Important News from Vientiane Royal Thai Embassy.

[Essecola]

6 minutes ago, ginjag said:

To be honest, there will be thousands same you, BUT all those 800k   65k a month types, will just sneer and say something like if you not have 65k  a month you should not be here skimping

 

I spend way more than 65k a month here

[Essecola]

My home is here. All my friends are here. Thanks Thailand. Guess it is time to get out and go live alone in a room somewhere. 

[puukao]

I think about everyone reading this pays 1000 to 1500 baht when going to Laos, but why is it free coming back to Thailand?

 

Thailand should charge 1000 baht to cross the border.

 

then pay based on how many visa's, etc....... maybe 5000 for your third time Laos to Thailand in 3 years.

 

really.........  we farangs have money!!!!!!!   you can take thousands more!!!!  

[JackThompson]

 

4 hours ago, Shiver said:

So if you have 1 week to go, and they delay you for 2-3 weeks, does that mean you get overstay?

No, if you don't plan and book an appt ahead of time, it means you leave on-time and spend the other weeks waiting for the appt in Laos ... or, just go to Savannakhet, Vietnam, etc - where walk-in service is still available, with next-day passport-return.

 

2 hours ago, ginjag said:

Sorry to ask,  but non 0 valid for  how long ??

He said multi, so I assume 1-year Visa validity, with 90-days permitted-stay per-entry.

 

14 minutes ago, chowny77 said:

maybe they should also look at being able to process the visa in 1 day rather than 2 as they will know who you are and what visa you are applying for.  

Savannakhet did that for awhile - the local businesses that rely on the constant stream of Thai-Visa applicants threw a fit, and they went back to overnight service.

Edited January 24, 2019 by JackThompson

[Denim]

3 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

God help us all.

So that'll be the death knell of a nice, easy, laid back, comfortable visa run then.

Yes....Ho Chi Min city here we come.

Won't be taking the wife though.

[Essecola]

What I can do is tell anyone that I ever meet not to ever go to Thailand. Not to spend their money there.

[JackThompson]

 

2 minutes ago, puukao said:

I think about everyone reading this pays 1000 to 1500 baht when going to Laos, but why is it free coming back to Thailand?

 

Thailand should charge 1000 baht to cross the border.

 

then pay based on how many visa's, etc....... maybe 5000 for your third time Laos to Thailand in 3 years.

 

really.........  we farangs have money!!!!!!!   you can take thousands more!!!!  

They already pay for the visa.

 

That said, I think we'd be happy to have "no hassle" repeat-entry for a reasonable cost - similar to what one pays in Vietnam, PI, Cambodia, etc for hassle-free entry/stay.   But, the faction making bank on other schemes here want a huge payoff via the elite, or money direct to their pocket via agents.  They are even blocking-entry to those who paid for the METV, and passed the financial-checks involved, since they don't get a cut of the action.

 

An honest, reasonably-priced "pay as you go" system - something with fees that funded schools, public-hospitals, and such - wouldn't line their pockets, so cannot be allowed to happen.  They don't care a bit about the welfare of "the country," after all.

[at15]

well guess i will be driving to mukdahan now. i have four tourist visas on my current passport 3 from kl, 1 from penang, is this an issue for savannakhet? 

Edited January 24, 2019 by at15

[friendofthai]

This embassy just do not have another choice.
On the 17th of December last year when I applied for SE Non-O in Vientiane there were about 600 people in the queue. My queue number was 556.

[JackThompson]

4 minutes ago, at15 said:

well guess i will be driving to mukdahan now. i have four tourist visas on my current passport 3 from kl, 1 from penang, is this an issue for savannakhet? 

Why not make an appt at Vientiane? 

Is there any indication - at all - that this is anything but an appointment-system?

All foreigners w/o PR here have an "admitted until" date - so not hard to plan for it.

[Isaan Alan]

3 hours ago, Benroon said:

Some of the meltdowns on here are hilarious - it’s an appt right? 

1

Many people hate change don't they? 

Yeah, if they do it right, appts would make it smoother and weed out those who don't have a clue when applying and create log jams.

I saw a complaint about the UK appt system in BKK, well I think the Oz embassy in BKK appts are working well. Better than waiting 2 hours because it's busy and then it's lunch time or closing time. 

Regarding not being able to get an appt in time, well that only takes a little planning. You know when your expires don't you?

Seems like a case of tears before bedtime to me.

3 hours ago, Benroon said:

 

 

 

 

[at15]

15 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

 Why not make an appt at Vientiane? 

Is there any indication - at all - that this is anything but an appointment-system?

All foreigners w/o PR here have an "admitted until" date - so not hard to plan for it.

maybe, not really sure at this point. a trip out of se asia maybe due. Had bad experience, In 2017 vientiane wouldnt even let me apply for a tourist visa because i had three already in my passport from penang. in their words "you stay thailand too much"

Edited January 24, 2019 by at15

[Denim]

31 minutes ago, Essecola said:

What I can do is tell anyone that I ever meet not to ever go to Thailand. Not to spend their money there.

 

Probably the best way forward is to man up , get on with your packing and start searching for flights instead of venting your spleen here  every 15 minutes.

 

[at15]

1 minute ago, Denim said:

 

Probably the best way forward is to man up , get on with your packing and start searching for flights instead of venting your spleen here  every 15 minutes.

 

easier said than done for people with cars, houses, partners, etc 

[fforest1]

11 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Why not make an appt at Vientiane? 

Is there any indication - at all - that this is anything but an appointment-system?

All foreigners w/o PR here have an "admitted until" date - so not hard to plan for it.

A appointment system could be fine IF it was run honestly with no hanky-panky......But Hardly a week or two goes by now with-out some tightening going on some were in the visa classes......Its getting ridicules.....Never loosing....Always tightening......Unless your Chinese then you get your own line at the airport.    .....2-3-4 more years of tightening and I think you will need to be rich or have a Chinese passport...

[ginjag]

1 hour ago, Essecola said:

I spend way more than 65k a month here

Up to your lifestyle,  but why boast to me  ???  If an older person is a home person and in less fashionable area,  he can live easy on 30k,  not everyone eats out, not everyone smokes, not everyone drinks alcohol, not everyone has a wife and her family to keep,      Stop boasting, it is up to each and every individual how he lives.      I lived very happy alone here for 14 years on less than 30k with a new car and 3 bed bungalow,     

[at15]

65k is insane , must have a lot of demons 

[JackThompson]

27 minutes ago, at15 said:

maybe, not really sure at this point. a trip out of se asia maybe due. Had bad experience, In 2017 vientiane wouldnt even let me apply for a tourist visa because i had three already in my passport from penang. in their words "you stay thailand too much"

Perhaps the last visa from Penang had a little remark-stamp on it, "This person travels to Thailand frequently..." 

That happened to me once at Vientiane about that time-period - an old TR-Visa from Phnom Penh had that remark on it.  The consulate staff told me to go get a new passport, and I had to come back Visa-Exempt.  Staff at the bridge were friendly about it though - warned me about the new 2x/yr rule and gave me a little paper explaining it, etc.

[JackThompson]

29 minutes ago, fforest1 said:

A appointment system could be fine IF it was run honestly with no hanky-panky......But Hardly a week or two goes by now with-out some tightening going on some were in the visa classes......Its getting ridicules.....Never loosing....Always tightening......Unless your Chinese then you get your own line at the airport.    .....2-3-4 more years of tightening and I think you will need to be rich or have a Chinese passport...

The MFA seems less inclined to wreck everything, generally - though it varies by consulate.  I'm not saying this won't be used badly - certainly it could - but no indication of this so far.

 

I'm also suspicious of the Chinese angle - not sure how much is anticipation of their relative wealth/power (long-term thinking - though I think an erroneous prediction), and how much is Chinese money "buying policy" through bribe-pliable bureaucracies (short-sighted greed). 

 

As far as the line at the airport, one could argue that was to provide a better experience for their other visitors, who may not be accustomed to "how queues function" in China.

Edited January 24, 2019 by JackThompson

[chama]

Putting any information online through a Thai controlled server is scary. On the other hand once a paper application was submitted under the old system it was probably put online. So if it speeds things up and reduces envelope necessity (in some cases) then I guess it is an improvement.

[Pattaya46]

1 hour ago, Essecola said:

What I can do is tell anyone that I ever meet not to ever go to Thailand.

Not to spend their money there.

That's just ridiculous, and without any relation with the OP.

Thailand is a nice country, cheap and warm, where foreign retirees can leave easily.

So why would you want to stop people to do so ? 

 

BW expats don't care what may happen in Vientiane Thai Embassy;

They don't need such visa-runs.

[at15]

19 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Perhaps the last visa from Penang had a little remark-stamp on it, "This person travels to Thailand frequently..." 

That happened to me once at Vientiane about that time-period - an old TR-Visa from Phnom Penh had that remark on it.  The consulate staff told me to go get a new passport, and I had to come back Visa-Exempt.  Staff at the bridge were friendly about it though - warned me about the new 2x/yr rule and gave me a little paper explaining it, etc.

Yes it did the third one from penang, was unaware they cared about a different embassy with that remark. Lesson learned. 

[ginjag]

2 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

That's just ridiculous, and without any relation with the OP.

Thailand is a nice country, cheap and warm, where foreign retirees can leave easily.

So why would you want to stop people to do so ? 

 

BW expats don't care what may happen in Vientiane Thai Embassy;

They don't need such visa-runs.

THEY  ??  those without the funds have a problem,  but over the years had sufficient to live here well, you sound a little selfish as a big % now have a problem,  maybe by the sound of it you are not caring,  Mai pen rai........it is serious for some,,  family---a new car---living modestly

[Kaopad999]

I really hope that they have been thoroughly testing this new booking system before it's rolled-out in February. Otherwise, i think it will be a huge mess... 

[Essecola]

It is a country for old men. That's what they want. Foreign retirees. I will indeed tell anyone I can not to spend their money in Thailand. I am also retired. Although not 50. And I am NOT handing over 500,000b to ppl that cant be trusted. No thanks. It is insulting.

[farangx]

8 minutes ago, Essecola said:

It is a country for old men. That's what they want. Foreign retirees. I will indeed tell anyone I can not to spend their money in Thailand. I am also retired. Although not 50. And I am NOT handing over 500,000b to ppl that cant be trusted. No thanks. It is insulting.

Who did you hand that 500,000b to?  Did you got that money from a loan shark? I never even hand 50K to anyone here all these years.

 

[edwardandtubs]

3 hours ago, chowny77 said:

I need to go Loasto get my Ed-visa. Now booking is not so much the problem, it's the fact that you can't book a bus ticket too far in advance as their computer booking system is so out of date. So most likely I will have an appointment but then no means for me to get to Nong Khai by bus as it is either already full or not available when I need to travel. If they think they are not upgrading themselves and making their service more streamlined, maybe they should also look at being able to process the visa in 1 day rather than 2 as they will know who you are and what visa you are applying for.  

Why would you take a bus when you can fly to Udon and take the airport van directly to the border for the same price?

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, Pattaya46 said:

BW expats don't care what may happen in Vientiane Thai Embassy;

They don't need such visa-runs.

Unless they cannot get embassy letters any more.  Many who formerly used embassy-letters, but who live elsewhere part of the year, will not be transferring 65K here when they aren't even living here (assuming they ever sent that much, given 1/2 that is plenty).  A few have posted that they plan to switch to using a couple Tourist Visas/yr.  It is likely that thousands are in this category.
 

1 hour ago, at15 said:

Yes it did the third one from penang, was unaware they cared about a different embassy with that remark. Lesson learned. 

It was an unannounced policy-change which bit a few of us.

 

19 minutes ago, edwardandtubs said:

Why would you take a bus when you can fly to Udon and take the airport van directly to the border for the same price?

It costs you an extra night there if you fly up, and airports are a hassle.  When I was going there, I preferred to sleep on the comfortable VIP bus, and arrive with plenty of time to submit my application the morning of arrival.  On the way back the next day, the flight was just possible if you rushed (schedules may have changed now), but I still preferred to not worry about my queue-time picking up my passport, and have a relaxing afternoon meal in Nong Khai, then sleep on the bus again coming back. 

Edited January 24, 2019 by JackThompson

[edwardandtubs]

1 hour ago, JackThompson said:

 

 

It costs you an extra night there if you fly up, and airports are a hassle.  When I was going there, I preferred to sleep on the comfortable VIP bus, and arrive with plenty of time to submit my application the morning of arrival.  On the way back the next day, the flight was just possible if you rushed (schedules may have changed now), but I still preferred to not worry about my queue-time picking up my passport, and have a relaxing afternoon meal in Nong Khai, then sleep on the bus again coming back. 

 

It doesn't cost you an extra night at all. If you take the earliest flight you can reach the embassy the same day so only spend a single night away. Even if you don't want the early start, you can take the latest flight to Udon and spend the night there or in Nong Khai and it would be the same timeframe as the bus only a lot safer and more comfortable.

 

I've never had any hassle at the airport on a domestic flight. I use the app to check in and it's all a lot less hassle than the bus station.

Edited January 24, 2019 by edwardandtubs

[Andycoops]

13 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

Other than having to wait for 2 or 3 weeks for an appt, the few times I used the B E with the appt system, it worked ok.

Lucky you. 

I applied 2 weeks ago for an appt at the BE and the earliest date available was the 7th March!!!