaster]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

There is another option though costly - fly to a 3rd country like Korea that has flights to Thailand, connect there

 

This assumes you meet criteria for entry i.e., have a Thai spouse or get approved as a Medical Tourist

I appreciate the suggestion. That was what I actually had planned. had a ticket and all... They just said "no commercial flights." i qualify as a University student. I was told by the embassy to go by land.

[jdlancaster]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, feel sorry for your situation, however have you even been following the many threads regarding returning to Thailand. 

Land borders are closed. Flights are repat flights. On top of that there is a priority system. PR, married to a Thai etc.

Long time to return to Los.

The borders at some point will open to nationals of countries such as Cambodia but that won't include tourists Ed visa holders etc.

You can wait it out in Cambodia. Did they make available "ongoing stay" for $2/day.

Your other option is to return to USA and wait to return to los.

OH....There is one group on "the list". Medical wellness. You could into that but just about a Dreamworld option

There is nothing for me in the US. I got caught when the border closed playing Army in Germany for a few weeks. University students are on the list and my paperwork is in order there. The embassy told me to go the land route as there are no repatriation flights. i would take one if available. I just wanted to know how long the paperwork took after sent to the MFA since the embassy wasn't forthcoming.

[jdlancaster]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

For Laos it is only done at the crossings in Nong Khai and Mukdahan. No repatriation flight by air are available.

Probably the same for Cambodia at the Poi Pet/Aran crossing.

Thanks for the reply. Correct, I was told to use the land border at Poi Pet. I just really needed to know if someone else has sent paperwork in (through the local embassy) to get approved by the MFA to use the land border and how long it took (1 week vs. 1 month).

[jdlancaster]

3 hours ago, drbeach said:

If they can process thousands of foreign migrant workers at a land border then surely 1 farang is not going to be an issue.

Some westerners have already crossed. The embassy has also said it's possible, but difficult to arrange (ASQ needs to pick you up).

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, pantsonfire said:

How to get approved as a medical tourist?

The procedure is putlined on most Embassy websites 

 

It is not easy and in addition to health insurance, COVID test etc you have to get a letter from the hospital that will treat you stating they are prepared to insure the mandayory 14 day quarantine etc. There has been some discussion of hospitals needed to be pre-approved to do so and supposedly a list will come out. Seems not yet to have happened.

[DrJack54]

Looks like you need a 3 month (renewable) lease in Cambo.

[Sheryl]

14 minutes ago, jdlancaster said:

I appreciate the suggestion. That was what I actually had planned. had a ticket and all... They just said "no commercial flights." i qualify as a University student. I was told by the embassy to go by land.

This is the first such report of this (Thai Embassy saying to go by land) I  have seen so can't help you but as you go through the process please post the outcome.

[ubonjoe]

35 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

This is the first such report of this (Thai Embassy saying to go by land) I  have seen so can't help you but as you go through the process please post the outcome.

The only flights allowed carrying passenger with destinations for here are repatriation flights.

The embassy in Vientiane has already stated that people have to enter by land at Nongkhai and Mukdahan.

[brewsterbudgen]

I have applied for, and I am fairly confident of getting, a COE for my family to return over the land border with Laos at Chong Mek.  After numerous email exchanges with the Thai Consulate in Laos, and the UK Embassies in both Laos and Thailand, I submitted the COE application yesterday.  I have been told that land border entries have to be approved by the MOFA in Bangkok, so I should expect to hear if it will be issued within 3 working days.

 

A COE for land entry requires proof of an "urgent need to return to Thailand", a confirmed ASQ booking and "hospital transportation" from the land border to the ASQ hotel.  Not cheap!

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I have applied for, and I am fairly confident of getting, a COE for my family to return over the land border with Laos at Chong Mek.

I was just going by what I have read. I am not sure Chong Mek will be prepared for the cericates of entry and etc.

The two I mentioned have the embassy and a consulate nearby since they might need to be involved with the entries.

[brewsterbudgen]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I was just going by what I have read. I am not sure Chong Mek will be prepared for the cericates of entry and etc.

The two I mentioned have the embassy and a consulate nearby since they might need to be involved with the entries.

The Thai Consulate in Savannakhet have indicated that it is OK as long as there is quarantine transport arranged from Chong Mek to Bangkok.

 

The Royal Thai Consulate-General would like to inform you as follows:

1. Applications for entry by land/sea can only be made by those with urgent need for travel (must present proof of urgent need to travel). For all land/sea entry applications, the Consulate will have to send the application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to approve before the Consulate can issue a Confirmation of Entry (COE), which may take longer than 3 working days.

2. Local Quarantine (LQ) facility in Ubon Ratchathani is only for Thai Nationals. For foreigners, it has to be Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ - http://hsscovid.com) and in case of traveling by land, ASQ booking must include an arrangement to pick up the traveler from the land border point of entry into Thailand.

3. For more details, please see attached for list for required documents.

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The only flights allowed carrying passenger with destinations for here are repatriation flights.

The embassy in Vientiane has already stated that people have to enter by land at Nongkhai and Mukdahan.

 

Yes, I know. But no repatriatrion flights from Phnom Penh to my knowledge and this is the first I have heard of the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh telling people they can enter overland.  I have been in constant touch with them regarding a Cambodian woman who needs medical treatment and they continue to insist that except for life-and-death emergency treatment (for which request has to be made by the person's Embassy in Thailand) only entries by air are allowed, which are, of course, not possible since there are no flights.

[jdlancaster]

8 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I have applied for, and I am fairly confident of getting, a COE for my family to return over the land border with Laos at Chong Mek.  After numerous email exchanges with the Thai Consulate in Laos, and the UK Embassies in both Laos and Thailand, I submitted the COE application yesterday.  I have been told that land border entries have to be approved by the MOFA in Bangkok, so I should expect to hear if it will be issued within 3 working days.

 

A COE for land entry requires proof of an "urgent need to return to Thailand", a confirmed ASQ booking and "hospital transportation" from the land border to the ASQ hotel.  Not cheap!

I have to agree with the "not cheap"... feels like death by a thousand cuts. Please let me know how fast MOFA gets back to you on it and the results. 

[Max69xl]

On 7/24/2020 at 1:27 PM, drbeach said:

If they can process thousands of foreign migrant workers at a land border then surely 1 farang is not going to be an issue.

Yeah, that 1 farang is supposed to get special treatment? 

[jdlancaster]

18 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Yeah, that 1 farang is supposed to get special treatment? 

A japanese and russian guy have passed already through the land border. The special treatment is you get to pay for an ambulance ride into your asq.

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, jdlancaster said:

A japanese and russian guy have passed already through the land border. The special treatment is you get to pay for an ambulance ride into your asq.

Just a slight correction: the ambulance ride is to Alternative Hospital Quarantine, not Alternative State Quarantine. There is a difference, however unimportant.

[drbeach]

On 7/24/2020 at 4:30 PM, jdlancaster said:

Some westerners have already crossed. The embassy has also said it's possible, but difficult to arrange (ASQ needs to pick you up).

Thanks for confirming that, which is what I expected to be the case. Being forced to spend god knows how many thousands of dollars/Euro/whatever to fly 5 hours up to Korea and then 5 hours back to Thailand instead of being allowed to travel a couple of hundred km by road would be the most ridiculous thing in the world.

[drbeach]

20 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Yeah, that 1 farang is supposed to get special treatment? 

Sure, if 10000 foreign laborers can, then surely a farang can too, and has already been confirmed, it's been happening.

 

Besides, if the only option were to fly from Cambodia transiting in Seoul, then what's the point? Would be far cheaper spending several more months waiting it out there. I certainly wouldn't be prepared to spend US$3000 or more on a flight to Thailand...I'd stay in Cambodia until the restrictions are loosened or go back to my home country.

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

Just a slight correction: the ambulance ride is to Alternative Hospital Quarantine, not Alternative State Quarantine. There is a difference, however unimportant.

I've had to arrange "hospital transport" from the land border (Chong Mek) to ASQ in Bangkok.  The ASQ hotel sorted it, with their affiliated hospital.  I should find out if the COE will be issued next week.