gazzola

Hi all,

My wife works for a local institution and they pay her a given monthly allowance to cover rent expenses. Recently we've moved to a new apartment whose rent costs more than the offered allowance, so we'd get the maximum allowance, as usual.

The issue came when we got the first receipt from the building's juristic person, dividing the rent amount in 3 equal parts (i.e. room rent, furniture rent, electrical appliances rent). In this case, the employer informed that they can pay only 1/3 of the total amount (the part listed as room rent only).

We've tried to negotiate with both sides (employer, apartment's owner) with no success. So I was trying to figure out some other alternative in order to avoid loss.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Any ideas?

Thanks!

gennisis,

if you're complaining about 6% in 2 years, which really seems above the inflation, what would you say about 18% in 1 year? That's the extorsionproposal I got from the owner...

Obviously I'm already looking for alternatives, because my counterproposal will be something around 0%. lol.

Hi all,

Is there any index normally used as a reference for yearly readjustments in rent contracts?

I know the general inflation rate in Thailand is around 2.5% per year, but I believe there might be a specific index for the real estate market. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Actually I hope they can accept the application in One-Setop based on item 9:

9. An applicant who entered into the Kingdom of Thailand due to certain obligations made between the Thai government and a foreign government.

There were an intergovernamental agreement for teaching in a local University. It's not a diplomatic job, but it comes from an agreement between my home country's Embassy in Thailand and the University, which belongs to the local government. Let's see if it works.

I'm in Bangkok, so Chaeng Wattana can be the Plan B.

It seems I made a mistake with the report and re-entry permit. Indeed, it seems the re-entry permit is the only service available at Suan Phlu office.

I've checked the requirements for the services at One-Stop at http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/boi.html and our case is covered in one of the items of "types of applicants". I'll try there first and, if it doesn't work, I'll head to Chaeng Wattana.

Thanks for the advice!

Hi all!

It will be my first 90-days report and I'm not sure if they are open for this kind of service at the Suan Phlu office.

I'm not from a neighbouring country, but I've read in a forum that, even after the change of the main immigration office to Chaeng Wattana, they were still accepting 90-days report on Saturdays only. But the info is from Dec, 2010. Does anyone have an update?

I have also another doubt regarding the report date window (15 days before the expiration, 7 days after). I understand that if I go during these 7 days after, there will be no fine. Am I right?

Thanks in advance!

Application: Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 12:00

Passport collection: 13:00 to 15:00 in the following day.

For details, you can check a recent report I wrote around 1 month ago.

30 days at the airport. 15 days by land.

You can check it here: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2490

well, after my post I've decided to write to the email address published in the VAT refund official website, just trying to get an official information wether I would be able to get the refund or not. I asked about the opening hours of the VAT refund office at Swampy airport.

I was suprised to receive a reply, which arrived 7 days after my inquiry.

For your reference, the text of their reply is below.

----------------------

With reference to your email of 22nd August 2011 you have some doubts about VAT refund that you would like to clarify which are as follows:

1) Does a foreigner with a Non-Imm O Visa staying less than 90 days in the country qualify for the VAT refund?

2) What are the opening hours of the VAT refund office in Suvarnabhumi airport?

Here are the answers to your questions:

1) Yes, he or she does.

2) The VAT refund offices which are located in the departure lounge of Subarnabhumi are open 24 hours a day.

You'll find step-by-step guidance below on how to claim a VAT refund, please take a few minutes to read VAT refund regulations as follows:

Tourist who can claim VAT refund,

- is not Thai national,

- is not an airline crew member who departs Thailand on duty.

Eligibility condition for claimant,

- goods must be purchased from licensed store displaying "VAT REFUND FOR

TOURISTS" sign

,

- goods must be purchased in one store at the amount of at least 2,000 baht per day

to be able to ask for VAT Refund Application for Tourist form (P.P.10 form) and claim a

VAT refund at the airport. Sales personnel will help the tourist fill out P.P.10 with details

as shown in his or her passport on the purchase date only.

- goods must be taken out of Thailand by the tourist within 60 days of purchase date

via international airport only.

Procedure how to claim VAT refund at the airport,

- goods must be inspected and P.P.10 form must be stamped by Customs Officer

before check-in. Please be reminded that "NO STAMP, NO REFUND",

- the P.P.10 must be submitted to Revenue Officer at VAT refund office after

passport control to refund VAT in cash (if the VAT refund amount does not exceed

30,000 baht otherwise the refund will be made in bank draft or credited to the tourist's

credit card account) when the claim is approved,

- the luxury goods (jewelry, gold ornament, watch, glasses and pen) worth or above

10,000 baht must be re-inspected at the VAT refund office.

REMARK: If the tourist is in a hurry and can not submit the P.P.10 and the tax invoice

to the Revenue Officer, he or she may either drop them in the box in front of the VAT

Refund office or mail them to:

VAT Refund for Tourists office

Revenue Department of Thailand

90 Paholyotin 7, Payatai

Bangkok 10400, Thailand.

We hope this information may help you understand about VAT refund for

tourist system. If it is not clear, do not hesitate to let us know. For further information,

please visit our website at http://www.rd.go.th/vrt/. Thank you for shopping in Thailand.

I've checked that the rule is that you don't stay in Thailand more than 180 days in a calendar year, but I couldn't find anything mentioning visas.

In my case, I'll be leaving the country before my 90-days Non-Imm O visa expires, no extensions. Do I qualify for the VAT refund or would be strictly necessary to be in a tourist visa or tourist visa-exempt stamp?

Thanks.

i've read that in these cases when the return ticket might be request, it would be enough to show a flight reservation. it wouldn't be necessary to have the ticket actually bought.

well, assuming you're a British citizen you can get a 30-days tourist stamp on arrival. No visa needed.

oh, I should have said I was avoiding BNH because the information I have from there is that they charge very high prices.

I've been living in BKK for 2 months only and I'm not totally familiriazed with the area, so I hadn't noticed Bangkok Christian and Saint Louis yet. I'm gonna try one of them, since they are non-profit hospitals and they'll probably have more economic prices (I don't have an insurance plan).

Thanks for the advice!

Hey guys,

I've had a motorcycle accident which resulted in a small, but open wound on my left leg.

After going to Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, they gave me antibiotics and said that I would need to have a wound dressing everyday in any clinic near my home.

I've searched for clinics in Sathorn area (BKK), where I live, and it seems all of them are focused on beauty/facial/hair/slimming issues.

Would you recommend any proper place for me to go? Sathorn or Silom would be preferable.

Thanks!

Background story

My wife came to Thailand to teach in a local University and the Thai Embassy in our home country gave her the Non-Imm "ED" visa instead of the "B" one.

So when we discovered she needed the "B" one to get the work permit, we planned this trip because based on information found in this forum, we couldn't change the type of visa from "ED" to "B" inside Thailand.

I had the Non-Imm "O" visa from the same Embassy. Since my visa was ok, before leaving to Laos I just asked for a single re-entry permit in Chang Wattana immigration section to keep my visa alive (1000 baht).

The trip

We left bkk on the night train to Nong Khai. The train #69 leaves from Hua Lamphong station at 20h and the 2nd class sleepers (around 700-800 baht) are comfortable enough for the night.

At the Nong Khai train station we took a tuk-tuk to the border (50baht) and then, after the Thai immigration, a minibus (30 baht/pax) to cross the Friendship Bridge to Laos.

The visa-on-arrival scheme in Laos is simple and relatively fast. The prices varies according to the passport-holder nationality (from 20 to 42 USD).

After getting the visa and the stamp, we joined a group to negotiate a minivan from the border to Vientiane (50baht/person). There's also a bus one can get for 25baht, but it stops at the Salat Tao Market (around 1km from Nam Phu Fountain, which is presumably the most central point in the city). This bus is mostly used by locals and it's blue ans has "JAPAN" written on the side near the entrance door.

The starting price of all transportation from the border, excet the bus, is 200baht/pax, but it's easy to negotiate the price down.

Consulate: day 1

One very important thing to mention is that the Thai Consular Section is NOT located on the main Thai Embassy building. It's 1,5km away from it and 3km from Nam Phu Fountain.

The Consular Section can be found here: goo.gl/Js8uK

They only receive visa applications in the morning, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 12:00. And the passport is returned the day after, from 13:00 to 15:00.

In the building entrance there's a guy asking if you have the form and all the necessary photocopies. This guy actually doesn't work in the Embassy and will ask 20 baht (!!!) to make a single copy of any document you might have forgotten to copy! Just ignore him and go straigh to get your queue number. You can get the form inside (for free, obviously) and there's a photocopy machine on the 2nd floor, in case you need to copy any document (I haven't checked the price).

We arrived there at 8:40 and got the queue number 94! It's very crowded and it takes sometime before they call your number in window 1 or 2. At lest there are lots of chairs in a shaded area, so it's not as bad as I was expecting.

After they call you in window 1 or 2 and receive and check you documents, you have to enter the building on your left to pay the visa fee in window 5 or 6 (2000 baht Non-Imm B, single entry, 90 days). There is also some extra waiting in this parte, but you keep the same queue number and this area is much more comfortable, with air-con.

In case you get a high queue number in the morning, you can eventually wait inside this building even before handing the documents in windows 1 or 2.

The whole process in day 1 (Monday) took us about 3 hours.

Consulate: day 2

In the next day we arrived 20 minutes before they opened the gate at 13 o'clock. There were already around 80 people queueing outside the gate on the street. This time no chairs or shade, so it's recommended to bring an umbrella and water. After they open the gate, you get a queue number again and wait inside the building (air-con area). This part is faster and it took us less than 1 hour to get the passport back with the visa.

When you leave the Consular Section there are lots of tuk-tuk and van drivers offering a ride directly to the Thai border. But as we decided to stay for a few more days in Laos, we didn't need their services.

If someone is going to Vientiane to get a visa and has any specific question about the Consular Section or the city, I'll be glad to give more info if I can.

Believe you should plan another visa trip as you can not obtain extension until she has one in her passport (and remember you require proof of marriage also). And she may not be allowed to apply for extension until less than 30 days remain on her current stay.

Thanks again, lopburi.

In this case, I think my plan will be to forget about this Non-Imm "O" visa, which is only turning things more complicated for me.

I have 2 passports. One of them allows me to get the regular 30-days tourist stamp on arrival, but the main one, the same I'm using now for the "O" visa, would give me 90-days as tourist, no visa required. Since I do plan to travel at least once every 3 months in the near future, I guess skipping the visa and using only the tourist stamps will be the simplest and cheapest way to solve the problem.

I've read in this forum few reports of people having trouble to reenter the country as tourists after they had used Non-Imm visa in the past. Well, by now I have only 1 stamp as tourist (before the visa) and 2 stamps using the visa, which will not be extended, so it will be used only for 90 days. I hope I won't have any problem if I get the tourist stamps not too many times (maybe 4 times in a year).

If anyone thinks different, I would love to hear the comments.

---

[EDIT: Vientiane visa report posted at http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/489042-vientiane-report-non-imm-b/]

Thanks for the info!

I've just got back from Vientiane and my wife's visa problem is solved now. I kept my visa using the single re-entry permit (1000 baht at Chang Wattana).

I'll post a report about the Thai Consulate in Vientiane soon, for reference. The procedure now seems a bit different from what I have read in previous reports in this forum.

Now I have a new doubt regarding the next steps to request the 12-month extension and I would like to ask for advice from you.

My wife's work permit is on its way now (with her new Non-Imm "B" visa). After the permit is granted, should we apply together for the 12-month extension or does she have to ask first before I can do the same? How long does it take to finish everything?

Since I'm using my original visa, now I have only 40 days remaining, while she has almost 90 days. Will it be enough for me to get the extension?

If not, I'll have to start planning another trip for a new visa request in a neighboring country.

Thanks again.

<br />They do not leave until it is proven and previous passport information is entered into current passport.  Lost passports require police reports as well as transfer of information into the new passport.<br /><br />You can only obtain extension of stay after spouse obtains and will require a non immigrant visa entry to do so (new visa could be obtained with copy of her passport/extension and marriage paperwork if not ready before your current stay ends).<br />

lopburi,

do you know if I can request a reentry permit for myself keeping the 3 months they gave me and apply for the 12-month extension later when my wife does so?

If it's possible, when getting the 12-month extension do I keep the reentry permit (if multiple entries) or would I have to apply for it again?

talk2sam, thanks for the hint. I've found it here.

I see it can be used to extend the visa, but I couldn't find any information about changing from one visa to another. Does the document mention this situation?

lopbury3, I got my visa with the same letter the University provided to my wife, because they included my name as an accompanying person. I hope I can use this letter to apply for the extension, even if my wife is going to do it later...

Regarding leaving with another passport, I know it's not accepted, but this situation can eventually happen sometimes (for example, when someone loses his passport or don't get the stamp on entry by some mistake. At least I've seen it happen in other places). When it happens, they have to deal with it in some way and I guess probably the solution would be to apply some fine to the passport holder. Or could it be worse?

Thanks again.

Hey all,

I have a doubt about getting the work permit with the Non-Imm ED visa and I couldn't solve the problem browsing the forum.

My (non-Thai) wife has been offered a teaching position in a University in Bangkok and the Thailand Embassy in our home country granted her with the ED visa.

We are in Thailand now and the University says they can't provide the work permit with this ED visa, so it would be necessary for her to leave the country, get a new visa outside Thailand (probably "B" visa?) and return here.

I was wondering if it would be really necessary for her to leave the country for this or if this situation could be solved in the immigration bureau, applying for a change in the visa type, based on a letter written by the University.

What would be the easiest way to solve this?

If she really has to leave and reenter the country, I'll probably go with her and that raises a second doubt.

I have the Non-Imm O visa, single entry. If I leave, I'll have to apply for a new one to come back, since I'm afraid there will be no time to extend my visa to the 12-month multiple entries one (the University asked her to solve this issue this week!).

Since I have 2 passports (different nationalities), one possibility would be to leave with the one I haven't used to enter Thailand and reenter with the same one as a tourist (no visa needed), so I would have the original visa still valid in the first passport.

What could be the implications of this procedure, considering I don't have the entry stamp in the 2nd passport?

Thank you for your help!

Best regards,

Gazzola