News Forum - So long, farewell to Thailand’s Certificate of Entry – November 1

[JamesR]

On 10/14/2021 at 9:03 AM, I.LUV.BKK said:

And also not forgetting the expensive health and covid 19 insurance to be purchased in order to apply for Special Tourist Visa extension. I have checked with AXA and they have quoted me with a 28K baht yearly premium! 

That is a pretty good price, I had one last year and it covered me for 7.5 million pounds and free repatriation back to the UK if needed.

Are you trying to say you normally travel with no insurance?

That is risky, I had to use mine in Phuket last year and I saved myself £4000 in hospital costs as the insurance company paid. 

 

[poohy]

5 hours ago, Bob20 said:

5 hours ago, Grumpyoldman said:

NOTE TO CCSA:

Things that will likely stop mass tourism:

Any requirement to stay in a quarantine hotel even 1 night.

Any formality to submit paperwork before arrival.

The policy of imprisonment if tested positive.

A PCR test on arrival having already tested negative prior to departure.

No nightlife open. No alcohol.

Any curfew.

Expand  

Note to CCSA, please keep all the above for now until more people have been vaccinated.

Thank you.

I agree 100% with both posters

Country Opening is due to sheer panic NOT planning

there is a desperate need for QUICK EFFECTIVE* vaccines   *not your ali baba specials, but that

• costs money
• is near impossible short term because of  inadequate ordering planning poor governance

 

[Tanuki]

Not trying to stray to far off the O/P but..

... Reading the above posts mentioning the mandatory Covid insurance needed to gain entry, is this not yet another major hurdle towards folk not booking to return..?

Yes it looks great on paper when a country demands all visitors to have Covid-health insurance... Not so great when it means for so many who, before leaving their own countries have to be covered by specialist heath cover for their individual ailments...

Thus meaning, like my good self, if I want to come to Thailand I need to purchase full UK-based heath insurance that also covers my heart condition.. Then the Thais require me to buy another full policy with Covid cover included.. AXA want 7600+b for 90 days, (~£169), plus my UK policy (£200), then add on Thai PCR tests, and the figure is climbing way up.  Time for them to accept (as every other country still does) Insurance bought by the traveller in their own country with Covid cover.   (did I hear a mention of brown envelopes ..?).

[Faz]

18 minutes ago, Tanuki said:

Thus meaning, like my good self, if I want to come to Thailand I need to purchase full UK-based heath insurance that also covers my heart condition..

Health Insurance is only mandatory if entering on a Non Imm O-X / O-A / STV visas, otherwise it's completely voluntary.

[Faz]

On 10/14/2021 at 4:31 PM, Soidog said:

A few days ago I posted this:

I’m going to stick my neck out and predict the following:

FIrst - CCSA will maybe move it to at least November 15th  

Second - foreigners will still have to stay at an SHA+ hotel. At least until the result of the first Covid test is available 2 or 3 nights. 
 

Third - Preflight PCR and on arrival still required. 
 

Fourth - COVID insurance still required. 
 

Fifith - In order to check the above. COE still required. 

1. After announcing 1st November, to much loss of face to move it to the 15th.

2. SHA+ 1 night until PCR (negative) test result received.

3. Agreed.

4. Agreed.

5. Thailand Pass - I'd guess at an App you can download your docs to.

The above only applicable to those fully vaccinated arriving from 5 3 Countries, namely UK, USA and Singapore.

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, Faz said:

1. After announcing 1st November, to much loss of face to move it to the 15th.

2. SHA+ 1 night until PCR (negative) test result received.

3. Agreed.

4. Agreed.

5. Thailand Pass - I'd guess at an App you can download your docs to.

The above only applicable to those fully vaccinated arriving from 5 3 Countries, namely UK, USA and Singapore.

Be interesting to see what happens mate. I’m sticking with item 1. What happens if they can’t get the system up and running? They may delay it? Equally they’ve delayed most countries until December 1st. So it’s at least a half win
 

And 5 I’m claiming a goal. Thailand pass is just another name for COE. I’m defo claiming 4.5 out of 5

[Saltire]

So 2 weeks to design, build, test and impliment a new secure (!) entry sytstem?

Easy peasy!

Note - skipping the testing phase could save a month. Oh wait .................

 

 

[JamesR]

1 hour ago, Saltire said:

So 2 weeks to design, build, test and impliment a new secure (!) entry sytstem?

Easy peasy!

Note - skipping the testing phase could save a month. Oh wait .................

Speaking as a software engineer, if they are starting this project now then there is absolutely no chance this app will be working in time, it would take a team of people months to complete.

Yep, as you say it is not ready until it is tested, maybe their plan is to skip the module, system, alpha and beta testing and go straight to beta+ where they let us all use the system and let them know when it fails via error reports.

Unless of course they have been writing and testing this system for months and they are just announcing the replacement of the old system now?

[Saltire]

1 hour ago, JamesR said:

Unless of course they have been writing and testing this system for months and they are just announcing the replacement of the old system now?

You are a real optimist lol.

As a retired IT Manager of 30+ years, coudn't agree more with your post.

Just glad I don't have an IT job here, can you imagine the daily frustrations?

Testing? What testing?

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by Saltire

[Faz]

10 hours ago, Soidog said:

And 5 I’m claiming a goal. Thailand pass is just another name for COE. I’m defo claiming 4.5 out of 5

The new 'Thailand Pass' isn't the same as the 'COE', the PM stated so. 

You know the old proverb; When is a door not a door...when it's ajar.  

Equaliser mate!

[Faz]

8 hours ago, JamesR said:

Speaking as a software engineer, if they are starting this project now then there is absolutely no chance this app will be working in time, it would take a team of people months to complete.

7 hours ago, Saltire said:

You are a real optimist lol.

In 2015, the Thai government launched an online server to process 90 Day Reporting for long stay foreigners in Thailand to confirm their address every 90 days. The designers must have misunderstood, believing it only had to work for 90 days of the year -  I'm a pessimist. 

 

[JamesR]

1 hour ago, Faz said:

In 2015, the Thai government launched an online server to process 90 Day Reporting for long stay foreigners in Thailand to confirm their address every 90 days. The designers must have misunderstood, believing it only had to work for 90 days of the year -  I'm a pessimist. 

[JamesR]

On 10/16/2021 at 11:26 AM, Saltire said:

You are a real optimist lol.

As a retired IT Manager of 30+ years, coudn't agree more with your post.

Just glad I don't have an IT job here, can you imagine the daily frustrations?

Testing? What testing?

I agree with you, I am retired after 41 of software engineering.

I worked freelance in the UK, Germany, Denmark and other northern European countries plus the USA and we worked in a logical way, I would hate to have to work in Thailand in such a job.

I do write apps though here in the UK and when I am in Thailand as I use Apple's development system on my MacBook Pro which includes coding, testing, delivery and production and sales so I can work completely independently which is great, no team meetings, no one department blaming the other for lated delivery etc.

So I can holiday there for six months a year but still 'work', Thailand is a great place for that type of life. 

 

[JamesR]

17 hours ago, Faz said:

The new 'Thailand Pass' isn't the same as the 'COE', the PM stated so. 

You know the old proverb; When is a door not a door...when it's ajar.  

Equaliser mate!

When is a woman not a woman....... when she is angry! 

[Alavan]

COE must be asked not more than 30 days and not less than 15 before travelling date.
Today is October 17th, plus 15 days...

[JamesR]

35 minutes ago, Alavan said:

COE must be asked not more than 30 days and not less than 15 before travelling date.
Today is October 17th, plus 15 days...

I am going to leave it for a month or six weeks, it might all be clearer then.

[Benroon]

On 10/17/2021 at 4:59 PM, Alavan said:

COE must be asked not more than 30 days and not less than 15 before travelling date.
Today is October 17th, plus 15 days...

But COE is going and the timescales for the Thailand Pas are massively reduced (allegedly) - so how is your post relevant ?

[Benroon]

There is a cabinet meeting on Thursday to confirm the 'blue zone' arrangement  - should all be clearer then 

[Alavan]

6 minutes ago, Benroon said:

But COE is going and the timescales for the Thailand Pas are massively reduced (allegedly) - so how is your post relevant ?

It is relevant to those arriving in Thailand in the first half of November.

[Benroon]

1 hour ago, Alavan said:

It is relevant to those arriving in Thailand in the first half of November.

Understand (Which is me) but there is time to wait to see what is happening. There’s no way given what is proposed I’m going through the pain of COE. Else you’re throwing money away IMO.

Thailand Pass is supposedly 1-3 days for clearance. 

 

 

[JamesR]

6 minutes ago, Benroon said:

Understand (Which is me) but there is time to wait to see what is happening. There’s no way given what is proposed I’m going through the pain of COE. Else you’re throwing money away IMO.

Thailand Pass is supposedly 1-3 days for clearance. 

 

I am going to leave it for a while, if it all opens up and it is easy for tourists to get into Thailand without having to mess around for days doing paperwork then hoards might flock in, that is when the problems will happen.

There will be a surge in Thai's becoming infected in the tourist areas, when they visit home to their villages and towns they will take it with them.

A recent survey from a Thai university said over 60% of Thais do not want mass tourism to start again, if tourism does open up and the virus spreads like wildfire I would not like to be a farang in Thailand as the farangs living in Thailand would be blamed alongside tourists. 

 

[Benroon]

5 hours ago, JamesR said:

I am going to leave it for a while, if it all opens up and it is easy for tourists to get into Thailand without having to mess around for days doing paperwork then hoards might flock in, that is when the problems will happen.

There will be a surge in Thai's becoming infected in the tourist areas, when they visit home to their villages and towns they will take it with them.

A recent survey from a Thai university said over 60% of Thais do not want mass tourism to start again, if tourism does open up and the virus spreads like wildfire I would not like to be a farang in Thailand as the farangs living in Thailand would be blamed alongside tourists. 

I personally don't think the surge will happen, sure you will have a hard core of sexpests biting at the bit, but most other people will already have booked their winter holidays. They simply won't have that much flexibility from their employers. We shall see

I'm interested where the 60% are from, without a demographic explanation its pretty meaningless, ask any mid/major town and I would be surprised if it was 6% let alone 60%, however go out into the country and its probably 96%, but they don't bring the cash in which Thailand needs to move forward. I'm not saying they're wrong, the health of the nation should probably come before the wealth, but that survey and figure from it, is meaningless IMO.

[Marc26]

10 minutes ago, Benroon said:

I personally don't think the surge will happen, sure you will have a hard core of sexpests biting at the bit, but most other people will already have booked their winter holidays. They simply won't have that much flexibility from their employers. We shall see

I'm interested where the 60% are from, without a demographic explanation its pretty meaningless, ask any mid/major town and I would be surprised if it was 6% let alone 60%, however go out into the country and its probably 96%, but they don't bring the cash in which Thailand needs to move forward. I'm not saying they're wrong, the health of the nation should probably come before the wealth, but that survey and figure from it, is meaningless IMO.

Every Thai we know here in Vancouver(a decent amount) are chomping at the bit to go for next year's Songkran

To the point, the boss of 4 Thai restaurant locations may need to close his restaurants for a few weeks

 

They all plan on going back, they have been away this whole time during covid

 

Many families like ours are looking to go back after 2 years away

 

So it is not just the "hard core sexpests"

 

 

[Benroon]

5 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

Every Thai we know here in Vancouver(a decent amount) are chomping at the bit to go for next year's Songkran

To the point, the boss of 4 Thai restaurant locations may need to close his restaurants for a few weeks

They all plan on going back, they have been away this whole time during covid

Many families like ours are looking to go back after 2 years away

So it is not just the "hard core sexpests"

OK by surge I assumed you would be talking hundreds of thousands (or is it millions?) ie the usual influx at this time of year, how many are there in Vancouver ? The vast vast majority will be tourists not returning locals, and I can't see them coming, this year anyway.

 

[Marc26]

14 minutes ago, Benroon said:

OK by surge I assumed you would be talking hundreds of thousands (or is it millions?) ie the usual influx at this time of year, how many are there in Vancouver ? The vast vast majority will be tourists not returning locals, and I can't see them coming, this year anyway.

I was countering the notion that it is just sexpests looking to return

There are a lot of people that have been away that are really looking at heading back to Thailand in 2022

 

I do agree there won't be a huge surge

We are planning for April/May and I fully expect to be able to get very good prices on a villa/house rental because I don't see it being that busy yet