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Expats may need to take COVID-19 test in order to renew extensions of stay: Richard Barrow


Jonathan Fairfield

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5 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

AFAIR Richard Barrow himself mentioned it in his Facebook post where he reported about the new law. It’s either in the main post itself or in the comments section. Pretty sure I saw it there. 

 

Thanks, will have a look but sounds like the usual panic after a bad translation/misunderstanding (look at the 300 Bht arrival thread, how do so many people think it would supply them insurance is beyond me, especially since it isn't the first time it was proposed and the idea that they meant it supplied individual insurance was put right then).

Edited by Salerno
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1 minute ago, KhunFred said:

Does anyone have any information on the price of having a COVID test done??  Either public or private hospital.

Top joints like bumrungrad etc is in the realm of 6-8000 baht. Free tests in other countries are in high risk areas or those that think they may be high risk or been exposed. Not sure how Thailand is covering free testing. 

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1 minute ago, Salerno said:

 

Had a look, IMO it's a load of <deleted> total non-story.

I’ve added a screenshot of his Facebook post to my post above. 
 

I wouldn’t be surprised if this goes similarly to other immigration rules in the  past, where every immigration office/officer will interpret/enforce it differently as he understands or likes. Some will not have any issues, others will. 
 

Anyway, it’s all speculation. 

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17 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

AFAIR Richard Barrow himself mentioned it in his Facebook post where he reported about the new law. It’s either in the main post itself or in the comments section. Pretty sure I saw it there. 
 

//edit: here’s the screenshot from his Facebook post:

FE2BAB8D-8A94-40D1-BC5A-6DDA7AE2746B.jpeg

I would prefer a link to a legit Immigration/Govt source rather than someone's opinion stating that "someone told me".

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22 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

 

Richard Barrow, apparently well-meaning, often whips people up into a panic based on his misunderstandings. Clearly, it would be absurd to require a Covid-19 test for extensions and it's not even what the regulations he's quoting says so this is obviously another one of his brain farts. I don't know why anyone takes him seriously.

Never heard of the guy until now, but from what is being said if true why not just call it what it is  a <deleted> idiot!  ????

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2 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if this goes similarly to other immigration rules in the  past, where every immigration office/officer will interpret/enforce it differently as he understands or likes. Some will not have any issues, others will. 

 

Difference being that all this is doing is adding Covid-19 to an existing list. If, as Richard Barrow's is trying to make out, this means you need a negative covid-19 test for an extension why haven't people needed to take test for the existing list to get an extension? It's fear mongering, nothing more IMO.

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5 minutes ago, Salerno said:

 

Difference being that all this is doing is adding Covid-19 to an existing list.

If that’s the case, then it could in fact become an issue for everyone, because... 

Quote

If, as Richard Barrow's is trying to make out, this means you need a negative covid-19 test for an extension why haven't people needed to take test for the existing list to get an extension? It's fear mongering, nothing more IMO.

AFAIR you need to go through the medical certificate thing for every extension, and the doctors and hospitals are not handing out carte blanche certificates anymore as they used to many years ago. I believe I had to do it for my last extension. 

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3 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

If that’s the case, then it could in fact become an issue for everyone, because... 

AFAIR you need to go through the medical certificate thing for every extension, and the doctors and hospitals are not handing out carte blanche certificates anymore as they used to many years ago. I believe I had to do it for my last extension. 

No medical certificate has been required for my marriage and retirement extensions in Korat/Buriram/Surin in the last 11 years. AFAIK a medical certificate saying you don't have any of those disease on "the list" is only required when applying for certain long-stay Thai visas in your country of origin.

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4 minutes ago, Mutt Daeng said:

Just beat me to it mate.

 

It's needed for work permit holders afaik, i would assume this also applies to work permit holders mostly.

 

I don't have a WP but reading this sounds like it it's the case: 

 

Quote

Something to keep in mind. This is not a one-time thing. Medical examinations in connection with work permits need to be obtained on a fairly frequent basis AKA usually at least every year. Sometimes there are certain types of visas, for example things like the Smart Visa, and certain types of visa under the BOI where a work permit visa can be issued for 2 years or even longer, presumably. But as of the time of this filming most folks are probably going to be on the one-year extension with the one-year visa, or the one-year work permit with the one-year visa extension, and those who are on such documents need to go ahead and get their work permit renewed every year and as part of the renewal process is getting another one of these medical exams. So this is something that those who have work permits in Thailand will become quite accustomed to because it will be something that has to be routinely obtained and maintained in the future.

Src: https://www.legal.co.th/resources/corporate-and-tax-advisory/thailand-corporate-law/medical-examination-requirements-thai-work-permits/

 

 

I assume they just add a covid test to the other tests they also do but won't bother retirees, pe visa etc with this. 

 

Logic in all of this? Not much... all speculation from my side, they are prolly scared of burmese workers with covid but can't just make a law for burmese only. 

Edited by ThomasThBKK
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I had to renew my visa based on mariage , 30th december . No covid test asked at the immigration in Jomtien Pattaya. Just the usual , documents and pictures  of my wife , my daugther and me in front/inside of our house. 
I also have a work permit with my mariage visa , renewed the same week. Again , no covid test asked.

Edited by NeoGeoThai
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3 hours ago, Catkiwi said:

Thai immigration hot line is 1178. You can also go to the immigration web site and search for your local office and contact details.

Thanks for the advice but my own experience and several earlier posts suggest the Immigration Officers do not know what is going on either. This is a familiar situation that is normal for them, so they tend to make up rules as they feel at the time. I have no objection to a test as long I am not overcharged and it is done honestly, not to fill another space in an isolation hospital at great expense.

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23 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

 

Richard Barrow, apparently well-meaning, often whips people up into a panic based on his misunderstandings. Clearly, it would be absurd to require a Covid-19 test for extensions and it's not even what the regulations he's quoting says so this is obviously another one of his brain farts. I don't know why anyone takes him seriously.

Couldn't agree more!!! ????

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8 hours ago, tomyami said:

I was found positive on a pcr test made isolate for 10 days at my own place then told it was a mistake 2 weeks ago in ireland

If that happened in thailand it would be very costly i have no faith in the tests anymore

This is why a second and possibly 3rd follow-up test is done.

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