Too many things can go wrong

[Salerno]

31 minutes ago, Phillip9 said:

Quarantine isn't being reduced.

 

Time will tell ...

 

[farang51]

12 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Any information on which hotels this is? (if any have been announced yet). 

I’ll be returning next month and will happily switch ASQ if it means I can use the hotel grounds more freely. 

You could stay at a golf quarantine which is possible already; however, it is much more expensive:

https://www.golfquarantine.com/

 

Personally, I prefer to stay in the room until the quarantine ends.

 

[Jumbo1968]

On 3/7/2021 at 7:48 AM, richard_smith237 said:

I've done it twice (from UK and Qatar) - first time was more of a pain in the neck, the last time just a few weeks ago was very simple and took a few hours from application to receipt of CoE.

 

Not really, just get the documents needed. 

 

Very strange? The MFA rejected your CoE because of your accommodation choice ? Was your accommodation an ASQ ???

 

 

Could be troublesome - The embassy should respond with direct contact regarding this issue.

 

I've read that for some...  I received an insurance Cert within 24 hrs of making contact with April Insurance. 

 

There is enough information out there to find someone who does - Dr Donna at Medconsult asia is the common one getting listed (400 Baht - consultation over the internet)

 

 

Yep, this is a concern...  but for the most part easily achievable...  Most places give results within at the most 48 hrs, so someone can still receive results the day before flight.

 

A major concern.. understandable. A delayed flight could cause huge problems.

Best recommendation here is to look at flight history and see which airlines have a better record of no cancellations recently. 

 

 

Looking for a problem...    The CoE process is simple enough - there are of course risks. 

 

 

 

There is a lot of misinformation and panic on this site... 

 

PM me if you need further help I’ve been through the process twice. 

 

The first step is to apply on the MFA site for Pre-approval for CoE, the next steps can be taken from there. 

For 1 traveller, I would have to make 3 separate applications, myself, my Thai partner and 6 year old then arrange all the relevant tests. Yes it is easy to say it’s not much hassle once you have done it like I said after I had made a successful application for my U.K. Visa 4 years ago.

[Jumbo1968]

There is enough information out there to find someone who does - Dr Donna at Medconsult asia is the common one getting listed (400 Baht - consultation over the internet)
How can some one in Thailand issue you with a Fit to Fly Certificate when you live thousands of miles away in the U.K. ?

[findlay13]

16 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Mileage varies...  Sorry to hear of your troubles getting out of Australia - but thats an Australia thing, not an application for CoE ‘thing’ - I get your point that the Vaccination passport may open things up for Austalian's to travel, but again, thats up to the Australian government and not related to the ‘hoop jumping’ as mentioned when referring to Thailands CoE process.

 

I received my CoE in 3 hrs... I didn’t have to get out of my seat

 

If I didn’t already have insurance, the hardest part would be getting the insurance and certificate (that previously took 24 hrs when applying for my first CoE back in July). I have the marriage cert, copy of my Visa & Extension of stay. Booking a hotel on Agoda took minutes, I have the flight booking already (but booking a flight online takes minutes).

 

What else is there that makes the CoE application more complex ?? 

 

 

Driving licence: The hardest part is getting the proof of residence (letter from Immigration of Embassy, or Yellow book). 

I have the Yellow book, I still have to get a medical certificate, then go to the DLT, do 4 tests (colour perception, colour blindness, depth perception, reaction tests,), then sit through a 40min video, then wait for Licence printing.

 

The CoE application process itself really is very simple. 

It's also called a Cof E here[ Certificate of Exit.] My  Thai driving licence I can do with a trip with my landlady to get a cert.from the tourist police office,.Medical cert. I get in 5 minutes outside the DLT.Then run through the  couple of hour BS tests movie etc.Hoops are hoops Australian Thai or otherwise. I'd be prepared to look at  the Thai hoops if the Aussie Hoops were easier.Then again the consul in my city is shut so I'd have to do things by email  perhaps through Canberra. Or try and make an appointment by emial then travel to the office etc etc..It was so much easier to just give my stuff to the local travel agent [closed]who sent it to their visa agent[closed].Then in a few days pick up my passport and visa.Or arrive on a 30day visa exemption and work it all out over there.Anyway,whatever,YVMV

[Salerno]

2 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

How can some one in Thailand issue you with a Fit to Fly Certificate when you live thousands of miles away in the U.K. ?

 

How can someone in your home country issue you a FTF certificate via video link?

[NanLaew]

On 3/7/2021 at 2:22 PM, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

sounds like a nightmare indeed. what you mentioned are exactly the things i am worried about.

the thai have a way to complicate each small thing.

it is hard enough to get PCR test on time. why the stupid FIT-TO-FLY why?

 

It's simply a deterrent. Make the process harder and the less ardent will give up trying.

 

On 3/7/2021 at 2:25 PM, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

I ALLREADY lost 2000 USD with those so called flexible tickets.

some airlines or agencies just wont pay you.

 

The ultimate deterrent maybe.

[geisha]

I have seen on the French page that there are agencies in Paris , Rapid Visa etc, that take care of the whole procedure. I don’t know the price. Is this true ?

[mlkik]

17 hours ago, SiamAndy said:

I just read an article on Bloomberg that references the Bangkok Post mentioning that the quarantine will be reduced to 3 days next month for foreigners  visiting the top 5 tourist destinations in Thailand. No mention of the other requirements so it seems they will still be required.

I am sitting here drinking beer in Udon Thani and I swear I saw a pig fly over yonder 555

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, findlay13 said:

Then again the consul in my city is shut so I'd have to do things by email 

 

The Certificate of Entry is 100% online via the MFA Website - I don’t think there is an option to apply in person.

 

- Simply apply online (with Passport ID / Visa / Insurance)

- Receive e-mail of pre-approval

- Submit travel documents (flight / ASQ booking)

- Receive CoE

 

 

[Jumbo1968]

Just now, richard_smith237 said:

 

The Certificate of Entry is 100% online via the MFA Website - I don’t think there is an option to apply in person.

 

- Simply apply online (with Passport ID / Visa / Insurance)

- Receive e-mail of pre-approval

- Submit travel documents (flight / ASQ booking)

- Receive CoE

 

 

And Health Insurance Certificate.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

For 1 traveller, I would have to make 3 separate applications, myself, my Thai partner and 6 year old then arrange all the relevant tests.

 

So its a little more leg work...  the same process (which is easy), just repeated 3 times.

 

 

Arrange all the relevant tests - I think you’re over egging the pudding - anyone who books a holiday, flights, hotels, train tickets etc etc goes through the process of it taking a little more effort to bring things into line. 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Yes it is easy to say it’s not much hassle once you have done it

 

This comment defies logic. How else could anyone offer an opinion on the ease of applying for a CoE unless they had gone through the process. A lot of people are saying its too difficult are struggling for other reasons or have not tried it. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

like I said after I had made a successful application for my U.K. Visa 4 years ago.

 

My Wife has a 10 year visa for the UK. She said its an easy process. Its a lot of paper-work and requires a little organisation, but its not difficult. 

 

---------

 

I wonder how some people get on in life if they find something as simple as this difficult. 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

16 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

18 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

The Certificate of Entry is 100% online via the MFA Website - I don’t think there is an option to apply in person.

 

- Simply apply online (with Passport ID / Visa / Insurance)

- Receive e-mail of pre-approval

- Submit travel documents (flight / ASQ booking)

- Receive CoE

 

 

And Health Insurance Certificate.

 

- Simply apply online (with Passport ID / Visa / Insurance)

- Receive e-mail of pre-approval

- Submit travel documents (flight / ASQ booking)

- Receive CoE

 

 

The insurance certification was e-mailed to me within 24 hrs of applying for the insurance (back in July). 

This is on of the reasons the application process was so simple. 

 

I had all the required documentation at hand in a single folder on my computer. 

 

1) Registered on the MFA website. 

- Submitted Passport ID page / Visa & Extension of stay page / Marriage Certificate / Insurance Certificate

15:06hrs >> after submitting, I immediately received an email informing me my application has been received. 

15:15hrs >> Received Pre-Authorisation E-mail (including reference code)

 

2) logged back in to the MFA Website with my reference code

- Submitted Flight Ticket / ASQ Booking (Agoda)

18:09hrs .. Received Certificate of Entry Via E-mail

 

The slowest part of the process: Scrolling through the ASQ hotels and deciding which to choose. 

Also, last year waiting 24 hrs for the Insurance certificate (24 hrs). 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

How can some one in Thailand issue you with a Fit to Fly Certificate when you live thousands of miles away in the U.K. ?

 

I agree with you logic, but don’t try to comprehend the logic of bureaucracy, especially in a foreign country. 

 

Consider it a ‘box ticking’ exercise and meet the requirements in the easiest and simplest way possible. 

 

i.e. as you wrote - Dr Donna, who is offering a very convenient and cheap F2F certificate and even accommodating for ‘time zone’ differences with appointments up to midnight (Thai time). 

[farang51]

6 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Also, last year waiting 24 hrs for the Insurance certificate (24 hrs). 

 

I reeived the certificate from TIP Insure 11 minutes after applying and paying online.

 

Health insurance (not covid), which may be needed for some visas, can take longer. I needed health insurance the last time I tried to go to Thailand, and it took four or five days to get back then.

[DrJack54]

24 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

wonder how some people get on in life if they find something as simple as this difficult. 

Suggest you cut back on the superiority pills.

Great that the process is easy .....for you.

Others might find the process very daunting.

 

[richard_smith237]

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Suggest you cut back on the superiority pills.

Great that the process is easy .....for you.

Others might find the process very daunting.

 

Nothing of the sort - I’m trying to help people identify that the don’t need to feel daunted by the process.. 

It really is not a difficult process, there is no need for anyone to feel daunted by it. 

 

Anyone who is struggling is free to PM me. Quite a few people have done so already and I’ve helped a number of people get back.

 

I urge anyone planning on coming back home to Thailand not to worry about how difficult it is, just get your documents together and apply. 

 

For Australians the process is complicated by the the Australian freedom of movement under covid-19 regulations/ 

Similar complexities are now in place for those in the UK. 

For Non-Immigrant Visa holders there is sufficient reason to travel ‘home’ to their families, condos and live in Thailand.

 

The worst thing someone can do is worry themselves into a panic and decide its not worth it because they’ve paid attention to people complaining about all this 'difficult hoop jumping’ - the Certificate of Entry process is no more difficult than getting a Thai driving licence (not everyone can get a driving licence, but for those who meet the requirements its a simple process).

 

 

 

[elgenon]

On 3/7/2021 at 1:08 AM, scorecard said:

 Many thousands of folks have now gone through the process, arrived in Thailand, completed the quarantine and got on with their lives. All of them have asked for and received Fit to Fly certificates from numerous doctors and medical clinics, and there's plenty of examples of an acceptable format of the FTF form on the net and mentioned by many posters in this thread an other threads. 

AT what stage do you buy your Thai insurance? I guess I would buy it while in America?

[elgenon]

Does anyone know how having my Covid shots would change the process?

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Does anyone know how having my Covid shots would change the process?

At this time there's no change. I think you will have to wait few months before that makes a difference.

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Does anyone know how having my Covid shots would change the process?

Apparently A nutin has stated that quarantine would (maybe) reduced to 7 days for folks with covid Vax certificate.

Who knows.

[Surelynot]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Apparently A nutin has stated that quarantine would (maybe) reduced to 7 days for folks with covid Vax certificate.

Who knows.

The policy on Wednesday is not necessarily the policy on Thursday.

[farang51]

11 minutes ago, elgenon said:

AT what stage do you buy your Thai insurance? I guess I would buy it while in America?

Which insurance are you talking about? You need the covid insurance to get the COE. If you are talking about an insurance needed for a visa, you need to have that before geting the visa. In both cases you have to get them before travelling.

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

The policy on Wednesday is not necessarily the policy on Thursday.

The space after "A" (in my post) was not a slip

[scorecard]

36 minutes ago, elgenon said:

Does anyone know how having my Covid shots would change the process?

There's a few proposals around from commercial interests who are revenue driven, they are not government decisions or policies.

Also proposals from government ministers:

Together the proposals seem to be:

- No quarantine if passenger can prove they have completed vaccinations shots.

- No quarantine if passenger can prove they have completed vaccination shots and has medical report showing negative to covid 19 swab test no more than 72 hrs old on arrival.

- No quarantine if passenger can prove they have completed vaccination shots and tests negative on arrival. 

However one media report (re a ministers suggestion) says if passenger has had vaccination it cannot be more than 3 months old when passenger arrives. Personally I suspect this has been wrongly translated from the original which would of course be in Thai language.

- Regardless of vaccination, reduction of quarantine to: 0 days, also reduction to 5, 7 or 10 days.

- Most of the above proposals/suggestions to be discussed at a cabinet meeting next Monday 15 March 2021. 

we wait and see.

 

 

[farang51]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

- Most of the above proposals/suggestions to be discussed at a cabinet meeting next Monday 15 March 2021. 

Nice summary of the current proposals/suggestions/rumours.

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

we wait and see.

And then, perhaps, something becomes law; and if so, then we wait and see how they will implement the law. Never a dull day following the news cycle in Thailand.

[gt162]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

There's a few proposals around from commercial interests who are revenue driven, they are not government decisions or policies.

Also proposals from government ministers:

Together the proposals seem to be:

- No quarantine if passenger can prove they have completed vaccinations shots.

- No quarantine if passenger can prove they have completed vaccination shots and has medical report showing negative to covid 19 swab test no more than 72 hrs old on arrival.

- No quarantine if passenger can prove they have completed vaccination shots and tests negative on arrival. 

However one media report (re a ministers suggestion) says if passenger has had vaccination it cannot be more than 3 months old when passenger arrives. Personally I suspect this has been wrongly translated from the original which would of course be in Thai language.

- Regardless of vaccination, reduction of quarantine to: 0 days, also reduction to 5, 7 or 10 days.

- Most of the above proposals/suggestions to be discussed at a cabinet meeting next Monday 15 March 2021. 

we wait and see.

 

 

 

Waiting for the good news on Royal Gazette. We all hoping for the best.

[scorecard]

3 minutes ago, gt162 said:

 

Waiting for the good news on Royal Gazette. We all hoping for the best.

Yes, if there is a decision, and lets' hope it's a balanced/logical decision with benefits for all parties.

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 3/7/2021 at 6:01 AM, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/regis/create?country=BRA&conoffice=BRA&type=1114

as we chat here, seems like there is another development in the entry policy, and now

the COE official link does not show anymore the option for tourists on visa waiver (under Types of permitted persons ) .

it was there few days ago, now it is gone. only STV  is there, and other sports visa ext.

i checked it with few countries options, and i am still checking it with the thai embassy, but seems like no more entry for tourists on visa waiver passports.

 

[ubonjoe]

6 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

as we chat here, seems like there is another development in the entry policy, and now

the COE official link does not show anymore the option for tourists on visa waiver (under Types of permitted persons ) .

It is still on the site. https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/