Thailand welcomes foreign tourists again as “Test&Go” scheme relaunched today under new requirements

[Millcx]

10 hours ago, smedly said:

book hotel 2x nights for PCR testing on 1st and 5th day 

 

after the 1st test you are free to go out and mingle and get infected 

 

2nd test on 5th day test positive ................................ banged up your 3 week holiday ruined

 

anyone that agrees to this needs their head looked at 

 

there are now 200 positive tests in Phuket every day that are listed as  "from abroad" these are people who test positive within 7 days after arriving in Thailand - over 2000 per week   

It’s biggest Fill hotel scam going … More foreigners the more Quarantine scam money collected

[chilli42]

10 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I renewed my retirement extension and files a new 90-day report a week past Monday. Took about 20 minutes. The drive to and from immigration was longer.

 

YMMV

Like he said …. unnecessarily complicated.  Even the notion that they need retirement visas that have to be renewed as frequently as they do and in person is the very definition of “unnecessarily complicated”.

[bkk6060]

They are Pioneers.  Welcome to Thailand!

[dogfish180]

11 hours ago, Thailand said:

The no quarantine quarantine option!

The welcome, but not welcome ????????

[darrenr]

So with the 90 day reporting can it be done in any city ? I.e what if you moving around Thailand not staying in the same spot ? Also can you do your extension,in any city if moving around.

 

thought about getting non o-A in Australia and when due for extension after 12months , just getting a non -o based on retirement

[Jack Cook]

Great, jump through all the hoops, only to have some TAT official change the rules on a whim again. Thanks but no thanks.

[jacko45k]

57 minutes ago, 10baht said:

Just those who spend more and help the Thai people/economy who really deserve it. And we are taken for granted. Almost like 2nd rate tourists.

What is it you expect of them... a red carpet?

Would a person on a marriage extension not be helping Thai people or the economy more? Hardly taken for granted when there is quite an easy facility made especially available to allow permission to remain, with choices of verifying income, or a bank deposit, combination, and some simply an Embassy letter. 

[mikosan]

10 hours ago, FalangKino said:

Not everyone is on a retirement visa. 

No one is on a retirement visa, it's called a visa extension, for the purpose of retirement.

[steven100]

The  5th  day test is to ensure they strip your wallet and ATM even further,  how the heck can they let the foreigner come here and not drain his funds completely .....   that's the whole idea   !! 

[Optomist]

The Test & go and comeback and go if you haven't caught the virus in between, or it could be test and go and comeback and stay for 2 weeks. 

[Gene1960]

10 hours ago, FalangKino said:

Not everyone is on a retirement visa. 

Yes. Some are learning English here and take care of animals as volunteers…

[jacko45k]

6 minutes ago, mikosan said:

No one is on a retirement visa, it's called a visa extension, for the purpose of retirement.

Well to be exact, since Visas cannot be extended, it is an Extension of the Permission To Stay. 

[DUNROAMIN]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

However, due to the ongoing concern of the Omicron variant, the entry procedures and requirements of the scheme may be slightly complicated to prevent the domestic spread. Some critics in the tourism and hospitality sectors may not consider this reopening as a potential economy and tourism reviver.

Lets not forget, machette wheeling nut cases, mass shooting at markets, being run over and killed at zebra crossings, mafia taxi gang at Phuket. double pricing for foriegners, endless scams. 

= no tourists.

[Sydebolle]

....."the entry procedures and requirements of the scheme may be slightly complicated" ......

The understatement of the century; thank you for this tag line! 

[Birdseye]

31 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Well to be exact, since Visas cannot be extended, it is an Extension of the Permission To Stay. 

Haha...well said.That put Mr Pedantic in his place 

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, Birdseye said:

Haha...well said.That put Mr Pedantic in his place 

I suspect I am more the pedant on this. 

[Andycoops]

It should be called Pay, Test, Go and Pay, Test, Go 2.

But you do not pass Go if positive and Pay again for quarantine, complete mess.

[garyk]

1 hour ago, darrenr said:

So with the 90 day reporting can it be done in any city ? I.e what if you moving around Thailand not staying in the same spot ? Also can you do your extension,in any city if moving around.

 

thought about getting non o-A in Australia and when due for extension after 12months , just getting a non -o based on retirement

It should be, but I had a horrible time with it. I think I got two that way, and only with begging. (and I am not kidding) the last time I had to fly back to Chinag Mai where I got my Extension of stay to get it sorted out. That was 3 years ago. 

I used BKK as a hub to fly out of with a retirement visa and it worked Ok. But, still a hassle. 

I won't be doing it again. 

Edited February 2, 2022 by garyk

[pizzachang]

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/02/01/majority-of-canadians-want-all-pandemic-restrictions-to-end/

And Denmark has already ended theirs. 

What is the motive behind "panic politics"?  Logically, screening tests would include any dangerous, communicable disease, if you're concerned about "health".

[RandiRona]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Maybe they should try to attract more Backpackers, than move on to the Rich and famous.

Backpackers are called Digital nomads these days????

[spidermike007]

This program is destined to fail. 25,000 tourists and returning expats a month, is all they should expect. 

 

Adding the 2nd nite of quarantine was a monumental mistake,  further wrecking of the tourism industry, and a form of sadism. The leaders are cowards, ultra timid, weak and unable to govern. Enough is known about this new variant to discourage taking such an extreme measure.

 

Time to admit Prayuth, Phiphat and Anutin are the real danger to the nation, and the sabateurs of it's once dynamic economy. Jobs gone, lives devastated, suicide rates skyrocketing, and happiness gone for millions of Thais. 

 

Bring on the youth! Out with the dinosaurs!

[superal]

5 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Yes, it's a cluster F and is messing with people's lives. But you've got to admire it for what it is, from their angle. Let people in, get them infected locally and then conveniently parcel the numbers off as coming from abroad while banking loads of coin.

And don't forget, the utter tools that make the policy are uncaring, unsympathetic, apathetic, pathetic automatons.

It is set up to favour the Thai authorities  to gather farang money after the day 5 testing positive . A further 14 day quarantine with more pcr tests totalling in excess of 100,000 baht has already happened. If you are fully vaccinated a 7 day quarantine in Bangkok ( that is what I have just done ) or the Phuket sandbox deals are a better bet IMO . The Phuket deal , I would stay somewhere out of the way to avoid the virus which is being reported in bigger resorts e.g. Patong 

[jing jing]

I submitted my T&G app yesterday, no receipt confirmation email yet. Maybe they're swamped -- anyone else still waiting for a response?

[Canadian Snowbird]

I can't wait to see the real numbers of tourist entries a few months from now, so we can have another laugh at their projections. Sorry Thailand, but we already told you we were not coming under those conditions. Better to go elsewhere, or just stay home and save our money again for this winter. 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Canadian Snowbird
typo error

[biggles45]

'So why do you think there is a "need" for a 90 day report..' 

 

I have had a Resident Retirement Visa in the Philippines for 8 years. I have never reported to an immigration office EVER. No 90 day reporting, no re-entry permit, no TM30 etc.... No paranoia. That's how you do it Thailand.! 

[worldexpress]

The moment you think they can't out dumb themselves, they surprise you. ???? You have to give credit for their never ending creativity. In the main article, it says "wearing a facial mask is highly mandatory in all public areas."  I didn't realize there were different levels of mandatory. ????

[tlcwaterfall]

12 hours ago, NanLaew said:

But you miss the point.

 

The claim by @FalangKino that "Everything to do with immigration in this country is so unnecessarily difficult" is false.

 

(my emphasis)

Your experience while good is not shared by many others. There are lots of horror stories out there about immigration.

 

"Everything to do with immigration in this country is so unnecessarily difficult" is 100% correct.

Edited February 2, 2022 by tlcwaterfall

[Oracle2022]

Mmmmm visa free entry.........no requirement to apply for permission to travel.

 

No PCR test on arrival - just have your vax certificate and a PCR negative pre-flight.

 

No 1 day quarantine on arrival.

 

No PCR test on day 5.

 

No quarantine in a hotel on day 5.

 

Looks like real "Quarantine Free - Visa Free entry".

 

Cannot be Thailand.........must be the Philippines............

 

The Philippines Is Reopening to International Travelers Feb. 10 — What to Know Before Going | Travel + Leisure (travelandleisure.com)

 

.

[raccos21]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

However, due to the ongoing concern of the Omicron variant, the entry procedures and requirements of the scheme may be slightly complicated to prevent the domestic spread.

The previous scheme has already been complicated for quite sometime and now it has become more so. Let's see how many are coming.
The Omicron variant is just an excuse because -just look around: this variant is already spreading quickly worldwide, so get ready for massive treatment expenses for merely showing mild symptoms.
 

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

They are expected to spend about 60,000 baht per person, according to TAT.

This is not what they are expecting, as this is only the minimum amount they want you to spend when you come, excluding other expenses and so you'd be lucky to have not tested positive.
I think it is better to stay in your homelands (or wherever you are at) for now to see how it goes.
 

[spidermike007]

24 minutes ago, biggles45 said:

'So why do you think there is a "need" for a 90 day report..' 

 

I have had a Resident Retirement Visa in the Philippines for 8 years. I have never reported to an immigration office EVER. No 90 day reporting, no re-entry permit, no TM30 etc.... No paranoia. That's how you do it Thailand.! 

I think it could be surmised that you are dealing with adults who have more emotional development, than what we have here. Here, we have an extreme fear and loathing of expats, on the part of a highly toxic immigration bureau. 

 

For this and other reasons, not only are tens of thousands of expats leaving, or planning their exit, but the silly proposals to attract wealthy expats to come and live here will never work.