Video: Want to visit Thailand? Here is how to apply for a Special Tourist Visa

[my friend you]

3 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Better check if your insurance company covers for asymptomatic covid19 hospitalisation.... 

So if I test positive (PCR test I guess, or else which test do they use?) I will be forced into hospital and "receive treatment"? Even if no symptoms? What kind of treatment?

PCR test is a joke. Unreliable, lots of false positive results. Illegal to use for diagnostic purposes according to the producer himself.

Then go to hospital against my will?

If I refuse I will be taken to North Korea or what?

Questions over questions.

[SunsetT]

56 minutes ago, SpanishExpat said:

Morons! No one is able or willing to answer questions like:

 

- how much will the charter flights cost?

- what if the flight is on a Sunday/Monday? Would be impossible to to get a negative covid test + visit the Thai embassy within 72hrs before the departure in most European countries.

- are international covid insurances allowed or just overpriced Thai ones?

- how long they will "track" you after the ASQ? (tracking after the ASQ is a big NOGO for me)

- what happens in the hospital, if you are positive, but just asymptotic? Are you there forever??

- what are the financial requirements/bank account balance I read in the news?

 

Those are just a few questions that came immediately to my mind. The more complex, the more questions...and that's typical Thailand. They spend money and man-power for a ridiculous plan with ridiculous hurdles. No embassy/ agency will be able to answer me those questions. It will be rather "just apply and see".

 

Honestly, all this BS has just been done to "save their faces". The reality that anyone with close ties to TH knows is, that this process will take MONTHS in the worst case! The video however suggest it's super easy and will be done within 1-2 weeks.

 

By the time its up and running the virus will have killed all us snowbirds off!

[RotBenz8888]

5 minutes ago, my friend you said:

So if I test positive (PCR test I guess, or else which test do they use?) I will be forced into hospital and "receive treatment"? Even if no symptoms? What kind of treatment?

PCR test is a joke. Unreliable, lots of false positive results. Illegal to use for diagnostic purposes according to the producer himself.

Then go to hospital against my will?

If I refuse I will be taken to North Korea or what?

Questions over questions.

Yes, you will be forced to stay in hospital until you test negative, which could be weeks...

[Travelanimal]

What a failed plan. Too many requirements

[86Tiger]

Just say closed until further notice.

 

It would be more honest and much less embarrassing.....

[NRGF]

And that's a thanks but no thanks from this snow bird.  

[NightSky]

I think this visa is just for show so it is more difficult for government to be accused of not trying.

 

Thailand government is correct to be cautious about the virus spread but they have handled it only due to strict border closures and no funding for follow up testing within the country which was never going to be sustainable long term for the tourism sector.

 

This 'special visa' is a very lame attempt.

 

Either that or they are allowing desperate family members a way to enter whilst fleecing them for every satang they can squeeze out of each person..

 

Or both.

[metisdead]

Some more posts using copyrighted content from Bangkok Post have been removed:

 

26) The Bangkok Post and Phuketwan do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on Thaivisa.com. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to Bangkok Post or Phuketwan publications will be deleted from the forum.

 

 

Some troll posts have been removed. 

[Marknreston]

Every year I go through the not so easy process of obtaining an O-A (retirement visa) and spend many months in Thailand.  Alternating between my home in USA and condo in Chiang Mai.  Even adding the cost and difficulty of obtaining required health insurance from a Thai company did not deter me last year.  Thailand is a country I love.  A country where I have amazing friends (Thai and Farang) and a country I will miss immensely.  But this STV visa leaves me asking.  .....where are the details.  Who are these so called agents that I must work through?  What will these agents and the Thai government charge me for coming back to Thailand and supporting their economy?  Who, how much, where from and when do these flights of 100 happen?  Are there specific cities I must go to get these flight?  Will the country where my "approved" flight originates allow me to spend 1-2 days in the country as I wait for my flight.  I see this program falling flat on its face because of its own complexity, cost and lack of people really interested in going through this arduous process for only a 90 day visa.   I will truly miss being in Thailand .....There has to be a better way.

[DrTuner]

Thailand seems to be gunning for the coveted Hub of Bureaucracy prize. Good progress.

[samsensam]

4 hours ago, aussienam said:

I am sorry, but so much promotion by the TAT and government for the new STV, when it caters for an extremely small percentage of people = 1200 per month.  Also, not yet revealed are the costs in the agent booked ASQ facilities?  Plus chartered and private plane arrivals.  The target market are the very rich it seems.

As the vast majority of tourists are working to middle class income earners, this does not seem for them.  

Forget Thailand for 2020, 2021 and probably 2022.  New waves of COVID19 will return, political unrest, and a many months of delays in rollout, price, distribution and administration if a vaccine is given full approval by next year - are inevitable.  Think red tape, vaccination certification and immunity delays as well.  

It's going to much get worse sorry.  As time goes on this will snowball.  

 

As the vast majority of tourists are working to middle class income earners, this does not seem for them.

 

you can forget about 'working' people, as anyone with a job will not be coming on an extended holiday to thailand, neither will anyone with a family... i'm not sure what their target market is; the wealthy pre-retired unemployed? the wealthy retired?

 

and suggesting to the tourist sector in thailand that these individuals are going to spend, on average one million baht per month is ridiculous.

[Hockeybik]

4 hours ago, zzzzz said:

this is NOT for the working middle class.

its for the many many (there easily 2,000 that holiday3-4months in Phuket every winter that own condos,villas etc)

and those for whatever reason ( those on retirement extensions)that have not been able to get back

 

I bet it will work an i HOPE that after a few months thailand will start to get back to visa exempts an regular tourist visas with ONLY a covid free test.

 

 

 

You might be right. The part about having an agent is the tip off. The agents are delivering these application packets with a little extra stuffed inside and that's what you are paying for. Most of the people who want this are not dealing with the bureaucracy, they are paying someone else to do it for them. 

[Charlatans]

3 hours ago, farang51 said:

I was fooled by the subject to think that we could find that information here.

 

We need a list of where to apply. As far as I know, Thailand Longstay Company is one of the places (if not the only one) to apply; however, there is absolutely no information on their website: http://www.thailongstay.co.th

 

I send them an e-mail yesterday, no reply yet.

Some well planned PR.  . Thai long stay and  Farang short time

[Enoon]

5 hours ago, aussienam said:

Forget Thailand for 2020, 2021 and probably 2022.  New waves of COVID19 will return, political unrest, and a many months of delays in rollout, price, distribution and administration if a vaccine is given full approval by next year - are inevitable.  Think red tape, vaccination certification and immunity delays as well.  

It's going to much get worse sorry.  As time goes on this will snowball.  

"As time goes on this will snowball." 

 

What is most likely to "snowball" (it's already starting in the UK) is the acceptance that the cure is worse than the illness.

 

That's a result of understanding, because of more testing, that the ratio of serious illness/mortality to overall infections is small.

 

It's becoming seen as acceptably small.

 

The economic, social and political effects.........very large.

 

Governments are looking forward to the tipping point, when they can start to write off COVID deaths as comfortably as they do the multiple other causes of "premature" mortality, among the group that, overwhelmingly, it most seriously affects.........

 

 

"Premature" to what........an eternity of wrinkly leisure?

 

This post was presented to you by a 65 year old.

 

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by Enoon

[Kaopad999]

I wonder if this mobile phone tracking application will be a thing of the future for visitors? 

Edited September 22, 2020 by Kaopad999

[Bergfex]

It would be more easier to book a Holiday in North Korea ☺

[DrTuner]

18 minutes ago, Kaopad999 said:

I wonder if this mobile phone tracking application will be a thing of the future for visitors? 

The usurpers have always had a hard-on for ankle bracelets and real time tracking. Easier to snatch out of of a quiet corner for some re-education at a friendly CCP gulag.

[kiwikeith]

5 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

Sounds easy on the film clip but anyone with a little background knowledge will understand it better and realise what it really entails, even obtaining a flight is going to be problematic unless of course some business person has already designs on chartering flights at an exorbitant price of course. Also I hope the Thai travel company enlighten people as to the expenses they will incur for the isolation, before shopping online .............LOL

Does not mention you have to show adequate funds in the bank and prove that you haven't been in large crowds for the last 6 weeks. 

 

The first flight has awaiting list of 750 Chinese wanting hospital treatments and another 1500 from Japan and Arab countries all wanting medical services 

 

So the first huge success story is a flight from China to Bumingrad, then a trip to Pattaya to drop buts on the beach, while recovering 

[pantsonfire]

^{Does anyone know which travel agencies to apply yet?  I want to get a quote back} 

[Call]

I will save that video clip. Not for going there, just for it´s so crazy ???? 

[uncle_tom]

I normally spend the winter in the LoS, arriving on or about Jan 1st for about eleven weeks. 90 days would not be a problem, but the rest of it throws up so many questions..

 

- Who is going to operate these charter flights?

- Where and when will they fly from?

- How much will the air tickets cost - and will they have a business class? - the prospect of being stuffed into a plane for 12 hours that normally flies people on short charter routes, with the seats packed in like sardines, is horrendous..

- Can one reliably get a Covid test within a 72 hour window in the UK?

- If the Covid test then throws up a positive result, do you lose the money you paid for the air fare?

- Where are these quarantine hotels in Thailand, and how much will they cost? I could tolerate sitting in a decent three or four star room for a fortnight, but not a one star windowless hovel..

 

And of course, the biggest question is: When will the Thai government wake up to the fact that the poorest region of the country is economically dependant on mass tourism? - When the riots start?

[bodga]

5 hours ago, anchadian said:

Even Mickey Mouse who sat beside me whilst watching that video said how confusing the process is.

 

He's now gone for a lie down.

Im  off out for a  Daffy  Duck if  I can find an assistant

[CANSIAM]

5 hours ago, ourmanflint said:

So what are we up to now?

 

28 days quarantine and at least 5 or is it 6 negative covid tests

and a very sore nose.......

[Thaiophil]

Numbers allowed will hardly fill even one charter flight even if the lucky few all come from the same city.

 

Various previous announcements referred to STVs only being issued in countries with almost no Covid, but this time no mention of which countries. Why does it matter anyway given requirement for pre flight test, 2 weeks confinement, then phone app surveillance?

 

 

 

 

[Thaiophil]

28 minutes ago, uncle_tom said:

Can one reliably get a Covid test within a 72 hour window in the UK?

- If the Covid test then throws up a positive result, do you lose the money you paid for the air fare?

- Where are these quarantine hotels in Thailand, and how much will they cost? I could tolerate sitting in a decent three or four star room for a fortnight, but not a one star windowless hovel..

some of your questions are covered in the threads on returning to Thailand, including one specifically from UK.

-private UK clinics offer pre flight Covid tests timed for departure flight

-travel insurance can be bought to cover cancellation in case of positive test

-lists of ASQ hotels with prices are available online (though mostly in Bkk as far as I can see). Considering the associated medical support, prices are reasonable imo

[cerox]

Can someone tell me whether I need the covid test and fit to fly in order to collect the COE/visa?

So in that case I would have to do it twice.

 

[CANSIAM]

13 minutes ago, Thaiophil said:

Numbers allowed will hardly fill even one charter flight even if the lucky few all come from the same city.

 

Various previous announcements referred to STVs only being issued in countries with almost no Covid, but this time no mention of which countries. Why does it matter anyway given requirement for pre flight test, 2 weeks confinement, then phone app surveillance?

 

 

 

 

Exactly, the STV will fail. But lets see how its looking in November for Thailand. If the STV arrivals are 98 % CV19 negative through quarantine, will they open to more or all countries ? They will need many MORE countries..... 

[farang51]

27 minutes ago, Thaiophil said:

-lists of ASQ hotels with prices are available online (though mostly in Bkk as far as I can see). Considering the associated medical support, prices are reasonable imo

http://hsscovid.com/ Click the Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) button for hotels in Bangkok. Click the Alternative Local Quarantine button for hotels in other places. They will add more hotels later.

 

I agree regarding the prices. All the hotels in Phuket so far are five-star hotels in the absolutely top. The cheapest is 99000 baht for the quarantine period which include three meals a day and as far as I can tell the covid tests as well. If you like five-star hotels and fine dining that is a great offer. Personally, I am fine with two or three-star hotels and I prefer fried rice and chicken instead of fine dining; thus, that offer is not for me.

[samsensam]

3 minutes ago, farang51 said:

http://hsscovid.com/ Click the Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) button for hotels in Bangkok. Click the Alternative Local Quarantine button for hotels in other places. They will add more hotels later.

 

I agree regarding the prices. All the hotels in Phuket so far are five-star hotels in the absolutely top. The cheapest is 99000 baht for the quarantine period which include three meals a day and as far as I can tell the covid tests as well. If you like five-star hotels and fine dining that is a great offer. Personally, I am fine with two or three-star hotels and I prefer fried rice and chicken instead of fine dining; thus, that offer is not for me.

 

well they've got to get the estimated one million baht per person per month somehow...

[Pravda]

Honest to God the only reason I'm still in Thailand is because I'm under some grand delusion feeling privileged to be here while the rest of the world has to go through this crapola. 

 

It's like trying to visit North Korea. Something to tell your kids... If I had any.