jimjum

First, a quick thank you to ubonjoe for all his informative and accurate posts which I've read over the years.

I'll be honest and was only 50:50 about getting on the flight to Vientiane but thankfully I did and it was ok.

Spent the whole journey and first night in Vientiane wondering whether I should do a SETV or a visa exempt.

In the end, I didn't want to risk coming back on Monday, so I went for the visa exempt and came back to Nong Khai today without any issues. I had a Thai reference, financials, rental contract etc but no questions.

There was a recommended Laos agent offering to do a same day return visa, for an amount I would have been happy to pay considering all the borders are closing, or closed, but in the end I didn't risk finding out.

I flew to Vientiane earlier this evening, Thursday 19th March.

I was nervous but then I found somewhere online that the cancellation of Laos VOA wouldn't happen until Friday. So I went to Don Mueang and asked the AirAsia check in staff and they said it was still ok for VOA.

So I flew to Vientiane and the taxi driver from Wattay International Airport said the suspension of VOA would happen tomorrow, Friday 20th, as I had read online. Is it ironic that the locals both here, and LOS, think they will soon allow flights from china and everyone in SE asia is now far more scared of "the farang" instead !??

But despite all the visa run companies cancelling the runs to the Thai Consulate in Vientiane, there are no appointments for almost 30 days. And when an appointment is cancelled, from what I have heard, a new one does not then become available. Maybe just me, but I find it difficult to believe that all those appointments will be filled by people who are not using a Laos VOA.

And then I wonder what happens at the border to Nong Khai with insurance and medical certificates etc???

Thanks Mupper2019 for your response, I hope Vientiane is the same.

Does anyone know what the Vientiane consulate strict requirement of funds in a account actually requires?

Bank statements are normally issued only once per month and many accounts are paperless these days.

Apart from a having a Thai bank book, what can be printed out that will satisfy this requirement?

Could someone tell me, what counts as financial proof at Vientiane, when using a foreign bank account?

Is a time stamped screenshot of an online bank account ok or does it need to be a real bank statement?

Thank you once again, ubonjoe, for your ever flowing fountain of visa wisdom. 

When applying for a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) at immigration, with 15 days left on the current visa (exemption), do you need to go to the closest immigration office to the address of the mothers/daughters house book?

The reason I ask is the closest immigration office for me would be Ratchaburi and from other reports I can't see that being a smooth process, unless anyone has tried it there.

Could I go to Bangkok? For category O, what is the rule for immigration office location?

Thanks Jo (?) for the response and the warning about London.

I am named as the father on the original birth certificate. It's the name change documents that have me worried as I currently only have the current house book with the new names.

Could someone please confirm that it is probable that I will also need the parent's original house book, which included the original names that match the original birth certificate?

With 200k in the bank, any idea which is friendlier for a single non-o for an unmarried legal father under the age of 50, Savannakhet, Penang or anywhere else nearby?

I'm currently on a visa exemption, for the first time in a long time, so would either go at the end of this month or get a 30-day extension and go towards the end of next month.

I have signed copies of the house book registry at their current registered location, which is the same address as the mother's id card, for which I have a signed copy.

I have a signed copy and the original birth certificate. However both the mothers and my daughters name have changed since the original birth certificate was issued.

My daughter's name was changed to a western name with my surname and though unmarried I am the legal father, for which I have the original and a signed copy of the official document.

The mother was born, and therefore our daughter, with a Chinese surname and shortly after my daughter's name changed, the mother changed hers to a lucky Thai name.

I have the original and signed copies of the official name change documents.

Firstly, am I missing any documents to apply at either Savannakhet or Penang?

Secondly, I understand that the first time I apply at Penang I can only get a single entry, so how much in a Thai bank will I need to show for a single entry?

I would really appreciate it, if anyone could provide the full set of requirements for both single and multiple non-O visas for an unmarried father, under the age of 50, of a Thai child.

From other topics Penang, Vientiane and Savannakhet seem to be the best options, but couldn't find anything definitive for 2018, so thought it was best to double check.

A follow up, just in case anyone is interested.

I didn't do a border run from On Nut, a service for which I have faith in, as I wasn't in Bangkok. So if you have 4-6 months before your passport expires and you need some extra time in the country that probably would have been a better, less hassle option.

However I used a Pattaya based service, which went to a different nearby border checkpoint. Let's just say I had to deal with it myself, in thai, and added about an extra 50% cost on top of the day trip.

Normally I avoid situations like this but after hearing the same thing from 3 different sources I chose to give it a go and whilst frustrating, it was an interesting experience!

I do have a 2nd passport and am currently sorting out paperwork for a long term visa.

I will of course get a new passport, but will do it when I return to Europe at some point.

Thanks ubonjoe for your reply and advice, not only on this topic but many other ones too.

Is Ireland one of the countries which only require a passport valid for their length of stay?

Is there a definitive list of countries, or is it more a grey area depending on the IO/border?

Hi, I read that whilst you need 6 months before your passport expires to enter Laos, you could enter Cambodia with only 4 months left. Apparently even less if you go with the border run service that runs from On Nut.

As far as I know you always need at least 6 months left, on your passport, to apply for a Thai visa. However to enter Thailand, I read that you only needed the time required for the entry stamp before your passport expires.

I was hoping some of the well informed people on TV could confirm whether this is true, or not, and if anyone has actually tried this recently.

I thought I had seen almost everything on the roads here, after driving tens of thousands of kilometres, all around the country.

But last week, whilst waiting on the right hand side of a crowd of people waiting to use the crossing opposite Pattaya police station, a pickup truck swerved off the road onto the footpath, without breaking or any indication, missing me by literally a hand span.

Is it ironic that the driver used the nicely painted crossing as a convenient way to mount the footpath, before navigating at speed between two palm trees. As expected the pickup stopped just across from Central Festival and started loading things from the beach onto the back of the pickup.

I could only imagine how the official news on TV would read with witnesses seeing me jump out in front of the truck, for the usual farang reasons, with the pickup driver swerving in an attempt to avoid me causing them to mount the footpath. Case closed.

Thanks again.

Could you confirm that there is no proof of address required, as whilst I have a rental contract from a private landlord, I would prefer to not risk being rejected for failing to have a business stamp on either the contract or the payment receipts?

Flight into Thailand and money no problem, but can the flight out of Thailand be to a nearby country rather than the EU?

I have read other topics debating about what constitutes a ticket out of Thailand, but it seems specific to each consulate.

Thanks edwardandtubs for the suggestion of Hanoi.

What are the latest requirements for a SETV at Hanoi as the latest TV report is a few years old so may well have changed?

Still interested in a report on a recent "agent" experience in Vientianne and a private message would be fine.

I've been visiting long enough to consider that a big sign, especially in English, may well not be the full story.

I would appreciate any feedback on what is involved when using a tout for 1800 baht to skip the Vientianne queue.

I haven't been to Vientianne for over a decade, so it would be nice to go back for a few days without the long queuing.

I was hoping to travel on a Sunday, but I must be well past it these days, as the thought of sitting around for hours on end during hot season, probably without a chair, and maybe a fan if you're lucky, fills me with total dread.

When you pay 1800 baht to the tout and give them your passport, what happens next? What's the procedure?

Ok I admit I didn't witness the crowds personally, but I have seen photos of the hundreds of people sat around waiting and a queue number in the 600's, with a queue behind still backing right up out the doors and out around the block.

Most likely an exaggeration on the total, but prefer not to risk queueing for 4-5 hours to submit an application form.

Again from the photos it appeared to me that over 80% were asian, so probably a large proportion were filipinos.

A better question maybe would be, which days do the filipino visa companies go to the Vientianne Thai consul?

A year or two a go, I heard all the visa companies went there and they were processing up to a thousand people a day, so you could be queuing for hours.

After the recent crackdowns, I was wondering whether the numbers had dropped considering it is now also low season.

Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks for the replies.

Never thought of subletting from my girlfriend, so a rental contract and receipts may well be the best way to go.

Obviously I would prefer to avoid the issue all together, but since you never know when the rules are going change it's best to be prepared. Also a pain to change travel plans at the last minute as cheap flights need to be booked well in advance.

Thought about Vientiane, but I heard from friends it used to be really busy with all the visa companies going there. But with the recent changes that may well have changed, so unless any one's been recently I will ask on a relevant thread.

I have read many of the recent reports from various countries, but I have a more specific query that I haven't found answered.

My girlfriend/partner rents a house (6-month rolling contract) and when I visit Thailand, my main base is staying at her place.

Any idea how I can satisfy the new Proof of Address requirements for a SETV from an embassy in SE Asia?

Is it ok to have rental contracts in two names or is there some other document that can verify my address?

Do I have to demonstrate that I have made some form of payment towards the accommodation. If so, what would be accepted?

Again: A Tabien Baan has nothing to do with ownership / property rights.

Thanks for clearing that up.

If this should be a separate topic please feel free to move this post or let me know.

What happens to the Tabien Baan when the owner changes, does it get transferred to the new owner at the same time as the Chanote?

What happens to the Thai people originally registered on the Tabien Baan when the Chanote changes ownership?

What is the connection between the address of a Thai on an ID card and on the Tabien Baan?

Again, much appreciated for an info anyone can provide on the subject.

Hi, first post here, so not sure whether I should start a new topic or if my question is relevant enough to be part of this one.

The owner (jao baan) stated on the house ownership document (thabian baan) is different from the owner of the land deed (chanot) but they are related.

Is it possible for the owner of the land deed (chanot) to sell the land and house in a single transaction, without the participation and/or knowledge of the owner (jao baan) stated on the house ownership document (thabian baan)?

What happens to the registration of people listed on the house ownership document (thabian baan), after the house is sold and transferred to a new owner? What is required for children to be registered at a new address (thabian baan)?

Any light you could shed on these matters would be much appreciated.