Saradoc1972

1 hour ago, mossman1 said:

Obviously I would not of wasted my money if immigration had of told me on the 8th of April that I didn’t have to extend my 60 day tv , you say that the second amnesty is for visas that have expired on MAY 26th or after ???? 

Well my 60 day tv with 1 month extension expires 9th of may 

from what Iv read the second amnesty is for 3 months starting at 30th April to 31st July 

I haven’t read anything that mentions may 26th like you say ???

Sorry, my bad, change that to "26th of March".

As I said, I am fine on a real visa, so have not been depending on amnesties for the time being and been following that too closely.

As I see things, you did waste that money, better get a little used to it over here, as the first amnesty until April 30th, was valid for tourist visa, which you happened to posses. The new amnesty goes for ALL kinds of visa having expired on May 26th or later, including your prolonged tourist one, nice to have but unneeded, until July 31rd ("or until the situation resolves", which might rather mean it could be prolonged than they will call it off sooner; stay tuned, as always).

Hence, as I see things (my westerner lawyer's thinking only holds true around here to some point, but has proven to work in general until now), you are covered until your flight back late July, as by that time your present visa will "have expired on May 26th or later."

15 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

What has Vietnam got to do with the OP's rambling about leaving Thailand? He just need a ticket out of the country, which isn't that easy at the moment,but doable. 

You are correct, but I surmise the question is not "how do I get out of Thailand?", but rather "what do I do when that amnesty runs out by 31.07., wanting to stay in Thailand after that point in time?" with everything linked to that, such as visa and border-runs.

Which is precisely what I personally should very much like to know, but the tea leaves are still in the process of settling...

7 minutes ago, Vigilante said:

Crossing over to nearby countries (for farangs) is at least 2 months away imo

They will open up for their own citizens first....foreigners, much later

I concur. And will open to people from their neighbouring countries with a border pass.

"Who" will open up first is totally open, maybe Cambo with its Angkor Wat business and nothing much to loose, the Chinese having gone.

I only know, I am perfectly OK in Thailand with my Non-Imm O valid till June 17th, and, as things stand, on amnesty until 31.07.; preferably someone opens (along with Thailand), and I can do an ordinary visa run and stick around until September to then see what's the name of the game by then. Otherwise, I'll do what I always do, stay abreast of the news, regulations, and laws, then wing it somehow, an interim 4-week stay in Germany always being an option.

Please wait for the tea leaves to settle, so I can read them.

If you have to leave Thailand, it is right now by air to your home country, possibly with a transit, who will have to let you in as an own citizen, quarantine or not. Special rules for Europe's Schengen area, by country.

Other than that, I don't know who would let you in, or even board in Thailand; Japan, Singapore, Australia... that is totally unfathomable right at the moment, a couple of things might change 1st of Mai, more likely 1st of June. IF they do to that extend.

I listed only "first world countries" within close or middle distance, as they have reliable border procedures (I did not say "easy to navigate" or "easy to find out about", when everything is in the flow) I would strongly recommend, not trying any "emerging market" countries in the vicinity, as they don't handle things any more reliable than Thailand. And this whole forum is full of posts where something went wrong with whatever kind of visa or the extension of it. I read about one chap who had a completely valid visa for Malaysia, succesfully got on a plane with Lion Air (a budget airline) from Bangkok, got refused by Malaysia, equally got refused to enter Thailand when put on the next plane back, and then that spelt days of detention and trouble until someone decided to solve it in Thailand, Lion Air were apparently out of their depth handling things.

If you were to leave to the surrounding countries, do it by land border, if they let you. The Thais will refuse to let you leave if they suspect you will not be allowed in, if that still happens they will cancel their exit stamp and/or give you a 7-days-to-leave the-country stamp, or something. Still better than being stuck in an international airport's detention zone.

10 hours ago, finy said:

Was this just because you're German and currently on the list of 6 banned countries?

By the wording from IATA quoted by ubonjoe it is NOT keyed to nationalities, just where someone not Cambodian *arrives* from. Should have been more carefully worded, the Thais ask (to my personal knowledge, on the Mukdahan border) what countries someone *had been to* over the last 14 days, makes much more sense.

Hence, supposedly, some officer used his discretion to the effect the OP by dint of being a German national should not be allowed to enter, when he could have decided otherwise based on recent stays. Tough.

Link for the above:

WTO Travel Advice

2 hours ago, Saradoc1972 said:

Just did that on Friday 20th March around 1:30 pm with an eVisa obtained around 16th, and a health certificate from Mukdahan International hospital for 200 Baht obtained about an hour earlier (no "Covid test" in that sense, did not seem to matter anyway, but the chap in the 'Quarantine Station' on the Thai side seemed amused, did not even keep it), back to back within 5 minutes as is possible with a Non-Imm "O" ME; worked. Got another 90 days now for things to settle down.

Please be aware this *might* well be obsolete as of now, as by tomorrow, Sunday 22nd, Thailand seems to be introducing this insurance requirement nobody can fulfill unless having taken out a nice insurance beforehand AND are able to produce papers stating that satisfactorily in English, by which Thailand is actually saying: we are shutting down tourism for the next 3 weeks or so, just a bit veiled as the country's economy is 20-25 percent tourism and expats.

That is why I so hurried to do that run from Pattaya on Thursday evening to be there on Friday 20th, no later.

Local life is next to non-existent both sides of the river. In Mukdahan, there are some restaurants along the riverside (try "The Good Muk" Cafe, not exactly on the riverside), nothing fancy, and there is a night market. Hardly any bars, certainly no girls. Eerily silent after 10:30 pm or so.

In Savannakhet there are some restaurants, and maybe a hotel bar. In truth, this is the 3rd largest city in Laos at 120k people, mostly an industrial sleeping town. Some backpackers, all other do their visa run and off they go. If you find yourself off the main street or the street along the river, you lost your way. Try the French restaurant, forgot the name.

Getting your visa-on-arrival for Lao *DO* bring 25 USD in really crisp new notes, or they get rejected, and they make you pay the fee in THB to the amount of some 35 USD. You can pay THB or USD everywhere.

I don't know about full-time volunteer work, or how that is paid. Thing I do know is that you need a work permit even for unpaid work, work being what you do on a regular basis, i.e. not as a private service limited in scale and in singular instances. Be very careful here, you never know when the local chief of police gets it in his head to polish his badge with a totally over-the-top massive action against whatever. In lieu of a work permit you can have an exemption by immigration for a very limited scale of activities.

One starting point, this would not be for the full-scale activities you seems to pursue, might be PCEC, the Pattaya City Expat Club in Pattaya, we're doing regular charitable activities, mostly having to do with the English language, and there are contacts with immigration in Banglamung to get above exemptions for free, charitable work. Link to website.

There are also contacts to the local orphanage, The Father Ray Foundation, which might be a starting point, they are sorta big. Maybe ask PCEC whom to contact there. Even if you don't really prefer to do teaching/babysitting, they will undoubtedly have contacts with charitable institutions across the country for all sorts of things. Maybe ask there, they have some English-speaking staff. Link to website.

Or maybe try Cambodia, they will have more need for volunteers and regulations are more easy-going to non-existent.

On 5/5/2017 at 9:05 AM, ubonjoe said:

A cheap medical certificate from a clinic wout be accepted. A police clearance certificate can only be applied for in Bangkok and it takes about a month to get it.

Perhaps he could do a statement at the UK embassy stating he is retired.

Unless he has already done 2 visa exempt entries at a border crossing this year he should not have a problem getting one.

I suggest he contact his local immigration office about doing an application to get a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry based upon qualifying for an extension based upon retirement. There have been reports of several offices that could not do them before doing them now.

 

Out of interest... how is a police clearance certificate applied for? Where is that police station located?

I have come across the webpage of theirs, but it all sounds like gobbledygook to me. Do I (or can I) appear there in person, will they send the report to a Thai address? 

Visa services are available from inside Phnom Penh (Lucky Lucky, never used them myself, or maybe I did over some other agent) or the cities, I personally know of Koh Kong (right after the border at the coast), Sihanoukville, and Kampot. Will charge some 40-50 USD over the visa cost. Which is worth the money, unless you have a personal interest in going to Phnom Penh.

Will indeed depend on your track record of tourist visa. Paperwork will include an onward ticket, booked accommodation in Thailand, and an amount of 20.000 Baht up in some bank account. Have copies of that ready in any case. Time to get your passport with the visa might be up to 4 working days, that is my experience, but I use Non-O visa.

Working illegally in Thailand is the ulterior motive in the embassies' or consulates' considerations. Bear that in mind, whatever you are doing there, and accommodate.

Just now, Bogbrush said:

I'm on an OA but rather fancy the idea of a revolving 90 day visa, particularly if it means (which I suppose by definition it does) no 90 reporting and no 800 000 baht commitment. Of course, its cost is important to take into account (I didn't pick this up on any post) but by leaving every 90 days - which personally I feel is often necessary, just to get a break - presumably one avoids the cost of re-entry visas? All in all, not a visa to be summarily dismissed; if it works.

The usual (non-retirement) multiple-entry Non-O might be harder to come by than you think. You cannot get it in the region (i.e. Malaysia or Cambo) unless you are married to a Thai or have kids. They will still require proof of finance, albeit there is no fixed amount of income or assets stipulated. You will be dependent on the discretion of the civil-servant here, who might as well deny you and refer you to the Non-OA. I, personally, am a bit of a special case, which is why I fly under the radar without hassle. You would have to abide by fixed exit-requirements all the time and make all the arrangements for that whether you feel like it at a given time or not.

I don't actually quite get your point, because on the Non-OA you are *allowed* to just do 90-reporting, even online, instead of having to leave the country, you *can* still leave the country holding that Non-OA (I have no experience whether you need a re-entry permit, but the cost for that is not really prohibitive) in which case you don't need 90-day reporting on top. It's easier with your Non-OA, I wish I had that, could skip the visa-run if I am not feeling like I want to do travelling.

Cost for a single-entry Non-O was 80 USD one week ago in Phnom Penh (and you have to go to the embassy or pay for a visa service), cost for a multiple-entry Non-O in Germany is 150 EUR. That is what I am positively aware of. Cost for doing a back-to-back visa-run on a multiple-entry Non-O from Pattaya is between 2,500 and 2,800 Baht including the visa-on-arrival into Cambo (which you would only enter in spirit, it's all handled in no-man's-land), might be preferable to get an e-visa for Cambo instead, keeps the passport clutter-free.

11 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

They get a 30 day visa exempt entry. But they cannot get a 30 day extension of it since it under a bilateral agreement not the standard visa exempt entry. They are not limited to 2 at land borders like those on the standard visa exempt entry scheme are. They do not qualify to apply for a 15 day visa on arrival and pay a 2000 baht fee for it.

Yes. Just what I am saying. Russians can enter visa-exempt 30 days a time, just with land borders it is limited to two times a year. Can enter after that on visa on arrival on top, for them it would then be 30 days, each. Seen the queues for that at Koh Kong/Hat Yai for myself. I do not know about extensions on visa-exempt entries, but I trust your expertise on that.

(Link [German], from the Thai Embassy, just what I found researching on this yesterday. Very succinct on the topic, look for "Russland", German for Russia)

Clearly states: visa-exempt entries over land or sea borders are limited to two times a years, apart from Malaysians. Full stop. After that, the nine nationalities from Estonia, Liechtenstein, Oman, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Hungary can furthermore enter on a visa on arrival over land borders after that. For which different conditions might apply, and which does not directly concern the topic of the OP trying to get a proper tourist visa.

On 4/1/2017 at 0:32 PM, ubonjoe said:

Who told you a official Thai consulate will only issue you a transit visa that allows a 30 day entry that cannot be extended. Official Thai consulates can issue the same visas as an embassy.

Perhaps you are confusing honorary Thai consulates with official consulates.

Little difference, still. Does not concern this topic.

As of mid-August last year, Honorary Consulates world-wide are not allowed to give you Multiple-Entry Non-Immigrant-O visas, (does NOT concern "retirement-visa", Non-O-A) but General Consulates or Embassies still can. The Honorary Consulates have to ask the true embassies for permission to do that, takes up to 4 weeks upon proper application. My little Honorary Consulate in Essen now, upon phoning them just two weeks ago, has threatened to issue me that nice "M" Non-O visa if I supply them with proper documentation some 4 weeks in advance over email, I just will have to announce myself before popping up there mid-June, no appointment, no nothing. Just my usual spaghetti-alle-vongole in that nice pedestrian precinct over the wait, as always.

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Incorrect

Russians get a 30 day visa exempt entry under a bilateral agreement not a visa on arrival. The 15 day visa on arrival is available to those from 19 countries which includes Lithuania. See: http://www.consular.go.th/main/th/customize/62281-Summary-of-Countries-and-Territories-entitled-for.html

 

Yes, fully true. Just our two separate statements do not contradict each other.

Russians could enter 2 times a year over land borders for visa exempt entry worth 30 days each *plus* then get entry to Thailand, as things stand this week, on any number of visa-on-arrival on top, as I stated. Which is more than I could do as a German. For Russians, that would be 30 days of visa-on-arrival each time then, agreed.

As our OP is Lithuanian, the whole visa exempt plus visa-on-arrival business does not concern him, including the possibility of entering Thailand after two land-border crossings lacking a proper visa. Which he appears to be aware of.

Just now, sanemax said:

UK PP holders can extend the VES by 30 days at IO , not sure whether that applies to Lithuanians though 

What's a VES? Visa-exempt entry? OP can't get that being Lithuanian, only get's a 15-day visa on arrival unless applying for a proper visa.

There is no such thing as a 30 days tourist visa, they are all good for 60 days upon entry. The 15 or 30 days are for visa-exempt entries (i.e. *NO* visa, just a stamp, not extendable apart from special cases as in leaving the country within 7 days [so to speak a formality to play nice with immigration and avoid an overstay stamp; and hospitals probably have their own routines dealing with that]) over land-borders or international airports, different lengths of stay depending on nationality. The over land entries presently seem limited to 2 a calendar year and passport for everybody apart from Malaysia. Or at least that is the last thing I read, might come to see the impracticality of this regime.

On top, a list of 9 nationalities, Russians for example, can enter on a visa on arrival (that is a proper visa costing a fee, not just a stamp, just a simpler way of getting a visa), after that. While Lithuania is not on that list because Lithuanians don't get visa-exempt entries as of yet, but can get visa on arrival for 15 days. That can be extended as far as I am aware only in Bangkok, but it's not the kind of visa we are talking about here.

So, for starters, visa-exempt entries, visa on arrival, and proper visa are three very different categories to keep apart.

Tourist visa come in two flavours recently: Single Entry ("S") for one entry within 90 days for a max of 60 days plus possible extension at the discretion of local immigration, or Multiple Entry, where you can come or go as often as you like for 6 months for 60 days+extension per entry. There will, as things stand, be additional costs for visa for the surrounding countries that see the whole visa business as an income source; apart from Malaysia. If you play your cards (and travels) right, you could stay close to 9 months in Thailand on an "M" tourist visa, i.e. you enter on the last day of the validity the visa states (6 months for "M") for a last glorious 60+30 days.

Regrettably, the "M" tourist visa are only issued for nationals of the country the embassy or consulate called upon resides in, they apparently ask for additional paperwork to state you address if your passport is not the right one. A somewhat strange concept for EU-nationals, not being able to do what they do at home in another EU-country, but to my understanding I as a German could not get an "M" visa in, say, Hull, UK.

Anyway, I have never been to Malaysia for the purpose of getting a Thai visa, I get my Non-O from either Germany, or hitherto from Phnom Penh or Savannakhet. Process seems to be always the same at the local "fast-track" embassies and consulates, i.e. you cross up in person one fine morning to submit passport, fee, and documents, maybe get asked for one more copy, then return on the next day in the afternoon to collect your hopefully awarded visa. That is still fast-track because at most embassies or consulates you have to make an appointment and they work on the thing for up to 5 weeks or so.  So, usually, you will always have to spend at least two nights in any of those towns to get that visa. Essen, Germany, is brilliant, no appointments and you only wait for half an hour having lunch to get your passport back with the visa.

For Cambodia I know there are visa-services anywhere in the towns, i.e. Koh Kong just after the border, Sihanoukville and Kampot, who will charge you some 40$ on top of the visa fee (half of it is for the taxi taking your passport here, or so), if any, so your passport and documents travel to Phnom Penh, where the embassy is, not you. Which is fully legal, providing you left Thailand and got your exit-stamp. If you are in Phnom Penh, you might still use a visa-service to spare you the taxi, hassle, and everything. I suppose the same thing exists in Savannakhet or Vientiane(Laos), or Penang, but those cities are exceptions as they are sitting right on the border or have the consulate/embassy plus airport in town, so the services you might buy here are sort of limited in scope.

It's really a calculation of prices for hotels+transportation, and where you want to go; if you want to actually visit a city doing a little tourism. or just want the formalities be over with. E.g. from Koh Kong I would have to travel 6 hours for 8$ on a bus to Phnom Penh and back, get some hotel for at least 2 nights for 25$ or so each, not even a nice one, and some taxis in the city. I have been to Phnom Penh once, not overly interesting after you've done the tourist trail, in Koh Kong I get a decent hotel for 13-15$, so I rather pay the 40$ service fee, stay for 3 nights there, have a shorter way back, no hour-long bus trips, and I don't have to be anywhere in the morning. Or I submit my passport in Koh Kong and do a little travelling with a copy of it. Laos would be 13 hours of a bus-ride from my local Pattaya, which is OK if I split it up and go tourist somewhere in the middle, hotel rates both in Thai and Lao cities round the border are cheap (some 17$), Lao/Cambodia issue visa on arrival for me (think about e-visas: saves a full page of your passport every time, and they won't try to coax some extra money out of you at the border), local expenses are a trifle.

Works for me, might work for you in Penang, which appears to be a bit of a treat because is has an airport with cheap fares from BKK or Phuket, no visa-fees for Malaysia, and the consulate is in town. Take up a little courage here, have your paperwork together, you'll be fine. It's not like you are the only one who needs to do this visa-run business.

Last tip I read here on this forum: have a copy of your proof of finances, i.e. your Lithuanian or Thai bank-account. They apparently don't care for the 20.000 Baht in cash or traveler cheques. So maybe download your bank statement and have this printed out by some local office. It's what I do, though for me things are much different with my steady income from abroad for retirement-purposes sub-50. And you might need proof of a journey out of Thailand at the end of the stay you are applying for, can be a hotel booked somewhere else, do print out proof of payment for it. Have your paperwork together, it's what fills civil servants with feelings of joy-joy.

I could not be bothered reading beyond the first page of this thread, so just my twopence as a former lawyer: 5k Euro, 4k quid, or whatever are not a sum you want to get involved in an international lawsuit over. Certainly not if you are putting yourself at the locals mercy in that you likely can't read the language and at least try and make up your mind about the relevant statutes and public registers and can't talk proper to the  guy you need to hire as a lawyer, unless it's someone very expensive. The risk of losing even more than the original sum is too great to try doing that, unless money is no concern; doesn't sound like that. It's called throwing good money (which you still have) after bad money (which by the sound of it you are very unlikely to ever recover). I could possibly tell you a couple of things about company law and how you step into a company's shoes if you take over their name, don't know if that holds true in Thailand and even so you don't know if you will ever be able to nail down their assets which are maybe vested in s.o. else's name and leased out and whatnot.

I've had a case where some lady invested a lot more money in some business in Germany, a snack bar in some picturesque location down-south, never looked after that business because the guy she hired to tend to it was so swell, and found out it had all vanished just like that, with the inland revenue breathing down her neck. Told her to not even think of going after that lowlife, no money to be had. Same with some of my own fees, with some people you might just write them off. They either deign to pay or nobody can make them. They are the sort of existence-artists who have arranged themselves with living their lives on assets nobody can prove or touch, and the courts and bailiffs on top. Just stopped bothering and get away with it.

Write it all off is the phrase of the day for this.

Cheers, you're the best.
Sounds like Christmas in Sihanoukville. And why not.

I got myself a single-entry Non-O for retirement (under 50). Any chance I can get an extension on that, otherwise I'd have to exit on all the good days of the year, on Christmas Eve. Heathen infidels!

2 hours ago, aussienam said:

Thanks Saradoc and others for posting. 

Unfortunately I don't qualify for a disability pension back in Australia because my investment incomes exceed the threshold (some may say that's a good thing!). 

Saying that I am classified as Total Permanent Disability which I have all paperwork plus honourable discharge.

I can produce proof of incomes and bank statements no dramas. 

Cannot see how I am doing anything illegal either 'living' here. That is an interpretation of words when immigration would most likely state I am 'visiting' here over the duration of my visa. I could state the same as it is true until I can be allowed to stay longer. 

It may be worth my while writing to the embassies for the possibility of non-o visa seeing I have circumstances that may qualify for special consideration? 

I certainly don't know about Australian social law, but not being entitled to a disability pension and not getting any money out of one because other income is counted against it would seem two entirely separate different things. Just how I have been trained to look at things as a lawyer.

Why don't you wager, say, 100 OZ$ on a certified translation of the piece of paper saying you are permanently unable to work, possibly also stating you are entitled to a pension in theory, and some 50 $ for a statement from your embassy or consulate certifying your income and see how far that gets you in, says, Savannakhet with getting a "Non-O"? Lady at my local visa-agency Naklua Soi 33 told me proof of owning a flat in Thailand might even help to get a ME, but not sure if that info is up to date. Bring proof of owning condo if you try at Savannakhet, can never hurt to have your paperwork together.

I doubt you will get an answer from the embassies, they charge the visa fees for having a look at your case. And if they require you to turn up in person with your passport to have that look, I don't believe writing them a letter will result in an answer. Plus it would force them to actually lay down their criteria in writing and I have come to think the key-word here will be discretion of the individual civil servant.

???? Do those links auto-insert if you name some establishment? Spooky.