Wanderer
Surin Dinosaur
Reading the comments on the forum here, regarding visa renewals, they are a cameo of the huge amount of anger and frustration circulating on English language sites like ThaiVisa, and they are the same as I am being told about on the general Thai language sites in Thailand and references from other European countries.
The criticism of things Thai Governmental is beyond anything I have witnessed in 34 years. And it is justified!!!!!!!!!
One lesson it absolutely clear. DO NOT LEAVE THAILAND !!!!!
So far as I can interpret, everyone contributing to the 90-day renewal discussions on this forum has done their best to keep themselves safe in Thailand. Many thousands of others have waited because they expect things to be extended at the very last minute as usual, or they couldn't handle the Bangkok office chaos, or they have been badly advised. Who knows what outcome will result.
The other side of the picture - people wishing to return to Thailand - defies all credibility.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE LESSONS...
Remember the UK now gives Thai Nationals free entry - just give the address where you will be staying.
The reverse scenario is not like that.
For Thai Nationals various embassies have posted a new guideline over the weekend.
They can book a flight to Bangkok, but on arrival they must do the government approved quarantine for 15 days, as before. For that to be free they must fly Thai Airways only.
If they wish they can fly by other airlines (a few are now being permitted) and pay for their accommodation, like a foreigner. At this time I don't think they have to have the Certificate of Entry or the Covid-19 insurance for $100,000 - I haven't seen detail of that.
Therefore the quarantine is a pain but otherwise it is relatively straightforward if you can get a seat on an aeroplane.
ON THE OTHER HAND:-
Foreigners must have their Visa, their Covid-19 insurance for $100,000, their pre-booked and paid-for fight, their pre-booked and paid-for hotel quarantine accommodation, their financial guarantees, their 72-hour medical certificate, their 72-hour Covid test (somehow), before they can be sent their Certificate of Entry to enable them to get on a plane.
The cost of all this is just horrific.
The new proposals for 9-month tourists will apparently require all of these as well but no details at all have been ratified or published - just the rhetoric.
In my own case I have hit a never ending, month-long series of brick walls in attempting to come back home to Surin.
In the UK it is either inadequate and contradictory website information, hopelessly designed on-line application forms, or 100% refusal to answer telephones or emails from the London Thai Embassy, or all of them at the same time.
My wife's many attempts in Thailand have produced 100% lack of either knowledge or willingness to listen or to help.
I have had 1-year multi-entry non-immigrant "O" visas for many years. These have now been stopped. Through my wife I have had full Thai Government Officer Medical Insurance for 8 years since we got married.
ATTEMPT No.1
My £150 1-year "O-A" visa application was rejected because my Medical Insurance "did not specifically state Covid-19 $100,000".
I had travelled to the London Embassy for my application and took a lot of other paperwork that could not be scanned on to the limitations of the on-line application form.
Thank God I took the time and cost to go in person. THAT WAS NECESSARY !
(i) The Govt Officer Office in Bangkok was, and still is, adamant that my insurance should be accepted. The Visa office at the Embassy disagrees, even though for the Certificate of Entry application form it was accepted (it would seem).
(ii) When contacted, the Thai Embassy HQ Bangkok started on about the fact that Covid-19 Insurance will be needed for all 9 months of the new high-end tourist visas that would be coming soon. In response to "this is not for a tourist" the response was "it's up to the Embassy" and hung up.
(iii) My "No Criminal Record " confirmation was also initially rejected because " it is only the basic version". After I suggested that a more detailed one would merely confirm that I still didn't have a criminal record, higher authority accepted it by special permission (!)
(iv) And only one small document could be scanned on to the application form for income/money guarantee. I sent them my annual company pension P60 income and tax declaration. They didn't like it or maybe didn't understand it. I had taken with me this year's 4-weekly Govt Pension update. They took that but were still uncertain. I then gave them annotated photo copies of bank statements for the past 12 months showing the monthly pension payments for both pensions and then they were happy. More like Thailand, I guess, but ridiculous.
ATTEMPT No.2
(i) I tried all the Thai insurance companies I could locate that would provide insurance that included the Covid-19 $100,000 headline. All the cheap policies from earlier in the year had disappeared except for Roojai and they now required I had already been in Thailand for 6 months. Other general insurance company offers increased in cost dramatically for each 5-year age bracket, but none would insure anyone over 75. And I am 76.
(ii) I found an Emirates flight via Dubai which, for bookings until September 30th provided full Covid-19 cover for 31 days including any treatments starting during quarantine in Bangkok. The flight was also much cheaper than the Thai Airways "re-patriation" flights. Emirates were excellent to talk to (so different) and the flight could be changed at no cost. So I booked it for Wednesday 28 October, (Wednesday thereby giving me 2 days to get the fit to fly, and Covid test results, and hence the Certificate of Entry from the Embassy.)
(iii) I sent the flight confirmation and Covid-19 insurance details to the embassy but heard nothing. By some miracle, last Thursday somebody answered the Visa office phone. They eventually found my file and new documents but rejected it again, "because the Covid-19 cover was not for the whole year". They suggested I re-apply but for a single entry "O" visa - 90 days. (That still doesn't make logical sense to me.)
(iv) I checked that nobody I knew recently renewing their 90-days in Thailand had been asked for any specific Covid-19 insurance cover. The Govt Officer Medical Insurance office again said that the Embassy was wrong but wouldn't put that in writing "because it isn't necessary". I still don't understand why the rules should be any different for me once I have cleared quarantine, but "that is up to the Embassy".
ATTEMPT No.3
Therefore I tried to change my visa application. But I couldn't because their on-line system auto re-inserted information they already had from my previous attempts.
So there was another lesson - you have to find and delete every word of any other aborted attempt you had made to fill in a visa form. Then I could start a different category application form. There is nothing to tell you that.
I have sent in the form, paid another £60 but no acknowledgement of receipt this time, and Friday pm there was again no answering of telephones. I start telephoning again tomorrow (Monday) pm.
Quarantine Hotels - there are currently 71 in Bangkok plus 5 outside which included one in Buriram. My wife telephoned it and now they are not taking bookings because it was only for VIPs and footballers. (!!)
The 71 in Bangkok are from £750 to £2000 for the 15 days!!!! The cheaper ones get poor reports. None of them give info regarding date flexibility or cancellations or availability. I have read that many are "full", which raises suspicions about subsidies etc etc. I am trying to screen them.
Thai Airways Re-patriation flights for October. All Re-patriation flight information has been removed from the English version of the Embassy website. Searching Thai Airways information confirms that there are flights from Bangkok to London on 4th, 11th, 18th October but there is zero info on any return flight to Bangkok. How can that be???
I hope this is all useful for passing on, or learning from, or reference for the future.
Welcome to Thailand !!! or not....
Watch this space.
I will keep going until either I succeed or war will have been declared.
The criticism of things Thai Governmental is beyond anything I have witnessed in 34 years. And it is justified!!!!!!!!!
One lesson it absolutely clear. DO NOT LEAVE THAILAND !!!!!
So far as I can interpret, everyone contributing to the 90-day renewal discussions on this forum has done their best to keep themselves safe in Thailand. Many thousands of others have waited because they expect things to be extended at the very last minute as usual, or they couldn't handle the Bangkok office chaos, or they have been badly advised. Who knows what outcome will result.
The other side of the picture - people wishing to return to Thailand - defies all credibility.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE LESSONS...
Remember the UK now gives Thai Nationals free entry - just give the address where you will be staying.
The reverse scenario is not like that.
For Thai Nationals various embassies have posted a new guideline over the weekend.
They can book a flight to Bangkok, but on arrival they must do the government approved quarantine for 15 days, as before. For that to be free they must fly Thai Airways only.
If they wish they can fly by other airlines (a few are now being permitted) and pay for their accommodation, like a foreigner. At this time I don't think they have to have the Certificate of Entry or the Covid-19 insurance for $100,000 - I haven't seen detail of that.
Therefore the quarantine is a pain but otherwise it is relatively straightforward if you can get a seat on an aeroplane.
ON THE OTHER HAND:-
Foreigners must have their Visa, their Covid-19 insurance for $100,000, their pre-booked and paid-for fight, their pre-booked and paid-for hotel quarantine accommodation, their financial guarantees, their 72-hour medical certificate, their 72-hour Covid test (somehow), before they can be sent their Certificate of Entry to enable them to get on a plane.
The cost of all this is just horrific.
The new proposals for 9-month tourists will apparently require all of these as well but no details at all have been ratified or published - just the rhetoric.
In my own case I have hit a never ending, month-long series of brick walls in attempting to come back home to Surin.
In the UK it is either inadequate and contradictory website information, hopelessly designed on-line application forms, or 100% refusal to answer telephones or emails from the London Thai Embassy, or all of them at the same time.
My wife's many attempts in Thailand have produced 100% lack of either knowledge or willingness to listen or to help.
I have had 1-year multi-entry non-immigrant "O" visas for many years. These have now been stopped. Through my wife I have had full Thai Government Officer Medical Insurance for 8 years since we got married.
ATTEMPT No.1
My £150 1-year "O-A" visa application was rejected because my Medical Insurance "did not specifically state Covid-19 $100,000".
I had travelled to the London Embassy for my application and took a lot of other paperwork that could not be scanned on to the limitations of the on-line application form.
Thank God I took the time and cost to go in person. THAT WAS NECESSARY !
(i) The Govt Officer Office in Bangkok was, and still is, adamant that my insurance should be accepted. The Visa office at the Embassy disagrees, even though for the Certificate of Entry application form it was accepted (it would seem).
(ii) When contacted, the Thai Embassy HQ Bangkok started on about the fact that Covid-19 Insurance will be needed for all 9 months of the new high-end tourist visas that would be coming soon. In response to "this is not for a tourist" the response was "it's up to the Embassy" and hung up.
(iii) My "No Criminal Record " confirmation was also initially rejected because " it is only the basic version". After I suggested that a more detailed one would merely confirm that I still didn't have a criminal record, higher authority accepted it by special permission (!)
(iv) And only one small document could be scanned on to the application form for income/money guarantee. I sent them my annual company pension P60 income and tax declaration. They didn't like it or maybe didn't understand it. I had taken with me this year's 4-weekly Govt Pension update. They took that but were still uncertain. I then gave them annotated photo copies of bank statements for the past 12 months showing the monthly pension payments for both pensions and then they were happy. More like Thailand, I guess, but ridiculous.
ATTEMPT No.2
(i) I tried all the Thai insurance companies I could locate that would provide insurance that included the Covid-19 $100,000 headline. All the cheap policies from earlier in the year had disappeared except for Roojai and they now required I had already been in Thailand for 6 months. Other general insurance company offers increased in cost dramatically for each 5-year age bracket, but none would insure anyone over 75. And I am 76.
(ii) I found an Emirates flight via Dubai which, for bookings until September 30th provided full Covid-19 cover for 31 days including any treatments starting during quarantine in Bangkok. The flight was also much cheaper than the Thai Airways "re-patriation" flights. Emirates were excellent to talk to (so different) and the flight could be changed at no cost. So I booked it for Wednesday 28 October, (Wednesday thereby giving me 2 days to get the fit to fly, and Covid test results, and hence the Certificate of Entry from the Embassy.)
(iii) I sent the flight confirmation and Covid-19 insurance details to the embassy but heard nothing. By some miracle, last Thursday somebody answered the Visa office phone. They eventually found my file and new documents but rejected it again, "because the Covid-19 cover was not for the whole year". They suggested I re-apply but for a single entry "O" visa - 90 days. (That still doesn't make logical sense to me.)
(iv) I checked that nobody I knew recently renewing their 90-days in Thailand had been asked for any specific Covid-19 insurance cover. The Govt Officer Medical Insurance office again said that the Embassy was wrong but wouldn't put that in writing "because it isn't necessary". I still don't understand why the rules should be any different for me once I have cleared quarantine, but "that is up to the Embassy".
ATTEMPT No.3
Therefore I tried to change my visa application. But I couldn't because their on-line system auto re-inserted information they already had from my previous attempts.
So there was another lesson - you have to find and delete every word of any other aborted attempt you had made to fill in a visa form. Then I could start a different category application form. There is nothing to tell you that.
I have sent in the form, paid another £60 but no acknowledgement of receipt this time, and Friday pm there was again no answering of telephones. I start telephoning again tomorrow (Monday) pm.
Quarantine Hotels - there are currently 71 in Bangkok plus 5 outside which included one in Buriram. My wife telephoned it and now they are not taking bookings because it was only for VIPs and footballers. (!!)
The 71 in Bangkok are from £750 to £2000 for the 15 days!!!! The cheaper ones get poor reports. None of them give info regarding date flexibility or cancellations or availability. I have read that many are "full", which raises suspicions about subsidies etc etc. I am trying to screen them.
Thai Airways Re-patriation flights for October. All Re-patriation flight information has been removed from the English version of the Embassy website. Searching Thai Airways information confirms that there are flights from Bangkok to London on 4th, 11th, 18th October but there is zero info on any return flight to Bangkok. How can that be???
I hope this is all useful for passing on, or learning from, or reference for the future.
Welcome to Thailand !!! or not....
Watch this space.
I will keep going until either I succeed or war will have been declared.
Last edited:
Missed you.
