FlyingThai

2 hours ago, Mark68 said:

Update to this.,,,

 

 

I talked to Star visa today...

the lady informed me that it was not possible for me to get another 12 month extension as my visa expires on 7 February 2021.

she said the only option for me was to go to Bangkok and get the 6 month extension on the visa itself, which is being offered to all elite holders who are in the last 6 months of validity.

after getting the new sticker, I will then be able to extend until 7 August 2021 only.. 

seems to be different to “KC” experience, but she was adamant about this..,

thanks anyway for your help KC and others..

That’s their official reply because well, that’s how it *should* be. In reality however it has been quite different and exactly the opposite.

3 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Too bad you didn't get here in 1999 like some of us.

Considering Thai construction quality, those buildings erected in 1999 are now a rotting pile of garbage.

8 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Son just bought a 3500sqft house on 5 acres in Montana for 560k

Let's not forget he also has to take care of these 5 acres and a use of 3500 sqft.

Annual (property) taxes, insurance, maintenance cost etc not even considered yet. Local cost of living, income tax, health insurance on top of it all.

It's comparing apples to oranges saying you can whatever kind of property for the same money in Australia, Europe or North America. There is usually a reason why someone want to leave his home country.

On 10/10/2020 at 2:44 PM, DrTuner said:

Muslim country. That is a deterrent to me, I like my bacon & beer and don't like people yelling from top of a tower, much less laws based on a religion.

Where did you get your doctorate, Khao San Road?

Bali ist Hindu, Babi Guling (Suckling Pig -> Pork) is a local specialty and I get bacon every morning at every single hotel.

The only region in Indonesia that has Sharia Law (to a limited degree) is Aceh. Indonesia is a rather free country with many religions, a substantial part of the country is of Christian fait, especially ethnic Chinese.

Get an education man!

10 minutes ago, rucker4012 said:

It'll never happen. Question: Who pays for and trains a Covid minder? This is what happens after a military coup where unqualified people are put in charge without supervision.

This proposal doesn't come from anyone associated with the military but nice try.

Covid-19 replies: "Hold my beer!"

How about when you stay at a hotel in between and they file a TM.30 for your stay there?

6 hours ago, Kinnock said:

A nice theory - but the Cold War style 'tit for tat' diplomacy beats common sense.  Take Korea for example - they have a COVID second wave, so their citizens have restricted entry to Thailand, so they have cancelled all but long term employment visas for Thai citizens ..... and their stated reasoning as listed on their Immigration web site is because Thailand have restricted entry for Korean nationals.  

 

No mention of relative health risk, just a simple retaliation policy.  

Korea is the best country in these regards. At least they have the balls to implement proper policies.

Contrary to Europe (Schengen) that lets people from all sorts of countries in (Canada, Japan, South Korea, THAILAND) without getting the same privileges in return.

Even if you consider the stuff in this article as true and correct (I don't) I assume that whatever amount he paid is according to the tax laws and cleared by the best accountants money can buy.

In other words: A big fat nothing burger compliments of the fake news.

13 hours ago, micmichd said:

Some banks have a waiting period of 180 days to see if enough money is coming in. 

I needed my Bangkok Bank account immediately in 2014 and took my Thai gf to the bank branch. She guaranteed for me because she knew I'd get permanent pensions, and then everything was oK.  

Banks sometimes ask for a Thai person to counter sign something (usually a copy of their ID card) but that isn't a financial guarantee, more like a reference in case there are any questions by the bank in the future.

Your Thai friend will not be liable for anything that happens to this account.

3 hours ago, ehgnyc said:

They were business owners from what I could gather.

Business owners that "had to leave"?

Sounds like they told you a lot of BS or there is a vital part of the information missing. Anyway it doesn't matter as there are no problems to complete international wire transfers.

13 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

They say there are 150000 people under amnesty. Whether there is half that many people and they each paid  1900b  it is a lot of money they are missing out on by needing an  amnesty. If as you suggest they just did a blanket 1900b per month visa with no letters or crazy requirements it would make a lot more economic sense than wasting time with embassy letters and needing to provide proof of hotel bookings etc. They relaxed the TM30 regulations recently. I haven't heard of any foreigner based crime wave since then.

There is no way that number is accurate.

5 hours ago, ehgnyc said:

New account? Or one you've had for a while? A lot of things are different right now.

Nothing is different. The accounts can be used as always there isn't and never was any limitation on accounts. Neither on spending with your card or wire transfers.

Regulation might be different as banks have pretty much stopped doing any business with U.S. citizens unless they can provide watertight documentation to justify opening a local account (and even then some banks don't want to take you due to reporting requirements).

3 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

If they didn’t have proof of inward transfer that is not a surprise.

I never ever had to show proof for any source of funds when doing international money transfers.

These guys could just use Paypal, e-wire services or their ATM card to withdraw the money abroad if there's really a problem. What kind of fortunes do people ("Tourists") keep in their Thai bank accounts?

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

So the ear asia* on the 2022 will be no longer needed soon. Many will feel a lot safer when this 3000 rai site has been returned to the farmers.

 

* also known as Voice of America and CIA special complex for anti-US people.

Nothing will be "returned" but interested parties can buy the land just as it happened in Bangkok where the Central Embassy complex has been build. That cost them a pretty penny and the cash went back to the British Taxpayer (yeah right, as if).

1 hour ago, CorpusChristie said:

Since when has that been a duty of a foreign Embassy ?

Depends on the arrangements with the host country. Thailand already hosts a range of U.S. operations including a military base that has in the past been used for some rather sketchy operations.

As far as law enforcement goes Thailand and the U.S. cooperate a lot and the DEA has been integral in the region for decades. It's a pretty popular foreign posting.

I'm surprised China hasn't caused a ruckus with their local lackeys yet about the U.S. government building such a big spy apparatus in the North.

That's definitely not a regular Consulate in one of the most remote regions in the world.

It's an outpost for various other purposes as evident solely by the size of the installation. The United States already have their largest embassy complex worldwide just down in Bangkok so clearly that's not just a facility to serve American citizens in the area. It's no secret that Thailand is a strategic law enforcement and military base for the U.S. so this is pretty much just another fortress.

23 minutes ago, jackdd said:

When picking up your final stamp after 15 days, you can apply for the next 30 day extension while you are already there.

At least in April CM told me that this will be possible (was then not required due to the "amnesty" though).

So your second visit is after 15 days, but after this it should be one visit every 30 days.

I wonder how quickly people will run out of space in their passports! ????

I'm sure Immigration will find a way to make the process as difficult as possible. This revolving door extension principle won't prevail for long.

5 hours ago, David Bond said:

Im not being harsh, Im speaking facts, I paid over 30,000 use to enter Thailand, once approved and money was exchanged, I should have been allowed to enter the country, the rules changed in August, only allowing members with affixed visa, that was not what in my terms when I paid. Thanks

Pretty obvious that exceptions regarding a pandemic situation wouldn't be included in standard T&C, no?

Also it does include in the T&C as well as instruction manual that the visa will be affixed upon arrival and that you might need to apply for a tourist visa TO Thailand:

Quote

 

Conditions for getting your visa affixed

1.       Only members holding a Tourist Visa, Visa on Arrival, or are on a 30-Day Exempted Tourist Visa are eligible to validate their Elite Visa.

2.       Tourist visa is required for some nationality who would like to obtain Elite Visa at Suvarnabhumi, Phuket Chaingmai Airport.

3.       Non-Immigrant Visas must be cancelled before Elite Visa may be validated. Members have to take responsibility for the cancellation of their Non-Immigrant Visa depends on condition as below;

·         For members who are currently staying in Bangkok and holding Non ED, B or O visa - Members who are currently staying in Bangkok on a Non-Immigrant Visa, is to visit the Chaengwattana office to complete the cancellation procedure and request to get the Thailand Elite Visa affixed in the same day (cancel in the morning period and get Thailand Elite Visa in the afternoon).

·         For members who are staying in provinces outside of Bangkok and holding Non ED, B or O visa, the person must first cancel their Non-immigrant visa at the issued location/province. In the case, members are holding any type of Non-Immigrant Visa and has been registered as a ‘Thailand Elite Member’, it is crucial that an appointment for the visa affix service is made before cancelling their Non-Immigrant Visa or during the 7-day Stay Extension period (THB 1,900 fee must be paid to the immigration office for this extension). Members may only request to obtain the Elite Visa at the Chaengwattana immigration office in Bangkok.

4. It is necessary to have TM 30 for members who would like to obtain Elite Visa at immigration Chaengwattana. (TM 30 form for the Residence Notification as the responsibility from the house/building owner where you stayed with).

 

As stated above by other members they are now finally starting to affix labels at the embassies (at least in the UK) so I'd stay on that case. The communication from Thailand Elite always sucked, absolutely horrible. If you're really unhappy and paid by credit card then you can contact your bank for a chargeback.

On 9/25/2020 at 8:42 AM, farmerjo said:

Sounds like you would be better off to go through your embassy and state what type of visa it is on the COE application.

You can't. All applications have to go through the TE liaison first, you can't circumvent this.