Thai News

The government's Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) has approved in principle amendments to the criteria of granting permanent residence and smart visa to foreigners in a bid to woo more investment, the National Economic and Social Development Council's deputy secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan said.

The centre is considering the option of granting permanent residence to buyers of condominium units, provided applicants do not mortgage, sell or transfer this asset for five years after purchase.

The Thai cabinet has approved a plan to allow foreign tourists to come to Thailand but they'll have to agree to mandatory 14 day quarantine and stay for at least 90 days. The cabinet is hoping the new extended tourist visa will be part of the rebooting of the tourist and hospitality economy.

Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the government would issue "special tourist visas" for visitors who would have to come for at least 90 days. The new 90 day special tourist visa would be able to be extended twice, for 90 days each time. Long-stay visitors could begin arriving next month.

The new 'STV visas' which will cost 2,000 baht and will last for 90 days each. When expired, a Thai Immigration Office will allow for the visa to be extended 2 times, a cumulative total of 270 days stay. The new visa regulation will be in effect until September 30, 2021 and may be extended beyond that time.

The full details about covid requirements will be released later. The first draft requires visitors to book state approved quarantine hotels and to prove that they have arrange long stay accommodation.

Thailand's cabinet will consider introducing a longer stay tourist visa to encourage a return to tourism once the coronavirus precautions allow.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn explained that the visa will be valid for an initial 90-day stay but can be renewed twice, 90 days each time, for a maximum stay of 270 days. The visa, which costs Bt2,000 per person, is suitable for foreign tourists who want to stay in Thailand for a long time.

He added that plans to allow foreign tourists in must take into account the balance between public health safety, consent from local residents and income by the tourism sector, which accounts for 20% of gross domestic product,

Yuthasak suggested that the government is considering the return of tourism for the 4th quarter of this year, but with a thinking that the numbers won't pick up until the 2nd quarter of 2021.

Foreigners staying in Thailand on any form of tourist visa will be allowed to repeatedly renew their permits to stay with immigration for periods of 30 days at a time after the visa amnesty ends on Sept 26. However, applicants will have to present a letter from their home country's embassy or consulate in Thailand requesting that the foreign be allowed to continue to temporarily stay in the Kingdom due to lack of exit flights or other circumstances in their home country.

Immigration Deputy Commander Maj Gen Pornchai Khuntee announced the news at a press conference held at the Immigration Bureau headquarters in Bangkok, saying that the Cabinet had approved the move.

All long-term visa holders whose permits to stay expired after Mar 26 also must submit an application for an extension to stay under the normal requirements from now until September 26,,

Many expats on long-term permits-to-stay have families in Thailand, but due to the economic crisis brought on by the government's policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are not able to satisfy the Immigration Bureau's income requirement in ordered to be approved a one-year permit-to-stay. At this stage, such long-term expats are set to face being granted only a maximum of 90 day's stay, after which they will be forced to leave the country.

Phuket Immigration Deputy Chief Lt Col Udom Thongchin on Tuesday (Sept 1) urged any foreigners caught out by the income requirement to delay filing their applications to renew their one-year permits-to-stay until Sept 15. Lt Col Udom said he expected Immigration Bureau superiors in Bangkok to make an announcement by then.

Thailand will not be reopened to foreign tourists along the lines of the so-called Phuket Model any time soon because the government has to consider too many details, deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul said on 28th August.

She added that the government needs to consider many factors, including guidelines, screening processes and measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to ensure there is no second wave of infections.

According to the Phuket Model, tourists will be allowed to land on the island, but they will have to undergo onerous pre-visit paperwork, get health insurance, get 2 pre-visit virus tests, undergo a 14-day quarantine first and their travel zones will be limited. Entry will also only be limited to tourists from Covid-free countries.

Meanwhile it was revealed that medical tourism, already allowed by the Thai Government since July using the onerous Phuket Model of restrictions, has resulted in just 172 people visiting Thailand so far.

Thailand will allow foreign tourists to visit for longer stays from October, a senior official said.

Tourists will have to stay for at least 30 days, with the first 14 days in quarantine in a limited vicinity of their hotel, before they can visit other areas, Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters. Yuthasak said: On Oct. 1 we will start in Phuket.

Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said:

Visitors will have to take two coronavirus tests during quarantine before they are able to travel to the rest of the island.

Visitors will have to take an additional test and remain within the province for another week before they can travel to other parts of the country.

The government officials didn't mention the onerous testing and nearly impossible pre-trip paperwork plus insurance requirements currently in place for foreigners travelling to Thailand.

Update: Expecting 2 million

24th August 2020. See article from forum.thaivisa.com

Thai media has reported that Thailand hoping that 2 million tourists will be prepared to follow the massively restrictive paperwork and quarantine measures. It is hope that the 2 million foreign tourists will visit in the period up to the end to March 2021.

Dream on!

Thailand's tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn has revealed that five ministries will be working together with the aim of opening up Thailand to foreign tourism again from the start of the fourth quarter - October 1st.

The 'travel bubble' plans have been binned and replaced by 'twin country' plans.

Pipat's Ministry of Tourism and Sports and those representing transport, health, foreign affairs and the interior will be meeting on August 27th to iron out what Pipat called a new approach. Pipat cautioned that the reopening of Thailand will come with restrictions. Safety will need to be a priority and the five pronged approach with onerous restrictions will ensure that.

Plans being considered seem to consist of tourists being confined to quarantine hotels, the first week in their rooms and the second week being confined to the hotel grounds.