As the calendar moves inexorably towards March 25, the last day of Covid-related extensions of stay, new international tourists are discovering that they cannot obtain an extra 60 days by that particular route.
Those arriving with 30 days visa exempt – mostly Brits and mainland Europeans – can later obtain a further month’s extension at Thai immigration. But this discretion will then push them past the deadline of March 25 for the Coviod-related discretion. Those landing here with a 60 days tourist visa, obtained via embassies prior to departure, are entitled to a further 30 days extension. This, again, will push them past the final date for the Covid discretion.
Separately, the immigration bureau announced last month that holders of three months’ non-immigrant visas of any kind were no longer eligible for the Covid-related discretion. Many were then given only an extension of seven days, which is in effect a notice to quit the kingdom. The justification offered for the policy was that the ongoing Covid extensions, introduced in April 2020, were designed specifically to help stranded tourists and not those visiting for other reasons such as family, study or alleged voluntary work.
Some visa agents are still advertising extravagantly that they can obtain 60 days Covid extensions to anyone until the expiry on March 25. Whilst it is true that extensions of stay are always a matter for individual immigration offices, “special cases” will not be available for a sign-up of the usual extension fee of 1,900 baht. That’s for sure.
A spokesperson for the Tourist Authority of Thailand pointed out that the Test and Go application procedure permitted only 30 days visa exempt: tourists intending to stay for more than two months needed to obtain a separate visa in advance according to his or her travel plans.
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