How to make holiday visa application to UK ????????????

[nomad2019]

Hi

my partner wants to make a holiday visa application to come join me in the UK for approximately 6 weeks or 3 months we hope to make application ASAP before Christmas if possible

what all does she need to do ,      and what all do I need to do my side.
 can I send her passport copy and bank statements etc via WhatsApp or do they need to be emailed or does she need original paper copies,              I am not working at the present I am on sickness leave from work.      but I have approximately £1,000 GBP per month going into my bank account I also have my own 2-bedroom apartment in the UK,

really appreciate any information at all regarding this application as I do not want anything going wrong

 

thank you very much in advance ????????????????

are you there Brian ?

Edited November 10, 2020 by nomad2019

[Upnotover]

Lots of good info here....

 

[brewsterbudgen]

1.  Complete the application for a Visitor Visa online (you can do this for her, but it's her application) and scan the supporting documents.

 

https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/th/en#latest-updates_o=Article Date,Descending

 

2. Attend VFS in Bangkok to get her biometrics taken and to submit her passport.

3. Wait for her passport to be returned, hopefully with the visa inside.

[theoldgit]

Much of what you've asked was answered in the post you made last month. 

 

 

[KhaoYai]

You've already had the information required to make the visa application so I won't repeat that but are you aware of the costs involved and the process for your partner to return to Thailand (I presume she is a Thai citizen?)

 

Currently, it is significantly more expensive for a Thai to visit the UK than it was pre-covid.

 

Flights are more expensive and there is a chance that she may have to pay for a quarantine hotel when she returns - of course that depends on the situation when she travels.  Currently, Thai citizens can use state quarantine facilities F.O.C. as part of the repatriation programme but that may not last forever.

 

Process

 

Flying out of Thailand is straightforward but an application for a Certificate of Entry (COE) has to be made to the Thai Embassy in London when the traveller wishes to return. A COE is required for travellers on both commercial and repatriation flights.  As far as I know, this application can only be made when the applicant is in the UK so you cannot plan exact dates.

 

Once the COE is granted and flight arranged, the traveller will be required to provide a Fit to Fly certificate that is issued within 72 hours of boarding their return flight.

 

 

Flights

 

2 options - commercial or repatriation. There are currently 3 to 4 repatriation flights each month but they are not announced until the end of the preceeding month.

 

It is now possible to use commercial flights to return to Thailand which are significantly cheaper than repatriation flights but if this route is chosen, the traveller cannot use State Quarantine (SQ) hotels and will have to pay for an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel. If you go down the ASQ route, you can buy a return ticket but you will need to make sure that the return date is changeable - you cannot guarantee that the return will be allowed on the chosen date due to hoops in the return process.

 

If using SQ (currently) you will have to buy two tickets - outbound to the UK and the return ticket when accepted onto a repatriation flight.  That in itself can be problematic as some check in staff at Suvarnabhumi (wrongly) insist on the traveller having a return ticket - they claim its a requirement of entry to the UK, its not but they think it is.  At the moment repatriation flights from the UK are being operated by Thai Airways and there is no process for buying a 2 way flight on Thai.

 

My wife arrived in the UK on 26 August and returned to Thailand on 18 October, the costs we encountered are listed below:

 

Visa Application (can't remember exactly)  £100

Travel to Bangkok for Visa application £20

One way ticket to the UK on Finnair £203

Travel to Bangkok for flight £20

Fit to Fly Certificate for return £60 (note, this was my GP - some clinics charge far more)

Return ticket on Thai Airways £559

 

So for us, around £1000 compared to what would normally cost around £650 - not crazy but be aware that SQ may not last forever, in which case you could be looking at another £1000 for an ASQ hotel. Also the cost of repatriation flights can vary a lot depending on when you book them - a week after we booked my wife's flight it rose to £798. 

 

My wife used SQ and flew out on Finnair. I bought a dummy, cancelable flight on Etihad for her return as I was aware of the problem regarding return flights at check in. Finnair had advised me that my wife would not be asked to provide a return ticket as it was not their policy but they use an outsourced company at check in and my wife was in fact asked to show the return before being allowed to board.

 

Note when searching for flights - those that transit through the UAE (Etihad and Emirates) require a negative Covid 19 test both ways so you can add around £250-£300 to their flight price.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by KhaoYai

[nomad2019]

On 11/12/2020 at 5:20 PM, KhaoYai said:

You've already had the information required to make the visa application so I won't repeat that but are you aware of the costs involved and the process for your partner to return to Thailand (I presume she is a Thai citizen?)

 

Currently, it is significantly more expensive for a Thai to visit the UK than it was pre-covid.

 

Flights are more expensive and there is a chance that she may have to pay for a quarantine hotel when she returns - of course that depends on the situation when she travels.  Currently, Thai citizens can use state quarantine facilities F.O.C. as part of the repatriation programme but that may not last forever.

 

Process

 

Flying out of Thailand is straightforward but an application for a Certificate of Entry (COE) has to be made to the Thai Embassy in London when the traveller wishes to return. A COE is required for travellers on both commercial and repatriation flights.  As far as I know, this application can only be made when the applicant is in the UK so you cannot plan exact dates.

 

Once the COE is granted and flight arranged, the traveller will be required to provide a Fit to Fly certificate that is issued within 72 hours of boarding their return flight.

 

 

Flights

 

2 options - commercial or repatriation. There are currently 3 to 4 repatriation flights each month but they are not announced until the end of the preceeding month.

 

It is now possible to use commercial flights to return to Thailand which are significantly cheaper than repatriation flights but if this route is chosen, the traveller cannot use State Quarantine (SQ) hotels and will have to pay for an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel. If you go down the ASQ route, you can buy a return ticket but you will need to make sure that the return date is changeable - you cannot guarantee that the return will be allowed on the chosen date due to hoops in the return process.

 

If using SQ (currently) you will have to buy two tickets - outbound to the UK and the return ticket when accepted onto a repatriation flight.  That in itself can be problematic as some check in staff at Suvarnabhumi (wrongly) insist on the traveller having a return ticket - they claim its a requirement of entry to the UK, its not but they think it is.  At the moment repatriation flights from the UK are being operated by Thai Airways and there is no process for buying a 2 way flight on Thai.

 

My wife arrived in the UK on 26 August and returned to Thailand on 18 October, the costs we encountered are listed below:

 

Visa Application (can't remember exactly)  £100

Travel to Bangkok for Visa application £20

One way ticket to the UK on Finnair £203

Travel to Bangkok for flight £20

Fit to Fly Certificate for return £60 (note, this was my GP - some clinics charge far more)

Return ticket on Thai Airways £559

 

So for us, around £1000 compared to what would normally cost around £650 - not crazy but be aware that SQ may not last forever, in which case you could be looking at another £1000 for an ASQ hotel. Also the cost of repatriation flights can vary a lot depending on when you book them - a week after we booked my wife's flight it rose to £798. 

 

My wife used SQ and flew out on Finnair. I bought a dummy, cancelable flight on Etihad for her return as I was aware of the problem regarding return flights at check in. Finnair had advised me that my wife would not be asked to provide a return ticket as it was not their policy but they use an outsourced company at check in and my wife was in fact asked to show the return before being allowed to board.

 

Note when searching for flights - those that transit through the UAE (Etihad and Emirates) require a negative Covid 19 test both ways so you can add around £250-£300 to their flight price.

 

 

that's some real great information there thank you very much indeed I will take all on board I'm glad I seen this now I be thinking twice thanks again

[nomad2019]

On 11/11/2020 at 1:58 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

1.  Complete the application for a Visitor Visa online (you can do this for her, but it's her application) and scan the supporting documents.

 

https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/th/en#latest-updates_o=Article Date,Descending

 

2. Attend VFS in Bangkok to get her biometrics taken and to submit her passport.

3. Wait for her passport to be returned, hopefully with the visa inside.

thanks for your reply but I am sorry I'm not in Bangkok to collect any documents or to make the application at VFS office I am in the UK my girlfriend has been in touch with an agent on the agent told my girlfriend that she can make the visa for her so I'm confused on this whole issue

thanks again

[brewsterbudgen]

12 hours ago, nomad2019 said:

thanks for your reply but I am sorry I'm not in Bangkok to collect any documents or to make the application at VFS office I am in the UK my girlfriend has been in touch with an agent on the agent told my girlfriend that she can make the visa for her so I'm confused on this whole issue

thanks again

It's your girlfriend who has to submit the paperwork and her passport at VFS in Bangkok, not you.  It's her visa. You can help her complete the online application, but she needs to take the application and her passport to VFS, and get her biometrics taken.

Edited February 3, 2021 by brewsterbudgen
Clarity

[theoldgit]

16 hours ago, nomad2019 said:

thanks for your reply but I am sorry I'm not in Bangkok to collect any documents or to make the application at VFS office I am in the UK my girlfriend has been in touch with an agent on the agent told my girlfriend that she can make the visa for her so I'm confused on this whole issue

thanks again

 

4 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It's your girlfriend who has to submit the paperwork and her passport at VFS in Bangkok, not you.  It's her visa. You can help her complete the online application, but she needs to take the application and her passport to VFS, and get her biometrics taken.

 

brewsterbudgen is spot on, it's your girlfriends application and whilst you could assist with the online application, even to the extent of uploading her documentary evidence, if that is now working, it's her that has to attend the VAC to have her biometric details captured and hand her passport to VFS.

 

Likewise an agent can help her prepare her application, but it's she still needs to attend the VAC.