General Reports

[QUOTE=Franciscass;2431890]Whatever one feels about the possibility of contracting the virus and even if contracting it the likelihood of it being serious there is no denying the effect whether voluntary or forced it has on the lives of people.

Going forward the big news will be out of the US where the response has been criminally slow

So good news for us ex-pats I guess even if sadly it's not for the best of reasons.[/QUOTE]One of my favorite girls went back to Isan. Said she is too worried about the virus to work now. Another Thermae favorite is also scared but continues to work, but I don't know for how much longer.

The guy at the desk at the gym I go to said he could get my visa extension from the immigration office for me and save me the trip. I paid him 2700 baht yesterday. Gave him my passport and photo. I got it back today. I wasnt aware things could be done this way.

[QUOTE=Horatio;2432993]The guy at the desk at the gym I go to said he could get my visa extension from the immigration office for me and save me the trip. I paid him 2700 baht yesterday. Gave him my passport and photo. I got it back today. I wasnt aware things could be done this way.[/QUOTE]Shouldn't be and for a mere 800 baht (2700-1900) very good value to avoid the hassle of hanging around immigration.

[QUOTE=Horatio;2432993]The guy at the desk at the gym I go to said he could get my visa extension from the immigration office for me and save me the trip. I paid him 2700 baht yesterday. Gave him my passport and photo. I got it back today. I wasnt aware things could be done this way.[/QUOTE]Too cheap and too quick IMO. Over here in Pat 12 k for the extension + Multiple entry. Plus (new since last year) a quick visit to the contact at immigration for a pic. Agency gave me the immigration receipts in case police question the validity.

Why didn't you post in the "Retirement visa" thread?

Regarding the corona hysteria, 2 links to put things into perspective:

https://www.medscape.com/answers/219557-3459/what-is-the-global-incidence-of-influenza

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-05/24/content_25442984.htm

So yearly between 300 000 and 600 000 influenza deaths worldwide and 260 000 road deaths in China (not to mention the wounded since the coronavirus leaves no wounded).

[QUOTE=Horatio;2432993]The guy at the desk at the gym I go to said he could get my visa extension from the immigration office for me and save me the trip. I paid him 2700 baht yesterday. Gave him my passport and photo. I got it back today. I wasnt aware things could be done this way.[/QUOTE]"Gave him my passport and photo. " I suppose this is how "identy fraud" can start; better be carefull with who you give your passport to.

[QUOTE=Horatio;2432993]The guy at the desk at the gym I go to said he could get my visa extension from the immigration office for me and save me the trip. I paid him 2700 baht yesterday. Gave him my passport and photo. I got it back today. I wasnt aware things could be done this way.[/QUOTE]Yeah. It costs 1900 baht. Doesn't matter who goes there to do it. Easy 800 baht for him.

[QUOTE=Horatio;2432993]The guy at the desk at the gym I go to said he could get my visa extension from the immigration office for me and save me the trip. I paid him 2700 baht yesterday. Gave him my passport and photo. I got it back today. I wasnt aware things could be done this way.[/QUOTE]There's lots of tourist / travel places that offer the service to go deal with getting your visa extension for you. Its usually more convenient to just let someone else take care of it for you, but you can always go to the immigration office and do it yourself if you care about saving like 500 baht or so in exchange for a few hours of time, effort, and travel.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2433078]Yeah. It costs 1900 baht. Doesn't matter who goes there to do it. Easy 800 baht for him.[/QUOTE]That's a fair price, I think. In Bangkok, I'd happily pay 800 baht to avoid wasting 6-7 h at Chaengwattana. Just the taxi there and back would cost 300-400.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2433078]Yeah. It costs 1900 baht. Doesn't matter who goes there to do it. Easy 800 baht for him.[/QUOTE]I talked to a guy who had been in Thailand for years and got his visa renewed under the table ignoring any and all restrictions. Your dealing with a corrupt country after all.

BTW Mr. Enternational, did you used to be an airline pilot?

[QUOTE]Visa on Arrival (VoA) will be suspended for nationals of all 19 countries and territories previously eligible, including Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Malta, Mexico, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, and Vanuatu, according to a list provided to reporters by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Visa exemptions will be canceled for South Korea, Italy and Hong Kong[/QUOTE]Take note if you are from one of the affected 22 countries.

[QUOTE]all foreign tourists arriving at all international airports in Thailand will be required to download an AOT Airports application onto their mobile phones

Once the app is downloaded, they will have to fill in the required information - name, surname, passport ID , mobile phone number, e-mail address and present them to the immigration officials on duty . The information will be stored for 14 days after arrival.[/QUOTE]Download the App if you're going to Thailand.

[QUOTE=Horatio;2432993]The guy at the desk at the gym I go to said he could get my visa extension from the immigration office for me and save me the trip. I paid him 2700 baht yesterday. Gave him my passport and photo. I got it back today. I wasnt aware things could be done this way.[/QUOTE]Just a word of caution on using a broker. I don't know if it's legit to use one to extend a retirement visa but I was under the impression you had to do this in person. If not then no worries. However is there is any hanky panky going on!!

15 years or so ago before I got my retirement visa I used a broker who when he had collected enough passports got the train to the Malaysian border and had all the passports stamped as going in and out of the country so a new visa for 2 months with another month extension at immigration I. E 3 months till the need to do it again.

All good until a guy called Hambali with links to al Qaeda was nicked with a passport that had taken advantage of this "short cut". What followed was a certain amount of chaotic confusion where anybody who had a stamp from a certain official at the border was unsure what to do and whether they were likely to be questioned about how they got it.

Passports were suddenly lost, stolen, misplaced chewed by the dog or maybe the buffalo and embassies never had so many submissions for new passports.

I never found out if the panic was actually justified but I now pretty much follow the letter of the law when it comes to immigration which for extension of retirement visa plus a reentry permit basically takes me a day at Chang Wattana. If I could use a broker and pay him or her 800 knowing it is perfectly legit I would do so in a heartbeat.

So does anybody know for sure I. E. 100% if one can use a broker and avoid the hassle of going in person.

[QUOTE=BananaBoi;2433301]Take note if you are from one of the affected 22 countries.

Download the App if you're going to Thailand.[/QUOTE]US citizen here. Just flew from Ho Chi Minh to BKK yesterday. It took all of 15 minutes to clear customs. Plane was 3/4 full but no line at customs. No one checked my temp. No one asked me where I've been. No forms or apps to download. No one even asked me a question. So must not be up and running yet? My luck I was seated next to an Italian couple on the plane. Not sure if they had a problem at customs.

I am feeling perfect but have decided to self quarantine for 72 hours just to be on the safe side. I'm in an apartment near Soi 13. May go back to Nha Trang Vietnam and wait all of this out. Paradise there and didn't want to leave but Visa expired. Just use common sense. BTW I don't wear a flimsy paper mask. Observed all the people wearing masks on the train from the airport and noticed all of them fiddling with their masks multiple times. And that's exactly what you don't want to do. Putting your hands near your mouth!

Hi.

Is this true, some currency exchange boots in Thailand are temporarily suspending it's currency exchange service as a preventive measure against the spread of Convid-19?

Not great news for those of us still planning to visit in the spring of the year of the Corona. I don't know how the Thai Government expects to enforce this eddict. From what I hear their downloadable Visitor Reporting App doesn't work. So I assume visitors from countries with on going local transmissions like the USA, UK, France ect will just fill out Form T8 and that's that ie do what you like, go where you want to go without reporting back.

In any case, I now rate the odds of my flight being cancelled at 50%. Sometimes you can't fight the system and it is useless to try. So if my flight is cancelled, I will rebook for late August after this Wuhan Virus is gone or rather after the worldwide panic subsides.

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;2433730]Not great news for those of us still planning to visit in the spring of the year of the Corona. I don't know how the Thai Government expects to enforce this eddict. From what I hear their downloadable Visitor Reporting App doesn't work. So I assume visitors from countries with on going local transmissions like the USA, UK, France ect will just fill out Form T8 and that's that ie do what you like, go where you want to go without reporting back.

In any case, I now rate the odds of my flight being cancelled at 50%. Sometimes you can't fight the system and it is useless to try. So if my flight is cancelled, I will rebook for late August after this Wuhan Virus is gone or rather after the worldwide panic subsides.[/QUOTE]Asiana Airlines canceled my flight to Bangkok. After 15+ calls, I finally reached Asiana reservation and they found me another flight carrier (Thai Airways) within their Star Alliance program.

Tried to attached copy of T8 form, but it exceed size limit.

TC.