DUS

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

A return flight is not required. A onward flight out of the country is all that would be need. That could even be a one way ticket to a nearby country.

Is this "onward ticket" a new requirement? I´ve had 2 METVs so far and was never asked for an onward ticket. A ticket TO Thailand, yes, but none OUT OF Thailand.

54 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That is what the rules state.

 

Thanks!

So it is that CW in most cases then decides to grant only 60 days whilst the rule allows them to grant up to 90. Interesting!

26 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

What type of school is she attending?

The 90 day extensions only apply for an informal school such as a language school. For formal schools it is still a one year extension.

I am surprised you say it is 90 days for language schools. Here at CW the "rule" at the moment seems to be 60 days extensions only. And this makes it really awkward if you don´t leave the country and have to do you 90 days reports as well. I mean, you arrive on your 90 days Non-Im ED, then you do the first extension plus the 90 days report at the same time (though at different desks at CW), 60 days later you do your 2nd extension, 30 days later you are again at CW for your 90 days report and so forth. Horrible! That´s the reason why I didn´t go for the ED visa although I am studying at a language school and would be in a position to get the ED visa. Too much hassle, I think.

On 17.3.2017 at 7:40 AM, ubonjoe said:

Chaeng Wattana does not want the TM30 form. No reports of people being fined for not doing one there.

You just wasted your time doing one there.

Ah, that fits quite nicely with what I was told by 2 guys over the weekend. When I mentioned the 90 day reporting to them they just shrugged their shoulders and said: "We´ve never done a single one since we moved here over 10 years ago. Nobody ever wanted to see one at CW when we applied for our extensions of stay based on retirement." And the summarised in their recommendation to me: "Key is to never file your first one since once you´re in the system, you´re bound to be questioned sooner or later if you don´t do the reports."

So, is that really true? Stay out of the system and CW is unlikely to bother you (at least until there is a big change in how they deal with TM30s at CW)? What would be the maximal penalty if they see that you´ve never done one in let´s say 15 years?

PS: Yes, I am currently using my second METV.

So am I getting this right, that the 90 days report has nothing to do with the visa and the extension?

Correct!

 they will give me a visa that is valid for 90 days, then I have to get an extension maybe for 60 days and I still have to go for the 90 days report? Would I have to do that at the Wattana office?

Correct!

The reason I'm also asking is, that a student I met during my trial lesson, told me, he got a multiple entry student visa (ED) in his home country (Germany) and that he has to do a border run every 90 days but this way doesn't have to deal with the offices in BKK. Since he hasn't been here long enough and hasn't done the first border run yet I'm not sure how accurate this information is.

That´s correct! If you can still get a Mutliple Entry ED then this imho would be much better than applying for a single entry one in one of the neighboring countries over here. But, as you correctly said, you´d need to leave and return every 90 days.

As for as DLS is concerned: As long you are serious about learning (the basics of) the Thai language then DLS is very good. But to do it "the right way" you should expect to invest 1-2 hours per day in "homework" on top of the 3 hrs at school. It is a lot of stuff that they put into their 4 weeks courses and in the 7 months at the school so far I haven´t come across a single student who made good progress without a noticeable effort "out of school". 

You will apply for an extension of stay after the initial 3 months. On that first occasion you can also do your 90 days report (if I am not mistaken and provided that you didn't leave the country for a weekend trip etc). The extension will (regularly) be granted for 60 days so after 60 days you'll apply for another extension.   30 days later you'd go to CW again for your 90 days report and so forth. 

I study at DLS and was thinking about an ED visa but FOR ME it is too much hassle.

1 hour ago, Sig said:

Sorry, I don't understand your question.

I obviously misinterpreted your "I would recommend Union Language School first. After that, I would recommend Unity Thai Language School (who "appropriated" Union Language School's system a number of years ago and started their own school)". Thought you´d recommended using these different teaching approaches in consecutive order rather than your first choice of school being Union LS and your second choice being Unity.

32 minutes ago, darrendsd said:

Something else you are

 

Give it up, have you not noticed people are laughing at you?

Yeah, I must admit given that he´s "been around" for many years now I am surprised he still gets so bloody agitated...... 

Made me laugh: "Derailing the topic".... 55555 ..... m8 grab a beer..... THERE IS NO TOPIC!

Other than the one in your head..... lol

Somebody having a bad hair day moment? Take a deep breath and then grab a beer and cool down m8!

I am not sure if it is a good idea to ask (again) since whenever TE gets a mention it usually ends in a massive heated exchange of words. But lets see ....

So, here´s a brief summary of my personal situation:

48 1/2 years old, planning to live in TH without working for many years to come. But as a newbie to the country (having moved here last May) making long-term commitments surely is what many would at best describe a leap of faith. My second METV ends at the end of April of 2017 and I will leave and re-enter TH at the end of that month so that I can get another 60 days (+30 if I can get myself to apply for an ext at CW). This would then let me stay here till the end of June or July before I need a new visa.

Now, I have the option to get an "ED visa" but, honestly, I don´t want to apply for an extension of stay every 60 days PLUS do the 90 days report at CW for a year. I just don´t fancy spending so much time there (at CW). Going for SETVs for 18 months till I hit 50 is also something which doesn´t sound too appealing to me and that´s why I already decided to finally join the TE program this summer. Now the question I asked quite some time ago is the question I would like to ask again, today: Which membership level to go for?

Based on the user feedback given quite a long time ago my current thinking is to go for the 5 years membership for 500k. That opinion was heavily influenced by those who said things such as

- "Go for the 5 years membership because this will take you over the 50 years "threshold" and then you can have a look and decide if you fancy doing the visa and extensions based on retirement."

- "Go for the 5 years membership because it will give you plenty of time to figure out if Thailand is the right place for you and if you like it you can then decide between renewing the TE membership or going down the route of "extension based on retirement".

- "5 years is long enough a commitment to make in the first place, so don´t go for the 20 years membership."

All this sounded and still sounds reasonable to me today..... Still, there is that silly voice in my head saying "C´mon, for the sake of 500k extra you should just go for the 20 years version and only if it is for peace of mind and the convenience factor." Now, I can afford the 1mn BUT it would still be quite an investment for me. I am not a millionaire in GBP or EUR terms by any stretch of the imagination. That´s why I also think that at this stage in my life over here the 5 yrs plan probably is the better choice. But with that nagging voice in my head re the 20 years program, I´d at least want to ask you here on this forum, if there are any valid reasons that I´ve missed so far that would change my mind and opt for the 20 and not the 5 years version of Thailand Elite. 

I´d certainly appreciate your thoughts and comments. Thank you!

DUS

Maybe you should discuss this in the Pattaya thread? 

6 minutes ago, elviajero said:

I don't think it matters too much what you put, but my advice would be to keep it simple.

 

The visa is not designed for people to live in Thailand, but for those that visit regularly. There is no need to detail all your visits when you apply.

I agree! I think I didn´t even answer that particular question when I applied for my 2 previous METVs. And as there is no requirement for an "outbound/return flight" I myself wouldn´t bother calculating the days between my first day of entry and my planned return flight. But then again, there certainly is no harm in doing so.....  

2 hours ago, spiritr7 said:

The TUT lost control, and first hit a taxi driver, who was at his seat and taxi desk. It then hit the security guard at Siri on 10 Condo, and the other fatality was a passenger going to Centre-point where the TUT belonged. This happened 200 yards away from Centre-point NOT at their driveway as stated. I see this vehicle every day, and never seen going quick, but some days overloaded. RIP all 3 deceased, and prayers to families.

Well, that´s not how I saw/perceived the accident and I was maybe less than 10 meters away from it walking on the other side of the Soi when the Tuk Tuk crashed into the 3 people. But that´s irrelevant now...... The point is that 2 of the 3 survived. But RIP the taxi driver. What a horrible way to pass away. His head injuries were truly horrendous. :-(((

On 8.3.2017 at 5:18 PM, Sig said:

checking out the uni programs is all good, but if you really want to learn Thai language, the very last thing I would recommend is studying at a university. I've experienced both (2 universities and 5 private language schools) and there is absolutely no comparison. And if a visa is part of the issue, you can also get a visa from proper private schools.
I only have experience with private schools in Bangkok. I would recommend Union Language School first. After that, I would recommend Unity Thai Language School (who "appropriated" Union Language School's system a number of years ago and started their own school). I think your progress in the language at one of those schools as compared to a university will be dramatically different.

What´s the advantage / added value of joining UTLS after attending a Union LS for half a year or so. Genuinely interested to hear your insight and experience with that approach!

There are probably many schools who offer weekend classes. Here´s one: http://dukelanguage.com/night-classes/

Mind you, personally, I wouldn´t call any weekend only courses "intensive" even if those were 6 hrs or so a day (Sat/Sun). 

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Fast enough to kill whilst in the hotel driveway?

 

The full article does mention a malfunction in the vehicle's "choke" which one could read as a stuck throttle. What's the betting it mysteriously fixed itself in the impact?

Contrary to what the article says, it wasn´t in the hotel´s driveway but in the middle of the Soi when it happend. It crashed into the group of 3 people  and came to a halt at the entrance of one of the car parks along the Soi. It wasn´t a nice view indeed :-(((((

18 hours ago, schlog said:

It is doable and you should have enough time for a burger.

Had to do it in 45min once with passing immigration in and out without luggage.

The last 4 times I flew into KL2 the minimum time I had to wait to clear immigration was 50 mins. Last weekend it took me 75 mins to clear immigration! Plus 10 mins to walk briskly from the gate to the immigration hall makes close to 1 1/2 hours just to enter the country. Leaving the country is usually very fast but 2 months ago there were long queues there as well, with waiting times of up to 30 mins. 

So, yes, it is doable and if the airline issues the connecting flight on one PNR (ticket) then I wouldn´t worry too much since then, as it´s been said above, it will be the airlines job to sort any mess out for you. But then again, would I trust a low-cost carrier to have a customer friendly service approach when it comes to missed connections? The answer is a clear "No".

1 minute ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

Is fast track immigration available on 1mil 20 year visa? 

 

 

Yes, it is.

I can already hear the Mod approaching with his virtual broom, getting rid of all the rubbish and bickering that´s been posted today..... ;-)))

1 minute ago, JB300 said:

Most of the options don't have any ongoing fees & convenience is exactly what you're paying for.

 

Spot on, JB300.

That´s one of the many problems the "moaners" have with TE... they can´t even read the Ts&Cs correctly....

On 9.2.2017 at 0:16 PM, beeyonder said:

3 months, and you have to go to immigration for have a 90 days extension for one year.

I was told today that your VISA is for 90 days and then you´d have to get an extension of stay every 2 (!) months! So is it now every 2 or 3 months? Really confused now....

On 28.1.2017 at 11:38 PM, Mooner said:

Pulse, expat tv, flawless and many other options.

Do some research.

Had a 1 day trial of Pulse and that worked well (on that day at least). Then signed up for a 24 hrs trial with Flawless and was so happy with it that I immediately signed up for 6 months. Problem is, whenever it comes to live football (i.e. Sat afternoon UK time in particular) it has become unwatchable for me here in BKK. Speedtests, when Flawless is buffering like hell, consistently show 20 - 30 Mbit. But then again, this is to local servers and not the foreign ones Flawless are using. But yes, watching Flawless during "peak hours" is (for me) a useless exercise. Just doesn´t work for me despite a fantastic customer service who have been switching me from server to server in search for one that works for me in TH. Unfortunately, none works proficiently enough for me. Will certainly not extend my 6 months subscription. Real shame because WHEN it works it is brill.