Foreigners in Thailand face fines and jail for overstaying as visa amnesty ends

[Genmai]

16 hours ago, fangless said:

It seems to me that if you are renting a house then you were/are not a tourist.

 

16 hours ago, mlkik said:

You are a tourist and have been very lucky to have had such a long stay in Thailand as you are just that ... a tourist !

 

You guys just don't get it do you?

 

Are you that proud of having jumped through the hoops to get a retirement/marriage/business/whatever visa that you need to put down others who don't want to deal with all that BS?

 

You need to start looking past the whole "tourist" label. There are people out there who have ample savings or location independent incomes who really would like nothing more than to enjoy the sunshine, a good massage and cold beers by the beach. Judging by your comments it's obvious you don't fall into this category and that's unfortunate. But you need to realize that these folks literally do nothing but benefit the local economy wherever they go. They don't steal local jobs and they're not a burden on the government (a few bad apples here and there yes but same as everywhere). If there was a "financially secure expat nomad" visa class then that's what we'd call them instead of "tourists".

 

Could they apply for long term visas? Yes, but why go through the hassles? If they're under retirement age, have no intention of getting married, don't want to waste time going to some stupid courses for an ED visa then what other options are left to them? ThaiElite? Yeah sure but why waste that money on a glorified tourist status when there are other countries nearby that have straightforward/generous entry requirements without screwy immigration officers (assuming one has a first world passport)? Taiwan + Malaysia + South Korea all don't hassle you for prolonged back-to-back tourist stays. Japan is a plain 180 days per year. Cambodia + Vietnam has easy business visa schemes.

 

When a country makes entry to benign spenders a long convoluted process then it deserves what it gets. Bye-bye, there goes their money and testimonials to friends back home. Off to greener pastures instead.

 

Please tell me the rationale behind chasing away guys who offer financial benefit directly to the local economy at no cost to the host country? Chasing these people away during normal times is stupid enough, but to do it at covid times when the tourist industry is about to tank is going full retard. 

 

Bottom line is this: if you love this country and want to support locals you should stop bashing on long term "tourists" and instead speak up for the loosening of entry requirements. If you're just bashing on them to feel good about yourself for having gone through the hoops to get a retirement/marriage/investor whatever visa then you should be honest about that and ask for a gold star/pat on the back for paying all those agents.  

[sanuk711]

3 hours ago, Truth Will Set You Free said:

They don’t want you no more here. Do you not understand the words coming out their mouths! ????????

 

That being said, when you do leave, ensure you pass on to family, friends and community, Thailand is not the only country with beaches and bars. I know they not coming to see temples when they don’t even go to church at home.  So bottom line, it the bars and beaches.

 

Now if you found someone here, they will be here when you return as long as you send them support money. If not they will surely find another Joey home.  

 

Now once you leave, remember not to be a fool and come back with all the restrictions they have put in place. No matter how good that kitty cat or toss the salad is/was, don’t be that sucker they are hoping will return.

 

There 6 days to get your new visa if you planning to stay. If you go to jail, they want allow you to return. That’s in the fine print. ????????????

 

59 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

I am merely pointing out that under the present unprecedented conditions it would make mores sense for the Thai government to let the present 150k 'tourists' stay until a workable solution is found to replace them

I owe you an apology Milky---for some reason I (Thought) that I was replying to "Truth will set you free post"...or that it was your post.....I don't know which--but once again my apologies.

[Eindhoven]

1 minute ago, Genmai said:

 

 

You guys just don't get it do you?

 

Are you that proud of having jumped through the hoops to get a retirement/marriage/business/whatever visa that you need to put down others who don't want to deal with all that BS?

 

You need to start looking past the whole "tourist" label. There are people out there who have ample savings or location independent incomes who really would like nothing more than to enjoy the sunshine, a good massage and cold beers by the beach. Judging by your comments it's obvious you don't fall into this category and that's unfortunate. But you need to realize that these folks literally do nothing but benefit the local economy wherever they go. They don't steal local jobs and they're not a burden on the government (a few bad apples here and there yes but same as everywhere). If there was a "financially secure expat nomad" visa class then that's what we'd call them instead of "tourists".

 

Could they apply for long term visas? Yes, but why go through the hassles? If they're under retirement age, have no intention of getting married, don't want to waste time going to some stupid courses for an ED visa then what other options are left to them? ThaiElite? Yeah sure but why waste that money on a glorified tourist status when there are other countries nearby that have straightforward/generous entry requirements without screwy immigration officers (assuming one has a first world passport)? Taiwan + Malaysia + South Korea all don't hassle you for prolonged back-to-back tourist stays. Japan is a plain 180 days per year. Cambodia + Vietnam has easy business visa schemes.

 

When a country makes entry to benign spenders a long convoluted process then it deserves what it gets. Bye-bye, there goes their money and testimonials to friends back home. Off to greener pastures instead.

 

Please tell me the rationale behind chasing away guys who offer financial benefit directly to the local economy at no cost to the host country? Chasing these people away during normal times is stupid enough, but to do it at covid times when the tourist industry is about to tank is going full retard. 

 

Bottom line is this: if you love this country and want to support locals you should stop bashing on long term "tourists" and instead speak up for the loosening of entry requirements. If you're just bashing on them to feel good about yourself for having gone through the hoops to get a retirement/marriage/investor whatever visa then you should be honest about that and ask for a gold star/pat on the back for paying all those agents.  

 

I decided to like your post after only reading the first half. ???? 

 

Certain characters like to gloat at the misfortune of others.

[San888]

If a tourist is living there, aithoised or not, he/she is contributing to the Thai economy, given they are not entitled to benefits...such a policy can only damage the economy.

 

I say if that's what they want, so be it...sooner or later the bhat will drop (no pun intended), and the economy will go down hill, assisted by Covid , with the closing of the borders!

Maybe after 1 year, when the economy is in free fall, may the policy towards tourist and the value of the bhat change to encourage their return!

Perhaps consider spending your hard earned cash or savings on your next post Covid holiday in another country...that welcomes the tourist or the falang as they say in the land of smiles and gives great value for money. Yes it's a gamble going to another SE Asian country, stepping out of your  comfort zone, but what have you got to lose.

 

As for those with an interest in SE Asia ladies.. they can be found outside the land of smiles, but only if your prepared to look for.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!??

 

 

 

If 

[BritManToo]

Just now, San888 said:

As for those with an interest in SE Asia ladies.. they can be found outside the land of smiles, but only if your prepared to look for.

Yeah buttttttt ....... none of those countries will let us in at the moment.

[metisdead]

Some offensive posts have been removed. 

[Xavnel]

17 hours ago, genericptr said:

I've told this to my GFs friends and the owner of the house I rent. It's totally embarrassing to them that their country is kicking us out during a global crisis. And for what? The owner of the home is already asking when I'm coming back so I can keep renting from her. What a shame the whole thing is...

Do you have a Visa to stay?...  yes or no
They are not "kicking you out"....  Your Visa is expired and they have been more than understanding at allowing you to be in their country this long.
Attempting to live long term in Thailand without a proper Visa was, well just poor planning and judgement on your part.
You have had ample time to prepare to go back to the USA or elsewhere.... not being prepared and blaming Thai Immigration for your decisions is childish.
Answer this,  if you did have a PROPER Visa,  would they be asking you to leave?... Prolly not.  
My wife's ED Visa expired 19th April,  I was making plans in March for us to have to go back to USA because we knew that they were not renewing Visas....  so we did.  We left Thailand 3rd of June.
And you know what.....  we did not cry about it...
 

[Ventenio]

I've heard IF you get the stamp for 1900 baht....you simply pay every month UNTIL the borders open.  Someone said someone from immigration said that.  

 

maybe it's public knowledge, it does make sense......and maybe whatever.

 

i guess i believe it 50%.  lol

[Benmart]

18 hours ago, fangless said:

How many are still betting on another extension to the "amnesty" now?

My bet is taking care of myself and leaving others to place their own bets.

[KarenBravo]

27 minutes ago, Eindhoven said:

 

Certain characters like to gloat at the misfortune of others.

One of life's few pleasures...........

[ExpatOilWorker]

18 hours ago, genericptr said:

Given the absolute shambles tourism is currently in, I still can't believe they're going to send all these tourists home without even offering some alternative visa.

 

What's the explanation for this behavior?

In a normal business a slowdown in demand will naturally result in layoffs and a reduction in the workforce.

With borders closed and the tourist sector closed down, business must be slow for our friends in uniform. 

Immigration is probably trying hard to justify their place and importance. Maybe a reduction in force have crossed their mind.

[Isaan Alan]

The head hauncho Pol Col said national security was his number 1 concern. Not economic benefit to the country and certainly not sympathy for the foreigners. Luckily he got overruled last time. But this time .....?

 

[Nanaplaza666]

18 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

No, because the USA can't handle the pandemic properly.

Sorry to say(not really) but i hope you never come in a situation like this Frits. My paperwork is in order so i don't belong to the groups in trouble but i think your a little derogatory . I geuss your from holland , look at the problems going on there with all the refugees and criminal immigrants that's a much bigger problem then the people having visa problems over here . I geuss you have nothing better to do then kicking people when they are down . Again i hope you never get in a situation like this(or maybe i do) . Are these people making problems for you ??? For me they should better kick out the internetscammers and drugsdealers and pedofiles out . 

[FritsSikkink]

8 minutes ago, Nanaplaza666 said:

Sorry to say(not really) but i hope you never come in a situation like this Frits. My paperwork is in order so i don't belong to the groups in trouble but i think your a little derogatory . I geuss your from holland , look at the problems going on there with all the refugees and criminal immigrants that's a much bigger problem then the people having visa problems over here . I geuss you have nothing better to do then kicking people when they are down . Again i hope you never get in a situation like this(or maybe i do) . Are these people making problems for you ??? For me they should better kick out the internetscammers and drugsdealers and pedofiles out . 

People always find other people who they can blame more. I don't like people who work here without paying tax and get their paper work in order.

[Adam219]

23 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

I don't like people who work here without paying tax

isnt that most thai people? so you dont like thai people

[pubba]

To be honest, I was kind of expecting the visa amnesty to be extended (again) despite the easy money that could have been made by charging 1900 baht for month to month extensions. They could have started doing that a few months ago. Think of the fleet of 'smart cars' they could have had by now!

 

Anyhow, it's a bit close to 26 September for me so I popped into immigration today with a letter from Aussie embassy from back in July when they released one of their nail-biting daily video updates that mentioned a mysterious 'visa letter' that could be obtained after sending through an email. Thought it might come in handy someday - so I applied for and got one (PDF) returned a few days later.

 

The letter is dated July 2020 but the immigration dragon didn't seem to care too much. She had a right face on so I guess she didn't get one of the free yoghurt that they were handing out for some reason (along with the mandatory 'giving something to farang' photo). Either that or she's had to deal with a stream of big stupid farang like me all week.

 

It was just like the standard 60 day family visit extension along with the 1900 baht fee for all the hard work of stamping and shuffling that goes on. This time there was some kerfuffle about needing two copies of everything, and the copy machine was busted so I had to go off to the local copy shop.

 

Back to immigration. Signed everything 300 times, stamped this, shuffled this, please wait a moment ka.. etc etc...

 

After all that I'm 'safe' for an extra 30 days and they said I can just keep doing that hoop jumping each month along with the 1900 baht stamping/shuffling fee. 

 

I'll be leaving as soon as I can. Was hoping to be in Vietnam this year but literally missed the border closing by ONE day.

 

So now it's just a waiting game to see which country opens first. There are a few open now but I'm not too fond of being beheaded. 

[pubba]

1 hour ago, Ventenio said:

I've heard IF you get the stamp for 1900 baht....you simply pay every month UNTIL the borders open.  Someone said someone from immigration said that.  

It's true if you have a letter from your embassy with a nice stamp on it. They didn't even read mine, which is lucky because it was very generic. 

I'll need to get a new one each month till covid dries up so I hope the Aussie embassy continues issuing them. I got my first one back in July just before the current visa amnesty extension (ending 26 September) was announced. 

[jj2018]

"In the case of a foreigner surrendering to authorities" sounds like foreigners are wanted criminals. I seriosly start to make plans to leave this "FREE" country for forever. ????

[pookondee]

13 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Thai logic - kick out 100,000 1 month and import 1,200 the next - potentially

And entirely plausible that there will be more covid cases amongst the 1,200 incoming, than the whole of the 100,000 going out.

[2530Ubon]

In fairness, they've said everyone can stay if you have a letter from your embassy. Whilst some embassies are not issuing them, that isn't the fault of the Thai government. It would be great if all the embassies were as helpful as the US, just automail a generic covid letter.

[GoNavy]

 

 

Quote

A tourist is somebody who comes for a holiday. It is not someone who should be able to live in the country for ever !

Why do tourists think they should be able to stay with no regulation and people who have the correct visa for long stay have to meet all sorts of regulations regarding money in the bank,health insurance,90 day reports etc ?

Well, don't you have all the answers!  Wasn't it the government who locked the nation down?  Who do you know who had the foresight to know the length of this world wide pandemic?  What tourist wants to live here forever? Why do you think tourists want to stay as you write 'without' regulations?  I read flights out are difficult without needing to mortgage your home in leaving.  Considering the situation immigration should have all the stats; why make it so cumbersome and the frequency on reports.  Is this government practicing Orwell's 1984?  One comes in on holiday and find your return flight cancelled, given rules of do this do that.  Then, oh by the way buy insurance so we don't get stuck [but nevermind if over a certain age none available ] and by the way put in extreme amounts of money in a 'Thai' bank and you can't take it with you!  A scam?  

 

Or is this just an informative news article alerting folks of what they are doing already?  You, the writer of those statement are just snotty and holier than thou accusing the lowly 'foreigner' because you can.  Obviously you are not in the people business, 

[Trujillo]

"So now it's just a waiting game to see which country opens first."

 

Cambodia has been open for months: 

 

Entry rules in response to coronavirus (COVID-19)
Entry to Cambodia
If you wish to enter Cambodia you will need to:

get a visa before arrival — the visa exemption policy, visa on arrival and e-visa arrangements are suspended indefinitely
get a medical certificate, no longer than 72 hours prior to the date of travel, from a competent health authority stating you do not have COVID-19. You should not use the NHS testing service to get a test in order to facilitate your travel to another country. You should arrange to take a private test
have proof of insurance that includes a minimum of US$50,000 for medical cover
The government is now imposing charges on foreign arrivals for lab testing, medical treatment and accommodation under health measures to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 transmission in Cambodia.

All foreign passengers are required to deposit US$3000 for the COVID-19 service charges at the airport upon their arrival. Once deductions for services have been made, the remainder of the deposit will be returned. This can be paid either by cash or credit card.

The service fees are listed as below:

US$5 for transport from the airport to waiting centre, US$100 for one COVID-19 test, US$30 for overnight stay at hotel or waiting centre and US$30 for 3 meals a day while waiting for test result.

If one passenger tests positive for COVID-19, all those on the same flight will be quarantined for 14 days. Each passenger will have to pay US$100 for a COVID-19 test and US$84 a day to pay for the stay in a hotel or quarantine facility, (the charge includes meals, laundry, sanitary services, doctors and security services).

For a COVID-19 positive patient, they will be charged US$100 per COVID-19 test (maximum four tests), and US$225 a day for hospital room, medical treatment service, meals, laundry and sanitary services. In addition, in case of death the cremation service charge is US$1,500.

If issuance of a COVID-19 health certificate is required, for example for future travel, foreign nationals will need to pay US$100 for a lab test and US$30 for the certificate.

[pashonfroot]

Supposing you were born in Thailand but left Thailand as a baby on a Thai passport. You return to Thailand still as a child but using a foreign passport. You live in Thailand for 5 years and then leave Thailand using your foreign passport. Can Thailand still ban you? 

[DavisH]

1 hour ago, Adam219 said:

isnt that most thai people? so you dont like thai people

duh...most are below the tax threshold. 

[Genmai]

2 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

Certain characters like to gloat at the misfortune of others.

It's difficult to understand what they get out of it tho. Makes them feel extra special? They wanna be the last farang left in LOS?

 

Personally I have a company and work permit here so I'm all good for the foreseeable future, but the memories of tourist visa runs, ED visas, disrespectful officers and long queues in immigration parking lots at 4am (bring your own chair) are still fresh on my mind. I have nothing but sympathy for the folks that have to endure the musical chairs clown show of Thai immigration. If I was in that situation now I'd be thinking pretty hard if the juice is still worth the squeeze.

 

It infuriates me to see an eager customer wanting to pay for something that they want on one side and on the other side a business that's so badly run that they make that transaction process as stupid and convoluted as possible. I feel like that's exactly what this country has been doing in regards to potential expats that just want a good time and are ready to pay for it.

[Bangkok Barry]

7 hours ago, micmichd said:

9 hours ago, CanterbrigianBangkoker said:

The explanation is simply that they lack common sense or a basic understanding of economics. This government could barely boil an egg between them, let alone forge and enact an effective economic policy regarding the current situation. Regardless of how lenient they have been on those who have been stranded here (and I would be the first to say they have been), Thailand is now facing its seventh month of near 0 foreign tourism, with a negligible number of tourist arrivals since April. Their economy will have shrunk massively by the end of the 4th quarter of 2020 and with no obvious answer to their dire economic woes on the horizon it does seem utterly insane to evict perhaps as many as 400,000 essentially foreign 'tourists'. People who will continue to pile money into the economy and potentially travel / continue to travel around the place providing some much needed support for near destitute tourist reliant business around the country. Furthermore the government would need only slap a 2k baht fee on creating and renewing 30 or 60 day visas for those who are here and have been since April (and therefore pose NO risk re: Covid) which is effectively what they are going to do for people ENTERING from the outside world - people who in their eyes at least, DO pose more of a risk, so I ask again - why not boost their revenue substantially by doing this, rather than booting out billions of baht that they sure as hell won't get back any time soon from any foreign tourists with a laughable 14 day quarantine and god knows how many other asinine hoops to jump through! Typical Thai government thinking I'm afraid - one word for it - woolly. 

You forgot one thing : Thailand has no domestic CoviD-19 cases A BECAUSE they banned foreigners from CoviD-19 countries or forced them in quarantine.

And it's now up to Western countries to handle the pandemic and get vaccinated according to WHO standards. 

I think you posted your response in the wrong place as it has nothing to do with the post you are quoting, which is about why tourists are being told to leave.

[SiSePuede419]

Foreigners who choose to stay in Thailand during a raging pandemic are not "stranded" in Thailand ✅

 

Foreigners who choose to not renew visas but stay in Thailand are criminals ✅

 

Any questions? ????

[DrTuner]

I was at Jomthien immi today getting a residence cert, they seemed to be preparing for some sort of mass application thing, were handing out leaflets to those who wanted a 30d extension (at least from what I overheard), said to them to come tomorrow and looks like they'll open another spot. At least they are preparing for chaos. Inside was fairly quiet.

[Ketyo]

So there are 150,000 tourists potentially on overstay who could be thrown in jail or forced to leave the country.

 

And they are opening up the special tourist visa category for 300 people per week to help the tourism sector.

 

If they wanted to help the tourism sector why not just.............erm.........no. TIT.

[2530Ubon]

3 minutes ago, Ketyo said:

So there are 150,000 tourists potentially on overstay who could be thrown in jail or forced to leave the country.

 

And they are opening up the special tourist visa category for 300 people per week to help the tourism sector.

 

If they wanted to help the tourism sector why not just.............erm.........

Asking a military mind to think logically, or critically, is pointless. Now, if you ask that same military mind if he wants some submarines....at a good deal, we'll even throw in a free missile (just the one though, let's not get carried away) then he'll leap at the chance. Despite the fact that he needs tourists to fund such philanthropic gifts to the Chinese.