The Thai ETA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation)

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post (Chinese  characters)

[Wongkitlo]

8 hours ago, Pattaya57 said:

^ Some people massively overthinking this. ETA will be a simple emailed Authorisation form you print out to show the airline/immigration just like every other Thailand e-visa portal application.

 

Many airlines are going to self check in. I go to the machine,  scan passport. It prints the boarding pass and off to immigration. The only personal contact is at the gate which is a bit late and crowded to check.

[isaanistical]

9 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

ETIAS is FREE.

No it isn't, or at least it won't be: "ETIAS will only cost €7 for each application. The fees are applicable to adults between the ages of 18 and 70. Minors and elder travellers (aged 70+) will not have to pay any fees."

 

I like "only". I used to BE European......

[Patong2021]

36 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

No it isn't, or at least it won't be: "ETIAS will only cost €7 for each application. The fees are applicable to adults between the ages of 18 and 70. Minors and elder travellers (aged 70+) will not have to pay any fees."

 

I like "only". I used to BE European......

 

We are both correct. Although, I acknowledge your correction and agree that you are more correct for much of the world.  I am accurate for the AN audience of the elderly. (I actually took my answer from the biometric resource page reference for the ETIAS, but as you point out, it is not accurate.)  In respect to those who are exempt from paying the  7 Euro fee;  Applicants who are under 18 or above 70 years of age are exempt . Also exempt are family members of EU citizens or of non-EU nationals who have the right to move freely throughout the European Union.  ( Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have the same rights as EU citizens. Swiss citizens also enjoy freedom of movement within the EU.)

[impulse]

It'll be interesting to see what level of detail they require on applying.  Do you need a flight number and hotel reservation before applying?  Because it would be a kick in the nuts to pay $2000 (non-refundable) for a flight and another $1000 for a hotel reservation, then be denied, or have the system go haywire for 2 or 3 days and miss your flight.

 

Also, for border bouncers, will they allow applying from a IP address within Thailand?  And a lot of guys I know haven't owned (or needed) a printer in years.

 

Hopefully, it'll all work out seamlessly.  But we'll see.

 

Edited September 5 by impulse

[Captain Monday]

On 9/3/2024 at 9:30 PM, Lorry said:

So, it's almost like, not visa- exempt for everybody,  but everybody now needs a visa (called ETA).

Great.

I really needed more Thai bureaucracy to spice up my life. 

ETA for visa waiver countries is just that.  NOT a visa. Why?

 

Visas must be applied for thru State Deptartment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice etc. depending on the country and  are subject to Embassy or Counsular review

 

ETA is processed online for every country I am familiar with approved instantly / few hours as a matter of  unless you are ineligible to enter for some reason and that is the whole point, as stated.

 

Just another headache, countries copying eachother. Accomplishing little or nothing.

[lordgrinz]

ETA is just a code word for no more "visa-exempt", call it visa-lite.

[BritManToo]

It's interesting the Thais don't understand this makes Vietnam an PI so much easier as a holiday destination.

It's almost as if they don't want tourist money.

[isaanistical]

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

We are both correct.

yeah, and I am over 70 too but I don't tell anyone.

[isaanistical]

9 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

ETA is just a code word for no more "visa-exempt", call it visa-lite.

It's what used to be called a "passport". But I don't hear any country saying you'll no longer need an expensive and increasingly useless lump of paper - or deal with the odious VFS mob.........

[lordgrinz]

3 minutes ago, isaanistical said:

It's what used to be called a "passport". But I don't hear any country saying you'll no longer need an expensive and increasingly useless lump of paper - or deal with the odious VFS mob.........

 

I would love for them to get rid of the paper passport, go with a much more useful, durable, and portable CC size passport card with an embedded chip. No more stamps and useless paper pages with hand written scribble in it.

[isaanistical]

1 minute ago, lordgrinz said:

 

I would love for them to get rid of the paper passport, go with a much more useful, durable, and portable CC size passport card with an embedded chip. No more stamps and useless paper pages with hand written scribble in it.

or the whole thing on a QR code to store in your phone?

[Captain Monday]

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

It's interesting the Thais don't understand this makes Vietnam an PI so much easier as a holiday destination.

It's almost as if they don't want tourist money.

 

 

Does PI not already have a required eForm? US need visa but  How long until VN requires it?

 

https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/newsevent-listingpage/travel-advisory/etravel-registration-to-replace-earrival-card

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

 

 

Does PI not already have a required eForm? US need visa but  How long until VN requires it?

 

https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/newsevent-listingpage/travel-advisory/etravel-registration-to-replace-earrival-card

 

Not required in advance of travel ..................

"If you are unable to do so before departure, personnel from the Philippine Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) and airport staff will assist you in completing and uploading the e-Travel Registration upon your arrival in the Philippines"

[Captain Monday]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

 

Not required in advance of travel ..................

"If you are unable to do so before departure, personnel from the Philippine Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) and airport staff will assist you in completing and uploading the e-Travel Registration upon your arrival in the Philippines"

So it is like SINgapore. where one may use the kiosks in the arrival hall

Unless you are flight crew. Then the SIN border force get pissy  send nastygrams to management

[Lorry]

2 hours ago, isaanistical said:

or the whole thing on a QR code to store in your phone?

I missread "...in your brain"

Would be more convenient,  wouldn't it?

[OJAS]

3 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

I would love for them to get rid of the paper passport, go with a much more useful, durable, and portable CC size passport card with an embedded chip. No more stamps and useless paper pages with hand written scribble in it.

 

And no more horrors of the passport renewal process for us Brits every 10 years (or considerably less in some cases)!

 

[OJAS]

On 9/3/2024 at 9:30 PM, Lorry said:

I really needed more Thai bureaucracy to spice up my life. 

 

Whereas you are, on the other hand, more than happy for more American and European bureaucracy to spice up your life through ESTA and ETIAS when travelling to the USA or Schengen Area, right?

[Lorry]

3 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

Whereas you are, on the other hand, more than happy for more American and European bureaucracy to spice up your life through ESTA and ETIAS when travelling to the USA or Schengen Area, right?

I don't travel there

[Rob Browder]

23 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

border hoppers will  no longer be able to easily bounce back and forth and will need to secure the correct visa

Those who enter with a tourist-visa or visa-exempt are doing the "Correct," "Proper," etc thing as-is.  Did you miss the video of the MFA spokesperson explaining the new 60-day visa-exempt system?  Folks can "correctly" "bounce back and forth" all they want, with the 2-per-year land-crossing limit removed.

 

Unless the people running this ETA system hate Thai people (want to make them poorer), and/or run an "agent fixer" side-business, they will not use these ETA permits to block legal entry to Thailand. 

 

This - including Euro and other forms of it - sounds like part of Klaus Schwab's  / WEF's dream, of track/tracing every person on the planet, down to every step they take, and every penny/baht they spend.  The ultimate goal would be the ability to block any person's movement or commerce - CCP-style - for any "infraction" which they fell interferes with their perpetuation of power / control over all of humanity.  They are doing this "For Our Own Good," of course, so we should thank them ... Or ELSE!!

[zzzzz]

whats the big deal
BEFORE u enter Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia, u need visit a site and register>>

[raz0r21]

On 9/6/2024 at 7:45 AM, zzzzz said:

whats the big deal
BEFORE u enter Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia, u need visit a site and register>>

 

The big deal is that it could take 24 hours (or more) to get an approval of the ETA. 

 

This would make same day border bounces obsolete. 

[Caldera]

3 hours ago, raz0r21 said:

 

The big deal is that it could take 24 hours (or more) to get an approval of the ETA. 

 

This would make same day border bounces obsolete. 

 

That depends. It remains to be seen if you can apply for an ETA while you're still in Thailand. And how the centralized approval process/authority will deal with border runners. At the moment, this is very inconsistent (different borders have different rules).

[GypsyT]

On 9/5/2024 at 6:30 AM, BritManToo said:

's interesting the Thais don't understand this makes Vietnam an PI so much easier as a holiday destination.

It's almost as if they don't want tourist money.

I've been to Vn 6 times. Not once have they taken finger prints or photo like in Th.

I like it and continue to go there. I truly feel more free of annoying bureaucracy.

 

Still, Th is high on my list unless they make it more unfriendly. There's a big world open for me...

 

[Chivas]

4 hours ago, raz0r21 said:

 

The big deal is that it could take 24 hours (or more) to get an approval of the ETA. 

 

This would make same day border bounces obsolete. 

 

Doubtless all part of the new visa exempt entry rules but even if it wasn't whats to stop you applying for the ETA say 2 days in advance ?

[GypsyT]

Right! Like to the US;

"Applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States. The Department of Homeland Security recommends that travel authorization applications be submitted at least 72 hours prior to travel."

[sandyf]

On 9/5/2024 at 7:32 AM, Wongkitlo said:

Many airlines are going to self check in. I go to the machine,  scan passport. It prints the boarding pass and off to immigration. The only personal contact is at the gate which is a bit late and crowded to check.

Never used a self check in, and never will.

If you can scan the passport, why can't you scan the QR code on the ETA?

[Pattaya57]

2 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Never used a self check in, and never will.

If you can scan the passport, why can't you scan the QR code on the ETA?

With Singapore Airlines it's not optional. Self check in only for me in last 18 months. I'm sure that when the ETA is mandatory it'll be added to self check-in

[sandyf]

4 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

With Singapore Airlines it's not optional. Self check in only for me in last 18 months. I'm sure that when the ETA is mandatory it'll be added to self check-in

I don't use Singapore Airlines. The self check in issue only arises when I travel alone with no visa requirement. Most of the time either myself or my wife has a visa check.

When they try and make me go to a machine I just say I want to go to the desk and they say Very well Sir.

I have yet to see a machine without a bunch of exciteable foreigners like flies around the proverbial.

I will be pushing up daisies long before there is no check in desk available.

[Pattaya57]

8 minutes ago, sandyf said:

I will be pushing up daisies long before there is no check in desk available.

As I said, some airlines are already self check-in only for last 18 months with no check-in desks available. Only a matter of time before more airlines follow.