Caldera

5 hours ago, mania said:

It seems like they have confused visiting a Thai Family with the requirements for yearly extension based on marriage?

I don't think that they're confusing the requirements, but that nowadays the view seems to be that such a Non-O visa is primarily issued to people who will use it to apply for an extension. Their conclusion is that the requirements for the extension - except for the money seasoning - need to be met for the visa application already.

That's quite insane, but embassies and consulates closer to Thailand (e.g. Savannakhet, Vientiane and Phnom Penh) have applied that "logic" since quite a while already.

So yes, for a family visit, nowadays a tourist visa seems to be the way to go.

12 hours ago, webfact said:

international lunar research stations

I'm reading lunar but I'm thinking lunatic.

Despicable, that kind of thing has been going on for years. Cambodia seems to be unwilling ($$$) to crack down on those Chinese gangsters. 

400 out of millions, and most of those 400 are petty crimes.

Go after the criminals by all means, but all that crackdown hysteria is way over the top.

He barely made it into the Top 10, that must sting. 😉

4 hours ago, pomchop said:

so if social security from usa exceeds 65 k a month u do not need to mess with the 800 k thb in a bank?...do u just bring a recent social secuirity statement showing the amount u receive monthly is that what they want to see?

 

in other words who/how/when do u show your pension/soc sec to get a retirement visa?

 

thanks for info...

If you want to go the "monthly income" route as a US pension or social security recipient, you need to do monthly transfers to Thailand exceeding 65,000 baht and show evidence of those transfers (paperwork from the receiving Thai bank). You can't just show your pension or social security papers. 

5 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Still waiting for someone with a long term visa to go through the Automated exit gates at Immigration, and return to Thailand without having their re-entry permit cancelled.

 

Maybe the software has been updated recently.

Give it a rest already, I haven't seen anyone but you who STILL doubts that it works despite countless positive reports. You are coming dangerously close to defaming immigration. 

54 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Are they open on Tuesday?

Yes, open from Tuesday to Thursday, then closed again for Songkran on Friday (12th) and on the following Monday (15th) and Tuesday (16th). Quite a few holidays upcoming!

13 hours ago, webfact said:

The report disclosed a total of 14,449 units, valued at 73.2 billion baht, were purchased by international buyers, marking a 25% increase from 2022.

That doesn't really amount to a lot, considering that it's for an entire country and for the whole year. That increase looks impressive, but there were still Covid restrictions in place in 2022.

In reality, foreigners seem to have very little interest in buying property in Thailand, and the vast majority of condo units sold in 2023 went to Thai buyers.

Admission to a mental health care facility would make a lot more sense than admission to the team of mods.

1 hour ago, bbi1 said:

Those people should be caught and deported back to their own countries and banned from entering Thailand for 10 years. Dodgy foreigners bribing their way to stay here illegally.

What would be the point, considering where you are? In a way, they've adapted better to how things are done in Thailand than those who deny those underpaid officials their tea money. 

Closed, Monday is a substitute holiday. 

16 hours ago, Avoid said:

fly to HCMC is different to vientiane?for visa exempt? no direct flight from hcmc to CM,so we also need to pass unfriendly BKK or DMK customs?

If you want to re-enter visa exempt by air at Chiang Mai Airport, you could fly to Hanoi instead. There are direct flights between Chiang Mai and Hanoi.

8 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

No wonder foreigners lynch Thais left and right, I feel like that by now myself too. Ready for the first trying me out, to KO him.

That certainly isn't a very healthy attitude. I do get your frustration with Thai immigration, but try to take it less seriously or move on?

Seriously, why even bother at this point? It's a shoddy process, you STILL need to attend immigration and you pay extra for the "privilege".

I'd just get an online appointment instead. That cuts down the time spent at immigration significantly and is free of charge.

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A Phuket doctor at the centre of an assault case involving a Swiss expat says she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incident.

Good grief, Thailand isn't a great place for a snowflake. 

I just use my Thai ATM card for ID at CDMs. That even works across banks; I recently used my Kasikorn Bank card with an SCB CDM.

1 hour ago, Yagoda said:

Thats what I was looking for. $10 each way to Poipet makes it worth the risk, especially because I could do it just to go to the ATM right outside the crossing, which is why I would want to do multiple crossings anyway. Plus a bit of shopping.

 

Im not going to do it when I am on a schedule but I might just run to the ATM next week and I will ask the immigration supervisor on duty.

 

Im the type of tourist the Thais want. Come in, spend money, leave.

You want to visit Thailand just to go to a Thai ATM? My Thai ATM cards work fine with ATMs in Cambodia, so I'm curious why you would do that.

3 hours ago, bangkok19 said:

Fact!

I went upstairs and replaced my worn ATM BKK Bank Debit card, at that time (August last year) I was in town for just a few weeks (didn't even HAVE a visa).  Lots of signatures required and plenty of general chit chat. I was asked by the lovely lady in conversation (not in an official capacity) where I'm living etc and after replying she just gave a big smile and gave me my new card and said "happy holiday".

Re your request...  Yes, I opened accounts on 3 occasions over the years with just a Tourist Visa in that very same spot. First time was in the 80's when there was actually a small Post Office up there within the bank.

I've also had accounts with the TFB and later Kasikorn Bank. All opened with just a Tourist Visa!

The one thing they did stipulate was to "keep the account active" which I do.

You, Dr Jack are the typical keyboard warrior that spends your whole day on this site trying to disprove other contributors' personal experiences.....

"please post fact"...  Really????

 

Nobody has claimed that you cannot keep an existing bank account alive and do things like getting debit cards replaced while being in Thailand as a tourist.

Your report provides no evidence that you would have been able to open a new account at that branch on that day as a tourist, however, which is what this thread is about.

16 hours ago, thecyclist said:

That was around 9 years ago on a TV.

Funny that in the banks where I was refused ,they spoke English. 

Spoke/ had to speak Thai in the one where I got my debit card. 

 

9 years ago things were a whole lot different. We all have anecdotes like this to share, but they are of little help for foreign tourists who want to open a bank account in Thailand NOW.

6 hours ago, Yagoda said:

US citizen, Cambo long term visa, very convenient for me to zip righ to BKK via Poipet.

 

But its only two a year exempts, no exceptions, right?

As a resident of Cambodia with a longterm visa there, you MIGHT be able to get a multi-entry tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

6 hours ago, Gknrd said:

I've thought about this before, Just stay until you are caught. Then pay the fine get the ban and move on. Makes financial sense for sure. No bank hassles, no immigration hassles, no reports. 

If the ban and being forced to move on at a moment's notice doesn't bother you, why not. Some people manage to overstay for 10+ years, after all.

3 hours ago, thesetat said:

Why would he need to leave the international portion of the airport if changing planes here? They do not look for Thai stamps if not actually leaving the international section in the airport. And he will not be passing through Thailand immigration either. 

I wasn't talking about entering Thailand, I was talking about APIS. You pay the APIS fee as a transit passenger, too, so my best guess is that the system is being used for transit passengers.

If your airline gets a "do not board" message via APIS for your flight to Thailand, you definitely won't be on that flight and your intention to transit airside wouldn't matter.

58 minutes ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

Probably because he does'nt want to deal with Thai immigration I would fully understand that.If they would give out 1 year visa again I would stop that immigration nonsense too.

Sure, that's understandable, depending on your local immigration office. Some are a pain to deal with.

But that's hardly something you could tell the Thai consular official in Savannakhet, if he questions why you came back instead of applying for an extension.