el jefe

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1 hour ago, BKK8 said:

going to get a residence certificate at Immigration Airport soon. Do i need to bring my rental contract and/or tm 30 or is rental contract only also ok  ?

You must have the TM 30. That has your address so there is no need for the rental contract. The reverse won't work.

27 minutes ago, BKK8 said:

is that the office in Chiang mai ? normally i only did the test with the trafic light

Yes, that was the LTO on the 108.

1 hour ago, BKK8 said:

i am colour blind as well and worry a bit about the test , was it easy to pass for you ?

 

I'm red-green color blind. Five years ago when I went to RAM for my health certificate they used a real color blindness test -- pick out the number inside 100 colored dots. I couldn't do that. I just told the doctor "red is always on top" and she closed the book and said "OK".
The test at the driver's license office is a little easier. I was able to make out the difference in colors in the individual circles. The yellows were easy. the other two I had to think about. I was definitely the slowest of the 8 people taking the test. You should be OK too.

On 8/23/2020 at 3:31 PM, Sparkles said:

Apologies for late reply.The time I was told to be there was 12.30pm at the small office I went to originally, some 200 m away from the main building,that was not operating and I was directed to the main building,2nd floor.It was 1 pm when 20 of us were ushered into the colour blind area where stout woman with a stick pointed at us and said independently "YOU stand here" The test was different than last time 5 + yrs ago which was larger boards, now smaller version, mass of small coloured dots which she points to with her stick.

 

We all passed and then to the video room packed in like sardines which a pleasant lady apologised for. 40 mins ,an updated, more professional video but very repetitive.Then to the counter until number called,paid the 505 baht, then to have photo taken and the apparently compulsory 10 baht plastic cover.Was out by around 2.30pm with a licence which will carry me through ,if I don't fall of the perch, for another 5 years and 11 months. 

Except for the 10 baht fee, that was almost exactly my experience. I'm color blind and shocked I passed.

33 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Left hand right hand.

In this case the information given was correct. I definitely did not supply a medical certificate when I returned the next day and successfully renewed my 5 year license two weeks ago.

6 hours ago, Konini said:

I should have also asked if the appointment system is still in place, and if yes what the waiting period is.  I think I should have organised all of this a couple of weeks ago.

 

EDIT:  Looks like it's a next day appointment, if anyone has been in the last couple of weeks I would greatly appreciate it if they could confirm it please.

i was there on Sept 14. They told me to come back on Sept 15. I already had plans for the next day so they said OK to Sept 16.

7 hours ago, jonesthepost said:

Did you need a medical cert. as I have read you do not need it for a renewal of 5 year licinse  

You do not need a medical certificate when renewing 5 to 5.

17 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

Getting papers ready for a conversion/renewal; Two year to a five year. 

 

Question; I need a certificate of residence from Immigration. What kind of picture do I need - white background - blue background? Any shops people recommend around CM ?

 

Thanks

if you're paying the 500 baht fee for the Cert of Residency, they're not fussy about the photo. Mine had a blue background but was obviously very old. My photos were taken at the photo shop in the basement of KSK. They've been gone for years.

Not sure why some people have to watch the video and some don't. I was renewing 5 year to 5 year licenses both car and motorcycle.
i tried to make an appt but they wouldn't give me one til I had my Cert of Residency so I paid 500 baht for that. Went back to LTO and was given a driver's license appt for the next day.  Sat thru the silly video with others doing a 5-5 renewal. I had a book to read. then a pretty long wait to pay. The whole process took a few minutes less than 2 hours.
Since I've only been pulled over once in the last 3 years, it probably would have been more time and cost effective to just get ticketed for not having a license a few times.

1 hour ago, mrwebb8825 said:

The correct answer to the OPs question is Yes. They CAN stamp you out and in w/o leaving the country. Unless there has been some law written or changed, in times of emergency the immigration department can stamp you out and in w/o ever having to leave the chair in front of his/her desk. The question is; Why aren't they doing that now?

Now, before the masses flame me, this what happened to me my 2nd year in Thailand in 2002. I was working in Hua Hin and we made border runs to the south across into Myranmar but Thailand was in some sort of military dispute with them at that time and had closed the border so the IO stamped me out and right back in while sitting at his desk. This was in a very small, remote spot on one of the mountain borders. (somewhere near Phetchup Kirikhan) Not sure if it's open now or not. I still have my old passport and will try and find the page for posting.

Back then you could often do visa runs by sending your passport across the border. You never had to leave home.
I agree with you that they can, and there were reports of several people having that done in connection with employment in one specific school in Bangkok. That's why I asked. But I haven't heard of anyone else getting stamped out without leaving the country.

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

You have missed the point. He is asking is there anyway he can obtain a new permission of stay prior to Sept. Without borders closed he would border bounce now and get new POS till bit before 15/Sept 2021. Of course he cannot.

What he can do is get his financials etc in order and obtain 12 month extension prior to his current POS expires March 3. 

He should make those plans to keep his options open.

Exactly.
With my current POS I have a little over 3 months to make a decision as to how I want to proceed. With things changing quickly (or not at all, depending on your point of view) that's not enough time. I was hoping to border bounce (or find a way around that through this post) to get an additional 6 months which would give me til mid-June before I need to finalize a decision.
Thanks.

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

There is no routine testing completed in Thailand.  I had a full program related physical which had many vials of blood collected for analysis on Monday.  I asked the Lab tech (vampire), as well as the doctor whether they could test for Covid anti-bodies to see if I had been exposed back in January when I fell sick for a few weeks.  I was told that there is no test that they can do, and the only way to have the test completed is for me to show possible symptoms, and then the test is completed at the Government Health lab that is the main repository.  So in essence, one will never know here in this country.  However they did do the lab test to see if I had syphilis for my DL Medical Certificate.

The antibody test is available in CM for about 1500 baht. I have no idea of the accuracy. A friend took the test and was negative. My wife and I both think we had Covid back in December. I'd love to take the test but even if it shows antibodies and I can't be contagious, it won't help me travel, so what's the point?

9 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, you have correct answer post #1.

You actually lucky. Permission of stay till early March. Very lucky

I'm lucky for many reasons but actually not so lucky in this case. I've been in Thailand for over 15 years and make an average of 6 international trips a year. I had one in late March and another in April canceled. This is now the longest I've ever been here without leaving.
But otherwise I agree with your theoretical luckiness. ????

I rec'd an O-A visa in USA on 16 Sept 2019 valid until 15 Sept 2020. I made a quick trip out of the country and returned on 3 March 2020 so I have a Permission to Stay until 2 March 2021.
Obviously if borders were open, I'd make a quick trip out and back and extend my permission to stay by 6 months. Equally important, that would also extend the time I have to think about what I want to do when my permission to stay expires. If there is no way to extend this, then I need to have plans in place before the end of the year.
I'm sure I know the answer, but is there any way I can get stamped out and in in the next 12 days which would extend my permission to stay until Sept 2021?

GCN
Excellent feed, no buffering, but you have to subscribe. I think it's something like 650 baht.

On 5/24/2020 at 11:34 AM, elgenon said:

Only if they are aware and care. One day I was running on the Strand the wide cement path along the beach. I didn't see anyone else. All of a sudden I heard "Look out". Then the biker plowed into me from behind. I was running in a straight line, no other person near me and the guy did not swerve to try to miss me. On his phone or spacing. Yet you say it's my fault I got hit. Yes, you have nothing to do with god or sense.

I'm surprised he managed to hit you, a moving object, before he ran into something stationary, like a lamppost.

You didn't explain how the other 4 accidents happened.

I didn't say you were doing something wrong on purpose, but for whatever reason, you attract suicidal cyclists.

9 hours ago, elgenon said:

I never said they wanted to hit me. So you've already decided it's my fault. Who are you, god? I am being polite as I always am. 

I never said they wanted to hit you. In fact it's exactly the opposite.
I'll say it differently. Every cyclist will do everything they possibly can to avoid hitting a pedestrian. God has nothing to do with this.

9 hours ago, elgenon said:

In the States a cyclist has to obey every law a motor vehicle driver has to (including no phones). I have been hit 5 times by cyclists while walking. And many additional near misses by cyclists not stopping at stop signs. I assume you follow all the laws that pertain to cyclists, correct?

 

in my town many streets have lanes where the cyclist is allowed use of the full lane. In an adjoining small city there is a road that is 1 lane in each direction plus a bike path next to the road. The road lanes allow the bikers to use the full lanes even though there is a dedicated bike lane right next to it. Absurd.

 

Anyway, got that off my chest. 555

No cyclist wants to hit a pedestrian. Usually the cyclist will go down and suffer more injuries than the pedestrian. If you've been hit 5 times, you're doing something wrong.

I can't get out before 8:00am, usually 8:30 for a 3-5 hour ride. Yes, it's pretty hot by the time we get back. During the smoky season I usually go out for 3 hours, leaving at about 3:00pm when the air is slightly cleaner. It sucks walking out of an air conditioned house into 40° heat, but as the sun goes down over the mountains, creating more shade, and the temps drop, it's actually pleasant at the end of the ride when it may be 35-37°.
Except when I'm climbing, we're moving fast enough that the sweat isn't a problem. Even climbing, sweat doesn't burn unless I use sunscreen.
Staying fully hydrated at all times helps too.

7 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

You need to cycle early 6am-ish, otherwise the temperature really goes up quickly, today i think 33 but feels like 41 forecast said

All depends on where you are. if you're in the north the air quality is much better in the late afternoon. I'd rather breathe hot, healthy air than polluted warm air.

If you think of the spokes as 8 groups of 4 spokes, the lacing is totally symmetrical. Every 4th spoke is in an identical pattern instead of every 2nd spoke. This pattern does create a "gap" between each group of 4 spokes. The gap that you noticed at 9:00pm in your photo exists in 7 other places too. No optical illusion. it's intended to be that way.

The governments, countries, and places I'm familiar with have all said "continue exercising." In the Chiang Mai area the roads are still open and, with less traffic, better than ever. climbing and descending Doi Suthep is not the risk it usually is. The big group rides with 50+ riders have been canceled but hundreds of Thais are out on their bikes every day.
Social distancing seems to have peaked a few days ago so even when I'm out riding with a few friends, we're further apart than the Thais I've seen at several gatherings this week. I don't wear a mask when I'm riding hard but do so the rest of the time whenever I'm out, with a bike or not. Proper mask wearing seems to be a thing of the past too. More than half of the vendors at my local market weren't wearing them properly tonight, just covering their mouth and not covering their nose, or just wearing it on their chin.
If Chiang Mai has an uptick in the number of cases it won't be because I'm out riding.

I did real racing for more years than I'd like to admit. I use Strava for other things but I have no reason to see how my (lack of) speed compares to others. I wouldn't even be competitive against my previous times.

I'm still out finding new roads so i could still have all the KOM's I want, if only for a day.