No, the charter thing was proposed by TAT, but the plan that was actually approved by the government nixed that. Something like a couple dozen airlines have been granted approval to operate passenger flights into Bangkok. However, only embassies in 'low-risk' countries are permitted to issue visas, and this list is fairly short at the moment:
A new kind of long stay visa
- Thread starter chillyinCanada
- Start date
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OP
Wel heck. Again, hopefully that will change by the time I'm ready to go.
FYI, it looks like many more Thai embassies are now accepting applications for a 60-day tourist visa, including the one in Canada. You do need a proof of at least 23,000 CAD in your bank account for the past six months though, along with flight reservation, quarantine hotel reservation, post-quarantine hotel reservation and medical insurance, just to apply for the visa.
OP
scuba2you
Registered
Actually, the diving here in Thailand has been quite good all summer. Just my opinion, but there seems to be more reef fish and pelagic's, in the park areas anyway. There are plenty of operators open now and the local operators are all quite full on the weekends.
Phuket is opening up for the Andaman See area and there are quite a few liveaboard's of all types currently taking reservations. I think the one thing to keep in mind is that most all the boats have schedules BUT they will not go without a certain number of divers. It's best to get on boats that are at least 50% full before you make a reservation.
A couple things you really need to understand before attempting to come here on any type of visa, no matter what you read or hear, it is very difficult/complex to actually get one of these visas and arrive in Thailand. Not a single person has applied for the long term visa they have been offering, its simply too complex. Every day we hear about new schemes being proposed in the PM's weekly meetings, but to date nothing has come of anything.
The other thing to consider is that all of the tourist areas, Pattaya, Samui, Phuket, Krabi etc. are virtually ghost towns, especially through the week, it will not at all be like you might remember it, pre covid.
All that said, there is nowhere in the world I would rather be than here right now, all things considered, life is good....very good.
Phuket is opening up for the Andaman See area and there are quite a few liveaboard's of all types currently taking reservations. I think the one thing to keep in mind is that most all the boats have schedules BUT they will not go without a certain number of divers. It's best to get on boats that are at least 50% full before you make a reservation.
A couple things you really need to understand before attempting to come here on any type of visa, no matter what you read or hear, it is very difficult/complex to actually get one of these visas and arrive in Thailand. Not a single person has applied for the long term visa they have been offering, its simply too complex. Every day we hear about new schemes being proposed in the PM's weekly meetings, but to date nothing has come of anything.
The other thing to consider is that all of the tourist areas, Pattaya, Samui, Phuket, Krabi etc. are virtually ghost towns, especially through the week, it will not at all be like you might remember it, pre covid.
All that said, there is nowhere in the world I would rather be than here right now, all things considered, life is good....very good.
If you have the time then why not. I would imagine money is NOT an issue.
Good luck and looking forward to the resulting trip report.
stevenl
Contributor
Diving has been really good, with not many people around.
Someone else said Phuket is a ghost town, which is not really true. The main tourist areas are really quiet, other places like Kamala anmd Rawai are quite lively. Phuket has of course the advantage it is within easy reach from all over Thailand, so is one of the first places people think about when wanting to go for a few days away from it all. But with still severe entry restrictions, for the moment there are exclusively people visiting who are living in Thailand.
For daytrips there are no issues, but for liveaboards the choice is limited though. Many boats not running, especially the ones mainly aiming at foreigners.
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