delgarcon

http://www.viewabroad.com/#

I wish I were on Samui island and could accompany you to the immigration office for your extension of stay and speak to the immigration officer on your behalf.

If I remember correctly, Samui, or was it Phuket, or both, started asking 5,000 Baht for a one-year extension of stay a couple of years ago and when someone paid he was a marked man for future extension.

I remember somebody posting that he was able to break out of this vicious cycle by putting exactly 1,900 Baht in an envelope and writing on the envelope

1,900 Baht

fee for extension of stay

1. Make sure that you have no other money in your pocket.
2. Run a recording app on your phone, eg https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andrwq.recorder
3. Return to the home screen. The recording app will continue running in the background
4. Put your phone in the breast pocket of your shirt, with the microphone pointing up
5. If the officer asks for more than 1,900 Baht, tell him that you understand that the correct fee is 1,900 Baht
6. If the officer insists on a higher amount, tell him that you have to call a friend because you don't have more money with you.
7. Take out your phone (keep the recorder running in the background), dial 1178,which is the hotline of the Immigration Bureau, switch on the speaker, and tell the person who answers that you are at the Samui immigration office, have submitted your application for extension of stay to the officer xxx, the officer confirmed that all documents are in order, but insists on x Baht instead of the correct fee of 1'900 Baht? "What should I do? I don't want to be guilty of corruption"
8. Then take it from there.
9. If you are sent to a higher-ranking officer, repeat the procedure (start a new recording for it). Give 1178 the name of this officer, too.

Throughout all this, remain calm (difficult, but you must), talk softly, smile. Any other problem, remember 1178.

Thanx.... Easy to say, but not so easy to do.

The thing is, i never saw any officer...

Just the ladys at the entrance vagely checking my paper and refusing my money, the Mr Birdman.

I have never been called to see any officer..

Maybe next time, i will try to come with a representant of my embassy who is in Koh Samui.

Dont know.

I know for sure 2 people who live in koh pha ngan and have to pay these 5000, 1 on retirement since 3 years and the other one on mariage since about 10 years,,,,

Thanx for your advice anyway.

Michemiche I live on Koh Phangan as well, it has nothing to do with the fee! Anyway, as I have said, it's more organised now in Samui and as long as your paperwork is in order you wont be asked for more than 1900 bht next time, the thief seems to have been got rid of.

"nor do you have to pay 5000 baht as some have suggested!"

This not depend on you...

I am obliged to pay 5000 baths since 2 years.

When i give my paper, all in order, i am ready to pay like every people, and ladys behind counter told me each time : Later.

So later, i am called in the back room with Mr Birdman, as people call him (dont know why) and he hang me my passport saying 5000......

And you, like an idiot, pay it. Well I've got news for you, you wont have to pay it anymore. Read my post again and make sure that you have all of your documents and 1900 bht, which you will be asked for before you even see a police officer. It even tells you on the TM7 that the fee is 1900 bht. Someone saw you coming!

I had a photo copy of the TM6. These people make it up as they go along don't they! I read somewhere that the bank letter shouldn't be more than a week old. So in Nakohn Si Thammarat you've got to wait for the bank to open before you can go to the Immigration office?

I went to Samui Immigration today and got a pleasant surprise. Gone is the jostling for a place at the counter inside, instead we had to queue at a window outside, where a young lady waited to check our documents, sending us to the adjacent photo copy shop for anything that had been forgotten. Once cleared we were given a number and told to go inside and pay 1900 bht (as noted on the TM7. After that we had to wait outside to be called, which in my case was 5 mins. Once called I was directed to a room where an officer was already perusing my paperwork, without making a big deal over the original TM6 which I'd left at home. I was in and out within an unprecedented hour. Anyway, the following is a list of documents required in Samui:

ORIGINALS. TM7

Google map showing co-ordinates of where you live

Letter from (in my case) British Consulate confirming annual pension (unless you have had 800,000 baht in your THAI bank account for 3 months or more)

Passport, TM6 Arrival card, evidence of 90 day reporting (remember that if you report online there is nothing in your passport)

Bank Book

Bank statement (last 3 months)

PHOTO COPIES. Passport (all relevant pages with personal information, visas, extensions, re-entry permits etc)

TM6

Bank book (12 months activity)

You don't need a medical certificate, blood test or proof of address, nor do you have to pay 5000 baht as some have suggested!

FEE, 1900 baht.

Finally, it never hurts to have additional documentation as Samui Immigration are renowned for "moving the goalposts" Take anything that you think you may be asked for, although they do seem to have finally got their house in order!

Some of you people ought to get a life,Samuijimmy is right, it's people like suradit69 who try to confuse. What is a Visa if it's not permission to enter the country and stay for it's validity? Extending your stay is extending the validity of the Visa, therefore in that instance it doesn't expire!

There was some debate on another thread not long ago, as to whether or not one could apply early for the extension. I phoned Samui Immigration yesterday and was told that it could be done up to 45 days before.

If you're renewing an extension of stay based on marriage or retirement, the visa you original used to enter Thailand would have expired long ago.

If you're changing the basis for getting an extension to marriage from something else, it's possible they want you to get a non-imm O visa at a nearby embassy or consulate as a first step, but once you are granted an extension of stay based on marriage, the visa will be allowed to expire and your continued presence in the country will be based on the extension, not the expired visa.

Visas are not renewed or extended.

What are you talking about? I get my visa extended every year.

On the 24th Dec I filled in my TM47 online and by the time my 90 days were up on 05 Jan, my "status" was still pending. I phoned Samui Immigration and they told me that they were still having teething problems with the system, so I asked them if I could post a copy of the TM47 to them, to which they agreed, as long as I sent copies of certain pages of my passport together with the airport arrival card. I phoned them a few days later to make sure that they had received the documents and today I received verification that my 90 day reporting was in order.

Bottom line, No need to go to Samui!

I'm on Koh Phangan, no decent retailers here, so ideally I'd like to buy one online. Bangkok would be another option.

^^ Very true with warranty issues.

I have bought my last 3 computers in Thailand two ASUS and one Toshiba, and I have found the warranty I have received here to be above what I could have ever expected.

One of my ASUS had global warranty, which was great when I needed some repairs done when I was in Australia. Some computers have global warranty, others don't, so if you need global warranty, make sure the one you buy has it.

where do you buy your computers aussie? I need a new laptop.

Couldn't resist this.

I tried to do my reporting online with Mozilla and it didn't work, so I used I.E. on the 24th December and it's still pending. As my 90 days was up on the 5th Jan, I called Samui Immigration and asked a lady if I could post a photocopy of the online application, which she agreed to. I also had to send copies of certain pages of my passport. She admitted that the online system was still not working properly.

I called Samui yesterday, they told me to call again today. I think I'll pester them.

Hi,

my 90 days is up tomorrow, 5 jan. I did my reporting online on the 24th Dec and got a ref no. the same day. I've just checked my status and it's still pending, what should I do?

Thanks for your replies, I'll check with immigration to see if I can do it earlier.

I'll start a lottery for guessing his name.

I bet it begins with an M.

You'll have to be more specific, I've got Mohammed and F4UCorsair,s got Mustafa, you could have Mary Jane if you like, troggers is offering 1000-1. Not a bad ew bet!

Lots of stories on this, but none of them identify the man.

So the French authorities are too politically correct for their own good.

Mohammed, Mustafa or Abdullah for my money.

sorry, Mohammed,s taken, you can have either of the other 2

I'll start a lottery for guessing his name.

I'll have Mohammed

Hi,

my extension has to be renewed by the 5th of March, but I intend to travel towards the end of January. My question is; do I have to be back by the 5th March or can I renew the extension at a later date?

You can't be charger with ALLEGED rape!

the answer is 14

The way it is written it is 14 4+3=7x2=14 in linear progression

You don't do the operations in the order they're written, though. Multiplication precedes addition. Which makes it 10.

Arguably

you did not get the wrong answer simply IMO followed the wrong process, or the same can be said about as

I am not an expert in mathematics, I just used logical progression, as many others did

IMO if multiplication was to take place first the numbers to be multiplied should have being in brackets, please correct me if I am wrong, as I said I am no expert and could be wrong.

I agree sirineou, you have to use brackets to make the answer 10. Correct answer 14

Yes KP

Another rumour or was there one? Anyone know?

Thanks for your replies, eventually succeeded with Explorer!