Wentworth

Trying to book on-line for my 90 day reporting in May. Seems like I can only do it by using the calendar, if I try to put in a date below a window opens that says I have to use calendar and then everything locks up since after hitting "ok" it keeps reappearing and I have to force quit my safari browser. But the problem is the calendar is only for the current month. How do I book for a date in another future month?

Please remember that the online booking system is for things like annual visa extensions like marriage and retirement, not 90 day reports.

I've just started to teach English to groups of 1 to 5 children. I haven't got a colour printer as I rarely need it and go to my local Print Shop as and when. I don't want to get a laminating machine and thought that perhaps I could use digital flash cards, on say an Ipad or 7 inch tablet, which I have access to.

I'm interested to know of any experiences and especially what software comes in handy - Google Docs (Presentations), perhaps? I say this as I would probably need quick access to cards at various points in the sequence, instead of just 'Backwards and Forwards' arrows.

Many thanks for your help and apologies for replying later than I'd hope.

I live in the north but do venture out about 2 or 3 days a month to Chiang Mai and Bangkok. I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. In terms of budget I just want to reduce from the 650 Baht unlimited at the moment as I don't use it as much as I thought I would. I'm looking to use wifi from my home connection along with any hotspots etc out and about. I'm thinking that I'll be needing a 2/3G connection for about 20 or 30 hours a month based on average usage. Looking at the charts you linked - I guess I could try the 100 Baht(20 hours). I could then perhaps try the 99 Baht (75Mb) afterwards and compare.

I have AIS Unlimited Data at the moment but my circumstances have changed and I want to change packages but don't understand the Data signal types, as AIS offer different packages. I would be grateful if someone could give a layman's explanation about the different types I've heard of. I know about 3G but I see 'Edge' most of the time on my data signal and then there are times I see 'H' in say Chiang Mai or Bangkok.

AIS have data packages that have Edge only as well as (3G and Edge). I'm wondering what happens if I have an Edge only package and go to a 3G signal area; would I get stiffed for the 3G 'Per Minute' charge?

I never used a data connection prior to coming to Thailand. I've been contemplating how people use say the Megabyte download limit versus the Hourly limit. It sounds difficult to know how many MB as each page is different. It sounds easier to roughly remember how many hours I've used. Having said that, does AIS give a facility to keep an eye on what you've used eg a free * number?

It would be best to check with Immigration first in terms of the process of changing from Tourist to Non Imm. In mid 2009 I wanted to change from Tourist to get a Non Imm(Marriage). I contacted CM Immigration and they told me I could do it through them. However, when I got there they told me I had to either go to the Main Office in Bangkok or leave the country. I ended up having to go all the way to Bangkok twice as they gave me duff info on the phone - even the website was wrong. I've learnt to take literally every piece of official paperwork I have, regardless of how relevant I think it will be. I got three months on a Non Imm and they told me to go to CM Immigration to get the 1 year extension before the expiry date. I did that and went to CM and a month after the submission I got my 1 year extension; I've been getting the annual extension ever since. The only difference I can see is that with you looking for the retirement option then you should get your 1 year extension on submission to CM and not have to wait for a month or so as I had to.

I copy photo page, original visa, latest extension, departure card and last entry.

This has never left me with reason to complain on ThaiVisa that they're asking for another copy of something.

As the OP and before I add any further response, please let me know if this post is directed at me. Thank you.

did not know you needed a photo for 90 day reporting?????,maybe i read op wrong,getting late.

it's a copy of the passport page with your photo on.

They ALWAYS ask for a copy of the entry stamp.

I'm not sure what we are referring to. My last entry stamp was 3 passports and nearly 20 years ago. Never had to dig out my 20 year old passport to show them. So it is not clear what is actually being asked but would thought they would be referring to the TM6 departure card which shows your arrival date.

I did give them a copy of my TM6 Departure Card, as usual and as you'd expect, it has the stamp on it. The extra, unexpected request was for a copy of the stamp on the page of my passport. I've asked friends and they tell me that they don't have to show a copy of the passport page stamp, just the Departure Card. When I used to go in person, they never asked for it.

They ALWAYS ask for a copy of the entry stamp.

So, I just got lucky when posting it - for at least a year?

They ALWAYS ask for a copy of the entry stamp.

I went to get my annual stamp from CM Immigration today. Afterwards I got a photocopy to do my 90 Day Report, which was due next week. I usually post it and problem free for over a year.

I send the following by post:

Completed form.

Original of existing 90 Day reporting slip.

Photocopies of passport pages

- Photo

- Present Visa

- Departure Card

& SAE, just in case someone asks.

Today, at the office, I was asked to get a copy of the Airport Immigration stamp from mid 2009, when I last entered the country. When I asked why, as I mentioned that I haven't had to when posting it, a finger just pointed at my Departure Card date stamp. Does anyone know if they've changed the requirements, or should I just shake my head in disbelief and remember - T. I. T. ???????????

I've submitted my extension for my marriage visa. They gave me a stamp to get the 'Golden Stamp' for another year, on 11 Dec 11. That's a Sunday, but the next day is a public holiday, so I guess I have to go on Tuesday 13th. I say this as I'm guessing I can't go on the previous Friday(9th). I'm planning to get a Re-entry permit for 'Justin'. My 90 Day Report is also due on 18th December. I normally do the 90 Day by post, but am I completely barking mad to think I can get all three in one day, especially after a bank holiday? Would I better to go for just the 'Golden Stamp' and Re-entry Permit? I don't fancy waiting all day when there's a likelihood that I won't get seen for all of them on that day and so I wondered if maybe I could drop the 90 Day stuff with the copies etc at reception to be acted on as done by Post?

I've just submitted my Married Visa Extension and when I go to get the 'Golden Stamp' to cover the next year, I want to get a Re-Entry Permit for emergencies. I've looked at the form and it asks for the dates you're expecting to be away for. Could anyone using it from a similar approach let me know what is acceptable to Immigration? Many thanks.

has anybody gone to immigration these days? is the booking system still effective?

I was there to extend my marriage visa on Tues 25th Oct and all was well. I was told by the people on the first counter on the left(by the main entrance), just to approach the desk at the appointed time and they asked me just to confirm my name with the booking they had. I didn't realise they wanted a printout of the booking and just showed them the email on my phone; they asked me to bring a printout next time. There were just the odd one or two things that I'd forgotten to do but the lady wasn't upset and just ask me to copy a couple of things. On the whole very good, a big Thumbs Up for the online system.

Did my extension last week with an 11 AM appointment. Name was called at 11:10 and spent about 10 minutes with the officer going over the documents. Got the passport back at 11:50 so a total processing time of 40 minutes. A great speed improvement over prior years.

Hubby had the same experience last week, for a 10 am appointment. His name was called at 10:10 am and he had his retirement visa extension within 40 minutes of being called. Then he returned to the copy shop and filled out the form for his re-entry permit. We make it a practice to always have a valid re-entry permit in our passports in case we have to leave the country suddenly. Sure, we haven't always used them, but it's just one less hassle if we're called out of Thailand because of injury or death of a family member. Left Immigration with both his new visa extension and re-entry permit by 11:30 am.

Entire process was very smooth, he reports. The only question asked by the officer was when he went on-line to get his appointment; how far in advance of the appointment. Frankly, I made the appointment so long ago, he couldn't remember. The officer said the queue is filling up fast and people should make appointments well in advance. Maybe I'll get my appointment for my Feb visa extension now!

No questions about income, even though he used an income statement notarized by the American Consulate. Maybe they figure that people who are organized enough to make appointments several months in advance and come with all the correct copies, every page signed and dated, are probably not going to be trying to "game the system" with their income letter.

I was at Chiang Mai Immigration in the zoo, sorry, Waiting Room today. I submitted my visa extension and all went well. I have to go back in December and I will be following your advice about getting a re-entry permit once I get the annual stamp. Could you let me know what paperwork etc I need for it?

Many thanks.

I really appreciate all the help you've all given.

I've been and seen my friend's passport and he has the 'Admitted until' stamp dated as 12 Jan 2012. He's now planning to a border run but will be looking to get an extension based on retirement.

Thanks again for all your help.

A friend(honest Guv, I have a Marriage Visa of my own) isn't quite sure what the position is.

Said friend has been here on a Marriage Visa. He had to go home and got a Non Imm visa.(Multi-Entry) to return. I've seen the passport page and it just says 'Non Immigrant - O'. I'm thinking that this is a general Non Imm O and has nothing to do with the usual Marriage or Retirement - He tells me that he wasn't asked for any financial proof.

In terms of 3 month reporting, does he have to do a Border run or a 90 Day Report?

I'm booked in to submit my annual Marriage Visa Extension this coming week.

I've been giving some thought as to what should happen if I need to go home for compassionate reasons. Can I get a Multi-Entry extension on my present visa in Chiang Mai or would I need to get a Re-Entry stamp? I would prefer to just pay the cost, presumably 1,900 Baht as a sort of insurance than have problems if an emergency happens. I live some distance from Chiang Mai and these sorts of things come always seem to come at difficult times. I suppose I could get another visa in my home country but I'd rather not - thinking about the time and expense.

I'm from the UK and have been wondering where I can find out which ones to get and how often etc. I'm happy with my local private hospital whenever I need treatment but not sure if farangs need to get anything different from Thais - what with our bodies not as hardened to life here as the locals, I thought of NHS Direct in the UK(for Non-Brits that's the government National Health Service advice line) but then I have the feeling that they tend to think of 'holidaying' here instead of living here, but could be wrong.

Extremely grateful to you all.

Fantastic, I really appreciate the help.

Many thanks

My wife has a shop and would like to use a barcode reader and label printer etc; anyone have any suggestions as to where we can buy in Chiang Mai?

I'm Thai and I have dealt with piss-takers in my family too. The Thai way of reacting would be bury any hatchets and let it be water under the bridge (there isn't anything that you can constructively do about the situation any more) . . .

No need to get the violin out or make dramatic gestures; they win you no respect in Thai culture . . . up to the point where you're playing for keeps and you really do intend to squash them, then there are no rules.

Then you come up with some robust piss take prevention drills, for example make a separate user account with limited rights for the family to use when they ask, as mentioned by venturalaw. This sends the message that you've got your eye on them and you're prepared to give them as much rope as they need.

For getting bikes moved out of the way, just ask them to do it because you want to go out in your vehicle. Escalation is then subject to their reaction.

Letting action or inaction do all the talking and / or quietly chortling sarcasm is however perfectly acceptable because it gives them less cause to react without losing face themselves (remember, in Thailand all is well that is smooth); if they ever pester you again and you would like to give them some change you could trot out "mai dai, phom tong rappidchorb khong khong phom" / "nope, sorry, I have to be responsible for my stuff" or words to that effect.

When Thais play games you hit them where it hurts : the non-physical face, using their own actions or words (remembering the above paragraph). When a move like this is well executed you will find that you may have more supporters and admirers than you initially thought (nothing is missed in a village). If no one backs you up or voices support you're either doing it wrong or you really are in a place where you're not appreciated . . .

Forgive me for conjecturing, but it is possible that you're contributing to them not taking you seriously by getting worked up about things.

For best results always keep a jai -en and always serve it ice-cold.

It's great to hear from a Thai person. As well as being understandbly annoyed I really am trying to get my head around how Thais think.

I see what you mean about moving the bikes; I'm sorry but I should really have said that I came back and saw it was in the way and no one was there; I was in the act of moving it when the owner turned up. Normally, if the owner is there, then they see I want to move the car, or I ask them politely, which is usually no problem and they're very apologetic. Even in this case, I just wonder to myself why they park so close to the car, especially as there's a good chance that they won't be there when the car owner comes back.

In terms of parking, I have always looked to see the effect it has on others eg I can't believe so many people here park in front of the gates of a building that is so obviously used to go in out. Of course, I understand that they may just nip into 7/11 for a minute and take a chance. Take my neighbour as an example. They have some gates and a huge sign, which says "Please do not park in front of the gates, this is in constant use". Someone parks there and then they get upset when they have to move their car as my neighbour wants to get in or out.

When people do selfish things here I've always been told "Leave it alone, don't say anything" - I realise there's less chance of confrontation, but sometimes people really don't know they've done something wrong and they need to know. In the case of my sister in law and her family, I think that it never occurs to them that they have been stupid and selfish - they really haven't got the brains, or should I say social manners/etiquette. Most farangs would normally say something like, please don't do that in future because I don't like it. You then know that this person isn't happy and you will know in future; In that way you respect other people and their belongings. Otherwise, you could just keep doing something and annoying people. On the light hearted side, many years ago I wore a jumper that wasn't so fashionable, but my parents gave it to me as a present and I didn't think it was that bad. I felt obliged to wear it but didn't realise I looked really silly wearing it. My then sister in law said to me 'You look like a real Dork in that jumper'. I laughed and never wore it again - I'm willing to bet that lots of people, even other family members saw me wearing it but never said anything.

I will give you an example of how I get my young stepson to think about things. At home he goes to get a drink from the fridge when he's thirsty, he doesn't have to ask; he will if he can't reach. When I first came into contact with him and he was in a friend's or relative's house, then he would do the same thing. I taught him that it was different for other people's houses, It's not our stuff and he needs to ask out of politeness and good manners. If they tell him it's OK and he doesn't need to ask in future, then fair enough - but don't presume.

In terms of the future, I don't want to upset my wife by saying anything at all to my in-laws - regardless of how nicely or constructively I put it, they just won't be borrowing anything from us anymore - if they ask why, then I'll politely remind them of what happened last time. This may or may not be the right way but it's what will happen.

You're right, I've got myself worked-up but they don't know it and so presently they aren't even aware that I'm upset - would they feel anything even if they were?. My values hold me back from revenge. I have come to ask myself 'Are people blatantly selfish and don't care - or is selfishness even a concept they should think about eg why should I care about anyone else?'

I'm very grateful for your response. at least I've got a little more insight into how Thai culture works and it can help me to understand and keep calmer.

I have had some family and others take liberties back home but none would ever go this far..

My wife told me that she had lent one of my laptops to her sister, as her's was being repaired. I didn't have a problem with that and thought nothing of it, I didn't need it that much at the time and was happy to help. Despite the repair happening fairly quickly and me constantly asking for it back, as I needed it to do something, it took 6 weeks to get it back. When I turned it on I realised why. Windows was almost unusable, it had illegal games, films and music on it - and of course viruses, despite having perfectly good virus protection that I installed and was one of those that was uninstalled. On top of that some of my legal programmes had been uninstalled. I'm guessing that they uninstalled the virus protection to do the dodgy stuff. What gives them the right to do this? As per usual I got the 'It wasn't me' response and 'Mai Bpen Rai', to which I said 'Oh, it must have been the Yeti or perhaps a ghost because of my bad karma'. The same family think nothing of taking things for themselves, without saying anything. I have no problem if someone asks but they just don't think - they don't consider that I may want something for a specific purpose. My wife would never dream of doing this. She was annoyed, but said nothing to them and asked me to let it ride. My wife and her sisters were all raised in the same way to have the same values, but plainly this sister choses not to take heed.

I come across selfishness wherever I go - do people here not get taught that what they do may have an adverse impact on others, or do they just not give a dam_n? There are plenty of times that I get back to my car to see that motorbikes have been parked both front and rear; handlebars almost touching the car. On one occasion someone got irate when I tried to move their bike so I could get out - What did they expect me to do, hang around, potentially for hours? When they were parking the car, did they not even consider how I was going to get out?

Of course you cannot label all the people of a nation with the same brush - as I mentioned, people back home can annoy you as well with selfishness. I hear alot of people saying that Thais are respectful, but perhaps I was raised to think of respect as more than being polite when you meet someone and greeting them with a 'Wai' etc, especially if they are older or of a higher social status.

Please don't give me the 'If you don't like it go home' replies, I would prefer to hear something constructive that I can perhaps at least get my head around why these sort of things happen. Or Perhaps the answer is 'T.I.T'

Going to do my first 90 report in person soon, what do I need to bring?? Just my passport?

Thanks much....

After you've completed the Form TM 47 just take it ,with your Passport ,to the photo copy girl and she knows exactly what copies you need. No need for you to worry about that yourself. Then you get your queue ticket at the back of the room from the guy who likes to give you the once over, and wait for your number to appear. They work fast.

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Why not just post it by EMS.....They have never failed to issue and return the new 90 day report. Saves queuing and clogging up the small immigration office, full of other applicants for various visas and extensions etc. :-) EMS only costs 37/38 baht, including the SAE ( stamped addressed envelope) to return it to you

Regards

Yes, I used it and no problems. I knew you could do it by post but until now have done shopping etc, so I never really worried too much about queuing. However, I was usually in and out within max 30 minutes, sometimes straight away. The last visit meant hours. The staff encouraged me to post it the next time and of course it does help with petrol costs and as you say, not clogging up the main area. It's just a pity we can't do this sort of thing online.