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Thursday, March 28, 2024

The extra permitted stay of 18 months in Thailand for tourists is coming to an end

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The special dispensation allowing short-stay foreign tourists to stay in Thailand since the spring of last year – 18 months ago – may be coming to an end. The deadline for obtaining an additional two months of approval is September 27, meaning the scheme would expire at the end of November. The scheme was introduced by the Thai government when the land borders closed and international air traffic was seriously disrupted.

Thai immigration authorities have not formally announced the future of the settlement, but there have been dozens of voices across the country from foreigners being told it’s time to go home.

A call to the immigration 1178 hotline answered that while the Covid extensions are still available nationally, the decision is in the hands of the local interview officer.

Many immigration offices require applicants to declare that they have serious travel difficulties when returning to their home country or another desired destination. A measure last year requiring the applicant’s embassy to confirm his or her plight in writing was scrapped after many diplomatic posts refused to get involved.

The renewal fee is 1,900 baht and the renewal is often given in two separate monthly periods. Some wealthier Covid extenders have already switched to non-immigrant visas, such as retiring or becoming a student.

There are no published figures for the national numbers involved. Many have already left and according to a source at Phuket’s Immigration Service, the number remaining could be around 30,000. These include tourists who preferred not to return home due to travel restrictions or fear of the virus in their country of birth or country of residence.

But there are also people waiting to enter neighboring countries as soon as land border posts reopen. At the moment they remain closed except for the carriage of goods and returning passport holders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar or Malaysia.

A final decision by the Thai cabinet must be made before or just after September 27. If the country shows no signs of opening up by then, the Covid extensions could continue on a discretionary basis. If the country, or some provinces, expand the Sandbox initiative and allow fully vaccinated tourists access, the scheme is more likely to end.

One issue some farangs may encounter upon returning home is their vaccination status. Mark Tyldsley, a British tourist, said: “I have had two shots from Astra Zenica in Thailand, but the UK authorities do not recognize the vaccinations being carried out here in the UK.

However, anyone now entering the UK from a red-listed country such as Thailand on this list is subject to a mandatory 11-day hotel stay at a cost of over £2,000.”

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