Spoke to a friend who happens to be a Thai Consul. So the news is that on 27 of May the Thai consulates will no longer be allowed to issue any visas, COE or notarise any documents. Don't know if this is applicable to every consulate out there but it seems to be. Hence the only place that will still issue them will be a Thai Embassy, which is of course not located in every country.

 

Seems to be a move towards digital visas however that's not yet in place and no timeline when it would be.

 

So if you had a plan to deal with any consulate about visas, it may be a good idea to check with them, as their services are likely to get severely crippled in a week.

I get the feeling that in future people just wont bother applying for a visa from any embassy. Just fly in on a 30 day exempt then try to extend in country.

 

Failing this spend your money in another country of your choice.

I hope this is not true for all consulates. It would really complicate getting the visa.

You should of stated honorary Thai consulates (topic title edited). The official Thai consulates are still able to everything an embassy can do.

Edit: As far as I know this only happening in Australia.

No mention of the honorary consulate permanently not being able to issue visas in the US.

See: https://thaiembdc.org/royal-thai-honorary-consulates-general-in-the-u-s/

9 hours ago, Denim said:

I get the feeling that in future people just wont bother applying for a visa from any embassy. Just fly in on a 30 day exempt then try to extend in country.

Not all courtiers qualify for a visa exempt entry or a 15 day visa or arrival (cancelled until further notice).

Most countries do not get them. See: Visa-Exemption-Scheme-7-Dec.pdf

7 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Not all courtiers qualify for a visa exempt entry or a 15 day visa or arrival.

Most countries do not get them.

 

Yes , which will mean that some people , those not trying to connect with a Thai family and who are just seeking a long tropical vacation , might start looking at more user friendly destinations .

13 minutes ago, Denim said:

Yes , which will mean that some people , those not trying to connect with a Thai family and who are just seeking a long tropical vacation , might start looking at more user friendly destinations .

The can still apply for single entry tourist visas. Before the pandemic it was the same except for the 15 day visa on arrival countries who now have to apply for a tourist visa to enter the country.

This notice on Cardiff Consulate web site -

*****PLEASE NOTE: CONSULATES WILL FULLY CLOSE FROM 27TH MAY 2021, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ISSUE A VISA AFTER 6PM THAT DAY. FROM THAT DATE ALL VISAS MUST BE APPLIED FOR ONLINE BY VISTING - WWW.THAIVISA.GO.TH*****

6 minutes ago, Tim16 said:

This notice on Cardiff Consulate web site -

*****PLEASE NOTE: CONSULATES WILL FULLY CLOSE FROM 27TH MAY 2021, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ISSUE A VISA AFTER 6PM THAT DAY. FROM THAT DATE ALL VISAS MUST BE APPLIED FOR ONLINE BY VISTING - WWW.THAIVISA.GO.TH*****

 

OK, so not only Honorary Consulates as UJ suggest, it's applicable to official Consulates also.

4 minutes ago, pagallim said:

 

OK, so not only Honorary Consulates as UJ suggest, it's applicable to official Consulates also.

Cardiff is a honorary consulate as well as all others in the UK. There is no official consulate in the UK.

At the bottom of this page is a list of the official Thai consulates worldwide. https://www.thaiembassy.org/

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Cardiff is a honorary consulate as well as all others in the UK. There is no official consulate in the UK.

At the bottom of this page is a list of the official Thai consulates worldwide. https://www.thaiembassy.org/

 

No mention of 'honorary' status here UJ, or indeed the others in the UK:

 

http://www.thaiconsulatewales.org.uk/index.htm

 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/81958-royal-thai-consulates-in-the-uk-and-ireland?menu=5d6636ce15e39c3bd0007339

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

You should of stated honorary Thai consulates (topic title edited). The official Thai consulates are still able to everything an embassy can do.

Edit: As far as I know this only happening in Australia.

No mention of the honorary consulate permanently not being able to issue visas in the US.

See: https://thaiembdc.org/royal-thai-honorary-consulates-general-in-the-u-s/

Thank you. I would have mentioned if I knew.

Specific consulates I was referring to are in EU. Apparently the law governing this was passed a year back and now comes into effect.

 

59 minutes ago, Tim16 said:

This notice on Cardiff Consulate web site -

*****PLEASE NOTE: CONSULATES WILL FULLY CLOSE FROM 27TH MAY 2021, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ISSUE A VISA AFTER 6PM THAT DAY. FROM THAT DATE ALL VISAS MUST BE APPLIED FOR ONLINE BY VISTING - WWW.THAIVISA.GO.TH*****

That URL doesn't exist - yet, at least.........

When clicking on the Thal consulate weblinks in  below Royal Thai Embassy, London website it says the Thai consulates in the UK are closed or will be closed from 27 May 2021

 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/page/81958-royal-thai-consulates-in-the-uk-and-ireland?menu=5d6636ce15e39c3bd0007339

55 minutes ago, pagallim said:

No mention of 'honorary' status here UJ, or indeed the others in the UK:

How about his on the Cardiff website.

 

Source: http://www.thaiconsulatewales.org.uk/faq's.htm

If they are listed on the website I posted a link to earlier they are honorary Thai consulates.

17 minutes ago, Disparate Dan said:

That URL doesn't exist - yet, at least.........

This one works. https://thaievisa.go.th/

So no change to visa availability at Savannakhet then? (Once the borders open again.) 

2 minutes ago, rbkk said:

So no change to visa availability at Savannakhet then? (Once the borders open again.) 

Savannakhet is a official Thai consulate.

Same for the consulates in Penang and Kota Bharu, Malaysia.

And the one in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

I just checked the website of a German honorary consulate, they say they no longer issue visas, and people have to apply at either the Thai embassy or the Thai consulate-general.

This seems to confirm what ubonjoe says: This change only applies to honorary consulates, and regular consulates can still issue visas.

4 minutes ago, jackdd said:

I just checked the website of a German honorary consulate, they say they no longer issue visas, and people have to apply at either the Thai embassy or the Thai consulate-general.

There are 2 official Thai consulates in Germany located in Frankfurt and Munich.

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You should of stated honorary Thai consulates (topic title edited). The official Thai consulates are still able to everything an embassy can do.

Edit: As far as I know this only happening in Australia.

No mention of the honorary consulate permanently not being able to issue visas in the US.

See: https://thaiembdc.org/royal-thai-honorary-consulates-general-in-the-u-s/

Ubonjoe, I checked thru the link you posted for the Thai Consulate in Vancouver, Canada, and they stated that they will stop issuing Visa after May 27th.

http://www.thaiconsulatevancouver.ca/consular-services/

19 minutes ago, dsj said:

Ubonjoe, I checked thru the link you posted for the Thai Consulate in Vancouver, Canada, and they stated that they will stop issuing Visa after May 27th.

http://www.thaiconsulatevancouver.ca/consular-services/

What you say is correct. But I looked at the Canadian Thai embassy website, and noticed that they say: People must use the evisa system. So in Canada an application directly at the embassy will be no longer possible.

 

I think we actually have two different scenarios:

- Some countries will introduce the evisa system, in these countries people have to apply on the evisa website, direct applications at embassies or consulates are no longer possible.

- In countries which don't introduce the evisa system (yet) they no longer offer visas through honorary consulates, but only through Thai embassies or official consulates.

33 minutes ago, dsj said:

Ubonjoe, I checked thru the link you posted for the Thai Consulate in Vancouver, Canada, and they stated that they will stop issuing Visa after May 27th.

The will stop accepting visa application after that day but will still issue the visa after you apply online. The only change is that you have to submit the application online after paying the fee.

7 hours ago, Denim said:

 

Yes , which will mean that some people , those not trying to connect with a Thai family and who are just seeking a long tropical vacation , might start looking at more user friendly destinations .

Huh? Nothing has changed, it was the same prior to COVID regarding countries allowed visa-exempt entry.

So the bureaucracy gets bigger - again. If not at your honorary consulate in your own city, then it is a mail story to the Embassy. 

These days, Embassies can and sometimes do insist in personal appearance of the applicant - good luck to Thailand's tourism ....... 

Ah, and the TAT boys might be interested to know, that the traveller has the choice and might travel elsewhere, where there is less bureaucracy - me thinks. 

Thai Consulate in Dublin now shut and have referred all visas to Thai embassy London.

1 hour ago, mikebike said:

Huh? Nothing has changed, it was the same prior to COVID regarding countries allowed visa-exempt entry.

 

I was referring to the fact that whereas before you could apply for your visa by post , ( single A4 application form and 2 photos )  you now have to do it online and many people have had a problem with this since consulates can no longer help. 

Closed message on the Hull website too.  Very sad, they performed a good service for many years, always courteous and very helpful.  Now if you have a question its luck of the draw whether you get one of the stuck up cows in London or one of the seemingly few decent staff there.

 

The consulate in Hull provided a service for 99 years and was the first in the UK.  Alan Taylor had been the Consul since 1980.  It was clear well before Covid that something was afoot, the staff all seemed to have disappeared - on my last couple of visits Mr Taylor was there alone.

The writing is on the wall for those of us that obtain our visas in places like Ho Chi Minh.  When they're gone there will be real problems for some.

 

As I said a couple of years ago, what do offshore workers and similar do when all these consulates/embassies go over to e-visa?  According to the e-visa rules, you have to either be a citizen of the country you are applying from or have legal residence there.  To repeat the scenario of a friend who 'lives' in Thailand but works in Iraq with no legal residence (and no embassy for that matter) - according to the Thai Embassy in London, each time he has leave, he will have to fly from Iraq to London, obtain a single entry 90 day non o and then fly back over to Thailand.  12 month multis are another victim of the e-visa system.

 

Of course for a while he'll be able to enter visa exempt but both he and I have been stopped and told that visiting a Thai wife is not classed as tourism - get a non o, which we did.  His leave and rotation make it impossible for him to stay in Thailand to get a 12 month extension of stay. So, as far as I can see, when e-visa comes in everywhere, he either flies to London or he's screwed.

I went to the Adelaide Consulate today (17 May). The place is closed up and no information on any relocation. Ten days ago on the phone, no mention of closing, only yesterday I could not contact. Had a 2 hr trip to get there, seems that there are hurdles to even get to return to Thailand from Oz. It seems that this decision has been considered for a while, fair enough I suppose, if staff are committed to be there but twiddling their thumbs. Let’s hope Phuket sandbox gets up.