Sharp

You don't renew a visa, you either extend your permission to stay in Thailand at immigration or you apply for anew visa abroad.

The rules for getting an extension of stay from immirgation are stricter than forgetting a new visa abroad. You don't only need a work permit, but also a certain mimimum income per month and the company itself must also qualify.

if not married to a Thai, you probably don't qualify for an extension of stay if you don't have at least 4 Thai employees.

Thankyou ..

Hi All,

Ok Visa B is up for renewal next month now have a workpermit which finishes August so my question is can i renew in Thailand or back to KL or Singapore to make another one and i here no more 1 yr in KL ,oh and i dont have 4 Thai staff.

Ideas advice please

Thanks

Hi All,

For those who are interested, the application process for Thai

Citizenship in my case went as follows:

Late 2003 - Picked up the checklist from the Police Headquarters on

Rama 1 Road

January 2004 - Took all my documents to the Police Department, in what

I thought was a word perfect application. However, since I was

applying in January and this being a new tax year, my tax returns from

the three preceding years were not enough. An oversight on my part, so

waited until I got my most recent tax retirn PNG 91 for 2003

March 2004 - Try again. This time my application was successfully

lodged. Paid the 5,000 Baht fee. Got fingeprinted. Signed my name (in

Thai) on dozens of firms. Took two Thai witnesses and later my wife

plus kids to show that they were real. Took forms issued to me by the

police department to immigration and my disctrict office. Later went

back to pick up the completed forms and take them back to the police

department

April 2004 - Thai language interview at the Police Department

September 2004 - Invited to the Interior Ministry. Showed them my work

permit, passport, alien registration certificate and certificate of

residence. Then, I was shown into a room with around 40 people

watching me. I was given a microphone and asked to sing the Thai

National anthem and Phra Baramee (the one they play in the cinema).

Yes, really. Managed to keep a straight face. Got interviewed in Thai

- basic Q&A about my circumstances. Around the same time, a group of

three officials from the Interrior Ministry visited my house to see if

my domestic circumstances were as described on my application form

Waited

Waited

February 2006 - Got the good news that the then Interior Minister Khun

Kongsak had approved my application

March 2006 - Got a letter to notify me of the above

Waited

(September 2006 - military coup)

Waited

November 2006 - Got the good news that the King had countersigned my

application

December 2006 - One of the most memorable parts: the oath. Just

after the King endorsed my application, I was asked to report to the

police department in business attire, armed with a candle, a lotus

flower and an incense stick. I then had to stand with these in my

hands while clasped in a wai, in front of a Buddhist shrine, repaeting

an oath of allegance to King and country, and promising to be an

upright and law-abiding citizen.

Waited

Waited

April 2007 - Got the good news that the new Interior Minister Khun

Aree had announced in the Interior Ministry notices that a bunch of

applicants including me could now get Thai nationality

May 2007 - Got the paperwork and certificate from the Police HQ to

take to the disctrict office to get my ID card. Now I must return my

work permit, alien residence certificate and certificate of residence

to respective authorities as these are no longer needed. Now I can

apply for a passport

Told that my application was one of the faster ones these days.

Getting Thai Citizenship IS a pain in the arse - but look on the

bright side:

1) Now I can own what I buy, land, house, etc

2) No need for a work permit, and no restricted occupations. I can now

drive a Tuk Tuk for a living if the going gets tough in the IT

industry

3) Now I can get in free to the Grand Palace and pay the Thai rate for

national parks

4) I can own a business

5) I can get a Thai passport and visit countries like Laos and Vietnam

visa free

6) No need for that expensive old yearly Resident Return visa. No

limit to the amount of time that I spend out of Thailand without

losing my residency

7) I can use the Thai passport lane at the airport (shorter queues)

8) In my case, no need to give up my old nationality

9) I have a new Thai identity, forename and surname. Good for

travelling to places that dislike my country of origin

10) I think that I can even vote, although I am not sure who is worth

voting for

All you need to do is satisfy the following to apply:

http://phuketgazette.com/issuesanswers/details.asp?id=759

Golden rules are:

1) Be patient and never get upset. The people that handle your

application do not make the rules and do not have any power over what

happens in the Interior Ministry

2) Get a coach. Not an expensive lawyer - just make friends with one

of the officials that handles your application

Cheers

Kinda guessing u won't be driving a Tuk Tuk for health reasons ,,,correct ....congratulations anyway..patients is a virtu

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Shocking. I always find the minivan drivers to be courteous and safety-conscious.

Now that's funny Welldone u put a smile on my face ..

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If you're planning to move there, the first thing you should probably learn to do how to spell it...

Hua Hin, not Hau Hin.

Opps !!! yeah your right ....

Why should he learn how to spell it correctly? Does it make a difference if it is spelt incorrectly Har Hin will still be Hua Hin!!

Thats wot i thought to be honest !! Well I know where it is at least and won't be renting in the wrong place ;-)

Happy new year all...

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If you're planning to move there, the first thing you should probably learn to do how to spell it...

Hua Hin, not Hau Hin.

Opps !!! yeah your right ....

Hi All,

I have one question i have been told if you invest 10+million baht into Thailand through a company it assists your Visa application.

Rgs

Don't comment if ya don't know the laws

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Now in Hua Hin. What a wonderful change from Patong because;

- No touts

- Reasonable taxii/limousine & tuktuk access

- No price gouging

- No filth (both human and garbage)

- No Bib standing on the corner looking for Tea money

I was in Udon Thani last week. same thing. Wonderful experience. When we have gone out to the shopping plazas, I am a minority and I think it works in my favour. The lack of farangs circulating seems to have reduced the numbers of scum that associate with the farang presence. No sexy massage offers, no touts, no cops trying to entrap me into buying drugs, no visible hookers, no foreign yobs. There are thousands of foreign tourists in Hua Hin right now. Very well behaved.

Maybe the scams and thieving and ripoffs are a reflection from the quality of tourists that Phuket and Pattaya attract. How is it that Udon Thani, a place for lower income older foreigners has a much classier feel to it than the Kamala-Kata strip of Phuket? The same Germans and Scandanavians are in Hua Hin as in Phuket, but the difference is that these people are not skewed to the sex tourist and drink till you puke segment as in the areas with all the problems. Interesting enough that the Indians here are few but are visibly higher end, and I have not seen any middle easterners, or the English yobs of Phuket yet. My takeaway is that if I want a relaxing place with a minimum of hassles, is to pick a location where the quality of foreigners is better. I call this the Garbage- Vermin rule of life of Thailand.

You forgot to mention Hua Hin has no fun, its a shytehole with a very average beach. It has inflated prices because of the weekend expats coming down from BKK. I couldnt think of a worse place to reside in Thailand

Jezzzz great I'm relocating there next year ...

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Don't worry, Hua Hin is fine if you're looking for a relatively relaxed place with some nice beaches in the area. Just one note of caution choose your Western friends & acquaintances carefully.

Thankyou and yes relaxing is sounds good been living in Phuket over 10yrs n sad to see how it's going but I will be paying many visits back I'm sure

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Now in Hua Hin. What a wonderful change from Patong because;

- No touts

- Reasonable taxii/limousine & tuktuk access

- No price gouging

- No filth (both human and garbage)

- No Bib standing on the corner looking for Tea money

I was in Udon Thani last week. same thing. Wonderful experience. When we have gone out to the shopping plazas, I am a minority and I think it works in my favour. The lack of farangs circulating seems to have reduced the numbers of scum that associate with the farang presence. No sexy massage offers, no touts, no cops trying to entrap me into buying drugs, no visible hookers, no foreign yobs. There are thousands of foreign tourists in Hua Hin right now. Very well behaved.

Maybe the scams and thieving and ripoffs are a reflection from the quality of tourists that Phuket and Pattaya attract. How is it that Udon Thani, a place for lower income older foreigners has a much classier feel to it than the Kamala-Kata strip of Phuket? The same Germans and Scandanavians are in Hua Hin as in Phuket, but the difference is that these people are not skewed to the sex tourist and drink till you puke segment as in the areas with all the problems. Interesting enough that the Indians here are few but are visibly higher end, and I have not seen any middle easterners, or the English yobs of Phuket yet. My takeaway is that if I want a relaxing place with a minimum of hassles, is to pick a location where the quality of foreigners is better. I call this the Garbage- Vermin rule of life of Thailand.

You forgot to mention Hua Hin has no fun, its a shytehole with a very average beach. It has inflated prices because of the weekend expats coming down from BKK. I couldnt think of a worse place to reside in Thailand

Jezzzz great I'm relocating there next year ...

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Also consider Cha Am plenty of Farangs living here and a lot cheaper.

Ok thanks

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It depends on what you're looking for; how close to downtown, how close to the ocean, in or out of a development or around other foreigners or Thais, but in general you should be able to easily find a variety of condos, apartments, or small houses for that price.

To get more for your money rent directly from the landlord. Are you familiar with Hua Hin already? The best way to find the right place for your money is to come and stay in a hotel or guesthouse for a couple of weeks and drive around the neighborhoods looking for rental signs. There are plenty around. Around or just off of Sois 90 to 94 is good as it is within walking distance of many restaurants and the Market Village Mall. Condochain and Sport Villa are two popular condo/apartment choices, both south of downtown near the main road for easy transport availability via cheap baht buses. Up soi 88 from the railroad to the end of the road in the countryside has options that are near restaurants and busy in the town end but quiet in the west end.

Whether or not you have personal transport makes a big difference in the location you choose as transport away from the main road can be expensive if you go out a lot. If you do have your own transport, nearly anywhere west of the railroad from the north end of town (Bor Fai) to the south end (Nong Khae) will have something within your range.

Thankyou for your quick reply..yeah was a little vague ,I have found living around foreigners seems to be the better option to be honest and living in a complex or single unit doesn't really matter as long as it fits my needs but it needs to furnished as I still have my home in Phuket.

I have only been to Hau HIn once and only for 2days so this is the reason for my post.i don't have to live in the town as I Do have a vehicle and motorbikes ,my business dealings will be around black mountain golf course so say withIn 20/30 mins from there would probably be best.

I have noted the Soi,s you mentioned as as in Phuket going direct to the landlord is Definatly the preferred option but I Am concerned a sleepy hollow in the daytime turns into a nightmare at night or the other way round as I don't know the area.

Quiet in a must for me I do like my sleep.

Last question for now is there somewhere u would personally stay away from.

Thanks again HHfrang..

So your help is noted and thanks

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Hi,

Merry Xmas to everyone ,just a quick question I am moving to Hau HIn from Phuket next year can someone tell me the best areas to rent/stay on a rental budget of 20k a month don't need beach views etc just nice furnished condo ,apartment or small house .

Thanks in advance

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Same old scams.

Same old extortions.

Same old rip offs.

Same old corruption.

Same old lack of action by Government here to fix what is clearly having a negative impact on the tourism industry and on tourists in general.

The Sydney Morning Herald is a very widely read publication and website in Australia. The article doesn't describe Phuket as a great place for a holiday, especially the death statistics towards the end of the article, although some of those deaths would be from natural causes.

If Phuket truly wants to "brand" itself, it needs to raise the quality of the product they are advertising and marketing to the world, or face a declining market share in the future. In fact, I would say they have already lost a lot of the western tourist market to rival places in Thailand, and neighbouring countries.

Through this article, and many other similar articles, the Australian and British Government are informing their citizens that Phuket is not a quality product/place for a holiday, yet nothing has been done at a local level to address the issues that has plagued Phuket for years.

From memory, I can not think of any other tourist desination in the world where the Ambassadors of two countries have to go to the public media to release safety and security warnings to their citizens. The amout of victims here are obviously draining the Embassy's resources to cope.

The general attitude of officials here is it's the tourists fault for getting scammed, robbed, extorted, assualted etc. They view tourists with utter contempt.

I, like many others, have given up hope for positive change here. That said, the only question that remains is, just how bad are they going to allow it to get here????

Sad to see a great place slowly slip down the S bend.

Yep spot on I would say ...real shame ...

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I'm currently in Udon Thani and it is a different Thailand than I'm used to in Patong. If I had known the delights of Issan, I'd never have wasted all my time on Phuket. Yesteday I was in Swampy wonderin why everyone was rushing to get to Phuket. You want retirement? Check out Issan. It's the hidden gem of Thailand.

+1....or Hau HIn

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you need to go back home and apply!

+1

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People are only supposed to talk like that, not write like that!

Wwwooooaaaahhhh!!!!!!!

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Looked the same as it usually did ... apart from the poor dead guy on the floor ....

Exactly my thoughts...'oh and that daft <deleted> in the corner'

Unreal falangs lives real aren't worth a jot...RIP...

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Abhisit and his cronies did really think they would get away with this Scott free didn't they, amazing, how on earth did he expect anything other than charges for what he did in 2010. And to now try to say it s part of some conspiracy aimed and reconciliation is just embarrassing.

Time to face the music Abhisit. The sad thing is he was probably just a puppet in all this and the orders came from the army that put him in power, they saw a weak man and took advantage of him and now He must pay the price.

<deleted>. The PM has the duty to control a violent gathering impeding citizens of the capital. A SoE was rightfully declared and ample warnings given that force would be used to end it. Extrapolating a stray shot into a murder charge for giving legitimate orders is a ridiculous construct that appeals only to the mindless.

Agreed Micky boy...

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Patong gym ,San nam yen can't miss it

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In a nutshell, this is what it says:

Due to the new policies enforcing entertainment businesses around the entire Chaweng beach area to close before 2.00, there has been a meeting attended by all the entertainment businesses such as SOLO CLUB, GREEN MANGO, SOUND CLUB, SWET SOUL and all the "bar beer". We strongly disagree with the new policies because it will affect tourists both foreign and Thai, who are on holiday here in Samui in large numbers.

We have therefore come to an agreement to temporarily close our businesses starting from 30 October 2012 onwards.

This is in order to show the government agencies how important the entertainment businesses are for the economy of Samui. The government should show us more support in order to attract more foreign and Thai tourists to Samui.

We would like to ask the public's opinion about this new closing policy.

Maybe you can edit it in the first post instead of that bing translation??

October ???

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Start shopping for a cheap ticket to the UK...

+1 UK

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I'm looking for some advice on a place that can give me good passport photos - my passport is full and I'm applying for a new one from Phuket (via Hong Kong).

The photo guidelines for UK passport photos are quite strict. Among their rules:

The background must be plain cream or plain light grey.

The photos cannot be photoshopped in any way.

They must be 45mm by 35mm.

I went to the Kodak shop in Kamala which usually does a good job. However, they did not have a cream/grey background they could use - only white and blue.

They rectified this by photoshopping in a new background, and then touching up my face too. They only charged 120 baht so I just said my thank-yous and left. It's reasonably possible that my application would be turned down due to the computer-adjusted images. Ideally, I would like to find find a booth or studio in Phuket which can fulfil the requirement for background and size.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

Kodak,,,,in Baanzan

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Put it simple.

Look at the guy you're talking to. What he is doing, where he comes from.

Back home, would you trust him ? Actually, would you even talk to that guy ?

The rule is simple, you shouldn't do here what you wouldn't do back home.

Always go with the gut feeling its the best bit of advice I would ever give to anyone anywhere ...

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Absolute twaddle, nothing can beat Bovril.

Marmite ,,,ummmm

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