COVID Visa Extensions until Mar 25, all other visas roll back to pre-COVID times

An officer responding through Phuket Immigratration official Facebook page, who declined to be named, confirmed the news by providing a copy of an official order issued by national Immigration Chief Pol Lt Gen Pakpoomphiphat Satchaphan on Monday (Jan 24).

The order instructed all Immirgation officers to “increase the rigor in considering granting visa extensions for foreigners to prevent illegal stay and prevent further infiltration for other criminal offenses.”

Under the order, all foreigners staying in the country on tourist visas extended through the “COVID Visa extension” scheme may continue to have their stay extended through to Mar 25.

However, foreigners staying in the country on a Non-Immigrant Visa, including “Non-Imm O” (Ordinary), Non-Imm B (Business), Non-Imm Ed (Education), will no longer be able to automatically extend their stay in Thailand.

When their current permit-to-stay (which Immigration calls its “visas”), the foreigners must either leave the country or apply to their local Immigration Office for special permission to continue to stay in Thailand, the order confirms.

“In the case of foreigners who enter the Thai Kingdom with a Visa on Arrival, they will not be able to apply for a temporary stay in the Thai Kingdom according to this letter. They cannot request to change the type of visa as well, in accordance with the Immigration Letter No. 0029.161/Vor 3808 dated Dec 9, 2021, regarding guidelines for compliance with immigration law,” the order noted.

“In the case of aliens entering the Kingdom by having been inspected and stamped Tourist (TR) if wishing to stay in the Kingdom temporarily to submit an application to temporarily stay in the Kingdom According to the necessity reason in Article 2.4 first, if still unable to travel back out of the Kingdom, then can apply for a temporary stay in the Kingdom according to this letter,” the order confirmed

“In the case of aliens entering the Kingdom by receiving a type of visa temporary (Non-Immigrant Visa) cannot request to stay in the Kingdom temporarily according to this letter. If wishing to temporarily stay in the Kingdom [they are] to proceed in accordance with the Order No. 327/2557 Re: Criteria and Conditions for Considering the Case of an Alien Applying for a Temporary Stay in the Kingdom, dated June 30, 2014 and amended, and Immigration Order No. 134/ 2014 Re: List of Documents Supporting Consideration in Case of Aliens Applying to Stay in the Kingdom for a Temporary Stay dated 7 July 2014 and its amendments,” the order added ‒ in essence rolling back the requirements for extensions to permit to stay to pre-COVID years.

Immigration officers were ordered to have complete records and reasons for requesting to stay in the Kingdom recorded in the information system. “If a defect is found, it [the Immigration Bureau] will decisively consider taking action on those involved in both administrative and disciplinary action,” the order warned.

The order further instructed Immigration officers to: “Publicize to foreigners that once this permit is due, they must leave the Kingdom or submit an application to stay for reasons of other necessity if they have all the qualifications according to the Order No. 327/2014, subject: criteria and conditions for considering foreigners applying to stay in the Kingdom temporarily.”