Bday Prang

No not yet, but as time is getting tight I applied for a METV as it will just about fit my needs. If I remember correctly they used to require a letter from an employer/ tax return and bank statements showing £5000 in ones account for six months. Those visa specific requirements seem to have disappeared as does the more general requirement to take a photo of oneself holding ones passport I was expecting to be asked to explain why I needed a multi entry, as I only provided an invite letter from the gf as proof of accommodation but 5 days later it was granted, no questions asked Based on comments both in this and other threads I'm pretty sure that the MENO's have , at least for now, been withdrawn from most western countries, and a reply received from the embassy by one member saying "have to get get single entry and extend at immigration in Thailand" not only confirms this but is pretty much, word for word, exactly the same as a reply I received a few years ago which was the last time these visas disappeared without notice For some reason the MENO visas based on marriage, have always continued to be available from Savannaket when withdrawn from consulates and embassies elsewhere although I believe these now have a 400,000 baht "money in the bank requirement" and I have no idea if they issue MENO visas based on retirement

That was "then" its different "now"

one of my favourite films, and one of just a few that I have watched more than once

They actually were "the good old days" dealing with the local Thai Consulate in Liverpool was always painless, I was on first name terms with the staff there. Far better than dealing with a faceless, and presumably Thai, official via an unreliable and badly designed website Imagine having booked a 3 month initial flight last week with the intention of applying for a multi non o and now having to change it to a 2 month flight in order to change ones application to a ME. TV. More unnecessary expense and disruption ! Even inquiring about the requirements via email is now more challenging bearing in mind the slow response times from the embassy, During the good old days all it took was a quick phone call or one could even pop in to the consulate for an instant answer and that was at Liverpool, Hull was even better

Well i sent a short polite email yesterday, just waiting for the reply

What is fake about it? Seems right enough to me

Not a case of thinking to much, more a case of reporting some changes, which as usual have not been formally announced anywhere. It might actually even be of help to a few people. Luckily I have just bought a return flight which gives me 59 days in Thailand as I was pretty much decided to limit my stay and would only require a tourist Visa, I was considering increasing my options by getting a ME non o and thought about getting a 90 day flight. That would have had to be changed to a 60 day flight for a tourist visa and god knows how much that would cost,or if its even an option with my ticket

No wish to start a TVF panic its just that , the more I think about this, the more I begin to suspect that this could be something to do with the (much discussed on here) new tax legislation, As strangely there is now no requirement to show any bank balance details (or tax return if in business) for any tourist visa , even multiple entry type. Yet I noticed there was still this requirement when applying for the non o's I'm thinking maybe the holders of tourist visas will be deemed to be outside of any new pending tax scheme ( if there is one) but holders of all non o's might be subject to some further tax related unpleasantness . Multi entry non.o's are a little different and the people who use them are often a little more transient in nature than full blown retirees on 12 month extensions. so they may have suspended the multi entry visas whilst they are trying to work out how to deal with these people. They may of course have stopped them altogether Lets now see if tourista are to be limited to 180 days per year

i believe there were always some differences between the requirements of the UK and Australian Thai consulates

I have received similar letters from them in the past, the fact that you received this one quite recently ( before yesterdays site update) makes me think that there just maybe cause for some optimism. But I can't help thinking that my experience today might indeed be evidence of a deadline having just passed, and some sort of overhaul of the vias on offer has taken place. possibly affecting visas issued after the 1st of November maybe? I hope not, but it wouldn't be the first time I have been inconvenienced by last minute changes to visa regs, just prior to a current visa application and looming departure date Anyway I have now sent an email to the embassy asking them to clarify the situation, I'm just hoping I get a reply reasonably promptly. In the meantime I intend to keep an eye on the visa website to see if anything changes

Had you already applied? You may have just beaten the deadline, or as i said there may be an error on the system

I have now applied for a multi entry tourist visa, It would appear that the application process has been significantly shortened, ! There was no requirement to show any bank statements, or tax return, or proof of employment, and no request for a photo of oneself holding ones passport, and no need to download and sign that form which needed to be re uploaded ! To be honest I'm not sure if this is evidence of new tighter visa restrictions regarding multi entry visas and an easier and less intrusive tourist visa application process , or has the system suffered some sort of a malfunction as a result of last nights "maintenance / upgrade" I've finished my application but may wait a few days before submitting it

Nah you have miss understood my post. I have been doing this for nearly thirty years, in the good old days before the e-visa system there was always an option on the original paper forms one would tick the relevant box for either "tourist" or "non o " and then select the relevant box for the number of entries either single or multi. However for some time now there is no paper form in many countries anymore, and all applications must be done online. The availability of multi entry non o's was withdrawn around the time the e visa system came online but was reinstated more recently. If you or anybody else doesn't believe me then feel free to go look for yourselves on the website, you can explore the visa options available on the first page of the application process, there is no need to upload any personal information or documents at this stage in the application. As of this morning multi entry options for non o visas are not currently available

Ok now don't shoot the messenger, Went online last night to apply for a ME Non O (From UK) but the website was down "for maintenance" so I spent the rest of the evening downloading and sorting out all the usual stuff required ready for a quick start in the morning. Logged on this morning and it was all up and running and no problems accessing my account. Happy days I thought but my happiness was somewhat short lived ! I fell at the first hurdle, Reason for Visit ? Pensioner aged over 50 with state pension ... no problem Type of visa? Non O..... No problem Number of entries SINGLE !!!!!!! They have removed the "MULTIPLE" option for non o;s based on retirement and for non o's based on staying with Thai family !! There is still a note there saying that those applying for multi entry visas must prove a genuine reason for wanting one, but the option to apply for one has been removed, Multi entry tourist visas are still available It may just be an error that has occurred as as result of them carrying out the site maintenance / update, this option did disappear a few years ago, I think when the e-visa system started, only to reappear somewhat recently, I was thinking of e mailing the embassy to check but I have a flight booked soon and don't have the time so it looks like a METV for me

Best comment on this thread, and I couldn't agree more It never ceases to amaze me how many on here seek to change Thailand into a copy of their miserable, boring , over regulated home countries. Most of us who have been here for any significant length of time came here because it was a walk on the the wild side , seamy, edgy exciting and wild and of course potentially dangerous. That is exactly what attracted us here! But recently there appears to be more and more pompous whinging killjoy types popping up on here, demanding more laws, harsher penalties, in this case deportation and even jail time, These pipe and slipper, retired school teacher types should really consider relocating rather than trying to spoil it here for the rest of us There is no room and precious little interest by the majority of Thais for excessive western style health and safety or political correctness here , and long may it remain so.

Most people have been successfully trapped up to their necks in debt, That has been the case for a while now, There's no fight left in anybody anymore, at least in the western "developed" countries, people have pretty much had it all knocked out of them, and due to the disruptive actions of idiot eco nutters there are plenty of laws in place to prevent people demonstrating now or in the future , that's even if they want to , the scare mongering over covid and the rest of the depressing and often worrying rubbish that we are fed by the mainstream media has produce an easily manipulated and compliant public. In a state of permanent stress over the economy or a virus or a world war or global warming etc etc Anybody daring to question the narrative is either some sort of a "deny-er" or a "phobe" or a ..".ist" or a number of other pronouns that indicates their views are to be dismissed unreservedly There will be a few who will stubbornly try to maintain a lifestyle that they know and love but eventually as they die off a newer, more compliant and in my opinion somewhat pitiful population will evolve,

people haven't yet realised that it is impossible to replace the number of petrol and diesel cars with an identical number of electric cars even if we were prepared to drive around in bubble car like micro vehicles with a miniscule range it will still never happen, and very soon one will have to forget about driving anything that resembles a traditional car by todays standards. Those currently available are only there as a "sweetener" all part of the plan. The truth is there will be a very limited number of vehicles available and they will become the preserve of the "elite" For the rest of us it will be at best, some sort of electric scooter type device, no doubt accompanied by a host of rules and regulations and taxes to ensure they are as capable of generating revenue for the government to waste, as the good old internal combustion is. And no need to worry about charging points as there will only limited permission to leave ones "15 minute" village and restrictions as to how far one can go. Its actually quite worrying to think how the loss of revenue from fossil fuels will be recovered. The Uk as an example is in a terrible state, a national debt of monstrous proportions yet seemingly determined to bankrupt itself if not by giving billions away to those in trouble that mostly hate us, then by destroying our industries under some fictional climate change agenda Its going to be absolutely Cr@p

40+ years of driving and no accidents. How about you ?

Your nonsense facts dispute nothing. Is it time for a break yet?

Typical of your usual posts, inaccurate information which you cite as fact "backed up" by a link to some obscure website which you either haven't bothered to read yourself or you have read it but have been either unable or unwilling to actually understand the information presented to you' However for some reason you feel compelled to make these irrational statements and proclamations on a regular basis , and now look (above) some poor soul even seems to agree with you, bless him. Maybe you have a follower now, I didn't need to refer to your link (in fact the link doesn't even work ) to tell you that you are talking complete rubbish again although just out of curiosity I typed it into google and of course it immediately confirmed what I am about to tell you Whilst there are indeed rules regarding driving hours in the UK. which are quite strictly enforced, I would have thought that you,especially as someone who claims to have been some sort of magistrate, would be fully aware that these rules apply only to drivers of commercial vehicles over a certain weight, I seriously hope you were never actually allowed to pass sentence on any unfortunate soul who was unlucky enough to end up in the magistrates court where you claim to have worked , Especially for traffic offences if this is indicative of your knowledge of the details of traffic law. Whether you personally agree or not ,there is no legal limit for drivers of private vehicles, people are expected to use their common sense, So what on earth are you talking about ? I must admit that the thought of somebody diligently complying with a non existent rule and then sanctimoniously berating a person who hasn't done likewise, to be highly amusing. How many hours have you wasted, parked up in laybys, waiting for the clock to tell you when you could "legally" continue, how did you ensure you never broke the roles ? lol did you have a tachograph fitted? At least in your imaginary utopian electric car world, companies like amazon coffee and 7/11 will be laughing all the way to the bank , as the number of service stations will need to increase exponentially just to cater for the aging incontinent expats whose range will be decreasing inline with that of their chinese batteries Anyway what kind of electric noddy car do you drive, ?

If you don't feel safe driving for more than 4 hours you should not be driving anymore ! you should voluntarily surrender your licence. That would be better for the environment, and safer for other road users too. It will not charge up in the time it takes to drink a coffee, which would be 5 to 10 minutes for a normal person. you must drink extremely slowly

i would very much doubt it nobody on here would be that sad but then again...... , words fail me

OMG are you serious "evil drug" you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about I suggest you do so real research before posting your virtue signalling rubbish

Well that certainly addresses most concerns expressed by others on here, Not ! All sounds a bit surreal to me, how on earth can they tell what year any money I send here was originally earned? Cannot see it ending well though, not without a loss of face somewhere along the line and probably by somebody quite important

You sound like a teenage girl and a real angst driven activist, you need to calm down. Are you even in Thailand?