hotandsticky

No offence, but if you can't find the UK forum I would definitely use an agent for the passport renewal......

It isn't. It is the same......"all in"...

Yes, and it says London on the sign. The flagstones look English.....

Agree with that. I used them earlier this year purely on price of Premium Economy when they launched. Budget does not work for long haul. I will not use them again.

I know several people in the building industry who are itching to get out here and have accumulated a decent amount of spending money. GBP 711 direct flight with EVA end of November to end of February. They will save that on fuel bills alone! ????

65k for retirement, 40k for marriage based extensions.

You can throw the TM6 away. COYR!

Amazing! Those details are passed over the internet every day. Consider the comparison with, say, UK Visas where payment is made online to VFS at the time an application is submitted. Couriering such a basic transaction seems like gross overkill - but may further alleviate the fears of the OP.

That is new - as far as I am aware. What else was so valuable to also go in the sealed envelope?.

Snowbirds most certainly do help the food and drink and entertainment industries. That is sufficient.

Busier in popular areas - I would say 50/60% of normal low season. Much busier at weekends.

Sounds like a perfect formula ???? More old men, and perhaps more Thais, will come in high season

What issues?

A place to avoid.

Have you been to Pattaya recently?

I think you are wrong. IMO there will be a high season that was busier than last year. Not sure that I would stretch it as far as 'bustling' but it will put rice in the mouths of workers in the tourism industry. The increases in home country fuel bills etc are one reason to encourage snowbirds back to Thailand.

A friend is waiting for a decision on an application submitted on 20th June; that is just over 10 weeks. I read of someone waiting 14 weeks but do others have knowledge of current processing time.

Simplistically, you email VfS with 3 dates/times and they will come back with confirmation of your appointment.

No. Not to my knowledge..12 monthly transfers are required. I have a similar issue in that I want to change next June from 800k in the bank to income. I believe that to achieve that I will have to monthly transfers of 65k between now and my application next May

....except that he will need to evidence 12 x monthly payments to a Thai bank at the time of his application. I don't believe that he is making any transfers at present.

Quite right, he is obviously not coming today, he is still thinking about it.

I have just topped up my William Hill betting account with £30 using my UK bank debit card. I had to supply my card number, expiry date and 3 digit security number. Do I feel scared? No.....and I don't see the transaction (albeit online) as anything different to supplying HMPO with the details.

I have no problem - you must be doing something wrong! ????

If you want to renew your passport in Thailand it is a risk that you are going to have to take. The form doesn't go anywhere, it gets scanned at VfS Global to HMPO. Is there a risk? Yes, any time you put your 3 digit code ANYWHERE it is a risk. Is dealing with this payment with HMPO via VfS a big risk ? No, hundreds of people do it every day. In any event it is academic because there are no options, other than card, for making payment. Send this to Virgin Money and ask them what you are supposed to do:- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/190989/OS_Payment__Instruction_07.13.pdf

LAZADA are not the seller. There is a fairly robust refund system which you clearly did not follow.