durhamboy

Goose - it's really difficult to say when a visa will be ready. What you said is true about recent waiting times. Currently there are 3 of us in this forum at the 60 day mark. Sorry cant be more help. Good luck.

Isnt it disgusting that we get charged c.900 quid for a visa and VFS want to charge us an extra 75 baht for a couple of 2 baht SMS texts! I believe you just get 2 text messages - one when it goes to the embassy and one when the decision has been made.

Also their "Tracking" system is a joke - only 2 messages and the same as the SMS - one tells you it has gone to the embassy and + 3months later it might tell you it has come back when you would have had an SMS and email to tell you this anyway. So what purpose does it serve?

Once again 7x7 you are assuming knowledge about a situation where you do not know the full facts! My wife has actually driven for many years without incident so I am not putting a novice driver on UK roads.

It dam_n well does make a difference if the alleged words "Type Temporary Car" are in English or Thai. First of all if she had to produce her licence in the UK and the words are in Thai then almost certainly no one could understand it so there would not be an issue.

Secondly, if it is in English (I am currently trying to find someone here with a 1 year licence so I can see) then what does "Type Temporary Car" really mean. Is it a 100% correct translation? If you really analyse it as it is then the only contentious word is "Temporary" . This means limited by time and, in this respect, a 10 year UK licence is no different from the Thai licence as they are both "Temporary".

I dont make the rules and I have tried to find out about them. I sent 3 emails to DVLA who finally came back and said basically that I must decide. I therefore have evidence that I have gone the extra mile (no pun intended) to be aware and follow the rules. Now in that case do you really think an application for FLR/ILR would be refused? I think you are the one that must be crazy if that is what you think.

Kiggs - Well it is true that there have been a lot of public holidays and Thai ones as well. The target of 60 working days does not include public hols so whilst 60 working days from application (19 Oct in both our cases) is 11 Jan in reality they can add another week to that to cover the hols! Frustrating but thats it.

Makes you wonder if there is a hidden agenda going on here i.e. deliberately miss the targets to get more staff. I would hope not but it makes you wonder. My own application is relatively simple (in my opinion) and would take only about 15 minutes to process if someone took the trouble to look at it. A point I will make in an email to them when we have reached 3 months without a decision.

I'm still waiting. Applied 19 October - same day as Kiggs

No response to our visa application either - the 3 of us seem to be in the same boat.

Good luck with the phone call to the embassy - please let us know. I thought they only accepted emails via VFS and, Kiggs, that is after 3 months which would really be 19th Jan in our cases.

Hope it all turns out ok

Finally got a reply from the DVLA to the simple question "Do you regard a 1-year Thai licence as a full licence?" and the reply is as follows :-

"As advised previously, as a resident, provided your full licence remains valid, you may drive any category of small vehicle shown on your licence for up to 12 months from the time you become resident.

Unfortunately, DVLA are not able to confirm whether the difference in a licence issued for one year, or five years means you meet the above criteria. This is a decision you need to make based on the information provided. (my underlining)

So I make the decision based on the information provided. Now is that information provided by DVLA or Thai Govt? Seeing as we are talking about driving in the UK then that must be the info given by the DVLA so, on the face of it, my wife would be able to drive in the UK for up to a year with a 1-year Thai licence.

My wife hasnt got her licence yet - we were waiting until just before we go to the UK to maximise the year's entitlement. Someone posted that a Thai 1-year licence has the notation "Type Temporary Car" is that in English on the licence and, if so, what exactly does it say?

Thanks

NMT (or should that be PMT?) - Actually I dont see what admitting to farangs getting local rates has to do with it. I say again - I wasnt asked to produce documents so they made the decision on the way I LOOK.

Your comments about racism in Farangland are insulting and probably say more about your attitudes to Thai women than anything else. There is racism all over the world - sometimes positive mostly negative.

No sorry it is EVERYTHING to do with race. I was not asked my nationality - I dont look Thai (and wasnt asked for Thai ID etc) so therefore they tried to charge double by the way I LOOK. So it is racist and I feel sorry for you that you seem incapable of getting your head round that.

Yes Jingthing, you are right there are many good things in Thailand and, on balance, I quite like living here. Dual/Racist pricing is one of the negative things and, imo, needs to be highlighted in forums such as this.

Yeah, you look like a non-Thai. So what? If you're a local, you can prove it and get the local price. Try it next time, why don't you, instead of trying to portray yourself as a victim of racism?

PS: did you know that being a non-Thai brings just as many "racist" benefits in Thailand as itbrings detriments? All evens out.

Back to my choices: which will it be, then?

How the hell do you know that "all evens out"? You are just making sweeping statements for which you have no real justification instead of concentrating on the facts - the main one being that I was being charged double because of the way I look without even being given an opportunity to establish if I was "local" or not.

No preaching from me. Here are your choices:

1) get documents that will allow you entrance at local price. 99% of the time, a Thai drvers license will do;

2) just don't patronize places that have dual pricing;

3) go to some other country (if you can find one) where locals pay the same thing as outsiders for everything in all situations;

5) go home;

6) do something about it, like start a campaign or file a class action suit.

Bleating on expat forums achieves exactly *nothing*.

Responses to your points :-

1. Why should I have to get documents to stop Thais enforcing a racist policy?

2. I don't patronise them - that's why we didnt go in.

3. My wife is Thai so why should I go to another country?

4. Missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. I shall as soon as my wife's visa comes through.

6. Dont be ridiculous - not even worthy of a reply.

Having just said all that I went on the UKBA website and they seem to have amended their standards for processing times. Before my recollection was that they would process 100% within 60 working days now they are saying 95% in 60 and 100% within 120 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about moving the goalposts! TVE & Visa + - any comments?

Guys I share your frustrations - Kiggs & I submitted on the same day and likewise I've heard zero. Maybe that's a bit of a good thing in that if they wanted any further info then they would have asked by now. I dont know how they work but I would hope that someone would have done an initial skim through the applications to see if they look ok. Also I rather suspect that this month there would have been a lot of visit visas to process with people going to visit relatives in UK for Xmas etc.

I reckon we will all hear next week so just sit tight.

Best of luck to everyone and Happy New Year.

I recall a similar "consulate" (glorified restaurant actually) on a recent visa run at Aranyapratet/Poipet. However it was by the roadside not in a car park though so may not be the same one. Anyway they charged about THB500 more than if I queued up at the border check point (even though I still had to queue up to show the visa!). I argued a bit with them but I was in a van with a number of other people going to Siem Reap and I was worried I would be left behind if I didnt get the visa from the "consulate". None of my fellow passengers seemed to know the cost of a visa. In the end I paid the extra. I think they are just making money so people should avoid them if possible.

Btw, a friend of mine was on a visa run to the Poipet border and got stamped in and out of Cambodia without actually going in to Cambodia!

Frankly I think that these visas and fees are a joke and just to make money out of people going to spend money in their countries. If I can go visa free to Japan and many other "First World" countries why should I pay to go to a "Third World" country. For my next visa run I was thinking of going to Burma (oh sorry it's Myanmar isn't it) but the US$40 visa fee (albeit on arrival) and the fact that I had to stay in a Govt approved hotel + show 300 US Dollars on arrival put me off - funny that they hate the US but love the greenback. I'm going on the train to malaysia instead!

As Malaysia is a developing country why would you want to go there? Also you really should look up where the term THIRD WORLD COUNTRY came from and what it really does mean.

Why shouldnt I want to go to Malaysia? Also do you have a problem with my categorising countries as FIRST and THIRD WORLD or would you prefer to use other terms such as tinpot and banana republic? Really cant understand why you want to post such nonsense.

I sent an email to the DVLA about this and this is an extract of their reply :-

"As a visitor you may drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and with up to 8 passenger seats, provided your full licence remains valid for up to 12 months from the date of entering Great Britain (GB).

As a resident, provided your full licence remains valid, you may drive any category of small vehicle shown on your licence for up to 12 months from the time you become resident."

So it's still not crystal clear to me but my reading of it is that if my wife was a visitor to the UK she could not drive on a 1 year Thai licence (because the licence would have less than 12 months validity when she entered the UK). However there does not seem to be any restriction if she is a resident in the UK (which she would be) so she can drive as long as the 1-year Thai licence is valid.

Any thoughts anyone? I can post the whole email from DVLA if anyone wants to see it.

Btw, I think a Thai 1-year licence is a FULL licence (not provisional) as there are no restrictions attached to it. It is just valid for 1 year and you AUTOMATICALLY get a 5 year one when you exchange it after 12 months. I don't know why they do it like that but that's the Thai way now. I explained this to the DVLA in my enquiry and their reply does not even mention 1-year Thai licences or 5 year ones for that matter.

Thanks.

That's true. I don't see how a 1-year license is any different to a 5-year one except in terms of its validity. There is no such thing as a learners or provisional license in Thailand. The one year one is simply the first one you get.

So why does it say "It says: "Type Temporary car" on a 1 year license and the 5 year one says "Type Private Car" ....there obviously is a difference

the intent of the 1 year one is a provisional license...

Further....go and try and get an IDP based on your 1 year Thai DL and see what they say.....they will only issue an IDP on a 5 year Thai DL...so why is that ?.....the 1 year and 5 year types are obviously different

Based on the replies here I have sent a follow-up email to the DVLA just asking specifically if they regard a Thai 1 year licence as a full licence. So far no reply - I'll post the response when I get it.

I recall a similar "consulate" (glorified restaurant actually) on a recent visa run at Aranyapratet/Poipet. However it was by the roadside not in a car park though so may not be the same one. Anyway they charged about THB500 more than if I queued up at the border check point (even though I still had to queue up to show the visa!). I argued a bit with them but I was in a van with a number of other people going to Siem Reap and I was worried I would be left behind if I didnt get the visa from the "consulate". None of my fellow passengers seemed to know the cost of a visa. In the end I paid the extra. I think they are just making money so people should avoid them if possible.

Btw, a friend of mine was on a visa run to the Poipet border and got stamped in and out of Cambodia without actually going in to Cambodia!

Frankly I think that these visas and fees are a joke and just to make money out of people going to spend money in their countries. If I can go visa free to Japan and many other "First World" countries why should I pay to go to a "Third World" country. For my next visa run I was thinking of going to Burma (oh sorry it's Myanmar isn't it) but the US$40 visa fee (albeit on arrival) and the fact that I had to stay in a Govt approved hotel + show 300 US Dollars on arrival put me off - funny that they hate the US but love the greenback. I'm going on the train to malaysia instead!

I sent an email to the DVLA about this and this is an extract of their reply :-

"As a visitor you may drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and with up to 8 passenger seats, provided your full licence remains valid for up to 12 months from the date of entering Great Britain (GB).

As a resident, provided your full licence remains valid, you may drive any category of small vehicle shown on your licence for up to 12 months from the time you become resident."

So it's still not crystal clear to me but my reading of it is that if my wife was a visitor to the UK she could not drive on a 1 year Thai licence (because the licence would have less than 12 months validity when she entered the UK). However there does not seem to be any restriction if she is a resident in the UK (which she would be) so she can drive as long as the 1-year Thai licence is valid.

Any thoughts anyone? I can post the whole email from DVLA if anyone wants to see it.

Btw, I think a Thai 1-year licence is a FULL licence (not provisional) as there are no restrictions attached to it. It is just valid for 1 year and you AUTOMATICALLY get a 5 year one when you exchange it after 12 months. I don't know why they do it like that but that's the Thai way now. I explained this to the DVLA in my enquiry and their reply does not even mention 1-year Thai licences or 5 year ones for that matter.

Thanks.

Hi Kiggs - no news yet for mine and we are the same date. As Steve77r says the average is about 9 weeks so decisions for us could be imminent IF we are average!

Good luck

Thanks 7x7 but isn't it true that you cannot combine self-employment income with any other income (the logic of that baffles me but thats what UKBA say I believe!) so, if that is the case, then the scenarios remain as is.

Regardless of the self-employment point it just shows what an absolute pig's dinner the UK Govt. have made of this. I am one of the lucky ones because my savings level is well above the limit so this piece of the new rules actually work for me as I know exactly where I stand. However, that is not really the point. There are many people (as we see in this forum) and many others in the future who, whilst eminently capable of supporting themselves without any recourse to public funds, will be denied a visa for their spouse and family. Surely that is a breach of their human rights.

Consider 2 scenarios :-

Person One :-

- income from self-employment of 18,500 pa

- income from employment in job of 18500 pa

- savings of 16000

- 2m in a 5 year bond with interest paid on maturity (no withdrawals permitted during the Term)

- owns own house with no mortgage

- no other debts

Person Two :-

- income from employment of 18600 pa

- no savings

- credit card and other debts of say 20,000

- pays rent of 20,000 pa

- supports 10 British children from previous relationship!!

Person Two qualifies under the financial requirements but Person One doesn't. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I've been trying to find out if a Thai 1 year driving licence is valid in the UK. Many websites say that you can drive for 12 months on a non-EU licence but must take a UK test after that. I am sure that you can do this with a Thai 5 year licence but the first licence a Thai gets is valid only for 1 year (and is then extended to 5 years). Can that 1 year one be used?

The DVLA website doesn't differentiate (or even mention) Thai 1 year and 5 year licences - just says that you can use it for 12 months - that also appears to be the advice from the Thai Consulate in Hull however another post on this forum said you couldnt use the 1 year licence.

Thanks.

Sorry but are you guys saying a Thai wife must have at least ILR to enjoy visa-free travel in the EU under the directive? Just a settlement visa or FLR doesnt qualify for visa free travel?

Thanks