General Reports

[NicFrenchy]

government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January.

With the 500 reported new cases yesterday, they may rethink that one.

[YetAnotherGuy]

Your information is dated. Just yesterday in Bangkok Post, government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January. ... 10 days or 14 days, it's still too much for me. The expense for this ASQ stay plus the prison like circumstances is just too much at least for this hombre.

True, though there's a lot of pushback on the quarantine reduction proposal. I'll be surprised if they do it, though I've been surprised a lot of times, so who knows? I've been thinking the same thing about the expense, though I do really miss Thailand.

[Tomasb]

Your information is dated. Just yesterday in Bangkok Post, government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January. They already have decided to allow low risk countries (including the US) to enter Thailand with an automatic 45 days, instead of the usual visa on arrival of 30 days. This is intended to compensate for the current 14 day quarantine, which is actually 16 days because your first day at the designated ASQ hotel is considered day zero, then 14 days in Quarantine and you check out the 16th day.

It still possible to ask for a longer stay by requesting a 60 day visa, which you can extend after that expiration up to 270 days. 10 days or 14 days, it's still too much for me. The expense for this ASQ stay plus the prison like circumstances is just too much at least for this hombre.

My guess (definitely only a guess), from following Thai news, is that they'll continue to require a 14 day quarantine long into 2021, even for vaccinated tourists. There's widespread popular support in Thailand for taking this conservative approach, and they may smart to do so, since we probably won't know whether vaccinated people can transmit the disease for quite a while. That said, it might be worth suffering through a 14 day quarantine.

[YetAnotherGuy]

This is a critical point. It means that virgin countries like LOS with quarantine measures in place are going to be very reluctant to open their borders even to vaccinated travelers until a significant percentage of their own population has been inoculated. This may postpone travel to Thailand for most of 2021. I sincerely hope I am wrong.

My guess (definitely only a guess), from following Thai news, is that they'll continue to require a 14 day quarantine long into 2021, even for vaccinated tourists. There's widespread popular support in Thailand for taking this conservative approach, and they may smart to do so, since we probably won't know whether vaccinated people can transmit the disease for quite a while. That said, it might be worth suffering through a 14 day quarantine.

[EihTooms]

Which is the dumbest shit ever. I arrive at the airport and put all that information on my form. Then when I get to Pattaya, because I have a place there, I have to go down to the local immigration office within a certain time frame and fill out a form with the same information that was on the one I gave them at the airport. What is the purpose of filling the damn thing out at the airport if you have to self report or the place you are staying has to report you? Waste of paper and time.

Isn't there an app to submit the TM30 form now? When I renewed my retirement visa in May the Bangkok Immigration Officer didn't mention that form and I'd heard they stopped bothering with it. Not that they officially dropped it. Just that they stopped bothering with it for now and the near future.

That was not the case the previous year I renewed. They were going nuts hassling everyone about that form in 2019.

And even though the onus to submit the TM30 form or pay a fine is on the owner or manager of the rental unit, not on the tenant, when the Immigration Officer tells you on the day you are trying to renew your visa that your landlord fucked up, didn't submit it and you'll need to go get the 800 baht or whatever fine from him before you can renew, the solution is YOU pay that 800 baht fine right then and there so you can finish everything that day and deal with your landlord about it later.

[HorseTrader]

As I understand it neither Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines while reducing the odds do not prevent Covid infection. More relevant the data is not yet clear whether a vaccinated person who becomes infected can be a transmitter. Consequently its possible vaccines will not change requirements to quarantine. We may have to wait for herd immunity for that.

Saw some good news today related to the Moderna vaccine. Preliminary results show it's better at preventing COVID disease (94.1% but also has substantial effect on preventing COVID infection (60%-70% Results based on swab testing of vaccine test participants versus placebo test participants). Pfizer expected to produce same kind of data in about February.

[Banana Boi]

Which is the dumbest shit ever. I arrive at the airport and put all that information on my form. Then when I get to Pattaya, because I have a place there, I have to go down to the local immigration office within a certain time frame and fill out a form with the same information that was on the one I gave them at the airport. What is the purpose of filling the damn thing out at the airport if you have to self report or the place you are staying has to report you? Waste of paper and time.

What actually happens if we don't go to Jomtien to report that we have arrived back to our Pattaya condo after a 3 month visit to Japan or a 1 night visit to Bangkok? Unless a guy reads Thai Visa how do people know to even do this? Not like they explain it to us when we get our Visa, at Immigration when we arrive, or rent/buy our condo.

Agree. No idea why we fill out the Arrival Card at the airport then have to go duplicate the information in Jomtien when we arrive in Pattaya.

[IHeartIpa]

Does anyone else know? Aren't the usual "To visit friends", "To visit historic sites", "To tour the country" or "To research business opportunities" acceptable on these itineraries as they have been in the past?

A mate of mine that has done a ton of traveling gave me the advice that when filling out an immigration card for any country list "tourist" as what you're doing there and "Grand hotel" as where you're staying. Works in every country because there's always a grand hotel.

BTW I definitely do not think they will turn anyone down just because they only want to visit Pattaya.

[HorseTrader]

...As I understand it neither Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines while reducing the odds do not prevent Covid infection. More relevant the data is not yet clear whether a vaccinated person who becomes infected can be a transmitter

I understand the same thing. That bad part is vaccinated people won't know they are infected and they could become the super spreaders of late 2021.

People should understand that COVID is the disease that is caused by a certain virus. Preventing someone from getting the disease does not necessarily stop the virus. We hope it does, but at this point in time we really don’t know.

[Mr Enternational]

Hotels have a legal obligation to inform Immigration that you are staying there. Thai Immigration will always know where you are. One of the reasons Thailand is against AirBNB because an AirBNB owner is not going to go to the Immigration office to file a TM30 for someone staying at their condo for 1 day.

Which is the dumbest shit ever. I arrive at the airport and put all that information on my form. Then when I get to Pattaya, because I have a place there, I have to go down to the local immigration office within a certain time frame and fill out a form with the same information that was on the one I gave them at the airport. What is the purpose of filling the damn thing out at the airport if you have to self report or the place you are staying has to report you? Waste of paper and time.

[Franciscass]

I'm not asking about the paying for the quarantine hotel. From what I've read, you need to pre-pay for the hotels after quarantine. Do you have to give them an itinerary? I'm sure that your application would be denied if you told them that you want to spend your time in Pattaya. Not really finding any information on the process. I'm thinking that it's probably best to wait for the vaccine before traveling.

Apologizes if this seems too negative but as the mindset of the government here seems to be to take no chances it may perhaps be worth considering the following in making decisions about when you intend trying to travel.

As I understand it neither Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines while reducing the odds do not prevent Covid infection. More relevant the data is not yet clear whether a vaccinated person who becomes infected can be a transmitter. Consequently its possible vaccines will not change requirements to quarantine. We may have to wait for herd immunity for that.

For those waiting to visit hopefully this is not be how it goes, data will show vaccinated people cannot be spreaders and a certificate of vaccination will allow normal entry. Hopefully.

[Banana Boi]

Hotels have a legal obligation to inform Immigration that you are staying there. Thai Immigration will always know where you are. This even applies to a ST hotel but I'm guessing ST hotels don't do it. One of the reasons Thailand is against AirBNB because an AirBNB owner is not going to go to the Immigration office to file a TM30 for someone staying at their condo for 1 day.

There will be no issues in booking a hotel in Pattaya unless Thailand implements a provincial lockdown like it did when COVID began. Maybe just book a Bangkok hotel for 1 night the day after you are finished quarantine so you can report that as your residence after quarantine. The Form only asks where you will be staying, not for how long. It's not the worst thing in the world to stay 1 night in Bangkok. Really, it isn't.

However, all this information is irrelevant. Who knows what the rules will be when we are allowed to return to Thailand in 2022.

[Downandup]

From what I've read, you need to pre-pay for the hotels after quarantine. Do you have to give them an itinerary?

You may need to tell the authorities where you will be staying after you leave quarantine depending your visa but it is not necessary to prepay just make sure that you have hotels booked for your stay and report them but I would expect that this would be an ordinary reservation so you would not need to pay up front.

[EihTooms]

... Do you have to give them an itinerary? I'm sure that your application would be denied if you told them that you want to spend your time in Pattaya. Not really finding any information on the process. I'm thinking that it's probably best to wait for the vaccine before traveling.

I would be surprised if an application was denied because you listed a post-quarantine hotel and destination in Pattaya on an itinerary as though saying so is no different than telling them you intend to stay full time in "a brothel."

Sure, they know why many if not most single men travelers are ultimately booked in a hotel on Walking Street in Pattaya or on Sukhumvit Soi 4 in Bangkok instead of a quiet little hotel in Ayutthaya or even a hotel in On Nut. But I don't think they'll need to know in advance what you'll be up to on an hour by hour basis while you are here.

Does anyone else know? Aren't the usual "To visit friends", "To visit historic sites", "To tour the country" or "To research business opportunities" acceptable on these itineraries as they have been in the past?

[BayView]

I have not done any research on it myself but the guy I met very briefly in Nana Plaza from the USA who had just finished his 14 day quarantine on arrival in Bangkok said he stayed in the Princeton (Downtown?) Bangkok Hotel near Victory Monument and his total cost was $1,000 USD/30,000 THB, including all tests, food, whatever. He said after the first 7 days he was allowed to roam around outdoors on the hotel property, around the pool area and such, for 40 minutes per day.

I'm not asking about the paying for the quarantine hotel. From what I've read, you need to pre-pay for the hotels after quarantine. Do you have to give them an itinerary? I'm sure that your application would be denied if you told them that you want to spend your time in Pattaya. Not really finding any information on the process. I'm thinking that it's probably best to wait for the vaccine before traveling.