PomPolo

Agree with most of this - from my armchair warrior perspective 95% of the people I know have not created a succesful business in Thailand - I could be hanging around with the wrong people ????

But a brilliant post by Rooster I read this every week.

Same age as you used to have the same amount of money. Thailand has a way of helping you spend it, first rule stop telling everyone how much you have or you won't have it for long - good luck take care

Sent from my C103 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

There is acorn y ring to this post maybe people are a a bit 'syc' or want 'more' the root of the thread is sound, anyways ill teak a break and wish you a happy holly day :) Merry xmas!

10 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

Interesting analogy, but I doubt many restaurants actually do that unless they find their costs for supplies have risen. I would guess in most restaurants the profit margins are pretty thin. 

 

As for the Chinese, I'm pretty sure the majority of lower income travelers come in tour groups and the tour company would make arrangements for visas ahead of time or bury the cost for VOAs in the package price so that an increase of Baht 1000 would be barely noticeable when their customers are charged for the package.

 

If any individual would actually be deterred from traveling here based on an increase of Baht 1000, they would probably not be the sort of tourist who would contribute much to the Thai economy. Thailand does want tourists, but their value to the economy is dependent on how much they spend here. 

 

Visa exempt entries for the majority of passport holders remain free and charges for other immigrations services are not that onerous.

Loving your pro Thai view on this and also I love this country too.

I think the main thread you have replied to is along the lines of  'why bite the hands that feed you'?

Sometimes Chinese travellers are the same as western travellers and don't plan 1 year ahead!  So to say they should organise their visa to avoid an increase in voa fees is ridiculous - do you work for immigration? 

Coming back to the increase in fees and comparing it with western inflation double is harsh by any standards. 

Not arguing just putting across my point 

Genius! Let's double the visa entry to the richest country in the world 'china' because we can!

How much do Chinese tourists spend in Bangkok central when they go shopping? 

Let's just close Thailand down and go somewhere else.

Getting ridiculous now

I take that back - next week looks jammed - apologies - but if you can make BKK by 9:45am tomorrow there is one available!

Bedbandit I gave you a lot of advice - why is your appointment not until the 24th - I have just been on the Embassy government website and there are appointments available for tomorrow 18th and every day after that (obviously Songkran slowed things down last week)? Are you being serious with this post? How did you book the appointment?

https://www.consular-appointments.service.gov.uk/fco/#!/british-embassy-bangkok/oaths-affirmations-and-affidavits/slot_picker

One available for 9:45am tomorrow (18th)

Also another thing I found was that the first marriage visa application was the most complicated and required the most evidence. The extensions in the UK were easy and didn't require financial and ability to support to the same extent (this may have changed)

I am sure you are aware but on a standard visit visa she will not be able to work but on a spouse visa she can get an NI number and legally allowed to work.

She will not be allowed to claim and benefits from the UK until she has ILR but as a spouse of a UK citizen will be allowed to free health care (at least my misses was 5 years ago)

Hey Fella,

I don't normally reply to these topics as visa situations are extremely complicated and change regularly and I don't profess to be an expert in them, however I was in exactly the same situation as you to the letter living on and off in Thailand 5 months at a time for about three years and married a girl younger than 21 - which is the age required to apply for a marriage visa to the UK (As per one of the previous posts she DID run off with a younger man in the UK once I managed to get her marriage visa - you live and you learn!) anyways back to the point not all relationships turn out like mine.

Because she was under 21 but we were still married the only thing I could apply for was a 6 month C-Visit visa to bring her to the UK - but I believe the C-Visit Visa no longer exists and it has had it's name changed to a "Standard Visitor Visa" which is essentially the same thing. As you have no Affirmation from the Embassy and no official Marriage Certificate from an Amphur then you can't apply for a Marriage Visa, it isn't a complicated process to get married in Bangkok and I would recommend it if you two are serious about each other, you can do it in a few days with a Bangkok agency - the agencies seem to have preferential queue treatment at the Amphurs and registry offices and its worth paying a couple of thousand Baht extra to do that (they collect you in a car and take you everywhere you need to go form the Embassy to the the Amphur and translate all the certificates for you which you will need to apply for the Marriage visa - so in the long term I found it actually saved me money)

Info on the Standard Visitor Visa from the UKBA is here https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa/overview as long as you can prove long term contact through Phone Call records, Skype Conversations, Traditional Wedding Photos and other photos etc. it shouldn't be a problem - you will also have to prove financial ability to support her in the UK, bank statements, mortgage information etc. it isn't usually necessary to prove any income from your visitor but a few thousand baht in her bank account would be beneficial and a copy of the passbook. The requirements change on this regularly so read up on the supporting docs on the above link.

If you do apply for a Marriage Visa in the future although she will be able to stay longer but in order to gain residency (ILR - Indefinite Leave to Remain) you will have to jump through hoops in the sense she will have to pass a life in the UK test and reach a level of English with a college recognised by the UKBA and also have lived in the UK for 5 years (i.e. One Spouse Visa Renewal to show you are still together). My understanding is that (if you were married) your wife could stay for two years and 6 months (it used to be longer) if she failed any of the Life in the UK tests or didn't get the English Language certificate then it is fairly easy to extend the marriage Visa another period for the same duration even after 5 years.

As I said I am not an expert but reading your post reminded me of my own predicament in the past - ironically my wife still lives in the UK and I now live in Thailand - go figure - apologies if any of my info is incorrect but based mostly on experience.

Good luck Fella

If you are on good terms with your wife and she was willing to send you signed copies of her house book registry and ID card. You could then get a multiple entry non-o visa in Savannakhet by showing thme and a your marriage certificate plus a copy.

If your friend has a register company your and can meet the requirements you could a work permit, a non-b visa and extension of stay.

Hi ubonjoe many thanks for your help over the last couple of days in a couple of different topics - I will certainly keep Thaivisa updated with my own experiences and tips during my experience in the process.

One final question why would you prefer Savannakhet to Vientiane to apply for the Marriage O visa - I have used Vientiane previously for an METV with no issues although I always find it extremely busy and the new queuing system there sucks - reading some posts the process at Savannakhet seems much quicker and smoother.

Thanks again

Hi,

I am looking for the best long term visa options since the METV was introduced - I have had some excellent feedback on a topic I posted around this today many thanks ThaiVisa members (I think this site is excellent)

If possible I would like to know my different options and the requirements for each given my own situation my passport hasn't got enough pages for continuous SETV's!

i) I am 43 years old

ii) I am married to a lady from Thailand who now lives in the UK (we are separated) I am staying in Thailand (hopefully)

iii) I have a new partner and have opened a business together - although she is the owner she would be willing to help in any business/work permit requirements

iv) My financial situation is reasonable with a large pension residing in the UK that I can't access until I am 55

Many thanks in advance - if any more information is required please let me know.

Many thanks yes I think I understand now I have been reading the Forums for a couple of hours now!

Summary I believe:

i) METVs (Valid for 6 months) can only be applied for in country of residence

ii) Applying for Tourist Visas with more than one entry has been cancelled at all Thai embassies, leaving the only option an SETV with an option to extend within Thailand or 30 days giving 90 days in total

Thanks for your responses, out of curiosity when did the rules change as my last double entry that I was given was on 21st Sept 2015

Regards

Hi,

I have been reading on the forums about the different tourist visa options and to say I am confused is an understatement!

My understanding currently (please feel free to correct me or add to this) is:

There used to be and option to request a SETV, DETV or a TETV for a tourist, this has now been replaced by only an SETV or a METV

I understand the rules on leaving the country every 60 days or extending by 30 days at an immigration office and also the 6 month validity of the METV.

I have previously had a tourist visa valid for three months and two entries - I got this in Sept 2015 so am assuming this may have been the old DETV?

I am planning on going to Vientiane in the next two weeks and would like to know how many entries I can request i.e. if I request 2 like last time I will get a double entry valid for 3 months. Or the main question is am I allowed to request 3 entries at Vientiane that I assume would result in an METV valid for 6 months - if so what documents etc would I need. I have a Thai savings account with well above the discussed amount in other forums required for an METV.

Any help would be much appreciated.