parajon

You hit every button. They sent wife back to thailand 2 yrs ago to renew her valid married visa. Then refused to renew as her husband wasn't working so had no income. . Now he's got a job 1000 kms from Cpt and they expect him to go to offices in Cpt which would lose his job... hence renewal in bkk corrects their unconstitutional error if they see it that way. And couple get single flite ticket knowing wife will get entry ok. Ile report back! John in Rsa

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I appreciate what you say very much. The thai wife has all the application papers you mention and the others too. But you may know the procedure to renew in Rsa is tortuous and has forced so many couples to pay big legal fees and attend many uncomfortable repetitive meetings with the authorities ( that the thai wifes husband can't do in rsa as he's working away on new job and would lose his job if he took time off . Im doing this for them as a friend cos he cant even use phones) Home affairs sent the wife back to bkk to renew her married woman's there . Theyve been.married 6 yrs and want to renew the 2 YR married visa. It's really scary trying to renew in rsa when theyve no spare cash to risk the flite return cost and lawyers fees.
I'm hoping the Thai lawyer can resolve the issues this week..tks again . Fingers crossed for lovely couple who hopefully the lawyer and embassy will be able to bring smiles back with the 2 YR permit. John in Rsa

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Tks very much. The bkk embassy have been great but there are complications that need a lawyers advice. I've got one in bkk now and they are handling it . Tks again very much indeed.
John in Rsa

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Does anyone know an English speaking lawyer who can handle renewal at Rsa embassy in bkk of Thai wife's South African married woman's visa pls. John in Rsa

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Can anyone direct me to a specialist in Bkk with fluent English and total familiarity with visa apps for thai wife wanting renewal of existing married woman's Rsa visa pls? Ideally phone no and email with person's name .

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Good follow up to that. Although the Rayong store refused to replace my 3 week old soundless zenfone with a new one , Big C in bang kunt hian today nov 3 immediately replaced the other soundless zenfone I bought from them for a friend 10 days ago with a new one. I wanted to get a different make but Big C could only take full payment and do 7 day refund which I felt uncomfortable about!. If the 3 rd zenfone loses sound we will pursue the other option then. Tks Big C. ile buy other electronics from you after this. Pj,.

I bought an Asus Zenfone 4.5 in Rayong 4 weeks ago for 3990 bht with 7 day return guarantee. Then I bought another one in Bangkok for a friend last week. Then mine started losing sound in/out. I took it back after 21 days and the shop said Id have to reset - which after copying all my data and reloading that took around 2 hrs - I did. It was OK but has started to lose sound again. I cant keep resetting so, as shop wont replace it , I have to accept its nearly useless 4 weeks after purchase. Now my friends has done the same 8 days after purchase. The message is just don't risk it folks! Leave what seems to be a delightful 2 SIM phone alone until you hear a few people say its OK. Parajon in Rayong

I did a lot of research about school teaching on arrival here in March 2014. I suggest you need someone really experienced in every aspect of entry, qualification, work permit, job search, costs and contract to advise you before you start - and before you leave UK.. I was lucky enough to find a German who met all the criteria and gave me advice and guidance free. I have been teaching school children for 3 months now and if you like that type of role (or teaching older school kids ) theres a lot of demand provided you understand ahead what to do. I do not have his consent to publish his details but if you care to contact me I will give you his telno and email. (I dont know if we're allowed to give contact details on here but heres my phone no xxxxxxxxx. If its not permitted , maybe someone can tell me how one achieves personal private contact on here. ) Parajon

Edited by SlyAnimal - removed phone number as per forum rules, please contact the poster via pm if interested.

Superb application. Im in Rayong and its given me all the easy navigation options I wish Id had 4 months ago - with Google Maps not allowing you to name and identify places you want to go to. . Great the way it links to Maps and Earth too . Well done someone!. Parajon

Anyone know if a brit passport holder living in thailand with the renewable thai one yr retirement visa/permit can apply AT EMBASSIES HERE IN THAILAND for a residency visa in other countries cos I hear new regulations require applicants now to apply PERSONALLY through their citizenship country which in my case is uk. I am still officially a uk resident not living there, but have right to live in thailand too. Does the thai one yr retirement visa qualify me to apply here in Thailand?. No opinions pls cos I hear there are new global regulations since may 2014 ; only actual experience will help. If , based just on living here with a thai rertirement visa , you have successfully applied to an embassy in Thailand for a residency visa for another country ide welcome your advice. Ive made numerous phone and email enquiries to several embassies ( anon here to avoid offence) etc but get no certain clarity and its a big job to get all the papers together and journey 300 kms to bkk to queue at embassy and then be told I have to go to UK. P.

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Why offline? I have nexus 7 with 3g and Google maps that I have used extensively all over Thailand with over 95% accuracy except a few places. Cost of inet for 3 months. 800 bht. If no 3 g for your phone I'd go to pantip and buy my nexus for around 6K bht from memory. Its a really fantastic piece of kit. John in Rayong

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Makes no difference which visa you seek in RSA. They mess you about the same silly way. I know of many people who have been waiting over 4 yrs for the different types of visa. Truth seems to be that they really don't want internationals and simply fail to see the giant upside of welcoming people who bring in significant finance that most south Africans need.

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I doubt theres many places as restrictive and difficult as South Africa . Every country has tightened up its immigration since 9/11 and all are now very similar in their requirements. Where South Africa in my view is very good is in admitting vast numbers of people from Zimbabwe with near overnite visas who are in desperate situations; sadly though its hopeless if youre white; they slow down and deliberately complicate the whole process at admin level and have the audacity to say the influx of helpless people with no jobs or income should be the reason for the delays with the whites applications. Sheer nonsense when 10 bureaucrats added to their Immigration service payroll could clear the whole xpat queue and bring in massive money to pay many of the millions of unemployed. Instead whites get excuses of lost applications, bad decisions, total silence in response to enquiries, phones and websites supposed to give update information don't work, and most significantly of all, without exaggeration, NOONE YOU EVER SPEAK TO IN THESE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENTS KNOWS THE ANSWER TO ANY QUESTION. Youre always fobbed off with 'call back in 30 days' (to get same each time) or 'we cant find your papers, resubmit and pay for your application again'. Ive had the 'LOST PAPERS' EXCUSE 3 times over 3 yrs so far. (I have friends been waiting 7 yrs!!! ); and my experience in Cape Town airport on departure in March in a wheelchair was at best dismissive and at worst downright hostile. THEY HAD LOST MY PAPERS AGAIN, WOULD NOT ACCEPT MY LAWYERS COPY HOME AFFAIRS VALIDATION, AND WERE DISMISSIVE THAT I WOULDNT PAY THEM R3K (9K BHT ) FOR THEIR LOSS for the 4th time OF MY APPLICATION!!. If that is an accurate scenario, imagine how you feel after months - or yrs in mine and many expats cases - to be unsure of your status and possible dismissal from RSA (Republic of South Africa) overnite and secondly the sense of official desire to see you get out of their country. But so unnecessary when all whites do is bring in foreign money often in large amounts THAT INVARIABLY CREATE EMPLOYMENT FOR BLACK PEOPLE OTHERWISE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. This should not be a black/white issue for RSA now. Its their own people who suffer not the expats WHO JUST TAKE THEIR PRECIOUS MONEY ELSEWHERE. WHY DO I WRITE THIS IN THAILAND? BECAUSE I HOPE IT HITS RSA AT HIGH LEVEL NOW ITS CLEAR IVE NO VESTED INTEREST IN STAYING THERE - BUT I JUST THINK THAT COUNTRY AND PEOPLE HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL THAT TO DENY IT MASSIVE FREE FOREIGN INVESTMENT CAPITAL IS JUST UNINTELLIGENT.Its a great place if theyde just embrace reality, not ' justified reaction to the past' which Nelson Mandela dismissed with such dignity and wisdom. I say again, their Minister reported about 3 yrs ago that their backlog of 40k expats would be cleared within a year. Was there any change? Do I need to answer that? So thousands of expats frustrated by the absurd situation in RSA go elsewhere - in money terms that's around an annual LOST income to RSA of circa R10 billion per annum which is close to their annual Gross deficit!!! Is Thailand this disconnected? I don't think so. John Webster

Tks to both of you. I got all the papers together and got an immediate 90 day extension and assurance I qualify for the retired visa after I got Brit embassy to certify by my income. Compare that with waiting 4 yrs for south Africa to lose my visa application three times and then at airport as I left for holiday to Thailand they told me they'd lost my papers again and I had to pay 3000 rand (9000 but) for overstaying. I refused cos that's the only way to handle bureaucrats there who follow rules unthinkingly and so destroy the impression of a great country being miss managed. All I did there was spend lots of money brought from uk. Should they encourage that free import of money that creates jobs and income for millions of unemployed? Meantime their own minister confirmed there were 40000 cases like mine (unresolved after 7 yrs in some cases.) The lost cash impact on that country of fed up xpats like me made to feel unwelcome and going to countries like Thailand exceeds south Africa's negative balance of payments.

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Your last paragraph is interesting about SA, because TV,s finest say the same thing about Thailand all the time if you read the threads on TV, so reading what you have written you should fit in well in Thailand

In case this is read by more expats like I was 3 weeks ago, heres what I had to do to go the income route ( income exceeds 64000 bht per month) . Firstly get 3 copies of each document I mention...

1. Take copy bank statement to Brit embassy ( between 0830 and 1100 weekdays) with at least 6 months current transactions. If you also support the bank statement income going into your account with docs that confirm the sources of the regular income that will help but is not essential.

2. Give it to them with passport

3. Pay 2000 bht

4. They give an embassy letter certifying your annual uk income per your bank statement

5 Take that with passport to a Thai immigration office ( there are lots listed on Thai immigration website . I went to the office in the Major Hollywood building bkk. They were superb and spoke English)

6. Pay them 2000 bht and give them proof of your residential address from abroad. Utility bill or bank statement with address on it is fine.

7. Complete the application form they give you

8. Wait 20 mins and hey presto you have 90 day visa extension from the day you're in their office

9. Go back at least 20 days before the expiry of the 90 days with a further Brit embassy letter confirming your income exceeds 64000 bht per month( not the original Brit embassy letter. You have to do this again)

10. That's far as I've got so far and I hope it might help others

John webster now happy house hunting in Rayong. Tks again to those who really helped me with this

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Tks to both of you. I got all the papers together and got an immediate 90 day extension and assurance I qualify for the retired visa after I got Brit embassy to certify by my income. Compare that with waiting 4 yrs for south Africa to lose my visa application three times and then at airport as I left for holiday to Thailand they told me they'd lost my papers again and I had to pay 3000 rand (9000 but) for overstaying. I refused cos that's the only way to handle bureaucrats there who follow rules unthinkingly and so destroy the impression of a great country being miss managed. All I did there was spend lots of money brought from uk. Should they encourage that free import of money that creates jobs and income for millions of unemployed? Meantime their own minister confirmed there were 40000 cases like mine (unresolved after 7 yrs in some cases.) The lost cash impact on that country of fed up xpats like me made to feel unwelcome and going to countries like Thailand exceeds south Africa's negative balance of payments.

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After lifetime in uk property market and with Thai partner and with close friends fooled into buying Thai property that becomes a gift to the wife my suggestion is " don't buy, rent " unless you afford the capital loss which is what it is! Its a real challenge with Thai wives pushing this and its too easy for a brit used to uk clear regulations to misunderstand. Simple solution is to KEEP YOUR CAPITAL IN YOUR NAME and rent a home for your wife. That still leaves you able to leave capital to her when you die but avoids you unintentionally sacrificing hard earned capital which is the outcome if you buy in Thai. John W

Hi Everyone. I seek helpful guidance please. Im a Brit who has been living in South Africa on visitors Visa for 4 yrs. Arrived in Thailand for second time March 11 2014 to assess suitability to move here permanently. After a month every signal says YES so I plan to stay here until at least October 2014 - when weather gets warmer in South Africa when I may need to go back to clear lines there - and then I expect to decide to stay here permanently if I can get visa. Heres where I can use guidance please. Im a retired CEO fully self financed to meet Thai requirements and likely to settle around BKK suburbs where my Thai partner can work. We're based on Rayong (good to see the Visa people in Mat ta Phut nearby?? )and Ratchaburi right now with friends from UK until May. I have a two month visa from Thai embassy in South Africa that expires May 11 2014 and my return flite date is May 17 so I was going to get 7 day extension but now would welcome guidance on the process and likelihood of a visa until at least Oct 31 2014; and to get a long term one thereafter. All help appreciated and thanks in advance from what Ive seen of local people's response to visitors! . John Webster 0959 197 370 .