Steps required to enter Thailand

[Miami007]

2 hours ago, Wavel said:

Your Medical Insurance must have a Covid 19 Inclusion within the policy.

Good luck getting a policy stating Covid is included in most countries

If an old policy, Covid is not mentioned because it did not exist. 

A new policy for Covid is going to be very expensive or impossible to get until insurance companies figure out that having Covid doesn't mean you will die.

 

You may be able to get an explanation that an older policy includes treatment for Covid or other viral diseases. But that would have to be requested from the insurance company.

 

[dallen52]

5 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Yep, but if you read better it stands that it´s The Royal Thai Embassy that work it on a case by case basis.

Recently the system changed to allow your own embassy to process (And no need to send to Bangkok)

[fraggleRock]

1 hour ago, Wavel said:

As of today to leave Thailand one needs a health insurance policy with a Covid 19 inclusion to the sum of ฿100,000. To re-enter one needs a health insurance policy with a Covid 19 inclusion to the sum of $100,000, which is in excess of ฿3,000,000. Go Figure. The whole situation is going from "The Sublime to the Ridiculous". With people in authority pulling numbers out of hats. Some departments wish to get the economy back on track, (building & construction are reliant on local foreign labour) whilst others are intent on making it as difficult as possible for foreigners to gain entry. TIT.

Why would I need 100k insurance to fly to my home country which has a national health service? Why would I need a Covid certificate? Ive not been out the Country since Feb.... ... what is your source of information for these requirements to leave this condemned to hell dammed place.

[RANGER55]

2 minutes ago, fraggleRock said:

Why would I need 100k insurance to fly to my home country which has a national health service? Why would I need a Covid certificate? Ive not been out the Country since Feb.... ... what is your source of information for these requirements to leave this condemned to hell dammed place.

Thinking the same thing. Wife and I have a ticket to US Nov. 1. What they going to do, hold us at the airport and say you can't leave Thailand?

[DrPhibes]

1 hour ago, Claudio54 said:

Good luck with the COVID-19 test. It takes a minimum of 7 to 10 days to get a result, if you are lucky. I'd like to know where you can get a test with results in 72 hours. By the way, even if you get it in 72 hours, it would be considered expired by the time you get there. On top of that, you need to schedule a doctor appointment AFTER you get the test for the fit to fly certificate. How is that possible? Why this requirement, since you get tested when you arrive and then you are transported to the alternate state place where you get an additional 3 tests within the 14 days? I could get all of the paperwork, but not the test in 72 hours. I haven't been able to see my wife for 7 months now and I can't find a solution to go see her. It's maddening!!!!

The requirements to get back are quite exhaustive and somewhat expensive.  The problem is that there is domino effect of things that have to happen in short order once you get a repatriation flight reservation with a chunk of money on the line.  For those of us that have been separated from our families for 6 months (like me) it is a test of just how much your family means to you.  The very thing right now I am having a tough time nailing down is the COVID-19 RT-PCR test.  While I am not looking to get back until the end of August (if lucky) trying to find a facility that can get you that test in 48 hrs (72 is not correct since your having to be at the airport many hrs ahead of a normal flight) has been impossible no matter the price.  I have spent 2 days calling hospitals and labs and basically unless your really sick, 48 or 72hrs is impossible.

[Miami007]

31 minutes ago, elgenon said:

I got tested on the 13th , this is the 24th and still no result sent to me. What are the chances of getting a result within 72 hours minus the 2o hours it takes to get there? Can you say "ziltch"?

Is it far fetched to assume that someone who really wants to enter Thailand does the following:

take a test today,

wait for the results

Create a pdf of the results

Change the dates of the test on the pdf to show 72 hours before arrival

Print the "doctored" results 

 

I doubt that any airline staff or IO will call the lab/ doctor to verify dates on the piece of paper. We are not talking a passport or notarized document here..

When there are problems, there will always be solutions found

 

 

[tomacht8]

Double and triple bureaucracy.

 Not thought out at all. If a 14 day quarantine in Thailand with C19 tests is mandatory, what should the stupid test do 72 hours before departure. In addition to the problem of getting such a test in a timely manner, there is no guarantee that the virus will not be caught within 3 days. A completely unnecessary hurdle. The test is also not required for Thais!!!. A plane full of people, some of whom have been tested and some have not; so you are guaranteed not to get a 100% C19 free aircraft. 

 

 

[DrPhibes]

4 minutes ago, fraggleRock said:

Why would I need 100k insurance to fly to my home country which has a national health service? Why would I need a Covid certificate? Ive not been out the Country since Feb.... ... what is your source of information for these requirements to leave this condemned to hell dammed place.

Yes, this is not correct.  These requirements are about getting in, not out.

[Moo 2]

If tourism is down this year Thailand Authorities should know why. If they don't know they can always

contact me for down to earth explanations.

 

"I drink to make other people more interesting"      Ernest Hemingway

[Aussie Col]

Do the Chinese have to jump through the same hoops?

Let's be honest Thailand isn't go to get tourists for a long long time and in the mean time people will find other holiday destinations where their money will go further than it does in Thailand

[tomacht8]

6 minutes ago, RANGER55 said:

Thinking the same thing. Wife and I have a ticket to US Nov. 1. What they going to do, hold us at the airport and say you can't leave Thailand?

You can fly out. This threat is about entering Thailand.

[Sheryl]

18 hours ago, SantiSuk said:

According to the above "non-Thais who have been permitted to reside in Thailand" are given a shot at getting into the country.

 

I'm guessing that the definition they will use for residence is more onerous than the ThaiRev (thai tax authority) test of residence - "an individual is regarded as a tax resident if he/she resides in Thailand at one or more times for an aggregate period of 180 days or more in any tax year" (PwC Thailand Tax Booklet)

 

Were tax residence to be acceptable I don't doubt there are many falang out there 'stranded abroad' who normally live here full-time (indeed I have two mates in that situation) some of whom would be prepared to meet the financial and time burdens of returning and reoccupying the houses they have kept financed for the last 4 months.

 

I'm guessing the true acceptable test of residence is more akin to Permanent Residence. Anyone know?

 

They mean people who hold Permanent Residencey. Some of the embassy websites make this clear.

[dallen52]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Swift said:

I have "dealt" with immigration and all their quirks over 8 years and currently have a non O retirement visa, having converted from 6 month tourist, to six month non O, to non O retirement, over the course of about 2 months. I don't see anything terribly prohibitive in the new rules, I have used the "fit to fly" certificates in the past,

 

proof of residency amounts in my case to providing a long term rental apartment lease

 

I found a reasonable minimum health insurance plan through LUMA, Thailand, lumahealth.com +66 2 665 3618, agent  Nuttarut Kitpowsong [email protected] which amounts to 15,000 ThB per year. I am attaching the coverage for "plan 1" converted to appx dollars, and a copy of the fit to fly certificate. 

You will not gain re entry on a non O retirement. 

Residence means permanent residency and the book that goes with it.

I'm 7 years on a non O retirement visa and have a house and land in my partners name. 

Proof of relationship. 

Not married. 

So presently cannot get back to Thailand. 

Good insurance btw.

They have increased the coverage to meet the 100k USD requirements. 

 

If you are in Thailand, i.e. just returned, tell me more.

Thousands of people cannot get back on a non O retirement visa.

Or not married to my partner situation.

 

This is all being handled by the Thailand Embassy, and not immigration..

Edited July 25, 2020 by dallen52

[0815]

4 hours ago, thedemon said:

 

Do you know whether the USD100K insurance policy document needs to specifically state "Covid-19"?

 

It is a bit confusing because I have read elsewhere that insurance covering only Covid-19 is insufficient whereas the requirement is for medical insurance "including" Covid-19.

 

In my case, I have a policy from Pacific Cross with coverage of USD1M/year and nil exclusions. I have read through the Policy Document and there is no mention of Covid-19, epidemics, pandemics etc. so presumably it is covered but would an embassy/consulate accept that or would they require a separately issued Certificate specifically mentioning Covid-19?

Why don't you contact your insurance company / broker instead of asking members of a forum who quote everything about their dreams last night or what a friend of a friend thinks to know ?

[NightSky]

19 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

I stopped at the first sentence and forgot all about it ????

 

I did the same thing.

 

I think that was probably the intention.

Edited July 25, 2020 by NightSky

[aussienam]

Problem that is happening with these steps is that many flights keep getting cancelled, and because the ASQ hotels need to be booked in advance, they are becoming unavailable as overbooked but in reality have spare rooms because of the many cancellations.  

Interesting they are allowing medical tourism and education visas in ahead of retirees (O-A visas) who have 800,000 deposited in Thai banks as well as other money, property, paying rent, bills etc and spending annual foreign sources income in Thailand. But we are not even mentioned yet. 

[7fish]

56 minutes ago, busa said:

So why would any one want to return to Thailand under these conditions.

I have to agree sadly, was looking forward to going back to my apartment at some point but now I wont be renewing my contract and will have to sell my stuff through friends. I worry about a lot of my Thai friends who are already experiencing severe financial difficulties, a couple of women I know are living off dried noodles and looking quite ill in there recent pics. The land of smiles is fast becoming the land of frowns and worried expressions

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, bristolgeoff said:

To many hoops to go thru now to go there.Travel insurance is available if you are allowed to go there.if the gov says yes then insurance allow you to get there.What is the Quarantine  thing u got to book a 2 week stay in a what they say u stay in.that could be  expensive too,I will wait until the end of the year and see what happens.I hope it will be a lot easier Nov or Dec

 

i would not bet on that.

 

in particular quarantine requirement is likely to still be in place, especially since they continue to identify positive cases in quarantine.

 

With luck maybe they will relax the complex "criteria" for who can come and simply allow anyone eligible for a non-tourist visa (non-O, medical, Business, Ed etc...whatever) . Wouldn't mean that many more people and would certainly simplify an unncessarily  byzantine process.

 

And with luck maybe there will be at least some commercial flights.

 

I can't see how COVID will not still be actively spreading somewhere in the world even 6 months hence and as long as it is, expect tourism will stay banned and quarantine be required.  They will also probably still require proof of negative COVID test before flight in an effort to decrease the likelihood of COVID+ arrivals  who would then have to be in Thai hospitals.

[Sheryl]

31 minutes ago, Miami007 said:

Good luck getting a policy stating Covid is included in most countries

If an old policy, Covid is not mentioned because it did not exist. 

A new policy for Covid is going to be very expensive or impossible to get until insurance companies figure out that having Covid doesn't mean you will die.

 

You may be able to get an explanation that an older policy includes treatment for Covid or other viral diseases. But that would have to be requested from the insurance company.

 

 

You request  a letter from the insurance company stating that you hold policy X, with coverage up to X dollars, and that the policy will cover treatment of COVID.

 

 

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, Wavel said:

As of today to leave Thailand one needs a health insurance policy with a Covid 19 inclusion to the sum of ฿100,000. To re-enter one needs a health insurance policy with a Covid 19 inclusion to the sum of $100,000, which is in excess of ฿3,000,000. Go Figure. The whole situation is going from "The Sublime to the Ridiculous". With people in authority pulling numbers out of hats. Some departments wish to get the economy back on track, (building & construction are reliant on local foreign labour) whilst others are intent on making it as difficult as possible for foreigners to gain entry. TIT.

 

Not true.

 

There is no such requirement for leaving the country.

 

The requirements are for entry.

[Keyser Soze666]

What is anyones guestimate when one will be able to come in without all this nonsense like before? I still find it hard to get my head around what has happened to the world.

[digger70]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Steps required to enter Thailand

Clear as Mud .Will get Right on to it. 

As for me I wouldn't if I was stuck overseas. 

Good luck to the people who are trying to come back to their Family in Thailand . 

What a Drama and money hungry Scheme this is. 

[Keyser Soze666]

2 hours ago, Timwin said:

These rules make Thailand look like a super-picky, super rich Asian Monaco, instead of a 3rd world country where most earn less than $400 per month. ????

Sure thing. I have no idea why anyone would be so desperate to come back here to go through all these ridiculous hoops.

[7fish]

2 minutes ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

What is anyones guestimate when one will be able to come in without all this nonsense like before? I still find it hard to get my head around what has happened to the world.

Hard to say isn't it. If people continue to do as they are told by the corrupt governments and don't stand up for themselves the nonsense will have no end, otherwise it could end next week, ultimately the people have the power, that's why millions are spent on propaganda to convince us to act not in our own interest, but to benefit the already super rich and ptb.

[Peterphuket]

20 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

I stopped at the first sentence and forgot all about it ????

You gradually start to wonder if they still want foreigners.

[Keyser Soze666]

2 minutes ago, 7fish said:

Hard to say isn't it. If people continue to do as they are told by the corrupt governments and don't stand up for themselves the nonsense will have no end, otherwise it could end next week, ultimately the people have the power, that's why millions are spent on propaganda to convince us to act not in our own interest, but to benefit the already super rich and ptb.

Well when you see countries that have been hit way way harder than Thailand with their borders fully open to citizens of most countries, you seriously have to wonder <deleted> is going on here?? Is it just a case of massive paranoia? 

 

Not sure I would just lay the blame at the foot of just the Thai folk though.

[dallen52]

33 minutes ago, 7fish said:

I have to agree sadly, was looking forward to going back to my apartment at some point but now I wont be renewing my contract and will have to sell my stuff through friends. I worry about a lot of my Thai friends who are already experiencing severe financial difficulties, a couple of women I know are living off dried noodles and looking quite ill in there recent pics. The land of smiles is fast becoming the land of frowns and worried expressions

Agree the reasons for return are various. 

My lady stood by me when I was very ill in Thailand, on hourly observations..

We Should have been married before. 

But if I can get a flight back soon Its a priority for the future. 

Would I have left LOS for the family in Oz and the bushfires?

If I had known?

Probably not. 

 

But here I am stranded since February now. Oz. 

She is in her village in our home. 

Her daughter and her sister too.

There is no work.

No government handouts. 

Just what I send.

Suppose they are the luckier ones..

I'm in an apartment in Melbourne. 

5 months here now and no signs of a return flight. 

And now in lockdown again..

Compassion does not seem to be a Thai word.

[RichardColeman]

Miss the wife and daughter every minute, but this is just complete lunacy. I'll just ride it out stuck in the UK and wait for this Thai lunacy to come to an end. 

 

End of the day I'm just going to bring them out of thailand for good at some point in the near future, Thailand's government can just lose the income from our family. I've had enough of the imbeciles

[Mark mark]

So NOW you can get back in to Thailand Mark mark !!! ... (So quit Complaining and just get on with it !!!) !!!  .... 

 

...  "So NOW you can get back in to Thailand" ! ... ... Well Can I ??? .... I certainly could spend about 200,000 bart or More trying at Least !!!  ..... and wear my PC out and ... do my head in pretty effectively. ... I wonder what the 14 days in Quarantine would be like ? ....  Like I would be scared that they might just forget about me, and leave me there !!! ... CV 19 !!!

 

... What a horible HORIBLE situation ! and I do not even have to wear a mask here ... and am not likely to die either if I stay putt !!! 

[7fish]

5 minutes ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

Well when you see countries that have been hit way way harder than Thailand with their borders fully open to citizens of most countries, you seriously have to wonder <deleted> is going on here?? Is it just a case of massive paranoia? 

 

Not sure I would just lay the blame at the foot of just the Thai folk though.

I'm not blaming the Thai folk, and this isn't just about Thailand over half of the planet has been subject to this madness, regarding the paranoia, there really is no valid reason for the lockdowns, the masks, the quarantines,  have a listen to this guy, a very down to Earth assessment in my view: