Visa relief for foreigners until 26 September 2020

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Thailand extends visa relief for foreigners until 26 September 2020

Thai Visa Amnesty Extension until September 2020

The automatic Thailand visa extension / Thai visa amnesty which was due to expire on July 31 is extended until September 26, 2020. It allows foreigners to stay in Thailand without having to extend visas at an Immigration office. This applies to all foreigners whose visas did not expire before March 26.

The automatic visa extension is already published in the Royal Gazette and came into power from August 1, 2020.

Thai Visa Amnesty

Thailand has already granted foreigners automatic visa extensions on two occasions so far. Thai immigration estimates that between 250,000 and 300,000 foreigners reside in the country due to the visa amnesty following the first extension confirmed on March 26.

The automatic Thailand visa extension / Thai visa amnesty which was due to expire on July 31 is extended until September 26, 2020. It allows foreigners to stay in Thailand without having to extend visas at an Immigration office. This applies to all foreigners whose visas did not expire before March 26.

Thai Visa Amnesty Extension

According to the officials, the extension of Thai visa amnesty would give foreigners sufficient time to extend their Thailand visas or organize their return to their home country as Thailand eases restrictions in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Foreigners whose visas expired after March 26, 2020, will not be charged 500 baht per day for overstaying. However, if they will not get an extension and will still be in the country after September 26, they risk legal actions and being blocklisted. Thai immigration urged foreigners to contact their offices as soon as possible to prepare their next moves and avoid overcrowding as the September 26 deadline approaches. The granting of a short-stay visa will be done on a case-by-case basis.

Currently, the only international flights allowed to serve Thailand are repatriation flights and flights reserved for specific groups of travelers. Getting on one of these flights most probably will be needed for leaving the country as commercial international flights are unlikely to resume until October, based on recent comments from the Thai Civil Aviation Authority.