skatewash

As for impairment, I agree it's good to know how your original country will handle the issues you bring up. I have never heard of similar issues with US-Thai dual citizens, but obviously that is something you would need to look into if it applies. As for Permanent Residency versus Citizenship. It's simply less expensive to obtain citizenship than it is permanent residence. But perhaps the biggest reason is that once you obtain citizenship you don't have to do anything the rest of your life to maintain that status. With Permanent Residency you do. You have to renew every five years and you have to have special documentation when you travel outside of Thailand. I'm referring to the "If successful what happens next?" section here as well as the following section on traveling with Permanent Residency: https://www.thaicitizenship.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-thai-permanent-residence/

A comment about the online payment. While true and a nice feature it does not cover getting a passport card (only the passport book). Also, you still had to get a bank draft to cover the postage. So a step in the right direction, but you still end up getting a bank draft to pay for some parts of the process, like postage. They provide very explicit instructions in English and Thai about how to get the bank draft, it was not a problem. This information is as of a few months ago. Regarding, when you have to get your stamps transferred. As far as I know there is no requirement that it be done in so many days after getting your new passport. I would certainly want to get it done as soon as reasonably possible especially if I were traveling, because once done, you can get by with just one passport (the new one) instead of carrying two. Note that only extensions of stay are actually transferred to the new book, unexpired visas cannot be transferred from old to new passport so if you have one of those you expect to use you would need to carry both passports.

Things have changed at US Embassy Bangkok helped along by covid. Adult renewal of passport occurs entirely by mail now. They will only schedule an appointment to apply in person if the passport you are trying to get/renew requires that. Adult passport renewal does not require that and I don't believe they will do that for your convenience. I renewed a few months ago and all was done by mail, Thai Post EMS. I received my new passport and my old passport in two weeks by mail. The old passport cover and photo ID page were hole-punched to invalidate. Also, received the letter from US Embassy Bangkok asking Thai Immigration to assist me in getting the stamps transferred.

I would get it done now. Don't see an advantage to waiting. In the unlikely event you are asked for your passport in the 2 weeks it takes to get a new one, you have your paper copies and photos on your phone. That should really suffice. If not, contact US Embassy Bangkok and they will confirm that they have received your passport and that renewal is in progress. As to whether you want to transfer stamps in one trip and then do your extension of stay in another trip, I guess it depends very much on your immigration office. In Phuket, I dropped my passport off for the transfer of stamps. Was told to come back in a 3 hours. Picked it up as scheduled. For extension of stay, I submit application one day and pick up the passport with extension (and usually new 90-day report) the next day at the immigration office. Not sure about how this all works in Bangkok, whether it's better to do in two trips or just one trip.

Lipostat (atorvastatin) 20 mg 3x10’s 398.-/bx That's what I'm paying from Medisafe, 398 baht/month. Note I'm getting only 20mg, whereas I understand you need 40mg, but hard to believe you couldn't get the proper dosage for 800 baht or less. For an actual quote use the Chat/Messenger function here: https://www.facebook.com/Medisafe.Pharmacy.Rama4

I second the recommendation for Medisafe. You can get a quote now by using the Chat/Messenger function in facebook. I have my meds shipped from Bangkok for about 40 baht, never any problems so far. https://www.facebook.com/Medisafe.Pharmacy.Rama4

If you are married to a Thai you can apply for Citizenship after three (3) years without ever getting Permanent Residency. The cost of Permanent Residency exceeds by a not insignificant amount the cost of Citizenship. I don't know your original country of citizenship so can't say you wouldn't "impair" your birthright citizenship. However, many people seem to have dual citizenship without reporting impairment. I know of several dual US-Thai citizens. They have never mentioned any impairment. Both of those countries recognize dual citizenship and more importantly they don't prohibit it. There are multiple differences between Citizenship and Permanent Residence beyond voting and land ownership. There are rules about maintaining your Permanent Residence that do not, of course, apply to Citizenship. If someone is married to a Thai and their original citizenship country doesn't absolutely prohibit dual citizenship then I really don't see the advantage of Permanent Residency over Citizenship. I highly recommend Chris Larkin's site on Permanent Residence and Citizenship. It contains solid information about the process which Chris Larkin has been through and documented. https://www.thaicitizenship.com/ There is a lot of inaccurate, incorrect, and outdated information out there on this topic as well.

You need to be working with a valid work permit for at least three consecutive years, paying taxes and earning a minimum income based on your nationality. No gaps of any sort are allowed. I think your new 3 year clock would have re-started from when you got your work permit and started working again. Also, you can't apply and then stop working, you must continue working until you are granted citizenship which is not a fast or smooth process, so three years is in reality more than 3 years. It's 3 years you need to be have been working with work permit, paying taxes, and earning above the minimum income established for your nationality, before they will allow you to apply. Being married to a Thai, having a Thai child, speaking Thai fluently are all positives in your favor, but until you have the current and ongoing 3 consecutive years of working with no gap it's really a no go. Unfortunately, what happened farther in the past than 3 years doesn't really help in the current situation regarding the working requirement. This is an excellent resource for people getting Thai citizenship: https://www.thaicitizenship.com/ Good luck!

When a Thai enters Thailand on a passport other than their Thai one they are treated for immigration purposes as a citizen of the country of the passport they used. Meaning they are subject to all the requirements we foreigners are subject to, including being required to have $50k USD in health insurance coverage (including covid). A Thai entering on a Thai passport is exempt from this insurance requirement because they are covered under Thai National health care. One should never enter a country on another passport if one has a passport for the country they are entering. It's always a bad idea. In some cases it's illegal (e.g., US). In Thailand it's just a very bad idea.

If you are doing an adult renewal of passport (DS-82) it really needs to be done by mail. If you are doing DS-11 then you can get an appointment, but if you are doing a DS-82 you cannot. That is my reading of the situation: As you say 2 weeks is not a lot of time to wait without your passport. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/acsappointment/

Renewing an adult passport through US Embassy Bangkok is done entirely by mail. You mail them your passport and application forms and include payment for return Thai Post EMS. The instructions at https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/ are very good and very explicit. As of a few yeas ago, all US passport are produce only in the US. You mail your passport using Thai Post EMS to US Embassy Bangkok, they check your application and electronically transmit the necessary data to the US, your passport is produced in the US, it is sent back to US Embassy Bangkok (whether by diplomatic pouch or commercial courier I don't know), and US Embassy Bangkok posts it to your Thailand address via Thai Post EMS. The process takes approximately two (2) weeks. In my opinion, the service is excellent. Before your send your passport off to US Embassy Bangkok, make paper copies of at least the photo ID page and any stamps relating to your current entry into Thailand (last visa stamp, current extension of stay stamp, latest arrival stamp in Thailand). Take photos with your phone of the same pages of your passport. Remove from your passport any stapled documents (TM-30, 90-Day Report receipt/next appointment, TM-6 Departure Card, etc.) and keep in a safe place. If asked to show your passport during the 2 weeks it is out of your possession, explain you have sent it to US Embassy Bangkok for renewal and if necessary they can contact them and receive confirmation that they have your passport. Do things that require your passport while you still have it. For example, do any near term 90-Day reports (you can do up to 14 days before due date), do any banking counter transactions that require you to show your passport. Postpone any traveling until you get your passport back. Two weeks is not a long time to be without your passport.

I think I would pursue getting the Emergency Travel Document (sounds like it can be done by mail). Get the Thailand Pass using the ETD as there should be no health insurance requirement doing it that way. After arriving in Thailand she can go renew her Thai Passport. I've been told that you can get a 10-year Thai passport for a little extra money over the commonly issued 5-year passport. Seems like it would be worth the extra money to me. Best wishes for her travel and treatment.

I have no personal experience with the issue, but what I can find online seems to indicate that all Thais are exempt from having the entry health insurance: https://www.tatnews.org/2022/02/thailand-reopening-exemption-from-quarantine-test-go/

The Google Lens app is better. Open the app, press Translate, point camera at the text you wish to translate.

I don't think Thais are required to have the $50k health insurance to cover covid as they are covered under the Thai National health care system.

Until the OP clarifies exactly what was written on the test results all we are doing is speculating. How difficult is it to merely report exactly what was written on the test results under testing method conducted?

Yes, OP hasn't responded to my question about what was written on the lab results, but it boggles the mind why if it were an RT-PCR test it wouldn't state that clearly and concisely. That's the term of art that is used by airlines and immigration agencies around the world. Getting these tests is a not insignificant industry and why they would not use the standard nomenclature (if indeed it was an RT-PCR test) is very hard to understand. Barring that mistake there is simply no problem. Every bad thing that happened after that is a cascade from that initial error. One of the reasons I wish to know the name of that hospital or lab so I never use their services in the future.

US Embassy Bangkok does not offer that letter. US citizens cannot use that method. Has been that way ever since US, UK, and Australia unilaterally stopped issuing those letters for their citizens.

I would be interested in learning exactly what the hospital administered RT-PCR test said on their results report. Which hospital was this done at?

What constitutes a bribe in Thailand?: https://www.dlapiper.com/en/us/insights/publications/2019/09/bribery-offenses-guide/thailand/#:~:text=What are the legal consequences,175 and 176 PSC Act). Driving past a police checkpoint on a motorcycle without wearing a helmet and without being stopped does not imply that you can legally not wear a helmet on a motorcycle. A lengthy discussion can be had on whether you will be caught and even how likely it is that you will be caught, but the discussion about whether it is legal or not seems to me like it ought to be a very short one indeed.

So, bottom line does a government official get paid money to perform an official act? If so, that's bribery. Note that it does not matter that the government official is legally authorized to do what they do, it's the fact that they exercised their authority as a result of being paid money (a bribe). The length of the chain and the number of intermediaries may be interesting to know but it doesn't alter the basic criminal act. It seems you dislike using the term bribery and instead prefer terms like "facilitation," used to describe a process in which if there is no money exchanged the "facilitation" doesn't happen. ???? Feel free to search for your own examples wherein using an agent fell somewhat short of a guarantee of better service.

How in the world do you think the agent gets the extension? Following that reasoning it's completely legitimate to hire a hit man if someone is causing you a problem. After all, all you did was give money to the hit man, what the hit man did to earn the money is not of any interest to you, as long as the person is not causing you a problem anymore. If it's completely legitimate, why are people who purchased "volunteer" extensions from agents having problems now getting other extensions they would legally be allowed to obtain had they not used an agent previously?

Yes, if he gets his passport back it will have been stamped outside the province. He would likely have problems getting a retirement extension in his province in future years without continuing to use the agent. In his case, he could have met all the requirements for a retirement extension, the agent just seemed to be the easy way the "smart" people were getting their extensions.

Regarding your specific questions: a. you are paying an agent to bribe a government official to waive a requirement. You may get away with that, but that doesn't make it legitimate in my mind. b. immigration can tell where your previous extensions were granted and if you used an agent. I heard reports of people not being able to get extensions at some immigration offices, being told to use the agent again. c. a friend used a highly recommended agent to get his Non-O visa and retirement extension. He hasn't gotten his passport back yet after 90 days. He is told that he has received a Non-O visa so he is not on overstay, but he is also told that the extension of stay will take more time. This was a highly recommended agent.

Just to clarify, the minimum balance requirements for a retirement extension are as follows: 2 months before application 800k 3 months after application 800k all other times 400k Depending on exactly when you dipped below 800k it may or may not be a problem.