Grilled requesting METV and certified ID card?

[KhaoYai]

20 hours ago, genericptr said:

I've been working in the US this year and requesting a METV (for the first time) to go back to Thailand for 6 months

You actually told them you wanted to stay for 6 months?  In that case, that is probably the reason for your 'grilling'.  The METV is valid for 6 months but you can only stay for 60 days at a time (+ potential extensions). You certainly can't stay in the country for 6 months without leaving on a METV.  They know that but your stating 6 months may have set off alarm bells.

[NorthernRyland]

3 hours ago, Just Weird said:

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable question to someone coming here for six months to me, how many employers allow their employees six months holiday at once?

 

I agree. Then why does the visa exist? Tourists can just get visa exempt entries and single entries so why get the METV unless you're staying more than a few months? It's my fault I guess though because from their website (https://thaiembdc.org/tourist-visa-category-tr-multiple-metv/)

 

   Period of stay: not exceeding 60 days

   ...

   Validity of a visa: The Validity of a visa is 6 months.

 

So the METV only allows 60 days like a single entry??? Maybe that's why I'm getting grilled here?

 

Lesson learned, never tell them you're staying with family or how long you're staying. For all I know they're going to deny my application anyways and I'll be out $200+. Don't be like me people.

[NorthernRyland]

39 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

You actually told them you wanted to stay for 6 months?

Yes, I'm stupid. The website clearly states no more than 60 days but my ticket is for 6 months plus I actually told her that over the phone. So despite all the talk since 2015 this is a visa with the same usage as a single entry tourist visa? I'll still send the women the certified ID document but I'm expecting her to reject the application and give me back a single entry.

[NorthernRyland]

6 hours ago, natway09 said:

Do you have any idea what hoops you need to jump through to take your Thai  girlfriend to NZ, OZ, the UK, or USA. for 6 months ?

Just get on with it or don't come !!

My girlfriend has a 10 year visa to the US and can stay up to 6 months at a time. I wish I could get that visa for Thailand.

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, genericptr said:

My girlfriend has a 10 year visa to the US and can stay up to 6 months at a time. I wish I could get that visa for Thailand.

An Elite Visa is an option.

[henry15]

On 12/12/2019 at 6:36 AM, genericptr said:

So you mean notarized? That would make sense but the women said "take the ID the district office and have it certified". It's possible that something was lost in translation but I really did try to have her clarify this which only mad her angry. 

I think they mean a certified copy of the Thai ID.. For this you must go to foreign Affaires(Consular) in Bangkok. Chaeng Wattana.

 

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, henry15 said:

I think they mean a certified copy of the Thai ID.. For this you must go to foreign Affaires(Consular) in Bangkok. Chaeng Wattana.

 

another user on the previous page posted said they stamp the photo copied ID front and back. The women at the embassy this can be done at any district office (we're in Chiang Mai so going to BKK is not gonna happen).

[gk10002000]

How many of you are retired and not working but for whatever reasons chose to get a METV?  How did you answer the Employee part of the application and did you then get an MEfV while not being employed? 

  Methinks the issues stem from the fact that the METV really was intended as a business traveler sort of visa, i.e. businesses or people with businesses that would need to travel in and out of Thailand often, ergo the Multiple in M.  So if not working I think one would have issues also.

[jacko45k]

7 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

Methinks the issues stem from the fact that the METV really was intended as a business traveler sort of visa, i.e. businesses or people with businesses that would need to travel in and out of Thailand often, ergo the Multiple in M.  So if not working I think one would have issues also.

I am unsure of the thinking behind it. When it (The METV) was rumoured, people were very optimistic, and then deflated when the requirements were defined. I  felt they wanted simply to get rid of the old double and triple entry TVs, they were easy to obtain and people could stay long term with  them. 

[NorthernRyland]

27 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

How many of you are retired and not working but for whatever reasons chose to get a METV?  How did you answer the Employee part of the application and did you then get an MEfV while not being employed? 

  Methinks the issues stem from the fact that the METV really was intended as a business traveler sort of visa, i.e. businesses or people with businesses that would need to travel in and out of Thailand often, ergo the Multiple in M.  So if not working I think one would have issues also.

Even if you're employed they're going to question you so better have  a good answer. It doesn't matter it's a visa with a 6 month duration, they don't actually want you in their country for 6 months messing around when you could be back home working. ???? 

[ThaiBunny]

37 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

How many of you are retired and not working but for whatever reasons chose to get a METV?  How did you answer the Employee part of the application and did you then get an MEfV while not being employed? 

In the same way a non-working housewife would answer it - leave it blank

[NorthernRyland]

1 minute ago, ThaiBunny said:

In the same way a non-working housewife would answer it - leave it blank

I doubt I could have avoided my troubles by just leaving that blank. To recap: This is a visa with a 6 month duration that only employed people qualify for but they don't actually want you in the country for 6 months because that's too long for an employed person. Seriously just lie to them or don't bother coming at all.

[ThaiBunny]

6 minutes ago, genericptr said:

This is a visa with a 6 month duration that only employed people qualify for

Evidence that only employed people qualify? The "employer" section is common for all Thai visa application forms in Australia, including SETV, METV, Non-Immigrant O etc.

[Peter Denis]

44 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

How many of you are retired and not working but for whatever reasons chose to get a METV?  How did you answer the Employee part of the application and did you then get an MEfV while not being employed?

Consistency in requirements is not a thai forte.

When applying for an METV in Belgium at the thai embassy (Brussels) or hon. consulate (Antwerp), there is NO requirement to be employed. 

Note: If that would have been there it would have been difficult for me to apply as I already stopped working at the time of application.  And applied 3 times successfully for an METV before swtiching to a Non Imm OA Visa.

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, ThaiBunny said:

Evidence that only employed people qualify? The "employer" section is common for all Thai visa application forms in Australia, including SETV, METV, Non-Immigrant O etc.

https://thaiembdc.org/tourist-visa-category-tr-multiple-metv/

 

8. A letter proof of employment ( **we don’t accept pay stubs**)

 

 

[ThaiBunny]

2 minutes ago, genericptr said:

https://thaiembdc.org/tourist-visa-category-tr-multiple-metv/ 8. A letter proof of employment ( **we don’t accept pay stubs**)

I'm looking for an Immigration regulation, not the practice of an isolated Consulate

[NorthernRyland]

3 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

I'm looking for an Immigration regulation, not the practice of an isolated Consulate

Well good luck arguing with the IO at the embassy in DC. That's the highest authority we have to answer to in America and she holds all the cards.

[LivinLOS]

19 hours ago, natway09 said:

Do you have any idea what hoops you need to jump through to take your Thai  girlfriend to NZ, OZ, the UK, or USA. for 6 months ?

Fairly easy actually.. Few forms.. Drop into the local office.. 10 year visas to come and go, zero reporting, etc etc.. 

 

Wife has a 10 year uk tourist visa and every year we get new schengen visas for euro vacations.. Trivial in fact. 

[NanLaew]

On 12/12/2019 at 5:16 AM, genericptr said:

Yes it really is disheartening and especially so since I spent so many years in the country before they started to clamp down. To put it into perspective it's not really that bad and the immigration coming back in the US often treats me like a criminal also because I was gone for so long in Thailand (that's apparently suspicious behavior).

 

The only really annoying part is requesting I get some certified document from my girlfriend but refusing to say how this certification works or what I need to return to her. I just had to tell my girlfriend "go to the district office tomorrow and ask to certify the ID" which makes no sense to me but maybe the staff will understand what she means. I'll be properly <deleted> if I send this back to the embassy and they tell me it's still no good and to read the website which doesn't mention this certification process either.

You claim that this is a 'first time' METV but say that you've spent some time in Thailand before. Does you current passport (the one at the Thai Embassy) have this prior history in it? If so, what sort of previous entries are evidenced?

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

Fairly easy actually.. Few forms.. Drop into the local office.. 10 year visas to come and go, zero reporting, etc etc.. 

 

Wife has a 10 year uk tourist visa and every year we get new schengen visas for euro vacations.. Trivial in fact. 

Yes, yes, yes but she didn't apply for all of them yesterday now did she?

[orchidfan]

On 12/12/2019 at 9:18 AM, genericptr said:

 I agree fully it was a mistake to say I was visiting family/girlfriend for 6 months as this caused the IO to put me under signification scrutiny. I'm sorry to be yet another ungrateful farang crying about being mistreated but it's useful when people post these stories so we can all learn.

Back in the days when we could use Embassy letters or stat docs to verify salaries,  these had to be translated into Thai and then "legalized"......a term I never heard of...but I recall this was all done in the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs office.

Legalizing (the translation ) turned out to be a few large coloured stamps and signatures, bound a stapled together.

I guess they were "certifying " them to be true documents and a true / correct translation.

[Mavideol]

On 12/12/2019 at 1:34 AM, genericptr said:

"Visa requires a letter of proof of employment" and their response after supplying such letter: "Why are you coming to Thailand if you're employed?".  Honestly what do they want us to say? Is this supposed to be game or something?

I guess you didn't pay attention to what @Matzzon said, read post #2 again   555

Edited December 13, 2019 by Mavideol

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

Yes, yes, yes but she didn't apply for all of them yesterday now did she?

I dont understand your point.. The schengen one we do annually (easy) and the uk tourist visa is a couple of years old now. 

 

Some posters always knee jerk the old 'well how hard is it to visit your country' ?? And the fact is, if they have actual funds and income of thier own, a fraction of the kind of amounts Thailand asks to see, the entire process is simpler, swifter, and easier than applying for Thai visas these days. The end result of that process also can often be for a decade of hassle free travel, with zero reporting and monitoring unlike Thailand. 

[Dexxter]

On 12/12/2019 at 1:44 AM, johnmell said:

I presume they want a letter from the employer, saying it is ok to have 6 months off, but who knows.

Having a METV does not necessarily mean a person is staying in Thailand for 6 months. It is a MULTI-ENTRY visa. You can have a 3 week holiday in Thailand and return 5 months later for another 3 weeks, or some combination between. There are also people who earn a heap of money doing contract work (eg. my son) who can then take a few months off work for a holiday. There are also retired people (eg. me) who use the METV to visit Thailand on a regular basis because, for a variety of reasons, it is more convenient than one of the other visa types.

By the way, being retired, I have never had to show a letter from my (non-existent) employer to get an METV. Proof of funds, proof of accommodation (condo lease), and a return ticket (5 months for return flight) was all they ever requested.

Edited December 13, 2019 by Dexxter

[Dexxter]

On 12/12/2019 at 8:28 AM, genericptr said:

The lesson here is probably not to tell them you're visiting family for 6 months

I always say I am going on holiday to Thailand and never mention staying with my Thai partner for the duration. Holidays are easy to explain. A 4-5 year relationship not so easy. The way I see it is that if they think you are in a long term relationship you are more likely to overstay your "tourist" visa. Or they decide you are not a "real" tourist and tell you to apply for another type of visa which I don't want to do. The METV is the right visa for my needs because I spend about half my time in Thailand and the other half in Australia.

 

I also put 60 days for my stay in Thailand, because you must leave the country within that time unless applying for an extension. They don't seem to get confused by my 60 day stay and return flight 5 months in the future.

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by Dexxter

[Dexxter]

22 hours ago, genericptr said:

So the METV only allows 60 days like a single entry???

The "M" in METV signifies Multi-entry. It is not the same as a single entry visa (SETV). Each entry (as many as you want) is limited to 60 days. With this visa you can be in Thailand up to 6 months plus approx 60 days if your final entry is just before the expiry date of the visa, but you MUST leave before each 60 days, as shown on your entry stamp, expires. Be aware, these days, it might get tricky getting past the Immigration Officers after the first few times if you spend "too much time" in Thailand whatever that means although it probably won't be a problem if this is your first METV.

[Dexxter]

9 hours ago, genericptr said:

https://thaiembdc.org/tourist-visa-category-tr-multiple-metv/

 

8. A letter proof of employment ( **we don’t accept pay stubs**)

 

I just had a look at that web site and the list of requirements are stricter in the USA than in Australia for the same METV.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/564565b4e4b03880a2ff050f/t/5d50dcff27cc360001d17537/1565580549825/TR_Multiple_12082019.pdf

 

Recent passport-sized photograph (3.5 x 4.5 cm) of the applicant

- Only one photo required. ????

 

Copy of updated bank statement providing of adequate finances of AUD 950 per person (THB 20,000) or AUD 2,000 per family (THB 40,000)

- Although for METV see below...

 

Confirmed accommodation under your name for the duration of your stay in Thailand

- Does not have to be a hotel. My condo lease contract has been accepted so far.

 

Additional documents required for Tourist visa for Multiple Entries

Copy of updated bank statement providing of adequate finances of AUD 8,000 per person(THB 200,000)

- There has not been a requirement for the balance to be there for 6 months. A credit card with AUD 8000 balance available is all I ever show and has been accepted so far. If needed I can also show a pension fund with several hundred thousand dollars available but this has never been asked for.

 

There is a field for "Occupation" on the one page application form, in which I always write "Retired". There is no "Proof of Employment" or "Letter from Employer" in the list of documents required with the application.

 

Another interesting thing was that last month I tried to apply for a Non-Immigrant Multi Entry visa based on marriage. My partner and I have been together for more than 4 years and under Australian law we qualify as a de-facto couple, but the Thai consulate would not accept my application without a marriage certificate saying they operated under Thai law. She then suggested I continue using METVs to visit my partner even though I said I was worried about being denied entry at the Thai border. Like I said in another post, they try to be helpful. ????

 

Perhaps Australians are more trustworthy than Americans? 5555555

 

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by Dexxter

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

7 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Yes, yes, yes but she didn't apply for all of them yesterday now did she?

I dont understand your point.. The schengen one we do annually (easy) and the uk tourist visa is a couple of years old now. 

 

Some posters always knee jerk the old 'well how hard is it to visit your country' ?? And the fact is, if they have actual funds and income of thier own, a fraction of the kind of amounts Thailand asks to see, the entire process is simpler, swifter, and easier than applying for Thai visas these days. The end result of that process also can often be for a decade of hassle free travel, with zero reporting and monitoring unlike Thailand.

Easy-peasy Schengen approvals are predicated on having good prior history, same as any other visa. A history of serial compliance is something that the first-time applicant doesn't have.

 

Getting visas is more difficult than it was 10 years ago and even as little as 5 years ago and far from trivial for a lot of applicants.

 

Having said that, if you managed to get your partner a 10-year UK visit visa straight off the bat, well done.

[NorthernRyland]

Here's the document she acquired. The district office explicitly said they do not stamp and sign documents for certification because if they did then "everyone would be doing it" and apparently they don't want all the extra work. ???? 

 

[LivinLOS]

16 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Easy-peasy Schengen approvals are predicated on having good prior history, same as any other visa. A history of serial compliance is something that the first-time applicant doesn't have.

 

Getting visas is more difficult than it was 10 years ago and even as little as 5 years ago and far from trivial for a lot of applicants.

 

Having said that, if you managed to get your partner a 10-year UK visit visa straight off the bat, well done.

Done UK / ireland / Schengen visas with 3 women god knows how many times.. All of them had to get a first one, none got denied. 

And no we got the long term tourist visa after 2 or 3 annual summer trips, hardly a complicated process.. 

 

On the flip side this autumn I got denied a Thai visa, despite all requirements being in order, by a sneering smirking clerk who made me run around for days before denying it, clearly enjoying his position of power.. I then tried to re-apply in uk, where the constant rule changes made that impossible timing, with a joke of an online application system, and finally just grabbed a single entry from one of few consuls still run by westerners.. A consul BTW thats apparently only got a short life left. Obtaining simple Thai visas also has changed radically from as little as 5 years ago, and they wonder why the long stay tourist market is crumbling.