Timofe
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We enjoyed Srinakhonping in Faa Haam. It’s an old teakwood house right on the river. Food was good northern food, not expensive.
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If you want to make a serious attempt to learn to read Thai, you should obtain, “A Programmed Course in Reading Thai Syllables.” If you use some effort and perseverance, you will succeed with this excellent book. The US Peace Corps gave it to me for free in 1974, but now it appears to be out of print. Last time I bought a copy it was $80 USD.
I agree about royal vocabulary, Buddhist vocabulary and abbreviations. These all make reading Thai more difficult. To this list of impediments I would add words taken from other languages (mostly English), slang and the common use of nicknames for politicians etc.
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In March I booked an April flight on Air Asia through a London agent, Opodo. When the flight was cancelled, Opodo said I needed to deal with Air Asia, Air Asia said I had to get my refund from Opodo. I was completely stymied until I read somewhere on tv that I should contact the credit card company. Bank of America got my money back in two or three days.
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I hear great things about Star Visa, but they are very expensive. The Colonel did a very good job converting my OA retirement extension of stay to an OA marriage extension. (There is no health insurance requirement for OA marriage.) My recollection is they charged 7900 baht and that included Immigration’s 1900 baht fee.
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I returned to Chiangmai from a week in Laos Saturday. I was (and still am) confused about the requirement to report, so I went to Promenada. The immigration officer told me this is not my responsibility, it is my landlord’s. My landlord is not a professional landlord. I am not going to bother him with this.
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My “root” visa is O-A. My initial one year extension of stay expires February 15th. After consultation with an agent and payment of a 7900 fee, I applied for an extension of my stay based on marriage. It is very clear there is no health insurance requirement in this context. After I assembled all my documents, my agent vetted them and made an appointment at Chiangmai immigration. The agent walked me (and my Thai wife) across the street for the appointment. It went very smoothly, took about half an hour. They gave me 30 days while they are considering my application. The following week two agents came to visit us at our rented home. I am quite confident that when I keep my next appointment at immigration February 28th I will receive my one year extension. The agents who visited our home told me as much. So, assuming you are legitimately married to a Thai, and living with him or her, you can get an extension of stay on a “root” O-A visa with no requirement for health insurance.
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I got my “under consideration for 30 days” marriage extension at Chiangmai yesterday. I paid an agent 7900 baht (this includes the 1900 baht fee) and it was well worth it. We were in and out in about 30 minutes; the immigration officers were friendly. My hand drawn map was not on Immigration Police stationery.
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I am in the same posture. Peter Denis, I would appreciate a copy of your roadmap. Thanks.
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Ubon Joe deserves our gratitude for doing a wonderful job here and for almost always being right. He’s a much better man than I. That said, Blorg is almost certainly correct that, on the face of the available documentation (as quoted by Joe), those who receive an A-O visa on or before October 31, but enter after that date, will be subject to the health insurance requirement. Joe’s contrary interpretation of the clauses he cites is extremely strained. Blorg’s interpretation, as Blorg says, is much more reasonable. If you are inclined blindly to believe Joe, more power to you. But you should read the short clauses Joe cites and consider how you would interpret them. Obviously Blorg’s reading gives rise to many practical issues, but I am talking here about interpreting the available documentation.
While I am disagreeing with Ubon Joe, I will mention the following. I have shown, on a separate string (and again on the face of available Thai documentation), that police order 548/2562 clearly says that the health insurance requirement will apply when those of us who originally entered on A-O visas seek an extension after October 31.
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Here is how I read police order 548/2562’s attachment (new Article 2.22).
1. The heading says it deals with extensions. There is no indication it addresses original entries.
2. The left hand column gives the general rule for an extension, one year, and an exception for O-As whose health insurance expires before one year.
3. The right hand column supplies the requirements for an extension. Paragraph six indicates if you came in on an O-A, one of the requirements for an extension is health insurance.
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But police order 548/2562 repeals Article 2.22 of police order 327/2557 and substitutes a new one. The new one, to me, says A-Os are subject to the health insurance requirement upon extension. Maybe I am misunderstanding what you’re saying?
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I agree that Joe deserves great deference, but the more I look at this the more I am convinced those who originally entered on an O-A will be required to have health insurance when they request an extension. For example, there is a memorandum dated October 4, 2019 that recites that the cabinet’s order of 2 June 2019 establishing the health insurance requirement applies to those with O-A visas “during the entire duration of their stay in the kingdom.” Looking at the official documents I have, I don’t see anything that would indicate that the requirement does not apply when you request an extension.
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I am not as fully versed in this as you, Joe. But if the health insurance requirement will not apply to extensions of stay, why a grandfathering exception for those on extension since 1998?
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The heading to the attachment to police order 548/2562 says, both in the original Thai version and in the translation, “extension of stay.”
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My reading of the attachment to police order 548/2562, which explicitly applies to requests for extensions of stay (not original issuance of O-A visas), is as follows. If the original visa on which you entered was O-A, the health insurance requirement applies when you request an extension. There is an exception for people who have been here on continual extensions since 1998.
I’m new here, and I can see Ubon Joe knows his stuff. I hope he’s right, but if he is, it flies in the face of police order 548/2562.
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Please allow me a brief sequel to my post starting this topic. This morning a friend went to the Chiangmai Immigration office for a Certificate of Residence. This friend speaks Thai fluently and he knows how to smile. When he asked if the officer could expedite the Certificate of Residence, she said, “sure, come get it tomorrow.” There was no discussion at all about a fee for the expedited service.
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Yes, I think they’re doing a hard job very well. As mentioned above, I believe what makes their task especially difficult is encountering ignorant aliens who criticize and complain, but don’t leave.
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I did not get my Certificates of Residency. I got a receipt that will entitle me to them when presented at counter four at 4 PM October 22nd. All the signs at the Chiangmai Immigration office say it opens at 8 AM. When asked, the official who took care of me indicated that they open at 8 AM. I think that the most difficult part of the low paying jobs there would be putting up with arrogant foreigners who don’t speak the Thai language and don’t take the trouble to learn the Thai way of doing things. We’re not all like that, of course, but even one can make for a bad day.
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I went to the Chiangmai Immigration office today for a Certificate of Residence. I arrived at 7:50 AM. All the officials were at their stations and working, even though the office opens at 8 AM. There was no one in the reception line. The officer directed me to the second floor landing. There were no other applicants there either. I gave my documents to the officer. She examined the documents and returned some to me. I asked if I could have two Certificates of Residence. The officer said, “sure” and requested two more photos. I was out of there before 8 AM, the nominal opening of the office. I’m not always so lucky, but all my interactions with the new Chiangmai Immigration office have been pleasant. They are doing a hard job very well.
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Short Pastry.
in Chiang Mai
Posted
Bake and Bite in Wat Ket has great small frozen meat pies (turkey, chicken, maybe beef). K. Gay is an expert baker and I believe she makes fruit pies also, but I am not sure.