The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has caused chaos around the world, and inevitably, Pattaya and Thailand haven’t escaped the fallout. There are several tourists stuck in Pattaya and the present time as well as expats wishing to return to their home countries. Of course, this brings with it a host of visa issues, problems that would usually arise if we were living in normal circumstances.

While admittedly, it did take time to get some new procedures in place, but the Thai Immigration Department now has a strategy in place until 31 July 2020. Below are details of the latest visa information (correct at the time of writing), but we strongly suggest that you consult the Thai Immigration website and the Department for Disease Control website for the latest, most up-to-date information.

The following information was provided by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

  • Any foreigners holding residency permits will automatically be granted a one-year extension for the re-entry period. However, once the coronavirus situation has been resolved, they will be required to return within a specified period of time (to be determined).
  • Any foreigner required to do 90-day Reporting at an Immigration Department will be exempt from doing so between 1 May and 31 July 2020 which may be subject to review. Once the restrictions have been lifted, all foreigners will be required to adhere to normal visa and 90-day Reporting regulations.
  • Anyone who holds a border pass such as a “Visa on Arrival” will be permitted to stay in Thailand until the border checkpoints are re-opened. However, it should be noted that they will be required to leave Thailand within seven days of border crossing opening. Extensions may be granted at the Immigration Department, but this will be determined on a case-by-case basis and is no means guaranteed.
  • The information about the current visa situation is available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic on the Immigration Bureau website.
  • Here at Alan Bolton Property Consultants, we will do all we can to try and provide you with any assistance that we can during this difficult time. We can help you find accommodation as well as recommend visa specialists in the city who make be able to help you with your situation. However, we are not a visa specialist ourselves and would suggest consulting reputable news websites such as the TAT Newsroom. Alternatively, you could contact the TAT Contact Centre on 1672 or the Tourist Police on 1155.

This information is available in the infographics below, which was created by TAT.