twwy123

Simply assume the worst-case scenario (pick a recent exchange rate, add some reasonable padding), and you'll be fine. Euro does not fluctuate that wildly in the short term.

If you have a large amount, splitting it among several passengers traveling with you (that you trust) might help. I know companies that do this with their employees.

To obtain the extension he will need a single entry "O" visa obtained from a Thai Embassy/Consulate with copies of his wife's passport data page, Visa, entry stamp and extension of stay stamp.

Thank you, that is helpful.

On what grounds can he get the O visa at a consulate? Can that also be based on his wife's extension of stay based on work?

I imagine they'd also need a marriage certificate (if not some additional documents)... since it's a foreign document, is there a procedure for certifying/translating/validating it before presenting the document to Thai Immigration?

Just out of curiosity, what sort of dependents (apart from spouses) are eligible to get an extension based on someone's work-based extension?

My friend has what I think is a unique situation.

He is a Canadian national, under 40, lives off investments (though not wealthy, just getting by), and does not seem to qualify for any of the usual Thai visas (won't be working in Thailand, too early to retire, no Thai wife/dependents). However, his wife (Indonesian national) is getting a job in Bangkok, which will provide her with a Non-B and presumably a Work Permit based extension.

Is there a visa/extension category suitable for his situation (except for Thai Elite)? Can he get a visa based on his wife's work permit, as her dependent? What are the requirements and procedure for this?

So this visa is actually valid 6 years and not 5 years ?

The visa itself is only valid for 5 years, that much is clear. By entering on the last day of validity and getting a 1 year stamp, it might be possible to use this visa to stay in Thailand for an extra year, bringing the total to 6. This is likely, but not 100% confirmed.

Nobody wants to be on overstay. Nobody thinks beforehand "i know, its cheaper to overstay 2 years and pay 20,000 the 20,000" Everyone has their reasons.

Many people have their reasons, how valid is a whole different matter.

Thailand does get a fair number of Farang who are simply reckless, and have the "devil may care" attitude, whether it's unprotected sex with hookers or overstaying, they do whatever they feel is the easiest and most pleasant at the given moment, consequences be damned. Apparently, Thailand attracts this type more than other places, and the easy lifestyle seemingly without bounds or consequences makes their natural tendencies even worse.

Then there are others, probably the majority, who get into real problems... which would have been avoidable with just a tad bit of foresight and planning.

Of course, there are many who have legitimate problems, physical, mental or financial, which could not have been avoided even with a reasonable amount of planning and prudence.

Not judging anyone, but complying with Thai visa regulations, was not exactly rocket science nor prohibitively expensive. It changed in the last few years, but prior to that, the cost associated with visas amounted to well under $50/month. That's an achievable amount even for Burmese migrant workers.

If a $210 round trip every month (without a stay at the destination) is well within your means, consider the Thai Elite visa. It works out to $230/mo, if you can stomach the 500,000 baht upfront cost for 5 years.

> Obviously I can't apply for a WP on my Elite visa.

Is it so? I was under a strong impression that it's possible to get a Work Permit with the Thai Elite visa. It doesn't come automatically along with the visa, you have to qualify (e.g. registered company capital, 4 Thai employees), but you don't need to get another visa type and throw away the TE visa. In fact, promotional materials for Thai Elite state that their staff will assist you in obtaining the Work Permit. Double check with them.

If 70 million comparisons take 27 minutes, then 70,000 comparisons could be done in 1.62 seconds.

Are you just doing simple division here? If so, your next Google search should take a few years to return results.

Not all algorithms are O(n), with time directly proportional to the number of inputs. Some are faster (Google web search), some are slower (finding optimal path between cities). Are you familiar with fingerprint search algorithms and their computational complexity characteristics?

How does one get ones (Laos) partner registered as a migrant worker?

I don't know the details, but there is a special visa class for Lao/Cambodian/Burmese migrant workers, providing them with a long-term visa.

There was a recent report of refusal (the official refused to even accept the application), so if you intend to apply at HCMC, have a backup plan in place.

SVB is an airport in Sambava, Madagascar. This is a wrong forum for immigration issues at that place.

Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok has the airport code BKK. If you intend to go to Thailand, I hope you didn't book the ticket to SVB.

It's obvious they're simply trying to squeeze more money out of masses of Chinese tourists, as those are the overwhelming majority of visitors getting Visa on Arrival.

There is no security issue here (I doubt consulates are much more thorough in vetting visitors), and the chances that the 2000 baht will make a substantial proportion of people visit a consulate twice (and pay 1300 baht for a tourist visa) is unlikely. Perhaps some travel agencies might do bulk processing at consulates for tour groups to save a bit of money.

how can you miscalculate? . you email yourself the date In your passport, set alarm on Google, sent email to yourself 1 week before, repeat alarm 3 days before.

place the date on your exit door so you see it everyday.

One easy way to miscalculate is to buy airline tickets assuming the "30 day stay" means 30 days, so if you arrive April 1, you should go back on May 1. Wrong! Both the arrival and departure date count, so it's effectively 29 days, and you would end up with a one-day overstay. Happened to more than one person I know.

Obviously, people on a longer overstay should suffer the consequences, but not having even a small grace period (if you happen upon a cop with a 1-2 day overstay) is a bit too harsh.

It's impossible to guess what they do. Personally, I doubt they're so diligent as to scrutinize and question your every transfer.

In any case, for each one of the methods you listed, it's possible to keep a paper trail: credit card statements, ATM slips/bank statements, paypal statements, the friend including the relevant withdrawal slip along with the cash... so if you're worried, simply keep a paper trail. In the age of mobile phones, it's not as much of a hassle as earlier, simply scan each document into an app (also makes it easier to produce evidence on the spot), though keeping papers is good for extra safety.

In general, as long as you can prove earnings (or drawing on savings) from abroad exceeding your spending, you should be fine, maybe you don't have to document every single transaction, unless you think the pattern is especially suspicious.

In addition, consider having a separate bank account for the required deposit fees for the visa, and a different one (perhaps at a different bank entirely) for daily use. Immigration does not require seeing all your bank accounts, just having a specific amount on deposit for a specific time in one of them.

Does anyone have recent experiences with making a re-entry permit at Don Mueang (DMK) airport before the flight out?

I have a 60-day tourist visa entry, but would like to get out soon (only 10 days in) without forfeiting the rest, but don't want to waste a day in Chaeng Watthana. Been there once, and would rather burn the entry than suffer that place again.

Reading some old treads, it seems like there's an office behind immigration desks, staffed 24h, but most reports are 2+ years old, so it would be good to get a more recent confirmation. Does one need to get stamped out first? Does it take a long time to do the re-entry permit? What is the cost (some say 1000, others 1200), and is it necessary to prepare all documents first?

If you file a police report for a lost passport......when in fact the passport is not really lost.....but you just pretend it is lost..........you are filing a false police report.You then use that false police report to apply for new passport. The use of a false police report to apply for new passport is a crime (and so is filing a police report under false pretext, a crime).

I agree this is a heinous crime and shows highest degree of moral turpitude.

Two questions for you: (1) what damage did such a depraved act inflict on other people and (2) what is the likelihood of getting caught and suffering significant consequences? In my estimation, the answers are "none whatsoever" to both.

In addition, you don't have to pretend the passport is lost, you can actually lose it... whether you did the losing willingly or not, now it's lost, cannot be found, and you do have a right to a new one.

The alternative of coming clean and going to Thai immigration with a forged stamp carries 1-7 years in prison as the recent post indicated, and it would be a major miracle if he escaped without significant damage.

How much time should I allot myself to get through KL customs and immigration so I get back on my return flight to Chiang Mai?

Options are..

1hr 20m

OR

3hr 10m

OR

stay overnight which I'm trying to avoid via the first two options.

Do the 3h 10m option.

KL airport is efficient, but 1h 20m is cutting it too close. If both airlines depart from KLIA2 (the low cost terminal), and you can check in online to print a boarding pass for your connecting flight, then you have a some chance of making it within 1h 20min. At KLIA2, there's a long way from gates to immigration and back (how fast can you run ~3km?), and it's still not certain that you'd make it, a flight may get slightly delayed or you might take a wrong turn or find a long immigration/customs/security queue. If one flight is at KLIA1 and other at KLIA2, you need to take a train between terminals (and a far longer walk), so no chance of making it.

Overnight option is not horrible, a bus to the city costs only 10 RM (100 baht) and there are OK hotels starting from 60 RM (500 baht). KL is not a terrible city to find yourself in, and personally, if I were to spend ~$150 on flights, I'd add extra $30 and take a look around, if nothing else just to see that funny light show waterfall under Petronas towers, and get some great and cheap Indian food. Far less stress too.

Faking immigration stamps is a serious offense, Thai immigration does not take it lightly and they'll almost certainly notice. People have ended up in prison because of such things, including a notable case of a guy (European nobleman) who slightly altered the number on his entry stamp, got thrown in the gaol and died there a few weeks later. Not fun.

Coming clean and going to immigration directly is unlikely to absolve the OP of the crime. It amounts to an admission of guilt, and when it goes to court (which it likely will), he might get a more lenient sentence than if caught. Even if he's lucky to encounter an extremely benevolent immigration official, what can he do? Cross out the stamp with a note "ignore obvious fraud here" to the next officer?

Obtaining the new passport is the only realistic way out. It is ridiculous how much fuss people here raise about reporting a lost/damaged/replaced passport. It's not a big deal, embassies replace passports all the time.

Sure, it might technically be minor fraud to claim your passport was lost when it wasn't, but there's not even a need to lie (it fell down the gutter... got left in the washer... fell into Khlong Saen Saep from an express boat, and I sure ain't diving in there). Thai police, U.S. government or Interpol are not exactly going to launch a massive investigation to prove that OP's negligence in taking care of his passport might have been intentional. Even if the consular officer has his suspicions, he's not going to deny the citizen a new passport - worst comes to worst, he gets put on some list, and has to endure secondary screening each time he travels in the future (unlikely, but I've heard of this happening). Still way, way, better than Thai prison.

Now, is it better to damage or lose the old passport? I'd go for damage, since that wouldn't require a police report. OP is on overstay which is not a big matter to deal with at an airport (maximum fine 20k baht), but if caught by the Thai police (with a theft/loss he'd have to go to them), they might decide to arrest him right there.

Proper procedure upon issuing a new passport is to take both the old and the new one to Thai immigration to have the stamps transferred... since OP is also on overstay, this might be tricky, and it might be better to go straight to the airport (unless advised otherwise by the embassy). Border agents have entry records in the computer, but taking copies of the info page and the visa/entry stamp/departure card (without the fraudulent stamp visible), could only help resolve the matter easier.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

If the problem is having too many consecutive 30-day stamps in your U.S. passport, this might work. The might still match your name/DOB in the computer, so it's not certain. Not sure it could help in a different situation.

As for the most relaxed crossing, I think any airport would do.

• Some offices are asking for proof of residence or a TM30 completed if privately renting.

Thank you. Does the Bangkok office (Chaeng Wattana) ask for this?

My 60-day tourist visa entry stamp expires soon (let's say Dec 20), and I need to renew it. How far ahead can I go to the Immigration office to do this? If I extend it, on, say, Dec 15th, does the 30-day extension start immediately on that date, or on the entry stamp expiry date?

Apologies if this has been asked before (most likely has), but I couldn't find a definite answer in a quick search.

Also, what documents are usually required? Most sources claim I just need to fill out the form, present my passport and pay the fee (that has been the case many years back when I've last done this). However, some say various other documents (like a rental agreement, hotel booking, even apartment owner's ID card) might be needed.

I've quite a number of fellow British friends who have lived in France to long that they have Grandchildren. These rules say they can't apply in France because they have a UK passport and can't apply in the UK because they have a French bank account. Insanity.

It is now increasingly clear that current METV requirements are designed to prevent this type of visa from being issued. As @Lorin reported, even if someone manages to jump through one set of ridiculous requirements, they won't hesitate to come up with another, or if that fails, refuse altogether on any pretext.

METV is unobtainable for now, that much is clear.

Perhaps we might see an occasional successful report, but those will be few and far between. As an aside, not many people know a 3-year multiple-entry Non-Immigrant B visa is a thing... nobody ever gets one (maybe those who do know better than to announce it to the world), but it's on the books.

The only silver lining is that the METV visa type is now formally active. They might decide to loosen the requirements when political winds change (perhaps due to pressure from tourism industry, power transition or some other reason). This will probably be done in silence, only at certain consulates, without a clear or broadly distributed announcement.

Your best bet is to ask for an extension (tell them that the new passport application is pending), then apply for the new passport, and finally transfer the current entry stamp and perhaps the visa into it (this requires an embassy-issued letter asking immigration to do so).

If Thai immigration refuses to put an extension into your damaged passport, one way to stay legal is to get an limited-validity emergency passport. Ask the UK embassy about it, you might be able to get your stamp transferred into that, and the extension issued on it, until you obtain the permanent passport.