ChesneyHawkes

11 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

This gentleman sounds like an intellectual.

Unfortunately, Thailand does not seem to have the overall intellect to pull any of this off.

They will figure out making big money off tourism is actually easy and will revert back to that concept if and when the opportunity arises.

Khun Pong was actually my ex boss at PTT a few years ago. Not a big fan of him personally, but he certainly isn’t an idiot, unlike many of his peers in government.

But as you have said, it’s the limitation of those running the country both in terms of desire and capability that mean all these dreams of bigger things will just fall apart when they realise that it’s just too much work for them to even bother with.

You can only use the Chamchuri square if your visa/extension of stay and work permit are issued in conjunction with BOI (board of investment) status, or if you are working under the US treaty that allows 100% ownership of a business (I think). Other than that you can’t report there.

BOI issued extension of stays have a specific stamp in passports so it would be clear to the officer that your other half can’t report there. I know all this because I work for a BOI company, but now do my reports online instead of going in person.

On 10/16/2018 at 4:51 PM, ukrules said:

You should see what I've done with some low value spare coins in the past. I've literally thrown them away before and that was in Europe.

Don't toss coins away in Thailand. The image on the coin should explain why, hence the reason I find Thais a lot more proactive picking up coins when they hear them drop to the ground than we are in the west.

5 hours ago, asiaexpat said:

First day after a 4 day holiday, always a problem at Immigration.

I thought it was a 3 day long weekend. King's birthday was on Saturday so Monday was the substituted day. Was Friday also a public holiday? I generally avoid Mondays, Fridays and any other day that falls right before/after a public holiday. Next up is Chulalongkorn Day on Tuesday 23rd. If you're due in that week, Thursday is your friend.

On 10/13/2018 at 8:03 PM, ukrules said:

You can save them up and buy cheap crap from their catalogue with them.

 

Just file them away in the garbage.

File them away in the garbage??????

You can use them as cash, so you'd almost literally be throwing money away by tossing them.

Yes they can be traded for weird gifts, but that's not their only use.

BOI don't need your original passport until the day you go to get your WP and extension of stay. It can all be done with signed copies. All my paperwork was submitted and checked online so there was no need for the original passport until the day of pickup.

I got there at 7.45 and was out within an hour, but colleagues who have arrived around 8.30 have had to wait as late as lunchtime to get everything completed so YMMV.

Another advantage of doing this at the OSSC is immigration and labour dept are opposite each other in the same room so you can everything done in next to no time. In my case it was 90mins from arriving to submit the paperwork and leaving with my extension, re-entry and wp all valid for two years.

I'd say avoiding the hassle of visiting multiple offices on multiple occasions is a good benefit too, especially the poor Thai sod who's normally running around for you.

Sent mine on 3rd May and this morning got an email to say it had been approved. Checked their website and everything was fine, so as far as I can tell it's all working.

I tend to only make one trip a year, so a multiple-entry is not worth it. That said, the last few times I've just got it at the airport, which has always been hassle-free. As I will be travelling with a toddler this time, I thought it best to save time at the airport.

I get a multiple re-entry as it saves my passport from filling up so quickly. Also if you have a two year extension it'll last two years.

Two year extensions are definitely doable at Chamchuri (see photo of my passport). Side benefit is your re-entry also runs for two years. Half the paperwork over a two year period, and only one page required instead of two in your passport.

Just been through the process for the first time to get my latest WP and extension of stay at Chamchuri Square.

Slightly off topic but thought I'd share my experience here as others may find it useful. Definitely much happier doing it through the OSSC as I get a two year WP and extension from date of application submission. The fact you can get the initial process done online and basically pre-approved saves loads of time when going to the office. Got my re-entry permit there at the same time for two years, and used the premium lane at Suvarnabhumi to cut the queue which was great. Also, at Don Mueang they seemed happy to let me use the diplomatic lane even though the BoI privileges only extend to Suvarnabhumi (as far as I'm aware).

Back to the topic at hand, the amount of capital is irrelevant to use the OSSC in this instance as the first priority is whether the company is BoI promoted. After that, capital will come in to play. Anyone can access the database to see if their company is promoted on the BoI website. The FTA for Australia and New Zealand is obviously an exception, though you will have to demonstrate that you're using the FTA to benefit from OSSC issued WP and visa extensions.

I did find the BoI advice line helpful when I called them for info. Had to provide a BoI promotion certificate, so I guess there's no way around that document unless you can utilise the aforementioned FTA exemption. A bit surprised they didn't want my medical certificate, this shows the docs required list is a bit hit or miss, but better to have everything on the list just in case.

I arrived at 7.30 with my HR person, office opened at 8 and we were out by 10.15.

Compared to the pain of running between offices, waiting for my WP for days/weeks and only getting a year I found the OSSC bliss. I do wish they modeled and applied this for all foreign worker processing, but then it wouldn't be Thailand without their love for paperwork/ under the table action.