chowny77

Don't sweat it Owen. I'm in the same province as you and I was almost a month out on my 90 days. First time in 17 yrs. Just have copies of the pages needed and your form filled in and 2,000 baht ready. They will fill out a receipt for you and off you go. If it was your visa that would be a different ball game. 

Cheers but no thanks! China is a no go zone for me! You can keep your virus.

There was an African guy trying to get a visa and was dressed up but paper work was not complete and he didn't have US dollar on him. They really don't

care as long as your are polite.

I wore a t-shirt and jeans but I had all my documents in order. No problems!!

Its a stupid law but in theory you would be breaking the law. But the likely-hood of you been busted is minimal. The main problem is competitors with your gf plus your in a touristy area. If you were in the countryside it would not be a problem.

I got an Ed visa from Ho Chi Mihn city in May with absolutely no problems at all. The school provided the documents I needed from them and I just had to make copies of the usual pages from my passport. No need for a background check or medical certificate. Very straight forward and easy. I was in and out of the consulate in less than 10 minutes to hand in my application and maybe had to wait 15 minutes the next day to collect.

This is the reason I flew to veitnam. 

On 2/22/2019 at 9:04 PM, chowny77 said:

To everyone with advice for me, Thank you very much. I will let you all know when I get back how things turned out. Everyone have a great weekend!

OK. So I am back from Vietnam. All went well at the consulate as I had every document ready plus the money in US dollars. The room itself is no more than a box, with many people trying to fill in their application forms, so not the best. I suggest downloading the application form before you go and fill it in. Do not get swindled like me as soon as you get out of the airport with the taxis. Use the free internet and use the Grab application which is free to download on google play. Your GPS should show where you are and you just need to give your destination. I used the Grab bikes as it was faster but also more dangerous to get around but I never saw or encountered an accident. I was staying in district3 and there was a nice bar called "Guru Sports bar" if you just want to have a beer, food and chill out. All I can say is the embassy staff was polite and courteous, and I spent less than 10 minutes putting my application in and about 2 minutes the next day getting my passport. This was by far the best immigration/consulate I have been to. Stop going to Laos and spend a few days in Vietnam. Cheers to all the advice from fellow expats and good luck to the noobies like me that had never been to Vietnam before.

To everyone with advice for me, Thank you very much. I will let you all know when I get back how things turned out. Everyone have a great weekend!

25 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Confusing...if you have a new pp your old passport will have identity page half cut. Its useless except for visa or extension stamps. When folk get a new passport they travel with both. Visa cannot be transfered to new pp.

Ok. My old passport has my old visa which is good till the 2nd March. I plan to leave Thailand on the old passport and with my new passport get a new visa at the consulate and then enter Thailand on the new passport with a new visa. So I will have both passports on me when I travel.

8 hours ago, BaiLao said:

@chowny77:

You need USD for the consulate. They will not accept other currencies.

British passport: straight to the immigration counters - valid 14 days. 

 

It will take at least 30 mins by taxi to get from TSN to the Thai Consulate.

They close 11.30hrs & reopen after lunch.

 

Make certain that you have printed copies (in colour) of any paperwork required for the visa application. Some of my docs were in B&W and were rejected. There is a good travel agent if you need additional copies. Turn right outside consulate gate, remain on that side of the road - walk and cross straight over the next intersection, travel agent is a few shops after the intersection.

 

There is a good aircon place to eat on opposite side of the road - displaying a prominent advert for a famous Thai beer brand. 

 

In theory it's possible to achieve your objective within the stated time frame but you'll need to have all your ducks in a row... 

 

Thanks a lot. My university has prepared all my documents to show that I am studying there plus I have my receipt of semester payment plus what subjects I am studying at the moment. I also have the original results from the first semester that show my scores. I also have the printout e-ticket to show that I am returning on the 26th of Feb. I also just got my new UK passport, so I plan to leave Thailand on my old passport and use my new passport for the visa and return flight to Thailand. So I guess I will just need a colour copy of the new passports picture page to add to my documents. 

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Should have stayed a week.

I would have done but my university is doing mid-term tests at the same time as I need to get my visa. They are ok with a few days missed but not a week.

My return flight is the following day at 6 pm. So the idea was to arrive Monday morning and submit and pick up Tuesday afternoon and fly back.

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

VISA waiver ............ VOA you would need to queue at the VISA window.

VISA waiver you just walk straight to the immigration desk.

So I am all good to just walk upto the immigration desk or have I made a boo boo and will have to queue?

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Early morning? Flights i am aware of land about 9am up. Don't think you will make consulate before 11.30. Not sure why britmantoo crossed out bus 109 from airport. 20k dong. IMO stay district 1. Bui Vien street area. Saigon is a ripper. Spend few days if possible. The consulate if fair but by the rules. Drop off AM pick up PM next day. Small joint small que. Just re read your op. Your obtaining visa on arrival with " invitation letter"?. If so NO way you will make consulate AM

Yeah my flight should touch down 9:15am. I looked online and being a UK citizen it just said I can get a visa on arrival just like with Thailand. The person who will send the taxi to me said it will only take about 20 - 30 mins to get from the airport to the consulate as it is after rush hour. I hope they are correct as I have already booked a return flight the next day.

I will be flying early Mondy morning to Ho Chi Minh City to obtain a Non-O Ed visa for the degree I am studying for. I was just wondering if anyone could give a heads-up on what to expect regarding with the consulate. Plus any tips on where is best to eat or just hang out as I will have some time to kill before my room is available after being processed. Luckily the place I will be staying will send a taxi for me and it will drop me off at the consulate once I exit arrivals. I did read something about having to pay in US dollars for the Thai visa, just would like to confirm if this is still the case. Any advice would be appreciated. 

I need to go Loasto get my Ed-visa. Now booking is not so much the problem, it's the fact that you can't book a bus ticket too far in advance as their computer booking system is so out of date. So most likely I will have an appointment but then no means for me to get to Nong Khai by bus as it is either already full or not available when I need to travel. If they think they are not upgrading themselves and making their service more streamlined, maybe they should also look at being able to process the visa in 1 day rather than 2 as they will know who you are and what visa you are applying for.  

Thanks ubonjoe. This woman IO was full on about me having to totally cancel my multi non-o at the border and re-entering on a tourist visa. She was also pushing for my to go to Vientine to apply for the Non-ed at the consulate. I know I can squeeze about another 5 months out of my current visa if I do one more border run and apply for a 2 month visiting a Thai family member. This would give me plenty of time to apply for the ed-visa.