Doznotdiz

9 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

1.  No idea, if ever. Today it does not, and tomorrow it will not.

2. You can get the 'O' overseas or in Thailand. You would need to leave to 'cancel' the O-A and restart.

An agent is not obligated to get a 12 month Extension

3. Yes, effectively 7,500 or 15,000 waste paper. Strictly speaking they do not qualify, as they provide no cover, certainly not what is specified in the O-A Extension requirements.. 400,000 baht In-Patient and 40,000 baht OP. The deductible exceeds that. How long before that bypass is blocked?

 

Read my previous quote regarding O-visas. Also I said approved insurance policies (by immigration); excesses do not exceed the 400k.

16 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

That's almost a magnitude less than published prices.

I know that similar kind of insurance had been acknowledged via an "agent".

But no way fulfilling the requirements (400k inpatient, 40k outpatient).

I said “approved”; the requirements are satisfied, and those prices are correct. As for agent use - have you ever tried to convert a short-stay “O” visa obtained outside of Thailand to a 1-year “O” in Thailand? Are you aware that 1-year Non-I’m “O” visas are no longer available outside Thailand?

37 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Are you really willing to pay for one of these questionable insurances?

The forum has plenty of information how to get rid of the Non O A status (as written in previous post).

I am in the same situation, due in October, and will surely take action.

 

1. How long before insurance applies to Non-Imm “O”?

2. You have to leave the country to get the “O” visa, and then (apparently) pay an agent to transfer it to 1-year equivalent.

3. Insurance policies (approved by immigration) are available for 7,500 or 15,000 baht annually - but of course they have high excesses.

I understand that I will have to have health insurance (Thai company) for my next extension (based on "OA" visa). Should the insurance start date be the date of the extension expiry/renewal, or will immigration require it to be active when applying. If the latter, then obviously cover would expire prior to the next extension renewal, and immigration might disallow. Anyone have experience of what is required? BTW - my Immigration office is Chiang Mai.

3 hours ago, delgarcon said:

I will be using the Samui office and my money will have been in the bank for 2 months

2 months was refused for one person at Chiang Mai.

Simple question that is likely to get some interesting answers.

I have a retirement visa and have been extending my stay for many years.

I need to renew my passport soon. I also have to extend my stay for another year soon.

Immigration has 2 functions: (1) Extension of stay (2) Transfer of visa to new passport.

(2) above really means "Transfer of extension of stay" because the visa is only an initial allowance into the country.

My question is: Can Immigration do both (1) and (2) at the same time? We all know that they can be difficult!

If not, then I either have to renew my passport, get the "visa" transferred and then extend my stay, OR, get the "visa" extended in the existing passport, then renew the passport and then get the new "visa" transferred.

Anyone had this situation?

Thanks.

It would seem to me that a very low percentage of farong would be 45 years old or younger, not married and truly not working here....

So I am wondering just how small the "Elite" membership is?

It would seem minuscule to me....

??

Read more carefully - it says "OR"

THAI VISA MEMBER NEWSLETTER JULY 2015

5 YEAR MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA - "PE VISA"

You can now get a 5-year multiple entry visa for Thailand!

Perfect if you are under 50 years old, or not married to a Thai citizen or not working.

Does anybody know what the situation is when a person has a retirement visa and an extension of stay that coincides with the expiry date of their passport, and they then go abroad intending to return to Thailand 4-5 months before the passport expiry date? There is not enough time either here, or abroad to renew the passport. I am thinking that the 6-month validity rule would not apply where a Non-Immigrant visa is applicable.

Since when is there an Immigration Office near to the Promenada Mall? Do you mean the one near to Airport Central perhaps that struggles to process everyone who goes there each day?

Sure love to find a gooood Chiropractor in Chiang Mai. Tried that English fellow that works in one of the hospitals here but not to happy with his technique.

Yes, I find his technique and attitude a bit off-putting. Playing golf regularly has eased all of my previous problems so I probably won't go to see him again but I shall definitely continue with my annual visits to trusted guys in Australia.Things have changed - I was flying to Bangkok just to see chiropractors, and not being satisfied with any of them I was going to Pattaya where I was equally disappointed. Apparently there is someone else now in Chiang Mai but I don't know the details.

I saw this guy a few years back. He cracked my neck and a few hours later I suffered concussion and disorientation, and couldn't find my way home. Obviously I never went back. Thank goodness there are now more decent (and legal) chiropractors in Thailand.

Unfortunately CM Immigration treats foreigners like 5-year olds. You have to sit there with your tail between your legs like a naughty person every visit. You have to know exactly what is required for visa extensions etc even though they change these requirements between visits. They omit to call your name from an appointment list that you’ve arranged on-line months prior, even though you've told the girl at the "Information" desk that you've arrived – this has happened to me twice now. They relish in exposing your "faults", and my visa extension was abruptly thrown out the first time, after only 1 minute because I had misunderstood the requirements – which I hasten to add, is easy to do. I had waited 3 months for that appointment too. It really is time that we were treated with more respect and it is about time they fixed the machine that dispenses the numbered tickets. And where on earth do they put all that paperwork?

I can't believe what I'm reading here. You should always pay for things in Thailand with notes as near as possible to the asking price. Always use an ATM to get your 1000 baht bills. Always pay for supermarket goods with 1000 baht bills to enable you to get lots of smaller bills in change. Then maintain a stack of 100 and 20 baht bills at home and take some of these with you every time you go out. There are no "honest mistakes" here.

I was bitten in Chiang Mai 4 years ago and tried to find the dog again. After searching for a week I called the doctor and they opened the surgery just for me to have the first Verorab jab. I then had 4 more to complete the course. I believe that you are covered for a year only when you have the full course. I was bitten again in Chiang Mai 6 months ago and went to the hospital emergency where I had two booster shots a week apart. I think that the shots are well tolerated because they only contain the dead virus and no other additives or preservatives.

Well I wish you luck with your teaching experience in Thailand, but you would do well not to raise your hopes up too high. Thailand has one of the the worst records for English Language ability in Asia and although they are trying to change this due to ASEAN and the upcoming AEC, by employing more native speakers, I will believe it when I see it. They are changing the rules for English teachers and the best schools are having to fire long term foreigner teachers who do not have degrees even though they are perfectly adequate and respected long-term employees. In tourist spots like Pattaya many language schools will simply hire back-packers who have never taught before and who then just about manage to turn up to work drunk every morning. I have heard that the majority of teachers here work illegally so you should make sure that this "agency" provides you with a work-permit. Perhaps you shouldn't put too much emphasis on this position but use the experience to get yourself a better paid job in Korea or China - provided you have a degree of course.

Oh, and learn how to spell.............."to" should be "too".

"The position is in Pattaya however i was offered a position in Chachoengsao with a closer start date. It was to soon though unfortunately so Pattaya in May shall have to do "

Tig28. I have a receipt that says "SEND IN AUD". This bank has acted disgracefully and cannot be trusted any more. They did not answer any of my questions or offer any advice. I cannot possibly use them for this purpose again. It is a deliberate and deceitful attempt to stop people sending AUD. Apparently one of the other large 4 Australian banks won't even allow people to send AUD full stop. What is going on?

I used to send Thai Baht from my bank in Australia but then realised that the exchange rate in Thailand is much more favourable. I figured that if I were to send AUD then I would save around $1000 pa. So I submitted a request to send in AUD the last time I transferred funds. But when Bangkok Bank actually received the money it was already in Thai Baht. The money had been sent to a bank in Europe who converted the amount into Thai baht at a rate of 27.1 which was worse than the Australian bank rate on that day and considerably worse than the rate offered by Bangkok Bank. I found this information out by going to my Bangkok Bank branch (who were very helpful) and was informed that another customer had had the same problem with the same Australian bank in the same week.

I raised this issue with the Australian bank and was told that it is allowed to use an intermediate correspondent bank for these transactions even though Bangkok Bank is a correspondent bank of that bank. I was then told that Bangkok Bank is only a correspondent bank for Thai Baht transactions. Then I was told that I should have written “DO NOT CONVERT” in the “message” box. All of these statements are ridiculous and just go to show how ill-informed the help desk staff members actually are. My request stated “SEND IN AUD” as the instruction. Finally I lodged a complaint and email both of which were ignored, but on angrily raising the issue again I have been told that the bank has the right to send the money through an intermediary correspondent bank who can levy charges and convert the funds to another currency with my bank not being responsible for these actions. They refunded me around $400 as a goodwill gesture but said that they wouldn’t be doing that again. Basically I've been fobbed off and told to write to the ombudsman.

What planet am I on? I cannot believe the rubbish I have been fed by this bank. I could have an AUD account with Bangkok Bank and thus want the money to definitely arrive as AUD. What gives my bank the right to not carry out my instructions and not be responsible for the outcome? Personally I think that it is a deliberate and deceitful way of dissuading customers from sending AUD so that the bank benefit from the exchange. And if you do actually send AUD then they get a kickback from the exchange made by the intermediary.

Has anyone else had a similar problem? Does anyone have any advice? I have heard that another Australian bank has barred customers from sending AUD internationally. I need a bank that I can rely on and I will also be considering other methods of transferring money.

I've managed to ride a motorcycle 15,000 km around Chiang Mai over 3 years and I am gradually getting used to the atrocious driving. It is no good getting annoyed with people who constantly break the few rules there are, however I am not going to copy their bad habits. I have had a few near misses with vehicles going through red lights and stop signs, but instances like these just make me more cautious. The trouble in Chiang Mai is that the volume of traffic is growing exponentially now, and I can remember my first visit here nearly 20 years ago when I hired a motorcycle and hardly saw another vehicle when travelling to Doi Suthep. Unfortunately the problem now is caused by Bangkok people and their new found wealth coming up here to live or on vacation. Chiang Mai is bursting at the seams and doesn't have the infrastructure to deal with all the new shopping malls and apartment blocks and the massive amount of utility vehicles and people movers. And why do they keep building large roads to nowhere such as the 4 lane highway next to the new Convention centre, that nobody uses? There is a desperate need for a decent public transport system. And a desperate need for proper motorcycle and car driving lessons and standards. But it will never happen and soon Chiang Mai will be like Bangkok with motorcycle taxis, Ping river taxis, traffic jams and pollution. And I will be living somewhere else.

Thank you Saroq. But what a clumsy website. When selecting China (but not the UK for instance) Chiang Mai does indeed come up as an origin but I was unable to find any flights to the UK - which simply cannot be true. So there you go Thai Airways - you are going to lose out again to Singapore Air. I do not want to go to the Thai Airways office - I like to compare fares / times on the web. Offices - so old-fashioned.

Has anyone tried to book an International flight from Chiang Mai on the Thai Airways website? Chiang Mai is an International Airport and it would make sense to allow this airport to be used as a departure location. But I cannot find a way of booking an international flight from other than Bangkok or Phuket. How does one book a flight internationally with this airline from Chiang Mai? Surely Thai Airlines do not want to be excluded from this lucrative connection internationally? Thaismileair does not allow most international bookings either.

Thought I'd better get an appointment in the next 5 weeks because my "extension of stay" expires in 5 weeks time. NO APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE. Nothing available in the next 2 months either. What to do? Chiang Mai Immigration has been bursting at the seams for years - isn't it about time they relocated and expanded? I guess that's not my immediate concern; what are my options here - a trip to Bangkok? Or can you just queue at Chiang Mai like my friend did for 7 hours apparently? In Chiang Mai immigration there are 10 appointment slots per day which would service about 2000 expat visas per year. How many of us are there living here?

Posted 28 minutes ago