Visa
Immigration to provide 30-day extensions after ‘visa amnesty’ ends, in some circumstances

The Thai cabinet has approved a number of concessions on the situation for people stranded in Thailand under any form of tourist visa after September 26. The Thai Immigration Deputy Commander announced that….
• Tourists unable to return home after September 26 (the end of the tourist amnesty), due to sickness or are unable to fly, are to apply for an extension of their stay by applying at a Thai Immigration office and presenting their medical certificate certifying they are unable to travel at this time.
• Those who are unable to return to their home country’s because of a lack of flights or any other circumstances must present a letter from their country’s embassy or consulate requesting that the foreigner can continue to temporarily stay in Thailand.
Foreigners will be granted 30 days’ stay each time, according to the announcements.
Gen Pornchai also warned that the visa amnesty for all visa types will end on September 26. (If you have a valid and current visa, the September 26 amnesty is not a concern to you at this stage, although you will need to renew it, as per normal, if it expires after September 26. All current visa holders must also do their normal 90 day reporting after the end of August)
“All long-term visa holders whose permits to stay expired after March 26 also must submit an application for an extension to stay from now until September 26, 2020.”
“Please contact a local immigration office as soon as possible, in order to avoid congestion at immigration offices in the last few days.”
Reading between the lines, it appears that Thai Immigration are now prepared to provide 30 day extensions if you are able to prove that you are either unable, or unfit, to fly back to your home country after September 26. In any case please make sure that you get all the information relating to your personal circumstance as soon as possible.
Any foreigners on tourist visas, or any other type of expired visa, are urged to contact their local immigration office or a qualified visa agent to discuss their circumstances and NOT leave it to the last day (September 26).
WARNING
There are plenty of ads being posted at this time offering magic extensions to visas and opportunities to stay in Thailand after September 26. Please be aware that some of these alleged visa agents are scams. There are also plenty of very good visa agents who will be able to provide you with advice and solutions, at a cost, allowing you to remain in the country.
If you do wish to contact a visa agent at this time make sure you get a referral from a friend, visit their office in person or ask plenty of questions and check their bonafides. Do not start sending money to agent’s accounts until you have seen some paperwork or evidence that they are able to provide you with a legal and professional service. Caveat emptor!
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Covid UPDATE: 1,547 new infections, restrictions start after midnight tonight

Today the CCSA has announced that there are 1,547 new infections around Thailand, a slight drop from yesterdays’ 1,585 reported new cases. Today’s additional infections takes the total number in Thailand to 40,585 since the start of the pandemic. We will add to this story when more figures and provincial totals become available.
All but 3 of today’s newly reported infections were local – 1,544.
Bangkok – 279
Chiang Mai – 140
Chon Buri – 99 (155 cases were reported by Chon Buri officials this morning which will go into tomorrow’s national totals)
Prachuap Khiri Khan – 58
Samut Prakan – 27
All other provinces listed here…
Te CCSA reports that 11,916 people are still under care and supervision in Thai hospitals or field hospital facilities. 99 people have died, a local death rate of 0.24%.
At midnight tonight new restrictions come into force for red and orange zone provinces. Here’s a list of the red zone provinces.
1. Bangkok
2. Chiang Mai
3. Chon Buri
4. Samut Prakan
5. Prachuap Khiri Kan
6. Samut Sakhon
7. Pathum Thani
8. Nakhon Pathom
9. Phuket
10. Nakhon Ratchasima
11. Nonthaburi
12. Songkhla
13. Tak
14. Udon Thani
15. Suphanburi
16. Sa Kaeo
17. Rayong
18. Khon Kaen
FULL LIST OF PRECAUTIONS (starting at 1 minute past midnight Sunday, April 18)
Across all provinces…
• Closures of schools, all nightlife venues, pubs and clubs, karaoke bars and massage parlours
(except for international schools running exams)
• No events can have more than 50 people
Provincial red zones (listed below)…
• Dining-in allowed until 9pm (but can do takeaway until 11pm)
• Serving of alcohol banned
• Shopping centres and fitness centres to be closed by 9pm
(Sporting fields, exercise places, gyms and fitness clubs must close at 9pm)
• Convenience stores, markets, supermarkets must be closed by 11pm
Everywhere else…
• Dining-in allowed until 11pm
• Serving of alcohol banned
• Shopping centres to be closed by 9pm
Additionally, people are being discouraged from traveling to “Red Zone” provinces. Businesses are also being ‘asked’ to allow staff to work from home or introduce other measures to minimise risk of infection at the workplace. These workplace and travel ‘advisories’ will certainly be ramped up if the number of daily cases continue to rise.
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
No Covid-19 national curfew or lockdown yet for Thailand

PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that there will be no national curfew or lockdown in Thailand as of yet, despite a growing third wave of Covid-19. More than 10,000 people have been infected this month as clusters that started in Bangkok nightlife venues rapidly spread throughout the entire country.
PM Prayut yesterday called for calm from the public while saying that people need to remain vigilant in taking safety precautions against the virus. He worries that people will not follow social distancing protocols and avoid gatherings. On the bright side, mask-wearing is said to be around 90% compliance.
PM Prayut said that during the initial Covid-19 outbreak, extreme measures and lockdown were necessary, and pointed to global praise for the curbing of Covid-19’s first wave in Thailand. Acknowledging the pandemic safety restrictions damaged the economy and will affect low-income workers again now, PM Prayut said he was hurt to have to impost restrictions, but that Thai people should be proud of how well the country did originally and work again to comply with safety measures to bring the current outbreak under control.
While the current vaccine rollout plan includes 61 million jabs over the course of 2021, the government is still looking for ways to expand and accelerate vaccinations, perhaps by importing the Russian Sputnik-V or US Pfizer vaccine in the near future. In the meantime, while full lockdown was not ordered for Covid-19, new restrictions were enacted for the whole country and the provinces listed as red zones.
- Across all provinces…
- Closures of schools, all nightlife venues, pubs and clubs, karaoke bars and massage parlour (except for international schools running exams)
- No events can have more than 50 people
- Dining-in allowed until 11 pm
- Serving of alcohol banned
- Shopping centres to be closed by 9 pm
- Provincial red zones…
- Dining-in allowed until 9 pm (but can do takeaway until 11 pm)
- Serving of alcohol banned
- Shopping centres and fitness centres to be closed by 9 pm (Sporting fields, exercise places, gyms and fitness clubs must close at 9 pm)
- Convenience stores, markets, supermarkets must be closed by 11 pm
Additionally, people are being discouraged from travelling to “Red Zone” provinces. Businesses are also being ‘asked’ to allow staff to work from home or introduce other measures to minimise the risk of infection at the workplace.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
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Thailand
Covid-19 brings surge in gold and cryptocurrency investment

In the uncertain times of the Covid-19 pandemic, investors are leaning towards safe investments like gold and also the emerging cryptocurrency market. Gold prices hit a 7 week high at over 55,000 baht on Thursday and around April 15 online gold transactions in Thailand doubled. One reason for the rise in gold price is uncertainty, with tensions growing between the US and Russia. Speculators believe gold may reach up to US $1800 during 2021 due mostly to more international tension between the US and China, and the US bond yields on the decline.
Online trading has seen a huge increase, as investors are closely monitoring gold prices, perhaps because they’re stuck at home and on the internet much more during the Covid-19 pandemic. New online accounts are growing as is the trading volume for online gold purchases.
Meanwhile, cryptocurrency has surged in investors and trading to an all-time high, again partially due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bitcoin reached a record price of over 2 million baht per coin this week. And many altcoins are gaining in popularity. The online trading platforms and exchanges for most crypto were not restricted by Covid-19 so the industry is swelling. Coinbase, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States went public on the NASDAQ stock market on April 14th. Last year’s total revenue for the popular exchange was US $1.2 billion, but the public offering reported earnings of $1.8 billion in the first quarter of 2021 alone.
While gold and cryptocurrency has become a popular way to make money during the pandemic, not all cryptos are created equal and most fail. Watchers have seen a 1 to 2% success rate out of the over 9,000 altcoins that have been created in the crypto boom. Advisors suggest cautious trading and investing in only the top few hundred altcoins.
With online gold trading and cryptocurrency surging ahead, the contrast is stark to brick and mortar industries decimated by Covid-19. Retail, tourism, and traditional banking have all taken massive hits. Kasikorn Bank dropped nearly 3% in the stock market. Only global oil, petrochemical, and electronics success have helped to bolster the Stock Exchange Thailand Index, with PTT Exploration and Production stock climbing over 4%. Covid-19 related industries such as rubber glove suppliers are flourishing with investors speculating on further growth if the third wave continues to spread. Overall though, the stock market rose half a per cent with the announcement that there will not be a Covid-19 lockdown just yet.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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barry
Saturday, September 5, 2020 at 10:47 am
Let’s hope immigration does something (as in allowing for ways of extending stay) for foreigners on expired non-immigrant type B or O-A who are riding out the repercussions of the pandemic like everyone else.
Current regulations, while fine under normal circumstances, place some people with good reasons to want to stay in the Kingdom in quite a difficult situation, often with no practical option but to leave on the 26.
Jim Pearson
Sunday, September 6, 2020 at 3:29 pm
Most agents are legitimate. They have a relationship with immigration. While it’s always good to do your due diligence, it’s unnecessary to start fear mongering. Agents are often used in developing countries to overcome the bureaucracy, for a price.
Even the agent who was busted for growing marijuana is still in business and happens to be legitimate (though personally I would recommend other agents).
barry
Sunday, September 6, 2020 at 3:49 pm
Here’s an idea:
No more amnesty, extensions, derogations etc, no, introduce something something practical.
Let’s call it Thailand’s “COVID-19 Emergency Stay Permit”.
– Make foreigners register for the online to apply for the COVID-19 Emergency Stay permit, then come to their local immigration office to pay and process.
– To process the COVID-19 Emergency Stay Permit, foreigners need 2 photos, proof of sufficient funds to finance their stay in Thailand, housing info and of course the fees, along with a statement of understanding that the stay permit will be revoked when borders reopen
– The COVID-19 Emergency Stay Permit is renewable every month or every 90 days (and subject to 90 day reports) until Thailand’s borders are fully reopened
– The COVID-19 Emergency Stay Permit if offered to *all foreigners* on amnesty, not just tourists, regardless of current / expired visa (tourist, VOA, non immigrant type B, O-A….), as long as they can justify funds to stay in Thailand.
Problems solved: no more amnesty, no more talk of “stranded/freeloader”, Thai government makes money, fully controls the situation and can communicate positively on the subject (good PR), locals make money, foreigners who have resons to want to stay here are happy, those caught in the gaps (expired non-Bs…) finally have a solution…
Neat, right? Aaah, if only officials read the Thaiger’s comment sections 😉