Briggsy

I used Cherry Taxi. The driver was prompt, polite and helpful even offering to wait at the hotel which was locked when I arrived at 4am. He had limited driving skills.

When I worked in the UK, in a large financial organisation, it was commonly known South Asians were 4 times more likely to use the formal grievance processes than either whites or blacks and far less likely to make impulsive decisions. This makes them loss-making customers. It is a cultural trait. The firms are aware of this but absolutely cannot refuse their custom as it would be discriminatory on the grounds of race. So they target their advertising to the black community and never target South Asian customers.

I am trying to put together a plan, the goal being to buy and register a motorcycle in my own name. I have done this a few times a long time ago but things have changed, it seems. I am in my fifties, in Chonburi province and on a DTV receiving 180 days each entry. I last entered 3 days ago. Here is my clueless plan. 1. Get a TM30 in my passport. 2. Put down a deposit on a new motorbike and get some sort of letter from the motorbike dealer. 3. Take the letter to immigration to get a certificate of residence. 4. Take the certificate of residence back to the dealer. Pay the remainder of the cost of the bike. This should allow the dealer to apply for the registration in my name while allowing me to ride away with the bike. 5. Pick up the registration from the dealer within 90 days. What could possibly go wrong? 😋 Please let me know if this is the right way to go about this. I am pretty sure it isn't.

I entered through Suwannaphum on 23 Oct. Nobody had to fill one in. Have they been consigned to history?

Does anyone have a recommendations for a good rented condo in the Pattaya area. i) 40 - 60 sq. m. ii) happy to be well away from downtown, 10 km away is not a problem iii) maximum rental budget 16000 Baht per month iv) good security for parking is a must. I have a nice motorbike. Thanks for any suggestions.

They do indeed move the rate for a considerable sum. Excellent advice.

Loads of excellent and useful replies. Brilliant, thanks everybody. I will pick one of these recommended firms.

In the past, there were a number of good taxi firms that specialised in the run from Suwannaphum to Pattaya. If you didn't want to use the bus, they provided an excellent alternative and were far better in every aspect than the official airport taxis. Are they still going? And, if so, can anyone recommend one. Many thanks

How do these copies badge themselves up?

I just had a look at their website. It looks like there is a branch in Big C Central Pattaya which would suit me perfectly. Do they all offer the same rates or am I better going to the Head Office in Na Kleua?

6 years ago (a lifetime in ever-changing Pattaya) I used to use the money changer on Soi Buakhao near the bends as you come from Central Road opposite Witherspoons. It was an independent and very reliable. Conveniently just round the back there was a branch of Siam Commercial. From Google Maps, it looks like both have gone. Can anybody suggest a money changer in Pattaya, preferably but not necessarily close to a Siam Commercial. Reliability is the key. Independents used to offer slightly better rates than the bank booths.

@HuaHinHim There are 3 ways to apply for this visa. You have clicked on the wrong section as @BrandonJT has correctly pointed out. You need to change your application to the "workcation" or "soft power" section.

It will be interesting to see how this progresses. They may issue a lot of these visas. Will they either a) stop issuing them b) reduce the 5-year validity to say 1 year c) make them harder to get d) make them more expensive e) have Immigration make entry difficult. I just can't see it going on for a long time.

5 years

Maybe they have changed, maybe they have not. The IO scanned my data page, passed me up the chain, the supervisor went into the back and they had my whole history back to 1993 and then they put a denial of entry stamp in my passport but entered nothing into the Immigration database. It was not too long ago. Perhaps nothing has changed. Particularly when some entry points are still applying different interpretations of the denial of entry legislation to others.

I know for a fact that even marked denials of entry are not recorded in the immigration database. I was denied entry at Bangkok many years ago. A few months later at Ban Phak Kad, the immigration officer was staring at the denial of entry stamp in my passport and the hopping around SE Asia I had to do to get to Vientiane to get in. He detailed my whole travel perfectly to his boss and then with great surprise and amazement added "But there's nothing in the computer!" He was mystified.

Correct. No minimum salary. Frequency of salary payments thus irrelevant. 500k Baht or £11,000 in the UK is required. My point being that the salary payments backed up the employment evidence which is a separate section to the financial evidence.

This has been going on for several years. Immigration has been denying entry to those who spend long periods of time in the country on tourist visas and visa-exempt entries. Now, here is the answer to your question. There is no specific rule against this behaviour. There are around 11 reasons for denial of entry. So, the Immigration Officer will pass it up the chain and generally suggest Khor 2 to the colonel who puts the denial of entry stamp in your passport. Khor 2 is sufficiently vague. "No appropriate way of supporting oneself in the kingdom" By using this legislation, they "keep it legal" You can appeal if you are denied entry. Here is a link to the legislation if you can read Thai. https://www.immigration.go.th/?page_id=2577

I successfully applied for a DTV via the e-visa system at the London embassy. The two "requests for further documents" were i) not having £11,000 in a current account but rather in a savings account. Savings accounts in the UK usually issue statements annually whilst current accounts issue statements monthly. They really want to see £11,000 on a statement within the last 30 days. ii) my standard work contract does not specify that I can work remotely. To resolve issue i) I explained my position and the fact I rarely keep £11,000 in my current account along with lots of financial evidence. To resolve issue ii) I provided a genuine letter from my manager in the UK. This tallied with my salary shown on my current account statements and all other information and documentation previously provided. As part of the application, you are asked at the initial stage who your employer is. So, I am good for 5 years unless Immigration move the goalposts and don't honour the visa issued by the MFA via the embassies. 😀

I applied for a DTV on the E-visa website (London Embassy) and the credit card did a security check due to the £300 fee. After I had completed the check, the bank told me to try to pay again after 10 minutes. However, there is no option to pay any more on the e-visa site. It just appears to be stuck on pending payment. Has anybody encountered this situation? Scratch that. I worked it out. 😜

I doubt anyone has any experiences to report yet but I will ask anyway. 1. Will it be possible to obtain the documentation to register a vehicle in your own name with a DTV? 2. Will banks allow you to open an account with a DTV? I have a bank account here but I would like to open another. 3. The impossible question. Does anybody envisage denials of entry if holders of DTV's spend 11 months a year in Thailand? This is what happened with METV's so it is not too far a stretch of imagination. Replies sharing experiences from those holding DTV's would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, I assume that is just for the initial conversion not the extension. Perhaps they would like applicants to use preferred agents. If so, it puts a slight obstacle in my plans.

So the London Embassy website stipulation about State Pension (which kicks in at 67 for me) is wrong, so it seems. Maybe I will give it a try.

Yes, I have a bank account already from several years ago. I was planning to use one of the two Chonburi offices, Pattaya or Sri Racha.

The London Embassy site states "Retirement (pensioner aged 50 or above with state pension who wishes to stay in Thailand for no longer than 90 days)" I won't get my state pension till I'm 67. So, based on that, not appropriate for me.