TheLobster

On 5/5/2018 at 11:17 PM, TheLobster said:

I disagree. I've lived here for a while, Thai people I socialise with never use that word when I'm talking to them, members of the Thai family who don't like me being part of the 'family' always refer to me as 'farang'.

On 5/6/2018 at 1:15 PM, CMHomeboy78 said:

Yes, some Thais avoid the word out of what they perceive to be the hyper-sensitivities of farangs. It all depends on whom you are with. I've seen two generations of Thais come of age and the word is used often and casually  by most of them with no intent to offend. 

Obviously, there are Thais who dislike Europeans and people of European descent - thus to them, the very name farang rings foul. A distinction has to be made between people like that, usually found in tourist areas, and the rest of the population who are more inclined to be friendly toward us.

The term was never used as an insult in the past. Why consider it to be one now? 

Incidentally, if the word does become demonized and verboten, what polite equivalent would replace it?

What would be equally concise and specific?

I'm referring to family members from rural areas.

On 5/6/2018 at 2:02 PM, Dick Crank said:

"your different", "you don't belong", "your not one of us", "your not important enough to use your real name"

would you you call someone a foreigner who was visiting or living in your home country? Problem solved.

I'd call them a tourist or a resident.

15 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

The word Farang is only used when people are talking about foreigners in general ,my Thai family never use the word when talking to or about me they use my name  , just the same as if we were having a conversation about someone from another country and not a family member , none of my British family ever call my wife  the Thai they just use her name ..

Exactly, the word should only be used for foreigners collectively in a normal sense. However, it is not and is used commonly as a derogatory term, my wife would never be called the 'farang' equivalent in the UK by someone unless they were trying to be offensive.

2 hours ago, Goldbear said:

I don't consider the word to be derogatory. 

It is derogatory in each and every way but may not be intended to be. Ignorance is bliss.

On 5/4/2018 at 1:09 PM, CMHomeboy78 said:

Nobody who has lived among Thais for any length of time could think that the term "farang", when used alone, is a racial insult or derogatory in any way.

I disagree. I've lived here for a while, Thai people I socialise with never use that word when I'm talking to them, members of the Thai family who don't like me being part of the 'family' always refer to me as 'farang'.

23 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Often but not always.

My feeling is that Thailand has no intention to ever be truly "multicultural" like the West.

What percentage of Thai citizens are caucasians?

In other words, how small a fraction of one percent is it?

Whatever the teeny tiny number it is, there is no interest in seeing that ever grow. 

So if you like getting called farang or not, grin and bear it.

Not your country. 

Always, it doesn't bother me at all.

Some Thai people call me a 'farang' and think I don't understand what they mean. 

Whatever 'the teeny tiny number it is, there is no interest in seeing that ever grow' 

555 every Thai wants to be a white Farang. 

Every Thai we meet thinks my white half Thai child is amazing with their beautiful white skin.

I've seen you around, this is what you do. Go annoy someone else.

The Thai's use the 'Farang' word with the intention for it to be derogatory and insulting.

Buy at Banana IT or similar established retailers but don't buy Kaspersky.

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

There is no crossing that you can use going in that direction.

The nearest crossing to Surat Thani is the crossing to Myanmar at Ranong.

Thank you for your prompt post.

On ‎23‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 2:11 AM, ubonjoe said:

If you want to get a new visa Savannakhet is the best location to get one.

If asking about getting a new 90 day entry from a multiple entry non-o visa by doing a border crossing the Ban Phu Nam Ron in Kanchanaburi province is the nearest to Bangkok. You pay a total about 950 baht for transport across no man's land and the border pass for Myanmar.

After there the Ban Laem crossing to Cambodia is the next choice.

Thank you ubonjoe.

I am planning to travel south this weekend to Surat Thani. I see route 4 goes quite close to the border particularly near Prachuap Kiri Khan. Are there any border crossings that you can recommend where I can renew a multiple O on this route?

I'm sorry if that this is a repetitive question as I don't have time to read all the posts but please can someone tell me the quickest way to do a multiple O visa run from Bangkok.

Thank you.

Quote

 

Q5: "These days, people don't like to carry so much cash around with them. They prefer to pay with plastic like debit or credit cards. Does Thai Immigration insist on seeing cash or will plastic cards do?"

This random inspection only aims at tourists who may appear as not being able to cover their travel expenses during their stay in Thailand. Thai Immigration will take into consideration all possible facts or information provided by the tourists before making an informed decision whether to grant an entry.

 

Did they answer the pertinent question there? I can smell something ..........

On ‎05‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 3:02 AM, PoorSucker said:

Bring wife....

 

You might also need copy landlords ID and housebook.

Thank you for your sound advice PoorSucker. 

They asked for a copy of wife's ID card (they seem to prefer this to a passport copy) and a photo of us together as well. Cost 20THB downstairs and took about an hour and a bit to process.

Seems like the service is better now and without the previous rip offs. Not sure who is responsible for this but a big plus for Samui and Thailand.

Sorry to ambush this topic but there isn't one for my situation.

I'm on a multiple entry Non O based on marriage to a Thai. I usually leave the country every 90 days and get a new stamp, however that is not convenient this time and I am told that I can get a 60 day extension for 1900THB.

Please can anyone let me know what documents and copies I need, this is my current list:

2 passport photos

TM7 form completed

Passport

Copies of passport page and visa page and stamp page

Wife's passport & copy of passport page

Rental agreement and copy - we have an apartment elsewhere but rent on Samui

Anything I've missed? 

Any advice appreciated.

2 minutes ago, evadgib said:

The only special trip is to the post office to post your application 

 

Thank you evadglib, I'll check if I can do that. I've had to go in person for some things previously so assumed I'd have to do the same - obviously it would be perfect if I can do it by post.

12 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Can I suggest that you ask in the main visa section of TV? Preferably Ubon Joe? I recall reading about a 60 day extension to a marriage visa in the last few months. I think that you can do it, but only once per entry; I can't remember whether it was once per entry (3 mo) or once per visa(1yr). Sorry working off memory...

 

Good luck

Thank you Samui Bodoh, I have done and ubonjoe provides a lot of good advice so your suggestion is spot on.

I posted on this Samui forum because I wanted to know if anyone on Samui in the same circumstances has applied for a 60 day extension. As we all know Samui immigration can have their own 'unique' requirements 

6 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

Embassy verification if money comes from abroad.

WP and tax record if income within Thailand

 

Sent from my Lenovo TB3-710F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

Thank you for the clarification PoorSucker.

6 hours ago, evadgib said:

You're presumably aware that you don't need a lump if you have an income of THB 40k or more per month coming in?

Thank you evadgib, I believe that has to be verified by the Embassy so would be a bit of a pain. Something I may do next time in Bangkok but won't make a special trip for it. 

1 hour ago, samuijimmy said:

 

I can't say I remember a topic on Marriage  but perhaps if any one knows add it here..

you need to do every 60 days, or was that a typo?

 

On my current multiple entry visa I need to do a border run roughly every 3 months, when I get a 90 day stamp. Apparently for 1900THB you can get a 60 day extension to this 90 day stamp if you are married to a Thai, so only needing to do a border run every 5 months.

I know you can get a 12 month extension with 90 day reporting but I decided not to transfer the money to meet the financial requirements when the £ dropped 20% in value vs. THB. 

Is there a similar topic for Extensions based on Marriage?

Has anyone had any issues getting a 60 day extension based on marriage whilst on a multiple Non 'O' based on marriage?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Many thanks for the considerable amount of advice offered here ubonjoe also special mentions for BritTim and elviajero.

Has anyone had any experience with Samui immigration getting a 60 day extension based on Marriage/Thai child? I'm on a multiple entry Non 'O' and would prefer to do less frequent border runs.

2 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

Ahh now I understand.. Thanks for clarity.. 

 

I cant see 180 days cropping up.. couple of weeks springtime.. couple of months summer.. couple of weeks Autumn.. 3 - 4 months total would be my guess. 

 

Definitely going to try for it, always been pretty lucky with visas over the years, and a 5 year pass would be a big weight off my mind. We really honestly have no desire to settle in the UK, it is the perfect case use for our situation. Just will be a question of can I back that up with enough documentary evidence to let them see that. 

 

Any tips our pointers from those who have successfully gained a longer visitor visa, gratefully received. 

Any reason why you are not applying for the 10 year (It is only £152 more) ? My wife recently got a 10 year visitor visa, details of the documents submitted here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/944188-uk-10-year-visitor-visa-criteria/#comment-11326207

On 11/13/2016 at 10:03 AM, 7by7 said:

Thanks for that; it shows that a 10 year one is certainly achievable.

 

From your list, I would say that you did not need to supply your birth certificate as your passport shows that you are British and they will believe that the persons offering accommodation in the UK are who they say they are. There was also no need to supply return flight tickets; indeed UKVI advise applicants not to purchase any tickets until they have received their visa.

 

You say that your marriage certificate translation was stamped by both the MFA and the British embassy. Can you tell us when and how you got the embassy to do this? As far as I am aware, they have not offered this service for some time.

 

For a UK visa neither is required anyway, as a certificate by the translator is sufficient. Though it is worth getting it done at the MFA as this is required by other countries; the Schengen states for example.

 

 

The standard visit visa guidance, which is the same worldwide, does indeed say original documents are required.

 

However, the ECOs in Bangkok are fully aware that foreigners in Thailand are supposed to keep their passports with them at all times in lieu of a Thai ID card; or at least have it to hand PDQ if required.

 

Therefore they do not expect British sponsors to include their actual passport with visa applications.

 

But there was no need to pay VFS a fee to certify the copy; a self certified copy is acceptable.

 

You could have simply written on each page of the copy "I (full name) certify that this is a true copy of page (number) of my British passport (number), (signed and dated.)"

Thank you for the useful information you provide on the forums. From your list:
 
I supplied my birth certificate as I wasn't offering my passport and it was a copy I had available (needed for something else previously). I agree it wasn't necessary but believe it added to the evidence supplied as I said it had both my parents named on it that matched our invitation letter. I vow to your superior knowledge on whether they will believe that the persons offering accommodation in the UK are who they say they are, it seemed a bonus that I was able to provide evidence of the signatures on the letter.

I supplied return flight ticket bookings as I was sure that we would get a visa just not sure how long it would be.

The marriage certificate translation was stamped by both the MFA and the British Embassy around 2011 or 2012, we needed the British Embassy stamp for a visa elsewhere. From memory the British Embassy stamp says the MFA information/signature is correct.

The standard visit visa guidance, which is the same worldwide, does say original documents are required and I think this should be clarified to applicants in Thailand officially. As they handed the baby's passport back I agree that the ECOs in Bangkok are fully aware that foreigners in Thailand are supposed to keep their passports with them (we didn't supply alternative ID for the baby).
 
It is useful to know self certified copy is acceptable, please can you clarify where this is stated for future reference.

We had far more demands and trouble trying to get a Schengen Visa to visit France but that is another story!

Kind regards,

The Lobster

My wife recently applied for and received a 10 year visit visa. We have a 1 year old and explained in the application that we would be visiting and staying with grandparents annually for the foreseeable future.

We supplied:

Completed application form

Wife's Passport and Full Copy

Wife's old passport and full copy with visa's for 3 previous UK visits & a long term stay (2 years) in middle east whilst I was working there

My birth certificate & copy

Wife's birth certificate & translation & copies

Wife's name change certificate on marriage & translation and copies

Marriage certificate & translation stamped by MFA & British Embassy

Letter from me confirming I was financing our trip and stating the reason for applying for 10 years

My bank statement

Invitation letter from parents including confirmation we could stay any time in the future

My birth certificate & copy which matched the names of my parents invitation letter

Baby's UK passport & copy of bio page

House rental agreement and copy

Tabien Baan and copies of registration pages & translation for wife & baby

Return flight bookings

They ask for original documents and I was not prepared to hand in my passport which would have shown evidence of us travelling together for the past 7 years. You can have a copy certified by the application centre for a fee and submit that. This was a slight risk as it would have obviously added to the evidence supplied.

They handed back the baby's passport at the application centre and only the copy was submitted with the application.

It took 6 days to process the application from the application centre appointment to confirmation of a decision and a total of 10 days to from the appointment to receiving the passport in the post. It would have  been even quicker if we had collected.

They just wanted the information form for my 90 day report last month but I am on a marriage extension (if that make a difference to them for the 90 day report).

The water company does have a mobile unit where you can pay your bill. You will need to ring them to find out it's location on a particular day. Last time my bill was overdue I paid at the mobile unit in Mae Naem outside of the police station.

*edit* deleted my own post .. it was bad

From what I've seen they all are so please do us all a favour and delete all of them.

Thank you.

They can also ask for proof that you will be either travelling with your spouse (air tickets) or that you are in the destination country and they are travelling to meet you.

We are traveling together and have booked tickets/hotels etc as a couple (as we are). It is my understanding that this is not required for a Schengen visa for the spouse of an EU citizen but we did it anyway.