zaZa9
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Posts posted by zaZa9
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Russians have opened a Motorbike Rental Shop just down the road from Kamala Or Bor Tors office near the Muslim 7/11 in Phuket. They work in there without Thai assistance , bold as brass. I thought the rules must have changed ...
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Theres about 6 of us who play bowls in Kamala , Phuket , thinking of coming up to HH for a couple of days . I tried the number but it says its no longer active. Im wondering about opening times and days , whether theres a roll up comp day etc. If somebody could reply with the HH Bowls email and latest phone number it would be appreciated !
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1 minute ago, Xanthe said:
Why you need Phnom Penh visa agent? Thailand visa agents can do that.
Well I dont anymore , thanks to good advice here.
But my 'agent' here in Hkt , who previously extended my Retirement Extensions ( O-A ) 2 years running and couldn't this year ( He said theres a new 'boss' that resembles Big Joke ) suggested that I try to get 90 days 'O' in PP , then he would do the years O-A for 10k baht as he felt bad that he couldnt achieve what was promised ...
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6 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:
I’m sure you’ll have no problems getting back in & if you’re flying into BKK it might be worth a quick detour to Pattaya to do the conversion with Maneerat.
However you decide to do it, try to get it done as soon as you can after arrival as you need at least 15 days on your permission to stay at the time of application.
you don’t lose any days doing it early (Your new Visa will start from the end of the 45 days).
Top advise and my main area of concern and thanks !
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6 hours ago, problemfarang said:
as mentioned get in to thailand contact your agency and they will do the rest. thaivisa agency will do probably 30-35K other agencies will do half of it. but first time might be expensive. but you will change and do extension so i would look something around 30K with a normal agency..
Darn close on yr Thai Visa Centre estimates !
They said , in part - " We will make you a Retirement Visa. We need a Thai Bank Saving book in your name , balance immaterial.
Procedure for Australian arriving on 45 day Visa Exempt-
1st , 3 month non Imm "O" : 20,000 baht ( we require 20 days min on VExempt to start and take 3 to 4 weeks ) Addit : This is what I was hoping to 'buy ' thru an agent in P.P. till I was put straight....
2nd , 1 year Retirement Visa ( Non Imm "O" ) , this takes 1 to 2 weeks . 16,000 baht.
Total , 36,000 baht for 15 months of Visa , and you are "O" , and no longer , "O-A".
( Happy to flick the O-A as it gets more punitive every year , and it was purported to be the best visa back in 2008 when the 'O' demanded you left LOS every 3 months... . Ive been told why the O-A has declined in status and the O has risen , if somebody wants me to relate what a Officer told me ... )
Anyway , TVC asked for some odd stuff also , like a 5 sec vid of me standing in front of my home , address on my wall /letter box , and a Google location map , and of course Im wondering why they need all that <deleted> when it appears they can do anything they please.
Thanks again guys !
But Im not arguing .
The most important thing for me that I learnt from you and TVC is not to fret about the overstay , and for that I thank you all.
And , Jesus that R.H pop up is so annoying , and I had forgotten thats why I stopped posting on here ! 555
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2 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:
Forgot to mention, I got my original Non-IMM O in Penang so if you’d prefer to get yours whilst outside of Thailand contact these guys to see if they can do it for you http://bananapenang.com/main/
Thanks Mike for your help . Im based in Phuket and still on my original O-A ( issued in Sydney ) of 15 years. Well , WAS , its now expired , and tickets to PPenh for tomorrow already bought. This will be my first overstay ( 3 days ) , and I will try to re-enter by flight to Bkk on 30 day Visa Exempt , which , I believe is now 45 days. ( BTW , How annoying is that pop up on the right here while you type ! )
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14 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:
Enter Visa Exempt & use an Agent to do the conversion to a Non-Imm O & your 1st years extension I don’t know where you’re based but Maneerat in Pattaya will do it for 23,500b, no need for any finances.
[You mentioned an agent in Bangkok, if you’re based there then maybe try Thai Visa Center. ]
Extending an existing Non-Imm O should be around 12,500 (with out finances, 8K if you keep the 800K in the bank).
Thanks Mike . Do you think it will matter Im on 3 day overstay now to get the 30 day Visa Exempt ?
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5 minutes ago, zzzzz said:
FORGET IT<
there are no agents in PP that can help ya if you dont have the funds
I lived in Cambodia and checked before i moved back to Phuket last nov.
I entered using visa exempt and than got my non O- 1 year using an agent in ThailandCheers. Do you mean I must have 800k in a Thai bank when you say , "The Funds" ? Im in a quandry because my usual agent couldnt renew my O-A this year and told me its because of the O-A and that "O" was way easier and I should go to P. P. and get a 90 day Non Imm O and return. Im on 3 days overstay . Im worried about leaving and things becoming even more difficult. A very popular agent in Bkk says they can renew my O-A at 25k baht...
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I am flying to Pnom Penh tomorrow and will be in need of a reliable Agent there who can acquire me a 90 day Non Immigrant "O" visa for re-entering Thailand ( without 800k in the bank ) . I have found an Agent who will convert that 90 days to a one year "O" Retirement Visa on my return to Phuket.
Im appreciative of anybody who has done this and can offer advice. Im well acquainted with P.P. Thanks in advance.
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First they're revoking aggressive Tuk Tuk and minibus drivers licenses ( for 6 months ) down here in Phuket , and now they're actually saying they will confiscate corrupt cops ill gotten gains ? Wonders will never cease ! Im definitely voting for this government next time !
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On 5/7/2022 at 10:14 AM, CharlieH said:
I dont know what it is but locals seem to have no ideac about judging speed and distance !
So many times we see accidents related to it, unbelievable !
Probably say his brakes failed !...as usual.
A "misunderstanding" surely ! 555
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15 hours ago, spidermike007 said:
It is quite meaningless to measure the 1st day arrivals. Thailand has choked it's own throat, and shot it's own foot repeatedly, with heinous restrictions for 2 years now. So, on the 1st day with no quarantine, there is bound to be alot of pent up demand, and alot of expats and businessmen returning.
Let's see what the numbers look like after a month, or a year. I predict around 250,000 a month for the next couple of years. Covid hit alot of people hard, and Thailand is but a shell of what it used to be. We shall see.
I read where you said you were leaving Thailand a year or so back. You sure are taking your time...
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14 hours ago, new2here said:I know of two people (both foreigners) first-hand who in the last month or so, self-tested (ie home ATK) positive without symptoms…. but rather than go to the hospital for care etc, just stayed home - literally 24/7- for about a week, plus or minus a few days, then when they double tested negative C-19, just carried on as normal.
Their logic was, rightly or wrongly, they didn’t want the possible risk of getting trapped in some kind of cash-driven healthcare solution … be that a forced stay at huge prices, etc…. They just essentially flew “under the radar” until they tested negative again..
Not so sure I agree with the idea of a home stay without FIRST consulting a legit healthcare provider—- but i cede that there IS a risk of getting caught up in what ends being for some, a fairly massive cost that seems to be outside of your control as the patient.
so to that end, I can see the logic there.
Exactly me and my families situation when we contracted it , because we live in Phuket and had had reported to us ( by friends who are nurses, hotel staff ) numerous appallingly exploitative practises applied to unsuspecting tourist first arriving under the Sandbox Program. It included as victims the tourists merely sitting in proximity to those who tested positive on arrival ... it didnt matter if they tested negative , they were "potentially infected" as determined by Contact Tracing Practises and whisked off to 2nd rate , recently re-opened hotels now called 'hospitels' to while away 10 days of their holidays at the cost of 10k baht a day ! Often without refund on their 4 and 5 star hotels they couldnt use. EVERYONE of them reported they only saw a nurse , usually once a day , to have their temps and vitals recorded. That was it !
At the start , Insurance paid for their 'confinements' but soon saw what was going on and started refusing to cover the 'ill' that werent actually 'ill' and had no symptoms and no positive testing - for obvious reasons !!
How a supposed health program had degenerated to this was hard to fathom , until you realised that the Phuket gouge had simply been applied to a new target group at the same time they were begging for tourists to return , and this one generated by hospitals , with the Bangkok Group always the front runner.
Despicable stuff.
So of course we ( my family ) , at the urging of my Thai wife who heard all of these stories from her cronies who worked in those areas , were not going to report to any authorities , and probably , even today still wouldnt !
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I believed them for a couple of weeks for my locale , until I saw that constantly the daily variance was always 2 or 3 new cases ( up or down ) on a population of approximately 800,000. I could only conclude that somebody without a lot of experience in statistics was trying to deliver 'softened' news. The really sad part was that decisions effecting peoples personal or family economies were being made on the basis of such lies.
And still are !
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The baht is certainly down.
I got 25 baht for an Australian dollar over the counter at an exchange yesterday for the first time since late 2017 !
But of course I still yearn for the days I got a casual 28 to 29 when I first arrived in 2008 !
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6 hours ago, daveAustin said:No. It allows travellers to pick up the virus LOCALLY. Wakey wakey! And here was I thinking someone with some nous would could along to challenge the authority and their over the top requirements, but they go the other way. Shakes head.
Exactly right. What a fool she is. The 'tourist' has had TWO negative tests BEFORE being allowed out and about in Thailand . With the fast acting Omicron rife in Thailand , it doesnt take a genius to work out where the foreigners contracted Covid if they test positive on Day 5 ! As hard it is for Thais to face reality , Covid is here to stay , and in declaring it endemic , the Government is subtley admitting to that. The 5th day test is a scam. May Buddha help Thailand if this is the intelligence of the opposition...
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Damn frightening here in Phuket now with all the new tourists arriving and sauntering out onto the crossings and expecting the Thais being willing to stop.... or Thais even driving slowly enough to actually be able to stop !
The driving culture is way too far gone for Thailands drivers to ever consider the lives of others ....
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Is the Insurance costs not also dependent on how long he will be staying in Thailand on his return? I will be visiting my home country for 3 weeks in March and will be returning with my Non Immigrant O Visa for near 1 year ( renewed in Feb.) , or , specifically ,10 months. As my world health insurance policy ( Aetna ) makes no specific mention of Covid , Im of the impression I will need to have Covid Specific Insurance to return. Has anyone bought a policy for re-entry under a long term visa and can point me in the right direction please ?
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14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:
Interesting.
First up my plan would be to burn the non O-A.
It's a pity that your trip to Oz is a week after your due date for extension. If your trip had been just prior to expiry of your current permission of stay then you could just exit without a reentry permit.
Then return visa exempt and obtain non O in Thailand.
That process already outlined in this thread.
If covid extensions continue you could obtain one of those to cover the few weeks from expiry of you current permit till your flight out.
With regards your use of agent that's all fine. Do you actually have the funds in the bank?
I ask because extensions retirement and also obtaining the non O is a very easy process.
Think you mentioned DeFacto. Yes of course that has legal meaning in Oz but means zip here in Thailand. Married guys can obtain 60 extension to visit wife.
BTW you stated this....
"Ive come across an agent based at Chalong who says he can change me to an O ( cost 20k ) in the next couple of weeks ( and he has a friend ) . Should I do that ?"
I don't accept that. You mentioned Grace TVC. Run that idea past her and she will say no..(imo)
14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:Firstly , thanks for making a reply.
I decided to burn the O-A. It has had no end of tweeks and changes made to it since it was deemed , "the best" back in 2008 when I arrived .
Plus it now has a fairly expensive Insurance stipulation and I already I have good insurance with Aetna and also the written guarantee to be offered cover by Aetna for life.
I looked in to the Agent who would change my status to 'O' from 'O-A' and found acquaintances who had used their services ( husband and wife ) and rec'd them. They now had Extensions based on 'O' . One was on his second.
For 23k bt my status would become 'O' and a years Extension supplied.
I would not need to bring in 800k that is currently earning me 10.8% in my investment plan back in Oz. Nor would I , as a holder of an extension based on an 'O' visa , need the new "3 million" bt policy. (I was really worried that on my return in March that a demanding airport IO might insist on seeing a copy of my 3million baht/400 in , 40 out policy papers should I still have been 'O-A' ! )
I added 1200 bt so the agent will include a re-entry permit for the 'O'.
I will do my own 90 day reports at the PT drive thru.
All going well I hope to have it all sorted in 10 more days.
Thanks again for your interest Dr Jack.
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The authorities here in Phuket have given up.
And rightly so , as the horse has bolted .
Im home isolating and tested myself with a ART kit as positive , and nobody wants to know.
Myself and numerous friends will never be included in any official numbers , nor will we be 'treated' in any way...
What , may I ask , will hunting these infected individuals amongst the infected masses achieve ?
The job at hand is to vax as many as possible and stop with the "catch a farang by the toe " sideshow.
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Im a bit surprised by all this as I have tried to keep up with the info , but now realise I didnt understand.
I currently reside in Phuket and planned to renew my O-A Visa thru Grace in Bkk at TVS by due date Feb 9 this year . I bought a return flight to Sydney for March 6 and come back to Phuket after 3 weeks in Australia. ( Mar. 27 )
I intended buying a Re-entry Permit and to return as normal , meaning without anything other paperwork , like in pre-Covid times.
I now realise , worryingly , that on current rules , this will not suffice and I must get a Sandbox permit to return to my home, defacto and grand child living here in Phuket.
You all are aware that the O-A is a pain and anytime Ive attempted to change to an O no agent appears interested for some reason ( joke )
But the option of leave without Re-entry permit /return under sandbox and request 30 day exempt/ extend ( with an agent?) is something that may be an option in March ? ( I do not to have 800k in my KBank etc)
What do others think ?
I know that nobody can predict the future , but is the idea viable for now ?
Also , while Ive been typing this Ive come across an agent based at Chalong who says he can change me to an O ( cost 20k ) in the next couple of weeks ( and he has a friend ) . Should I do that ?
I guess the real q is whether to get a re-entry permit for travel to Sydney or dont , as all hinges on that.
Anyway , your thoughts ....TIA.
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Thats an awful lotta soap !
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2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:
Usually, in situations such as this Agoda are very fair and provide refunds.
Last year I booked a ‘non-refundable’ long weekend stay (4 nights) through Agoda (a good deal).... then the hotel e-mailed to inform that due to Covid-19 new government regulations meant the pool would be closed, that the main restaurant would close (room service only).
I cancelled and asked for a refund. The hotel and agoda said no-refund as per terms and conditions.
I argued that the terms and conditions had changed (pool closed / restaurant closed).
Agoda Cash (i.e. a Agoda voucher to spend within 6 months) was offered... I rejected this on the grounds that I’d not purchased with a voucher, I’d used credit card.
Agoda agreed to refund to my credit card - I’ve used them numerous times since, but I’m not keen on the way they make us ‘fight’ for reasonable service / conditions.
They all are doing it , and it is most annoying.
My airline cancelled my flight home to another Continent as covid arrived and when I requested a refund they gave very convincing reasons as to why I should take a 'credit' , most logical of all being if everyone took the money back option the airline could fold and nobody would be paid .
Since that had happened to me long before I took the credit option and a voucher number was issued which I duly recorded.
When I recently bought a new flight with the same airline to the same place I was greeted with a welcoming pop-up and a good deal of my fields already completed.
Nice .
But when I clicked on the voucher number box , it did not fill in automatically , even though the airline issued the number ( about 20 digits long ) to me .
Instead , another pop-up informed me I would have to 'apply' to get my credit ( ie in the form of the voucher number ) if I didnt know it to enter the box.
As if THEY didnt know it ...
So everything was done to facilitate my purchase of a new ticket , but little effort was made toward refunding my thousand dollars they had held interest free for near 2 years.
Nice one.
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I just heard on Phuket Extra that some bright spark officials are insistig all retaurants and cafes are now to stop serving alcohol 2pm till 5pm ! Hard to comprehend the stupidity.
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Hat Lek, Khlong Yai border visa run sameday 2024
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted
Same same for me and a buddy 1 year back , but they only demanded 2000 baht each. Wouldnt take US or Riel for some reason...