Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Embassy Certification pertaining to Immigration here in Thailand. So for those who are unaware, there are a number of folks who have been stranded effectively here in Thailand. I know their stories are making the rounds across the internet. A lot of foreigners are making videos and doing TikToks and all kinds of things talking about their situation here, so more power to them; they have probably got time on their hands to do that. As during COVID, we are going to continue to try to do immigration updates as and when it is necessary. That said, I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Bangkok Post, bangkokpost.com, the article titled: Thailand steps up screening of "suspicious" foreign nationals. Quoting directly: "The measures also include assistance for foreigners and able to return home due to airspace closures." 

Now as we discussed in a prior video, yeah, they were talking about stipends for so-called stranded tourists, not so-called, stranded tourists. I got a lot of emails and things on that and how that was going to play out. As we found out, it was kind of one of these things, it was sort of announced, and then I got a lot of feedback and then I went looked at more and it turns out that this stipend is basically a subsidy to the hotels and things still providing accommodation to people that have become stranded. So that was the thing to understand and sort of take away from all of that. 

Real quickly while I'm talking and I will go back to the citation here in a moment, my better half and I set up a restaurant here in downtown Bangkok, Pancake Palace, as the name implies, breakfast anytime. We also have American Diner style food including hamburgers, cheeseburgers, buffalo wings, chilli bowls, grilled cheese sandwiches; we have tacos now. So if you are interested, please feel free to come on down, we would love to see you; link is in the description below. That said and more pertinent to the specific title to this video, quoting further: "Their overstay fines are waived, allowing them to extend stays for 30 days at a time, provided they obtain Embassy Certification." What does that mean?

Okay. We saw this under COVID. Basically, what it means is you have got to go to your Embassy and get them to essentially write a letter that says yeah this person can't go back or due to the situation either while they be in transit to get back to their country, or due to the situation in our country, that's their Embassy talking to Thailand, they can't return; it's not optimal for them to return. Again, if a letter of that nature is obtained from an Embassy here in Thailand, then Thai Immigration will honour that effectively, and will continue to grant Visa status to those who are stranded. But that's the thing - and we saw this under COVID - they started requiring certain Embassy Certifications during that time too and it became increasingly difficult. In fact a lot of Governments don't want to admit that their country isn't conducive to returning home to. I mean that's just a general fact. That is not going to be something you're going to see nation states readily want to admit to, for one reason or another; ‘admit’ may be the wrong word, but ‘stipulate’. But this is where travellers are at, and as I discussed in other videos, it's probably time to start seriously looking at this overall situation with an eye toward making plans possibly even into the long-term based on the idea that maybe the things that were working the way that they were working in the past, aren't going to continue to work that way and new planning has to be done. 

I have discussed a lot of that stuff in other videos, especially with regard to making arrangements to stay here or to travel on through other routes. I urge those who are watching this video to go check out those, but that said, the thing to take away from this video is ongoing Visa waiver for those who are stranded in Thailand is going to be contingent upon Embassy Certification and providence of that Certification to Immigration here in the Kingdom of Thailand.