Back in Thailand ;-)

[Arjy2000k]

I've been emailing the Thai Embassy in London for a few weeks now. It really does destroy you mentally.

[GigsGigs]

2 hours ago, Arjy2000k said:

I've been emailing the Thai Embassy in London for a few weeks now. It really does destroy you mentally.

Quoted for truth. And wait until you have to deal with the ones in Paris and Brussels, they are even WORSE.

Edited July 27, 2020 by GigsGigs

[Arjy2000k]

If they are so taken up by questions and having to respond. Why don't they just put a list of FAQ ?

 

 

[jacko45k]

19 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

However, if I'm reading the news reports right, Thailand is getting a fairly steady stream of Thais getting off the airplanes here and immediately showing symptoms -- fever, cough, etc...  So I'd say it's pretty doubtful that those folks were just fine hours before when boarding the airplane in their departure country.

I just read elsewhere that some people test negative when they arrived in Thailand, but several days later tested positive while in quarantine. The numbers of positives in quarantine seem to be higher of late but that may tie in with another report saying the numbers of permitted daily repatriation arrivals was increased.

[SnipTheCat]

On 7/27/2020 at 5:53 AM, Bender Rodriguez said:

previous post up, you said you got divorced... + remarried than ?

No, not remarried (Well, remarried in front of Buddha which has no legal value). I have a company, and been under work permit/business visa for the last 10 years

[SnipTheCat]

On 7/27/2020 at 9:46 PM, GigsGigs said:

Quoted for truth. And wait until you have to deal with the ones in Paris and Brussels, they are even WORSE.

My experience is that indeed, (Thai Embassy in Brussels) the first contacts are very difficult : rare answer on the phone, no answers to emails, when I finally got an appointment, the lady at the counter was quite unfriendly and asked things I never been asked before (She wanted the letter my registration from the belgian embassy in bangkok which dates 10 years+). After that, I got no answer to emails/phone calls until 16 days later where my COE seems to have been accepted, then my file was handled by a girl from the Consular Section. She have been very nice, very responsive, called me multiple times per day, and made sure everything was good... 
 

[SnipTheCat]

On 7/28/2020 at 1:50 AM, jacko45k said:

I just read elsewhere that some people test negative when they arrived in Thailand, but several days later tested positive while in quarantine. The numbers of positives in quarantine seem to be higher of late but that may tie in with another report saying the numbers of permitted daily repatriation arrivals was increased.

The rate of people testing positive while in quarantine is of 0.6%, there was an article on Bangkok Post a few days ago where they mentionned they had 50000 returnees since march and 331 (I think) tested positive while in quarantine. It seems infections came in clusters, as some are not tested before taking the plane, some people got infected on the plane or at the airport, that's why they tested positive after day #5 or even day #12

[SnipTheCat]

On 7/27/2020 at 1:16 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

If all your $ numbers above are correct, that's closer to 133,000 b vs 100,000+ b.

 

In my case the cost was :

- ASQ : 40000 THB

- Repatriation flight : 1675€ = ~ 60000THB

- Covid test : 50€ = ~1800 THB

- Fit to fly : 5€ = ~180 THB

- Insurance : 130€ = ~ 4600 THB

- DHL fee (I had to send work permit renewal paperwork by DHL as the lawyer wouldn't be allowed to pick it up at the hotel) : 100€ = 3600 THB

- Gas : 2 trips to thai embassy, trip to amsterdam (round trip for the driver) : 60€ = ~ 2160 THB

- about 30h spent on the phone/email (ASQ reservation took me about 10 hours), call credits used : ~100€ = 3600 THB

 

Total: ~116000 THB extra cost so far

 

The alternative was an expired work permit, having to cancel my reentry permit at the thai embassy, getting my lawyer to get a WP3 letter to apply for new business visa and COE (all over again)... I don't expect to have any commercial flights to thailand before 3 to 6 months in the best scenario, so unless I wait for then, I would have to go through the repatriation route anyway and I guess quarantine, and then work permit application, extension of stay... it was worth the cost in my case. 

 

[sjoelbak]

On 7/30/2020 at 4:06 AM, SnipTheCat said:

 

- Insurance : 130€ = ~ 4600 THB

 

 

  Which insurance did you buy exactly?  

 

[SnipTheCat]

14 hours ago, sjoelbak said:

  Which insurance did you buy exactly?  

 

Revolut travel insurance, but you need to have domiciliation in an european country, it'll cover you only 40 days abroad. They do cover covid-19, except if there is a recommendation by your foreign affait minstry or WHO to travel to the destination country. In my case, they also required a letter from my company, certifying it will cover any covid19 related cost that my insurance policy wouldn't cover...

 

Covid19 treatment was supposed to be free for thais and foreigners paying social security & taxes... seems they changed their mind.

[gamb00ler]

On 7/26/2020 at 11:20 PM, koele2 said:

US dollars.

 

$2300 hotel 

$1200 repat flight from LA

$300 flight to LA

$200 Covid test 48 hrs.

$100 fit to fly
$200 insurance

 

it wasn’t cheap.  Gotta weigh cost versus coming back later (who knows when).  1+ more months away from family versus coming back now was worth the cost for me to pay.  

 

Here's my expenses for wife and I on Sep 14  flight from LA:

 

$2715 ASQ  for two (85K B), extra big room

$1842 EVA Air for two

$79 car rental Las Vegas --> LAX

$300 COVID test result in 6 hours for me only

$138 for Fit To Fly for two

$106 for USPS overnight/return to consulate (O visa for me and wife has expired passport)

$10 for headache meds.

 

If I hadn't foolishly decided to leave Sun. night/Mon. AM, I could have paid only $125 for COVID test.  Since most private testing labs are closed on weekends my only option was to get test on Friday and pay for the super expedited results.  At least for 300 I got to cut the nasal swab queue and my samples were walked through the lab as well.  I also get a real fancy result certificate  555.

 

For those having difficulty getting a clinic or Doc to do the Fit To Fly I suggest reaching out to your local Thai community.  Most likely there will be Thais who have also gone through the process and know of an accommodating facility.  That's we ended up doing.

[Maestro]

1 hour ago, gamb00ler said:

...Here's my expenses for wife and I on Sep 14  flight from LA:...

 

 

Will your Covid test still be valid for your flight on the 14th?

[gamb00ler]

1 hour ago, Maestro said:

 

Will your Covid test still be valid for your flight on the 14th?

Yes.... test @ 10AM Sep. 11, flight @ 00:15 Sep. 14... about 9 hours under the wire.  

Same with Fit To Fly issued Fri 11AM.

Edited September 6, 2020 by gamb00ler

[Tounge Thaied]

6 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

$2715 ASQ  for two (85K B), extra big room

If you had wanted... was the 30-40,000 baht range available?

[gamb00ler]

22 minutes ago, Tounge Thaied said:

If you had wanted... was the 30-40,000 baht range available?

My wife and I wanted to share one unit and many of the ASQ didn't allow that.  So, I chose a hotel that had the option and the availability that suited us.  TBH, I didn't call many of the lower priced hotels because I figured those would be the first to have no availability.  At the time I was also worried about not being quick enough to lock up one of the seemingly scarce rooms.

 

I actually booked the ASQ before the Thai Embassy had announced the dates for September flights.  We wanted to fly EVA Air so I looked at the August schedule and made a guess what the dates the EVA flights would be.  When EVA made the initial announcement of Sep. dates my ASQ booking matched perfectly.  But, EVA ended up changing their dates.  As soon as I could I called the ASQ hotel and changed our reservation to the new date for no extra charge.  We're booked into a Junior Suite at SC Park hotel near Ramkhamhaeng Road and close to SIL's house.

Edited September 7, 2020 by gamb00ler

[Tounge Thaied]

1 hour ago, gamb00ler said:

I actually booked the ASQ before the Thai Embassy had announced the dates for September flights. 

I'm at the Passport is at the L.A. Embassy getting my new updated Non-Imm O (wife) VISA stage. I am still trying to decide when I should book my ASQ. I believe I will get my passport back in about 2 weeks from today. What do you think, should I push to go ahead and book for one of the two flights that are September 29 or September 30th? That way I can book my ASQ now as well?

Edited September 7, 2020 by Tounge Thaied
spelling and content

[noserious]

On 7/27/2020 at 10:23 PM, Skallywag said:

$1200 is very cheap for Business class one way from LA. 

I paid around $1250 one way Chicago-Seoul-Bangkok for an economy seat.

So $1200 would be very cheap business class LA-Bangkok. 

I'm at the end of my first week of quarantine  and going absolutely barmy. If you teach online or do lots of meetings with Zoom, Skype, FaceTime etc. the hotel where I'm staying ASQ The Kinn's Internet service is just so-so. A couple of my classes had to be restarted because of an unstable connection. Also, there's no gym here either. The Kinn deluxe room is on the cheaper end: 30,000 baht.

[gamb00ler]

30 minutes ago, Tounge Thaied said:

I'm at the Passport is at the L.A. Embassy getting my new updated Non-Imm O (wife) VISA stage. I am still trying to decide when I should book my ASQ. I believe I will get my passport back in about 2 weeks from today. What do you think, should I push to go ahead and book for one of the two flights that are September 29 or September 30th? That way I can book my ASQ now as well?

I actually got my COE finished first.  I would suggest you first get a good idea of the availability of suitable ASQ for your situation and travel dates.  If you could also ask Bernard in the Visa (ext. 230) section at LA Consulate to see if he can tell you how likely you are to get a seat on one of those flights.  My hotel has a reasonable change/cancel policy and if you fail to get COE or flight no cancellation penalty.  Making the ASQ booking first seems to be the best strategy.

 

My Visa was processed very quickly.  I think only 7-8 days total including roundtrip mailing.

[Albert Zweistein]

On 7/26/2020 at 3:40 AM, Tounge Thaied said:

Ahh... so this is not a "repatriation" flight if the flight had a second leg of passengers.... I would expect a "repatriation" flight to be dedicated to only traveling one way for the stated purpose only. So people having a hard time getting flights are due to other secondary passengers. Not too mention, being pushed into the business class at an inflated price. I wonder if all flights are being handled this way?

KLM flies daily Amsterdam - Bangkok, one day  the second leg to Kuala Lumpur, the other day to Djakarta. Anybody can get on this flight with the  required paperwork finished of course.

[Skylight]

On 9/6/2020 at 10:10 AM, gamb00ler said:

Here's my expenses for wife and I on Sep 14  flight from LA:

 

$2715 ASQ  for two (85K B), extra big room

$1842 EVA Air for two

$79 car rental Las Vegas --> LAX

$300 COVID test result in 6 hours for me only

$138 for Fit To Fly for two

$106 for USPS overnight/return to consulate (O visa for me and wife has expired passport)

$10 for headache meds.

 

If I hadn't foolishly decided to leave Sun. night/Mon. AM, I could have paid only $125 for COVID test.  Since most private testing labs are closed on weekends my only option was to get test on Friday and pay for the super expedited results.  At least for 300 I got to cut the nasal swab queue and my samples were walked through the lab as well.  I also get a real fancy result certificate  555.

 

For those having difficulty getting a clinic or Doc to do the Fit To Fly I suggest reaching out to your local Thai community.  Most likely there will be Thais who have also gone through the process and know of an accommodating facility.  That's we ended up doing.

 

I'll be the $10 headache meds must have been extra-strength.

 

At least the car rental is cheap without having to return the car back to Las Vegas. 

 

 

[unheard]

21 hours ago, Tounge Thaied said:

I'm at the Passport is at the L.A. Embassy getting my new updated Non-Imm O (wife) VISA stage. I am still trying to decide when I should book my ASQ.

My understanding is that you won't get your passport back with stamped-in Non-O without obtaining a COE first.

You must get your ASQ hotel, flight bookings, proof of insurance and then submit the bookings with all other required paperwork via the on-line application.

If no problems you'll be issued a COE and your passport will be stamped with a Non-O.

Edited September 7, 2020 by unheard

[unheard]

20 hours ago, noserious said:

I paid around $1250 one way Chicago-Seoul-Bangkok for an economy seat.

So $1200 would be very cheap business class LA-Bangkok.

No way a repat flight in business would only be $1200

It must be economy.

[noserious]

20 hours ago, unheard said:

My understanding is that you won't get your passport back with stamped-in Non-O without obtaining a COE first.

In my case I got the ASQ hotel booked, flight booked, Covid insurance and the myriad of documents scanned  and then submitted online through the embassy's website. Then I sent all the documents, passport etc. to the embassy on a Thursday and miraculously got my passport back on the following Tuesday with a Non-B visa but no COE. I had to send a few emails begging them to send me the COE. Only then would the travel agency charge my credit card and I could be sure of a seat on the repat flight.

So to sum it up I got the visa in passport BEFORE getting the COE. Maybe it's different for a Non-O? 

[unheard]

3 hours ago, noserious said:

So to sum it up I got the visa in passport BEFORE getting the COE. Maybe it's different for a Non-O? 

I think it's pretty much a simultaneous process.

Your visa gets granted (issued) as soon as your application gets approved.

The actual stamp in the passport or the COE certificate issuance is what follows your approval and just a necessary official paperwork allowing you  to enter the country.

[Tounge Thaied]

15 hours ago, unheard said:

I think it's pretty much a simultaneous process.

I can confirm this. I sent my passport and documents to L.A. last week, I got a call September 8, 2020 from the L.A. Thai Embassy/Consulate they confirmed receipt of all my documents and passport that I sent in the mail. This is of course after completing the online application first and two other email exchanges. The person who called me said the VISA, my Non-immigrant O, and the COE were ready to be finalized once I now sent the ASQ booking. They had sent me an email the same day requesting that I update the online documents with the ASQ. Fortunately, I had my wife begin finding me one of the hotels and I was poised and ready to then secure the hotel. So now I am waiting for the ASQ to be updated today September 9, 2020. Presumably, they will send my passport back this week, and send the COE. I chose September 30th for the flight and have booked the hotel for that date. Just need the flight confirmation and COE and passport back now. 

[noserious]

On 9/9/2020 at 6:42 AM, unheard said:

I think it's pretty much a simultaneous process.

The embassy/consulate is in charge of issuing the visa. However the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in charge of the COE. Ideally this would be a simultaneous process.

[woodyleonhard]

On 9/6/2020 at 12:10 PM, gamb00ler said:

Since most private testing labs are closed on weekends my only option was to get test on Friday and pay for the super expedited results.  At least for 300 I got to cut the nasal swab queue and my samples were walked through the lab as well.  I also get a real fancy result certificate  555.

I would be flying in to LAX (from Nashville), then connecting to the repatriation flight.

 

Any idea how to get a fast COVID test in Los Angeles?

[balo]

On 7/25/2020 at 2:33 PM, SnipTheCat said:

staff came, and they sprayed each bill carefully, then left the things I have ordered.

Really , you should ask her into your room next time and ask her to spray you properly...

[unheard]

2 hours ago, woodyleonhard said:

I would be flying in to LAX (from Nashville), then connecting to the repatriation flight.

 

Any idea how to get a fast COVID test in Los Angeles?

you can search for places like this:

https://www.myconciergemd.com/rapid-covid-19-testing/

[gamb00ler]

2 hours ago, woodyleonhard said:

I would be flying in to LAX (from Nashville), then connecting to the repatriation flight.

 

Any idea how to get a fast COVID test in Los Angeles?

If you're unable to find fast results in LA, you could fly to Las Vegas instead of LA, go to CUUR diagnostics and get a test there.  For $125 you'll get results in 1 day, for $300 same day results.  Then rent a car and drive 4-5 hours to LAX.  If you are diligent about searching for lowest cost car rentals (autoslash is best) you can find reasonable rates.  Start your car search well ahead of time and reserve the best choice.  Repeatedly (day or two later) do another search and if you find a better deal cancel the previous deal and make a new one.  The rental rates are continually changing up and down.