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Orient Express

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Everything posted by Orient Express

  1. I have an account with Wise in EUR, and wish to transfer money from that account to my Bangkok Bank THB account to pay for a condo. I visited Bangkok Bank HO to ask about how I can get the FET document with a Wise transfer. I was told not a problem, as long as the partner bank Wise uses for the transfer is Bangkok Bank. I would have thought this was straightforward, but on contacting the Wise helpdesk, I have been told the following: “Unfortunately, as there are a lot of factors involved in this, we can't guarantee which partner bank will be used.” Just frustrating. The real estate agent I’m using said they have had terrible problems in getting an FET when a different intermediary bank is used (presumably Kasikorn). Using Wise rather than SWIFT saves me about EUR 300 – 400. Has anyone any experience of this or ideas about how to resolve it?
  2. As a part follow-up, I have received quotations from Thai Visa Centre in Bangkok and Maneerat in Pattaya for a non-O 3 month visa + 12 month retirement extension where I provide the funds; and opening a bank account. I am staying in Bangkok, but the TVC price is more than double the Maneerat price, so the differential is far too much to ignore, and consequently I would like to try Maneerat. I don't mind going out to Pattaya since I have never been, and it's a good opportunity to check it out. My questions, for those who have experience of this, are: 1. Am I right in thinking Maneerat uses Jomtien IO and not some strange up-country place? 2. Is it a problem if I have a Bangkok address (serviced apartment)? I'm not worried about the bank account being in Pattaya because I intend to deposit the funds and not touch them all year. However, I am concerned if there are any immigration implications, because I don't want further problems down the line. Thanks for any input.
  3. I think I'll take the hit - I just want to get it over and done with, preferably over the next three weeks so that I can stick to my original travel plans.
  4. The problem is I don't know what she wrote into my record. She did say categorically that I couldn't re-enter as a tourist, so I don't think I'd risk it.
  5. I was surprised, but once it's done it's done. This IO was very determined and I'm pretty sure had decided what she was going to do before she even spoke to me. I couldn't get a word in edgeways.
  6. Yes, I will via an agent. I will be able to provide the funds but need to open a bank account.
  7. Well, it is written in English so I can tell you exactly what it says. 🙂 "Next time need apply non-immigrant visa". She also spent about five minutes typing something on my record, and I got pic and fingerprints taken again.
  8. I haven't - yet. I did consider this pre-Covid but the pandemic changed things and I continued to work. I guess it is the only option now so I will pursue it.
  9. I have an METV, valid for use until mid-April. I am 60+, European, but still with some work back home. I obtained the METV (eVisa) easily from my local embassy back in October. I had a very unpleasant experience at Don Mueang recently, after returning from a few days in Laos. After a long time scrutinising my passport, the IO summoned a supervisor and I was taken aside and questioned. Actually, not questioned, but lectured to and told that I could not possibly be a tourist (too much time in Thailand …). I was eventually stamped in for 60 days, but told I couldn’t use my METV again to enter. It is valid until mid-April, and I had planned to go home to Europe for 3 weeks before then (for work reasons), and a further spell in Thailand with side-trips to Malaysia and Japan before returning to Europe at the end of May. That’s now all up in the air. Instead, I now have a note in my passport saying my next entry must be on a non-immigrant visa. The IO also said I was not allowed to enter visa-exempt. As a datapoint, my travel history is as follows: On this visa: Entered start November, 4 weeks Thailand, 2 weeks Japan, 6 weeks Thailand, 4 days Laos Previously in 2023: 2 trips to Thailand, total 11 weeks (first 45-day visa-exempt; second SETV) 2022: 3 trips to Thailand, total 22 weeks (first SETV, carried over from 2021; second SETV + extension, third 45-day visa exempt) 2021: 2 trips to Thailand, total 17 weeks (first 45-day visa exempt (inc 14 days quarantine) + extension; second SETV). All visas issued by my home embassy. I am a genuine tourist, in the sense that I just like spending time in Thailand. I don’t have a relationship here, and I’m certainly not doing business or working here. I know that the retirement option is open to me (and may be the only solution now), but I am loathe to do this when I still intend to carry out some work (accounting) back home for a few years. So frustrating. I’m interested in any positive ideas or feedback.
  10. Exactly. The same article states: "It comes after the governemnt [sic] introduced a series of relaxations on booze sales. In 2022, it lifted a five-decade-long ban on alcoholic beverage sales in the afternoon between 2 and 5pm."
  11. Phra Ram 9, Metro Mall, Easy Cut - 150 baht. The woman in the first chair on the left (by the entrance). A queueing system operates (they have 4 chairs), but I always ask to wait for her (and, so it seems, do others). Clearly, you're not going to get a coiffeur-of-the-year masterpiece at that price, but she takes time and care, and doesn't mess it up. I always leave 50 baht tip, and she is very appreciative of it.
  12. I am currently in Thailand on a 60-day tourist visa. I arrived from Europe at the beginning of April, and planned to get a 30-day extension so that I could stay to the end of June, when I have a flight booked back to Europe. My previous visit to Thailand was also on a tourist visa, arriving at the end of November 2021. I arranged a 30-day extension to this visa at CW, but because I had to fly to the UK at short notice at the end of January 2022, I actually left before the expiry date of the original visa. Consequently, I spent just over two months in Europe between Thailand trips. Both of the tourist visas were obtained from the same embassy (in my country of residence). Now that travel restrictions are easing significantly - not only in Thailand but also in neighbouring countries - I’m thinking of a quick trip (a couple of nights) to KL, which I have not visited yet. I would plan to do this instead of extending the visa, so at end of May/start of June. This would mean re-entering Thailand (hopefully) on a visa-exempt stamp. This isn’t a visa run in the usual sense, in that I am a “real” tourist, but I am interested to know if there are any risks involved, for example because of the amount of time I have spent in Thailand over the last six months.
  13. (a) No, nothing requested at all. (b) No, although I had taken a copy with me, just in case. (c) Yes, only main page and current visa/entry stamp.. I had another Thai entry stamp (visa exempt entry) and extension from February 2021, but I did not make a copy of it.
  14. Given that the time I spent in the Immigration section at CW was only 25 minutes, there wasn't much else to say! ???? Actually, there is one more point - I had a pre-filled TM7, from the inputtable pdf files usefully supplied by ubonjoe in the "Immigration Templates" thread. Both the girl who initially checked my documents and the IO seemed quietly impressed by this, so I'm not sure if many people do this.
  15. I visited CW on Tuesday (to extend a tourist visa) with an appointment - but was never asked for evidence of it. Trip report here:
  16. How does that work? Visa exempt until 7th Feb + 30-day extension to 9th March. Still a month missing ...
  17. Thanks, Dr Jack, all good points. Here is a mini trip report of my experience: I had booked an appointment at CW for 15:00, but decided I wanted to get there about an hour earlier since I had never been to the place, and I wanted to familiarise myself with the layout. I avoid taxis wherever possible, and decided I would go by train to Lak Si, and take a taxi for the short hop from there. I took the MRT to Bang Sue, and here is the timeline from there: 13:10 arrive Bang Sue MRT, transfer to Grand station and buy token for Red Line (27 baht) 13:20 depart Bang Sue Grand 13:32 arrive Lak Si I walked down to Lak Si interchange and stood on the southern side of Chaengwattana Road to get a taxi; 13:45 board taxi. 13:50 arrive CW - taxi fare 49 baht (60 with tip). At entry, there is a checkpoint where you have to fill in the Covid risk assessment form - no queue and took a couple of minutes. Then went downstairs to find copy shop and copy passport pages. 14:00 entered Immigration section (no queue) - I presented my TM7 and was given 2 further forms to fill in and told to go straight to the ticket counter. 14:02 get ticket and told to go through to J section waiting area. There were about half-a-dozen people waiting there. I filled in the forms: "Acknowledgement of Penalties for a Visa Overstay" and "Acknowledgement of Terms and Conditions for Permit of Temporary Stay". These basically only required name, address, passport number and signature. 14:15 my number is called, and I went to IO's desk. Presented her with TM7 and the two additional forms, passport and photocopied pages, 1,900 baht and photo. All in order and just two further signatures required. 14:17 finished with IO and returned to waiting area. 14:24 get passport back with visa extension. 14:30 Leave CW. At no time was I asked if I had an appointment - this may be because the system has only very recently been working again for Bangkok IO. I decided to try the walk back to Lak Si station. According to Google Maps, this is 2.3 km, and it took me around 25 minutes walking fairly briskly. Not a bad walk at all, except the last 200 metres or so before Lak Si interchange were messy with the building work for the Pink line. Walking on the north side of Chaengwattana road eastwards towards Lak Si, meant that the elevated track bed of the Pink Line gave me some shade from the sun. It was a pleasant day for walking, but I would have second thoughts when it gets hotter and more humid. I arrived back at Lak Si station without about 15 minutes to wait for the 14:11 train back to Bang Sue. All in all, a pretty painless experience.
  18. Since this will be my first visit to CW, does anyone have any handy tips? All I know is that I have to go to Counter J (no. 24). I will have a completed TM 7 with me, and photo, of course. I also have a TM 30 copy from my hotel, if required. Where do I go to make photocopies of my passport pages, for example - is everything clearly signed?
  19. Thanks - actually, I've just checked the appointments website and it seems to be working again for Bangkok. I've booked for tomorrow afternoon.
  20. When I entered Bangkok in February last year on a 45-day visa-exempt stamp, I went to MTT for the 30-day extension. I now have a 60-day tourist visa which I want to extend by 30 days - do I go to CW or MTT for the extension? And am I correct in thinking I can't make an appointment online at the moment?
  21. In preparation for applying for a non-O visa, I need to open a bank account in Thailand. Bangkok Bank will open an account for me if I get a reference letter from my current bank back home in Europe. The bank in question will only give me a reference if I go into a branch - not possible currently, since I am in Thailand on a tourist visa. I am loath to use an agent to open an account, but may have to, since other options are more complex. I am aware of Siam Legal's service at USD 150, but can anyone recommend an alternative (by DM if you do not want to post openly)?
  22. But in the current situation, after the 30-day extension, you can apply for a further 60-day Covid extension - correct?
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