Caldera

I'd make things much simpler. I'd replace the retirement visa by a generic "long stay for leisure" visa. No minimum age, but the foreigner has to post a bond for the duration of their stay that could match the current 800,000 baht. No yearly immigration visits, no silly 90 days reporting. Just report when you actually move to another residence.

That should free up valuable police resources that can be used to investigate those who violate the terms of their visa, while all the others should be left alone as much as possible.

Unfortunately, it will also require a professional police force. So most current police officers, immigration or otherwise, will need to be gone. Otherwise they'll just keep accepting bribes from those who shouldn't be allowed to stay, while making life difficult for others. No change in the visa rules alone can address this.

Amazing Thailand - in most countries his ambitions would have ended at the village clown level, here he was able to rise through the ranks all the way up to four star general. I really can't wait to see how many people will vote for this imbecile and his cronies.

3 hours ago, Caliguy said:

Another update from their facebook.

 

Important Update !

Please be informed that the official website for the Visa Application Appointment System (will be activated online from 30 January 2019 onwards) is http://thaivisavientiane.com

The Embassy will no longer use http://thaivisavientiane.org

Too dumb to get even the most basic things done without last-minute hiccups. Oh joy.

19 hours ago, elviajero said:

As a start explain how someone denied entry under 12.9 for not have 20K baht on them is unlawful.

You still don't get it; I'm not claiming that each and every denial is unlawful, but you need to look at each individual case. If someone is asked to show 20,000 baht and cannot do as asked, the denial is lawful. But that's a big IF, as the interaction doesn't always seem to follow that pattern - when someone offers to show the money and they're unwilling to even look at it, clearly listing 12.9 as the sole reason or as one of the reasons for denial is dishonest.

3 hours ago, yellowboat said:

Cambodia seems to be one step ahead of Thailand. 

Nope. Thailand has had that since quite a while.

21 hours ago, elviajero said:

Wow! Corruption within immigration. If we only knew! Your kind seem unable to separate genuine corruption with immigration doing their job!

My point is that when you are dealing with an agency where corruption and ineptitude are rampant, making a blanket claim such as "their denials are lawful!" is nothing more than a bad joke.

50 minutes ago, Lovethailandelite said:

Now confirmed as the exact same system London switches too in April.

 

 

Interestingly though, since the last announcement I saw, "end of 2020" for being rolled out worldwide has now become "in 3 years". That sounds somewhat more realistic.

4 hours ago, elviajero said:

There is no more chance of getting denied at the airport than a land border.

I'll bite. Please provide us with the rejection rates per point of entry (airports, land borders, ports), let's say for 2018, broken down by visa type. That surely is the data you've looked at before making that statement.

Taking into account that actual accomplishments usually don't measure up to what's pompously announced and that this will be the very first version/iteration of the new system, my personal guess (and we're all guessing here!) is that the only check of real substance that will be done at the pre-approval stage is that the applicant hasn't been blacklisted. Consulates haven't been able to check that thus far and that really needs to be fixed.

Once issued, the details of the visa will then be available within that shared database, so immigration will have access and can verify that a visa presented on entry is genuine. That alone should make it impossible to just fake the visa stamp / sticker - obviously a huge improvement.

Anything beyond that might or might not come - later. I have to chuckle when I read what some people have dreamed up on here. That would be ambitious even for countries whose officials are much more switched, diligent and honest.

23 minutes ago, james.d said:

Bangkok to Saigon on AirAsia return for 1800 Thb? How is that as I looked early this morning and it was 3640 Thb with no checked baggage.

You can't just book it at that price on any given day. Wait until there's a promotion, then book suitable dates that the promotional offer is valid for.

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

The point is that if we want an extension we have to give them whatever they ask for, and there’s no point whinging about it.

While I agree that such a "suck it up" attitude is often required when dealing with the officialdom in countries like Thailand, this is an expat forum and sharing one's bad experiences is by no means "whinging". It's useful, if only for other (potential) expats to learn what to expect.

For your sake, I hope your IO will never ask you to jump off the roof before granting your extension. I fear you might just comply without questioning the wisdom of it.

7 hours ago, vinegarbase said:

I have debated between them getting pay offs or it is just a matter of them wanting to avoid work. If it becomes known for denials there will be a lot less traffic so they can laze around on their cell phone all day and get paid.

I doubt it, I'd guess the ever increasing number of short-term visitors far exceeds the number of long-term visitors they can deny under their fantasy rules.

It might well be as simple as them receiving a kickback from the private company that runs the airport detention facilities. Each detainee has to pay, more detainees means more money.

13 minutes ago, Flutterby said:

So basically, if I plan to travel out of Thailand fewer than 4 times, it is less expensive to do the single re-entry permit.

Yes. But if you get let's say 3 single re-entry permits, you've wasted quite a bit of space in your passport, so you might also want to take that into account.

2 hours ago, Lovethailandelite said:

As for the spelling errors, maybe the software should of been created in Thai to make it really difficult for you too read or maybe German, Russian, French etc? It isn't a London based system. It is based in Bangkok and the whole world will need to access it. I would guess a few spelling errors is the least of your concerns.

Ridiculous. Since even Cambodia and Vietnam can do it properly, why do you hold Thailand to such a low standard? You don't actually do them a favor by defending indefensible ineptitude.

The whole process, taken at face value as described by you, also looks like no real brain power whatsoever has been expended to cook it up. It's a bloated mess and certainly not an "eVisa" by any sane standard.

"Let's see how it works" - indeed! ????

Although I've never seen explicit instructions to do so (or otherwise), I always fill in the address where I will spend the first night back in Thailand. Same on the arrival card.

I think, for a tourist entry, that's the most appropriate option.

In the fields for local and Thai guarantors or references, I always write "N/A" instead of just leaving them blank, so every field gets filled in as instructed. That has never caused any trouble and, again, should be appropriate when applying for a tourist visa.

3 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Yes -- but when people on here reference it they often suggest a circuitous trail of cash, other accounts, other person's accounts, etc. before sending it back from the Thai bank they use for purposes of the extension and, if it's all legit, why the need to obfuscate?

If you send all or most of the money back, immigration has a legitimate reason to question how you support yourself. So it's that issue that some people rather wouldn't want to be discussing with immigration, not the (lawful) act of sending back money in itself. Pretty obvious, really.

17 hours ago, JackGats said:

No belongings were returned, no smartphone, no nothing.

Can't say I'm surprised. You probably need the mentality of a thief to thrive as a Thai official. Shameful, yes, but not surprising.

53 minutes ago, ThaiNoobie101 said:

thanks,    Any chance to make a 60 day extension ?

No, each visa exempt or tourist visa entry can only be extended once, by 30 days. After that time is up, you could do a border hop or visa run though.