jcates29

I recently applied for and received approval for an LTR-P visa via the Thai embassy in Washington, D.C.  During the application process, the BOI website and the Thai Embassy website mentioned in different places that applicants should not apply for a visa sooner than 3 months before they intend to travel.  Indeed, I had plans to travel to Thailand in June 2024, and I received BOI approval on April 1, 2024 and visa approval on April 8, 2024.  The visa approval letter from the Thai embassy states the following:

Date of Grant:  08 April 2024

Visa must be used by:  07 April 2034

There appears to be no 3-month deadline on actually entering Thailand with this approved LTR-P visa, despite the 3-month admonition when going through the application process.

After I received the visa approval, my plans have changed, and it would be most convenient for me to travel in late 2024, as opposed to my previous plans.

Is there any reason to worry that the visa will not be honored if I do not enter Thailand within 3 months of the Date of Grant?

Sheryl, I have the answer for you.  It is The Villages, in Central Florida.  About 125,000 residents.  It IS a "retirement community" but not one like you have ever seen.  You probably won't believe me.  It is full of active seniors.  It is over 20 miles north to south and 10 miles east to west, ALL accessible by golf cart.  I live here.  Single family homes, one story, for the most part, organized into "villages".  Integrated into the plan are commercial areas with supermarkets, restaurants, hair and nail salons, doctor and dentist and other medical specialty offices, pharmacies, etc.  All accessible by golf cart.  My home here is literally a five or ten minute drive from all that.  There are also a plethora of big name big box stores within 20 minutes, like Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart.  Accessible by golf cart.  

Then you get to the activities.  It will blow your mind!  These are active seniors.  12 full-size golf courses (10 with 27 holes each).  38 9-hole executive golf courses.  Each village has recreation centers with swimming pools, tennis and pickle ball, shuffleboard, bocce, and other similar courts.  The recreation centers have rooms for classes and organized activities ranging from yoga to quilting to Escaped New Yorkwr club meetings. There is so much to do that it is literally hard to pick.

There are three "town centers" with a central square that have nightly entertainment 365 nights a year (or, they DID before the COVID-19 crisis and surely will again.)  These are real professional bands who make a living on music - the Orlando and Daytona and Tampa area attracts such talent.  The squares are walkable city-like areas with restaurants shopping, bars, again all accessible by golf cart.

I moved here from Chiang Rai with my wife.  My wife wouldn't dream of playing golf.  Now she gets after me to hurry up and make a tee time.  She also loves bowling and visiting neighbors and taking walks.  She is so glad we moved here.

It really must be seen to be believed.  If you google it you will find things good and bad but don't believe the "sex-mad seniors partying" BS.  You get 125,000 people together in one place, you get all kinds and things happen, but for the 99.9% of us it is an idyllic spot.  They won't want to go back to NYC.

Thank you, I've sent an email to the "Contact us" email address listed on the site.  Hopefully I'll receive a reply shortly.  If anyone has a game planned and would welcome a western face from Chiang Rai in their midst, I'd like to join in.  Probably 18 or 19 Nov would work best for me.

I'm going to be traveling in Northeast Thailand next week (primarily Udon Thani), and plan to play golf.  Is there an expat golf group who play at Victory Park in Nong Khai?  Or, Singha Park in Khon Kaen?  I can always play alone or join in where I can (more difficult) but I'd rather play with a group of like-minded westerners who might play regularly.  My itinerary is not set but I'll likely arrive in Udon Thani on Nov 17 and be in the area for a few days.  I'm willing to travel and adjust my schedule as necessary to join in on the group's regularly planned day of play if I can.

Yes, I have  access to same and I read Thai.  PM me and let's set up a time to go thru the site.

My wife is Thai, left Thailand 50 years ago and obtained U.S. citizenship.  The only document she had was her very dated Thai ID card in her maiden name.  When we decided to come live here permanently (Thailand), she went to her Amphoe and got a new ID card and then applied for and received a Thai passport.  Both the ID card and passport are in her maiden name.  She has purchased property and obtained a Thai drivers license, all in her Thai name.

Now when we travel internationally, I book the ticket in her U.S. passport name (because her airline miles are in that name).  She leaves Thailand on her Thai passport, enters and leaves the U.S. on her U.S. passport, and enters Thailand on her Thai passport.  If there is any question (such as regarding the fact her Thai passport and her boarding pass have two different names), we immediately show her U.S. passport, and all is understood. 

My point is, there does not seem to be an overwhelming reason that the OP would need to pursue getting his wife's Thai names changed to her UK married name.  My wife does have to think, at times, and try to remember what name she is using at a particular moment.  When I'm preparing medical claim forms, she has to sign them in her U.S. name, and has to mentally prepare to sign that name instead of her Thai name.  Her US persona, to include everything you can think of, is in her U.S. name.  Her Thai persona, to include everything you can think of, is in her Thai name.  But it has not been a showstopper in any way . 

I have a friend who is a dual U.S. and Thai citizen.  My friend has traveled here in the past on their U.S. passport, and on their last visit renewed their Thai ID card, but did not have time to apply for and receive a new Thai passport.  Their Thai passport is expired.  Now they are preparing to travel here again, in the near future, and they do not have time to apply for a Thai passport through the Thai Embassy in the U.S. before they travel. 

Can they depart the U.S. (using their U.S. passport) and enter Thailand using their expired Thai passport? 

I do realize if they did that they would have to be sure to apply for and receive a new Thai passport while they were in Thailand.  Otherwise they would not be able to leave using their expired Thai passport.  They are planning to do just that. 

The main reason for doing this (instead of their previous practice of using their U.S. passport throughout) is so they would not have to go through the hassle of obtaining a visa in their U.S. passport.  They are planning staying for about 90 days.  In addition, they want to get into the proper practice of using the passport for the country they are entering (U.S. passport for U.S. entry/exit; Thai passport for Thailand entry/exit). 

Thanks in advance for your help!

I have a friend (yes, really a friend, not me.  Let's call the friend "X") who is a native Thai citizen, with a Thai passport, who immigrated to the U.S. years ago and obtained U.S. citizenship.  X travels to Thailand only infrequently.  X traveled here on July 8 to visit and obtain some medical treatment and has been here since then, and plans to return to the U.S. on September 6.  About a week ago X visited me and I inquired casually about what passport X used when entering Thailand.  It turns out X used their U.S. Passport.  I asked about X's "permission to stay" date stamp, since I knew X had been in Thailand longer than the 30-day permission granted to U.S. citizens.  X checked and, sure enough, the permission to stay expired on August 8. 

Now what should X do?  My first impression was to tell X to go to the Chaeng Wattana immigration office with both their U.S. and Thai passports, explain they mistakenly entered on their U.S. passport, and try to work through the process to correct the problem.  X prefers to take the chance to wait until the scheduled departure date, and let the chips fall where they may when going through immigration.  If there is a fine, so be it, X will pay it.  That may, indeed, be the best solution.  Even if X is blacklisted (on their U.S. passport), X would still have the right to enter as a Thai citizen, correct?  Are there other fines or bad repercussions of waiting until the scheduled departure date, and handling it at the immigration desk upon departure? 

Is the OP a Thai citizen, as well as US?  The original post did not make this clear.    My wife, originally Thai, left Thailand for many years and became a US citizen.  When we moved back to Thailand she was able to reestablish her Thai citizenship.  Her name was on the Tabian Baan for her previous residence on Nong Bua Lamphu.  We successfully transferred her name to Chiang Rai.   In order to establish her Thai citizenship, she was required to take a DNA test along with a close relative (her older sister).  

4 minutes ago, johng said:

 

 

Ahh the old "undersea cable excuse"  used for every occasion

Who knows?  But it was a TOT representative who told me.  Is it any more reliable than rank speculation?  Time will tell.

Edit:  now working for me too.  I guess the undersea cable has been repaired.  So efficient!

I called TOT this morning due to the outage.  They told me that an undersea cable has been cut in the south of Thailand, resulting in the outage.  I can only get online using my AIS phone as a mobile Hotspot.   No idea when TOT service will resume.

I planned to come live here in 2014 after having traveled here extensively and having worked here for four years 1996-2000, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into.  However, I still wasn't sure that I could come live here on a permanent basis.  The factors at play were:  could I afford to live here on my pension and investments?  Could I stand to live here on a permanent basis without work to keep me busy?  I thought the answers to both questions was "yes", but I wanted an exit strategy in case the answers to one or both turned out to be "no".

Thus I talked extensively with my wife and reached agreement that we would commit to renting for one year or longer, and after one year we would evaluate our budget and our lodging situation.  One year would give us plenty of time to look around at homes to buy and to decide if we even wanted to buy.  If something changed in our lives that precluded staying, at most we would be out the cost of exiting a lease early.  

That plan worked perfectly.  We decided to stay, and we pretty much decided after one year to continue renting.  However, my wife wanted to live closer to her sister, and we began looking for rentals near her.  We found no suitable rentals, but we found our dream home one kilometer from her sister's house for an amazingly low price, and we bought it.

So, my advice is come and try it without committing yourself.  Give yourself an exit strategy in case you hate it or it turns out financially untenable or if something drastically changes in your life.

FYI, Starting next week (Monday, October 18), Santiburi Members and Friends (SMAF) are changing their schedule to Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Same time (08:30 AM tee off).

Please see the attached revised flyer.

151013 SMAF Flyer 3.pdf

For those who like to play golf in and around the Chiang Rai area, there is a group of local expats who get together at 8:30 AM every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Santiburi Golf Club, in Chiang Rai. We encourage anyone and everyone who would like to play fun, competitive golf to join us there.

We have put together the attached flyer -- please take a look!

We generally have between 3 - 10 players show up, but we could accommodate many more. We use Stableford scoring and handicaps, and would be happy to accept your declared handicap from practically any source, within reason. We usually play skins, with one skin for each hole, closest-to-the-pin skins on each par 3, and two skins awarded for the best Stableford score, and one skin awarded for the Stableford runner-up (for a total of 25 skins). Everyone tosses THB250 (10 baht per skin) into the pot, and it is rare that anyone loses more than 100 - 150 baht. We often mix in some other formats for fun! Players can also play together with us without participating in the skins game.

Santiburi is Chiang Rai's premier golf course, with a spectacular layout. If you haven't played it, you definitely should! Now that the rainy season is beginning to wind down, the course is primed to be in excellent condition.

Our aim is to have low key, fun golf competition with like-minded locals and expats, and we welcome all comers to join us.

For more information, you can also contact [email protected]. Please see the attached flyer, and come on out and join us!

150831 SMAF Flyer 2.pdf

You know, upon further investigation, perhaps your sighting was of a Malayan weasel. Check out this wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_weasel Its range is much closer to your location. Also, it states the size of the Malayan weasel is "a body length of 12–14 inches (30–36 cm) and a tail length of 9.4–10.2 inches (24–26 cm)."

Yes, I agree the ones I've seen are about that size too, and were more of a chocolate brown, vice the light brown color depicted in the drawing. They looked like an over-size ferret with a long tail.

Could it be a back-striped weasel? I know their habitat does not typically extend to Hat Yai. However, I've seen something very similar to what you describe up here in Chiang Rai. To me it looked a lot like a weasel and a google search indicated it was likely a back-striped weasel, as their habitat (barely) seems to include the very northern part of Thailand. Perhaps they are down there too? Before you say "no way", from the wikipedia page: "Little has been recorded of this weasel's habitats and habits. It has been found in a wide variety of habitats, and it is not yet possible to define its habitat needs." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-striped_weasel

UbonJoe, my friend is grateful for your quick, informative response. Could you clarify what you mean when you say that his wife should not show her UK passport "under any circumstance"? She would not show it under normal circumstances, but she has not concealed to any Thai authorities that she is a dual Thai/UK national. If there was a question about her pristine Thai passport, why would it be problematic for her to show her exit stamp in her UK passport? Many thanks for your help.

Many thanks, UbonJoe! I knew I could count on you.

Apologies in advance if this question has been asked/answered. I searched but failed to find a similar situation. I know there are some similar situations out there but my cursory search did not reveal them.

I'm asking this on behalf of a friend and his Thai wife, but I and my Thai wife will have a nearly identical situation soon (the only difference being I am a US national).

My friend is a UK National and his Thai wife (of over 35 years) travel back and forth frequently. His wife is native Thai, but departed Thailand long ago without a passport and obtained UK citizenship. Now they travel back and forth frequently, and she uses her UK passport when passing through Thai immigration. During this most recent trip, his wife has gone through the process to renew her Thai citizenship and has obtained a Thai passport. She is planning to travel back to the UK and will exit through Thailand immigration using her UK passport. When she returns, she plans to enter Thailand using her Thai passport. Of course, the Thai passport will not show that she departed Thailand -- it will be pristine and without any exit stamps.

Here is the question -- is the pristine Thai passport a problem when she comes in through Thai immigration (that is, would Thai immigration notice and ask how she exited Thailand without an exit stamp)? Can she show both passports, and explain the situation? Is she violating any law or preferred practice? She wants to do the right thing.

Thanks for your help!

I've attached two files which contain the two scanned pages of import requirements I received from DLD.

150115 Otis Cates Import Requirements Page 1.pdf

150115 Otis Cates Import Requirements Page 2.pdf

Hope this helps!

I am importing my cat from USA, and I just obtained the import permit from Thailand. I used the link to the Department of Livestock Development that Neinke provided (Thanks, Neinke!):

http://aqi.dld.go.th/th/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=297:importation-of-live-animals&catid=80:kmresearch-&Itemid=123

On this site, the information indicated that I should send an e-mail to the following e-mail address:

[email protected]

The email should have the following attached documents:

--Copy of my passport

--Vaccination Information (from the vet -- rabies for cat, also leptospirosis for dogs)

--Flight Itinerary

--Prospective Address in Thailand

--Address in USA

--Photograph of animal

I sent the e-mail and waited..... nothing. So I went back to the DLD website, and I got the two phone numbers for the Suvarnaphumi office: 66-2134-0731 and 66-2134-0732. (You will have to fill in the international dialing numbers for calling from the UK. For me in the US it is 011-66-2-2134-0731, but it may be different for you)

I called the first number (ending in 0731) repeatedly and got no answer. When I called the second number ((ending in 0732) it was answered. Luckily I speak rudimentary Thai, and I was able to get across to the person who answered what I was trying to do. They put me on hold and checked their e-mail but could not find it, so I sent it again while I was on the phone, and they received it while I was talking to them, and they told me they would respond in three days. In about 36 hours from the phone call, I received the completed import permit and additional instructions.

So, if you have someone in your home who can speak Thai, I recommend you call the office (using the 0732 number) and send the e-mail while you are on the phone with them. That worked very well for me.

We have yet to travel but I don't anticipate any difficulties upon arrival, now that I have the Thai Import Permit in hand.

I suppose I would be enthusiastic if I was getting 250% markup in a product I was selling lol but hey I would probably pay even more than that. I won't tell them if you won't either.

I am aware of that but things were rolling and I did not want to stop the progress. Plus, my understanding (from reading several posts here on TVF) is that the Thai embassy in Washington DC only provides multiple entry visas. I could have asked but again they were being accommodating and I did not want to diminish their helpful enthusiasm.

Here's a brief update: We traveled to the Thai Embassy in DC today. I described the situation with my wife, and the consular officer stated that our best option would be to apply for my wife to obtain a non-O based on "to accompany husband", and to submit my O-A application together with my wife's non-O application. I already had all my wife's documents together, except for any income or financial documentation. The consular officer said that a recent bank statement for an account in the name of my wife with at least $700.00 would meet their requirement, so I went and obtained a copy of said statement. My application required three copies of everything (including a income verification letter, medical certificate, and criminal background check from my state of residence), but my wife's application required only one copy of the required documents (two passport photos), with no medical certificate or criminal background check required. I returned with the required documents, and two money orders for $200.00 each, and submitted the applications. I will return in two days, hopefully with the visas in hand.