craftyone
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Posts posted by craftyone
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Thought they were only wanting a copy which was what was said re what was needed before we made the appointment to marry.
Have appointment tomorrow (married today btw) with head honcho to get my yellow book/pink card process started and wife says he didn't ask for it.
I have copies of it of course.
Will drop by and ask the amphur if they do indeed keep it or ?
So my main concern is will I ever need this original for anything else?
When I come back next year I'll finish my pink card and get Thai DL.
I can't really think of why I might need it but I sure don't want to go thru the whole embassy/MFA ordeal again if I don't have to.
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5 hours ago, transam said:
I stayed at Pilgrims Kitchen, right on the river bank, nothing posh, but very nice and relaxing place...
The best room I am going to keep a secret, just in case one of you lot book it when or if I next go.....????
Thats prob where I’ll book. Talked with a guy in line that walked from there. Said they rented bikes too. Plus there’s a Black Canyon Coffee enroute there. Found another restaurant/cafe that was across that 4 way down the hill. Was open later than any coffee shop besides Amazon. Machiatto was a disappointment but I had to spend some Agoda cash credit I had. That butger at Savan BBQ was prob the best thing I remember about the whole trip.
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On 8/18/2023 at 1:00 PM, kidneyw said:
I arrived at the Thai consulate in Savannakhet at 10.00am on the 16th. August fearing the worst for being late. Much to my surprise there was only one person in front of me. My ticket number to go back the next day and pick up my passport was 19. The next day I arrived early and had a beer in the small restaurant opposite the consulate. I was the only person there and they closed and pulled the shutters down at 13.30PM. On previous occasions this restaurant has been mobbed. Still it was a pleasant experience.
Imagine being in the mid 300’s two trips in a row. Second trip wasn’t that bad though since was staying across the street and just laid in bed watching Netflix til 1330hrs but did stand in line almost 2 hours.
16 hours ago, Lolothai said:I'm going there on Monday 28 August, planning to sleep at Mukdahan on Sunday evening and pass the bridge/border on Monday morning. Are the Mondays that terrible?
Don’t. Or at the very least just cross on Sunday before 5-6PM and hit the line early without having to deal with the minivan hordes on Monday morning. Swear to baby Jesus I will never, ever again go there on a Monday or Thursday for drop day.
15 hours ago, transam said:Busy day, not advisable, though if you speak Russian and enjoy the scent of Russian smokes, could be OK....................????
Last two times there I thought I was standing in Phuket. One Russian chic got booted out of line 5 spots from the window. The rest of the ruskies, all chics with bad botox from Patts (imagine that ????) mobbed the gate guy and their drivers until somebody brought her back in lol. Chinese weren’t as bad this second time around but I did drop back a few paces away from a group of these russians to hang with some Filipinos which was waaaay better.
Just finished your “Savannakhet ME based on Thai fam/spouse” thread and thats what I’m prob going to do next year when I’m back for my first childs birth. I’m only 2 hours away so it’s not a major trip. Did just finish another FB group post where a guy claimed to verbally confirm w/ Savannakhet they won’t give same visa with a past ED visa.
Oh and were you refering to Savan Resorts in that thread where you were staying? Considering giving them a try next trip after seeing the van in/out of the checkpoint last trip. -
18 minutes ago, transam said:
Why do you need that done, it could be interesting.....?
Giving some thought to buying some vintage cars motorbikes and tooling on them as a hobby. Comes in handy prior to any overhauls IF the lab reads are accurate. Same for just putting mileage on normal rides. Normally costs about 23usd for a basic test but something more extensive usually runs 60usd.
if I can’t find here I’ll just bring back a handful of kits from the states and send them from Thailand. -
As in a kit you can send off yourself (same as at Napa or Blackstone in the states)?
Saw a few labs that do it commercially but didn’t get anywhere with their specific testing details.
TIA -
Will extend tourist visa (30 days) at end of my 60 day visa (TR) but need additional 33 days after this (long story re 3 days).
Is it possible to extend same TR visa a second time with the 60 day extension family option? It is 60 days right? Couldn't see on website if 30 or 60.
I don't have enough time/funds to do the marriage visa and don't really want to do another TR visa run.
Visa history this calendar year is initial entry via 45 day exempt (USA), 30 day ext andTR(60 day visa) via Laos.
Thought about just doing a same day run to Pakse/Savannakhet (30 days visa exempt) after the extension was up and then just paying for 3 day overstay before I leave in August but really don't want an overstay on my record if even for 3 days.
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Having a child (unplanned) with GF of 5 years in December.
Talked about marriage in the past but I'm getting some vibes she may not want marriage.
If so this basically leaves me with no custodial rights if I'm correct.
Started reading up on challenging this possibility but curious as to what I'll be dealing with overall with securing future non-o's with a possible reluctant ex.
May have to create thread re the non-o as the list of what's needed is most def something I need GF for frequently.
Not of retirement age and still working in the US albeit on my own schedule, so it won't be all that difficult to arrange when I'm in Thailand.
Planning on getting a condo near where GF/her parents live either way this turns out as I've always stayed at her parents compound.
I'm more than certain at this point GF parents want me to be involved whether we stay together or not.
So from my limited research the whole process could take months to get an order from the court.
How do I go about this to achieve the best possible custodial results if it comes down to it?
Would this go smoother for me if we were legally married at the time of birth even if we ended up divorcing?
I'm in Ubon city and looking for a lawyer to chat with before I leave in August. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
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1 hour ago, asf6 said:
That was my next plan but I think they're out for break. I know the high schools around here just went on break Friday for nearly two months. Will report back if I have any luck with contacting them.
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Looking at doing an ED visa (my first) for a language school program in CM although I'm in Ubon. Already been told I'll have to goto CM twice for the initial visa processing BUT that all my 90 day reports could be online.
I thought your first 90 day report had to be in person AND I'm not even sure that if that's the case I'll be able to do the report in Ubon given the fact that CM immigration is handling the visa.
And to add to this confusion I always thought with an ED visa it (the 90 day rpt) was expected to be in the presence of an IO for the sake of testing your level of proficiency, etc...
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Pretty much scoured FB groups, Youtube and other online forums looking for resources re schools or teachers in Ubon. Haven't come up with much that either meets my needs or is affordable. The 1 on 1 teachers I've found here don't have more than 1-2 hours a week available at present.
And the only means I've found of getting an ED visa "here" is through a school in CM at a yearly cost of 65k thb not including trips to CM for application and again for receiving said visa.
Anyone in Ubon have better info on what's available here at present that can meet the requirements for an ED visa?
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18 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:
Ensure you makes copies of your translated and original documents and request the copies of the documents to be certified by the MFA as well. You will need them in the future. Especially if your doing a CR1 visa.
Thanks!glad I posted the thread!
already tried to make an appointment on the embassy website link but keeps coming up as connection lost so I may have to try on another computer later or maybe at a diff time. Would like to get the divorce paperwork n affidavit done straight out of ASQ next month but might be better just to plan the trip with her since I’ll be dealing with translators and MFA. I’m coming in on a STV and there til mid-late August so I’ll have time to get as much done before I go back to work. And I just realized how many US tourists are/were getting the covid extension letters so I’m sure the embassy is gonna be slammed. It might be worth just going to the consulate in Chiang Mai. -
21 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:
thanks....looks like two trips to Bangkok if my state (Louisiana) needs the certificate certified.maybe with less tourist in country (less traffic at US embassy) at the moment, this might be the best time to get this done.
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Looked through this forum for any specific insight into what’s needed but thought I’d just start a thread.
Will be back in Thailand next week.Marrying a girl in Ubon who I’ve dated for past 3 years.
Divorced in US (2013) and I have my certified copies of divorce judgement to bring with me.At some point I know I have to make a visit to the US Embassy too.
I guess my concern is centered around the entire process from start to finish as it relates to the pandemic and setting up of appointments with various government offices.
is there a flowchart or outline somewhere I can use to make sure I am following the proper steps while in Thailand?
We are not concerned at this point of getting her set up to come to the US at present but rather just getting married in Thailand to make things official with her and her family and quite possibly make things easier on me with immigration and other government entities.
Any advice specific to the topic or even specific to getting married in Ubon would be greatly appreciated -
1st bike I ever bought in Thailand was a Honda Scooby (can't remember is thats what they called it) in Bangkok in 2015....$45k
went with the Yamaha......$50K new in Pattaya back in 2018.
will be buying another Yamaha in Ubon when I return even though my 2018 is doing just fine....absolutely zero issues....will prob change out the tires n brake pads when i get back.
one day I do want the Vespa though.
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Looking for a reputable shop with reasonable prices and good equipment near airport or not too far away.
We travel light (small backpacks) so want to go straight there from airport.
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I’ve been sending my paperwork to the Los Angeles consulate for years to get my tourist visas but unfortunately they are closed and as of Friday they’re not sure when they will reopen and start processing visa apps again.
***Has anyone processed a visa in another consulate within the last two weeks and if so where?****
i plan to call New York, Chicago and Miami on Monday but thought I’d see what kind of responses I’d find here.
My latest visa expires May 3 and my latest flight change ???? is currently set to arrive June 9th.
thanks and good luck to all who are caught up in the delays and rebooking nightmare.C1
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So if you're not in a rush and you've applied on a busy day, it's probably worth aiming to pick up the passport later in the day rather than right at 2pm. I believe collections are 2-4pm.
This ^
And considering the Thurs morning overflow into the afternoon and the fact that you’re not waiting for your number to be called, I’d now plan to just show up around/after 3pm on Thursday for pickup.
Even if I didn’t make it to Mukdahan bus terminal until 6pm, chances are there are still seats available considering these more populated runs on Monday/Thursday are leaving out on Tuesday/Friday afternoons. -
I got there around 6.45am today, expecting the worst. Doors opened at 9am, all done by 9.30. So arriving early is definitely worthwhile, but as more catch on, maybe "early" will come to mean earlier and earlier...
This is certainly the busiest I've ever seen it, and locals are saying the same. There's very little shade, and it's an incredibly uncomfortable setup in the heat - even once you get into the Consulate, you're still standing outside!
Very glad I didn't press that snooze button. But I think I will try my luck at HCMC next year if things remain the same.
Wow!!
I was there on a Wed and our line barely made it to the sidewalk near the road before the gate opened at 9.
And I don’t see many Thai GF/wifeys in the pic either!!
I had an umbrella but wussed out using it. lol!
If I was in this line It would be a no brainer!!
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3 years of "Tourism" in one small country?
[emoji23]
Actually 5.
First trip here was the week before the coup.
Admittedly, I’ve never fallen under any valid category other than “tourist” until most recently.
Not too worried about red stamps or lengthy discussions with immigration in the near future.
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You didnt need a copy of the laos visa at all? I thought i read somewhere u need it but other places dont show it.
They didn’t ask for one at Savannakhet. Maybe they verified I had it when turning in my application/PP.
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No questions asked or red mark about your visa history at savanakhet?
No questions/prolonged PP inspection at departure, consulate or re-entry.
No red marks thus far.
I do, however, have 2- Brazilian Vitem V work visas (f/ 2016 & 2018) and 2 Colombian VOA entry/exits.
Perhaps that is an indication that I do not have any previous violation(s) of work restrictions in another country.
I doubt it but this possibility did cross my mind.
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6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:That depends upon a person's nationality. It is from $20 to $42.
Source: https://www.laos-guide-999.com/laos-visa-on-arrival.html
Dang, it WAS $35 for American!!
I did actually clip $35 (1-$20 + 3-$5’s) to the application and after 3 minutes of swapping bills back/forth I could’ve sworn he gave me back $5 more than I gave him.
I remember watching him go back to my stack fumbling with the $ again even after he took everybody’s paperwork/$$ and closed the window.
Did I just ‘till tap’ this guy?! No way!! LOL
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Oh yeah.....it’s still 1000 baht for TV and $30 USD for Laos VOA.
I bet you thought it was free!!!- 2
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Tourist Visa Border run details to Savannakhet, Laos via Ubon Ratachani.
Passport details:
USA
Expires 2025
6 - TV’s used since 2016 (incl one expired but validated May 2019)
1 - TV unused/expired
6 - 30 day transit stamps
5 - 30 day extensions - all from BKK
Visa app packet details:
Application filled out properly :)
Copy passport pic page
2 recent photos white background
Recent Bank statement showing at least 20k baht
Outbound ticket receipt
Trip took 2.5hr via car from inner city Ubon Ratachani on a Wed leaving approx 1730hrs.
Arrived Mukdahan around 2000.
Stayed at Hopp Inn
Highly recommended.
450 baht per day
5th floor room had good pressure/hot water
Very Clean
Strong WiFi
Small frig, TV worked, enough channels to choose from.
Quiet inside and outside.
Mattress above par comfortable for hotel at this price.
Will be looking for this brand hotel in other cities during future travels.
Went to small night market near Makro. It’s within walking distance of Hopp Inn.
Open til midnightish.
Many food stations to choose from.
Other bigger market nearby closes at 10pm so this one starts getting really busy by 930-10.
Have other restaurants + 7/11 in this area next to Makro.
Mukdahan bus terminal is within walking distance (15 min) from hotel as well.
Had a couple guys walking there when we left the hotel about 0730 headed for bridge. Can find taxi out by main road.
GF’s bro took us straight to bridge...took less than 10 minutes.
Bought bus ticket for 50 baht per from stall on left as you walk up to the immigration booths. IO wanted to see bus ticket or was making sure we had one. Driver never asked to see it so maybe many that cross don’t even bother buying one.
Through Thai immigration by 0750
Purposely clipped everything together in PP at visa page just to see if they would go thru my passport and notice the mistake the Suvarnabhumi IO made by validating an expired TV in my PP. She didn’t. Scanned picture page, went back to visa page, took my TM6, gave back the clip, stamped and done. FYI, I did the run 27 days prior to entering Thailand instead of taking a chance on a expired TV that was incorrectly validated. I should have just received a 30 day stamp at Suvarnabhumi.
A good deal of construction is going on there so you have to find your way around it to the general waiting area for the bus. Had an aircon waiting area close by but wanted to be as close to the curb to minimize chance of waiting on the next bus since the crowd was getting thick.
On bus around 0810. And BTW, if your confused why some are letting you board ahead of them in line it’s because they want to get off the bus quicker.
Only 4 of us went to Laos Immigration for a visa on arrival once we arrived in Savannakhet.
Went to window, was given blank app and arrival/dep paperwork. Kept the app, filled out the arrival card.
They took the scaled down visa app copy I had already printed/filled out from online with no fuss.
Had everything prepared purposely since my last border run (Vientiane) was in a windy downpour.
They were picky about a $5 billl with some small writing on it. Did the usual inspection of every bill. Found them another $5 with no scribblings.
Finished with all 4 of us in 15-20 min.
FYI, once they give you your passport back with visa/departure card you don’t have to go thru a passport control cue. Two of the 4 in our group were going straight there and waiting in line with everyone that had just got off the arriving bus. Just keep the passport in your hand as you walk around the lines toward the exit in case they ask for it near the bus waiting area before the hoard of drivers rush you.
Thru Lao immigration by 0830.
Walked past the taxi/tuktuk guys to find an aircon van near the public restrooms at the end of the sidewalk. 200 bht for the two of us (GF + me) to consulate. Made sure the guy wasn’t waiting for more riders before we boarded. Could have possibly taken the bus into town instead and then a tuktuk to the consulate, but wanted to minimize any chance of getting there after 0900.
Got to Savannakhet Thai consulate by 0850. About 20 applicants ahead of me, half with either Thai gf/wife, visa runner reps/Thai boss. So if the line looks long don’t worry, 1/2 are there just with applicants, but most walk to waiting/sitting area until their client gets to window.
At least they have a little shade in front and around the gate entrance unlike Vientiane where u have to stand in the street...maybe this has changed, don’t know. Didn’t rain but I had umbrella. And do yourself a favor and pay the 15-30 baht to put your paperwork in a plastic sleeve. Had one for both Laos/Thai applications.
0900 they opened gate.
Started off excruciatingly slow with the visa runner outfits back and forth with their clients doing the usual consultations with consulate staff before the line actually started moving.
Nobody was there to check paperwork/PP prior to window submission like I’ve been used to at Vientiane and this compounded wait time eventually with a few turned away.
Once the visa runner mafia (sorry, don’t have another term for them) were done getting their clients through, the line went fairly quick with only a few guys being turned away due to problems with school/financial paperwork from what I could hear.
(rant) Don’t you love it when these guys are turned away by the IO, proceed to call the “teacher”, then bust back into the front of the line and give their phone to the officer only to be told the same $&@&ing thing!!
From the time I gave my packet to the IO it took about 2 minutes and I was done which was refreshingly awesome because some half baked Aussie would not <deleted> about having to pay 3000 bht more than everyone else on his run from Pattaya (To Be Contiued).
Anyway, got my cue card (#21) and walked across the street to eat something quick and to mostly wade thru the tuktuk hawkers outside the consulate.
Done at consulate by 1015.
They have a copy shop there with photo service, etc....next to the food shop BTW. The lady that owned the food shop flagged a tuktuk passing through to take us to our hotel.
Took tuktuk to Avalon residence for 100 baht total (both of us). Prob paid the same as I would’ve from across the street, but felt good not having to deal with hawkers and possibly waiting for more riders to pile on.
Checked into hotel (Avalon Residence) about 1045.
$19 US.....had to pass them a couple $20 bills before they were satisfied with their “condition”.
Sat in lobby for 30 min to cool off - AC was running strong. WiFi in lobby was fairly fast.
By 1130 they only had 1 room left.
Some coming straight from consulate came/left so I’m assuming it’s a local fav for regular runners.
GF booked thru Agoda but they didn’t accept her card at a checkin so we paid cash....same for next 2 that checked in behind us.
I don’t really know if they take credit cards at all but the booking is secure thru Agoda.
Went next door to Aura Cafe to hangout until checkin at 1pm.
Aura Cafe was clean, cool, good food /coffee and free WiFi there but Avalon free WiFi was still strong from next door. Their restroom even had lil rolled face towels in a basket!! LOL!
Cafe was full by 1230 with everyone waiting to get a room assignment from either Avalon or the hotel (Aura) adjoining it.
Would rate Avalon Residence hotel 5/10 mainly due to location and adjoining cafe.
Around 1700 WiFi was nearly nonexistent with intermittent periods of weak signals. Could’ve been our proximity to router and/or the amount of users online.
Fairly noisy outside (construction I guess) until dark and could smell the sweet fragrance of garbage burning close by.
The circa 1995 mattress should have been burned years ago as well.
Aircon was working well enough and
Would possibly try Aura (next door) if I make this run again.
Got to consulate at 1345. Was about 10th in line. Was initially under the impression that I would have to wait for my # (21) to be called same as I remembered in Vientiane, but not the case here.
Gate didn’t open until 1440 due to a long line of applicants left over from the morning drop offs. I was under the impression that they stopped taking apps around 12 but I guess not.
Line moved fairly quickly (show cue card/get PP).
About 5 minutes into the line getting situated at the window, in walks everyone’s favorite Aussie from yesterday. Dude walks out of the line from the far back and around to the front and somehow gets behind #2. I don’t even remember him outside waiting for the gate to open.
By the time he got in/got out with his PP, most didn’t even notice. But one French dude did, and then it was on!! LOL!!
The IO at the window had to shut everything down and come outside to see what the commotion was about. French dude explained, Aussie was cornered before exiting, and he looked pretty nervous because EVERYONE was giving him hell.....I just walked by him, siting there waiting, laughed and gave him the same Taylor Swift single-handclap “bye bye” he gave my GF the day before while we were across the street eating. He was the only one in the entire group that didn’t make it to Mukdahan immigration so who knows/cares what happened.
In tuktuk from consulate at 1520 for 100 baht per person.
Upon arrival bought bus ticket (50 baht per I think.....this one I couldn’t remember). Made it through Laos Immigration by 1545 and waited 30 min to board bus. Thai GF had to pay 50 baht at Immigration. I’m guessing because we only stayed in Laos one night....not sure...she didn’t ask.
Got to Mukdahan Immigration stop, grabbed TM6, filled out same in 5 minutes and stamped through by 1640. Probably the fastest I’ve ever seen a line move at any entry point I’ve ever gone through.
Walked to the bus waiting area. Again, the place was under construction so we just followed the crowd waiting. The bus hadn’t maker it through yet and many were just jumping on tuktuks heading to the Mukdahan bus terminal.
If you can, just wait about 20 min and you can take the aircon big bus to the terminal and save some $$. Everyone was showing their ticket on this ride so keep the ticket from Laos ticket booth.
But if you did book a bus ticket from Mukdahan terminal to wherever and are in a hurry, the tuktuks are usually either already there or waiting at the u-turn near the bridge entrance or someone on a bicycle is sitting there waiting for tuktuk customers and will call the next one in line to the curb.
Got on the bus, made it to the terminal by 1720 and jumped on a minibus to Ubon for 125 baht per.
When you get to through the terminal make a hard right and the only buses heading to Ubon are right there. The bigger bus companies had more scheduled runs but we got on the next to last minibus heading to Ubon. If there was more than one bus line going there we didn’t find it.
Out of Mukdahan by 1730. 2.5 hours later (5 drops/4 pickups along the way) and we were back in Ubon. Took about 30 min for the motion sickness to subside due to a busted front strut and a driver that obviously thought playing with the accelerator = saving fuel.
And I made sure my TM30 was in the system within 24 hours!
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Got married and amphur (Ubon) kept my original MFA certified translated passport!
in Marriage and Divorce
Posted
i think you’re right cause I don’t really know when I would need one for in the future but “TiT” keeps ringing in my head.
Guy that processed/approved my yellow book/pink card applications asked if I had it but I had a stamped copy from the amphur from the marriage registration and he was ok with that. I have one more blue stamped copy now.
I’ve heard of getting more stamped copies of the kor ror 2 and 3 so maybe I can get them to pull it if still have hard file.
If not can probably get another one when I goto Bangkok next year for my childs CRBA interview.