Trapped Expats In Thailand Now Dumped By Their Embassies

As if things weren’t bad enough already, Bangkok embassies are now refusing their trapped expats the necessary visa extension letters.

For those expats trapped for months in Thailand and now under threat of fines and deportation as the visa amnesty ends, the last hope of an embassy letter supporting another extension of stay has now been snatched away by their own people. Both the British and USA embassies have now dumped their troubled citizens in the mire, as the letter is a mandatory requirement for trapped foreigners needing a 30-day extension of stay in order to arrange a flight home.

According to the US embassy, those facing deportation for the seeming crime of accidentally being in the wrong place at the wrong time must ‘obtain the appropriate visa for a longer stay’ – one requirement of which is an embassy letter – and those at their wits end are advised to apply directly to Thai immigration. The British embassy’s website contains a similar message which will come as absolutely no surprise to those who’ve been forced to deal with this behemoth on a previous occasion.

According to one Canadian expat in Chiang Mai, his embassy is parroting the same or a very similar message with the exception that a seven-day extension after the end of this month will also end in having to leave, whether they have anywhere to go or not. Thai immigration representatives are still of the opinion that another amnesty is very unlikely, even although it would at least demonstrate that Thai officialdom has a great deal more compassion than the trapped expats’ home country representatives.