A few notes on the waiver of fees for tourist visas:

this is a tactic which Thailand has used to make it less expensive (it's obviously not easier) to obtain a real tourist visa.

the "authorities" have periodically waived visa fees, at various times over the past 10 years or so.

the current waiver period was just recently extended until 31 August 2017.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30306884

given the claimed "success" of this program it is easy to imagine it being extended yet again, but the "government" is a bit desperate for cash so suspect it might not be a given.

not every embassy is obliged to follow these guidelines; and any embassy is free to tack on an "administrative" fee as it sees fit.

some/many/most consuls, especially honorary ones, do not have to follow these guidelines, as this is their only form of income to cover expenses.

the OP's GF may be able to get a visa in Bulgaria for zero cost, but to me it looks like the cost is 30 Euros in France during this "waiver" period. See the notice from the Thai Embassy in France which I posted in post #5.

most Thai single- and double-entry (30 or 60 day) tourist visas I have ever seen have to be used within 90 days of issuance.