mosan

For the record, I just applied for a Non-Imm. O-A from Washington D.C., and the form has a spot where you can request 1 or more entries, and I paid the $200. So yes, reading the text on the website, it does say "Validity of VISA: multiple entries.  So if approved, I guess I'll not have to worry about an extension until 2021...

How do you get 2 years from an O-A VISA unless it is a multiple entry? What am I missing?

Maybe you should start by clarifying what "FLR" and "PBS" means...

7 minutes ago, Olmate said:

They cannot fake the entry into the computer, so don,t see use of a fake stamp in pp!

Why would a Scam Artist bother with entries in a computer...and what computer are you referring to--Immigration computers?  If it's fake, chances are the only place that stamp (or whatever) will be is in the recipient's passport (along with the others that were faked.) It will not be discovered until an official tries to research the number on the stamp and it doesn't pan out...

What exactly determines whether a stamp is valid or not. Fake rubber stamps have frequently been found.  And, chances are if a stamp in a foreigner's passport turns out to be fake, the foreigner will probably suffer the consequences. Not to mention the fake lawyer reported on in the Kaosod English story...

Fake Lawyer Busted Over Foreigner Visa Scams

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/crime-crime/2018/10/12/fake-lawyer-busted-over-foreigner-visa-scams/

Let me jump in here and say that getting a Non-Imm ED VISA just after having had several tourist VISAS or Exempt entries is a big red flag.  Especially if you've also obtained a new passport--which they can link to your old passport. That said, you seem well prepared for the worst. Good Luck!

I am presently doing a Non-Imm O-A through the Thai embassy in Washington D.C.  I learned they would accept the Social Security letter, and the same type letter from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) as proof of income. Somebody at the Thai embassy and those Southern US embassies are handling the task of verifying these documents.  A private agency or government office set up to do such legwork for Thai Immigrations could do the same for expats in Thailand. Of course individuals would have to give their permission to release private details, and pay "reasonable" fee.  A middle man to cut out the middle man, but legal...

Advise the head man, Maj. Gen. Surachate Hakparn that this "idea of his" (wink, wink) is great and should be implemented immediately!

So what you're saying is you don't like the operating system, but the hardware is OK.  And, you haven't used Windows for years.  Looks like you set yourself up to fail. Windows has never been easy for casual use.  Either you spend the time to learn the idiosyncrasies, or you go for something less complicated.  That said, anything can be complicated if you don't immerse yourself in the experience.  I hope you find your green pasture...

I bought a Lenovo MIIX-510 which is a surface clone. If you're not familiar, Lenovo bought the IBM Thinkpad line of laptops a while back...quality remains the same.  The MIIX 510 is middle of the road, I bought the cheapest one but the specifications are equivalent to all the Surface Pro models except the entry level one (the one I bought) comes is a 7th generation quad core i3, 4 gig RAM and 128 gig SSD, micro SD slot, available SIM slot and USB Type C  3.1 plus USB 3.0.  You can go to core i7 16 gig RAM 1 TeraByte SSD, also the keyboard and digital pen is included.  I didn't spring for a warranty because at  23,000 Thai Baht ($675) I decided to take a chance on Lenovo's quality... Almost one year later, I'm happy, no glitches.  Presently running Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit Fall Creators Update which came out in October 2017.  They also make the MIIX-710 series which is a little higher class of machine, but the 510 series is just fine if you want to save some money.  I average about 8 hours a day on this thing and really never think about recharging as I usually plug it in at night and throw it into my bag when I leave the house.  A far more reliable choice than a real Microsoft Surface. Check out some YouTube videos for reviews...

What is mostly missing from these types of reports is the total cost.  For instance, do you live nearby or did you travel from another province—what was the cost involved with that.  Also you mentioned you had to remain overnight, so I'm guessing you had to pay for hotel, food and maybe even entertainment for one night plus breakfast and lunch the next day.  Then there is the return trip to wherever you actually reside in Thailand.  Not to mention the boarder hop cost every 90 days for the next 15 months.  All of this is relevant to making a decision as to whether to get a Multi-entry or to just go for a straight one year extension.  A person's age and financial position weighs heavily on this also, but providing some additional insight would be helpful.  Your assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated.  

Kind of like FedEx...pay by the kilo. I'm not so sure this isn't a bad idea, though I have to admit, I'm a small guy and may be slightly biased

Just checking to see what the situation is like in Korat (Nakon Ratchasima).  I think taking the train will be better that driving, but I'd like to know if taxis are readily available to get around. Mind you I'm not talking about Tuk-tuks  or Songtaews, but regular Blue/Yellow or Blue/Green Toyota Corolla taxis. 

Sometimes even using a Google or Bing search doesn't help. 

I used the service with no problems here in Ubon Ratchathani, until I left the country and returned.  With a new entry/departure card, the system could no longer process me.  I've also "heard" that getting a new passport will also prevent you from processing your 90 day as the system never gets updated.  The key word here is "heard", for I have no real evidence that the system never gets updated other than it did not recognize my new passport number.

Coincidentally, I went to a bank branch whose colors are dark blue recently to get a counter withdrawal and the teller told me I could not use a debit card.  I then told her that I had been using this method at all of their branches since my arrival.  She then suggested I could use the ATM machine, but I objected saying the withdrawal amount was limited plus their fees were charged per transaction.  I went on to say that I wanted a large amount, and using an ATM was not good.

Her next step was to phone someone at a higher level.  She was transferred several times until she finally got someone who understood my situation and could also talk to me in English. 

I politely repeated my story and, insisted that contrary to their policy, I've been doing this for quite some time at virtually every branch for years.  After the consultation, the local teller processed my request, as slowly as I have ever seen a person move in my life. 

I'm willing to bet my actions will affect other foreigners that want use a debit card for an over the counter withdrawal.  The fact of the matter is, they don't make any money on these transactions.  However, I mostly deposit the money directly into my account, but not every time.  I'm not sure, but they probably checked their records and saw I was a frequent user as well as an account holder. 

If you're interested in further details, send me a private message. 

Well considering your language skills, what have you heard said about foreigners that the locals will not say to our faces?

A friend pointed out a farang to me the other day and told me he's....wait for it .......28 yrs overstay yes 28...he only speaks fluent Thai and is black from working in the fields all day and the only thing that gives him away is his nose.i thought to myself if he's on the run it must be more serious than 28 yrs hard labour and living on rice.

I'd like to chime in on this and say that you probably haven't been paying close enough attention. If you live in Thailand, you should have noticed by now that Black people (of African decent) and most Thais have the same type of noses...meaning flat and wide. And, sometimes really round nostrils. I doubt that a nose would give a person's ancestry away.

On the other hand, many people here are living in denial that their hosts, friends, girlfriends and wives have traits more common with Africans than Caucasians.

Now if you had said the only thing that gives him away is his curly (kinky) hair, then I would have been with you 100 percent!

And I won't elaborate on that "he's on the run" jab you took...but at least you let us know how you think.

An idea surfaced to have some informal gatherings just for conversation and entertainment.

One such idea was to have sporting event outings during the lunch time hour(s) seems how most everyone eats lunch anyway.

Today, I’m having lunch at Tom’s American and I’ll have a Large Screen TV set up to do a test run for watching either an NFL football game or a Major League Baseball game. I have a subscription to these services so any game that is in progress or has already been played may be watched.

If you have nothing else to do, at the very minimum drop by and see how it’s going, say hello, watch some of the game or have lunch—up to you.

The plan is to do this on a recurring basis and to watch many varied types of events. Myself, I love Formula 1 and NASCAR racing, Golf, Tour de France (cycling)…etc.

Not only that, this might be a good place to have a Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering…just a thought!

This is why I do not troubleshoot a problem online (social media, email, messenger) or on the phone . The real way to deal with a computer problem is face to face with the owner and his/her hardware.

Cheers

Was at Ubon immigration today for the 90 day report. Asked about the move. The current answer is sometime this year. In at 1pm, out at 1:04 pm. Can not ask for much quicker.

I did mine online...never left the house. 5 minutes about 10 am and got an approval email back at about 3:15 in the afternoon. Went to the website, printed out the approval...done and dusted!

Here is my take on the situation. People want to cling on to so-called security software because of fear. Let it go...remove all third party software from your system and then do the upgrade. Of the 20 or so people I've help so far, the biggest problem lies with security software and old applications. Just move on and everything will work fine for the most part. I stopped using Avast, AVG, Norton, and every other so-called anti-virus, anti-malware software years ago and I haven't had a hiccup in years (probably 5-7, I can't remember.) Now that's not to say I haven't had a few driver nicks here and there, but that happens, because most hardware manufacturers don't keep up. People sometimes can't find the proper drivers for their hardware. Understand that computers will not run every software package ever created, and certainly not simultaneously. Software developers are not perfect and neither is hardware you're trying to run said software on. Just because something you use ran O.K, on Windows XP or 7 or 8.1 doesn't necessarily mean it's ever going to run correctly on Windows 10.

Today, 21 July 2015 the American Legion Thailand TH01 Post will hold a Google Hangout (video/audio meeting) for the Constitution and By-Laws drafting committee starting at 7 PM Thailand, 8 AM EDT US. Invitations will be sent out approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. Send a private message for additional information.

I sent you a private message, I think there is a little envelope in the upper right hand corner of the page that will help you open it.