SETV Savannakhet - now asking for itinerary/bank statements

[darrendsd]

On 12/17/2016 at 0:51 PM, jonw8uk said:

Regarding renewing UK passport:

 

Has anybody recently renewed their UK passport? what was accepted as proof of address?

 

I emailed VFS to arrange an appointment, and there auto email response contained the following;

 

Her Majesty’s Passport Office have advised that some customers applying for their passport from outside of the UK have been provided with incorrect guidance relating to the supporting documents required in support of their passport application.

 

 

 

This only affects customers born in the UK.

 

 

 

Prior to your passport application appointment, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-passport-supporting-documents-group-2 for the correct information. HM Passport Office apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

 

Following the link, only these documents are accepted;

 

Please provide one of the following:
• visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy)
• tax record eg a letter from a tax authority
• educational record eg school report
• employment record eg o cial letter from your employer
• letter sent to you from a central, regional or local government department • medical/health card
• voter’s card
• immigration documents. 

 

None of which I can provide...

 

 

I took a TOT bill which the address was in Thai to a Lawyer and had it certified (cost 300 Baht) VFS accepted this

[jonw8uk]

2 hours ago, darrendsd said:

 

I took a TOT bill which the address was in Thai to a Lawyer and had it certified (cost 300 Baht) VFS accepted this

 

Cheers, yes I took a certified AIS home internet bill and VFS accepted this

[sanemax]

On 12/17/2016 at 0:51 PM, jonw8uk said:

Regarding renewing UK passport:

 

Has anybody recently renewed their UK passport? what was accepted as proof of address?

 

I emailed VFS to arrange an appointment, and there auto email response contained the following;

 

Her Majesty’s Passport Office have advised that some customers applying for their passport from outside of the UK have been provided with incorrect guidance relating to the supporting documents required in support of their passport application.

 

 

 

This only affects customers born in the UK.

 

 

 

Prior to your passport application appointment, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-passport-supporting-documents-group-2 for the correct information. HM Passport Office apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

 

Following the link, only these documents are accepted;

 

Please provide one of the following:
• visa or resident permit (or colour photocopy)
• tax record eg a letter from a tax authority
• educational record eg school report
• employment record eg o cial letter from your employer
• letter sent to you from a central, regional or local government department • medical/health card
• voter’s card
• immigration documents. 

 

None of which I can provide...

 

 

  A bank statement .

My bank statement was in both Thai and English, so, no need to a translation 

[sanemax]

Just back from Vientiane to get a SETV , they didnt ask for any other documents, other then the application form . The Embassy people didnt eeven look through my PP upom applicartion and at the border crossingm IO just seemed to be stamping everyone in without question, none of the 100 people ahead of my got questionned 

  Regarding new passports, your old PP details are writen in the new PP

[JackThompson]

10 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

I almost did the ED Visa when I was contemplating having time on my hands.  I don't think that spending 4 Hrs a week can be considered a burden.  Now the other things became a bit problematic, but the hours they expected I don't think were

 

I wrote that incorrectly - it is 2 hrs/day and 4 "days per week" in classes. 

 

If the same hours per week (8) of class-time could be condensed into fewer days, this would make other activities in the country (traveling, etc) easier. 

[gk10002000]

13 hours ago, JackThompson said:

 

I wrote that incorrectly - it is 2 hrs/day and 4 "days per week" in classes. 

 

If the same hours per week (8) of class-time could be condensed into fewer days, this would make other activities in the country (traveling, etc) easier. 

a fair point.  thanks

[LongTimeLurker]

On 12/17/2016 at 0:33 PM, BritTim said:

 

I think some consulates will ask to see the old passport if you clearly renewed while in Thailand (they can see this because of the transferred stamp from the old passport).

 

I witnessed this happen in the HCMC consulate the other day.

 

Russian guy with new passport was asked for his old one which was taken away for checking then returned.

 

Can't say where it was issued though.

[jonw8uk]

On 23/12/2016 at 10:24 AM, sanemax said:

Just back from Vientiane to get a SETV , they didnt ask for any other documents, other then the application form . The Embassy people didnt eeven look through my PP upom applicartion and at the border crossingm IO just seemed to be stamping everyone in without question, none of the 100 people ahead of my got questionned 

  Regarding new passports, your old PP details are writen in the new PP

 

 Written by who? There are no previous passport details written in my (UK) passport.

[sanemax]

5 minutes ago, jonw8uk said:

 

 Written by who? There are no previous passport details written in my (UK) passport.

 

   New regulations .

Written by Thai immigration on the first page of my new PP

You also now need a letter from the UK PP issuing people asking Thai immigration to transfer to the new UK PP 

[darrendsd]

2 hours ago, sanemax said:

 

   New regulations .

Written by Thai immigration on the first page of my new PP

You also now need a letter from the UK PP issuing people asking Thai immigration to transfer to the new UK PP 

 

If you get a new PP whilst you are in Thailand and got to a Immigration Office they then transfer your recent stamps over to your new PP

 

As for the letter this is not a new requirement they have asked for this for years

[sanemax]

6 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

 

If you get a new PP whilst you are in Thailand and got to a Immigration Office they then transfer your recent stamps over to your new PP

 

As for the letter this is not a new requirement they have asked for this for years

 

   Well, you dont go to any immigration office , you go to a border immigration office when leaving a Country, it cannot be done at an internal IO

   Letters of transfer were not required in 2012, when I did a PP renewal, although a letter was needed when I last did a PP renewal a few months ago

[ubonjoe]

55 minutes ago, sanemax said:

 

   Well, you dont go to any immigration office , you go to a border immigration office when leaving a Country, it cannot be done at an internal IO

   Letters of transfer were not required in 2012, when I did a PP renewal, although a letter was needed when I last did a PP renewal a few months ago

That is correct if you only have a visa entry. If you have an extension of stay an immigration office is where you need to do it.

[darrendsd]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

 

   Well, you dont go to any immigration office , you go to a border immigration office when leaving a Country, it cannot be done at an internal IO

   Letters of transfer were not required in 2012, when I did a PP renewal, although a letter was needed when I last did a PP renewal a few months ago

 

It can be done at a internal I/O as I did it myself in Feb of this year

[Briggsy]

Let's get back on topic.
Savannakhet reports.

[ldiablo72]

I just returned from Savannakhet on Thursday after receiving a Non O and was not asked for any bank details or itinerary. It was quick and painless.

[ultramarine]

Can someone clarify if paper copies of bank statements and itinerary are required?

I was planning on going to savannakhet in January for a setv. I am currently near the end of an metv. I have never got a visa or stamp from there. How much hassle should I expect?

[jonw8uk]

1 hour ago, ultramarine said:

Can someone clarify if paper copies of bank statements and itinerary are required?

I was planning on going to savannakhet in January for a setv. I am currently near the end of an metv. I have never got a visa or stamp from there. How much hassle should I expect?

 

Its not hard and fast, they could ask you

 

how many tourist visas total in your passport?

 

subsequent comments on here have shown most Applications go through without hassle. As i said i was going for a 6th TR, so i think that was why he asked me. 

 

Although if you search the forums for 'savannakhet' there are a few recent reports of others being asked for documents

 

next time i go apply anywhere i will have it. If they ask in savannakhet, leaving the embassy to go find a printer and arrange the flights/hotels may mean you miss the submission for the day....messing up your return travel plans. For me, i went on a thursday, so would have had to hang around till monday after arranging what they required, hence i came back on a visa exempt entry. 

[ultramarine]

Thanks. I have two metv in my passport. It's only two years old so quite new. Not sure how they count those. I do make a point of carrying paper flight itinerary as well as hotel bills. The bank statement is an extra hoop I haven't bothered with up to now. The metv already requires some minimum financial wherewithal.

[ubonjoe]

6 hours ago, ultramarine said:

Thanks. I have two metv in my passport. It's only two years old so quite new. Not sure how they count those. I do make a point of carrying paper flight itinerary as well as hotel bills. The bank statement is an extra hoop I haven't bothered with up to now. The metv already requires some minimum financial wherewithal.

You will have no problem getting a single entry tourist visa since you have not gotten any at Savannakhet.

Two METV's in your passport issued in your home country will certainly not be a problem at any nearby embassy or consulate.

[Get Real]

On 2016-12-15 at 7:44 AM, overherebc said:

 

Will be interesting what other open doors will start closing in the future.

Yes, and a lot of open doors that should not be open is going to close very quickly.
Like it says in all rules and regulations for different kinds of visas, they are there to be used and followed.
Much better that they use everything by the book, so all that apply for a visa know what is needed and not needed.

[JackThompson]

5 hours ago, Get Real said:

Yes, and a lot of open doors that should not be open is going to close very quickly.
Like it says in all rules and regulations for different kinds of visas, they are there to be used and followed.
Much better that they use everything by the book, so all that apply for a visa know what is needed and not needed.

 

When it comes to Tourist Visa issuance, there is no "book" of rules in use that I can see.  Consulates make up "extra" tourist-visa rules, which vary by each consulate, and sometimes change by the week.  Those unwritten-rules are not published, so we only know of their existence based on reports of people requesting tourist-visas and their results - which vary. 

 

Rules which are known, and might actually help, like having to show 20K Baht to apply for a Tourist Visa, are rarely enforced (should be 100K baht, imo).  The HCMC consulate used to ask for this, but now seem to be asking, instead, for easily-faked things, like air-tickets and hotel-bookings.  Vientiane asks for nothing, but counts previous Tourist Visas as if that is somehow an indication of whether an individual is financially-set to spend (pun intended) 60 days in Thailand (it isn't).

As far as "doors that should not be open" - according to whom?   And for what purpose are they being closed?

 

We hear about people using tourist visas and exempts to work illegally, but see little activity to actually catch them doing so where everyone knows they are (schools).  Busting the random farang business-owner who gets "caught" for "illegal working" for henious acts, such as catching a signboard blown down the street by the wind, is not a solution to the stated-problem.  Neither is what is happening recently at borders, consulates, tea-money Ed-Visa renewals, fake-bank-money Retirement-extensions, etc.  The "bad guys" can have a field-day, and the good-guys pay in money and/or hassle.

 

Since it is clear that little is being done to address the stated problem of illegal-working (at the job-site), or to verify all Tourists have the funds to spend in Thailand, my conclusion is that the various crackdowns are driven by different (likely geopolitical) agenda - one which will not be limited to those on "tourist" visas.

[ultramarine]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You will have no problem getting a single entry tourist visa since you have not gotten any at Savannakhet.

Two METV's in your passport issued in your home country will certainly not be a problem at any nearby embassy or consulate.

Thanks ubonjoe. A friend has done this for the past years without difficulty. Would a bank statement therefore be unnecessary in your opinion?

 

Also i don't have to go to savannakhet. I had just heard it was low key and hassle free so was aiming for it. Would you suggest other places to get a setv in my post-metv situation? Such as Penang. A short flight sounds better than a long bus ride. Thanks!

[Get Real]

33 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

 

When it comes to Tourist Visa issuance, there is no "book" of rules in use that I can see.  Consulates make up "extra" tourist-visa rules, which vary by each consulate, and sometimes change by the week.  Those unwritten-rules are not published, so we only know of their existence based on reports of people requesting tourist-visas and their results - which vary. 

 

Rules which are known, and might actually help, like having to show 20K Baht to apply for a Tourist Visa, are rarely enforced (should be 100K baht, imo).  The HCMC consulate used to ask for this, but now seem to be asking, instead, for easily-faked things, like air-tickets and hotel-bookings.  Vientiane asks for nothing, but counts previous Tourist Visas as if that is somehow an indication of whether an individual is financially-set to spend (pun intended) 60 days in Thailand (it isn't).

As far as "doors that should not be open" - according to whom?   And for what purpose are they being closed?

 

We hear about people using tourist visas and exempts to work illegally, but see little activity to actually catch them doing so where everyone knows they are (schools).  Busting the random farang business-owner who gets "caught" for "illegal working" for henious acts, such as catching a signboard blown down the street by the wind, is not a solution to the stated-problem.  Neither is what is happening recently at borders, consulates, tea-money Ed-Visa renewals, fake-bank-money Retirement-extensions, etc.  The "bad guys" can have a field-day, and the good-guys pay in money and/or hassle.

 

Since it is clear that little is being done to address the stated problem of illegal-working (at the job-site), or to verify all Tourists have the funds to spend in Thailand, my conclusion is that the various crackdowns are driven by different (likely geopolitical) agenda - one which will not be limited to those on "tourist" visas.

Yes, but it would still be better to use all the rules that do exist, even if you not see them. That would stop all from getting tourist visa after tourist visa after tourist visa for the wrong purpose of long stay. I my opinion that a way of living that partly or very much create the hassle for everybody on the right type of visa for that purpose.

However you´re entitled to your opinion, but there will be nothing you can say to change mine.

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, ultramarine said:

Thanks ubonjoe. A friend has done this for the past years without difficulty. Would a bank statement therefore be unnecessary in your opinion?

 

Also i don't have to go to savannakhet. I had just heard it was low key and hassle free so was aiming for it. Would you suggest other places to get a setv in my post-metv situation? Such as Penang. A short flight sounds better than a long bus ride. Thanks!

The only people that have needed a bank statement were people that had gotten several single entry visas already from them and also had some from other nearby locations. Your were issued back home so they will not pay attention to them.

Vientiane and Penang are both good locations.

You can fly to Mukdahan using a fly/ride service. Nok Air does it from 3 airporst for the ride side of the trip.

 

[ultramarine]

Thanks again ubonjoe. Very helpful info.i will look into the nok air option and see if can find a cheap flight. Penang has the advantage of not requiring a visa so that's a cost saving over the rather pricey Lao visa.

[BuckBee]

If want be flying penang better option, nok air flight overall takes more time than bus as transition times don't run spot on like tour bus to mukdahan bus station.

[rott]

On 12/21/2016 at 9:03 PM, darrendsd said:

 

This is not the same as applying for a SETV at a Embassy and being asked for your old PP

No but it relates to the attitude of the IO to a new passport when you regularly spend long periods of time in Thailand.

 

And it is the IO who has the last word, not the Embassy or Consulate.

 

I thought this might be of some minor interest or value, as it is unlikely that there is anyone currently on the forum who has recently:-

 

Been home for 2 to 3 years

Renewed their passport while away

Entered Thailand on a 30 day VE 

Then applied for a new SETV in the region

 

Sorry if I wasted your time 

[edwarda909]

have to ask-  what does  SETV  stand for?

[BritTim]

On 12/26/2016 at 3:28 PM, BuckBee said:

If want be flying penang better option, nok air flight overall takes more time than bus as transition times don't run spot on like tour bus to mukdahan bus station.

 

The Fly-Ride service is not great going, but I recommend it for the return.

 

When going, the overnight VIP bus from Bangkok to Mukdahan is convenient for the connection to the bus into Savannakhet. However, the bus journey is long. I could imagine some deciding on the fly-ride service anyway, and just spending the night in Mukdahan.

[BuckBee]

34 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

The Fly-Ride service is not great going, but I recommend it for the return.

 

When going, the overnight VIP bus from Bangkok to Mukdahan is convenient for the connection to the bus into Savannakhet. However, the bus journey is long. I could imagine some deciding on the fly-ride service anyway, and just spending the night in Mukdahan.

Bus ride is long but it easy & relaxed on the roiet buses I used and as travelling at night and arriving morning works great. you waste a lot of money and time running about flying in, on return trip then flying works better and saves few hours if needed .