BritTim

Most Thai government systems are not as trustworthy as, say, UK government systems. A few years ago (when the evisa system worked differently) I think it was legitimate. That is one of the problems. It seems to be an email address that was previously what you were supposed to use, but which now seems to have been hijacked.

Your experiences may be relevant, but I would be less worried when told to send replies to [email protected] (the expected mailbox). I do wonder if the IT staff configuring Taximail (that might legitimately be used in some circumstances) might be involved.

I am not an expert on this particular issue. It is my sense that the Por Kor 14 confirms sole custody, and is necessary in cases like applying for passports for the child. I do not think it guarantees that the father could not petition a court to change the custody arrangement later.

That is an excellent question. I keep hoping someone will try and give recent feedback. There is a visa run company on Samui who has contacts at the Kota Bharu consulate. He uses the contact to verify that visas will be issued before taking them on his visa runs to Kota Bharu.

That is a good point. However, there are other indications that all is not well. For at least the last two months, it has been impossible to reach the consular section at the London embassy by phone. Not a single call is taken for the whole day. Emails to [email protected] notifying them of the problem do not receive a response that suggests the email is received by the consular officials in the form it was sent. If it was the result of a keylogger, that implies some very curious coincidences. The phishing emails are apparently being sent from Thailand (though a server on Amazon in Singapore) using the mass marketing software Taximail developed in Thailand.

At Suvarnabhumi, it is 100% certain that both the overstay desk and the re-entry permit desk are staffed 24 hours. Should no one be on the desk when you arrive (highly unlikely) just behind the desk on the left is the room where the re-entry permits are actually done. Between that room and the desk there are usually about three officials on duty. The only issue that has ever arisen with re-entry permits at the airport is that the camera machine they use has been known to break. Should that happen, it is important that you have a suitable photo with you (of the kind usually needed when you apply for the re-entry permit at an immigration office). Also, of course, make sure you have the 1,200 baht (1,000 baht if you already have a completed TM8 form with photo)

This is correct. When using a Non B visa to enter Thailand, your permission to stay is not tied to your work permit. Until the expiry date of the visa, you can continue to enter Thailand with it, receiving 90 days each time you enter. That is distinct from the situation of an extension of stay based on working where your permission to stay ends with your job.

Certainly some Americans have a sense of humour. However, they are usually totally incapable of recognising irony and sarcasm. On the other hand, as a Brit, I often assume Americans are being humorous when they are actually deadly serious.

That is my opinion of the most likely explanation also. It is worth this relatively small price for peace of mind. I am really sorry you have been subjected to this. At least the problem was identified before the scammers could cause you personally serious financial harm. The concern is the dozens or hundreds of others who have no idea they have become victims.

If you have a history as a long stay tourist, do not try for a tourist visa in Savannakhet. Until a few months ago, it was a good place to apply. They are now very strict on those applying for tourist visas, with many denials. It is still an excellent choice for most other kinds of visas. If you can make an appointment, I strongly advise you to try for the visa at the Thai embassy in Vientiane. As long as you meet their requirements, denied tourist visas there are rare.

In many, many situations, the controlling law states that the prevailing rules should be covered in Ministerial Announcements that become effective when published in the Government Gazette. The Police Orders largely reflect how the law, as qualified by the Ministerial Announcements, are implemented. The above states how things are supposed to work. In practice, the officials often ignore the Ministerial Announcements, and sometimes even the clear language of the laws themselves.

Yes, that is another point that leads me to believe that it may be allowed to have a work permit on a retirement extension (though not on a Non O-A visa that specifically has EMPLOYMENT PROHIBITED). Unfortunately, there are no English translations of the Government Gazette Without that, my Thai is simply not good enough for me to efficiently search for the current rules as set out by the Ministry.

The current distinction between visa and "temporary permission to remain in Thailand" make this a real can of worms. Vast swathes of the legislation would need to be reworded. On the other hand, they have somehow managed to finesse that with the way the LTR visas have been set up. I agree with you that the whole re-entry permit system is needlessly bureaucratic.

Interesting. I thought that often happened because Bangkok Bank is used as a correspondent bank for transfers to your Kasikorn account (a choice by your overseas bank), However, most large overseas banks are able to transfer direct to Kasikorn through SWIFT. In that situation, I thought only Kasikorn would impose that charge.

1. No. You receive 90 days starting on the date the application is approved. 2. Your marriage certificate and KR2 from the amphoe. 3. Yes.

My understanding (I am not completely sure) is that she can work as soon as she has been informed that the work permit is approved and will be issued, but she is then supposed to receive it within seven days. It all depends on the latest wording of the Ministerial Announcements.

The emails are generated using a mass marketing tool called Taximail (https://www.taximail.com/th/home). Since their objective is almost certainly identity theft, they will gratefully accept any sensitive private information (especially with respect to your finances) that you choose to give them. Commonly, in these situations, they want enough information to (with the help of a little doctoring of the documents) apply for credit cards in the victim's name. Genuine bank statements (PDF format) in the victim's name with an address that can easily be edited are absolutely ideal.

Also, an immigration official's verbal assurance does not preclude them changing their mind later. When it comes to Thai Immigration, I keep everything, whether I think I will need it or not.

The banks are giving you good advice. I suggest you educate yourself about Identity Theft, the techniques scammers use to achieve it, and the consequences it can pose for you. A particular worry is that they might get credit cards using the information you have given them, and end up ruining your credit rating. This is almost impossible to recover from. CIFAS has decades of experience in these matters, and can hopefully prevent serious consequences (though it may well mean more stringent scrutiny when you want to carry out financial transactions). Please keep us informed about the actions taken by the police.

I strongly recommend that you either: Bite the bullet and go to Savannakhet, intending to apply for the visa on a Tuesday or Wednesday to avoid horrendous crowds; or Make an appointment for the Thai embassy in Vientiane, and go there for a single entry Non O visa. To reach Vientiane, you can fly direct to Vientiane or via Udon Thani, if you want to avoid a long overland journey. From some parts of Southern Thailand (for instance Samui) there are visa run companies that organise trips to Penang for visas. If wanting to risk trying in Penang, I would recommend trying to use one of those companies. They should examine your passport, and tell you whether, based on recent experience, you would be able to get your desired visa there.

If your child can get a Non Ed visa in the UK prior to your departure, I think it is possible for your wife to subsequently get the Non O, hopefully also before departure. Regardless of where the child gets the Non Ed visa, the application for the Non O can be done elsewhere (such as Vientiane, Laos as I suggest above) and will give an initial 90-day stay on arrival (which can be extended one year at a time, at Immigration in Thailand).

The combo option (which is supposed to be available, but which some offices will refuse to allow) is used when you cannot qualify on income or money in the bank individually. For example, someone might only be able to transfer 50k baht per month (600k per year). To qualify for a retirement extension, they could, in addition, show a bank balance of 200k baht. These days, just satisfying income by itself is painful enough. The combo method is certainly not something I would do if I could find a reasonable alternative.

The child could get a Non Ed visa in Thailand, but it might be better to try to do it (with documents from the school) prior to departure from the UK. The application for the parent is separate. If applying as the parent of a foreign child at school in Thailand, the Non O will not be granted until the child has the Non Ed visa/extension. The Non O visa will probably need to be done at an embassy/consulate outside Thailand. If everything cannot be arranged before you leave the UK, rather than returning to the UK, it should be possible to make an appointment and get the visa at the Thai embassy in Vientiane Laos. In addition to the information above which I hope is correct, also ask the school what is involved. If it is an international school, they will deal with this constantly.

My suspicion is that the Royal Thai Embassy London no longer has control of the domain thaiembassyuk.org.uk. I think it is now under the control of the scammers. Usually, there should be email addresses [email protected] and [email protected] that I could contact to discuss this issue. Neither of those email addresses exists. You are receiving the scam emails through an application called Taximail (https://www.taximail.com/th/home) which obviously would never be used to communicate with visa applicants. I believe the scammers are operating in Thailand, though they are using a server from Amazon in Singapore. I am a bit rusty in these kinds of forensic investigations. Anyone who is an expert in this area, if you send me a PM, I will be happy to share the raw emails with you (assuming the OP agrees with me sharing some sensitive data with you).

First, let me say that the link you provide is generally very good, though quite outdated in some respects. Reading through, it appears to have been mostly written at least 10 years ago. It was updated to note important changes from 2015. The section on exceptions to the requirement for a work permit was also updated in 2018. As your source stresses, the main controlling law is the Working of Aliens Act (2008). The best translation of that Act I have found is at https://www.thailandlawonline.com/translations/foreign-employment-working-of-aliens-act. It is noteworthy that this controlling law only states (with regard to visas) That is: the law only specifically excludes those on transit or tourist visas. Other restrictions are as prescribed by the Minister, and are subject to change without needing cabinet approval, but must be published in the Government Gazette. The challenge is tracking down all the Ministerial Regulations, and their changes over the years. Mostly, I think these are only available in Thai. Even at the time the OSOS guidance was originally written, it appears to have been wrong in some respects. For instance, volunteers with a Non O visa have long been eligible to apply for work permits. I cannot afford to spend all my time researching this, but I do intend to continue digging. I wish I was better at reading the Government Gazette which I believe is key to figuring out the current rules.