German farang

3 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

I like to confirm this statement. Upon a time I spent 8 years in Spain, until I felt constrained on this (small) island of Mallorca ...

21 hours ago, BritTim said:

Your friends mostly entered Thailand by land which definitely helped. They applied for their tourist visas in Vientiane, which is easy, but three, sometimes four, visas from Vientiane is usually the limit.

 

To stay around 18 months, the tourist visas from home, plus tourist visas from Vientiane, entering mostly by land, will usually work. Entering at the airport after spending significant time in Thailand involves risk, but most officials will be less strict when they see the entry is from home country with a tourist visa also issued in home country.

 

The biggest risk is visa exempt entry by air, especially from a nearby country. Next biggest risk is entry by air with a tourist visa from a nearby country and minimal time outside Thailand. Your nationality plays a part in how immigration views you. Those from the Indian subcontinent and most African countries are more likely to be targeted. Younger travellers who give the impression of limited means can be suspected of illegal working.

 

In the end, luck plays a part, and criteria followed by immigration officials varies from entry point to entry point, and even among individual officials.

As I heard (from friends & immi officers, now they get "some training" to read "suspecious" body- & behavior language. (very common in many western countries to make a kind of "risk analysis" in a blink.

Also usual: commonly such analists are on watch at the surveillance  monitors (& sure they are connected to the fron officers).

That's the way to identify traffickers, terrorists & criminals) or thise who "looks alike" to have something to hide.

The solution: relax. Just be relaxed.

19 hours ago, jackdd said:

The only case of "random Thai immigration check" i've ever seen is when they check people in "visa run vans" near the border, other than that i've never seen Thai immigration doing random checks and i've travelled quite a lot in Thailand and also in border regions.

In random police checkpoints i was asked for my passport one single time, i did have my passport with me back then, but i doubt it would have been a big problem if i wouldn't have had my passport with me.

About which "random Thai immigration checks" are you talking?

Might a year ago I sat together with another farang (in random BKK) outside his condomium, I had coffee, he some beer.

A picup truck stoped & 4 civiluan clothed (but visible armed) agents (2 of them identified themselfs by id as immigration police). They asked for passport & visa, backchecked by phone calls (to where ever). This was the only "random check" by immigration I ever experienced.

In the aftermath this other farang suspected some local (jealousy? he's not that poor, but greedy as hell) snitch (since no any other farang living in our area)...

2 hours ago, 4737 Carlin said:

I'm currently in Phnom Penh and visited Lucky Lucky visa agents last week with a view to getting a SE tourist visa. They told me its highly likely they'd "void without prejudice" after issuing the visa and I'd be 50 dollars down with a useless visa in my passport - although I do have a history of visa-exempt entries to Thailand as I visit there at least 6 times per year. Phnom Penh, as stated above, is now only for newbies who require a Thai visa. They told me the voiding of visas is extremely common for all nationalities, including Cambodians, at PP now.

"Voiding" ones happen to me in Saigon, 1 year ago. Questions for their reason wasn't answerd. (Youngish thai guy in the consulary agency, maybe a trainee who needed "show up power". An real unfriendly idiot!!!). Later heard similar complaints about Saigon. Don't go there anymore.

My recommendation: Hanoi or Vientiane.

Just saying.

Wish ya'll great holidays ☺

On 11/6/2018 at 6:17 PM, HerbalEd said:

Still hurts, huh? Don't take it out on all Thai women.

Never all but many ????

51 minutes ago, Raymonddiaz said:

I am living in Thailand for many years and my experience is that it's better to fight with a tiger than having an argument with a Thai woman....

Thai women litteraly beat foreign men here so maybe they are just doing the opposite of what Thai men are doing to them...

Not only ones & by a reason I told to my Ex that I wish her dad (RIP) would have slaped her multible times the shit out of her ass... Never & nowhere else I experienced such stupid overdriven ego, arrogance & selfishness compared with lack of any moral education! 

I'll never forget her furious statement: "I am a THAI woman!"

Yep, synonym for a stupid, uneducated but endless arrogant bitch ????????????????????.

My last words to her: "wish you fun with an alcoholic violent thai male" ????????????

Maybe I'm a bit naive or just unaware, so please may someone can explain me please clear;

Many thanks in advance.

When I enter the country I give / write my correct residence address onto my arrival card. I do the same in any embassy when apply for my visa & on the immigration when I take an extention too. It's always the same address (condo of my GF).

Never anyone (specially at the immi) asked me for any report where I stay.

Now following theoretical case:

What when somewhere in the public any immi &/or police guys asking about such report?

Which law says that I have to waste one entire day after arrival to visit the immigration - just to tell them what already is documented???

Nothing new, experienced the same already 4 years ago in BKK as I still lived as visitor in my GF's condo.

At the time I refused to give her landlord any copy of passport or even my name!

Everything nice ????????

5 hours ago, JackThompson said:

(edit - see he had one METV only)

 

If you want more "what the <bleep> happened" info, you could ask at the visa-service inside the Lucky-Lucky Moto Shop (tuk-tuks should know where it is).  That is where I had all my PP Thai-Visas handled.

 

The "without prejudice" language should mean you are OK to apply again.  If you have time and money, maybe try HCMC?  Then you could still use your air-ticket within 60-days.

 

If coming back Visa-Exempt, I would do it via a land-border other than Poipet/Aranya.  You can take a shared-Taxi from Battambang to Ban Laem, which is how I return to Thailand from Cambodia.  I would never use Poipet or risk flying to deal with Thai airport IOs, even with my Non-O ME Visa - certainly not Visa-Exempt or Tourist, unless I had a very sparse history of stays in Thailand.

 

I would guess the same people who bought-off both Bangkok airport immigrations + Poipet/Aranya, are extending their purchases into MFA territory.  That consulate would have been a relatively cheap/easy purchase, given it's corrupt-history and relatively low-volume of late.  All it would take, is an offer paying more than the agents were already paying.

In February this year I had the same problem In HCM! SETV with the stamp "VOID"! Upon request only laughter between two 20ish thai guys. Extremely rude, no any answer!

I had all docs, more than enough $$$ & a payed air ticket out! Also seen "visa agents" with a bunch of passports & papers...

In the aftermath I heard a lot steange things about the consulate  there in HCM! I strongly recomment to use Hanoi (very friendly, no waiting que at all) or Vientiane.

Good luck!

3 hours ago, whitemouse said:

You say you do travel to USA, next time you are in USA get a Multiple Entry tourist visa, there have been no reports of any difficulty getting several consecutive  Multiple visas, and each entry gets you 90 days of worry free Thailand. 

 

You are in Cambodia now, since Phnom Penh refused a visa, all you can do is try 30 day exempt, maybe fly to Suwarna with Bangkok Airways instead of Air Asia to DMK, seems most issues with entry are at DMK.

 

Or hop to HCMC Saigon and apply for TR there, but I have not heard how friendly HCMC consulate is lately.

True, Saigon consulate isn't so friendly anymore. Hanoi or Vientiane would be my choice.

I visited BKK for vacations over xmas & new year, 4 years ago. Sent by facebook a message to (stranger) local thai contacts that I'm looking for a guide to show me the city.

We met at the xmas tree at Central World, but we've don't found / seen each other, so at very first she started heavily to complain by "Line"...

Untill today I regret that I wasn't strait running away then ????

2 hours ago, mindfulness said:

... hey you can book a hotel without paying. Just print out the booking you made. 

Not in Saigon! They only accept proofed payed bookings (of hotels and flights back out of Los).

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

What relevance does showing cash have to do with applying for a tourist visa in Ho Chi Minh City?

One requirement to get a TR visa is the proof to have at least 20'000 thb (new bank statement or equivalent cash in any currency). Is that really new to you???

If you have anynopportunity (in time) just go to the embassy in Hanoi, which is a lot easier to deal with.

The consulary agency in Saigon often has "temporary young staff in educational progress". To deal with such 20-ish aged Thai might heavely sucks (usually flighing very high in their arrogant thai-ness!!!)...

8 months ago I got a visa "void" on this way, despite all paperwork perfect, showed cash and I was very friendly as always I am! Since heard many similar stories - always because of such stuff there!

Hanoi is relaxed, friendly, no problems ever.

Regards.

3 hours ago, Dave8237 said:

But he cant leave on an English passport as he has no Laos visa in his passport..........he only has his 3 day boarder pass, 

Just a thought:  how about to go to Lao with a borderpass, visit the thai embassy in vientiane to get a thai visa?

7 hours ago, wirat69 said:

 

Transfer Bus between Suvarnabhumi Airport – Don Muaeng Airport

 

 05:00 a.m. - Midnight

 Platform of Suvarnabhumi Airport Passenger Terminal 2nd Floor, Gate 3

*Free Service
(Bus coming from Don Muaeng Airport will drop passengers at the passenger terminal 4th Floor, Gate 5) Passengers going from Don Muaeng Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport shall get on the bus at the platform of the1st Floor of passenger terminal of Don Muaneng Airport.
05.00 am. – 08.00 am. , 11.30 am. – 03.00 pm. , 07.30 pm. – 24.00 am. depart every 30 minutes
08.12 am. – 11.00 am. , 04.12 pm. – 07.00 pm. depart every 12 minutes
Location: 2nd floor, exit number 3
Tel. 1722 (Suvarnabhumi Airport Information Center) / 02-535-111 (Don Muang Airport Information Center)

Also possible: public bus number 554 & minivan 

19 hours ago, buick said:

from the nana bts station, you take the bts to mochit station (end of the line) and use exit 3.  once you are street level, you should see some taxis lined up next to some concrete barriers on the road.  i believe the barriers are there to create a bus lane so be careful not to be run over by a bus !! (the buses will be lane 1 and the taxis in lane 2).  every now and then, there are no taxis at the barrier and you have to get one that is parked curbside a little further up the road.  or flag one down.  the fare is about 120-140thb.  most taxi drivers know where to go but not all.  try 'immigration', 'make visa', 'chaengwattana' to help them understand where you need to go.  it might help to have a map with you if at all possible.  it is not a difficult journey, about 30 minutes on the BTS and another 20-30 min to get to immigration via taxi (depends on traffic). 

 

the immigration office is located at the very back of the government complex (furthest point from chaengwattana road).  it can be confusing as to what driveway to turn into, i've missed it before and been able to get in at another entrance further down the road. 

 

it sounds like you are extending a tourist visa.  i'm pretty sure you can do that at any immigration office.  i did one in buriram once (normally use bangkok) and i gave them my hotel name in buriram as my address.  you don't need the TM 30 /house master stuff for the extension in bangkok.  just the standard items, copies of passport pages and TM6, plus the form, picture, and 1900thb for the fee.

 

 

 

 

Don't worry, to extend a tourist visa for 30 days (at Immigration in the Govt Complex Laksi) is at easy: you only need your passport, 1 passport picture, your card of departure, thb 1'900 & copies of your passport (incl. entry stamp & TM 6 departure card). Copies & passport pictures can be done downstairs in the building (pictures thb 120 + copies thb 3 each).

The staff there show you what to do.

You DON'T NEED any document from your renter!

9 hours ago, tonray said:

You can teach English in neighboring country, live like your skint and send as much monthly as you can to your wife and kid. Monthly they can arrange a quick visit to maintain family unity. Sorry to see you in this situation but when life throws you lemons....

Native english speakers are well payed in Vietnam & Laos, even you don't have an degree.

20 hours ago, Bingo66 said:

Good to know thanks, any problems with people getting 2 tourist visa's back to back?

No any problems in the Embassy in Hanoi. Friendly, gentle, fast (apply before 11 am & receive between 3 & 5 pm next day. Required to show cash (at least any currency worth thb 20 k) or bank report from day of apply, a print out from any atm is ok.

12 hours ago, Phuket Man said:

You will not be fined for one day overstay.

Maybe. Depends on the immigration officer to deal with. How ever, worst case would be just thb 500 for 1 day.

16 hours ago, genericptr said:

Thanks Joe. If another person sees this and had a contrary experience recently maybe they can let me know. My Dad could ask them for me if anyone had a number of an agent.

Not sure if I understood well - you are requesting a visa for Cambidia? Well, that would be very easy: just fligh & get your 30 days visa directly from the immigration at Phnom Phenh airport, $ 40 in cash. No waiting, no aplications & no agency required.

To get in Phnom Phenh (and everywhere else) a visa for Thailand you have to vsit the Thai embassy personally. 

Hi guys, I stay in BKK with an single entry tourist visa. Can I change it at Lak Si Immigration office to an multible entry? During my stay now have to visit Cambodia & Vietnam. If I leave Thailand now I would need a new visa - so it would be usefull if I could change it to a multible entry before travel. Is it possible? How to do? Any advice?

Thanks

This device sure has a so-called "IMEI"-number. Find it.

Then use google & take time - in any doubts activate a well working VPN before your search.

You will find the original producer and the real technical specifications. Latest then you will know what it is & how it works and guess why it was mounted on your property.

Cheers, mate.

10 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Odd you card does not work. Is it a ATM/Debit card or only a for ATM's. If a debit card you should be able to into a bank and get cash.

Bangkok Bank has branches in Hanoi and HCMC. Not sure if they could help you or not. 

See: http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/WebServices/LocateUs/Pages/default.aspx  Select interantional and Vietnam to find contact info.

I visited the bbk-bank branch in Hanoi (inside the citybank building 3 floor). They can't, saying they are under vietnamese law.

Well, I used to "live" in BKK since 2 & ahalf years, using 30-day stamps, tourist visa & extentions...

But I clearly don't work in Thailand...

Now I'm unsure because of that much rumors. I stay here in VN since 3 weeks & got my new tourist-visa already, used cash & the atm-card from Bangkokbank here doesn't work.

Should I just try - or is the risk too high?