How to get the Covid-Visa-Extension in Thailand:

We have received our Covid visa extension!

I had already almost given up faith in an extension of our visas with the Covid extension. For a short time it even looked as if we would have to leave Thailand in a few days. But that’s the way it is with the Thai authorities. The clear rules, structures and procedures that we know and are used to in Germany simply do not exist here. Although there are certain prerequisites and “rules” to which one is oriented, the theory often differs from the implementation in reality.

But hey, we have now received our extension and can now stay another 60 days longer in Thailand. Whereby this is actually not quite right. But more on that later, otherwise I’m getting too ahead of myself. The fact is that the whole process was very annoying, exhausting and also somehow somewhat arbitrary. You sometimes get the feeling that the staff’s perception of the day is responsible for the success or failure of the visa extension and even after receiving our visas I had to smile a lot.

What is a Covid extension?

It’s best to start at the beginning. The fact that a still worldwide pandemic has restricted travel but also everyday life, and still does after 2 years, has surely been noticed by everyone. So there are also some changes in the travel regulations. Among them are also the visa regulations. At the beginning of the Corona pandemic, Marc and I already traveled to Thailand once. At that time, we actually had a multiple-entry visa with a maximum stay in Thailand of 90 days.

Afterwards, we would have had to travel to another country in order to be allowed to enter Thailand again. Due to the pandemic and the accompanying worldwide entry bans, Thailand automatically extended the visas of all tourists in Thailand at the beginning of 2020. Thus, one did not get into a so-called “overstay”, which would then result in high fines and a possible future entry ban in Thailand. Even then, the automatic visa extension was always announced shortly before the expiry of the said deadline. So you always knew only a few days or sometimes only one day before the expiration of the visa, whether it will be extended again. Thrill until the last second.

We finally went back to Germany in July. Shortly thereafter, the so-called “Covid-Extension” was introduced in Thailand. By now it was clear that the pandemic would not be forgotten after a few months. So Thailand introduced a possibility to extend the visa during the Corona pandemic. But for this you now have to submit an application for visa extension at immigration and also pay a fee of about 50€. After successfully submitting the application and paying the visa fee, you can then get a 60-day visa extension as a tourist in Thailand.

Basically, the Covid extension is a form of visa extension for tourists who entered Thailand during Corona and cannot travel to another country due to restrictions. Thus, Thailand opens the possibility for travelers to stay here longer for a fee. However, one has to reapply for this extension every 60 days. And deadlines were also set again and again, until when a covid extension would be possible. The last deadline was set for January 25, but has now been extended again until March 25. Thus, tourists can apply for a Covid extension until March 25 and then receive a 60-day visa extension.

Extension of our visas: first attempt

It is still important to know that you can apply for a Covid extension only after you have already applied for the “normal” visa extension. For example, we have the single-entry visa for Thailand and entered in early November. After 60 days — so at the end of December — we were able to extend this visa for another 30 days. Since these 30 days then also expire at the end of January, we could then still apply for the Covid extension. If we had not received the extension of the 30 days, we would not have been able to apply for the Covid extension.

For the application of the Covid extension, we had previously booked an appointment online at the immigration. So we wanted to avoid that we have to wait for hours in a queue. We also had all our documents printed and ready to fill out beforehand. It is generally not easy to find out what you really need now for the visa application and so I asked extra at the immigration itself.

“For COVID visa, please contact Phuket Immigration office in Phuket town (Monday -Friday 08.30–16.00) and you also prepare the documents as following;
1. copy of your passport
2. 1 photo (2 inches)
3. THB 1,900 For fee
4. residence notification document (TM. 30) 5. fill in application forms (TM.7, STM. 2, COVID FORM) can get all documents at the office.”

That was the answer of the immigration and so we also prepared exactly the requested documents — and even some more. When we got there right on time for our booked appointment at 09:30, we were surprised at how many people were crammed in there for the visa application, despite the expectation that there would be a big crowd. When asked and shown our appointment, we were just told curtly that we would have to stand in the very long line like everyone else and wait. So much for our appointment…

While we waited in the blazing sun without distance with many other tourists — by the way also very many without mask — we were put together again and again by the employees still more near. No chance to pay attention to distance and the disregard of the mask obligation of many other tourists was rather ignored by the police and the employees and controlled only by short announcements in between that please ALL should wear a mask. Likewise, we could observe that very many had no documents with them and still filled out all applications on site and and and.

Second and last attempt of the visa extension

After we were back home and calmed down a bit, the big question was whether we should try again the next day to extend our visas or not. Since it was only possible to apply for an extension until January 25, it was clear to us that the next day would be even more crowded than our first attempt, since this was the last possible day to apply for the visa extension. But if we don’t get an extension anymore, we would have to leave Thailand already in a few days. But since most other countries still have an entry ban or the entry conditions are associated with high costs and quarantine, we did not really have an alternative.

So we went to a copy store in the evening to have the pages of the passport printed on one page instead of the two we already had. But we also told ourselves that we would not try again if we were turned away again. Also, in order not to have to wait in line for hours again, we left Kamala at 7am, so we arrived at the office half an hour before opening time. And lo and behold, even before the opening, some people were already queuing. By far not as many as the day before but still. We have then but with queued and waited.

At quarter to 9, the first employees slowly arrived and sat down at the plastic tables. Then, however, first all families with children were preferred, which I understand quite well and also find good. The problem here, however, was that it was now only possible for families to hand in the applications and everyone else continued to stand in the queue without making any progress.

This then dragged on for another 45 minutes, because even the families who arrived at the immigration only at quarter past 9, were preferred to the other waiting and there was no further queue. Finally, however, the employees have probably noticed that they will process so today only families and also let the other waiting ahead.

Visa extension: Check!

So we then waited another hour and a half to two hours until it was finally our turn to hand in our documents. This time we had a very friendly employee in front of us, who smiled at us, looked through the documents in peace, took the money for the visa fee and finally took a photo of us with a number, with which we can pick up our passport with the visa the next day. So this time everything went smoothly. At least as far as the application itself was concerned. The organization or even the rules regarding Corona can be completely forgotten here. Also this time, there were some tourists who did not wear a mask, jostled closely past you and also the employees rather contributed to the fact that all stand close together and not that a certain distance is kept.

What I also found very strange is that there was nowhere to disinfect your hands and also no temperature checks took place. Here in Thailand, there are otherwise really everywhere disinfectants and also the temperature is controlled almost everywhere. Therefore, I would have thought that especially at the Immigration Office, where many tourists and visitors come every day, certain hygiene standards and controls take place. But the opposite is the case. The place, where probably most people come together in a very small space, does not care about distance, hygiene or rules to contain Corona. Well, that can’t be helped either. We tried to keep our distance as best we could and of course had our masks on all the time. Despite the heat.

Something again typical for Thailand: when we were waiting in line on January 25 — the last possible day to apply for the Covid extension — we were told several times over the loudspeaker that an extension of the Covid extension is now still possible until March 25. It was said that you can still apply for Covid Extension in the next 8 weeks. Hahahah, thank you! They really could have announced that a few days before. But that’s how it often is in Thailand. Only on the last day or shortly before there is an announcement that there is another extension. Typical. But since we were already in line and were there extra early, we waited and picked up our passports the next day. Of course, then nothing was going on, hardly a person was there. But no matter: we have our visa extension and can stay 60 days longer in Thailand!

Oh, almost forgot. Also a prime example of the arbitrariness of Thai immigration: I got a visa until April 3, 2022. Since my visa would have expired on February 2, it’s another 60 days from there on that I can officially stay in Thailand. With Marc, however, the visa is issued only until April 1, 2022. And this although we both entered at the same date, at the same time, applied for the first extension at the same time, both of our visas were issued until February 2 and we also applied for the extension at the same time. Although we really applied for everything absolutely at the same time and of course handed in the same documents, our visas are now different. There are only two days difference, but I think this shows perfectly how arbitrary the staff at the immigration proceed and that there are no fixed rules and structures here.

Covid-19 vaccination: also check!

Yes, a lot has happened in the last few days. Not only did we get our visa extension after a lot of hassle but now both of us have received another Corona vaccination. I have to admit honestly, I didn’t expect anymore that we will get a vaccination here in Thailand. Although there are some sites and also private hospitals that officially advertise and offer Covid-19 vaccinations, but on request or the attempt to sign up for it, it was then always said that no vaccinations are available.

So for the last few weeks I have been searching almost daily for vaccination promotions, contacting hospitals and trying to somehow get a vaccination for us. By chance I got a link from Bangkok Hospital Phuket last week, where we could buy a vaccination with Moderna and book an appointment directly. Of course, we did that immediately and so it was certain: on January 25, we will be vaccinated!

So we had to go to the hospital after we had applied for our visa and got the vaccination there without any problems. On the third floor of the Bangkok Hospital Phuket — which by the way looks more like a 5-star hotel than a hospital — there was an anteroom where we had to fill out a questionnaire about our current state of health and allergies, etc. We were given a waiting number, but we got in immediately. We were given a waiting number but got straight to it. Our data was entered into the system and then we went to the vaccination room. After a short check of the data, we were vaccinated immediately. The whole procedure took maybe 15 minutes, rather less. And poof, we were both vaccinated!

Yay! So I am now officially boostered and Marc is considered to be fully vaccinated in Germany again. Since he only got one vaccination with J&J and the rules in Germany have changed, he needed a second vaccination and I also needed another (third) vaccination, otherwise my vaccinated status would have expired soon, too. So now we are “safe” again and fully vaccinated/boostered. Yay! :-D