Immigration
- Visa Information
Deadline to apply for “Covid” visa extension extended by 2 months
The deadline to apply for a 60-day “Covid” visa extension in Thailand has been extended by two months, until July 25. The extension follows the Thai government’s decision to extend the country’s “State of Emergency” until July 31. A “Covid” visa extension is designed for foreigners residing in Thailand who are unable to return to their home country due to…
- World News
3 Malaysia – Thailand border crossings reopening
Yesterday (May 5), three Thailand – Malaysia border crossings reopened for public use. Travellers entering Thailand from Malaysia and vice versa must comply with the standard operating procedures set by both countries. The border crossings are also known as Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security – or ICQS – centres. The first ICQS centre connects Rantau Panjang in Malaysia to Sungai…
- World News
Manhunt continues for escaped Rohingya refugees in Malaysia
Malaysian authorities are still on the hunt for 130 illegal Rohingya migrants, who escaped barefoot from a temporary immigration depot near the Kedah-Penang border on Wednesday, after a riot broke out at the facility early yesterday morning. The refugees were reportedly protesting overcrowding at the facility when the situation escalated into a riot. The undocumented migrants, still on the run,…
- Visa Information
Deadline to apply for “Covid” visa extension now May 24, immigration gets stricter
The deadline to apply for the 60-day “Covid” visa extension scheme has been pushed back another two months. The deadline was set for last Friday, March 25, but Thai Immigration quietly pushed the deadline back to May 24 (as they have in the past). No formal announcement was made, but a signed document was leaked by expats on social media.…
- World News
15 passengers denied entry at Philippines airport over vaccine certificates
Following its reopening of borders to fully-vaccinated visitors last week, the Philippines immigration reportedly denied entry to 15 Malaysians due to their vaccination in Malaysia yesterday. Their passports are reportedly being held and they will be deported from the Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport tomorrow. A passenger told The Star reporters that the Philippines immigration officials did not accept the…
- World News
Thai soldiers and police arrest 246 more Burmese migrants in Kanchanaburi
Thai soldiers and police have arrested 246 Burmese migrants in 6 border areas across 4 districts of Kanchanaburi, a Western province, yesterday and today. The migrants say they paid job brokers between 15,000 and 25,000 baht to get them jobs in several Thai provinces. Thai authorities also caught 4 guides helping the migrants, and charged them with assisting illegal border…
- Thailand News
More than 100 migrants caught in Kanchanaburi for alleged illegal entry
Thai border patrols arrested 107 Burmese migrants for allegedly illegally crossing the border into the western province Kanchanaburi on Sunday. The migrants told Thai officials they came from Phayathonezu, Moulmein, Yangon, Bago and Dawei townships in Myanmar. They crossed into Thailand seeking jobs here. Authorities also arrested one Thai guide for providing assistance to people illegally entering the country. Authorities…
- Visa Information
Red tape remains for foreign retirees in Thailand
This year, travel magazine International Living rated Thailand 11th most desirable country to retire in, out of 25. Despite this ranking, there are still regulations making it difficult for foreigners to stay here. Those with visas for one or more years are still required to report to immigration officials every 90 days. Foreigners with a Non-Immigrant O or Non-Immigrant OA…
- South Thailand News
Burmese migrants trafficked through Thailand caught by Malaysian border
Last night, Thai soldiers caught 31 Burmese migrants on the Thailand-Malaysia border, illegally passing through Thailand and hoping to work in Malaysia. The migrants were found hiding in a ditch on a rubber plantation in Sadao, a district of Songkhla province. The group 25 men and six women had reportedly travelled from Myanmar’s Myawaddy township. After they crossed into Tak…
- Thailand News
More Burmese migrants detained along Thailand’s western border
Police arrested 63 Burmese migrants seeking jobs in Thailand for allegedly crossing the borders into Thong Pha Phum, Sai Yok and Sangkhla Buri districts illegally yesterday. Two Thai men were also arrested for allegedly attempting to help smuggle the migrants across the border. One of them was reportedly caught driving 18 migrants in a pickup truck. The police found 12…
- World News
Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic to be deported after visa saga
After a rollercoaster ride regarding 9-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic having his visa approved and revoked several times as courts debated his status as unvaccinated but recovered from a Covid-19 infection, the tennis star will now be deported from Australia. Novak lost a court appeal to try to reverse the cancellation of his visa when 3 judges upheld the…
- South Thailand News
Fugitive arrested 7 years after trafficking Rohingya migrants
On May 18, 2015, the Nathawee Provincial Court in Songkhla issued an arrest warrant for Chamsudin Tordin for various charges relating to human trafficking. Today, after nearly 7 years as a fugitive, Chamsudin was taken into custody and will face charges regarding trafficking of Rohingya migrants. The man is now 38 years old and is a native of Muang District…
- Phuket News
Phuket Immigration officers to visit quarantine hotels to help with visa extensions
Immigration authorities are reportedly visiting each centre, hotel and resort in Phuket approved for Covid-19 isolation and quarantine to assist foreign Covid-19 patients who need to extend their visa, but cannot visit the Immigration Bureau Office because they isolating or receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. Yesterday the authorities visit Patong Resort to bring documents for foreign visitors who need…
- World News
Woman exchanges sex for immigration scam to stay in Singapore
Not wanting to leave Singapore after her visa expired, a Chinese sex worker got entangled in a complex immigration scam to be arrested so that she was able to stay in the country… for over 3 years. The woman, Liang Qinglan, entered Singapore in May of 2018 with her visa finishing at the end of July. She ended up overstaying…
- Thailand News
How to bring your pet into Thailand
Those who travel to Thailand with pets, may have a few questions about the legalities surrounding the importation of your 4-legged friends. But, all worries aside, as long as you follow the rules and regulations set forth by the Thai consulate in your home country, it should be a fairly smooth process. Here, we have the current rules and procedures…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok restaurant raided, several foreigners caught without entry stamps
In yet another party bust, police raided a restaurant in Bangkok at around 1:45am yesterday, past the 11pm cutoff set by the government, and arrested more than 45 people for violating disease control measures. Several foreigners were also charged for not having entry stamps in their passports. Immigration police officers say 30 people at the Nakhon Bar Bangkok were foreigners…
- Thailand News
Thai Immigration launches online 90 day report system
A new online system for 90-day checks with immigration has been launched by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau. Online 90-day reporting has been glitchy in the past… So let us know how it worked for you. A confirmation could come through hours after applying. And be sure to check the spam folder. You can register at https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/register/add Foreigners who are permitted to…
- Thailand News
French expat being denied re-entry to Thailand over repeated criticism of the Thai monarchy
One of Thailand’s long term French expats Yan Marchal is being denied reentry to Thailand. He says he is being expelled to Paris from Bangkok, as soon as tonight, for being a long term critic of the Thai government and Monarchy. Yan says he could appeal the ‘deportation’. “I have been advised to fly out rather than to expose myself…
- World News
Cambodian refugees under UN protection arrested after deportation from Thailand
Following the arrest of a third Cambodian refugee deported from Thailand, the UN Refugee Agency says it is “dismayed” by Thai authorities’ move to force refugees back to the territory where they face prosecution. Earlier this month, two Cambodian nationals, who were both registered refugees under UN protection, were expelled from Thailand. This past Saturday, a third refugee, who is…
- Visa Information
Cabinet approves long-stay visa regulations as Thailand seeks more foreign investment
As Thailand prepares to re-open without quarantine to select vaccinated tourists, 2 draft regulations related to long-stay visas have been approved in principle. According to a Bangkok Post report, the long-stay visa programme aims to attract 300 billion baht in foreign investment as the government tries to kick-start the economy. Spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul says the Interior Ministry issued the draft…
- Visa Information
Thailand’s Special Tourist Visa scheme extended until September 2022
The long-stay tourist visa has been extended for another year. The Special Tourist Visa scheme, or STV, was launched last year to draw in travellers from overseas in an effort to revive the crippled tourism industry. The visa allows a 90 day stay and can be extended twice, allowing a stay in Thailand of up to 9 months. The visa…
- Visa Information
Hungarian woman arrested in Koh Samui for 10-year overstay
A Hungarian woman was arrested in Koh Samui by Surat Thani Immigration Police for a visa overstay… of more than 4,000 days. The woman admitted to having travelled to Thailand in November of 2009 on a tourist visa and then stayed with her husband without ever bothering to apply for any visa or extension. The woman’s visa expired at the…
- South Thailand News
Thai immigration official transferred amid allegations of bribery
A Thai immigration official has been transferred and an investigation launched following allegations of corruption. The officer is accused of demanding regular bribes from an immigrant in the Hat Yai district of Songkhla, in southern Thailand. Officers from Immigration Division 6 have now launched an investigation into the claims. They insist the investigation will be transparent and impartial, adding that…
- Thailand News
Hat Yai immigration officer investigated for alleged extortion
Immigration police are investigating an officer in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district for alleged extortion after an audio clip of an officer asking an immigrant for a monthly fee was shared on a watchdog Facebook page. A committee has been set up by Immigration Division 6 to investigate the case and to determine whether an immigration officer was involved. The division says the…
- Pattaya News
American charged after not wearing a face mask at a Taco Bell in Pattaya
A 33 year old American man was recently charged for not wearing a face mask at a Taco Bell in Pattaya. Earlier this month, the expat and another foreign resident got into a heated argument at the soft opening of Taco Bell over whether to wear face masks while in line to order at the fast-food restaurant. After being confronted…
- World News
Bali to deport 4 tourists for not wearing masks, breaking disease control orders
Four tourists in Bali are being deported after they apparently did not follow local disease control measures during their stay on the resort island in Indonesia. Some didn’t wear face masks while the other, who was infected with Covid-19, apparently left a quarantine hotel during her mandatory isolation period. Covid-19 has been on the rise in the Southeast Asian country,…
- Thailand News
Public warned about immigration police impersonators asking for bribes
The Thai Immigration Bureau is warning foreign residents and the general public to be careful of people who are impersonating as immigration police officers and asking for bribes or other payments. Apparently, the people posing as immigration officers are approaching individual foreigners and are inspecting establishments like factories, which tend to employ migrant workers. If approached by someone claiming to…
- Visa Information
Deadline to apply for “Covid” visa extension July 29; office closures
The deadline to apply for a 60-day special “Covid” visa extension is July 29, but many should apply at least a week prior as Immigration offices will be closed for public holidays during the last week of the month. Immigration offices in expat-dense areas tend to get packed during the days leading up to the deadlines. The special visa extension…
- South Thailand News
Burmese migrants headed toward Malaysia arrested in Songkhla
Police arrest a group of Burmese migrants and an alleged guide from Myanmar in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district. Officers say the guide was leading the migrants from Moulmein, a city on Myanmar’s western coast, then across the Thai border to the southern province Ranong, headed toward Malaysia where they had jobs lined up. The migrants allegedly told police that they…
- Visa Information
Finance Ministry challenges tax cut proposal for holders of new long-stay visa
A proposal to introduce a long-stay visa for 4 target groups of foreigners has already hit a hitch, with the Finance Ministry pushing back against a suggested tax rate of 17% on local earnings. The ministry argues that the reduced rate will affect government revenue. Under the proposal, wealthy foreign nationals could apply for a special visa that would permit…
