paddlinsteve

Having lurked in these parts since 2006 myself, the least I can do to recognize Joe's value to the community in general and to me specifically is to make an effort to tap out a tribute to him and his wisdom and clarity of perception -- qualities that lit up an area that can be daunting at best and threatening to people unable to see through smokescreens as easily as he. Requiescat in pace, Ubon Joe.

An American's experience: In 2006, I got my first Non O visa in Bahrain. It was a breeze with very little documentation required. This year I was returning to LOS after a year spent in the U..S. I tried to apply through the Royal Thai Consulate in Chicago. The list of questions had grown considerably, but the one that applied the coup de grace (or put paid) to this guy's application) was the one requiring me to take a photo of myself holding my own passport. Instead of continuing, I just came in on visa exempt, then applied at my local IO for the Non O visa and then got the extension three months later.

So I'm coming to Thailand on 31 March (yes, just missing the change). I'm trying to get the Covid insurance, but have faced a problem. I tried MSIG and opted for the 30-day policy for 1,770 baht. However, when I clicked on the pay button, the site went dead.  Does anyone have a clue as to what was going on?

Meanwhile, I'd like to get the Axa insurance. However, for a 30-day policy the cheapest I could find online was 3,350 baht. I didn't see the famed 2,200 baht insurance that has been mentioned several times in this thread. Am I being charged more due to my age (74)? Again, any idea what's happening here?

"Clarity" has come at last. With my wife's Thailand Pass QR code came these notes adding some amplification of the policies, but ultimately just allowing more uncertainty: We've decided to go ahead and splash out for the PCF test, not just because Thai authorities might insist on it, but also as she's passing through Tokyo on the way, the Japanese are tightening their borders as well.

Thailand Pass system has approved your registration. You can access and download your Thailand Pass QR Code by double clicking the attached PDF

ubonjoe: could you perhaps shed some light on this problem of whether returning Thais need to show a negative PCR test result to board an aircraft bound for Thailand? I just can't find overwhelming proof that it's either necessary or a waste of time and money. Incidentally, my wife has received two Moderna injections, if that matters. Also, her Thailand Pass has been approved for this trip. Thanks!

I just called American Airlines office in Bangkok and asked them whether the wife would need to be tested or not before flying. After quite a wait while they (apparently) searched various notices and lists for an answer, they replied that my wife would indeed need to show a negative PCR test result before being allowed to board a flight to first Tokyo and then Bangkok.

If anyone has information contrary to this, I would be glad to hear it!

Yes, your wife needs a negative PCR test result.

https://tp.consular.go.th/en/plan

Unfortunately, the file you've linked to just deals with matters post arrival in LOS. It has to do with the suspension of Test ;n;; Go and the need for two vaccine shots while in 7-day quarantine. My wife knows about that and it's unavoidable. However, what about prior to boarding the plane leaving the U.S.? Will she need to show a negative result of a PCR inside 72 hours of departure (as I had to do when I left the States at the end of November)? I haven't found a consistent answer so far.

Next week my wife (Thai national) is booked to fly in from LAX after spending a couple of years in the States. She's had her 2 jabs of Moderna. Now we're not sure if she needs a negative PCR result to board the plane. Any thoughts?

Thought I'd think positively so I bought a Nok Air fly + ride ticket to Mukdahan a few hours ago. Cost was 4173, including extras like seats and meals. That didn't last long! Two hours later I read that all visa issuance had ceased for Laos. Nok Air said sorry that ticket is nonrefundable.

My third extension of a Non-O (marriage) expires on April 5. The reason I'm not renewing is that my wife isn't available to attend Immigration with me. I'll try to get it switched to retirement, having more than 12 months of 65,000+ transfers from the US to show.

If that fails (and Nonthaburi IO is not always the most sympathetic place on earth), I hope Myanmar stays open and I can do a bounce at the Ban Phu Nam Ron crossing. I'll keep my fingers crossed. I may just have to throw myself on the mercy of the powers that be in the end.

I also went to Nonthaburi IO yesterday to file for extension (marriage). I submitted the standard letter from Bangkok Bank which simply gives my details and the current balance of the account (charge = 100 baht), statement of account for the past six months clearly indicating which deposits came from abroad and which were internal (100 baht), and at the desk the agent did a complete copy of my bank book. After looking over these documents, he looked up and gave me the 'why don't you switch to a retirement visa instead?' pitch. I've had that for each of the three extensions I've done so far. I had done monthly transfers for only the past five months but that wasn't discussed. There was also no discussion about what will transpire in a month's time when I go back for the stamp.

What surprised me is how much of the process is being outsourced. I had forgotten to bring a photo, so I was sent to the shack next door to have one taken (100 baht). Then when all the documents had been assembled (incidentally, they don't stick to the old requirement that you should prepare two sets of docs), I was sent down to the shack again to have the stack photocopied (60 baht). When you add up the parking fee (20 baht) and any snacks or drinks while you wait -- not to mention the 1900 baht extension fee, your wallet will be quite a bit emptier when you leave.

It was a long visit to the office. We arrived at 1:00 and were the first in after lunch. My wife bailed out around 4:15, but I was there until 5:30 getting it all wrapped up. It wasn't a pleasant afternoon, except for the result.

I went with my wife to Chaeng Wattana a while back. It's the building nearest the main road with the water feature. She up the stairs and turned left. She just needed her national ID card, paid 1000 baht for renewal and 35 baht for home delivery. It was a doddle. After about half an hour she was done and we went to the ground floor cafeteria for a decent lunch. A few days later the new passport arrived via EMS even faster than they had promised.

Just to get my two cents in, I had to pay 1000 baht at Nonthaburi Immigration when I needed a residence certificate to get my driving licence. As another poster wrote, it was the lesser of two evils because it was done on the spot.

2 hours ago, stevymac said:

I'm doing just a quick out in border run for an extra 90 days. Anyone know any good hotels to stay in in kanchanaburi? Cheers guys

I thought the Good Times Resort was a good place to stay. Clean rooms, good staff, tasty food. 1400 baht including breakfast.

No, they didn't ask for a new T.M. 30. I still have one stapled in my passport dated 1 February 2017, which I submitted 25 days after I arrived on my Non-Imm visa.

Next year's date is exactly one year after the end of the 30-day consideration period this year.

By 'where you go what you do form' you mean the personal data form, right? I was handed that when I went in to submit my documents for the first extension last month. I made sure to complete the part about my favorite sitcom and the baseball team that I supported.

JAS21, it certainly was a circus at Nonthaburi Immigration yesterday. I went in at 2 p.m. for an extension stamp and that took an hour and a half. The scene was what my British wife used to call "a bear garden." It's a cruel twist of fate to have these visits timed to occur during the holiday build-up.

29 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

There are only 2 or 3 border crossings that have re-entry permit desks.

In the past, the wife and I have crossed at Mae Sai (for Tachileik), Nong Khai (for Vientiane), and Aranyaprathet (for Poipet). Which of these three would be most likely to have the facility of issuing re-entry visas?

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You make no choice when you get your extension stamp. The re-entry permit application is separate from the extension.

So when I get my extension, I don't need to decide anything on the spot. I can later opt for either the single or the multiple re-entry permit at any time during the following year. Is that correct?

I'm waiting for confirmation of my first extension of stay based on marriage. I know I'll have to come to some decision or another when that time comes, hence my questions:

1. If I choose zero re-entries and some family emergency comes up in the UK or U.S. that will require me to leave Thailand, can I get a re-entry permit at the airport when I leave?

2. If again I choose not to get a re-entry permit at my first extension and my wife and I want to go on a brief trip to a neighboring country, can I get a re-entry permit either at an immigration office or at a land border?

3. In other words, do I have to make a firm decision at the start of the year or can it be modified if necessary later on?

Today was the day when I had planned to visit Nonthaburi I.O. to submit paper work for my first extension of permission to stay based on marriage. Accordingly, I first visited my bank to get the letter verifying the required amount was in my account. The wife and I then drove out to the Immigration Office, nestled incongruously in the paddy fields, to submit the documentation. I relied on the list posted by Ubonjoe, but also glanced at Robert333's from time to time as well.

I had gone last week to check that I had everything needed, barring the bank letter, only to be handed five additional forms to complete as well as a request for a photo of the missus and I in the kitchen. Getting those completed took some doing, especially the ones to be filled in by a neighbor (I just took it to the manager of the moo baan and he did the needful).

You can imagine my dismay when the chap on duty at the reception counter today handed us three more forms to fill in. One was the TM.30, despite the bottom part of one still being stapled in my passport.

Oh, the lady who checked my stack of documents gave us the pitch for changing the basis for the extension from marriage to retirement. She was gracious enough to change the subject when we explained that I wanted to work.

I hadn't understood the reason for making two copies of all documents until after one set was returned to me with the explanation that they could be kept for next year. I was then sent to the outsourced copy service next door to have every item in one set photocopied. When I objected, saying that I already had a spare complete set, the guy at the machine pointed out that they wanted a copy of the first set because they bore the official stamp. Sigh . . .

Our stay extended to an hour and a half before my passport was returned and I was free to go. I didn't get why the staff wore heavy, Eastern European-style uniforms and then cranked the air up to super high. Why not just adapt by wearing tropical uniforms and keeping the air low? I'm learning not to ask such questions in LOS.

I went to my local IO in Nonthaburi today to have them look through the paperwork I had accumulated so far for my application for my first extension of permission to stay based on marriage. Having entered the country at the beginning of the year, it will be time next week to throw everything at them to sort through.

The guy at the reception counter approved everything except for the photos. Oh, I had one for the bedroom, one showing us and the house number, one for the living room, one for the front yard, but my collection was lacking a photo of us in the kitchen. OK. So we've done that now (although I'm normally banned from the kitchen while my wife is cooking).

In addition, I was handed five forms in Thai that I wasn't anticipating. Oddly, consider what we've been given above by OP, one of forms I received was Nonthaburi IO's checklist of application documentation, also in Thai. There were two further forms for my wife to fill out, one for me, and one for a neighbor -- this to be accompanied by copies of his/her ID and Tabien Baan. By the way, anyone who assumes that the IO checklist isn't really a form per se would be wrong. There are spaces at the bottom for three signatures and two telephone numbers.

I think these immigration people have too much time on their hands! Sooner or later the people at CW are going to complain that some IOs are overdocumenting their customers and that this overwork is coming at a time when the whole department's resources are stretched thin. 

8 hours ago, JAS21 said:

1000thb and it used to be free. Immigration must have cottoned on to the fact that it will cost much more if you have to obtain it from your own embassy.

 

Did you get a proper receipt from Nonthaburi ... I have always found them 'straight'.

 

Get yourself a Yellow Book (just search the forum) and you can use that as Proof of Address. After that get your Pink ID Card (just search the forum) and then you will be as set up as you can................. 

1. No, the young guy at Nonthaburi IO didn't offer a receipt at all. It wasn't a big issue because, as you pointed out, it would have cost more to get the same from the U.S. Embassy and also because one online DL guide that I consulted said it could take three to six weeks for the IO to produce a residency certificate.

2. I tried previously to get a Yellow Tabien Baan from Bang Kruai amphoe, but I was flummoxed because I didn't have a copy of my birth certificate. I calculated that it would cost more than it was worth to get a replacement b.c. from the U.S. and that in itself wouldn't be easy because I didn't have the required credit card to order one.

From what I saw on the TV news last night, they were screws, not nails.

To bring closure to this particular thread, I got my driving licence today at the DLT on Tiwanon Road in Nonthaburi after working on it for quite a while. The first hurdle, a few weeks ago, was to get the certificate of residency from the IO. That was done in a few minutes and I was charged 1,000 baht. A few days later I went to a local clinic and the doctor, from viewing me from across the lobby, signed off on the form, charging me 80 baht.

The next obstacle was whether they would recognize my existing licence, which is from Saudi Arabia. The important information -- name of holder, number of licence, and expiration date -- were given in both Arabic and English on the card. However, because there was some other Arabic writing on it, the DLT told me to go to the Saudi Embassy to get it translated (not saying whether into English or Thai).

So I went to the Saudi Embassy in Sathorn and made my enquiry. I had anticipated being asked to go to a translation service in Ploenchit, followed by getting it stamped by the MFA. However, they gave me the phone number of a place called the Sheikhul Islam Centre, which is rather inconveniently located in Nong Chok, 54km from my home in Nonthaburi. It was a five-hour trip there and back, and for the translation I forked over 700 baht.

Then it was back to the embassy where I was told to go to a certain unmarked office 14 floors below. I found it and the guys there asked for the paperwork. They took it upstairs and brought it back with a stamp and charged me 500 baht for their trouble.

I went to the DLT on Friday, with my Thai wife, only to be told that they needed to study my existing licence and get approval to honour it from a higher up. I was to come back today, Monday, and watch the training video at 1:00 p.m.

I dutifully went again today and watched the video -- it was simply a methodical trawl through the Thai driving law of 2522, with such dubious information as the load limits for a pickup truck.

Then it was time for what they call physical testing. The 40 people who had watched the video were taken together into the testing room and given four tests each: (1) color blindness test, (2) peripheral vision test, (3) depth perception test, and (4) reaction test.

Thereafter it went very fast: pay 305 baht, have a photo taken, pick up the two-year temporary licence. The time required from start to finish of the process was about three weeks and the total cost was 2,585 baht, not counting quite a lot spent on fuel and food.

I downloaded, printed and carefully filled in the residence application and trotted off to Nonthaburi IO this morning. They recognized the form, asked for the usual lineup of copies (passport photo page, non-imm visa, TM.6 departure card), two photos, and 1000 baht in cash. Ten minutes later I was walking out with a document, bearing my photo and impressively stamped, addressed to the DLT introducing me as a regular guy who should be allowed to apply for a DL.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that, in Nonthaburi at least, there's no delay of three weeks or more and no police home visit required.

Thanks again for the valuable help!