muenwai2

What do you mean by partnership?

What do you mean by "better half"? GF or married?

What do you mean by "legal"?

Where did you obtain the 90 day visa? On what grounds?

The straight answer to your question is NO. Consulates WILL issue 1 year multi B's.

But whether you qualify depends upon your being a tad more specific.

If you satisfy the requirements you could "convert" to 1 year multi in Thailand.

Why not send them the tickets? Keep a copy of the booking Ref and ticket numbers.

EMS is secure and reliable. Go to any post office. Should take 2-3 days. Expensive though. 800 baht to UK so I assume 'bout the same to Canada.

My advice. Contact AMEX immediately. Amex UK are base in Brighton I believe - they may negotiate with Amex Thailand on your behalf

AMEX is a huge international organisation. That you are concerned suggests you owe a large (ish) sum. Unlike smaller Thai banks they will not write off your debt. They will trace you sooner or later. If sooner maybe no problem. If later they will pass details of your defaulted debt to the major UK credit reference agencies. Doesn't matter that the debts were incurred outside the UK - you will be deemed a credit risk. You WILL have difficulties in obtaining loans or other credit in the UK even if you subsequently pay off the debt. It can also impact on any relative sharing your UK address seeking credit - unfair but TRUE. You MAY also have problems if you return to Thailand.

What they cannot do recover the money through the UK courts.

Now we're getting silly. Father Christmas doesn't exist.

Lopburi 3. I agree with your second point re bank charges (see remark in my previous reply) however if someone is relying on extending a visa based on monthly pension surely immigration will require to see monthly transfers in a Thai bank passbook. Or am I wrong? I hope I am wrong (but fear I'm not) because I am ripped off every 4 weeks with a high bank charge and poor exchange rate.

I believe you are correct ALL UK banks transfer using SWIFT although my pension provider uses Bank of Scotland which uses something called indirect TAPS (SWIFT by any other name).

There is indeed a double taxation agreement UK-Thailand. Former civil servants can have their pension paid into a Thai bank without deduction of UK tax but theoretically are subject to Thai tax.

All other pensions (i.e. for those who actually worked for a living) are paid after deduction of UK tax. Theoretically gross pension should be declared to Thai tax authorities and an assessment made of what tax would have been paid were the gross pension earned in Thailand: any difference between that and the UK tax actually paid is payable to Thai tax authorities. But find me one person who bothers or has been who has been approached by Thai tax authorities. So I suggest your first point is irrelevant.

I don't believe this problem is restricted to Thailand.

Call me paranoid but I believe there exists an international conspiracy and somewhere in the Nevada desert there is a secret warehouse full of unmatched socks. Nothing is allowed to exist within a 20 mile radius (mind you the smell would be enough to keep any living thing away).

There is a cover up (except for feet).

Or maybe they are sold on and the odour extracted and used in the Thai counterfeit perfume industry.

Actually I think my wife sells them to the neighbours to enhance their cooking judging by the smells that sometimes waft on the evening breeze. I need to point out the neighbours are Chinese not Thai so as not to offend those farangs who insist Thai food is wonderful.

Anyway enough for now -I'll put a sock in it - if I can find one.

Ian,

It is not clear if you are talking about obtaining the retirement visa or extending your stay after 12 months

To initially obtain an O-A visa based on pension alone you do not need to have transferred any money into Thailand. You will need a letter from your pension provider (to obtain O-A in London) or letter from embassy (easy) if you are converting to O-A in Bangkok.

After obtaining the visa you must either arrange direct payment of your pension into a Thai bank account (easiest I suggest) or arrange monthly wire transfer into your Thai bank from your UK bank (more hassle in my opinion). Obviously the latter would be the only option if you only wished to transfer 65000 THB/month and keep the balance of your pension in the UK - I assume this is the reason behind your post..

Alternatively you could build up the pension in your UK bank and transfer 800000THB prior to extending your visa after 12 months but I see no point in the latter (other han you will save on UK bank charges) because, as Lopburi suggests, you will be asked to show how you have supported yourself over the previous 12 months i.e. they will suspect you have been working. In this instance ATM slips showing regular withdrawals in Thailand from a UK bank a/c may suffice.

So here goes my foolproof advice for Thais wishing to come to England without a visa. Book tickets to Bermuda via London USING DIFFERENT AIRLINES FOR EACH SECTOR ideally flying into Heathrow and out from Gatwick go through immigration on 24 hour exemption rule and disappear into the woodwork. Forget the Irish scam - it's been rumbled.

Phuket Air uses South Terminal.

Yes, because there is no interline agreement your GF will have to pass immigration & reclaim bags then transit to North Terminal to check in with BA.

As others have pointed out there is no need for a transit visa. Although transit is at Immigration officers discretion so too is entry even with a visa.

It is pronounced Tarmbiarn Baarn.

Depends on which part of the country you reside.

In North East the R sound is not pronounced in either word and the baarn would be pronounced something between a cockney "ban" and "bun".

A point that appears to be overlooked is that "noodles" asked what SHOULD he do, NOT what WOULD others do. The answer is simple apply for an extension. Obviously he will have no problems clearing up a trivial overstay but my point has been that it is irresponsible to recommend he break Thai law even for such a petty offence.

Thaiflyer 1 states that having passed through immigration "technically you ain't in Thailand". WRONG. You are under Thai jurisdiction until outside of Thai airspace (and, to a limited extent, beyond if flying on a Thai carrier). Try ordering a beer airside at Don muang and refuse to pay. See who turns up to arrest you.

So far as whether your overstay depends upon advertised flight departure or time you report to immigration is a moot point. I doubt it is clarified under Thai law, the finer points of which "NOODLES" may have the opportunity of debating at Don Muang. Perhaps he could report back to us.

Thousands of passengers arrive at BKK every day on e-tickets.

Ignore Sunny Valentine's comment. We do not know his demeamour or appearance on arrival but safe to assume the immigration officer had good reason for their action. The tone of his last sentence tends to suggest this.

They will only ask for evidence of confirmed onward transportation if they have reasonable suspicion.

You will have absolutely no problems and will proceed through immigration in a fraction of the time it takes a Thai to get through UK airport immigration

I think you can assume CHAZ is one of the (too) many members of this site who have never set foot in Thailand or, if they have, left their brain behind.

His comments are complete nonsense.

YES

400THB fine as your scheduled flight departure puts you on a 2 day overstay.

Pity it is not more severe as you are obviously deliberately overstaying.

The overwhelming majority of those with visas respect the Thai immigration rules.