Silomfarang Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I am writing this from an Internet cafe in Penang. I went to the Thai consulate today, and the line stretched from the application window and down to the gate. From the number slips I could tell they received over 200 applications before closing at noon. Two freshly home-printed signs were posted at the consulate. One was on the board facing the line of people, the other was on the application window. Both said the same: they want "original air ticket" and "hotel reservation" for tourist visa applications. They gave everyone the same spiel. "Now must have ticket home and hotel". A bit of arguing went on with young backpacker types as everyone tried to explain why they didn't have this. I said I had not bought a ticket home yet. I also said I didn't need a hotel since I had a condo in Bangkok. This didn't register. The officer pointed to the sign above on the window and repeated the new requirements. The consulate took my application and 110 ringit but the officer said my application could be rejceted. In that case, said the officer, maybe I could get a 30 day on arrival. Or maybe I should go home to my own country. He said the same to several other people I overheard. The officer recognised me from earlier visa runs. I didn't argue but said it might be the last time I was in Penang since I considered moving to Malaysia. The Thai officer said "yes, you come here, it is better in Malaysia you can get up to 10 year visa". He then told his boss in Thai what I had said and they both laughed. --- I am writing this as a service to other people on the board. From previous experience I expect to be called a liar, and/or told I am an undesirable visa runner who should get his act together. I accept this as my just punishment for trying to share the news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstumbo Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I am writing this from an Internet cafe in Penang... Let us know if you get your visa tomorrow. Thanks for the report Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossy Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Let us know if you get your visa tomorrow. Thanks for the report Agreed, please keep us informed. I've dropped a link to this thread in the other Penang thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funfun Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 ...Let us know if you get your visa tomorrow. Thanks for the report totally agree good report, bad news unfortunatly, for many, would be good if we got a laos update! good luck for tommorow, and if its bad news maybe you should remined them that within 6 months they wont be laughing either when some lose thier jobs and halfe of bars hotels etc start to feel the pinch!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baboon Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Thanks for the report. Can you please try and find out the situation vis a vis non imm visas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somtamnication Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 <br /><br /><br />---<br /><br />I am writing this as a service to other people on the board. From previous experience I expect to be called a liar, and/or told I am an undesirable visa runner who should get his act together. I accept this as my just punishment for trying to share the news.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Great report. Pretty sad about your last comment, though. I hope TV reads and tries to learn from that. But I would not hold my breath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel2surf Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Thanks for that report.It is good to get updates,and very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropo Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 It's unfortunate that so many people go there without a clue as to what is happening. If only they read this forum. So now they need to see hotel bookings. If they keep this up they'll soon be as bad (and quiet) as the Manila Embassy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropo Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 totally agree good report, bad news unfortunatly, for many, would be good if we got a laos update!good luck for tommorow, and if its bad news maybe you should remined them that within 6 months they wont be laughing either when some lose thier jobs and halfe of bars hotels etc start to feel the pinch!!! Check out your old thread Chris. There have been several reports of success at Vientiane including from myself just over a week ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ovenman Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 (edited) Quick head count: do we have some ThaiVisa members out there who still believe that the Thai Consulate in Penang has the desire to issue tourist visas to anybody? Edited February 4, 2008 by ovenman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cali4995 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I am writing this from an Internet cafe in Penang... Silomfarang, we all appreciate you taking the time for the greater good. It's a sad reality if you're not checking-in with the visa news twice a week, disturbing things can happen in your absence. Hopefully, Penang will at least consider giving some of these people transit visas. From what you're saying about the queue, they've caught a lot or people off-guard. Which, I suppose is what you should expect when you keep changing things every month. I understand the local staffers are worn-out and getting cynical but policy dictated these circumstances with the bottlenecking at regional embassies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funfun Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 totally agree good report, bad news unfortunatly, for many, would be good if we got a laos update!good luck for tommorow, and if its bad news maybe you should remined them that within 6 months they wont be laughing either when some lose thier jobs and halfe of bars hotels etc start to feel the pinch!!! Check out your old thread Chris. There have been several reports of success at Vientiane including from myself just over a week ago. Glad to hear you did ok tropo, sorry aint bin on too much with high season etc, but very glad about visa sit in vien, for tropos update and a fair few others, a link is here Silomfarang some borders issue a "ticket" for a onward journey, now these tickets are paid for and not exactly used as such, are they availible by a tout /visa agent etc and can you book a hotel off them for thailand for a fee etc down there?? maybe worth a try if you get a kb today!!!!!! again good luck chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astral Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I wonder what they will accept as a "hotel reservation"? It is marvellous the documents that can be produced on a computer these days........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstumbo Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 they want "original air ticket" I wonder what they mean by the word original? Are they saying that an eticket wouldnot be good, that you need some type of paper ticket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropo Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I wonder what they will accept as a "hotel reservation"?It is marvellous the documents that can be produced on a computer these days........ I believe that's the reason that the Ban Laem immigration post stopped accepting air tickets and started accepting the bogus 200 baht bus tickets - that's what the visa run agents told me. According to my latest info they will now accept air tickets, but they keep a photocopy and probably randomly check some for authenticity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingray Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 If this is true, no foreigner should buy and condos or property anymore, if have to show hotel reservations anyway. Many foreigners rent a condo or a house, they don't stay in hotels, wich us much cheaper. What about those? Can they show a rental contract? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazeeboy Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 they are making it harder to stay here for sure........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waveydavey Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 If this is true, no foreigner should buy and condos or property anymore, if have to show hotel reservations anyway. Many foreigners rent a condo or a house, they don't stay in hotels, wich us much cheaper. What about those? Can they show a rental contract? I think they would argue that 'Tourists' would not be renting or buying condos in the first place. And no, I'm not one of the holier-than-thou brigade, I'm on a TV myself. It is stupid having to show a hotel reservation though. Many people dont book in advance and if they do, they may not have any proof to show immigration. Personally, I can't understand why anyone who reads this site is still going to Penang anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astral Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 IME e-tickets are becoming the norm and paper tickets will soon disappear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ovenman Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I think they would argue that 'Tourists' would not be renting or buying condos in the first place. I could see that excuse getting trotted out but it's disingenuous at best. The powers-that-be have never discouraged condo buyers of any visa type and until recently, they allowed even those folks to get a now discontinued investor's visa. It is stupid having to show a hotel reservation though. Many people dont book in advance and if they do, they may not have any proof to show immigration. And when a number of visa applicants start showing up at the consulate with such proof, they'll simply throw yet another paper chase into the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silomfarang Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 REJECTED: Day two in Penang. I went to the Thai consulate and was there at 2.30 pm. About 40 people were ahead of me in the queue, which snaked through the garden. It took about 20 minutes for me to reach the window. The officer gave me the application and my passport back and said I could not get a tourist visa because I "did not have ticket". He gave me my 110 ringit fee back, which was more than I had expected. He then said I could get 30 days on arrival in Bangkok. (He said that but I can't imagine he took the time to calculate if I actually had enough days left on my six month quota to get it) Maybe I was wrong about the officer inside. Maybe he is not Thai but Malay? Another older guy inside looked Indian, and there were a couple of people who looked Thai. I said "thank you" and left. There used to be one or two Indian guards outside the consulate, chain smoking guys in civilian clothes. They were replaced by a professional security guard. He wished me "happy new year" when I walked out. They have put up more posters about the new rules. They have one on the hut where they want you to sign your name in the visitor's book. The exact wording is: "The original air ticket and the proof of hotel reservation must be presented when applying for tourist visa". The consulate has not said what they mean by "original air ticket", but from what they say it seems they want a ticket "home". "Home" seems to be the country your passport is from. Yesterday in Georgetown I saw the visa agent in "Banana" was busy late with foreigners. I heard some had documents faxed to satisfy the new rules. I didn't use an agent but went myself. I saw several foreigners get rejected at the consulate, like myself. The telling sign is when they hand the money back. Nobody made any scenes, apart from a Russian who got a bit loud and said he didn't understand what he had done wrong. I had only one previous tourist visa in my passport. Hence I was not affected by the max-three visas rule, which others have written about here on thaivisa. I will fly back to Bangkok now and see what happens when I arrive at the airport. I will try to calculate if I have enough "free" days left in the last six month period to get a 30 day stamp. I can never be sure how Thai Immigation sees this, their logic is not the same as mine. Maybe I will get 7 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel2surf Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Sorry to hear that Silom. Seems pretty clear things have changed there.Good luck in Bangkok and thanks for posting this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_Traveller Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) Silom, sorry to hear this, not the least because I enjoy your blog. AFAIK, the position is that if you have Visa waivers, {30 day stamps} then immigration should count the number of days covered by those over the last 180 days. So if you had a visa prior to this, and have not used visa waivers then you'll get 30 days upon arrival. If you have then they deduct the amount used from the 90 days and issue the balance, assuming it is less than the 30 day standard Regards /edit add last sentence & typo// Edited February 5, 2008 by A_Traveller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstumbo Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 ...over the last 180 days. It is actually 6 months, not 180 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waveydavey Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Sorry about your bad news Silom. If you're struggling with your visa-exempt days you could always get the bus to Kuala Lumpur and try for a TV there. I realise you've probably already got an air ticket back to LOS but I think you could pick up an Air Asia ticket from KL to BKK or Chiang Mai quite cheaply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropo Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Sorry about your bad news Silom. If you're struggling with your visa-exempt days you could always get the bus to Kuala Lumpur and try for a TV there. I realise you've probably already got an air ticket back to LOS but I think you could pick up an Air Asia ticket from KL to BKK or Chiang Mai quite cheaply. If I was you, I'd try somehow to get to Vientiane and apply for a double-entry tourist visa. If you've got enough visa-exempt days left to get back into Thailand you could book and AirAsia flight to Udon Thani - that's the cheap way, or you could book a Thai Airways flight from BKK to Vientiane and just transit through BKK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropo Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Personally, I can't understand why anyone who reads this site is still going to Penang anyway. I agree. Information must be travelling very slowly through the normal channels. They've still got queues snaking right through the Consulate gardens. If all these visa runners start going to Vientiane we may soon have big problems there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopDogger Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 If all these visa runners start going to Vientiane we may soon have big problems there too. Which might be why there issuing double entrys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flhai Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 What is the best way to get from Phuket to Vientiane? Are there direct flights? Also when staying in Vientiane what to do? Can some visa runners please give me some tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevemiddie Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 What is the best way to get from Phuket to Vientiane? Are there direct flights? Also when staying in Vientiane what to do? Can some visa runners please give me some tips? Phuket to Vientiane ? Walk.......obviously. What to do? Mmmmmmm get pissed? Try doing a search on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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