delaware

A friend of mine (an American) came to Thailand a couple of months ago. She had obtained a tourist visa in the States but when she arrived the immigration official apparently didn't see it and gave her a 30 day entry instead. She didn't figure this out until much later and now she's looking at a significant overstay fine. She only discovered this when she went to the Samut Prakan immigration office to extend the tourist visa. They pointed out that she'd never used the visa, so of course they couldn't extend it.

Obviously she should have checked her entry stamp at the airport...but is there anything that she can do about this now? Or is she stuck with the overstay fine?

Thanks for your help - and if there's another topic that already addresses this please point me towards it. I couldn't find it.

Looks like there was a bit of a fracas with the Patpong street traders and the police last night. Only info I can find online about it on the ASTV site here (translated).

Background I heard is that they're upset with a recent clampdown on selling counterfeit items - 2 days notice.

BKK Post and The Nation have absolutely zilch on it so far.

I saw something in the Thai Rath about it - but also couldn't find anything in the English language papers. If I remember correctly they promised to crack down everywhere (MBK, etc.) but acknowledged that it would be difficult

he got the visa and then we walked straight through... (no need to get a stamp in the passport once you get the visa on arrival)

Good luck!

A.

No need to get a 30 day entry stamp for Laos if you get the "Visa on Arrival".. Really???? If you did not get a stamp "in" what did the Lao immigration officer do when you wanted to leave?

What if I get a Lao visa in BKK - how much time will that save me at the border?

Do you (or does anyone else) have more details about the Hanoi embassy? How long is the visa processing time? What are their hours? Is it a safe bet for getting a tourist visa? (I'd only need a single entry).

Thanks for any help.

Thanks for the input - that is helpful. One more question...does anyone know if such a school or vocational institute absolutely must be registered with the Ministry of Education? Or is a letter on official letterhead enough?

I've got a friend who is interested in studying cosmetolgy (specifically, hair styling) in Thailand. Does anyone know of any schools or training institutions that would be able to assist her in getting a work permit to do that? (I realize that she won't be able to practice this profession in Thailand - but she would like to be trained here). I've seen other posts in this forum about getting a visa for massage or scuba diving school, but haven't been able to track down anything specific to cosmetology.

Thanks for any help or advice.

My family is taking a trip to Uthai Thani next week. Does anyone have any hotel recommendations (either in the town of Uthai Thani or in the Baan Rai area)? We're not looking for a fancy resort - just something decent and clean. There's a lack of information in most guide books.

Thanks for any help.