
Caldera
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Everything posted by Caldera
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Arrest Warrant Out For Ex-Interior Minister Over Graft Charges
Caldera replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
It took them more than 10 years to finalize what looks like a straightforward case? Really? -
Overstay and expiring passaport
Caldera replied to Tayida's topic in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Different countries might have different procedures, but I think in most cases an embassy doesn't want an overstayer to become their burden. If they refused to renew an overstayer's passport to enable them to leave Thailand on their own, guess what, eventually one of their consular officials would need to visit that overstayer at the IDC - and that would just complicate matters. I've seen many reports of overstayers obtaining a new passport, but not a single actual report of an overstayer who was refused a new passport just because of being on overstay. -
You don't need a round-trip ticket, but you do usually need to show travel to Thailand and an outbound ticket. In your case, you might well have a problem, as the consulate in HCMC might advise you to apply for the Thai tourist visa in Malaysia instead, seeing that you'll travel there before traveling to Thailand. Or maybe your ticket to Malaysia will just confuse them. It's usually a good idea to keep things simple. When I applied for a tourist visa in HCMC before, I bought a throwaway round-trip ticket to Bangkok, although my plan was to travel back overland via Cambodia.
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110 Thai immigration police officers charged in visa scandal
Caldera replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
My biggest concern is what the immigration police will come up with next, now that they've lost all this extra income. It will need to be replaced, one way or another. -
I don't really see the wisdom in forging a passport in Thailand and using it to exit Thailand. Even with high-quality forgery, the fact that the passport holder's entry to Thailand wasn't recorded in the immigration database surely is bound to sound the alarm, so what are the chances that they just stamp such a person out? Using a passport forged in Thailand to enter another country would be a different story, I guess it could work.
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QR Jacking - potential issue here......
Caldera replied to topt's topic in Jobs, Economy, Banking, Business, Investments
Many Thai temples have had PromptPay QR codes for donations on display for several years, often on an actual donation box to provide an alternative way to a cash donation. Sure, someone could post their own sticker there instead, but then the recipient shown in the bank app would be "Somchai Whatever" instead of "Wat Whatever", which should look suspicious enough to at least the more alert people. -
Digital IDs Approved for Use in Boarding Domestic Flights
Caldera replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
If they actually do accept the DLT QR License, that would be great news for foreigners living in Thailand who have a Thai driving license but no other Thai ID. I already have that app and it works. Boarding domestic flights with a physical Thai DL has never been a problem, so I'm quite hopeful. Let's see. -
Laos - visa required for a few days visit
Caldera replied to bbi1's topic in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
At the Nong Khai border specifically, you have the choice, you can get an eVisa in advance or you can apply for a visa on arrival there. Aussies do need a visa, either way. -
Based on the OP's report and the reviews above, I think it would be fair to say that they've changed dramatically. Some of their requirements go well beyond what's normal (compared with other Thai embassies and consulates) and reasonable. So it might be time to put Hanoi on the list of places best avoided for a tourist visa application.
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E-Extension - Working/Valid?
Caldera replied to aldriglikvid's topic in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
It's too convoluted, as you still need to attend immigration to get your passport stamped after "online approval". If they had the good sense to open a service window at a BTS station in Central Bangkok specifically for this purpose, it wouldn't be too bad, but still having to venture out to Chaeng Watthana is a deal-breaker in my book. I've often spent more time traveling to and fro than at the immigration office. -
That's a nonsensical generalization. I opened a Thai bank account two years before moving to Thailand, when I was already a frequent visitor. Just for convenience and to avoid having to pay ATM fees which were starting to become ridiculous. Nothing to do with any criminal activities. Nowadays, with QR code payments and whatnot, there are even more reasons to have a local bank account. Not for someone on a once in a lifetime trip to Thailand obviously, but for any frequent visitor (of which there are many).
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Taxi Scams Remain Top Complaint Among Foreign Tourists in Thailand
Caldera replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
This just goes to show that people have become scared little rabbits in recent years. When I first came to Thailand, the prospect of potentially getting scammed by a taxi driver didn't cause me any sleepless nights. Now with apps like Grab and Bolt at my disposal, there's even less reason to be worried. -
Just to better understand, as this thread has been focusing on your past 7 months in Thailand, is there any prior history of Thailand visits visible in your passport? Additional tourist visas from before Covid or something like that? With just the one tourist visa from last year plus two visa exempt entries that had been mentioned, that level of scrutiny seems well over the top and would be a new development in Hanoi, which used to be quite a friendly consulate pre-Covid. That being said, mentioning a Thai girlfriend has always been a bad idea and often leads to consulates asking for a letter of invitation or other such nonsense. You might have been better off making additional hotel bookings to cover the entire time, as they can be canceled easily anyway. Too late for that now, but might be worth considering for later and by others. Thanks for your report and best of luck, hopefully they'll issue the visa after putting you through that ordeal.
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Their wording is pretty clear. You might get away with giving them a screenshot instead of an actual statement, and/or with a document that shows your current balance instead of the 3 months they're asking for, but is it worth the risk? Most of the banks I'm using have a feature in their app that allows me to download a PDF statement for months I can select (typically going back 12 months max). That's what I'd do, for the current months plus the 3 previous ones, and print it. As long as the current balance is 20,000+ baht and the statement covers 3+ months, as requested, I don't think they're interested in individual transactions, so I'd probably do that for a savings account that has few if any transactions within those 3 months.