Nicke

I am not an active member here but would like to say thanks to everyone involved, it was a great BBQ.

Also thanks to those kids who entertained my little daughter of 2 years :-)

/The badgeless guy

If you want a good Thai tailor, high quality and not pushy, I recommend Peach Tailor.

I use Bangkok Bank and for a small additional fee when you sign up for an ATM card you get a card with PLUS logo. It looks like most ATM cards but have the plus logo on the back, with this card you can use ATMs almost everywhere, I have used it in Penang and Sweden.

I did some research on this before my holiday trip to Sweden because I were too late to apply for VISA Electron, I found out that PLUS belongs to VISA and may be exactly same as VISA electron.

Gentleman,

Time to set up your blog to write about the latest gossip from the police

for 1000 baht a month, you can pay a copper to give you weekly updates of whats happening and where, and he comes to your house with the in

fo

I have cookies enabled and I don't use the logout button.

I have no problem when using other forums/websites, only here, that's why I wondered if it was same for everybody.

No big deal, I can live with that

I have to login every day even if I use "Remember me" option. It is same for everybody or just me?

Interesting stories.

But I would never take that risk, if you in any case get involved with the police, your fault or not, you are the one who will get trouble while staying overstay.

I heard about a small bar browl last month or so, the innocent guy went to jail because he were staying overstay.

I am not VAT registrated and I had my work permit for 4 years now, I am however, required to pay my monthly income taxes and social welfare every month and a guarantee paper from revenue department to bring with my renewal application. (They may also decline to make this paper if the company is not showing profit.)

I think I heard before I need to have a turnover of 1,2 million baht to be required to register for VAT.

Maybe the rules in BKK are different from Phuket?

Ranong Immigration is now telling people they will not issue visa/stamp passport if you have 3 overstays in passport.

I know some people who always overstay their visas, I guess they will change their minds now. (They dont have work permit)

As long as you are only talking about someone with a work permit or married to a Thai, that'd be right.

If I understand this correctly;

1 year work permit/Minimum salary 50,000 (For Europeans)

3 months work permit/Minimum salary 35,000

(But english teachers would be fine with less salary also, they get special treatment and the salary seems not to be important here.)

This according to replies from Immigration officials in Phuket Gazette regarding english teachers' work permit and similar questions.

I dont like sitting in a minibus for a whole day. When I go to Burma I usually stay one night at Club Andaman and enjoy myself at the casino and go back to Phuket following day.

You go by car/motorbike or by bus from Phuket town. When you step off the bus in Ranong you can call Club Andaman pier and they will pick you up with a comfortable minibus for just 100 baht.

But most of the time I take a flight to Hat Yai (35 minutes), take a taxi to Sadao border, walk in/out of Malaysia and then back to Hat Yai for one day/night holiday. I like Sakura Grandview, they charge 980 baht for one night. (The hotels at 600 baht range is really budget so the few hundred extra you pay is well worth it.)

Sakura is in the middle to both Pink Lady complex/Hollywood disco and to the dodgy area at the other end, small karaoke bar/brothels area.

I am still doing my visa runs every 3 months instead of 1 year extension, after all I enjoy my holiday every 3 months and I didnt want to pay the extra fee's.

2000 baht sounds cheap, I have heard 15,000 baht too, but the reason is maybe because all papers were not in order or all requirements were not met and thus a higher fee.

What I've read, the new minimum salaries effective from July 10 is only for 1 year visa extensions/work permits, if you stick to your visa run every 3 months I guess you can still use 35,000 baht as minimum salary. Any thoughts about this?

During my years in Phuket they are slowly adding more and more requirements and making it more and more difficult to stay here.

From the beginning I had salary of 20,000 baht. Then I was forced to have 35,000 baht if I wanted to keep my work permit and next year it will be 50,000 baht.

I were also forced to pay social welfare for myself althought I already have a swedish one.

Lately one of my friends in the diving business had his work permit revoked for some reasons. They just called him and asked him to give back the work permit.

Farang companies must also show profit now to be able to keep the work permit. For myself, revenue department told me they want to have a meeting next time I pick up my guarantee paper (when I renew work permit next time). I guess it's about my company profit.

However, I have other business and I survive anyway if I have to close this company down.

But I think the government really want to wipe out farangs working or doing business here in the long run, especially small businesses.

As reported on phuket-info.com; my friends were caught at Ranong and questioned for 5 hours by immigration officers regarding their previous 'illegal' visa runs. They had to tell the police who they gave passport to and how much they paid.

They were lucky, police let them go but may in worst case end up in jail or be deported from Thailand.

I am not sure how they found out but I think some stamps have a non-authorative signature or is missing. Check your passport if you used an agent lately for sending your passport.

And as I always recommend, do the visa runs yourself!

You can also get a unlimited time 128Kb ADSL for 3500 baht/month with Jasmine Internet. Loxinfo charge 6000 baht/month for the same service.

This is new, in the past you had to buy hour packages.

You have to pay some additional fee's to TOT/TT&T for the ADSL line too, every month, thought.

####, my friends back in Sweden has 8, 12 and up to 26 Mbit at a small fixed fee. (The maximum speed depends on how far away from the telephone switch you live.)

Thanks Andy,

Now when it is confirmed they issue non-b multi in KL I will go there, otherwise I should head for Penang as usual to be safe.

Do they use the same procedure as Penang? E.g. leave application in the morning and pick up next day afternoon?

I tried to contact the embassy by the email Charlie posted but I didnt get any response.

Thanks for your help.

I asked this few months ago but I don't think I got reply.

I need to renew my NON-B multiple entry in October and I were thinking of Kuala Lumpur this time instead of Penang I have been using in the past.

Can anyone confirm they got NON-B Multiple entry there?

The main reason is that I want to see KL and I have been to Penang so many times already, I never had any trouble in Penang for the last 3 years.

I have been to Pengang every year to apply for my 1 year multiple entry visa with my company documents and audit book and there have never been any problems.

Since the direct flight from Phuket to Penang discontinued last year I am thinking of Kuala Lumpur this time, it should be around October/November, I guess.

Is there any difference of the Thai consulates in Pengang and KL? Less or more visa friendly?

Do you think I will get problem due to the new rules?

I don't have evidence of 2 million bath cash and I pay regulary tax for 35,000 baht salary but now way close to 5 million bath for the last 3 years.