Thanks for the thread.  I have been reading, studying and learning all day and I found this great thread just recently.  So much information that my head is spinning.

 

My wife and I hope to travel from Southern California on a Tourist Visa on or about February 10, 2021.  I started a thread this morning that encapsulates my confusion and questions.  Many questions have been answered by this thread and responses from learned forum members..

 

Thanks for the thread and, if anyone finds themselves in quarantine and would to assist my wife and me, please visit my thread and let me know if we are on the right path. First hand knowledge of travel from U.S. would be awesome.  

 

https://thaiembdc.org/onlinevisaapplication/  We will submitting our application to get the ball rolling tomorrow morning, Sunday.  

On 11/21/2020 at 5:28 PM, ubonjoe said:

They use this one. https://thaiembdc.org/onlinevisaapplication/

When applying you enter the state you are living in and the application will be sent to the embassy or the designated consulate for that state.

I having been trying the site all morning but it will not go to the third page.  It freezes up when I press Next after entering passport, etc info.

 

Would appreciate any thoughts.  Thanks.

Found answers.  Accomplished today:

 

”

Just for info concerning U.S.A. Tourist Visa applications, my wife and I were required to submit two 2 x 2 photos, paid for airline flights, Covid-19 Policy (8,450 Baht for two months, https://covid19.tgia.org/ ), Copy of Passport and Bank Statements.  
 

The website indicates these were not necessary until AFTER they initially looked at the application.  Left to send in would be:  ASQ reservation and payment, declaration and Passport.  The passport application seems to be satisfied by online information application.

 

For info, flights booked have free date changing and the Covid insurance is cancelled if denied a visa and/or COE.” 

I tried to call the LA Visa section so many times, usually could not even get a ringing tone. But they did, eventually, respond to email. Including a flurry of email "ping-pong" quite late at night. I got the Step 1 acknowledgement, never saw Step 2. Was then told to re-submit all. Suddenly got Step 3 (the COE). Quite frustrating, but hey, I got what I needed. Yay!

 

Now in an ALQ in Pattaya.

On 12/15/2020 at 7:52 AM, radjag said:

I tried to call the LA Visa section so many times, usually could not even get a ringing tone. But they did, eventually, respond to email. Including a flurry of email "ping-pong" quite late at night. I got the Step 1 acknowledgement, never saw Step 2. Was then told to re-submit all. Suddenly got Step 3 (the COE). Quite frustrating, but hey, I got what I needed. Yay!

 

Now in an ALQ in Pattaya.

I only received 2 emails. First was request to submit flight confirmation and ASQ, and 2nd was COE certificate. I never called or emailed them.

I made it to Thailand. Here are some procedural things for EVA airways out of LAX.

 

Bring a pen because while in the check in line, you have to fill out a form with your info and stating you haven't had any symptoms of covid listed.  The guy said both sides, but the second is mainly for people going to Taiwan. They have to download an app and fill in the info before getting on the plane. I filled in the info on the back side of the paper and probably didn't need to. But maybe they wanted the signature on that side as well. It was annoying filing in a form in line, but the pack of necessary docs made an ok writing surface. I would have brought something better had I known. 

 

Someone takes a temperature reading and writes it in the paper while in line as well.

 

All temps were done with touchless thermometers in the 3 places it was done. LAX, TPE arrival, BKK arrival.

 

The check in agent asks for all the docs, and they make copies right then. I had 4 copies of everything, but they were all color laser, or I would have just told her I could give her a copy.

 

They were checking in people for at least Taiwan, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, and one other I can't remember, so they work off the list of docs for that country.

 

My Covid test said they use "... advanced techniques .... including RT-PCR"... I was worried that it wasn't clear it was RT-PCR, which it was, but it was accepted.

 

TSA was unbelievably slow in my lane. But there were so few people, it was comparable time. 

 

In Taipei, everyone had to be escorted in groups. They are obviously trying to not have one person walk around and spread it to people getting on 10 different fights out.

 

So they group people by connecting flight. A few groups go through the security and then to a holding area together. The temperature check is right before the security check point, before you go to the holding area.  At some point, they call the destination flight and those people head in a group to that gate.

 

Flight to TPE was about 40% full. Flight to BKK was about 11% to 15% full.  The full 5 or 6 rows at the back of the planes are kept open, probably for quarantining any people who get symptomatic in flight.

 

There is an additional doc to fill in before landing at BKK. Covid declaration and contact info.

 

Other people have described the BKK arrival process. Basically a series of people who check that you have all the docs, then arrange them. And you move to the next stop. One to check temperature, one to check you against the COE list, one the Covid doc and declaration. Then to immigration.

 

I did not book any hotels after quarantine, since I had not chosen where I would go right after. That was a problem at all the points in the process. Luckily, having a Thai cell phone number ended up being acceptable.  I pulled out my declaration that had contact info for a friend, but I said I was not going to go stay at her house. She was going to come to Bangkok. So they would think about it a bit and settle on the Thai cell number. I took a picture of the TruemoveH packet with the number when I got the sim. I use that all the time, like in this case.  Or really is the best way to reach me as I change hotels a lot, so I'm glad they were ok with it.