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.

 

TTRWeekly