sreiter

Here a short summary:

The following seems to be valid for all countries and applies to Thai Nationals seeking entry into Thailand:

We contacted the Thai embassy in Athens through facebook/messenger.

We were told entry is possible but cumbersome at the moment, if possible we should wait to December hoping that restrictions ease.

There is no need to visit the embassy in person. If entry is required now we should book a flight through Dubai or Doha well in advance (in case of a return flight nobody can guarantee it will happen...)

The embassy needs to be informed with flight details. A Corona test is required two days before the flight and submitted to the embassy.

You also have to book the quaratene hotel in advance which is 1000 euro for two weeks.

If all the paperwork is approved you get (through the internet) the COE......

Thank you Paul. You talk about repatriation which is not the plan, she wants to for a few month to sort family affairs. It sounds like she'd better wait for the restrictions to ease.....

Would you please clarify: A COE is a certificate of existence? If my Thai wife, who has a residency permit for Greece, wants to visit her family she needs a COE of the Thai embassy in Athens?  Hard to understand as she would turn up  at immigration with her Thai passport? Thanks

Great and thanks, that is very good to know!

 Hi guys! Does someone happen to know if a Thai passport can be renewed about 8 month before it expires? Or is that only possible in case of passsport lost or similar? Cheers and thanks Stefan

Thank you, guys, that clarifies a lot. To comment on a few things:

I am German. My passport has only 11 month left, I travel a lot. As I am in Germany just now a new passport makes sense as it is easy to obtain NOW, I also live outside of Germany in Europe for  the majority of the year.

I had numerous multiple entry non O visa in the past, arriving in Thailand without is not a habit.

I recently had a brief look at my immigration record in the computer when I was in the Bung Khan immigration office. The record did not seem to be complete at all (as far as I could tell).

I thought there might have been a possibility that the immigration officers at the airport are more focussed on the stamps in the passport rather than reading the immigration record.

I got my last non O visa about two or three years ago in Germany. At that time it was not possible any more to obtain a visa per mail- if this has changed in the meantime is easy enough to find out. Of course a change would be very welcome. Having to be in a consulate or embassy in person twice just adds a lot of cost and time to the process if you not happen to live near by.

Hi guys- I just returned from Thailand to Europe. I visited my wife for about 60 days, got 30 days on arrival in the aiport and another 30 days after a weeks stay in Laos. I am planning to go back this summer for another two month.

Yes, I could get a visa, but that has become more cumbersome. As the option to get a visa per post office has gone it is required to deliver and pick up the passport in person- the next consulate is hundrets of kilometers away- I only know of once place where you could get the visa in a day....

Anyway--I have meanwhile found in this forum that supposedly you now only get 2 times a year a 30 day stay in Thailand without visa. It is not clear to me what exactly this means. As I had 2 times 30 days this year, would I be refused entry? Or is it 30 days arriving at a land crossing that is restricted to two times? If yes, would that mean I have the chance to go again and get another 30 days coming back from Laos, so 60 days all together?

It looks like a good idea to get a new passport, the current one is valid for less than a year now (1 year visa impossible)- would a clean passport change things? Thanks in advance for replies! Cheerio  Stefan

Thanks to all that have replied. My wifes son did not have a 3 day border pass but went with his passport across the Megkong in Pakxsan where he was told he could stay up to one month--.Anyway-wished I had some more cheerful news but for now the marriage is off. Originally it was thought they could marry and live in Laos, but of course the question arises "living of what?"  We went ourselfs for one week and visited "wife", and her family but it was decided that it would be best for now if she stays with her daughter and with her family in Laos and he tries to become a "better" person and husband- means really growing up and being responsible which I have to say he is neither at the moment, in spite of being 24.....

Things in my experience are not easy for young people in remote parts of the Isaan  and the temptation to deal with "no future" ideas with drugs and alcohol is huge.....Sadly even when there are possibilities to make a living through daily work or learning first the before mentioned temptations overwhelm.....

My Thai wifes son is 24, he has a passport, a girlfriend from and in Laos right now and a baby with her. They are not officially married. Recently he entered Laos via the boat close to Bung Khan with his passport and was told he could stay in Laos for three month. However, after a few days the police showed up in the village (which is not located in the ampoe on the river), seized his passport and eventually sent him back to Thailand. He was told without being married he could only visit for a maximum of three days. I don't think he was given a proper Laos visa upon entry and even if he had he was told he could not stay privately with people.

Has anyone ever made experiences (for example in the Thai family) how easy or complicated it is to marry a Laos girl being Thai. I am sure there are umptien papers needed, will they have to be legalised? Is this a long process overall? Where do you best marry, in Thailand or in Laos?

Rumour locally has it that even if you are married and want to life in Laos that you are subjected to several limitations, like not being allowed to build a house, what about being allowed to work or even not being allowed to stay after all. Any opinios? Cheers

Thanks to you too, Pawneese, not a bad idea. I sit in the Isaan, in the very outback, so it will have to be the post office if I find a Samsung repair shop!

Hmmm, thought so and thanks! After the issue with copied rice made from plastic a few years back people might just have become paranoid! Latter a bit easier to produce I think!

Here is an update, I am in Thailand right now :

I purchased online a bus ticket from Nong Khai to Vientiane (any hotel) for rather little money. I thought tha would do.

On this trip I tried Finnair for the very first time. Nobody asked for proof of leaving Thailand in the first 30 days, also Immiration was not bothered. So, no problems here.

Helsinki airport is a different story alltogether- I arrived there 22 hours lokal time and found all shops closed. It was hard to find the one and only place that sold coffee....

After meeting up with my wife in Udon Thani we spent a few days in a guest house there and arrived Friday evening in our house. I assumed (rightly) that the immigration office would be closed during the weekend and we planned to go there on Monday. Bung Khan is about 50km away, and on Monday I learned that my wifes sister had to appear on Tuesday in the Bung Khan hospital for a post surgery check up. She is not able to go there alone. So we decided to go on Tuesday.

Immigration in Bueng Khan fined us 800 Baht. I did not quite get to the bottom of the reasoning- it was a mix of being delayed with registration this time and never having done it before (last time I was here two years ago and we simply did not know that this was required. I had always assumed that it is sufficient to declare the place of "stay" on your entry form). Anyway- they told us to feel lucky as previously they had fined others who had become angry with 8000 Baht +.

I inquired further and asked if I would stay away just for one night in a hotel and come back "home" would I have to register again and the answer was "yes".

It is not my intention to start a discussion on this, but the only other country where I did experience such strict rules for foreigners was Russia.

Upon my question they also said they would not be able to extend my 30 day stay by another 30 days and I would have to go to Laos via Nong Khai and come back. Again- reason for this is unknown to me. It is not such a big deal as we were contemplating anyway to go to Laos for a few days, but it would be nicer to know why or why not certain services are declared as "not being possible" by the officer in charge.

Immigration in Bueng Khan has  moved, since I was there last, to new offices under the blue water tower further to the west. Needless to say- there is no sign on the old offices pointing you to the new location.

Just thought I add all this to the "knowledge base".  Cheerio!!!

My (Thai) wife has a broken Galaxy S6 and we want to get it repaired. Not sure yet if it is just the display or more. We get warnings from well meaning neighbours that phone repair people would take the original parts out to replace them with "copies".  I find it very hard to believe that someone manages to produces sub standard parts (except batteries may be) for a Samsung phone- but hej- nothing is really impossible in Thailand! So- what is the verdict? Has anyone made bad experiences with something like that before?  Cheers  Stefan

Thanks guys, that was really helpful! Cheerio  Stefan

Hi guys! I had planned to go to Thailand for 2 month and hoped I would not need to organise a visa for the trip. The plan was to go to Laos after 30 days, (we are not too far from Nong Khai) return and stay another 30. Now I see on the website of a Thai consulate that for a 30 day stay a return ticket valid for inside that period must be produced on demand. Seems a bit strange as Thailand could be one of many countries that I visit one after the other by bus.....

Has anyone experience with this? How likely would I be denied entry if I only have a return ticket after 60 days ?  Or would I encounter difficulties when I cross into Laos and return for another 30 days? Thanks for advice in advance  Stefan

I am an EU citizen (but not Greek) and live most of the time in Greece, with my Thai wife. Last year she got another residency permit for Greece for 10 years. This took time and we had to climb some bureaucratic hurdles, but we managed. It did not cost anything. She could work here if she wished to do so, buy land, houses and inherit. I would enjoy (who would not) to see a little bit of that in the revesed case, i.e. Thailand offering some benefits for people who are married to a Tai woman and involved in a Thai family.  So much for looking at the rules in the country you live in....Cheers

What a horrible way to die! Apparently the parents were watching too. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. Stefan

I am surprised to read about cupped rubber prices in your area. We sit in the very NE close to Bueng Kan. Prices here are significantly lower- mostly under 30 Baht per kilo wet yang during the last months. Yesterday we had to sell for 20 Baht a kilo....

We too have stopped cutting now due to little output from the trees... Cheers Stefan

Hi All! We have a stinking big problem! Recently some of the guys who pump out sewage tanks have decided to dump the content of their trucks on a land with small rubber trees just next to our rubber plantation. We do not know at the moment who these guys are and if the land belongs to them. The stench is so incredible that nobody (not only we) around sees fit to cut rubber at the moment- our boys came back home last night (without cutting trees) having puked all over the place. Apart from the smell I think there is a big health risk as well- and just a bit down slope there is a stream with a big pond......

We live in the NE of Thailand- the rubber land belongs to the next village, not to ours, but we do know the village boss there. Before approaching anybody (yes, I know, a Thai person should do the approaching) I really would like to learn if anybody knows the official regulations about this. I have no idea if there are any sewage treatment works in the surrounding areas (if yes, the guys would be doing the dumping to save money)- and if not- what choices do they have? But something must be done. Any idea? Any helpful comment would be highly appreciated! Stefan

Now swedes have given up on Thailand I bet cabbages will be next, followed by the Chinese

.....and,- just out of curiosity-which group of vegetable would you be belonging to? Cheers S

I am fully aware that -as some comments above- also mine is slightly of topic. But I have to say that some of you sit on a very high horse here!

I have been married to a Thai lady for 8 years now and consider myself the main provider of her family. My wife holds a residency permit for an EU country and we spent about half the year there and half the year in Thailand. (Yes, and it took about a year to get the papers for marriage sorted and another 8 month in Europe before she had the permit (based on family reunification inside the EU according to EU law))

Just for being married to me (as an EU citizen) she gained several rights:

For example: No fee for a visum (i.e. Schengen) or for the residency permit.

The right to inherit AND keep the inheritance (i.e. land, house...)

The residency permit gives her the right to work whatever job she would get.

Renewal is after 5 years (we have done this once)- there are no visa runs or checks at immigration in between.the 5 years. The country where we reside does not stipulate (as others) a maximum amount of time she can be away without jeopardizing her residency permit.

To get there was not handed to us on a silver platter and did not come from the back of a cornflake package.

I think it is not unreasonable to wish that Thai law was a bit more like this and comforting those who are seriously involved in a Thai family (there is not much that separates me by Thai law from a 50 year+ farang who is single and stays here without involvement in the society) . --and re possible abuse of rights: do not think the EU would not check and fight against abuse of the rights they grant, there is a reason for the length of time to go through bureaucracy. I do not think it is fair to be so negative towards someone who thinks that way.

Very sad story, my sympathies are with the victims and their families! I would like to use this tread to ask others of their experiences as pedestrians: We have a very busy and dangerous road just 100m away. Sometimes we need to walk along that road for a bit, sometimes it is dark already. Every time my wife and I have the same argument: I walk on the right side facing the traffic, she walks on the left with the traffic coming from behind her. She swears that "her wy" is how it should be done in Thailand , she also tells me should I ever have an accident walking "my way" (and survive of course) I would have to pay the driver as the drivers would not expect people walking towards them. Hmm. Has anyone else heard of this or had similar debates? Would be good to know. Stefan

Has anybody ever looked at what I would call a "hybrid system"? (Serious question, as I really do not know). Would it not be possible using solar thermal energy to heat vast amounts of water to lets say 80 to 90 degree C which could be kept hot in insulated tanks, This is done on a small scale in many southern countries like Greece for domestic hot water) and then just add the rest of the energy needed using conventional means- then running steam turbines??Something like that? If feasible it would mean, that a much lower amount of conventionally produced energy would be necessary? As it was said before in this thread, the amount of thermal energy available in this country is huge! Just a thought!

The quality of schools, teachers and learning resources (contrary to popular belief) has little or no impact on our rate of learning. Motivation is everything - with it we can overcome any obstacle, without it nkthing will work. That is the leszon that nobody wants to learn!

I strongly disagree with some of this! Example: My Thai step son was 7 when he desperately wanted to be an airline pilot. Meanwhile he is 14 and wants to live like a pensioner, has left school with 13 as he said he would not learn anything but chop the teachers wood and dig his garden. Something during those years went very very wrong. Therefore I think quality of schools, teachers and learning resources can have a huge impact on our rate of learning, albeit often a negative one (by demotivation).

In agreement with above quote I do not force him to go to school. There is no point as long as he is not motivated.

Also please define the term "quality"! What about calling a school a good school or a teacher a good teacher if they would foremost manage to motivate learning? At the very end- I agree- it all depends on yourself, but there might be ways to "make you want".

My own observation is that people from some small countries (like the Netherlands or Denmark) speak in general better English than people of some bigger (read richer) countries like Germany. People of the smaller countries grew up with a lot of English (or French) language movies on television- with subtitles in the countries language ( I think due to financial constrains). In Germany John Wayne speaks German, in Thailand he speaks Thai. If there really was official recognition of a problem here- why not have sometimes movies in English with subtitles- and Sesamy Street in English for the kids (and me ) ??

That`s my two pennies worth of input.....Stefan

Who on earth supplies the data for the Thai Visa weather report?

http://weather.thaivisa.com

For today for my location moderate weather (mostly no rain) was prognosed. As a matter of fact it down-poured with small breaks from about 11 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. This was not a thunderstorm that often hits only very locally but a low front passing through- and as such it was predictable; the television weather report did predict it. Interestingly enough: the CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS were desribed for 16.00 hours as CLEARLY SKY--- a lot of nonsense, there was no clear sky today at any time. So, again, who manufactures???? these data? Are there more reliable local weatherforcasts around on the web? Cheerio Stefan