rwilem

And when was that? When was the last time you re-entered the country and successfully did a 90-day report online? This 'do the 90-day report in person after a re-entry' became a thing about a year ago, year-and-a-half ago. Perhaps a little longer? Maybe then you might have been OK, or slipped through the cracks. These days they want it in person. The issue really came to a head some time after the paper TM6 arrival forms were scrapped. Prior to their scrapping, no problem. I wonder if the new TDAC arrival system will allow for the immigration office to better track our 90 status, so we'll be able to get back to how it was in the past, i.e. no need to do an in-person report after a re-entry. But, I'm not holding my breath.

Ah, I get it. You get some very good personalized service there in Roi Et. Come on in, you're good to go! Thanks for such a detailed and informative response.

Man, it seems that the lengths of the 'under consideration' period can vary by quite differing time frames. Some say 30 days from the extension applying date. Some say up to the current extension date if applying more than 30 days in advance of it. And your experience is an under consideration time frame lasting till 30 days after the current extension. And you were applying well in advance, that could mean a two-month time frame for the period. Hard to get a handle on how it should go, or how it's supposed to go. Just like almost all encounters with things immigration, it's a real case-by-case, 'your experience may vary' situation. By the way, you said the under review period given to you always extends to 30 days after the end of your current extension's expiry date, but that it's usually approved before that date. So a question here. Do you return to immigration on that 30th day of the period, and discover at that time that the approval date was a month prior? Or are you able to get the finalized new extension before your current one has expired, before the end of the under consideration period? Just wondering how that works. If you apply 45 days in advance, and you are supposed to return on the 30th, the last day, of the under consideration period, correct? That would be about 75 days in a limbo of some type. If that is the case, of how that works.

Personally, that's just maybe my 'too-proactive' approach to things Immigration here. Do what you can the earliest you can. However, for you in your case, if you do your extension on June 16, 17, 18, or even Monday the 21st which is a few days prior to start of your first trip, you will surely be back at the conclusion of your second trip ahead of the last day of the 30, or what ever number of days it turns out be, under consideration. But make sure about the need or not for a new re-entry permit for that first trip, or whether you will being able to use your existing one for it. And you will surely need a fresh re-entry permit for that second trip during the under consideration period. Factoring that issue, that's why I'd favor getting the new extension and new re-entry in the fold before departing on the second trip...which means going out to CW May 29 or 30 for the extension. Please do report back what happens!

You are in a situation here now where you just gotta bite the bullet and deal with not having an appointment. Dr Jack has long-standing good advice for doing extensions at CW without appointments. Just get there before they close for lunch, get your que number(s), take care of other biz during the break and go back in after they open up for the afternoon. You will get your stuff done. I would assume so, yes. But if you go on May 29 or 30 for the extension you should get under consideration for 30 days. OK, even if goes to July 2 (your current expiry) you will be here. Both of those, or either of those I should say, will work for, you will be here. Confirm with the IO while you are doing the extension, and confirm about travel out, whether your current re-entry will remain valid, etc. Yeah, it's a tad stressful, I get it. Which is why getting the extension out of the way earlier, before you take the second trip, might be the most prudent approach.

From my post above. Some guys reported they needed the re-entry permit, some reported, like the following, that they didn't. Also, note the apply date and return date. More than 30 days, but the date of the expiry of his still-in-effect extension. "I just did it last month my extension was expiring on 11th April I applied on 5th March at Cheangwattana and was give a return date of 11th April. Immigration officer said my current visa and multi entry re-entry permit remain valid. I went out 13th March and returned 6th April and was given 5 days on my stamp on entry up to my new extension date. Picked up extension on 11th April."

OK, you are dealing with CW. You can apply for extension up to 45 days in advance there. From a post in another thread. "CW starts the under consideration period from the day you apply. If you apply 45 days early you would have have your new extension done, FYI you can get a re-entry permit for the under consideration period." So in theory, if you go in and do your extension on May 29 or 30, you should be OK returning for final approval 30 days later, just after you have gotten back from the first trip. You will need to acquire a fresh re-entry permit for that first trip you would be taking during the under consideration period. Hopefully others with experience with doing their marriage extensions and travel during the under consideration period can offer their knowledge.

Yep, I just made one now, to get a preferred date and time. It's just for backup, in case something goes haywire with the online submission(s). Best case scenario is online results in APPROVED and then I just go back in to the appointment system and cancel it.

Wow, amazing story, thanks for sharing that. Yep, good call. And as you say, the rest is history. Or, as back in the day the American radio news/commentary great Paul Harvey would say, "And now you know the rest of the story."

A bit off-topic to the main point of the thread. Just wondering, how does someone have, how do you end up having two valid passports? Has to be an unusual situation. (Seems in the end they didn't allow you to keep the second one?)

There is an appointment system in place and you can book an appointment for doing the 90-day report in person. Really makes it smooth.

When is your due date? And when did you submit the report that the system shows is PENDING? And to clarify, for in-person reporting there is a 'grace period' of up to 7 days AFTER the due date, during which time you can submit it without being fined.

Had not thought of that. Seems like that would be an ideal way to go to sample localphone. Yeah, about the search, some agonizing...I hear you. Well, getting my U.S. TextNow number getting zapped, then Skype going down, you're out in the wild, U.S. number-less and no call-out ability, when things had been running on auto-pilot for years. On the True tourist Sim, the link didn't show, or maybe I missed it, what the initial outlay is for buying and funding it. And the costs for extending it, keeping it funded. But certainly 1 baht a minute calling to the U.S. is decent, and I would venture that the call quality should be better than VOIP.

Interesting.... I guess you'd have to get a 'tourist sim' and set that up. Lot of questions, though. How long is a 'tourist sim' going to be valid for? Forever, as long as it's funded? Not a lot of info at the site, but I'll look for it.

Wow, good to know. I didn't try that, just had the idea on the back burner after reading accounts of that process. I'll not pursue that method, no. After getting some call-out service, I'll be covered. I may just wait till my next trip to the U.S. to get a Voice account, get one on the up-and-up.

No, not accurate. There's no 'citizenship test' for acquiring a Voice account/number. (And it is available in some other countries in addition to the U.S.) In the U.S., to make an account you would have to be present, or fool google that you are (VPN), and have a U.S. mobile provider phone number able to receive the code to confirm the account.

So far, seems like it's tough to beat localphone's basic rate for calls to the U.S. I've contacted support at Mytello, to clarify if a purchase of a block of minutes is a one-off buy (with minutes having no short-term expiration period) or if it's based on a recurring monthly subscription model (with the minutes valid for only a month.) Received two conflicting, opposite answers from the same rep. First, he said it was a monthly subscription, the minutes do expire. Your subscription would be renewed. OK. Then I pointed out some info from the same 'U.S. rates' page on their website at the bottom, the details, which said the opposite, that your minutes don't expire. Brought that to his attention, and he changed his tune immediately. 'Yes, it's a one-time buy, not a subscription, the minutes don't expire.' So which is it? Doesn't inspire much confidence. That's for Mytello. Have contacted localphone support with a couple pre-buy queries, no response yet. If you want to make a test call with all these calling outfits seems you have to sign up first, get an account. I guess easy enough, but... Oh, well. Seems the top contenders for replacing the Skype call-out function are localphone, Mytello, Yolla and Viber. And one more that I came across yesterday, DialHard, which is web-based, no app. Want to look closer at that one. Will have to get something in the next couple days, as my Skype subscription is gone now. Ended yesterday or Sunday. No more Skype. Had a 16-17 year run with them.

Yeah, looks like your count is accurate, if counting April 4th as day 1 of the new time frame. But it doesn't matter. Could look at it this way, you got a one-day 'bonus' on your 90.😉

Yeah, who knows? I set up the new account on the laptop, via the google web site, and got going on the Voice set up, again via the website. But when it came time to confirm the code, it fizzled. I was actually looking at Sim cards on ebay and noted at least three sellers who were offering activation, or 'pre-activation' of the cards and shipping them out. That idea popped up here in these forums, a post from a year or so ago? I don't know if the poster actually bought the Sim card he was discussing, but I did. The Ultra sim, $3/mo plan, 100/100 T&T, 100 mb. I went, I guess, 'Cadillac'? The seller would activate it and add $35 credit to the card, so if you stay within the monthly limits it won't need to be 'topped-up' for another 10-11 months. (Have to see what additional taxes, charges, are applied to the monthly drawdown of the credit.) So that $35 is reflected in the cost I paid, which was a tad under $90. And the card was activated, account established up-and-running after getting here. How that's done, I don't know, but it's done and working fine and I've got management of the account now. Some other Sim 'activator-sellers' activate the card before they ship it, and get a number in an area you may not want. The seller I bought from got me a number in my preferred zip/area code. Great to hear it's worked out except for that hiccup you mentioned. Yeah, I'm gonna get that set up. The entire thing that I have experienced, my 'main' number held for five years from TextNow getting zapped, because using it from here violated the TOS, and then about a week later, the news of Skype's pending shutdown is a double whammy. I feel like taking a 'shotgun approach' to covering me to be able make calls when you need to call out to the U.S.

And have you noted your 'next due date' on the APPROVED pdf file? (Was it 'counted' 90 days from the date you submitted it, April 4th, I believe?)

This is correct. Ideally you want to do the online report on the first day you are allowed to. And that is two calendar weeks before your due date. Either that day or the next one is the best time to do it. The email, don't wait or look for it. (May end up in the junk folder, too.) Note your due date. Going to the date two weeks prior to it and doing the report that day seems to be the path to APPROVED land!

I don't know about that subscription. My read from what's being reported is that it's not going to be an option, at least in my case. I don't have credit. I have had a monthly subscription, of some kind, whether it be a 'world' or 'U.S. subscription', unlimited calling, for 16, 17 years. They're not renewing those subscriptions. People who have credit, who have used Skype that way, they might be able to do something within the Teams app, but even that seems unclear at this point. Teams is geared for more for business and corporate customers. The individual customer who wants to make 'calls out' is not really welcome there, that's the consensus emerging from what people are reporting. Did you use the Tello app? Do you make an overseas call first calling a local number here--as some of the outfits seem to operate--or you dialed directly to the overseas number? Many (maybe all?) of these providers and/or apps give you a chance to make a sample call. Good idea to do that before deciding to go ahead with a purchase.

First, great reply, thanks! I did this a couple weeks back. On the laptop, VPN, in conjunction with a friend standing by in the U.S., ready to receive and relay the code from his mobile. (I didn't have a U.S. mobile number, more on that in a minute). In real time, just prior to the code being sent to his phone a popup scam warning message appeared on his end. I said, 'hey, just go ahead, disregard it', he did, told me the code which I inputted on my end here. Nothing. Failure. Nothing 'registered', and I don't have an idea where it went wrong. My friend was not really enthused about making another try after that. Yeah, it did it all. Sideloaded the app in preparation for getting an account, and did the set up of Voice on the laptop, had even chosen the U.S. number. But it failed, for whatever reason, along the way. The code receipt/relay point was where it seemed to come apart. I then learned about acquiring a 'short time' number or SMS service to facilitate receiving the code directly, to set up a Voice account while outside the U.S., but haven't/didn't pursue it. This! Yes, and I have done that. In a roundabout, but direct way. Again, the friends there, just about everyone has an iphone, and they are locked to their postpaid service provider plans. (AT&T seems to the carrier of choice.) Mention Sim cards to them, activating there, mailing to me here...nah, it's not gonna fly. They don't quite grasp the concept, but nothing they ever have to think about, right? But I don't think they'd be able to activate an Ultra, or T-mobile Sim, anyway, and I realized that. (I've never had a 'contract' phone service, always unlocked, a 'free agent' so to speak, going prepaid, just my preference. So swapping Sims is something I do. So I kind of forget about limitations imposed on many provider customers in the States, friends among them. 'Oh yeah....you couldn't do it, anyway.' Good news is on ebay I bought that same $3/month Ultra Mobile Sim you are talking about from a seller who was able to activate it there, in effect providing the activate there and send to me here service. Just got it, just got it set up, and I plan soon to try to get a Voice account using that Ultra Mobile number for receiving the code. Maybe today or tomorrow I can try that. Great to have the Ultra Sim, but still need the Skype replacement for my needs. (Because the Ultra sim is limited in minutes, and for those times you are 'waiting' in a queue, you wouldn't want to use it. (And calls received count against the monthly limit as well.) One catch about Voice, though. It seems is they can dump you if you are not careful about usage from overseas. Exclusive usage from overseas could be dicey, or maybe not. I don't know. But some people have lost their number over this issue. So in that regard it's not fail-safe as Skype has been. I will try out one of the call-out apps that utilize wifi-calling. It's worth buying minutes or credit and take a shot. Talk360, I think with them you can buy a batch of minutes at a single time, and they are good for 18 months. 250 baht for 740 minutes, they offer that. How it all works in actual usage, maybe just make an account, buy that and find out.

I know that. But I do not have a google voice number. Have you been able to set up a google voice account while being in Thailand? I've been trying, with assistance from a friend or two in the U.S., and still not able to get it going. If you have any advice on the steps to successfully set up a google voice account while overseas, and not present in the U.S., please advise, myself and others would like to know.

Ouch! That is far too much to contend with. When you put it like that, with all the breach of your info, well...then a bank transfer is preferable. But even that leaves me skittish. OK, I saw one outfit, can't recall off the top right now, but I can locate it, and I think it is SIP-connected. They were offering 500 minutes for $2.00. And not a monthly subscription type plan but a one-time purchase. I contacted support, asking if there was any expiry of the minutes, i.e. did they have to be used within a certain time frame or expire if they weren't used? Got a reply saying the minutes never expire. 500 minutes...that is probably enough for me to cover me for 6-8 months, if not longer. Now, is that a 'too good to be true' offer here? I'll look a little closer at that one, see what the catch is.