siktir

Hi all,

My first non-O visa ( on basis to visit Thai child) is about to expire while I am out of the country for work. What is the likelihood of being granted a visa exempt entry when I return? I plan on obtaining a new non o visa immediately but hoping there will be no issues at least getting a visa exempt entry to update bank book etc before heading to Penang to renew non-o.

will be travelling in from Africa so no real chance in seeing another consulate before I get back.

appreciate your comments.

Short version - I was asked to complete the TM30 Address notification for a 7 day extension to a 30-day visa exempt entry

Long version - read on...

Went to Jomtien yesterday to request a 7-day extension to my current 30 day visa exempt entry. Thought I had everything but was also requested to complete the TM30 - Address Notification Form.

So docs i ended up needing required were (All copies signed):

1) Address Notification

1 x completed TM 30

1 x copy of passport info page

1 x copy of the valid 30-day visa exempt entry stamp

1 x copy of the TM 6 Departure Card

1 x copy of Rental Contract -(Alternative to rental contracts - House registration if you own the house/condo, House Registration and ID Card of the house owner if staying with someone else, Receipt from your hotel with address.)

No cost to submit

2) Temporary Stay (Extension)

1 x completed TM 7

1 x passport photo

1 x copy of passport info page

1 x copy of the valid 30-day visa exempt entry stamp

1 x copy of the TM 6 Departure Card

1 x copy of Rental Contract -(Alternative to rental contracts - House registration if you own the house/condo, House Registration and ID Card of the house owner if staying with someone else, Receipt from your hotel with its address.)

1 x copy of Receipt of address notification slip (you will receive this after completing part 1.)

1900 Baht

Ultimate workflow after some minor confusion and unnecessary queuing.....

Download and complete TM7 and TM30 from http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=download and fill before you go. (available form information desk but why queue twice....??)

Submit all copies and forms to information desk, they will arrange and staple appropriately and then send you upstairs. (you will not get a queue number just yet)

Head into the office upstairs, (2nd door on left i think from top of stairs - big office with lots of wide-eyed farangs inside...)

Not much order here... just keep walking forward with documents in front of you, as many people milling about here waiting for their docs back. Only takes 5-10 minutes to get processed, you will receive a "Receipt of Address Notification" slip. They will send you back to the information desk downstairs but my tip for you all here is to go and copy this slip first. If you queue at the information desk, they will only tell you to go copy it and then re-queue...

Once you have a copy of the slip, present everything to the information desk and if all in order, you will finally get your queue number for the stamp. When called, you'll receive your stamp, pay the 1900 Baht, then visit the office next door for final signature. Job done...

All in all, only took me just under 2 hours, but If i had the TM30 prefilled, copies of my rental contract and cut out some unnecessary queuing, would have been out of there in 30 minutes.

In all honesty, it seem that just about everyone that was queuing at the information desk in front of me, was being asked to fill the TM 30, but I don't know their circumstances.

All staff were very helpful. While waiting for receipt of payment, immigration officer was happy to discuss my options for non-immigration-O visa.

I hope this helps someone.

speedtest.net getting a steady 12.5mbs DL and 2.5mbs UL after several tests.

May I ask who your ISP is? Have you tried using a server outside of Thailand?

My speedtest.net results using a BKK server are normal 9.5 / 0.5 Mbps, but using a server outside of Thaialnd is slow, and I mean Forest Gump slow.... I normally use a Sydney based server to check and comparing tests over the last 48 hours against results to what I had been getting prior Wednesday afternoon is down from between 7 to 9 Mbps down to 0.05Mbps DL, using the same Sydney based server.

I know there are many variables that can affect the speed test accuracy but given the order of magnitude in difference, it is obvious something is amiss or being meddled with....

These particular issues of last 48 hours or so seems to be mainly affecting those using TOT ADSL connections, (or other ISP using the TOT link).

My condotel has an exclusive arrangement with TOT and therefore no option for me to change ISP...

What the immigration officers see on the screen is an alert that you have done 6 or more visa exempt entries. It is then up to the officer to look at your previous entries to determine if you are using them to live here.

There is no rule that they can deny entry based upon having to many exempt entries. They can only do it under section 12 of the immigration act which typically is for not being able to show you have the funds to stay here and/or suspicion of working here.

If you could show 100k baht or more in the bank you could get a multiple entry non-o visa based upon being the parent of a Thai in Penang. Just your name on the birth certificate is enough.

Thanks Ubonjoe.

This sounds like a better option. Is that a 12 month multiple entry visa?

Any reason why this is only available in Penang or best not to ask and just get my a$$ over there before they change their minds....

Don't worry - you might not have any internet to complain about soon. Those deadly hackers Anonymous are about to target the government over its single gateway plan. What they plan to do, I have no idea, but anyone with Twitter can check out anonymousasia. If what I hear is correct, then we could be in for some fun times, especially if you have any business with govt departments.

I did think of this last night and thought maybe anonymous they got their time zones mixed up or set their alarms wrong....

Maybe TOT screwed down their firewall in preparation as anonymous warned several days ago cyber attacks would start Thursday.

My TOT ADSL in Jomtien went to crap yesterday for mostly internationally hosted content / sites. Local content and locally cached sites normal.

Speed test to bangkok servers i get 9.3 Mbps DL and 0.53 Mbps UL -- ping 23ms - normal figures since beginning of contract 2 yrs ago.

Speed test to Singapore / Aust or US, i get 0.04 Mbps DL and 0.01 Mbps UL -- ping 1050ms - virtually unusable.

Spoke to TOT this afternoon and they said they were not aware of any issues but will look into it and get back to me.

Up until yesterday, apart from the occasional dropout, service had been quite reliable.

Currently hotspotting from my phone via 3g.

Ubonjoe,

Are you aware of the specific criteria for being flagged at Suvarnabhumi, which happened to me last week. Are they the same as above? I have been staying in Thailand an average of 100-120 days per year for the last 5 years while working FIFO in sunny Africa, usually in Thailand for 2 weeks and 4-6 weeks between stays with the occasional back-to back exempt entries between contracts.

I have never overstayed, never worked in Thailand, never extended a visa exempt entry and have never done a land border run. All my in/outs have been for minimum 3 days by air and I thought that this was ok as have never been queried at all before. Most recently I have made three of these visa exempt entries back to back, with last week being my fourth. I was shown some thai on the immigration computer and was told "too many". The Immigration Supervisor was summoned and although he was very professional and courteous, still did not explain the specifics of what the thai said on the terminal or what constituted too many, no matter how I requested the info.

I showed them a copy of my 3 yr old Thai daughters birth certificate and I was eventually given an entry stamp stamp and was politely told that this would be my last visa exempt entry and would need a "proper visa" to enter Thailand again.

I am 41 and currently looking at options; either PE via Thai Elite or Non Immigrant O visa on basis of my 3yr old with my Thai GF. The latter seems much harder/complicated than it needs to be, but we are meeting with Amphur and lawyer up country next week to discuss specifics / timing & costs etc for legalising my parental rights.

Regardless, It would be nice to know what the specific criteria are in place (if any) for allowable visa exempt entries via air. I will be starting a new FIFO contract in Jan and if my "allowed days/visits" count resets, I may take this into account when making my decision. I have been in Thailand this year a total of approx 130 days to date with 7 visa exempt entries to date.

Cheers, Siktir