boatguy

Since I now live in St Augustine FL, I tried contacting the Miami (Coral Gables) consolate as was told I could only get that visa by appearing in person, not by mail. Have you ever seen that traffic mess in Miami (or southern Fl for that matter),...no thanks.

The alternative was to express mail my passport to Wash DC, and pay for the express mail back.Lets see that was about $50 by itself (24 each way if I recall correctly.). And even then you need to be concerned about it getting lost in the Christmas mail.

I once had my passport lost by the Passport service when I mailed it in for renewal. They treated me like I was brand new to the system and had to get an original/certified copy of my birth certificate and start all over again !!

Thanks

I'm sorry I was confusing with my posting. I will not be leaving for Malaysia until 7 days after my initial 30 day visitor visa has expired. So I need to get and extension of some sort.

From what I had read on the postings thus far, I might be able to get a 60 day extension with one re-entry  permit? That would cover my 7 day overstay before I go on the trip, and then allow me to re-enter after my short stay in Malaysia to spend the rest of the up-to-60 days?

That would cost me 1900 baht for the 60 day extension, then another 1000 baht for the re-entry ?? Is that a correct interpretation?
 

BTW, how does one get a notification that the subject has been replied to? If I try to check that little box at the bottom it appears to  put a 'x' in the box for notification??

Please excuse my ignorance but i get confused ever time I try to sort out the Thai visa rules.
I did not bother to get a formal visa this time when i came to visit with my Thai wife, (for various reasons) including the fact that I suspected we might be visiting a neighboring country.

Turns out we will be visiting Malaysia for a few days in Feb. But we will not be leaving Thailand until 5-7 days after the 30 day visitor visa that was issued to me upon my arrival. Can I get a short-time extension (5-7 day) to that 30 day visa without a lot of difficulty?

I think I can (or have in the past) gotten a 60 day extension to my tourist visa by paying some additional fee here in Khon Kaen. But if I were to go that route, wouldn't that extra visa time be worthless as soon as I left on the trip to Malaysia. Then I would have to get yet another visa when I re-entered Thailand??

On 1/21/2017 at 2:39 PM, philliphn said:

For me this is a problem. I am a British and American citizen. I am 61 years old, retired, and live in a cold State. With long winters. In this State their is no Thai Consulate. I ideally would like to spend 3 to 4 months in Thailand each year. Likely, soon I will retire in Thailand. But, to get the proper Visa, at the Thai Embassy, in the United State of America. Is a confusing problem for me. If they could make it simpler and less confusing for me. I would be more than grateful and appreciative. I more than meet the financial requirements for retirement.

Somewhat similar problem, and I finally got tried of the process and just come on a tourist visa. I'll just spent my retirement money in the USA

To clarify, I would like to get with an immigration official there at the airport in Bangkok while I wait for my flight to Khon Kaen. Is that possible now. (it has been 2 years since I have been to Thailand as she has come to USA 3 times since).

I understand there are some new relaxations on the fees for tourist visas this season,..... they waver the extra fee to get a 60 day visa??

Is it possible to get this 60 day tourist visa at the airport in BKK immigration office?

I am coming to Thailand in early Jan to visit my Thai wife of 9 years, and I want spend 2 months with her in Khon Kaen. The problem of my applying here in the USA before I come is it the holiday period and I am concerned about sending my passport off by mail to the embassy in Wash DC and getting it back in time (first week of Jan). So I wonder if i can get with an immigration officer in BKK and get the 60 day visa rather than just 30 days,...under the new relaxed visa program.
 

I'm a 73 year old retiree who is happily married to a retired Thai school teacher. We spend time there in KK and in our Florida home. At one time I was going to seek out a retirement visa there, but I got fed up with some of the 'smothering' requirements of that situation such as 1) the lack of easy come and go I am use to in the USA and the many other countries I have visited over the years, 2) the money in their banks requirements,  3) the lastest proposed health insurance rules, 4) etc, etc.
And then they want to hassle me when I come for a few months visit as opposed to 30 days. If I go thru the effort to get the longer visa before I come, then decide to go for a short trip to another country while I am there, then they start the clock all over again when I come back to Thailand. So why did I bother to get the longer visa in the first place? I wanted to make Thailand and the USA both 'my home bases', but making Thailand one of them has not agreed with my 'nature', when I compare it to my freedom to travel as a USA citizen.

On 12/1/2016 at 11:19 PM, madmitch said:

A little panic in the Tourism Ministry, methinks.

 

It'll make little difference to Western tourists, most of whom enter on the 30 day stamp on arrival.

 

If they really want to increase tourism they should extend this stamp on arrival option as many people still have to travel to an embassy or consulate to get a tourist visa, or offer a proper visa on arrival service to more nationalities.

 

 

I married a Thai lady, and we live part time there and part time USA. I originally consider moving there full time, but the 'retirement visa' was a little too restrictive for my liking to be able to come and go without so much hassle. And all of this deposit of monies into non-interest bearing Thai accts, etc, etc. I was willing to spend my retirement funds there instead of USA, but.....

And now when I want to come visit for more than 30 days they want me to mail my passport off to their embassy here in the USA to obtain a 60 or 90 day visit visa, and staple a bunch of papers into it.. I DO NOT like to be putting my passport in the mail. I would much prefer a short interview at customs in Thailand when I arrive, then the issue of a 60 or 90 day visit visa. Seems so simple.......???

Exchange takes place in Thailand at the published rate TT for the time processed. Currently 35.08

Moneygram current rate about 33.66

About a 4% loss using commercial transfer service

That is the sort of losses (4%) I have experienced with transfers thru BK Bank of NY. Most of it occurs due to the exchange rates they utilize. Their website quotes that they will utilize the exchange rate of the BK Bank in Bangkok Thailand...., but in reality they have used the rate existing in New York on most all of my transactions. And when I complained by letter they responded by letter to tell me this was their normal operating procedure.

I just checked the Western Union rate and found a substantial difference as well. If you used their services at this time, I think you would loose 4-6 % of your funds,...hy-way robbery

As noted from above, I set up a repetitive wire transfer service from my bank in the USA through the Bangkok Bank in New York, I used my existing account here in Thailand. I call the bank's wire transfer desk in the USA when they open (night time in Bangkok) make the transfer, the US bank charges me $40 for this service, there are no transfer fees by BKK Bank (none that I know of anyway). The following morning, provided it is a weekday and not a holiday here in Thailand, when the bank opens, my money is in my account here.

I'm a bit confused.. I use BKK Bank NY to do 3 transfers each month from 3 different sources. My bank charges me $1.50 and BKK Bank NY charges $5. for each transfer. BKK Bank Thailand has the funds in my account the next working day and charges me B200 for each transfer.

What confuses me me is why you are paying $40. and no BKK fees and why the need to call the bank in NY?

Yes. My US bank charges $0 to do a domestic transfer to the NY Branch of Bangkok Bank. Bangkok Bank deducts $5 ( at one time I think they charged a bit more for larger amounts. Not sure if that's still the case). Bangkok Bank in Thailand deducts Baht 200 from the baht deposit.

If you sign up for the SMS service in Thailand, you'll get an SMS when the transfer is completed showing the dollar amount, the exchange rate, the Baht 200 deduction, the amount deposited here and your account balance following the transfer.

Been doing it for more than 10 years and never once had any problem or delays (although weekends and either Thai or US holidays can slow things down occasionally).

As several others have said, you open an account with Bangkok Bank at a branch in Thailand. That's the account number you use when doing the transfer to the New York branch.

I have to come back to this subject thread and reread it,...and add a few of my experiences. I've had quite a number of occasions to utilize their New York facility, and felt I gotten ripped off on more than one occasion.

I can't read Thai but here is a set of pictures of his movements

http://www.khaosod.co.th/view_newsonline.php?newsid=1440000544

Are some of those 'movements' before and after the bombing, or mostly after?

I'm so fed up with this terrorist bombing crap,...a lot of it as a result of 9/11 here in the USA, and then the subsequent misdirected second war in Iraq

I hope this guy is not a westerner. And I hope they catch him soon,...and hang him ...slowly

Can some one please explain why these migrant Rohingya come to Thailand from Bangladesh ( a fair old trip) and Burma? Is it they are travelling overland?

Have the stories of the possible dangers of going via Thailand to get to Malaysia not made it to these poor people?

Terrible event.

They appear so desperate to escape they will jump into the hands of Thai smugglers who appear to ship them from Myanmar to transit camps on tarutao national park and then across land to the Malaysian border where they hope to find a better life in a Muslim country.

It appears as in many similar situations around the world, it's not a straight forward business transaction, once on the roller coaster the victims can be sold into slavery on fishing boats or held ransom until relatives in Malaysia pay up, even this isn't a guarantee of getting their family members back.

Sounds like those desperate people leaving Libya in Africa trying to cross the Med sea into Italy.

But how many can Italy and the rest of Europe absorb??

The Philippines retirement visa permits multiple entry, for life. They understand the meaning of "retirement", and the initial payment, equal to 500,000 Baht against Thailand's 800,000 may be drawn upon after 6 months to purchase land for a house, invest in a business in the Phils, whatever. One can use it!

The visa is in the passport, so one is free to travel around and return to the Philippines. And by the way, you can work in your business, help the family, friends whoever, busk in the streets, play piano in a night club or go and help with the harvest on a farm. None of this sneaking around the loopholes in the Thai system, and hiding from regional authorities immigration police as in Thailand. Enjoy life and contribute to the community, without looking over shoulder all the time.

That is what I was looking for. Sure would have made a difference in how I structured my retirement,...much more time in Thailand, and spending my retirement dollars there.

Instead I got this whole run-around with the retirement visa and it lack of freedom to traveling to surrounding countries, and multiple reporting, and unsure about visa runs, etc, etc.

Now my Thai wife and myself will be spending a lot of that time (and money) in sunny St Augustne Florida (America's first city).

My wife believes it has a lot to do with all of the flooding that has occurred in surrounding areas over the past few years. Lots of folks are migrating to KK which appears to be less affected by the flooding problems. And a lot of these folks would be looking for shops?

BTW, I am currently in the USA near Washington DC and getting my internet thru Comcast. No one else online at the time. And as I said I am on other forums and do not experience this very slow speed on them.

BTW, what is DNS ?.....and Google DNS

Download a program called DNSJumper (link: http://www.sordum.org/7952/dns-jumper-v1-0-6/ ) and change your DNS to Google DNS and then try again

What are the 'downsides' (negatives) to putting this additional software onto my computer?? What things do I filter out that I might still be interested in,....such as in a google search for various subjects?

I'm just always a little leery of adding additional programs and software to my computer. I had those numerous experiences where some software peddler wants me to add their 'latest, greatest product' to keep my computer running smooth and virus free,...and then after reading thru all of their claims you finally arrive at their page announcing the price, and you realize this is 'just another' company of MANNY trying to sell some software product that the unsuspecting consumer (neophyte computer user) does not really know how to source out the good from the bad or not so good.

Sorry for being such a skeptic

Am I the only person experiencing how slow this forum site can be? There are many times that I just leave the site before even waiting to get on, as it takes so long to first get on, then even between pages.

I have some suspicions it has to do with the 'pop-up advertisements' on the site? ...as it appears to wait until all these 'ads' load up before you are allowed to proceed to scroll down a page.

I'm not a computer guru, just an older fellow who gets a bit perturbed with this 'excessive advertisement' and 'tracking' that we bombarded with these days.

(I have been experiencing this problem on this site for at least a year or more, while simultaneously NOT experiencing it on at least 4 boating forums I participate in)

Brian

I am so sad and upset to read this. Koh Tao is not safe! I have been attacked myself in 2010 when I walked back from a party at night. That horrible bastard tried to drag me in the jungle. I was very lucky to get away and only my phone got stolen. A local who passed by just minutes after refused to help me and I had to run all the way back in the dark fearing another attack.When I reported it to the staff of my resort they seemed to have been aware that these things are going on but turned a blind eye on it. Looking back I am angry with myself for not having reported it to the local police but I doubt they would have done anything. Even more upsetting to read about this horrible case. Blaming the migrant workers is always easy, how can they assume that without having a clue. In my case it was clearly a Thai person, male, in his early 20ies, chubby and riding a motorbike. May the poor souls of these two young people who just wanted to have a nice time in Thailand rest in peace. I hope the authorities wake up and step up security not only on Koh Tao but all holiday destinations. Be careful and do not wander around after dark. My thoughts are with the families and friends of the two.

Interesting first-hand account of an attack on that island.

Are you a foreigner?....just wondering

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The only way to solve this problem (and I have only been here half a decade so I assume those old timers saying things have changed is true), is to address why at the very core. Sure catching and prosecuting the offenders is a given, but that is like taking a tiny part of a cancerous tumor away, it doesn't address the entire issue. Why are these violent crimes occurring more often, what is encouraging it to happen? This is the thought process that the authorities and government should be taking, if they I is another matter.

Simple answer. Go and check any internet place on any street corner and see what they are playing. I believe that hollywood has got a lot to answer for.

I think you are correct to a great degree, and perhaps its not just Hollywood. Its seems there are just more and more movies that contain LOTS of gun violence, and then how about all of those video games. All of this is NOT sending any good messages to our youth, regardless of their country of origin.

Did anybody read this line in the story: "Visa runners are those who leave Thailand and return immediately for the purpose of extending their stay."

Seems pretty clear to me.

While it may seem pretty clear to you, I wonder how it will be 'interpreted' by many of the border agents??

Could make this into a 'floating house' on a pond or lake

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/145005-post23.html

Floating cottage on river in Thailand

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/general-yachting-discussion/5554-bali-thai-style-houseboat-2.html

A few photos of some floating rafts I took up near Kanchanburi . Sorry I don't know how to post photos directly to this forum yet, so I had to link from another forum where I had posted some. I have some photos of these under contruction as well, but have yet to post them. Floatation was rather simple, mostly round steel pipe, some of which I suspect might have been 'gas line' pipe, with added end caps.

I am in the process of negotiating a deal with these folks, who are a European managed building company in Thailand They will build to your exact specifications. We are building in Isaan, but our house is 1/2 meter above ground with a block foundation and concrete slab floor. It looks like they may be the answer to your dilemma. You might want to check out this link.

http://www.thaihousebuilder.com/

Now I like this approach. I've thought about the same idea to market 'floating capable homes/cottages' in Thailand

In hinds sight, I should have just bought a Thai lanna house and dropped it completely built on the land, then hooked up the electrical and plumbing, job done!, no stress, no village idiots, and a beautiful square house. I mean that's all we want right?

I think you could adapt this same idea to a floating foundation....a prefab house structure onto a floating platform