Foreigners can apply for visa extensions after July 31

Foreign visitors still stranded in the kingdom by the Covid-19 pandemic will be allowed to apply for an extended short stay after their visas expire on July 31, the Immigration Bureau chief said on Friday.

Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang said foreign tourists who were unable to leave Thailand would be able to apply to stay during a specified period, or they would face legal action and be blacklisted.

The application period had been tentatively scheduled for Aug 1 to Sept 26, he said, and  foreign tourists should contact the bureau as soon as possible to avoid crowding as the Sept 26 deadline approached.

Foreign visitors must specify their reasons and submit necessary documents when seeking to renew short-term visas, which will be granted for 30 days, he said.

“If they are unable to return because there are no flights or due to lockdown measures in their countries, they must submit proof. The granting of a short-stay visa will be made on a case-by-case basis,” Pol Lt Gen Sompong during a visit to Phuket, a province with a high number of stranded foreigners.

He said the IB had asked the Council of State about the proposed short stay and it had advised that the Interior Ministry should issue an announcement.

He said the Interior Ministry’s visa relief measures for foreign visitors would be submitted to the cabinet for approval next Tuesday. The bureau would later issue guidelines on how to apply for a visa extension.

He said those who planned to return to their home countries did not need to contact the IB but also had to leave Thailand by Sept 26.

He said 300.000-400,000 foreigners were stranded in the kingdom due to the lockdown.

The government earlier auto-extended their visas until July 31, but they must still inform authorities where they are staying.