AgentSmith

Hong Kong doesn't stamp passports so I might be going there. Of course Thai immigration can see I'm coming from HK upon entry but there would be a gap in the trips in my passport so nothing that shows I didn't visit my home country (which by the way has never stamped me in or out) somewhere along the way. So no way for them to check afterwards I wasn't in my home country during the application.

To summarize: I'll leave Thailand, travel to HK, apply for a METV via a non-commercial non-public VPN and IP address in my home country, and return to Thailand upon receiving the visa.

16 minutes ago, Caldera said:

The embassy doesn't have access to immigration's system.

 

You're supposed to upload scans of all those passport visa pages having stamps from the last 12 months. If you do that truthfully, they can see that you're in Thailand. If you "forget" the page with the current entry stamp, your application is fraudulent and you could be in trouble if that comes to light later.

I've decided to apply after leaving the country. I just won't go to my home country as that is simply too far away and too expensive for a simple visa run.

5 hours ago, 0james0 said:

The system will identify the IP address being outside of the country even if using a vpn the system could most likely identify that a vpn is being used. If someone wanted to investigate they could locate the city and general area (neighborhood) of the IP address. Don’t chance it.

If that is all they check it is actually rather easy. I have access to some sort of VPN that is not commercially available and only for private use. So it's not on the lists with public VPN providers and there's 0 chance they can see I'm not in my home country during the application. Then what I have to do is not be in Thailand and use my private connection during the application to make them think I'm in my home country. In the end all they can really check is whether I'm in Thailand or not by checking my entries and exits in their own systems.

Still waiting/hoping for actual experience though.

On 6/30/2023 at 6:56 PM, BritTim said:

It would be convenient, but is definitely not allowed. Some have tried and succeeded, but your application will be denied (with loss of application fee) if they detect that you are not in your home country when you make the application.

You need to be in your home country to apply for a visa? I certainly hope not.

This seems very unlikely. In theory they can see I am in Thailand during the application but how would they know where I am after leaving the country?

The evisa website also doesn't mention anything about your current whereabouts in the requirements so I doubt it even matters. That said, I'd really like to hear about actual experience.

It's been over a year now. Does anyone have more recent experience with this? I'm in Thailand now on visa exempt and if I can get a METV before leaving the country that would be very convenient.

16 hours ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

Hello ,

 

Truly a big mistake Thailand , With all the issues China ???????? Has had your allowing entry with no testing or vaccination proof is most STUPID !! 55.6 % increase in infections compared to last week !! That’s almost a 60% increase compared to last week.

Theres an old saying in America ????????

A fool and his money ???? Will soon part ways from each other , The mighty Baht over Health and Safety !!!  VERY STUPID AND SAD Thailand !! 

 

It can't be stressed enough that no artifical border keeps out a virus. When there's a new more potent variant it will reach us all eventually. At this point there's no reason to stay protectionist. The cat's out of the bag. The genie's out of the bottle. No point in hiding anymore. We just gotta accept it's everywhere now. There are worse problems to deal with in this world.

46 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I thought you could do it 3 times in a year before you lost your licence! Hardly serious compared to Western reactions.. immediate 3 year ban!

 

Anyhow, I just don't do it!

It's only 2 times now. Official fines went up to 20k. And second time it's up to 100k and possibly jail time.

I posted this link before. What they say here is true for the whole country not just Phuket.

https://phuket-motorbike-rental.com/the-penalties-for-traffic-offenses-in-thailand/

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Dude, drunk driving is a serious offense....Drivers stopped and checked who are found to be under the influence need to go to jail, pay the fine, have their licenses suspended and deal with the fallout.  No one should be driving impaired under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or prescribed drugs.

Of course.. Reality is quite different. No one's a saint here.

All the times I crashed my bike in the many years I've been here I was sober. It was always someone or something else. A stupid tourist driving on the wrong side of the road or a dog chasing and attacking me. It's been years now since I last crashed though and I plan to keep it that way.

The very few times I drive home after a couple drinks it's always late at night, there's no traffic where I stay, it's only small backroads I need to take and I drive really super slow. 25 kph max. You won't ever see me crash into someone or something at high speed. Hell I drive 40 when I'm sober. 50 only on bigger roads. And never without a proper helmet. I've learned my lessons.

That doesn't mean I support drunk driving in any way and every time I plan to go out for a drink I take a taxi. Sometimes these things happen unplanned though.. We're all human and I'm not ashamed to admit my faults. We all do things that we shouldn't.

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Last time I had to go to the station it was no big problem...in fact it was enlightening to see that many locals had also been caught up in their efforts. At that time the going instruction was never to pay cash to a policeman at the scene.... he took my licence off me and I had to go there to get it back... They used to try and take your keys, but how the hell do you get to the station? My Mrs snatched the keys out and refused to hand them over.... standing up to them is often good advice. 

Sure but I get the impression from this thread that such stories all happened a long time ago. Things have changed considerably especially since late last year. Drunk driving everywhere in Thailand can be fined up to 20k! When you go to the station you WILL end up in the system and if you get caught a second time you're in serious trouble with the justice department. So I say again, pay off all you can. That friendly police officer that used to slash your fine in half because you smiled and made a joke now received different instructions.

Again, in the past few months people I know have been paying up to 10k on the street. And even though that can be considered a ripoff it is still a lot smarter than going to the office with too much alcohol in your blood. Drunk driving has been made a serious offense, as serious as possessing drugs. The government is trying very hard to slash drunk driving accidents in this country.

Source:

https://phuket-motorbike-rental.com/the-penalties-for-traffic-offenses-in-thailand/

"Up to one year in prison and/or a fine ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 baht for the first offense of drunk driving. Repeat drunk driving violations within two years of the first incident will result in up to two years in prison and/or a 50,000-100,000 baht fine."

9 hours ago, alexlm said:

Why, for 100% of the time I have been stopped for a fine (e.g. of my faults = U-Turn I should not have taken, GF's helmet "missing").

 

Not ONE policeman accepted that I pay on the spot?

2min and done on my way I imagine?

But no.

Always told me again that I gotta find a way to the nearest police station, wait 2 hours to pay a ticket, go back to wherever I was stopped.

Give them the paper.

Get my keys and papers backs.

 

Why do I hear so much about corruption?

 

I could not even pay 10's of thousands of THB for 1 one year extension based on marriage even though I had all the papers. But she refused the Embassy 40K income thing. And wanted the 400K in the bank.

She didn't want 40K in cash either and told me to get out of her office (Jomtien/Pattaya)

 

Any advices?

They often don't do it out in the open but when I took a right turn 20 meters before a check point they followed me and I was able to pay it off in a dark soi just fine. Same with immigration offices. You can't just pay extra over the counter. Everything must be done via a 3rd party or after hours.

Still I know plenty of people who paid traffic police here in Hua Hin on the street. This seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Fines are very steep though. 2k is cheap nowadays. A friend of mine paid 5k and they dare to ask 10k and up. So frankly I'm not even impressed by the fines people report from Phuket and other places.

Back on the topic of visas. I know several agents (Thai and foreign) who can get anyone over 50 a retirement visa just like that. Pay up 16k and you're done for a whole year. No extra paperwork necessary. Most of these channels end up at Pattaya immigration. It's really no mystery as you can find several of these agents with a simple search online. I'm single and under 50 and it costs me more but I've been here for the past several years without any issues. I show up at immigration once a year for a whole 2 minutes and that's that. Covid forced me to look for alternatives to frequent visa runs and there turned out to be plenty alternatives. Just shop around a bit.

14 minutes ago, smew said:

yes it will, as it becomes a cummulative effect of all other costs, double pricing,  headches and unexpected regulations,  it was 200/day for driving with no licence now it is 33usd per day......    

Or just get a efffing license and be done with it.. I have one. Not my problem when other people get into problems because they don't.

12 hours ago, AussieinThaiJim said:

Don’t ever pay “CASH”! Ask for the ticket and go to the nearest police station and pay!

 

Why do the police look for farang in Phuket and Pattaya because it’s easy money in the pocket!

Worst advice ever. Going to a police station is the last thing you want as a foreigner when you're the one who's at fault. Best thing you can do is not give them a valid reason for a ticket anyway. And/or play the dumb foreigner who doesn't understand until they're fed up and just let you go. But definitely never ever go to the police station because you'll end up in the system. And if it happens again you might get caught in a much worse situation in the Thai legal system. Pay off all you can in LOS. It's what it is here. We're not gonna solve the corruption problems of this country.

16 hours ago, Patrik95 said:

Apparently, this does not apply to the Pranburi office. In December 2022, you could show up without an appointment to get a Thai driving licence based on an international driving licence, whereas now in January 2023 you have to book an appointment in advance, otherwise they will just check your documents and make an appointment for later. Just today I was with someone to renew a Thai driving licence and overheard several people at other counters being asked for their "online booking confirmation". If they didn't have it, the officer would give them an appointment. So as long as the booking system works, I would rather play it safe and book in advance. 

 

The e-Learning can be done here: https://www.dlt-elearning.com

And the appointment system can be found here: https://gecc.dlt.go.th/login

Thanks for the heads up. I always go to that office for anything driving license related. Already got some friends of mine their Thai license there because it's such a breeze. Good to know you need to make an appointment now.

Top bad really. I'm not much for appointments. With these sorts of offices, whether it's transport, immigration or an embassy or consulate, I usually just go later in the afternoon. An hour or so before closing time because then things usually go much quicker than during the day. They wanna go home soon after all. I especially avoid the crowds in the morning. But now these online appointment systems are popping up everywhere. I don't call that progress. Still good to know though.

20 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

My prediction too. Less income than they expect, but many more unwelcome repercussions...

Such as?

1 hour ago, happysoul said:

Useless measures again. This country will (want) never learn.

 

It's not making restrictive laws that will improve any thing. Stop fighting the consequences, fight the cause. For many problems happing in Thailand education is the solution. Start to educate all, not only the ones able to pay high amounts for private schools (note to self, might not better but you get to play with the "high-so" club then relations make you grow, not your competence).

 

Most if not all Thai leaders went to study abroad, why ?

 

Regarding deaths on the road, make a real license education, learn anticipation, forget loosing face and respect all road users as same even if you drive a multi million worth car. When all that will be in Thai driver's brain the death rate will be down to EU standards.

 

Same for alcohol, drugs, sex and weapons. Education is key.

 

Oh, but I forgot, then all will have chances to succeed and also understand the mess some people are doing... Well I guess it won't happen ????

Totally agree. They better start with actual driving lessons and do it today. You can't enforce rules when the people never actually learn to apply the rules. People learn by example, not by deterring them with a video full of accidents and hefty fines. Where's the instructor teaching drivers how to behave in numerous traffic circumstances? Where's the examiner failing people during their practical test when they make a mistake? People simply shouldn't get a driver's license in the first place when they have no idea how to drive. Which is exactly what happened with the vast majority of drivers on Thai roads.

You gotta filter those people out before they go on the road not after. Thailand has got it backward once again.

1 hour ago, Andrew65 said:

It wouldn't be enforced in Thailand anyway, same as drink-driving and many other laws.

 

Lots of people are getting hefty fines in Hua Hin now. 2k is nothing. Some pay more than 10k. Thais and farang.. It's gotten very tricky here to drive home after a couple drinks in the bar. And so it should be of course.

18 hours ago, Will B Good said:

There is/are? no end of kids.......12 to 15......careering around on motorbikes (modified exhausts obvs) all day long where we live......never in school.

 

I asked the wife what happens when they don't turn up at school......she shrugs and says nothing happens.

Nothing happens at school either so no damage done.. Sadly.

Sure if you send part of your economy to rock bottom it is bound to produce nice growth figures after you set it loose again. Those figures mean absolutely nothing. Western countries show higher figures with much less impact from the pandemic. Now that's growth.

On 11/21/2022 at 6:54 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

Nowhere you'd know, apparently.

Do you?

Not according to the numbers in Europe. Covid is in decline there and the threat is over according to the specialists. Vaccination is still recommended but obviously no masks required.