Foreign workers with valid work permit and those who have been granted permission to work in the kingdom will be allowed entry on a case by case basis, said Mr. Natapanu Nopakun at the daily CCSA briefing on Friday, May 29.
“Right now the priority of Thailand is to repatriate our own nation as is with the policy of other countries,” Nopakun said.
CCSA stands for Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. It provides daily English updates on COVID-19 in Thailand. Nopakun is the Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Director General of the Department of Information.
Thailand has closed all its borders in an effort to contain the spead of COVID-19.
However there are developments and discussion in eventually relaxing the measures which include allowing non Thai nationals with valid work permit and those who have been granted permission to work in the kingdom, he added.
More than 300 OFWs working in Thailand are currently stranded in the Philippines because of flight bans and travel restrictions both by the Philippine and Thai governments. One of them contacted PinoyThaiyo to ask for advice.
If you are a foreign worker stranded outside Thailand, you may do the following.
- Contact the Thai embassy or Consulate General in the country of department to apply for a certificate of entry to the kingdom at least 10 days before your intended departure.
- Applicants must present 1) a copy of a valid Work Permit and permission letter from a government agency such as the Ministry of Labor; and, 2) a valid health insurance policy with at least 100,000.00 USD coverage.
Applications will be forwarded by the Embassy or Consulate General to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) which will then consider the application in consultation with the Board of Investment and Ministry of Labor. Urgency and economic importance will be factored in.
If approved, the MFA will instruct the Embassy or Consulate General to issue certificate of entry and appropriate visa.
At the port of embarkation, you will present your certificate of entry, fit to fly and health insurance. When you arrive in Thailand, you will undergo a 14-day state quarantine at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facility at your own expense. You must also comply in all preventive measures by the government.
Meanwhile, Nopakun is asking only those with urgent needs to submit applications.
Below is the contact details of the Royal Thai Embassy in Manila.
Royal Thai Embassy in Manila
107 Thailand (Rada) Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila
Tel. (632) 8815-4219-20
Fax. (632) 8881-4221
Hotline numbers
1. (639) 178063977
2. (639) 178058863
Photo: Pattaya Mail