Additional Conditions for Entering the Kingdom, Visa Regulations & Extension-of-Stay

Additional Conditions for Entering the Kingdom, Visa Regulations & Extension-of-Stay

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1). Additional Conditions for Allowing Aircraft to Fly in and out of Thailand

On August 3, 2020, The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (“CAAT”) had made an additional announcement regarding Conditions for Allowing Aircraft to Fly in and out of Thailand (No.3). The new announcement includes new category of persons that will be allowed to enter Thailand, these include the following:

  • Aliens with Thai residence certificate, including their spouse and children;
  • Non-Thai nationals with a work permit, including their spouse and children;
  • Foreign workers whose employers or agents were granted permission by the Thai government to bring foreign workers to temporarily work and stay in Thailand;
  • Non-Thai nationals under a special arrangement between the Thai government and foreign countries;
  • Special individuals or groups under the recommendation of the ad hoc committee and approved by the Prime Minister.

Nonetheless, all persons entering Thailand must still comply with COVID-19 Public Health Countermeasure’s Regulations and shall be subject to a 14-day state required quarantine or alternative state quarantine (ASQ) at their own expenses.

2). Visa Regulations & Extension-of-Stay

The Thai Immigration Bureau had also made an announcement regarding Thailand’s visa regulations and condition for extension-of-stay for visa holders during COVID-19 Public Health Countermeasure, they are as listed below.

A). For Short-Term Visa

This includes Tourist Visa (TR), Transit Visa (TS), Visa-on-Arrival (VOA) and those with Visa exemptions. Those holding the visa types as listed must prepare to depart Thailand no later than September 26, 2020. With this being said, those with the following reasons will be eligible to apply for a 30-day extension-of-stay per permission:

  • Those suffering from illnesses – A valid medical certificate must be provided to a local immigration office;
  • Other reasons such as: no available departing flights or destination country undergoing outbreak restriction/containment protocol – A letter of confirmation from an embassy or consulate must be provided to a local immigration office.

B). For Long-Term Visa

Holders of long-term visa must submit an application for visa extension in accordance to their respective visa types. The application for visa extension may be submitted from now until September 26, 2020 (last day). The extension will be effective from September 27, 2020 onwards.

C). Notification of Residence

House owners, heads of household, landlords or managers of hotels (e.g. Airbnb, B&B and hostel) that accommodate foreign nationals on a temporary basis must notify the local immigration authorities within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the foreign national.

Moreover, any foreign nationals who have been granted the temporary permission to stay in Thailand on long term non-immigrant visa must notify his/her residence to the immigration officer every 90 days. Foreign nationals under this category with a notification deadline falling between March 26, 2020 – July 31, 2020 must notify the immigration officer no later than August 31, 2020.

 

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Extension-of-Stay and Special Tourist Visa for Foreigners

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On September 30, 2020, the Ministry of Interior (“MOI”) had made two announcements in relation to permitting foreign nationals to remain in Thailand under special circumstances. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, MOI will be permitting an extension-of-stay, as well as, granting Special Tourist Visa (“STV”) to foreigners.

1). Extension-of-Stay

Foreigner who has entered into Thailand under Section 35 of the Thai Immigration Act, B.E. 2522 (“IA”) and has been allowed to stay in Thailand on a temporary basis under Section 37(5) of the same (e.g. tourism, education or business purposes etc.) shall be allowed to remain in Thailand until October 31, 2020.

Furthermore, foreigner under this criterion whose residence report (i.e. the requirement to notify his/her residence to the immigration officer for every 90 days) has been overdue is now allowed to make such report to the immigration officer by October 31, 2020 without any fines.  

2). Special Tourist Visa (STV)

Foreigner may also enter and stay in Thailand under the Special Tourist VISA (“STV”) scheme. The STV scheme is primarily aim toward medical tourists and those who intend to traverse the terrain of Thailand on a long-stay basis.

The STV must be applied at the Thai Embassy of the applicant’s Country-of-origin. After grant, Foreigner with STV will be eligible for a 90-day stay. After the first 90-day stay period has ended, foreigner may apply at the local immigration office (with applicable fees) for another 90-day as the first extension, and another 90-day as the second extension. Overall, foreigner will be able to remain in Thailand for a total of 270 days. Nonetheless, foreigner must remain in Thailand at all times to be eligible for the mentioned extensions.

To be eligible for STV, foreigner must meet the following requirements:

  1. Must be a foreign national who intends to stay in a long term;
  2. Must comply with Thailand’s COVID-19 public health policies and regulations;
  3. Must accept a mandatory 14-day quarantine in an Alternative Local State Quarantine (“ALSQ”) at their own personal expense;
  4. Must provide proof of payment for ALSQ;
  5. Must have a health and accident insurance policy covering the stay period with an OPD expense coverage not less that THB 40,000 and IPD expense coverage not less than THB 400,000 in total;
  6. Proof showing such foreigner’s accommodation after the 14-day quarantine, which could be one of the followings:
    • Proof of payment for an accommodation after the 14-day quarantine has ended;
    • A copy of a title deed for a condominium owned by the foreign visitor or relatives;
    • Proof of condominium or house rental;
    • Proof of down payment for buying or leasing a condominium or house.

Overall, foreign nationals are encouraged to stay up-to-date on the latest announcement to avoid any unnecessary fines and remain in compliance with the latest immigration rules. For further any assistance, please contact us at: law@ilct.co.th.  

By:

Chart Chotiphol

Counsel/Business Development

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Thailand Special Tourist VISA

Thailand Special Tourist VISA

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As an effort to restore the local tourism industry has been affected heavily by COVID-19, the Thai government is proceeding with a new tourism scheme that will allow foreign visitors to remain in Thailand for up to 270 days. This new tourism scheme is called “Special Tourist VISA”.

On September 15, 2020, the Thai Cabinet has approved a Special Tourist VISA scheme (“STV”). The STV scheme is primarily aimed toward foreign visitors with the intention to stay in Thailand on a long-term basis. The STV is expected to be announced in October 2020 and will take effect till September 2021.

Requirements

To be eligible for STV, foreign visitors must meet the following requirements:

  1. Must be a foreign national with a long-stay intention;
  2. Must comply with Thailand’s COVID-19 public health policies and regulations;
  3. Must accept a mandatory 14-day quarantine in an Alternative Local State Quarantine (“ALSQ”) at their own personal expense;  
  4. Must provide proof of payment for ALSQ;
  5. Proof showing such foreigner’s accommodation after the 14-day quarantine, which could be one of the followings:
    • Proof of payment for an accommodation after the 14-day quarantine has ended;
    • A copy of a title-deed for a condominium owned by the foreign visitor or relatives;
    • Proof of condominium or house rental;
    • Proof of down payment for buying or leasing a condominium or house.

Terms-of-Stay & Extension

Provided that the requirements are met, foreign visitors may apply for STV at their local Thai embassy.

Foreign visitors granted with STV will be eligible for 90-day stay. After the first stay period has ended, foreign visitors may apply at the local immigration office (with applicable fees) for another 90-day as the first extension, and another 90-day as the second extension. To this end, foreign visitors must remain in Thailand at all times to be eligible for the second or third extensions.

Overall, the STV scheme is mostly aimed toward medical tourists and those who intend to traverse the terrain of Thailand on a long-stay basis. While the STV scheme is not intended for the typical tourists, it is expected that the Thai government will introduce additional tourism schemes in the coming months. If you required any assistance or have further questions, please contact: law@ilct.co.th. 

By:

Chart Chotiphol

Counsel/Business Development

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