Time is ticking for those on amnesty visas in Thailand, September 26 due date is quickly approaching

Thailand-

The Thai Government has set a date of a current amnesty visa expiration for September 26, 2020, and so far they don’t appear to be altering from their course.

The Thai Government originally put the amnesty into effect shortly after the country closed its borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic in late March of this year. The amnesty was originally only through the end of June but was extended previously. This amnesty allowed those on tourist visas the ability to stay in the country.

September 26 is the six month date of that amnesty and it doesn’t look like, despite some rumors to the contrary, the Thai Government is going to change paths although it is still possible.

Numbers of people on the visa vary widely, at one point estimated around 450,000 but now likely below 150,000 according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The matter of the visa has been one of great debate, as the country is still closed to general foreign tourists and the situation in the tourism reliant economy has worsened due to the length of the pandemic. Many tourism and business related agencies wanted to keep those on the amnesty in the country and were supporting another extension to help boost the economy.

However, Thai Immigration officials have reportedly expressed concerns about national security as well as tackling illegal workers without work permits who for a long time used border runs, which are no longer possible, to stay in the country.

As for options to stay, unless the Thai Government announces general changes, if one is physically unable to fly home, which is still the case in some countries, they must provide a letter from their embassy to Immigration. This letter will give the amnesty holder a thirty day extension which can be renewed as long as they cannot fly home.

If one on amnesty has medical conditions that prevent them from flying they can get a certified letter from a doctor to present to Immigration to also get a renewable thirty day visa.

Of course, if one wants to convert to other types of visas there are opportunities to do this as well, although it isn’t an easy process as generally one must apply out of the country. As leaving the country means getting back in is nearly impossible due to strict border controls, many people have reportedly relied on visa agents to assist them.

This isn’t a cheap process as a visa through an agent to stay, generally reportedly volunteer visas, can cost well over 50,000 baht. These are also of debatable legality as unconfirmed reports have arisen that many would not actually be required to do volunteer work.

Meanwhile, Royal Thai Immigration officers have stated that they will be enforcing all laws from September 27, which include overstay and fines for those stuck in the country. They suggested earlier this month that individuals with financial difficulty contact their embassy for assistance rather then risk overstay.

For now, the deadline ticks ever closer as many wonder what they will do.

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/