BritTim
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Posts posted by BritTim
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If you want late night transport to Mukdahan (and are not using the Nok Air or Air Asia fly-ride tickets) then Ubon is really your best option.
Personally, because it connects perfectly with the first bus from Mukdahan to Savannakhet in the morning, I have usually taken the overnight VIP bus from Bangkok. I say this as someone who hates long distance buses.
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2 minutes ago, megapix said:
I still have one valid non-o visa in old passport that experes in 3 weeks. That means if I apply for a new one I will have two valid visas in 1 passport
If they agree to give you a new visa, they will cancel the old one first.
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3 hours ago, kdrayong said:
Thanks @BritTim
I intend to switch my current passport to a brand new and empty passport at Vientiane Airport and apply for a Non-Imm-O visa at the Thai embassy. In Thailand I'm staying on the EoS based on retirement.
My current passport needs to be renewed and therefore it needs to travel up to three months. I have dual citizenship.Should I expect any problems?
There is no Thai embassy in Thailand.
If you are planning to travel by air to Vientiane, entering on a new passport, then subsequently apply for a Non O visa at the Thai consulate in Vientiane, that should be OK.
If you are currently in Thailand on a permission to stay that was stamped into a passport that will expire in three months, then you will probably face questioning. Allow extra time to explain to the airline at check in and to Thai Immigration that you will not be using that passport to enter Laos. Laos requires a passport with at least six months remaining validity for entry.
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On 11/7/2023 at 11:30 AM, bangkok blue said:
Thanks Tim,
So to be clear. The issuing of a WP on a multiple-entry nono-O visa does not change the maximum period of stay on this visa (90 days) I would still need to hop over boarder and come back every 90days. Do I understand this correctly? Can an extension to stay at the expiration of current permission to stay be considered/issued based on a obtaining a WP?
You must either leave when your permission to stay expires, or apply for an extension of your permission to stay. The permission to stay can be extended based on your Thai spouse (usually best) or based on working.
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2 hours ago, megapix said:
Just to be sure. Its possible to hold two valid thai non-o visas in the same passport ?
I did not suggest applying for two visas, only for one (which I thought you were intending to do anyway).
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17 minutes ago, megapix said:
Do you have any idea if I can still apply with the new passport ?
You will not be able to get a visa in a passport that lacks a Laos entry stamp.
EDIT: An approach you might want to consider:
Get the visa in the old passport. Travel to Vientiane. Fly to Bangkok leaving on the old passport and entering Bangkok on the new passport (using the visa in the old passport). You will be questioned, but airport immigration should allow this based on your reasonable explanation of why you are doing it.
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You can change passports when using airports. At a land crossing, you are obliged to use the same passport for exit from one country and entry to the other. You are not the first to be inconvenienced by this.
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4 hours ago, Gottfrid said:Ok! Great! Just to know, should I take that as the time of different rules at different immigration offices or different IO´s are long gone?
As you also say, notice to return is often not given. But when it´s given, will that not be a problem for a person who do not adhere to the notice?
If queried (highly unlikely) tell them that you did it. Nothing in Immigration's system indicates whether or not such an audit of your bank account was done.
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Most people consider the "online extension" service to be pretty useless. After using the services of VFS, you still need to go to Immigration to have the extension stamped into your passport. The extra cost has only one real benefit: VFS check your documents before you go, and this reduces the risk of a wasted trip to the immigration office. It is a hand holding exercise, and agents usually do it better (although they are more expensive).
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2 hours ago, kevthailand said:
update:
Yesterday I called all the major immigration centers in Thailand to try to get some answers. All busy or cut me off.
Today Chaeng Wattana did answer and the young lady says farang must leave Thailand / do embassy online to apply for non-O, if you want to change from non-B. After telling her many people do not leave Thailand, she back-tracked and said come to counter L Chaeng Wattana with your documents. I asked if I can come to discuss the process (not apply/bring documents) and she said NO. One can assume the document checker is the gatekeeper to the senior Imm officer, so you can't talk to those people without passing the first step.
Next I called Chamchuri (BOI) and they are very helpful - my work is not connected to BOI but they did talk to me.
They said you have 2 choices: Change reason for extension (B to O), or apply for Non-O here in Thailand. They couldn't tell me the best/most advantageous route or the time scale for doing either. But they recommended starting the process at CW before leaving the job - is that why people get a post-dated termination letter?
I am thinking change of visa type is the best option for me due to working in another province and not staying with wife - just before application - so the arduous "extension of stay based on marriage" document checking could fail. But the document/proof demands for the 90 (or is it 60) day "non-O visa based on marriage" are less stringent, so less chance of being denied. That then gives us 60/90 days to "take photos and get to know neighbors blah" before the next visit to CW.
The disadvantage is, I need to be in the province to cancel non-B (whereas changing reason for extension could have all been done in CW - even the employer can cancel the WP without the employee, right?)
So am I right that the process is:
1) Get a post-dated termination letter from employer (can it be a copy??), giving me approx. 28 days
2) Go to CW and make an application for non-O based on marriage: with required docs, funds proof, and above said letter. They will give me a confirmed date, in approx 21 days, to return to get the approved stamp in my passport (and I get to keep my passport)?
3) If I want to avoid cancelling non-B early and needing 7 day extension / 1900B ? / more stamping THEN I must be in Issarn to cancel my non-B on the morning of my 'CW confirmed return date', fly into Bangkok, and dash over to CW on the same day.
I have no idea what happens if you miss a return date in the world of Thai Imm, but I would think the consequences are not pleasant. Obviously, an overstay is issued and I read on some official Thai document that "a visa change can not be done if an overstay has ever been issued"
Any comments about the chances of it panning out like this. Because CW won't talk about about what-if scenarios, then I can only go on advice.
Visa company quotes were 28k and 40k to do this. The 40k quote (very well known BKK agency) said change visa type B>O is NOT allowed in country. Only option is to change extension of stay.
The 28k company said both methods are possible.
A third agency also said, change visa type in country is not allowed. They said BOI are giving false info - or that BOI ex/employees can do things at CW that normal folk can't. They also said that CW can't be used and that another province "up north" are the ones that will receive the brown envelope. Not ideal to have a non-O based on an address/province that I will never live at and cause me headaches for future Imm dealings. No price given yet!
What a mess, maybe better just to leave and hope Vientiane hasn't got a denial-quota they need to meet
It becomes easier to understand the rules if you first internalise the difference between a visa and a permission to stay. Under Thai immigration rules, you do not "change" visas. You either change the reason for your permission to stay; or (ignoring a special case of applying for a visa at Immigration to convert from a tourist entry to a Non Immigrant entry) you leave the country to apply for a new visa.
In your case, you want to change from a temporary permission to stay in Thailand based on working to a temporary permission to stay based on your Thai spouse. In principle, the process is uncomplicated. First you have your current permission to stay truncated as a result of the pending termination of your current employment. Then you apply for a new extension of your permission to stay based on your Thai spouse. Get the required documents for each of these two steps, and everything should go fairly smoothly.
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4 hours ago, stupidfarang said:
Will go visit Lao for one week then come back overland at Nong Khai, do they get a 30 day visa?
There is no minimum period required outside Thailand before returning from Laos. Even returning the same day is permitted. Your friend, as a French national will not need a visa to return to Thailand. He is eligible for a 30-day visa exempt entry.
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6 minutes ago, eisfeld said:
Is it just an old page on the helsinki website or does the e-Visa system really ask for those pages?
It is a new rule that was introduced when the e-visa system started providing visas by email, and the embassy/consulate no longer got to see your actual passport as part of the application process.
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On 11/7/2023 at 9:24 AM, bangkok blue said:
My question is, if I get multiple-entry nono-O visa and after new company issue WP do I still have to exit every 90 days?
Yes, your permission to stay indicates when you must leaver. The work permit (and also the visa) are not your permission to stay. The work permit allows you to work legally. The (unexpired) visa allows you to enter Thailand. If you do not want to leave at the expiry of your permission to stay, you must apply for an extension (60 days immediately based on Thai spouse without financial proof or one year under consideration with financial proof).
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24 minutes ago, eisfeld said:
They only ask for the biodata page of the passport. What pages are you thinking of that would make someone falsify them? The passport info is not related to the proof of residence stuff.
Maybe, you will be lucky and your consulate not ask for this, but common is
QuoteApplicant is required to upload his/her passport pages which contain all travel records for the past 12 months (1 year) since the last international trip.
(See, for instance, https://helsinki.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/tourist-visa-tr-metv)
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1 hour ago, eisfeld said:
The reason why I included the the link regarding french nationals was because it is very recent and from the offical website of the Ministry of Foreign affairs. I doubt holders of official passports (diplomats) will have more stringent rules than people with ordinary passports.
Rules that are based on bilateral agreement are usually reciprocal. In the agreement, the rules for French and Thai diplomats for entry into the respective countries are probably set to be the same. Thailand may choose to apply a more liberal policy for French diplomats, but European countries are usually less generous towards Thais.
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2 hours ago, eisfeld said:Recently a rule was introduced that limits visa-exempt entries to a max of 90 days in a 180 day period starting from the first entry.
You presumably found that on an embassy website, or had a consular official tell you it existed. That rule existed for a few months over a decade ago, but was found to be impracticable to enforce and was scrapped. Ignore what embassies tell you about anything but the services they provide themselves (including rules enforced by the Immigration Bureau). They are usually convincing and often wrong.
At this time, there are no hard limits for stays as a tourist. Many embassies/consulates have local guidelines they use when granting tourist visas. For visa exempt entries, there is a hard rule of maximum two visa exemptions by land (or sea) during a calendar year. At airports, it is completely according to the discretion of the officials whether they consider that you are using visa exemptions in a manner consistent with regular tourism.
Occasionally, airport officials will suggest that there is a maximum of 180 days possible per year as a tourist (and some members here will say that is logical because a tourist cannot be a tax resident). However, there is no such official rule.
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1 hour ago, uzynkotak said:
Do you have to be in the US to apply for a METV visa from the US? What if you maintain a mailing address in the US but spend most of the time abroad, how would they check?
One issue you have, besides lying about your current location, is the probable need to falsify the passport page copies you are told to provide.
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1 hour ago, bbbbooboo said:
Hmmm… the thais will do anything to get money thru overstay fines it seems . I got fined 7500 baht for 15 day overstay even though i had a visa extension(deemed to be invalid by the immigration authorities at the airport). I kid you not
It would be very interesting to the see extension stamp, and the visa it was based on, from your passport. What you cite is highly unusual. I have heard of Immigration failing to honour visas from consulates, but never extensions issued by an immigration office.
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2 hours ago, Grayo46 said:I have been told not to take any money out at all. As you correctly state, as long as I stay above 400k I should be okay. They told me otherwise.
As someone else mentioned, this is almost certainly a misunderstanding based on their limited English comprehension.
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1 hour ago, kman90 said:
Ohh so the 90 day report saves you from doing border runs / flight re entries?
But it would look dodgy if I keep entering at Phuket airport or the Malaysian border if I'm studying in Chang Mai.
Getting stopped at the airport or border would be a nightmare .. No time to pack stuff, plan , book flights ...
Any overseas trips must be very short (a weekend trip would be OK). Students are sometimes known to travel. They just need to do so in a way that does not interfere with their studies.
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1 hour ago, kman90 said:
I'll want to fly some times with my girlfriend during the year, to see her family up north or to another city in Thailand or to neighbouring country for a holiday...
Do 90 day report stamps need to be present in my passport? Or surely my file on the immigration system will notify the immigration officers that I did not report last time? (sorry for the n00b questions .. I have 0% knowledge about the 90 day report system 😕)
The fine is very fair. But mostly I don't want to get deported / denied entry / banned..
I think it's better if I just leave Thailand and come back in January 2024 with a renewed passport and a fresh year... And then start education immediately next time..
Flying domestic within Thailand does not involve passing through immigration.
There are no stamps for 90-day reports in your passport. If you have reported in person, you will have been given a small loose slip that indicates the next date you need to report.
Failure to do a 90-day report does not risk deportation or blacklisting.
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As stated, for safety, keep at least 400,000 baht in your account during the under consideration period for the extension of your permission to stay based on marriage (note: your permission to stay is not a visa, renewed or otherwise). There is absolutely no restriction on withdrawals as long as the balance remains above 400,000.
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2 hours ago, kman90 said:
So by leaving and re-entering every 89 days someone could avoid doing 90 day reports altogether?
Or is that not feasible at all?
You can avoid it (either legally with border bounces, or by risking a fine).
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1 hour ago, Jaggg88 said:
Thai child extension is issued by either Bangkok or Chiang Mai ...
To be more accurate, the extension must be approved at Division headquarters. Depending on where the immigration office is located, this means Bangkok, Mae Rim Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, or Hat Yai. The headquarters for Eastern Division (while separate from that for Central Division) is also in Bangkok.
Visa Extension Can be Done Online?! Non-B (Marriage)
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted
Just making an appointment instead is free. Anyway, the last time I checked, the VFS service was Bangkok only.