Caldera

I have no idea if he's the most suitable candidate of the lot, but by any fair standard, he has proven that he's unsuitable and a total disgrace.

Keep it as simple as possible, most immigration officers can barely read English anyway. I've never written more than just "tourism" and have never been asked for more details.

3 hours ago, mal2018 said:

What a ridiculous statement! I’ve just done it from Phuket and was one of the easiest and straightforward visa trips that I have done in the past 15 years. It doesn’t cost a fortune either. Bangkok to Savannakhet about 5000 Baht with 30 minute stop in Paske. Much better than risking your life on a crappy old bus and saves so much time.

Nice rant, but in case you didn't notice, you commented on a post that is more than 4 years old.

2 hours ago, fondue zoo said:

I've read you can buy sims at a lot of shops easily enough and I tend to stay connected with voip apps.

Depending on the Thai SIM card you have, buying a data roaming package for it might be a good alternative to shopping for a Lao SIM card. As an AIS 12call customer, I've used a package for 99 baht that gave me 2 GB of data usage in Laos with 7 days validity. Speed and network coverage were decent in both Vientiane and Savannakhet.

2 minutes ago, cleopatra2 said:

Thai Law defines a tourist, as somebody temporarily away from their normal residence

I'll bite. Cite the law.

When I applied for a tourist visa in Savannakhet, the hotel booking I gave them was for the first night only, matching the "address in Thailand" on the application form. This was accepted. I'm not sure if it was even required, they were certainly more interested in my bank statement.

Does that only work with Bangkok Bank's app? I thought the Bank of Thailand standardized a QR code payment system so that it works across banks. And it does, with countless other merchants. If the BTS really deployed a system that only works for users of Bangkok Bank's app, that would be a huge step backwards.

15 hours ago, Jingthing said:

"trump" is not a legitimate president anyway.

Says who? I'm all for removing Trump from office, provided that my assumption (!) that he has committed impeachable offenses is correct. Until and unless that happens (or he's voted out, declared unfit, resigns or dies), however, he IS the legitimate president. I find your statement sickening and just plain wrong, because it undermines the rule of law and due process.

On 1/2/2019 at 8:12 PM, elviajero said:

But my question was why should they be given special treatment over other foreigners that could work at jobs in Thailand? Just because you can work anywhere, doesn't mean you can work anywhere.

You have it upside down. Right now, DNs are given special treatment, as a side effect from being merely tolerated without having specific rules catering to them. Adapting Thai laws to present-day realities would remove this special treatment - they would contribute by paying income tax and social security just like someone employed by a Thai company. It would be the smart thing to do, which almost guarantees that it won't happen.

Instead of either merely tolerating or attempting to ban digital nomads, Thailand would have the option to cash in on them - to give them legal status while taxing their income. That would take quite a leap though.

5 hours ago, elviajero said:

So someone with a new visa-less passport gets a tourist visa in Vientiane. They then rock up at Nong Khai and the IO see's they've entered the country 10 times using back to back tourist visas. Do you honestly believe the IO does not have the legit power to deny entry?

After 23 years in Thailand, you're obviously unable to distinguish between "having power" and "using power in a legitimate way" anymore. That's why it's almost pointless to argue these matters with you.

2 hours ago, masterblaster said:

What cracks me up about those vans is there are always a couple folks who instead of ID cards produce a written letter that's been folded all to hell, and the cop/soldier will read it then without any other form of ID with picture etc. they are cleared. I always assumed they are Burmese and it's some document related to their right to be in Thailand, but really no idea.

 

I like to imagine it saying something along the lines of "Htay is pretty cool, let him pass."

That letter is a border pass and does have a picture. Thais can get a similar one for visiting the border areas of neighboring countries.

My first thought when looking at that photo was that gay marriage came as an early New Year's gift from the government to the two guys pictured holding hands.

You will need to provide a complete address (including your room/unit number, street address, sub district and district) in Bangkok, but you will not have to show any document proving that you reside there.

Your list is complete, that's all that's required. Not sure what you mean with "2 photocopies"; a single photocopy of all the pages/papers you've mentioned suffices.

If you're interested in visiting Phnom Penh for five days, that's a good option for your first SETV. It does take longer than the usual next day turnaround, but you can indeed use an agent and don't need to queue up.

Please don't give them ideas!

1 hour ago, JLCrab said:

If the Thai IMM actually does put in a monthly income extension of stay via an FTT-type bank deposit, they'll either have to find ways to scuttle the 'myriad' workarounds or just put up with them.

Right. I have a hard time believing that it will be as easy as showing monthly FTTs going in. Without any supporting documents, that's pretty much worthless as proof of actual income.

No problem to come back right away.

That's all very well, but where can we buy those shirts?

2 hours ago, elviajero said:

Section 12.2 effectively allows the IO to deny entry because the person has stayed in the country a long time without proving -- through normal channels -- their financial standing to continue that long stay.

That is, of course, just your personal opinion and you've consistently failed to back it up with anything official from either immigration headquarters or those overseeing them, whenever challenged.

Others are of the opinion that Thai officials generally have a tendency to make rules up as they see fit in what they consider their personal fiefdom, which explains why each immigration office and checkpoint is essentially a law unto itself.

To the OP and others in a similar situation: A tourist, unlike a resident, has the liberty to shop around. Use it to your benefit.

Well if they wanted to have ATMs there, I really don't see any reason why there cannot be any. Phnom Penh airport has ATMs nearby the Visa on Arrival counter, so if you need cash before applying for the VoA or before clearing immigration, you can withdraw some. I think it's the same in Vietnam.

Personally, I wouldn't rely on that, anywhere. ATMs can run out money or go out of service for other reasons, after all. Then what? It's best to come prepared.

If your main objective is to save money, take the bus from BTS Morchid to immigration (Chaeng Watthana) instead of a taxi. You won't be able to save much, if anything, by doing a border run instead of getting an extension.

It might be as simple as the immigration supervisor getting a kickback from those 800 baht charged for detention. The more detainees, the more money they make. Now that their nice little VOA gravy train has been stopped, they might well be desperate to pursue other revenue streams.

I do realize this is Thailand we are talking about, but charging people such a fee for detention which is involuntary by its very nature really shouldn't be legal anywhere in the world. It's shameful. How about the IDC in the city, do people get charged for their stay there as well?