ThirdRock

UPDATE - I arrived early to get copies and a photo, and asked a couple of people whether to check in at Reception in Building B or jus proceed to main build.  Everyone said "get a number".  There was a queue of about 15 people at Reception and I was 20 minutes early for my appointment, so out of curiosity I walked around to the ramp entrance to the main building (injured leg and couldn't do steps), opened the door and the guy in the lobby walked up.  Showed him the printout for appointment and he pointed to Desk 8 and said "go".  There were 6-8 people seated waiting their number to be called.  I just held up my printout and the clerk helping someone else pointed to the two girls at the end of the counter who return the passports after processing and said "they do appointments".  One of the girls took my paperwork and checked it, had me fill in that extra form they hand you, collected the 1,900 and said "tomorrow 2PM".  I was in and out in 5 minutes and the 6-8 people were still waiting for their number to be called.  Not sure if all appointments for annual renewal are handled by those girls vs the regular clerks or if this afternoon was just a one-off.

So at least in my case, the online appointment worked beautifully.  I did not need a number from reception in Bldg B.  I was on my way home about 15 minutes before I was even scheduled to appear.  Easiest in 17 years.  And based on the appointments already made for the next 2-3 days on the booking site, seems others are beginning to use it.

It would be helpful if there was a note on the appointment scheduling website explaining the check-in process.  

I have read mixed comments about the online appointment application being used again at Jomtien.  And based on the appointments booked on the site for the next week, it seems pople are using it.  One reader was kind enough to relate his eperience several weeks ago but at that point he  ran into some confusion on what to do upon arrival. 

For a Non-O [Ret.] annual renewal, does anyone have recent experience with the process?  Do you still go to Reception in Bldg A, or do you proceed directly to the main building with you appointment printout?

Am in Jomtien - Did last one 6:00 PM 12th Oct, and it was approved 5:00 PM next day, which was a holiday for the King's passing.  I assumed Immigration would be closed and would not receive until following Monday.  Quite surprised.

Like Zenobit above, I am confused by new announcement.  I have been part-owner of a house for over 15 years, have lived in same house 13 years without leaving the country, have done all extensions and check-ins during that time, and have no TM-30 in my passport. 

The article said you need the TM-30 if you need service from Immigration.  I just did 90-day online yesterday and have not received approval or rejection yet.  But annual extension is just 4-5 months away, so I assume I will need the TM-30 by then. 

I am one of three owners of the house, but my name is not on house papers since I bought in after the fact.  For annual extensions I just provide a utility bill.  Have never had a need for further proof.

Any ideas on what I need to do?

It seems like this is standard procedure, like new tax plans -- make a big announcement but give no details!

We have noticed the house water pump has begun to run constantly, even if all faucets/taps/toilets are not running.  We can find no obvious leaks in walls or floors, and no soggy areas or indication in the lawn there is a leak.  We have used a company in the USA before relocating here that used ultrasonic or sonar equipment to locate a water leak under the house or around the pool.  That company charged a flat fee only if a leak was found.  We are at the point that we are turning off the water pump, and only turning it on for 15-minute periods two or three times a day for showers, toilets, etc.

Is there a company in the Pattaya area who provides such a service.  Any help or advice will be appreciated!

I have sent 7162 by Thai Post EMS for years with no problem.  I have used regular mail for other things and never had a problem, for wanted to be able to track receipt of the SSA form.

This year I mailed the form in July and received the second notice last week that my form had not arrived, etc.  I was ready to blame Thai Post so I found my original tracking number and checked.  Thai Post was not to blame!

-- 19 July accepted Pattaya PO

-- 20 July processed at BKK mail center

-- 30 JULY inbound at US international office of exchange

-- 13 OCTOBER - arrived Wilkes Barre PO

-- 13 October final delivery - signed JD

I was curious about the August/September gap and remembered the USPS site has tracking using the Thai Post EMS tracking number.  Checked online and it shows the two-month delivery time from NYC to Wilkes-Barre, and was picked up at the PO 5:33 PM 13 October by "JD".   Great service!  70 days to travel 120 miles!

-- 31 July arrived NYC USPS regional facility

-- 04 August in transit

-- 13 October arrived Wilkes-Barre PO

-- 13 October picked up by individual "JD"

On a side note, I had a friend in Dallas mail documents from the Dallas main PO to the neighborhood PO three miles away, and it took 15 days.  

I did the visa transfer to new passport at Chonburi last week.  Process as outlined above except she told me to return next day after 2:00 PM to collect.  They did not do while I waited.  Smooth process.

Thanks, Joe.  

I'll never wait until the last week again!

For several years I have used the monthly transfer of  65,000 THB or more.  Bangkok Bank (Beach Road) requires 5-days to get the information from the main office, which I've never understood since it is all computerized, and they then produce the letter for IO showing the 12 monthly deposits, and the letter showing your current balance and that it is your account.  So you end up with dozens of pages including every transaction for the year that just gets tossed.

And par for the course, it has been six days since I requested the info with a 5-day turnaround, my visa expiration is tomorrow and no idea whether I'll have the letter on time.

I always renew a week or two early, but just screwed up this year and the bank is taking longer. 

Is there a penalty for being a day or two late in renewing?

I just received my renewed passport in the mail this week and my annual O Visa (retirement) renewal is due in two weeks.  Also, my 90-day date is in about 12 days. I was going to do transfer, renewal and 90 day this week but forgot the Bangkok Bank five-day lead time to get the 12-month deposit letter sent from Bangkok.

Can I just wait to have visa transferred to new passport at the same time as I do the visa renewal in 5-6 days in order to save a trip?   Or is there a penalty for not transferring visa to new passport as soon as it is received?

2 minutes ago, Pib said:

Had you been using one of the other, older online reporting systems before to get approved reports?  

 

I had used the last system on the Immigration website.  Four or five times it worked perfectly, but June & Sept 2021  I got the "go to the office" message.  So I was curious if there was something in the old system that would show up in the new one and would not be approved.  Fortunately it worked.

4 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Immigration only processes the reports on business days and there have only been 3 of them since you did the online report.

Have you done a online report before?

Thanks, Joe.  I knew Monday and Friday were holidays so there would be a delay.  I guess my concern is I only have Monday/Tuesday of the coming week for approval, and since this is the first round in the new system, no way to tell if it has just gone into a holding pattern or there is a problem.  And with knee surgery I need to plan.

I did quite a few online reports in the old system, up until June of last year.  Then in Jun/Sept I got the "go to Immigration" response in the old system.  I asked the lady at Jomtien if she could tell if there was a problem and she said the two systems did not "talk" and maybe the big boss could help.  I didn't pursue it.

So that adds a layer to waiting on pending --  could there be a lingering issue with data from the old system?  Time will tell.

Pattaya  -- 

I submitted the application on the 4th and my 90-day was due on the 8th.  It is still pending.  Not sure if the 'pending' is due to holidays, a problem with the submittal, or the Pattaya office is not responding to the new app yet.

If I have not been approved by the 14th, I assume I have to trek to Jomtien IO.  The picture in the news this week of the line snaking down the street concerns me due to recent knee surgery and inability to stand for long periods.  Out of desperation thought about using an agent this time, but "what if" it is approved online Monday, etc.

Does anyone know if taken to an agent can they have it processed the same day?

Anyone know if the line at Jomtien has improved?

Hi Joe - on retirement here since 2010.  Last annual visa renewal was February 2021 and an online 90 day check-in March.  Then the online app did not work for a while so did 90 in person at Jomtien June 2021.  Tried to do 90 reporting online yesterday since due this week and got the error to go to office.  Tried Android app and that is where the date is wrong -- showing last reporting online was March, even though I did in person in June,  Next extension of stay renewal is February 2022.  Have not left the country in 11 years.  I understand DrJack54's comment about the separate systems.  I just wondered if it is possible to have date in "online app database" corrected to allow me to do online reporting again in future.  Thanks!

I have used the online app (PC and Android) multiple times for 90-day check-in.  Last time was early March, then there was the period where the app was not working so I did an in-person check-in for June.  Next due date is late this week so tried PC app and got the "go to office" message.  Tried the Android app and it shows notification that my last check-in was March and status is 183 days overstay.  Obviously had no problem at June check-in and have paper to prove, so it seems the date in online app was not updated when it came back online recently.

Any ideas on how to get the date updated if the Jomtien officers can't help with app problem when I go later this week?

I have used Outlook to access Yahoo Mail on 3BB Fiber Optic for years here in Thailand.  For three days Outlook has not been able to send or receive Yahoo emails.  This has happened in the past, but it has been several years.  After trying for several minutes I get the prompt to enter my user name and password for both pop.mail.yahoo.com and smtp.mail.yahoo.com.  After trying multiple times get the "server rejected your login" and "doesn't support your encryption", etc.

**  Yahoo Mail in browser is working fine. 

**  Verified password in browser mail and Outlook are correct.

**  Nothing has changed on computer --  no new software loaded...no change to Bitdefender settings.

**  Tried switching to our backup 3BB line (not fiber) and same problem.  (Verified IP addresses were different to be sure the connection was changed)

**  Have used POP3 995 and SMTP 465,  SSL encryption for years.  I did try changing to SMTP 587 which I used years ago.  Same thing.

**  Someone in other side of house uses GMail and Outlook on same 3BB Fiber line and he is having no problems.  His POP3 is 995 and SMTP 25 (I even tried SMTP on a lark but didn't work)

**  Tried using VPN out of curiosity...same thing.

I've read countless Yahoo and Outlook support sites but nothing more than what I had tried above.

Is anyone else having the same problem this week?  Any ideas? 

On 12/19/2020 at 10:50 AM, VocalNeal said:

 

British Airways are not flying to Thailand. 

BAW 9 appears to be operating 5 days a week Heathrow to Suvarnabhumi.  

SEtonal - I use Jomtien.  I've never had an issue before, so never used an agent.  In fact, I thought their use was frowned upon by Immigration.  Thanks for the info!

In Chonburi.  I have had retirement visa for ten years and never had a problem renewing.  During first two months of this renewal period I transferred less than the 65K in new requirements due to hospital stay, surgery, etc. -- just due to being focused on health and forgot new rules.  Third through 12th month have transferred 70K on same day of every month.  Anyone have similar experience?  Will they overlook due to consistent transfers for 10 of the 12 months consistently, as it is my first renewal with new rules...or levy a fine/penalty and allow me to stay...or kick me out of the country?

Also, have always used a utility bill as proof of residence.  Is that still allowed?  House has three owners for over ten years but never changed original house papers, so papers only reflect other two people.

Thanks for any help.