Tod Daniels

1 hour ago, PJ71 said:

No it's not....

 

6. Spouse Thai passport not required ( not for spouse anyway )

 

- no mention of 1 year ME non O at all, how would you know they're available based on this info?

- no mention of fee for 1 year non O ( that you wouldn't know are available )

- no mention of name change doc for spouse from thai to western name that i was asked for 2 days ago

- only mentions 3 month visa

 

 

 

The one year non-O multi-entry has NEVER EVER been listed on the Savannakhet website, you WRITE one year multi on the application and you hand them 5000baht

Just so we're clear, In the last month I must have talked to and interacted with well OVER 150 people who've gone to Savannakhet from Bangkok and gotten their visas issued. Tourist visas, Non-B visas, Non-O based on marriage or raising children, etc.  

To a person IF they met the requirements, paid attention to the times you can apply and pick up your passport AND watched for Thai/Lao holidays they all got their visas the next business day

At this time Savannakhet is the "softest touch" consulate to get a tourist visa issued in S/E Asia.

For a tourist visa they don't care if you have two years of covid extension stamps in your passport, a b/s back door ED or Volunteer visa, just that you have a bank account showing 20K baht or the equivalent in it when you apply for the visa.

They also accept Chinese and India passports for visas (probably only for a limited time) and it's still a walk up no appointment needed consulate.

If ANYONE is contemplating getting a visa that'd be the consulate I'd recommend hands down..

The O/P may indeed be able to 'grease the wheel' and get his passport processed, the visa stuck in and get it back this afternoon via using those shady guyz out back 
BUT
remember though, if that not-so cunning plan falls thru, the consulate has his passport.

Meaning he's stuck in Savannakhet until Monday afternoon when they give the passports back from the people who are applying today.

55 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Consulates aren't always good at keeping their websites up to date.

The website of the thai consulate in Savannakhet is spot on for the requirements and the way that consulate works as far as visas

1 hour ago, PJ71 said:

The info is not accurate, first hand reports ( recent ) are much better. <- That is not correct in any way shape or form

The info is 100% accurate, as far as the times when you can turn in an application and the times when you can get your passport back

Savannakhet has a 2 working day processing time <- Turn your passport in one morning, pick it up the next business day in the afternoon.
 

This post reads like a slow motion train wreck ????

The adage "fail to plan means planning to fail" comes to mind. ????

 

Just go to the thai consulate in Savannakhet Lao <- across the river from Mukdahan
It's walk up service, no appointment needed and they have two day processing, apply one day in the morning, get the passport back the next working day afternoon

You won't get in the gate without an appointment. That's how it's been since before the countries closed due to Covid 
AND
keep in mind they have 3 working day processing time <- example you turn in your application Monday morning that means you can pick your passport up with the visa Wednesday afternoon.

On 12/12/2022 at 9:38 AM, brianthainess said:

You can prevent that by getting an e-visa, allow 4 business days from memory.

IF you use a border bounce service you CANNOT get an eVisa for Cambodia because the borders they use do NOT accept eVisa for entry. You can't use an eVisa at Ban Laem OR Ban Pakard to enter cambodia

To be completely honest I did not even bother to read the previous comments (so some people might have gotten it correct, but the brief scan I did of the responses showed most were FAR from the mark ????

Here's how it works sports fans
IF you enter on a visa exempt or tourist visa entry THEN you switch that to a 90 day Non-O visa in country you DO NOT do any 90 day reporting until you get your FIRST yearly extension. That's when most offices put a small paper in your passport showing you WHEN your first 90 day report is due

The Chong Mek/Vang Tao is a totally acceptable border to use for a bounce

It's not a busy border, and you shouldn't have any issues bouncing out and back there

News Flash !!

ALL Land borders with Burma are CLOSED to foreigners bouncing out and back and have been since March 23rd 2020 when the country locked down. 

With that being said ALL land border with Burma ARE open to local traffic <- (for the thick that means thaiz and burmeze)

Three of the four countries who have land borders with Thailand are open; Malaysia, Cambodia & Lao 

One final time BURMA land borders are CLOSED to foreigners exiting OR entering

The Aranyaprathet / Poipet crossing is by far the worst border crossing of all the land borders in Thailand post covid.

For Cambodia cross at Ban Laem or Ban Pakard.

And if you have a passport filled with covid extensions use a border bounce company to lug you there-n-back and grease the wheel so you get in without issue.

Good luck, choose wisely.

7 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

We all know VIPs don't travel around in vans so can you tell us what the van is really like?

They only have room for 10 people,
Plus the seats are way bigger and more comfortable than the one where they jamb in 12 or 14 people

Tanya at B/B doesn't run, but Thai Visa Service runs from Tesco On Nut 3 or 4 days a week

https://www.thaivisaservice.com/

Just so you're clear. The STV program ran out Sept 30th, and it was not continued like it was the previous year.

It's not even on the eVisa site (used by some consulates) as a choice.

And if you got an STV before the program ran out, all you get is the 90 days you got stamped in for when you entered.

It cannot be extended inside the country any more.

There are copy/photo shops on either side of the immigration office on the 3rd floor at IT Square Laksi Plaza
You can get photos, copies, and they'll even fill out your forms (for a fee) if you want

ANY country that uses the eVisa online portal to get a visa for thailand has the option of getting a 6 month METV,
https://www.thaievisa.go.th/
You FIRST select Tourism/Leisure Activities, that will fill in the next spot down "Visa Type" with Tourist Visa (TR) and then you select Multiple in Number of Entries.

Keep in mind IF you want a 6 month METV you have to show you're exiting/re-entering within 60-90 days of your expected arrival. They specifically say if you don't show you need this visa you will get sold a single entry and NOT get the difference refunded (example an METV in the US is 200 and a SETV is 40 so you lose 160 if you don't show you're exiting/re-enter thailand 

All the land borders with Burma have been closed for more than two and a half years.

Why not just go to the immigration office and get a 30-day extension for 1900 baht off your 30-day entry stamp

Or if you're hell bent going on a board of bounce slogan up to Chiang Rai province and bounce out at the Thailand/Lao border crossing of Chiang Khong. You need to buy a Lao visa to stamp in and out of the country for $40 but that is the closest land border that's open to Chiang Mai

Hate to go against ubonjoe ????BUT in Vientiane it is NOT turn in one day pick up the next afternoon anymore ☹️

Now they have a THREE day processing <- meaning you turn in your application and pay one morning and then TWO days later (the 3rd day) you pick your passport up in the afternoon. This means if you apply on a Thursday you get your passport back MONDAY afternoon

Also you aren't gonna get IN to the consulate without booking an appointment in advance but joe did link to the appointment web-link

Pay attention to the posted holidays too. This Friday Aug 12 is a holiday SO if you turn in your passport Wednesday this coming week you ain't gonna get it back until Monday 

Just curious why you paid or said you paid 2000 baht for a visa to Lao when they are typically 30 to 45 USD depending on nationality.

11 hours ago, Scott424 said:

 If I remember correctly I needed to have 400k in the bank with the balance coming from monthly transfers so it was not possible for instance to have 200k in the bank and monthly transfers totally 600k. 

 

I believe that is a misunderstanding on the immigration office/officers part of how the rule is really written. ????

There is NOTHING in the rule in thai or english that says for the combination method that you must bank 400K baht. ???? What it says is the seasoning requirements are in effect for the banked portion <- That means what you're banking has to be in the account for 2 months before you apply, must remain in the account for 3 months after and then the balance can't go below 50% of that amount the rest of the year (no matter how much you're banking) ????

I know of a couple immigration offices that told people that, one person I spoke with filed an appeal and had their initial denial of extension overturned (he was using 200K baht banked to make up the short fall of his monthly transfers). Another person wasn't bold enough to tell the officer he disagreed and wanted to file an appeal and I don't know what happened in his case.

As Scott424 correctly suggested, GO talk to the immigration office in person, BUT make it clear you know that there is no "must bank 400K baht" in the combination method and push it as far up the flag pole as you feel comfortable with if you're getting a different answer