banglassie

Hello,

Does anyone know what the current status is at the Mae Sot border? Is it possible to bounce out and in for 500 baht at this time or is it closed again? I am holding a Non Imm O Multiple Entry based on family. 

Thanks in advance! 

Thanks a lot!

Yes, a non B could be good, however my company prefer Vietnam for those visas.
But a Non O based on family/marriage makes me able to work as well, and if I rmb correct only 40k a month or 400k in a bank seasoned, is needed as proof, rather than 60k/month or 800k in a Thai bank.

Seeing they had issues with my extensions, I feel a new visa would be easier, and a Non O not make me too tied up to the company.

So if possible I would rather apply for a single entry non imm O (cause that's paperwork I know inside out), and then let BOI make a WP, since it will be a new Non O visa with "Thai wife" stamps (I still find it hilarious that many women I know got "Thai wife" stamped as well, even though they are married to Thai men 555)

Then make the extension before 90 days or however long a single entry non Imm O is with paper from my work at Caeng wattana Division 1, since if some documents are missing I can easily get someone to come and help me or send the correct documents with Grab or Lineman and have them within an hour.

Went to Mukdahan with a new passport and forgot to transfer all stamps and the receipt from the embassy, which was quite a pain, so rather make it as easy as possible while abroad since I understand Laos less as a nation and as a language, so usually more prone to lose money there, so prefer to make my 1-year extensions inside Thailand).

Hi fellow stone table experts,
I used to get a lot of excellent advice her some years ago from @ubonjoe Not sure if he is still around, but I am sure some well versed people are always around.
Premise: I have a non Imm O (the actual visa in a passport I lost, but a stamp from Div 1 in Chaeng Wattana and from Muang Thong Thani and I got a new 1-year extension of stay. However, BOI won't acknowledge my non Imm O as long as I am on an extension of stay with studying as my reason to stay (letter from embassy of enough money/month) because they count it as Student Visa (however extensions of stays are based on the original visa, not the extension of stay), however, I got different leads from MTT and CW. Until I realized I that Laos is most probably open now(?)
So...
Questions:
          1) I used to go to Savannakhet to get a non Imm O ME for 5000 without proof of income, is that still a thing?
          2) I am in no need of ME, so could I go to Vientiane with only my marriage certificate k.r.2, k.r.4. Passport copies, tabian ban for the wife, copies for me, pictures and all the usual stuff, and get a single entry Non Imm O without proof of payment?
If so, I can go and get a new Non Imm O and cancel the old extension, and then my company would have 2-3 months to fix it, no? And I know I can work on a Non imm O based on family/marriage etc. Is that still a thing in Vientiane

        3) If it is still a thing, do I need to book a time before, like I did before covid? Haven't been in Vientiane for ages.
        4) is there any additional documents I need to cross into Laos? (vaccine or ATK on border etc.?)
Appreciate all inputs, I am really on the last limb while actually having everything in order as long as I can fix it on the budget I have left, so the faster, the better
(cheapest route from Bkk to Nong Khai would be gold to know as well, have been using trains, sombat, 999 and Nakhonchaiair. Flights are fine, but it will cost a few hundred extra, and I am in the situation where a few hundred is worth more than a night of your life on a bus or a train

Thanks to any serious answers. Appreciate you alot.
 

Have the same situation, just got an under consideration stamp from CW.
Will have to come back the 15th.
First time we came we didn't have the tm30 and were missing some photos (living room, bedroom, and selfie in front of door was mirrored so 20 was "unreadable").
So did the tm30 with a fine of 800 baht, and the tm47 just to have it in order.
Then back to CW and they accepted the application and I paid 1900.

Do they always do home visits in inner Bangkok? We are often out or working or studying, so if they do will they call before? Would have no problem with them knocking on my neighbors doors, although seeing it's an apartment complex I'm not sure how many know me apart from those 3 rooms living next to me.
I live in Phra Nakhon district, if that makes any difference for some reason.

11 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

...

 

Thanks a lot! That quickly cleared out some headaches!

Hi,

So I'm a little lost with the procedure here.

I'm holding a Swedish passport with a Non Imm "O" ME based on Marriage from Savannakhet which ended in August.
Right now I'm here on the final 90 day stamp I got before the Visa became invalid.

I'm in the process of making a new passport due to lack of pages and that it will expire next year.

In my old passport I have a full-page stamp at my first page stating that I am allowed to stay in the country from XX to XX (90 days total), I can't really remember but I guess this must be a transferred stamp from my old Visa?

Now my questions are:

1. Can I just go to Savannakhet with all my documents in order with my old cancelled passport which still has my visa and valid stamp, then get the thai exit stamp and lao entry stamp in my new passport, then leave both the new and old passport to the consulate and get a new visa in my new passport?

2. If so... Why do I have this full-page stamp from Chaengwattana saying which period I'm allowed to stay? - Is it necessary to transfer a stamp like this unless you are going to do a yearly extension at the immigration in country etc.?

If possible I'd prefer to just take my new passport and old cancelled one, go to Savannakhet and make a new 1 year non imm O ME without going to Chaeng Wattana and transfer any stamps, but I'm really unsure if this is necessary or not?

I will attach the first page in my old passport from Chaeng Wattana.
Thanks in advance!
 

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Where did you apply for the visa?

Savannakhet has been asking for financial proof and tickets for some time now.

For Savannakhet, Is that only regarding Tourist visas, or Non-Imm O based on marriage as well?

While we talk about Laos. Any one from the 2018 Visa exemption countries here who have crossed the border and got a stamp from Laos instead of a visa? Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, S.Korean and Japan are all exempt for 15 days from visas until 31 December 2018 in an effort to boost tourism. However, I have yet to hear from anyone who has crossed any of the land borders and got this. Do they give a free visa or will it just be a stamp in the passport?
Should I just walk pass the Visa on Arrival boot and proceed to the immigration?
 

So, I'm currently on a 60 days extension of my non-imm "O". To make things a bit easier I decided to opt for a ED visa for my last 2 years in University here. However, the school won't get the paperwork in order before I need to leave the country. Which leaves me with 2 options, get a SETV or a Visa exemption.

I would much prefer the Visa exemption, however, how strict are they about onward traveling out from Thailand at the land border? I would prefer not to spend any money for flights or similar before the next semester starts and I've gotten my study allowance/scholarship+loan, but I've heard that you need an onward ticket after 30 or 60 days if you intend to prolong.
I feel my reasons are quite legit and I do have my student card + signed and stamped papers from the uni saying I will study. I basically just need to get 30 days to sort out the paperwork then head back to Vientiane (where I plan to do the border run this time).

So, should I be worried? or could I just book a flight or train ticket there and then at the border if they say it's needed?

Could I just cross the border and go back, or would it be better to stay a night in Vientiane?

1 minute ago, elviajero said:

You do not need meet any financial requirement to get a 60 day extension.

Thanks! Was starting to stress out there for awhile

So, I have read conflicting facts from different people on what's needed to make an extension of a ME Non Imm O visa based on marriage.

Some have said I need proof of funds of 40.000 monthly or 400k in the bank, while others have said that's not necessary
Note that I'm not talking about a one year extension of the Visa but a 60 days extension of my final entry.
I will either have to leave the country by the 1st of June or get a 60 day extension at Chaeng Wattana, so now I want to make sure if I need to show proof of funds or not?
I have done a similar 60 days extension about 2 years ago on a Non Imm O visa before getting a new one, and at that time no funds were needed, however since some people insist I need it I thought I should ask here first to clear out any confusion.
Thanks in advance!

On 3/7/2018 at 12:18 AM, BritTim said:

Mae Sai is a great crossing to use. You just walk across the short bridge to enter Myanmar with Thai/Myanmar immigration on opposite sides of the bridge..Mae Sai airport is walking distance to the border for me which makes it a legitimate option even when traveling from Bangkok.

Hmm, interesting, which airlines fly to Mae Sai?

Well, at least it was a decent nice reply, kudos to them for that. My cynicism would have thought they would just ignore the question... 

Well, wouldn't cannabis have an automatic answer just because it is a class 5 substance, just as cannabis oil, would hae that vague generic computer generated reply?
i suspect if you would have written milk thistle or 'horainol' you would have gotten the same response as the second one simply because they would not be in the data base or be there but not under any classification.
 

On 1/20/2017 at 0:05 PM, ubonjoe said:

No problem if the rental agreement is in your wife's name. A copy the owners house book and ID card should be attached to it.

Is House Book and ID card of the owner of the whole apartment complex? Pretty sure he has no interest in giving us those copies.
I thought my wife's house book and ID card was enough, together with the rental agreement, passport copy, visa copy, arrival card copy and marriage certificate?

A quickie on 60 day extension of stay based on marriage for a non-imm O visa.
I read somewhere that I need to bring House certificate / copy of lease agreement, is that true? And if so, is it OK that I am not written anywhere, cause my wife is the one renting the apartment.

1 hour ago, DepDavid said:

Headed there next week. Just didn't want to do all that travel and waiting if what the wife's friend said was confirmed by someone who has actually gone there. It didn't sound right to me.

A lot of the international students from my Uni went there, Germans, Japanese, Canadians and so on. They faced no problem what so ever except from the long waiting in line.

1 minute ago, elviajero said:

It's likely or possible that your friend didn't have a multiple entry 'ED' visa and was trying to get a visa exempt entry, which is not allowed.

 

As long as you've got a valid multiple entry visa you shouldn't have a problem getting another 90 day entry at Mae Sot.

 

You can extend the next 90 day stay by 60 days if you're the spouse or parent of a Thai, or by 1 year if you're a spouse/parent of a Thai or over 50. The paperwork will be different depending on which option you qualify for/choose.

 

A 60 day extension requires proof of relationship but no financial information. 1 year extensions; as the spouse/parent require proof of relationship, 400K in the bank or a minimum certified (by your embassy) income of 40K pm; if applying based in retirement you must be over 50 and have 800K in the bank, or 65K pm income, or a combination of income and bank deposit totaling 800K.

Thanks a lot! Yeah, you are probably right about her situation.

So, for a 60-day extension I guess I just have to go to Chaengwattana with my marriage certificate and perhaps a copy of the blue book? I'm planning a trip to Savanakhet further down the road, but I'd like to postpone it as long as possible. Do you happen to know what the fee is for a 60 days extension?

A 1 year extension would of course be the best, but I currently get my income from Sweden in the form of study loans and scholarship. And although I transfer them to Thailand every month the income may look too uneven to be valid (like 80k one month, 30k the next and so on..)

Got a little worried today since a friend just went to Maesai and was turned away, however she's holding a ED visa, and I think that one was about to run out, not sure yet since she haven't answered more. 

However, I'm going to Maesot next friday, I guess it will be business as usual? I have a non-imm O multiple entry.

Also, this is the last time I can leave and come back before this visa will expire, is it possible to extend it after that for a few months in Bangkok? And if so what kind of paperwork is needed for extensions?

Thanks! and sorry if I repeated questions that have been asked before.

Believable. The Thai Police are notorious.

Years ago, there was a guy sitting outside Starbucks, Thong Lor, kidnapped by the police, held in a house and his banks were drained. I recall it was around $200,000.

The detailed account is probably still online if interested.

Guess it's this story: http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Reader2006/reader2820.htm

Here are people discussing it: http://t2.thai360.com/index.php?/topic/31625-kidnapped-robbed-by-the-thai-police/

Not sure if this is related? :http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/116068-police-implicated-in-kidnapping-foreigners/

I can't find any official documentation of it all though, and stickman is not the most valid source, at least not to truly confirm something. Still, terrible story.

But it's not uncommon that some people get the idea to rob other people, no matter their profession. After all we are all human. But the statement that Thailand as a whole has become incredibly dangerous is just not true, I'd feel way more alert in so many other places around the world, including many places in the US.

The first two links are dated 2006. The guy was kidnapped for a hell of a long time if we're getting the story now.

It states clearly in the post you quoted that it was years ago.

Believable. The Thai Police are notorious.

Years ago, there was a guy sitting outside Starbucks, Thong Lor, kidnapped by the police, held in a house and his banks were drained. I recall it was around $200,000.

The detailed account is probably still online if interested.

Guess it's this story: http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/Reader2006/reader2820.htm

Here are people discussing it: http://t2.thai360.com/index.php?/topic/31625-kidnapped-robbed-by-the-thai-police/

Not sure if this is related? :http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/116068-police-implicated-in-kidnapping-foreigners/

I can't find any official documentation of it all though, and stickman is not the most valid source, at least not to truly confirm something. Still, terrible story.

But it's not uncommon that some people get the idea to rob other people, no matter their profession. After all we are all human. But the statement that Thailand as a whole has become incredibly dangerous is just not true, I'd feel way more alert in so many other places around the world, including many places in the US.

What kind of fool carries that much cash on his person?

Kind of doubt this story....

Were did it say he carried the money on him? I'd think it's his way of saying they asked him for 80k baht, but I really don't know.

Now i know the police are not the best in the world here and many are corrupt , but in 25 years in BKK and Pattaya , also time in Phitsanulock , i have only ever been treated politly and only once been asked for a bribe 500 baht ,even that was done with a smile , now why is that?

Yea, I have lived here since 2007, I have only twice been asked to show what I have in my pockets, both times at Sukhumvit, both times they were really polite and thanked me for my cooperation. As I said above, I personally don't think the police was involved at all, only their name used for someone who couldn't tell the difference.

people robbed and die in my neighborhood i'm sure every year....and a big city near me has tons of crime (relative to no crime).....

i cannot let it scare me!!!!

murders in tons of cities in the world, maybe almost every single one...

if i were you, i would have used my black belt karate, ninja skills, and never been in that situation...

and what about all those drunk drivers....should i avoid going on the street??

all i'm saying is, life is dangerous. use common sense, and that might not be enough. But you can't avoid the Earth....

Absolutely true, I am well aware that here is quite safe regardless. And I don't think it would happen to most of us who live here, but he was simply a traveler with way too much trust in people, easy target for gangsters.

£1,500? The whole story sounds very unlikely or very exaggerated.

Yea, I thought so myself. That's kind of why I shared it. I do know bad things happen here, but I never heard of similar before. Not completely surprised though. But I really don't believe the police were involved at all, I think they were simply thieves looking for an easy target at one of the busiest roads with foreigners in Thailand.

But then again, I wasn't there, so I have no idea really, but I have no reason to lie myself. Just wanted to share it with everyone.