Covid19 - updates on immigration and visa extensions

[buksida]

Not sure if this has been posted here so apologies if I'm repeating info ...

Immigration Pursues Covid-19 Visa Relief for Foreigners

Thailand’s Immigration Chief is seeking cabinet approval for new measures to help foreigners in Thailand affected by the Covid-19 crisis. The proposal will be submitted to the cabinet for approval this week, said Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang.

The proposal was drafted in line with an order by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Prime Minister Prayut expressed his concerns last week about foreigners who have been left stranded in Thailand. Many foreigners have been stranded after airlines stopped operating and countries also imposed lockdowns, Pol Lt Gen Sompong said.

The foreigners will now divided into three groups:
Foreigners with resident visas who normally reside in Thailand but cannot return to Thailand due to the Covid-19 crisis; foreign tourists who are unable to depart Thailand due to the crisis; and visitors from neighbouring countries who hold a temporary border pass and got stuck in Thailand after the borders were shut, he said.


https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... foreigners

[MrTea]

No hurry. Please take your time.

[buksida]

What happens next is that the visa amnesty signed by the PM has to be published in the Royal Gazette before it becomes law. I am told this could be as early as today if not tomorrow. So, please wait for official announcement.

PRAYUT EXTENDS FOREIGNERS STAY TO APRIL 30 DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday signed the plan to grant automatic visa extensions for foreigners residing in Thailand to April 30.

According to the announcement published this afternoon by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, foreigners who entered the kingdom with visas, visa on arrival, or through visa waiver programs will be granted an extended stay from March 26 to April 30.

The 90-day reporting is also suspended until April 30. Those who entered Thailand by border permits are allowed to stay in the country until the border checkpoints are reopened.

The order is set to come into effect when it’s published in the Royal Government Gazette.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/cri ... ronavirus/

[HHTel]

What is not clear. Are these 'automatic extensions' contactless? i.e. a visit to the immigration office is not necessary.

[buksida]

Nothing involving immigration is ever clear in this country.

[thecolonel]

What is not clear. Are these 'automatic extensions' contactless? i.e. a visit to the immigration office is not necessary.

It's a perfectly fair question.

'Logic' would suggest that if your visa renewal period( window) ends tomorrow then if you turned up on April 30th you would not be fined for the overstay.

But like I say thats the logical way of interpreting it

Imagine the queues on April 30th!

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

[HHTel]

Hopefully, it's not going to get worse. However, the authorities give the impression that it will. e.g Schools closed until July 1st.
If it hasn't improved by Apr 30th then I would hope it's extended piecemeal until it does.

[centermid7]

Oh it very clear that everyone has an extension until April 30th. What is unclear is what is going to happen after that date and that will be made clear sometime in May!

[MrTea]

What a circus this all is. Is there a Thai word for 'simple'?

What happens after April 30? Another30 days automatic extension if nothing has improved?

[handdrummer]

Is there a Thai word for 'simple'?

There is but no accompanying concept.

[hhinner]

Immigration website confirming emergency visa extensions: https://immigration.go.th/content/visa_auto_extension

[Dannie Boy]

Although this is good news, I’m sure there will be many that fall outside the 90 day reporting waiver given to 30 April. My 90 day report is due on the 4th May and as we won’t know whether the 30th April date will be extended until we get much closer to this date, So I will still try to do an on-line report about 10 days before, because I don’t want to have to visit immigration if they subsequently fail to extend the current 30th April exemption. I’ll post whether I am successful or not.

[sateeb]

Mines due April 25th so i think i will just try online reporting as usual,

[Dannie Boy]

Mines due April 25th so i think i will just try online reporting as usual,

Good luck

[huahin4ever]

The day I've dreaded has arrived. I have to go to Immigration to get my marriage visa issued. Should I go now in the morning or wait until 13:00 which is what I've done the last few years? I guess the chaos is equally bad no matter what time I go? I just hope they do like they always do when I show my passport and they see I'm there to get the visa issued, I don't have to line up in any que. They just take my pp and issue the visa.