kidizen

I was going to book a test with the Thaitravelclinic at Mahidol University but they are already fully booked this week. Can anyone recommend another clinic in Bangkok for the Abbotts's Rapid Antigen test?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KHcVPl1U5ZzSqJahO8jgPa-NHXGqmFGM/view

The last time I got my COVID extension in Phuket, end of January, they put both stamps on at the same time - under consideration stamp and permission to stay stamp, you pick up passport the day after your application is accepted, no need to return for final stamp. I hope they will do the same this time.

2 minutes ago, BritTim said:

While the whole process seems quite insane, I am confused by your statement that you would be unable to send them GBP cash. While certainly not normally recommended, acquiring a few GBP and sending it through by post surrounded by sheets of paper would seem feasible., and the sums involved are not such that losing them would be a catastrophe

Good point.  I will certainly bear that in mind. 

1 minute ago, jojothai said:

Wrong as I understand it.

If they could do that then they would also be able to certify the "original" copy of the certificate in the first place.

 

I understand that they have no remit to legalise on overseas documents except where it has been already legalised by the appropriate personnel from the country within their jurisdiction who they can verify as true.

So for UK they can legalise docs for which they can verify the representative here.

 

I have done several. If you have seen one then you will understand why, see example below.

Front of doc was stamped by the British Embassy. The Back is stamped by MFA ,

see what it says and I think you will understand.

 

As I understand it, the Thai Embassy in the UK has the authority to legalize documents certified in the UK by UK authorities in the UK and not the MFA in Bangkok.

 

FRONT Stamped and with Embassy Seal.

 

BACK stamped by MFA

 

Thanks @Jojothai!  I get it.  I do. It's an audit trail of official signatories to deter forgery in spite of the inevitable disclaimers you see everywhere.

20 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It looks like this

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Thanks very much brewsterbudgen for sharing!  The small print at the bottom makes it very clear that you don't want to skip the Thai Embassy endorsement.

4 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It looks like this

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Thanks very much brewsterbudgen for sharing!  The small print at the bottom makes it very clear that you don't want to skip the Thai Embassy endorsement.

11 hours ago, blackcab said:

Try and find another solution to avoid the international paper chase.

@blackcab, I hear you.  As it happens, we have plans not to be in Thailand for much of the forthcoming year so have decided to let child's non-O visa lapse (since they apologetically refused to accept the birth cert after my second reasoned request today).  We plan to re-enter on 30-days visa free for child and avail ourselves of the "privilege/loophole" of a child being "unfinable" for overstays if it came to that.  (If anyone has any tips and experience to share on this, please do). I will get this legalisation thing done at some point but am not going to get stressed out about it now.

Here's the infographic of the paperflow that explains the legalisation process:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461072/legalisation_infographic.pdf

I'm lost as to what happens after the document has been dealt with by the Thai Embassy UK.  I assume they will send it back to me in Thailand.  Currently, I can't even access the Thai Embassy UK website here: http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/en/home. 

Not to mention that this form you are supposed to fill in for the Thai Embassy is utterly confusing: http://supibee.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/forms/legalisation.pdf

I have no confidence that I will actually get my paperwork done in good time.  I won't be able to pay them by postal order or GBP cash either if that is the requirement.  So this part of the process is the big stumbling block.

I'm also wondering if it's possible to bypass the Thai Embassy in the UK altogether (since we won't be in Thailand for a bit).  I would get the birth cert legalised by Milton Keynes sent back to me - it is still legalized even without the further endorsement by the Thai Embassy, right? Apostilled is apostilled.  And then get the MFA to stamp it before the next use in Thailand.  I know the prudent ones would advise against that.  Having personally visited the MFA twice in the last couple of days, I have a good feeling that they will recognize the legalisation endorsement from Milton Keynes and do the right thing.

I extended in Chiang Mai last time. Going to Chaengwattana this am. Will update.

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It's not really convoluted. Just mail everything (DHL or similar) to the UK Legalisation office, with return address envelopes. It does however take a few weeks. The Legalisation office has a website.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Thanks.  I don't have several weeks this time so will have to see if they will accept the GRO birth cert.

13 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

What kind of extension are you trying to apply for?

Mentioning a birth certificate makes me think you are trying to get an extension for your child.

Legalization of the birth certificate (marriage also) is nothing new.  Same for the UK embassy not certifying documents.

Non-O for child based on my Non-O Retirement. 

13 minutes ago, kidizen said:

My understanding is that certifying photocopies means certifying that the photocopy is a true copy of the original when sight of the original is provided, which I can do.  Surely "these should be applied for through the General Register Office" suggests that the GRO copy should suffice."

Just called British Embassy and the Consular lady did confirm exactly the wording from the website " We are unable to certify photocopies of British marriage, divorce, criminal record, name change, birth and death certificates, as these should be applied for through the General Register Office."

6 hours ago, kidizen said:

"We are unable to certify photocopies of British marriage, divorce, criminal record, name change, birth and death certificates, as these should be applied for through the General Register Office."

Thanks for the legalisation info.  The process is way convoluted and I don't have the time. 

My understanding is that certifying photocopies means certifying that the photocopy is a true copy of the original when sight of the original is provided, which I can do.  Surely "these should be applied for through the General Register Office" suggests that the GRO copy should suffice."

It is also my understanding that Immigration only wants the British Embassy to authenticate the birth cert somehow and they are not asking for an apostilled copy of the birth certificate, or they would say so officially in writing.  The legalisation process is tantamount to getting an apostilled copy of the birth certificate.

The thing is, I have already got the non-O visa and extended it for a year with the GRO birth cert.

Just called British Embassy but they are still closed at 8:15.

I have just been given the run around up the garden path today at Chaengwattana.  I have a GRO (General Registry Office) officially certified copy of a UK birth certificate, Immigration refused to accept that and insisted that I need to get the birth certificate certified by the British Embassy, and then get it stamped by the MFA afterwards.  The trouble is, I just looked at the British Embassy's website and it clearly says they don't do that any more:

"We are unable to certify photocopies of British marriage, divorce, criminal record, name change, birth and death certificates, as these should be applied for through the General Register Office."

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand#make-a-certified-copy-of-a-document

I already spoke to the "boss lady" at Immigration today who referred me to her apparent superiors on the matter.  They mulled over the GRO copy of the birth cert and concluded that they want me to get the British Embassy to certify it.  The thing is, I was not aware at the time that the UK Embassy does not certify birth certs anymore - should have done my homework on that.

The thing to do I guess is to call the UK Embassy to double check, then go back to Immigration and talk them into accepting my GRO copy of the birth cert.

If anyone else has any good info I should know on this front, I'd appreciate it.

BTW, I did go to the MFA too to try to get a copy of the GRO birth cert stamped but they wouldn't do it without the UK Embassy leaving their mark first.

Thanks Ubonjoe.  I'll wait and see.  Do you know what the typical turnaround time is these days for 90 day reporting by mail in CM?

Oh BTW, just read that you are supposed to sign all photocopies of the passport pages.  I didn't do that would that be a problem?

I mailed in my 90 day reporting to the CM airport office EMS with SASE with EMS, exactly 14 days before due date.  They've had my paperwork for over 10 days now (I have EMS tracking confirmation) but no sign of the return envelope in the EMS tracking system yet. 

My main concern is, what if I don't have any evidence that they have processed my form (i.e. return envelope in EMS tracking) by the due date, should I go to the Promenada to resubmit the form in person to avoid being fined?  I do have evidence that they have received my paperwork.

My other question is: Do you still need to show up at 6AM at Promenada to stand in line for 90 day reporting or can you just show up in the morning?

Thanks in advance!

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Vientiane does not do any multiple entry visas. They will only do a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

You can only get a OA visa in your home country.

Penang has been reported as doing the multiple entry non-o visa for being 50 or over.

I saw that in the visa application form in Vientiane, after checking the box for the type of visa, there is a blank for you to say "Number of entries requested" which led me to assume that they do.  I did ask myself if I needed more than one entry and thought not.  In any case, the non-O retirement is only a 90 day visa.

18 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The only nearby location that will do a multiple entry non-o visa for retirement is Penang. You would need 800b baht in the bank or proof of 65k baht income. If using the money in the bank option the ask for proof you are retired.

If married to a Thai you can get a multiple entry non-o visa in Savannakhet Laos (Sisaket is in Thailand) with no financial.proof.

I believe Vientiane, Laos does multiple entry non-o for retirement, the visa is only good for 90 days however and will need to be extended.  I thought you could only get a 1 year retirement visa from your home country.

30 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

3. The TM30 has to be done at the airport office and they will staple the receipt for it in your passport. No need to worry about the 24 hours.

Thanks again UbonJoe, I thought the landlord fills out the TM30, or do I?  Do I (or landlord) have to make a trip to the airport office of Immigration just for the TM30 form in a separate trip?  What documentary requirements are needed for the TM30? I hear talk of yellow book and blue book, Tambien ban and all that. I don't know anything about these and don't have any of them, just the lease. If I can do it myself, I won't bother the landlord.

19 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

1. I think the earliest you can apply at CM immigration is 30 days.

2. What did you use in Vientiane for the financial proof?

3. CM immigration  is strict on the TM30 form. You or your landlord will need to do one before you apply for your extension.

Thanks Ubonjoe.  In response to your 3 points:

1. Do you mean 30 days before the expiry of the 90 days stamp?  I've heard mention of 45 days elsewhere maybe I'm mixing this up with something else.

2. Just a photocopy of income cert letter from embassy, they did not ask to see original.

3. I will get my landlord to fill in a TM30 now.  However, the TM30 forms says notification should be within 24 hours, I didn't want the landlord to think they would be getting into trouble for not reporting in good time.  Are there adverse consequences for reporting late?  Do I then ask the landlord for a copy of it to show?  Or does it suffice for the landlord to mail in the form, can they then look it up in their system?

Thanks very much in advance.

I got my Non O for retirement in Vientiane last week.  Got Non-O 90 days stamp in NongKhai. I even made it from the Thai Consulate in Vientiane to Udon Thani airport in 2 hrs 15 mins, no taxis. All went super smoothly.  The  next step is to get the 12 month extension based on retirement in Chiang Mai.  A few questions if I may, newbie here:

1. How soon can I apply for the extension? 45 days before expiry of stamp?

2. What other paperwork do I need in addition to what I provided for the Non O visa in Vientiane?

3. I've heard about this TM30 form, is this something I need to provide with the application?

Any useful info would be much appreciated.  Thanks very much in advance!

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

4. Are not needed.

Form questions.

1. Leave blank

2. Self

3. Yes

4. OK

5. OK

Thanks UbonJoe!

Heading to Vientiane next week for my Non-O retirement visa.  Just wanted to check with the experts in this forum to make sure that there are no new surprises.  I will also be applying for a Non-O dependent visa for my child.

Here are the contents of my paperwork dossier:

1. Income certification letter from Embassy - original to show + copies to enclose

2. Birth certificate of child - certified copy, original to show + copies to enclose

3. Passport personal info page - signed copies

4. Passport Thai visa + stamps pages - signed copies

5. Laos visa + stamp - signed copies

6. 2 recent Photos 3.5cm x 4.5cm for each of us - have spares

7. Apartment lease - original to show, in case proof of address needed

8. Copies of bank statements supporting  income certification letter - in case needed

If you think I missed anything, please let me know.

We will of course have our passports with us.  Is it worth bothering to download the application form and fill it in before hand?  I'm inclined to do that to save time. 

Looking at visa application form here:http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/upload/pdf/Visa Application Form_new_V_13_8_2558.pdf,

Assuming this is still the latest, a few quick questions if I may:

1. Lao Guarantor - I should leave this blank, right?
2. Thai Guarantor -  I don't know any Thai locals well enough, can I put myself down as guarantor or leave this section blank?
3. Duration of proposed stay  -  90 days, right?
4. Travelling by - would be "bus" I guess as I would be heading back to Nong Khai from Vientiane?
5. Purpose of visit - "Retirement" for me and "Accompanying family member" for child, right?

Thanks very much in advance!

I have done my research homework but any other useful and relevant tips would also be much appreciated.

You might be able to get a multiple entry non-o visa for being 50 or over in Penang if you can show 800k baht in the bank or proof of 65k baht income. If you can show that financial proof you could get a single entry non-o and apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement at immigration.

Savannakhet can be difficult for get a single entry non-o for being 50 or over. Vientiane is the best choice.

This is a new piece of information to me that I have not seen anywhere, "You might be able to get a multiple entry non-o visa for being 50 or over in Penang if you can show 800k baht in the bank or proof of 65k baht income." Could you please confirm or clarify Ubonjoe? Does the multiple entry non-O work the same way as the retirement O/A visa one gets from one's own country that is valid for 12 months and allows you to come and go as you please during the visa's validity? If so, that would certainly be a better option than getting a single entry Non-O and then applying for the 12 month extension afterwards. Thanks in advance!

Normally it appears to be 3 months from posts I can recall.

A year certainly would not be required.

Thanks Ubonjoe and Sotsira. "3 months" is the sensible answer I wanted to hear . My 3 questions have been answered.