Sparky2205

My wife was at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday inquiring about getting on an earlier flight. The place was absolutely packed she was telling me, standing room only is definitely the case. Word of advice for people travelling at this time is make sure you are there double the time you expect to get through. Normally I would arrive 2 hours before I am due to fly, my wife will be going there a good 4-5 hours beforehand. Better to be safe than missing a flight due to constraints, confusion and queues.

I know you may be standing around during a long period of time, but definitely no complaints if you are able to fly. During these tough times people need to remain patient.

Deleted duplicate entry (dtac airtime up country feels like dial up!)

2 more posts to delete

I don't understand why people keep asking about a certain situation at a certain location in 2 or 3 days.

Nobody and I mean nobody is able to predict what the situation will be in 2 or 3 days and the only reports you can trust are the reports posted by people who are standing knee-deep in the flood with their iPad + WiFi posting their misery.

As soon as flying in or out from Swampy airport isn't possible anymore, you'll know.....I'm certain.

We ask these questions out of interest, concern and genuine worry for loved ones, friends, family and Thailand as a whole. I understand that accurate information could never be precise, and acknowledge that there are greater interests and concerns at present, but it is very hard being in another country and not actually there. My wife being alone during this time is my greatest concern of them all. I have been through my share of natural disasters. Cyclones and Fire, and any information that I was able to share during this time I did so willingly to provide an ease to people in the same situation I am in now.

Hope this gives a better understanding of why we ask these questions, and also want to add that you are spot on with your last comment . . never hurts to ask peoples thoughts though . .

Cheers

Was at the Airport on Tuesday morning and flights were pretty much normal. The only problem was parking. Cars from the flooded area of Bangkok have taken up every bit of space to include the highways entering the airport. triple parking in some parts of the airport. If you do not need car transport, you will be fine. We took the express train into town with no problems. We didn't even see water standing anywhere.

My wife would only be taking a Taxi, which I believe are still running okay, I have got her a hotel close to the airport as I believed this would eliminate travel time required due to traffic. Thanks for the quick reply and fingers crossed everything goes well. Greatly appreciated.

G'day all

I know everyone is very busy at the moment, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

First of all was wondering what the latest update is for Suvarnabhumi Airport ? My wife is due to fly on the 28th of October at 22:05 from Bangkok to Perth (Australia) with Thai Airways. Now I know the floods may not affect this airport, (also understand but was my main concern was in regards to Personnel levels during this time. I understand that there will be a 2 day holiday, for obvious reasons of people looking after their homes etc. Would this have an adverse affect on the airport also ?

I was also going to ask, but may not be relevant to this topic, but my wife will be staying in a hotel close by the airport, believe its only a 5 minute drive. If the floods do come to this area, would she be reasonably safe ?

Again, I understand that many things are *up in the air* at the moment, but I am very concerned about my wifes safety as she will be alone during this time. I have advised her that she is to ask many questions and if she does not feel safe, to move to another area regardless of if she can catch the flight or not.

Thankyou

Sparky

Thanks for an excellent update and photos, especially Wantan. This has been exactly what I am after.

My wife was due to fly out of Udon Thani to Don Muang Airport this coming Wednesday. That has now changed and she will be flying out today. I am very concerned about her safety and of course whether she will be able to make her international flight which is on this coming Friday night through to Perth.

Not sure if there is an forum for the Domestic Airport of Don Muang but my wife was advised that this airport may be extremely affected starting Tuesday and following. Do not take that as the official word as things can change, that was just what my wife was told.

Cheers

Hey all

Just wanted to say a big thanks to the people of this forum, your advice that you give to myself and others is not only appreciated, but also critical to getting things organised.

My wife received a phone call today, to tell her to pick up her partner visa, 2 days after doing her medical. She was shocked as was I, she will go in tomorrow, and after that, she is free to fly over at any time. We submitted the application in May and it is now August, unbelievable processing time. I guess we either got lucky, or it helps to make sure you have all your paperwork in tip top condition.

Again, thankyou very much to all, and hope to give some advice in the future if I feel I can assist.

Shaun

G'day all

Thought I would give a quick update.

My wife was about to put in for a Visitor Visa while we are waiting for the Partner Visa, and received a phone call today from our case officer, funny how that happens. She sent the medical examination forms via email and asked my wife to go get this done as soon as possible.

After speaking with her, I got my wife to call her back and ask about still putting in for the visitors visa, we were advised that we should wait, as it should only take under 2 months from when they receive the results of the medical. Apparently doing a visitors visa during the partner visa process pauses the application.

End up calling the case officer myself, nice lady, asked her about the visitor visa and was told the same thing. She was a funny bugger too, told me to go get skype installed on the computer lol . . but I can confirm, she did say that the decision will be decided, within 2 months of receiving the medical examination results. She was happy with all the paperwork, and also the wedding photos she was looking at during the phone conversation.

So we have decided to wait it out, should be another 3 months, which all up will be under 7 months total.

The timings by the way, are only information shared to me from the case officer, so I would be reasonably sure this is 100% true, be interesting to have a read and see how others are progressing.

Cheers

Okay excellent information once again Bridge, just one question mate, if my Wife is over here on the Visitors Visa, will she be able to do the medical when she returns after 3 months ? or does it have to be done when requested ?

My wife and I submitted our application in early May of this year, it took a couple of phone calls from myself to actually find out our case number and case officer name. My wife has still yet to be contacted by the case officer, so we have been waiting for this to occur, to enable her to do her Medical before we organise a Visitor Visa. Problem is we have no idea how long its going to take, and is it worth getting her over soon, and run the risk of getting a phone call 2 weeks after she arrives her asking her to do her medical.

What would others recommend we do ? waiting around like this is absolutely outrageous, we are legally married, but it seems that does not mean anything to them. I understand there is protocol and large waiting times, but its crazy the way they make you just sit around without any contact at all. Very unprofessional in my opinion.

Oh well, the waits on but it would be great to just get the medical out of the way. I am going to send through the visitor visa anyway, and state on the application that we would request her do her medical as soon as possible, also noting down case number and case officer. Anyone else going through this frustrating process ?

G'day all.

What a rough and tumble ride we have been going through so far, finally got all translated documents, my wifes passport and id changed, etc etc. all ready now to put in the application. My wife has been told now by one of her friends that she must write a letter, which we were aware of, but is now saying I should have my signature on this letter. My own thoughts, dont think so, because I have written my own letter and signed it.

Would it be advisable to type out this letter for my wife, sign it, send it and have her sign it also . . (my own opinion is its not needed) . . My other opinion this all seems simple enough, but all this other input is honestly starting to do my head in a bit.

That's why I got back here and decided to ask people who have actually been through it before, thoughts ?

Okay first of all, can we stop with the comments about banning these machines . . I for one absolutely love them, they are great fun, when ridden properly and will never stop enjoying them. I know they are noisy, and can cause disruptions, but to each their own. I am one of the ones that makes sure to give way to anything that is bigger than me, stay away from swimmers and divers, and use absolute caution.

After reading this thread, my first thoughts were scam, but to me this is a case of an accident waiting to happen. Why would anyone in the right mind rent a jet ski in such a populated beach. If you are smashing around the waters on a high powered piece of equipment close to rocks, and close to each other, its almost inevitable that something is going to come out of it. Fair enough the 20 or 30 times you do it you'll be fine, but that one instance of loss of control is going to get yourself hurt and your hip pocket.

Insurance in Thailand ? of course many of them aren't going to have insurance, look at the conditions, do you see them do a safety briefing, boat courses, safety checks, etc etc. people really need to start using their head a bit better and have a little common sense.

People speaking badly of thais should take a long hard look at themselves, and their own countries, can you honestly say there are not a few bad eggs in your own neighbourhood ? it happens everywhere. Majority of thais in my opinion are pleasant people, willing to do anything to help you, and are very courteous. Choose your locations wisely. If you are going to play rough in muddy water, of course sometimes you're going to get dirty.

Sorry about the rant, but it just ***ts me when people automatically blame the Thais, if someone did that to my machine, I would be head hunting as well. Can you imagine the premiums these people would have to pay to insurance companies around these areas ? be more expensive than what its worth.

In my opinion, they got out of this lightly, and are lucky not to have hurt others in the process . .

G'day all

Hope you dont mind, but I have a few questions about the 40SP form, never been the best at filling out forms so here goes:

Oh, these questions may seem obvious, but I really do not want to make any mistakes, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

1) 2 My fiance now has a new passport after she change her name after we were married, I am presuming we put that down in question 2: Fiance or Partners Full Name ( as shown in passport document) Family Name: My Surname Given Names: Her First Name

2) 11 How long after you met did you and your partner begin a relationship? I will be putting the date in which we were together on a trip away staying in hotels together (not the first time we met in person)

3) 12 When did we know we were going to be starting a committed and long term spouse or defacto relationship, intend to marry each other (I have answered this prior to her coming to australia under her first visitor visa with the date given

4) 13 When and where did you begin a married or defacto relationship with your partner (i will be giving the date she arrived on her first visitor visa)

5) 51 Have you lodged any other sponsorship nominations (other than the sponsorship nomination you have recorded in question 18) or signed a maintenance guarantee or an assurance of support (both visitor visas I had stat decs signed stating that I would be the soul provider during her stay, would this be what they are requiring ?) and do I answer yes to the question

Sorry about the seemingly simple questions, and hope to receive some clarity . .

Thanks again

Cheers for the information guys.

Yeah I haven't had any prior convictions. I am getting my wife to gain a police clearance and medical done immediately. Also I have sent all the paperwork and hope for the best.

At the end of the day, waiting is all we can do, can't fight the process and I am sure it will be worth the wait, main thing I can gain from this, is never argue with anyone at the embassy, just go with the flow.

Cheers and thankyou again.

10 months ? are you serious, why so long ? I have heard that they take longer than the prospective marriage visas, why would this be the case if someone is legally married to a person.

I am in absolute shock if this is the case, 10 months is a long time to be living alone, hope this isn't the case. Where was this information located ?

You will be required to supply an AFP clearance IF you are sponsoring a child under 18yo to migrate to Oz.....otherwise it is not required.

Yeah that's what I thought, both myself and my wife have never had children before, that's some good news as I hear the AFP clearance takes a while to arrive. Should be able to get all relevant documents sent on Friday. Just need to make sure my wife gets her medical clearance completed before applying, or is this done after applying.

Apologies in advance for all the mundane questions, I am sure there will be a few.

Cheers

G'day all

I have recently been married to my beautiful wife and all marriage documents have been received. Both thai and english translated copies.

My wife has been over here prior to getting married on 2 separate Visitor Visas for a period of 2 months then 3 months, following and adhering to the guidelines of the visa instructions.

We are now about to undertake the task of a Partner Visa, which I believe I am capable of doing myself, with of course the assistance of this forum. *Which by the way is one of the best resources of information the internet has to offer* I am also still yet to work out which visa form we will be filling out, but shouldn't have a problem finding it again.

Without people repeating themselves, as I am sure this has been covered before, would there be other links and posts that would have covered what is required ? Want to try to make this as easy as possible for people on here that are willing to assist.

First question I had was do I require a Police Clearance Document, I have heard this is a requirement but have also heard that if no kids are involved that this will not be required.

Also, and I am not sure if this is allowed, so please mods feel free to edit the post if you see fit, I would like to commend Siam Legal for their assistance with my Marriage and all translation documents, transport, great communication and work they put in. I did pay extra as I was stretched for time but they organised and delivered the documents in a timely manner.

I am 32 and my wife is 34.

Thankyou

Shaun

Gday all

Some great news today, my Fiance received her visa and everything went through fine. Was actually very surprised as it only took 3 days. Again thanks to all who gave assistance and advice.

One thing that I wanted to share, that I have read some posts, and it seems some people take some of the comments personally, I would have to say that this site is mainly a guide, of peoples opinions and knowledge. So if you are one of those who gets offended easily, dont be so quick to react, remember you are asking others advice. If some of the people here believe you are wasting your time or think you may not get a visa approved because of various reasons, take it in your stride to rectify those issues. The best way to find out, is to go for it, and if declined, review the reasons why, and fix it.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but I believe this to be one of the best sites I have come across for finding information I have been after, and have recommended it to many, so thanks again.

See you all again in 3 months when I'm asking about the next Visa.

Sparky

Yeah mate the thought had crossed my mind about mentioning that or not. But told my fiance that maybe it was best to just be honest, and if they ask any more questions during the process, to let them know we are going back to Thailand in January to be married and will be putting in the paperwork during this time for a Marriage Visa. We did use the word Fiance in the previous Visitor Visa.

Not really seeing a problem at the moment due to the fact she has already been here once before and returned back on time. 50/50 I am thinking and hope the person dealing with the Visa see's it like that. Time will tell.

Okay, last question for you all.

48R Form, do you intend to enter australia on more than one occasion . . yes . . give details . . *my fiance gave this as an answer . . *want to learn more about my fiance and our future together* . . same answer as in previous application . . and pretty much the same reason as before . . all honest answers.

would anyone else give a different answer for this time round ? . . cheers

Cheers gburns

Couple more quick ones for yas. Reason to return will be the same as before, and I am thinking they will believe it to be true since my fiance left on timeas per last visa. My fiance wanted to put down another reason to return will be to organise our wedding that is occurring in Udan in January. Not really a good reason I thought, your opinions ? Last time she was not even asked, but want to cover all bases.

And last of all, we have decided that we will organise all the paperwork that we need while she is here in Australia (if visa approved of course) and the first week I am in Thailand in January, we will go to the Application office personally to put in the forms and documents.

I know probably asking a few mundane questions, but the more you learn, the more I will be able to help others in the future.

Thanks again for the replies.

Topic title amended to show country.

Cheers for that 7by7

G'day all.

Time of the year again to start the visa process for a Second Visitor Visa for my Thai Fiance.

She stayed with me earlier in the year for 2 months, which was great, but just have some questions in regards to what would be the best approach going for the second visa.

I have sent all relevant information and documents, again getting a Statutory Document signed by a Court Official. Funds in the bank, etc etc. I have been told it is almost 99% chance of getting this visa, but of course I never listen to these comments until the visa has been completed. My fiance followed all the rules of the last visa, even going back a week early due to a family emergency.

What I would like to know, is there anything that I should specify or my fiance should specify for the reasons of getting a second visitor visa. I was thinking that if we state that we are working on our relationship, will be seeing different parts of WA, and have my brothers wedding that we will be attending in November that this would be reason enough. Her reasons to return will be the same as the previous visa.

We are also getting married on the 22nd of January 2011 in Thailand, I have been reading about the wait times that are expected for the Marriage Visa (please correct my terminology if needed, still learning what forms are what) would there be a way that I could start the process while my fiance is in Australia if her Visitor Visa is approved. I understand there is a clause that states that I must not start a visa during her stay, but can not remember the rules on what I should mention if I want to start processing it while she is here.

Also I would like to add, with the Marriage Visa, and us wanting to be together next year, what would others recommend we do ? and how would others go about it ? eg, wait till after we are married before applying, etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and again thanks in advance as the last time I went through this process this website was excellent in advice given, as well as a couple of members sending private messages.

Cheers

Well got news yesterday, and wanted to definitely come back to this site to thank everyone that assisted in this process.

Learnt a lot along the way, and worked out that if you do a lot of homework, you do not have to pay substantial amounts of money to get things processed.

Amm never received a phone call after lodging the application, and received an SMS to tell her to pick up her passport, she arrived and received the news of her Granted Visa.

Was funny because she looked in her passport straight away, and saw nothing, she then found the letter to tell her the visa is done electronically and was granted from todays date, through to the 30th of June . .

Again thankyou to all that assisted, and it is Sites like this one that is greatly appreciated for people like myself, that had no idea what to do prior to starting the application process. The next step of booking flights is going to be the greatest step of all

Shaun.

Cheers for the information bridge, have stopped building up her bank account, was following some advice from another person, she has around 38 thousand baht in her bank book now. So hoping that doesn't back fire as mentioned.

She is filling out the form as I am typing this message, I did make the mistake *not 100% sure if this was a mistake* . . when I filled out the letter of invitation to the embassy that Amm as my Fiance . . she was then asked the question in her application form of marital status and I told her to be honest and say that we are engaged.

Be interesting to see also if they need copies of my bank statements, but I sent them my 2009 tax group certificate as well as the past 6 months of pay slips.

All new to me and hope to learn a thing or two for the future, thanks to a couple of guys also on the forum for private messages, all the help is greatly appreciated and I will definitely be helping others in the future if all goes well.

Shaun

Alright wish me and Amm all the best, sending her all the paperwork next week, and she should be visiting the office the week after.

Have added as much information as possible, so looking forward to the outcome, thanks again for all the advice.