richard_smith237

You think every foreigner in Thailand has this 'yellow book' ????? Quite the hyperbolic assumption you just made.

Strong point.... the Elite Visa is possibly the most convenient of them all.... However, its a fair old chunk of change. 1MB for lifetime seemed at good deal at the time (early 30's). That said, the Non-Imm visa's as 'resident' visa's are more powerful (if that makes sense). Example - under Thailands Emergency Degree (covid), I could not re-enter with the Thai Elite Visa and had to obtain a Non-Imm O Visa (based on Marriage) before entering... this was Aug 2020 as soon as the borders partially re-opened for non-Thai's (under certain conditions).

You and other chap have polluted the thread. Agreed... they're not worth responding to... completely misunderstanding the points in their haste to argue.... to such a degree there's the Mark Twain quote to consider....

What is your 'measure' of something being 'more Thai ?'.... Its all Thailand... one area is more tourist Thailand, the other is more 'socio-economically-deprived' Thailand... Because some areas are so poor and and rural, does that make them any more Thai than say Surrathani ? Rayong? Hat Yai ? There are area's of Pattaya that it could be argued are 'very Thai' from the same perspective. Pattaya is not just Walking St. and the main tourist strips. Bangkok is also very 'Thai' and has its own 'Thai identity' as much as London has a British Identify, Paris has French, Tokyo Has Japanese..... This idea of 'Thainess' being one thing is preposterously unintelligent... Those who argue area's of Isaan are more 'real Thai' have made the naive assumption that 'poorer = more Thai'. Those who have 'sought' or 'avoided' Thainess have perhaps found themselves feeling a greater degree introspection than those who have the capacity to relax and make the most of wherever they are without the need to isolate, label, pigeonhole everything to degree's of 'somethingness'......

you've convinced yourself that a dirt patch as far away from any other foreigners is 'real Thailand'.... conversely, you seem convinced Pattaya and Phuket is not real Thailand... ... All of 'it' is real Thailand.... just with different socio-economic norms depending on where you are, whether you eat dancing-shrimp or not. You used to drink beer in the dirt at home ???? You've adapted and good on you for doing so and making the most of things - but your idea of 'normal' is quite different from mine (and that of many others I imagine)...

I wonder if Sarah Finch is prepared to go back to using the horse and cart. How will she heat her house ? ... does she use candles to light her home ? Naturally she avoids flying anywhere on holiday... because that would just be hypocritical, right ?

Of course. If you don't take care of yourself, ppl aren't going to respect you in public Agreed... thats basic common sense. Look like an unwashed piece of stinky dirt and people will avoid you. Conversely, look fresh and clean and dress within social norm (i.e. no vest tops in the Bank etc) and treatment will be more 'normal'..... I also wonder if some Westerners 'expect' the 'special' treatment everywhere they go, so when they are treated with the standard indifference Thai's treat each other they take it negatively.

Yup... this also sums things up well.. I suspect location may also make a difference. In places such as Bangkok where there are more 'working' westerners, we are simply treated 'very normally'..... it may be different way out in the sticks when living there for a long time.

This is a good response.... Thai's are not racist, they don't have any underlying dislike of foreigners. Thai's, like anyone else are simply indifferent to others around them, that includes foreigners. In 'some' areas, perhaps those areas of a higher tourist footfall where those tourists have a stronger reputation for being poorly behaved and where those Thai's in the area are there purely to extract as much money as possible from the tourism industry there may be a lack of mutual respect when lends itself to the impression that Thai's do not like foreigners. Additionally, in other areas where there is far less footfall of foreigners there are greater cultural and language issues with lend to Thai's being shy, fearful or simply having a preference to avoid a 'potentially hassled' interaction with a foreigner with whom they will struggle to communicate. Finally, thick skin... people just do dumb stuff, not all, but some... its unfair to tar all Thai's with the same brush.... in eradicating that attitude and looking for the 'innocence and charm' instead of the 'incompetence and childishness' your attitudes (op) may improve and in-doing so you may be treated with something a little better than harmless indifference. Like anyone else, Thai's have intuition and if you don't like a person, they can tell and respond in kind - it really is just that simple.

Ok found it on google. Are this the same guys? Sounds maybe crazy, but realy asking for a friend. This place... https://goo.gl/maps/C7vrvVfS2GHMTfv37 Phuket Provincial Transport office is the place people will go to to get a Driving Licence, register their car, pay for their car tax etc.. (and motorocycle). IF you have a Europe Driving Licence (in English language) the process is relatively simple to obtain a Thai Licence. There are pinned threads on how to do this. You will need - Driving Licence in English Language. OR... Driving Licence in non-English Licence and accompanying International Driving Permit. You will also need a Proof of Address document.. i.e. Certificate of Address from Immigration. Check out the pinned threads on this forum which have plenty of advice about this.

Run a google search for DLT Phuket... (or a google Maps search).

The above suggestion is hilariously preposterous!!! Is he one of those constitutional rights vloggers by any chance ?

BOLT - cheaper (about 1.5x flagfall) & usually less than half of grab, but sometimes (often harder to get) accepts cash only. Not as good of a location encyclopaedia as GRAB. GRAB - 2-3x the cost of BOLT or flagfall, but more reliable. Can register a credit card (not sure if it’s Thai cc only or int’l too) Both have a user friendly app. I usually try BOLT first & if not available go for GRAB (which ends up being most of the time).

Not right. Thai citizenship is not automatic, there needs to be proof of at least one Thai parent & you mentioned the child’s mother was MIA. There are nearly half a million indigenous people born in Thailand who are considered ‘stateless’ & without proof of nationality. Like a lot of threads, yours was missing key info in the opening post hence the reason to ask. As mentioned, if you want to avoid further hassles obtain sole custody sort out his Thai passport…. Or, make your bed however you see fit & we’ll see you back on these pages in future asking for solutions to problems you could have avoided.

Exactly this…. A complete no brainier…. ????

Genius…. Lucky people so helpful…. There are some true problem solvers in this thread !!!!! Magical stuff…

Could ‘explain it for you’ but can’t ‘understand it for you’…….. another poster missed the logic too…. Op is asking about immigration options…. You and another obviously think he’s as stupid as a brick & has failed to consider the possibility of changing his flight, which is usually quite costly, more so than a quick trip to immigration …..

On this forum I have read of this requirement from other posters (I can't remember the province). It would seem this just another pointless layer of paperwork that some provinces adopt and others have no such requirement. Ultimately, it'll just take a little extra leg-work for the Op... to get the receipt of purchase (car), go to DLT and ask them for a letter asking Immigration for the CoR.

Erm.... ok.... Useful info for the Op that... I don't think such a letter is required Timbuktu either (I think that makes the point)... Perhaps someone who has successfully obtained their CoR from the Surin Province can assist. Anyway - Op... This is not a show-stopper. Step one is purchasing the Car. You will receive a receipt of ownership. Assuming it a 'new car' - the car will be on red plates until its registered in your name. You only need the CoR for the registration process (no to purchase).

Fair enough - you never provided that information in your Op.

Please let us know how they respond. It could be simple as they 'change the file size allowance' of a submitted document etc... I kept hitting a brick-wall with a 48 hr UAE Visa application because a photo was not the 'perfect' aspect ratio for requirements (I had to use their online app to stretch the photo). Not suggesting this is the case - but getting through to a human for a viable explanation is clearly the best option. I had a 400,000 Baht transfer to BitKub 'disappear'.... a human responded quite quickly to that and resolved the issue within 24 hours, so they are quite helpful and responsive.

Sometimes the advice offered on here highlights an utter absence of logical thought, or, presents a perfect example of where someone should have read the responses to the questions asked before letting his foot off the clutch too early and stalling.... The Op has two extremely simple solutions: 1) Extend at Immigration for 1900 baht. 2) Border bounce. There is no need at all to change his travel plans... none whatsoever and its clear from the opening post that the Op has no intention whatsoever of compromising the legality of his presence in Thailand.

The perfect solution for someone in such a similar situation under 50 and unmarried. But, the Op doesn't need any of that - he can easily obtain a Retirement Visa, or a Non-Imm-O based on marriage to a Thai (if Married) and yearly extensions of....

Erm.. ok... I'm not sure what your point is other than to make a non-evidence based argument for the sake of it. Many Non-commissioned junior Immigration officers speak a little English (some more), most commissioned officers speak a decent level of English and Senior Commissioned officers speak very good English. The issue took 10mins and was initially irritating which is why I asked for a senior officer - the point was to highlight that these issues can be discussed with Immigration officers and then resolved. No luck at all.... The logic and written rules that you don't believe exist (as per your comment at the beginning of your comment) took president. It was the junior officers who were unsure of the rules, the senior officers we're very easy to speak with... no issues thereon in. Of course, people scared of their own shadow who would simply believe that 'Thailand has no logic or rules' and accept whatever decision is made on the spot will simply come on here and complain about it. Advice was for the OP: IF questioned by the junior Immigration desk officer who does not want to permit entry (working an overseas 28/28 rotation) he can request a senior officer to discuss the matter with - the officers have discretion and IF he can show overseas contracts etc there is a very strong probability the Immigration officer understands his situation.

You can buy a car, you need a Certificate of Residence to have the car registered in your name. Your IO is being awkward, most just give the CoR on request. But, I have read that some can be difficult & need a DLT request. Thus, choose you car etc… get receipt of deposit etc go to DLT request letter asking for Certificate of Address, the go to immigration & get it. Or.. just try again at immigration and see how you get on. Where was it ? - that info may help with the advice.