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Thailand extends visa amnesty

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BANGKOK, 23 July 2020: The Thai government confirmed Tuesday that it would extend the visa amnesty for foreigners in Thailand beyond the 31 July deadline to 26 September.

Earlier news reports suggested foreigners would be given a grace period until 26 September to get their visa status up-dated or renewed without facing hefty penalties for overstaying.

However, the government spokesperson, Traisuree Taisaranakul, confirmed Tuesday that the amnesty would be extended for the third time through to 26 September.

Thousands of foreigners were stranded in Thailand when the country went into lockdown in mid-March. Many of them needed to renew visas and due social distances rules and other Covid-19 measures, the country’s Immigration Bureau introduced an amnesty concession.

The latest extension means that foreigners on long-stay visas who need to comply with the 90-days reporting rule are also exempt until 26 September.

Officials said it would give foreigners amply time to extend their visas in Thailand or arrange for their travel back to their home countries.

The extension will become law as soon as it is published in the Royal Gazette possibly later this week.

At present, the only international flights allowed to serve Thailand are for repatriation purposes and for specific groups of travellers only. Commercial international flights will probably not resume until October based on the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand’s recent comments.

7 COMMENTS

    • Based on what you are saying you have a valid visa that runs until June 2021. You need to routinely report to immigration every 90 days. But if you have doubts then better to run it past your nearest immigration office to be on the safe side.

  1. if commercial flights do not begin till October 2020 How does one get a flight & leave before September 26th. I have been stranded here since January. Consulate arranged flights home for stranded travellers at extremely inflated price. I arrived here for a vacation 21 days air fare was $690 return. Were offered flights home arranged by our consulate $6080 one way. They were complaining that the plane was half empty, figure that out, they were calling it a emergency flight. Even we get flights we then have to do 14 days in a chosen hotel at our cost. I paid for 2 extra flights home since January as i have to return to work,to find out they were all cancelled due to border restrictions due to the virus, still cant get a flight guaranteed. All the airlines will take your money but will not gurantee flight times. We all are not going to get out by September 26th. Thai Government hopefully will extend further I hope.

  2. Not sure the extension applies to foreigners on non-immigrant visas e.g. those working in the Kingdom. I did my 90 days reporting this morning in Nonthaburi province and no one said I didn’t need to because of amnesty.

  3. Not enough words to extend my gratitude and appreciation to the Government and Kingdom of Thailand “Land of Smiles” for accomodating standed Foreigners with visa extension beyond the permissible. I, as a Canadian will be FOREVER grateful for every Thai I will meet along.. All the BEST to Thailand & Thai People. Wishing you a prompt financial and economic recovery. With so much LOVE.

  4. Good news. Just as I stated in my reply to the previous story mulling the extension of the amnesty, 90-day reporting continues to be suspended and this amnesty allows foreign residents to legalize their status. Meanwhile tourists have 2 more months to organize flights home. If they still can’t return by the new deadline, it is likely they will be permitted to stay another 30 days but need paperwork to prove they can’t leave.

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