foxontherun

45 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You would apply for an extension of stay based upon medical treatment.

You may need more than what you have already.

You need to contact immigration in Chiang Mai at the Promenada office (the airport office is closed). I understand they have their own special forms that are needed along with the standard TM7 extension application form.

The longest extension you can get is 90 days but they could issue it for less. It depends upon the what officer approving the application gives you.

Thank you.

I have a few questions regarding obtaining a medical extension of stay (not sure whether this would technically involve an extension of my current visa or the issuing of a new visa of a different type). I am currently in Thailand on a 30 day extension of a 60 day single entry tourist visa. During this stay, I developed a medical problem which required surgery (already completed), and will require another 6 months or so of ongoing treatment, which I will also be doing here. I already have a medical certificate from the hospital stating that I will be unable to travel for the next 6 months. Questions: Is there anything else I will need to provide at Immigration to receive an extension, besides the usual passport copies, photos, and such? Does anyone have a link to the form used to apply for this type of extension, or can you tell me the name of the form? Do they ever grant 6 month medical extensions in one go, or is this something I will have to apply for anew every 90 days? In Chiang Mai, is this type of extension handled at the Promenada Immigration office or the airport one? I would assume Promenada, but would like confirmation. Thanks in advance for your help.

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Could you let us know how much tea-money the new "official" at the consulate requires to approve Tourist Visas, when you only have one other in your passport from Penang?

 

Also, was proof of a flight and/or 20K Baht mentioned/required, or on offer in place of tea-money?

The agent told me that I had 2 options. The first one was to go to the consulate myself and submit to a personal interview, after which they would decide whether to issue me a tourist visa. She said that they would probably want to see financial statements, but I don't remember whether she mentioned proof of travel. This wouldn't have cost me anything (no visa fee, agent fee, or tea money), but sounded iffy to me. I knew they'd been randomly refusing people. Plus, I'm not very conservative-looking, and was worried that might work against me.

The second option was to pay her the usual RM40 (~316 baht) agent fee, plus an additional RM300 (~2373 baht), and she would submit the application for me. No proof of travel or finance required, and the RM300 would be returned to me if the visa was not successfully obtained. I chose this option, as it sounded like the safer bet, and I didn't want the whole trip to have been a waste. I did get the visa.

A couple of notes: She said that I could get further tourist visas in Penang, as long as I was willing to pay that "special" fee again. I asked her about getting a new passport. She said I'd be fine if I did that, and they wouldn't check my history beyond what was in my passport. She also suggested that I pay the fee in Thai baht, as it worked out to be slightly cheaper than paying in ringgit, but it wasn't a large difference (I can't remember the exact figure I was quoted in baht).

I can confirm this. I was just in Penang to get a tourist visa. I went through an agent, and she told me about applications being randomly rejected. She even showed me a business visa application that had been turned down by the consulate that day. The person in charge had claimed that the paperwork was a copy rather than the original papers, but that clearly wasn't the case. The official stamp on it was in a different ink, and the letterhead had raised printing. I even had to pay a [cough] extra administrative fee [cough] to get my tourist visa, because I'd had 3 others over the past year (only one from Penang, last April); this had never been an issue before. Penang used to be one of the easiest places to go for a visa, but that's clearly not the case right now.

I used Banana on Chulia Street (http://bananapenang.com/main/) to get a single entry tourist visa a few months ago. They were recommended to me by a local who is knowledgeable about such things. Very cheap (actually cheaper than taking a taxi to and from the Thai Consulate twice, if you're staying in Georgetown), no issues. As ubonjoe said, they will likely submit your paperwork on Monday morning, and you will get your passport back on Tuesday afternoon. Have fun. I love Penang.

An update: From what you all were posting here, it sounded like 3BB sometimes throttles torrents on their 10 Mb down/512 Kb up/590 baht DSL plan, but never on their 15 Mb down/1 Mb up/900 baht DSL plan. I stopped into a 3BB shop and arranged to upgrade, figuring this would solve my problem. They gave me a new username and password with which to configure my modem/router, and told me that I would receive the upgraded plan right away upon using the new login credentials. However, after connecting with the new username and password, my torrents are still being throttled. I know this because I subscribe to a VPN service, and as soon as I connect via the VPN, my downloads/uploads begin and attain decent speeds. As soon as I disconnect from the VPN, the file transfers all grind to a halt. Therefore, I know it's not the torrents or the router or any other variable that's the problem; it's 3BB blocking. When they can't see what kind of traffic it is, it works.

I spoke to them on the phone 5 different times yesterday, and was assured several times that they don't do any torrent throttling/blocking. We know that's false. They kept saying that "it should be okay now," but I'm still having the same issue. I tried to reach them twice today, saying I needed to speak to tech support. The first time, the guy who answered said he would transfer me, then disconnected me instead. The second time, someone took my number and said I would get a call back. The person who called me back was not from tech support, and seemed to be calling to tell my that my problem was dealt with yesterday, which it was not, at least not successfully. That's where things stand now. Waiting for another callback, which will be my 9th time on the phone with them in 2 days, and probably not my last.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I've had the basic 590 baht DSL package (I live in a condo, so I can't get fiber) for months, but never once had an issue with 3BB and torrent throttling until yesterday. Something has changed. I will check with them about whether upgrading to the higher level DSL package will resolve the issue, or else start disguising my traffic a bit better. I'm still curious as to whether anyone else has seen a change to his/her 3BB service over the past couple of days.

Crying because you cant download your illegal multimedia content?

Ah, there you are. I've been waiting.

I use 3BB (DSL) as my home ISP in Chiang Mai. Everything was fine until yesterday, when I noticed that torrents would no longer download or upload. They mostly get stuck trying to connect to peers, or the download will begin and then immediately fizzle out. If I disconnect from 3BB, and use my AIS mobile data connection as a hotspot instead, the torrents begin to upload and download normally--same computer, torrent software, and torrents, just a different connection. I know how to work around this. I'm just curious as to whether other customers are experiencing the same issue. Has 3BB implemented something new?

I just spoke to my school to try to clarify. They said that the note next to my latest stamp just says "last year," referring to this being the last year I qualify for an ED visa. However, they also said that the school is now (as of last August) only officially approved to offer 3 levels/years of study, and that continuing my studies at a school that is officially approved to offer more levels/years could solve the problem. I guess it is school-dependent, and not a universal limit. I'm hoping that finding a different school that's certified to teach higher levels, provided there is one in this town, will be sufficient, and that the note in my passport won't hinder me.

If you are going to school part time then you shouldnt get a education visa. Those visas should be reserved for serious students. People get engineering, law and many other degrees in 4 years. Education is just that learning. Part time students, not learning. And learning languages on a part time basis just so you can remain in a country is lame.

This is a very tired debate on here, and I think all arguments have been presented many times over. I will say this: I'm not studying Thai just so I can remain in the country. I'm studying Thai because I want to remain in the country, and I think it's respectful, as well as practical, to speak the language of the country in which one resides, rather than expecting the people of said country to speak to one in one's own native language. Even if I end up on another type of visa, I will continue my Thai studies. Being forced to study another language that I don't need to learn in order to stay here would be lame. The fact that there's no other type of visa for someone under the age of 50 in my situation is lame. Also, as I said, I read, write, and speak Thai, which I could not do before I came here. How is that not learning?

lots of people are dropping ED visa for tourist now.

Personally I would not. Tourist visa is the only one they have not crackdown upon yet, and it could be coming soon, right when everyone is turning away from EdVisa and reverting to tourist

I completely agree with you, and would only do that if another ED visa were not an option. Thanks for all of the helpful replies.

I have heard of a 5 year limit on studying Thai but never a 10 year one.

I don't think it would be immigration that sets the maximum you can study one language. The Ministry of Education would be the ones to do that. But since they have raised the number of hours needed to get approval it could be the that you would reach the maximum sooner.

I have never heard of Vientiane setting any rule for a maximum number of non-ed visas.

It could be the note immigration did was meant to say you cannot get another extension of your current ED visa entry because of the new rules limits study to one year now.

It was my school that told me about the 3-year limit in Vientiane. A fairly new development, I think.

He's speaking of the official duration of the course

You have several options:

- change school

- change language/subject

- go tourist visa for a while then back as a new student

- change passport

I will talk to another school, and see whether they think they can do anything for me. I can't seem to find any visa options for studying another language in Chiang Mai. Could I get a tourist visa directly after living here for 4 years on an ED visa? I'm pretty clearly not a tourist, and I thought they had gotten stricter about such things. Finally, could a new passport solve the problem? If any official asks me how long I've been studying here already, I'll have to be honest about it.

I've been living in Chiang Mai for nearly 4 years, studying the Thai language on a Non-ED visa the entire time. I am a legit student (part-time), have always attended school, and can read, write, and speak the language, but am very far from fluent. I wish to remain in the country and continue my studies, but there apparently a new limit in place, whereby one will not be granted another Non-ED visa for Thai language studies after 3 years of study. Prior to the spate of new regulations, my school advertised visas for up to 10 years of study.

This was confirmed for me yesterday, when I want to Chiang Mai Immigration for my final 3-month visa extension on my latest Non-ED visa (issued in Vientiane last May, so I planned on leaving the country this May to obtain a new Non-ED visa). The officer didn't say anything specific to me, and gave me the extension, but when I went to my school afterward, the teachers looked at my passport and said that a note had been made in it that this was my last Non-ED visa. Until then, I hadn't known that the 3-year limit rumors I'd been hearing were official and universal (meaning I'd only heard that Vientiane would no longer issue visas for over 3 years of study).

Does anyone have any general information on this issue, or any advice for me? I'm trying to figure out my options. I believe it's theoretically possible to get another 3 years on a Non-ED visa, if I study something other than the Thai language. True? If so, does anyone know of options in Chiang Mai other than Muay Thai training? Another language could be doable, but I don't know of any school in Chiang Mai offering a visa for study of any language other than Thai. Plus, it seems crazy that I can't keep studying that language of the country in which I'm living, but could study another one for which I have no real use. I'm too young for a retirement visa, and don't plan on working, starting a business, or getting married here. I would volunteer somewhere, but getting a visa based on that seems shaky. The Thailand Elite Card 5-year visa could be a last-ditch option, but I'm incredibly wary of it, and it's a very pricey way to go.

I am supposed to be going to the Thai consulate in Vientiane on Monday. I have the over night train booked to Nong Khai for tomorrow night. Any chance that the border will be open again on Monday?

I'm in the same boat, except that I'm supposed to fly to Udon Thani on Monday and cross the border at Nong Khai Tuesday morning. I guess that's out. Non-refundable flight, too. Oh, well.

Does anyone know whether it's business as usual at the Thai consulate in Vientiane? If I can get there via a flight into Laos, will they issue me my Non-Imm ED visa on schedule? Any chance I won't be allowed to re-enter Thailand by air, even with a valid visa?

Taj Mahal has, in my opinion, the best Indian food in this town. It's a little hole-in-the-wall place on Ratchaphakinai Road, just a short walk south of Ratchadamnoen Road (Sunday Walking Street). You can also get delivery through Meals on Wheels 4U. No buffet. Try the Chicken Achaar.

I, too, am now seeking to top up my AIS SIM cards via my Bangkok Bank account online.

Unfortunately, I have encountered a little problem in seeking to create the necessary 3rd party account for this purpose. Contrary to the impression given in the above posts, it is not just a simple matter of typing the letter A followed by the letter I and then the letter S. Instead you need to enter an account number and the relevant bank. How do I obtain the required information, please?

It doesn't sound like you are choosing the right option. AIS is preconfigured as a payee in the bank's system. On the Bangkok Bank online banking site, click the Payments tab, then the Add New Payee link. You can search by payee code (AIS12C), or select the Mobile Refill category from the drop-down menu, and then select the appropriate payee. The only other information you should need to enter is your mobile phone number.

I've purchased tahini at Kasem Store on Nimmanhaemin Rd.. They had both black and white varieties, a Thai brand, sold in sizable vacuum sealed bags for 115 baht. The quality was good. I won't make hummus without tahini.

Yes, the whole Nimmanhaemin area is out, as of about 50 minutes ago (although it appears that Maya is still lit up).

If there is any other ridiculously pale BB creams out there that have great coverage I'd be willing to check those out too if anyone can point me in the direction of where to get them.

I haven't come across Missha or Skin79 here, but I may have a recommendation for you. I'm a very pale American (had trouble finding a good match for my skin, even in the US), and I also require great coverage. I had a terrible time finding anything that would work for me here in Thailand, and mostly had cosmetics sent over from the states. Then, on a whim and based on some really positive reviews and the fact that it was so cheap. I tried Maybelline's Clear Smooth BB Stick. I'm usually a high-end makeup girl--NARS, MUFE, Dior, YSL, etc.--but this drugstore find has impressed me a lot. The lightest shade (Fresh 01) is a perfect match for my skin (I'm a MAC NC20, if that helps), the coverage is great while looking very natural, and application is quick and easy. It feels like a much higher-end product, and I'd gladly pay twice as much as it costs. I believe the stick version is supposed to be for oilier skin types, but it doesn't feel like it would be too drying for less oily skin. It does also come in a cream, but I don't know whether that form is equally good. As you probably know, Maybelline can be found in just about any drugstore here.

I have an account with Bangkok Bank, and I've topped up via both their online banking site and their phone system. The online method is extremely easy; just set up AIS as a payee for your account, and from then on it takes mere seconds to top up. Via phone, call 1333 and follow the menu prompts (select Payment/Top Up/1-2 Call). Either way, the credit gets applied instantly.

I'm a prepaid customer with a 1-2 Call Freedom SIM, and my credit is always good for 1 year from the top up date, I suppose because I usually top up large amounts.

I've actually had a cracked SGS2 screen replaced here in Thailand, earlier this year. I believe it cost a bit under 5000 (maybe ~4500) baht at the Samsung service center in Chiang Mai--far cheaper than replacing the phone. It took a few days, as they had to have a replacement screen shipped, but the phone was returned to me as good as new, with the same Super AMOLED+ screen type as the original.

My dressmaker. . .

Thank you so much. You always offer the best and most detailed information. I'm not in Chiang Mai yet (arriving June 1), but would love to take you up on your very kind offer once I arrive and start to figure out what I need. As a bonus, your dressmaker is located very close to where I'll be staying.

For men's shirts and all manner of women's clothes the best way to get clothes that fit and are exactly what you want is to have one of Chiang Mai's talented dressmakers make clothes for you. I've finally converted Hubby to the joy of having clothes that really, really fit. He just had my dressmaker whip up half a dozen shirts for him. They actually fit just right in the shoulders, but are roomy enough in the tummy. No more shirts tht look sloppy because the shoulders are too big!

Would you mind me asking whom you use for having women's clothing made? I would love to find a good dressmaker in Chiang Mai. I don't necessarily trust that a tailor who does primarily menswear will be equally good at properly fitting a woman's body, especially a woman with curves.

He wants the visa, not the education. One four-hour day per week is not a serious effort.

Walen, based on their advertising, would best fit his needs.

I'm not a "he," and you have insufficient information to make that assumption. I need the visa and I want the education. Does it occur to you that one could have reasons other than lack of motivation or dedication for being unable to take on a more intensive course of study? I'm as academically motivated as anyone you'll ever meet, and I assure you that there will be no lack of effort or success on my part, despite the fact that I can only commit to attending classes on a limited basis.