monkeymind

Thank you for all the very useful help. I'm female, and I dont drink, so I definitely wont stink of booze and hopefully I don't need to shave :)

Permit me one more question if you will... ? In the worst case scenario, if I flew to KL tomorrow to reapply and was denied, would I have to fly home to the UK to apply for a new passport?

Ok thanks once again. 

Do you know if it would it be better for me to go to Samui immigration and explain the situation and pay the fine, or would it be better to get a flight out of the country and pay at the border? 

Thank you for the quick reply. 

I just spoke to a local lawyer and she said that there is a chance I was would get an overstay stamp in my passport and this would affect my next visa application. She said that if I paid 30,000 Bht she could 'fix things' at samui immigration for me. 

I dont really want to spend 15000 extra if I dont have to, which is why i would really like advice from someone who knows the actual situation for a 30 day overstay. 

Over the last month, I have had dengue fever followed by a scooter accident, and as a result have overstayed my tourist visa by 30 days. I am planning to fly out of the country tomorrow and try to explain this to the border guards. Can anyone give me a clear idea of what might happen (other than having to pay the 30 day overstay fee?) Is there a good chance they will prevent me from reapplying for another tourist visa? Is there any chance they will deport me? 

I do not have any hospital records to prove that I was sick. I was taken care of by friends.

Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you. 

Thank you for clarifying. Someone else told me I would HAVE to cross the border after the first 60 days, so I'm relieved to hear that I can just extend in Samui.

3 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Alternative 1:  There is a new "Multi Entry Tourist Visa" - though it can only be acquired in you country of legal residence, has some requirements to meet, and these requirements vary by the consulate where you get it.   Validity is 6 months, with each entry being 60-days, extend-able in-country for another 30 days.  One can get a total of 9 months out of it, if you receive it just before coming to Thailand, and make your last re-entry just before it expires. 

So just to be clear, I bought this multi entry visa just before I left the UK. So after the first 60 days, can I extend it for another 30 days in Koh Samui, or do I need to go across the border to extend?

Thanks

1 minute ago, orchis said:

'postal mail showing your name and local address'

send a letter to yourself

The thing is I live in Koh Phangan and the British embassy is in Bangkok, so it's too late to attempt that. Im leaving BKK on Friday to return there.

48 minutes ago, monkeymind said:

Hi,

 

I was planning on going to the British Embassy tomorrow to see if I can get the letter you mentioned above. You mentioned above that you don't meet their requirements for proof of address, can you please advise what these requirements are? It might save me a wasted journey. 

 

Thank you

I discovered the information to the above question myself. Posting here for anyone else interested. 

The British Embassy will only accept as proof of residency, "driver’s licence, utility bills, postal mail showing your name and local address or house registration", none of which I have. Like many people here I just have a rental agreement/contract with the owner of my bungalow. So it appears a bank account is an impossibility after all. Gotta love Thailand.

On 22 March 2016 at 11:08 AM, BringMeSunshine said:

FWIW, here's the official list of requirements from Krungthai bank:

Required Documents for opening account for foreigner allowed to temporarily live in Thailand



Valid passport with the stamp of Immigration Bureau specifying the granted period of stay; or identification document issued by the government agency or state of the country of origin and additional documents required as the case may be as follows:



1 General foreigner

- Work permit issued by Thai government agency, or

- House registration certificate for Foreigner (Yellow Book TorRor 13) with 13 digit i.d. number

- Evidence of income's source, for instance, salary certificate and retirement pension certificate certified by the source of income

- A letter of recommendation from the applicant's bank aboard (sic) submitted via SWIFT network

- Criminal record from the country of origin or residence country (issued within 3 months)



2 Operating a business in Thailand

- 6 month backward statement of an account with another bank in Thailand

- Documents related to business operation, for instance, purchase order and receipt, certified by Thai staff from the business alliance (id card of the surety is required)



3 Thai spouse and requesting to open a joint "AND" account

- Marriage certificate and id card of Thai spouse



4 Foreign student

- A reference letter issued by school or educational institution



5 Receiving medical treatment in Thailand

- Not less than 3 month resident permit issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical certificate from the medical institution



6 Investing in securities trading

- reference letter from the securities company stating the objective of opening the account



7 Buying real estate property

- Evidence of purchase or purchase and sale agreement

- Certificate from the bank aboard (sic) of the real estate buyer submitted via SWIFT network



8 Officer of foreign government or international organization

- Diplomatic visa, certificate of embassy staff, foreign government officer, UN staff, issued by the affiliation or well-known international organisation, for instance World bank International Fund (IMF)



9 Retirement

- Non-immigrant Visa O-A Long Term Stay (Retirement visa)

I spent a day last week doing the rounds of the banks in silom/sukumwit (including most of those mentioned above as being helpful/easy) and they all want work permits (seasoned for 2 years). Bangkok bank was the only exception, who will take a letter from the Embassy. (in the case of the UK embassy, the letter is called an "Affirmation of residency" -you need an appointment in advance and it costs 3500B. I don't meet their requirements for proof of address, so will have to can-it, I think.

Hi,

I was planning on going to the British Embassy tomorrow to see if I can get the letter you mentioned above. You mentioned above that you don't meet their requirements for proof of address, can you please advise what these requirements are? It might save me a wasted journey. 

Thank you

Today I went to 6 different banks, including ALL the banks in the Exchange Tower, Bangkok, and none of them would let me open an account. I had my passport, driving licence, 6 month multiple entry visa, 6 month rental agreement, and 2 bank letters confirming that I have the correct funds available in each account. 

With the exception of Bangkok bank, they all said that without a work permit it is impossible under new laws. I simply don’t understand how some people have had success opening an account while so many have not. 

Bangkok Bank said that they would only allow me to open an account with the letter from the British Embassy. They gave me a copy to take with me. I will try to make an appointment there tomorrow, but I’ve no idea if this is a straightforward process, or the cost of processing the letter, because it does not seem to be included in the list of fees on their website. Can anyone advise on this please? Thank you.

Yours, frustrated.

On 19 October 2016 at 2:21 PM, monkeymind said:

Hi.

 

I have 2 questions please:

 

1. I want to apply for the METV, but I can only get a print out of my bank statement WITHOUT an official stamp from the bank, because it's an online bank only, they don't have branches. The print out shows the required funds for the last 6 months, and I have a fax header from my bank stating that I hold an account with them, but I can't get an official bank stamp. Will this be accepted by the visa office?

 

2. I have my self-employment self-assessment form for 2015, but not for 2016 because I haven't submitted it yet. Will this be acceptable to the visa office?

 

Thank you for the help.

 

I just thought I'd update everyone in case it was helpful. I obtained my METV,  the London embassy accepted my self assessment form from 2014-15. 

Regarding the online bank statements that had no address pertaining to me, and had no official bank stamp on them, I decided it wasn't worth taking the risk because I fly very soon. So I ended up getting a stamped print out of my ISA account at my Building Society who were infinitely more helpful than my bank. At the desk, they DID check that my statement had an official bank stamp, so I guess this is definitely a requirement.

Thanks for the assistance. 

Well yes, but I didn't want to make the long trip all the way to the Embassy without having the right documentation because I fly out in less than 10 days. 

Can anyone else help with these questions please?

Hi.

I have 2 questions please:

1. I want to apply for the METV, but I can only get a print out of my bank statement WITHOUT an official stamp from the bank, because it's an online bank only, they don't have branches. The print out shows the required funds for the last 6 months, and I have a fax header from my bank stating that I hold an account with them, but I can't get an official bank stamp. Will this be accepted by the visa office?

2. I have my self-employment self-assessment form for 2015, but not for 2016 because I haven't submitted it yet. Will this be acceptable to the visa office?

Thank you for the help.