Immigration update: Thailand | Automatic visa extension until 26 Sep, 2020
Thailand | Automatic visa extension has been further extended to 26 Sep, 2020
The Thai Immigration Bureau has made an announcement to extend the automatic visa extension from 31 Jul, 2020 to 26 Sep, 2020, effective immediately.
Who will be affected?
Foreigners staying in Thailand whose visas expired from 26 Mar, 2020
Background
With COVID-19 still impacting various countries, many foreigners have been stranded in Thailand with expired visas who couldn’t leave the country in time. Thailand currently has a policy to automatically extend all visas until 31 Jul, 2020, provided that the visas expired on or after 26 Mar, 2020. The Thai Immigration Bureau has further extended this policy until 26 Sep, 2020, to give foreigners more time to prepare for their departure.
It is worth mentioning that this policy is mainly intended for foreigners who are currently stranded in Thailand with expired visas due to COVID-19. Foreigners who are holding valid long-term visas and intend to stay in Thailand beyond 26 Sep, 2020, are advised to follow the normal practice to extend their visas.
Impact
Under this policy extension, below updates are to be noted.
Foreigners with expired short-term visas (e.g. tourist visa, visa on arrival and visa exemption) can continue to stay in the Kingdom until 26 Sep, 2020, without overstay penalty. If they wish to stay beyond 26 Sep, 2020 due to reasons as below, they can apply for another extension which shall be granted no more than 30 days.
a. In case of illness, bring a medical certificate to support the visa extension;
b. In case of other obstacles such as flight available or COVID-19 outbreak in home countries, obtain a supporting letter from their Embassy or Consulate.
Foreigners with expired long-term visas, if they wish to, can submit their visa extension requests to the local Immigration Office from now until 26 Sep, 2020. All types of visa extension will be effective from 27 Sep, 2020.
90-day notifications are exempted until 31 Jul, 2020, under the current automatic visa extension policy. With this policy extension, foreigners are required to submit their 90-day notifications to Immigration during 01-31 Aug, 2020. Overdue penalty will kick in after 31 Aug, 2020.
Santa Fe Analysis
COVID-19 is still spreading across much of the world and impacting global travel. Thailand has taken effective precautions to curb the spread of COVID-19, and has further extended the automatic visa extension policy to help foreigners prepare for their departure.
The Thai government has opened its borders to eligible travelers who wish to come to Thailand, including Thai work permit holders or foreigners who have gotten Labor approval to work in Thailand. If you are currently looking for support to either come to Thailand or depart from Thailand, feel free to reach out to your local Santa Fe consultant for advisory and support.
For more information or assistance please contact:
Ada Zhou
Immigration Manager – Thailand
Santa Fe Relocation
Thailand
D: +66 2742 9890 ext.146
M: +66 98 267 6975
E: Ada.Zhou@santaferelo.com
Robert Day
Group Head of Immigration Operations
Santa Fe Relocation
D: +44 7990 021125
Email: Robert.Day@santaferelo.com
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