Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Thailand is Cambodia's neighbor to the West, and this forum is dedicated to Thai news, stories, reviews, blogs, videos, Thai people and anything else related to the country. A lot of expats have both lived and worked in Cambodia and Thailand, and this area is a place to discuss all aspects of life in Thailand and what's going on there. Most topics are about Bangkok and Pattaya because of their larger populations of expatriates and tourists in those cities, but this is for all things Thai.
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Cowshed Cowboy
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Cowshed Cowboy »

ExPenhMan wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:00 am
Cowshed Cowboy wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 9:03 am
The no booze for 14 days drew the biggest groan from the listeners and I doubt very much any of my snowbird friends would be able to cope with that lifestyle change. :D
Interesting report, CC.

Any idea why the hotel would not serve alcohol? That seems very odd considering how much overpriced alcohol contributes to a hotel's bottom line.

Anyway, what a horrible experience for the brave soul paying 90,000 baht to be imprisoned for two weeks.
No idea although I remember that being a stipulation when the quarantine rules came out. Agree it would be an earner, maybe they're worried about people going overboard consumption wise and losing the plot whilst confined to barracks. To me not being able to have a glass of wine, a beer or a G&T with my meal or watching a game on the TV would reinforce the prison feel of the whole experience.
Yes sir, I can boogie, I can boogie, boogie, boogie all night long.
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ExPenhMan
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by ExPenhMan »

Cowshed Cowboy wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 1:17 pm
ExPenhMan wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:00 am
Cowshed Cowboy wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 9:03 am
The no booze for 14 days drew the biggest groan from the listeners and I doubt very much any of my snowbird friends would be able to cope with that lifestyle change. :D
Interesting report, CC.

Any idea why the hotel would not serve alcohol? That seems very odd considering how much overpriced alcohol contributes to a hotel's bottom line.

Anyway, what a horrible experience for the brave soul paying 90,000 baht to be imprisoned for two weeks.
No idea although I remember that being a stipulation when the quarantine rules came out. Agree it would be an earner, maybe they're worried about people going overboard consumption wise and losing the plot whilst confined to barracks. To me not being able to have a glass of wine, a beer or a G&T with my meal or watching a game on the TV would reinforce the prison feel of the whole experience.
A blanket ban. :facepalm: I hadn't read this before. But then I stopped reading a lot of visa stories after I got my new extension.

Evening gatherings with beers at my condo was just about the only thing to look forward to and maintain some sanity during the early weeks of curfews and booze bans. But chained to your room for 14 days without even that, well, that's just not on for a lot of people.

Thailand, Land of Mormons.
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by God'sGift »

visitors 'must pass criminal record check with Royal Thai police' - how does that work?
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ExPenhMan
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by ExPenhMan »

God'sGift wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 2:19 pm visitors 'must pass criminal record check with Royal Thai police' - how does that work?
So many questions yet to be answered. But maybe this is a start. Thailand Twitter guy Richard Barrow notes Thailand Longstay Management Co. reps for TaT and will offer full services for the new visa. Twitter link:

https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/statu ... 48768?s=20


There are still many detail decisions to be made by Thailand so you might not get any answers for a week or two.
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by phuketrichard »

more about this "specialtourists visa"
Hopes that the latest long-term visa plan will allow general tourists into the country on a grand scale have been dashed by the Tourism and Sports minister Phipat Ratchakitprakarn. He clarified that Thai embassies abroad will only issue the special visa and a certificate of eligibility to foreigners who are travelling either by charter plane or by private jet.

During the first stage of reopening next month, charter flights will be limited to three flights a week with a maximum of 100 passengers on board each plane, presumably to observe some form of physical distancing. Even allowing for increased capacity in a later phase, the entire plan will do nothing to rebound the moribund tourist industry in Thai resorts.

The reference to also allowing private jets illustrates that the government at this stage is not remotely intending to return to the days of mass tourism, but to concentrate on “top quality” visitors which means “super rich” in this context. But they will all still need to provide payment for 14 days quarantine, US$100,000 medical insurance, health and Covid-19 certification and proof of a booking on a charter flight or private jet.
https://www.pattayamail.com/featured/ne ... PUrfVkDYQk

and
For those opting to stay in a hotel, they are offered two-week packages from a range of hotels participating in the quarantine scheme, run in conjunction with the Thai Ministry of Public Health. The packages include regular virus testing and strict quarantine backed up by security measures. No alcohol is allowed during quarantine. The cost of the scheme varies from ฿32,000 ($1,028) to ฿150,000 ($4,862) per 14-day stay, depending on the chosen hotel.

Foreigners applying for the long-stay visa further need to show where they intend to live in Thailand, present a source of funds and agree to pay for the state quarantine for 14 days. Evidence to show where the tourist will live may include a hotel reservation, a lease contract on a condominium unit or property or documentation that shows that the tourist already has a residence in Thailand.

The visa will be offered to tourists until September 2021 and is limited to countries where the Covid-19 virus is under control. A government source, earlier this week, said that entrants will include visitors from some parts of Europe, Taiwan and regions within China where the virus is thought to be under control.
https://investvine.com/thailand-approve ... -industry/

NOTE : .....The visa will be offered to tourists until September 2021

I pray this NOT a sign that regular tourist visas will not be issued between now and 1 year from now>
if so, there goes the tourism industry in Thailand
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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ExPenhMan
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by ExPenhMan »

^^^ Bloody hell. Could this courting of the rich be the most visible example yet of Thailand wanting to completely change its tourist course? Count up all the visa and extension tweaks and restrictions over the last 4-5 years aimed at the regular western (single or married) Joe, throw out the welcome mat to wealthy Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and Taiwanese, add in the Sept. 26 amnesty deadline and almost daily signs there's going to be a long waiting period for tourism normality (an act of discouragement). Then take a gander at the now visible bones of who they want in the country.

It all adds up to the message: could you scum please go somewhere else, because, aside from being scruffy and dirty scoundrels, you don't have enough money to spend and your western ways infesting our culture make you a pain in the ass.

Of course, that's assuming they have any plan at all.

Sidelight: Met two Frenchmen the other night who work for a worldwide moving company. Outbound business is booming.

I don't much care so take my PoV as an outsider.
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Alex
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by Alex »

I don't think the kind of person who flies in on their private jet will take kindly to the nonsense that they can't serve you champagne while being quarantined at your luxury resort. That in itself is outright insane.

You escape your Covid-stricken nanny state for what? Worse nanny state antics? It is hardly appealing!
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by God'sGift »

trying to head out to Thailand is almost as insane as people wanting to return for fasciwoke UK or Australia - best stay put somewhere else

On a side note, why the heck is Ben Stokes allowed to cruise on in to Oz whilst regular citizens cannot?
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by phuketrichard »

....overseas offices under the Tourism Authority of Thailand report high interest from tour agents.”

Image
After the cabinet approved the STV scheme last week, all TAT offices in Europe received a number of calls and emails asking for more details about the visa process and available period, said TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn.

For instance, the TAT London office reported 31 inquiries on one day after the news broke. But the scheme still requires an official announcement from the Immigration Bureau, meaning the TAT can clarify little at the moment.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/19 ... -inquiries

lets see, Amnesty ends on saturday, still some believe amnesty will be extended, going to be in for a rude shock...
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: Thailand Travel Restrictions and Info

Post by popping in »

phuketrichard wrote: Mon Sep 21, 2020 12:43 pm ....overseas offices under the Tourism Authority of Thailand report high interest from tour agents.”

Image
After the cabinet approved the STV scheme last week, all TAT offices in Europe received a number of calls and emails asking for more details about the visa process and available period, said TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn.

For instance, the TAT London office reported 31 inquiries on one day after the news broke. But the scheme still requires an official announcement from the Immigration Bureau, meaning the TAT can clarify little at the moment.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/19 ... -inquiries

lets see, Amnesty ends on saturday, still some believe amnesty will be extended, going to be in for a rude shock...
Where has this come from please ?

Is it hard to understand or is it just me being dense ?

Have I understood correctly that they expect all applicants to have paid for 3 months' accommodation before applying for the visa, and that they are only issuing 1,200 visas a month ? I am seriously wondering whether there plan is to get 100s of 1000s of people to pay for accommodation with hotels in Thailand and then not let them into the country. Or is that being too cynical ?
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