TallGuyJohninBKK

I also traveled into Thailand a couple months ago, and wasn't issued a TM6 airport departure card upon arrival. However, in preparing for an upcoming retirement extension visit to BKK CW, I'm noticing that their TM7 (retirement extensions) form still has a field on it for entering one's TM6 number. Also, submitting a copy of one's TM6 card has long been a standard part of one's retirement extension paperwork. So, is BKK Immigration (and others) now just ignoring and disregarding that info these days when handling extension applications? Or, they'll still want a copy of my last prior TM6 card dating back from pre-COVID?

I think people may find that the Bangrak district office has changed considerably for the worse from past years such as the formerly quick and easy process when the wife and I were married there many years back. We had reason to inquire of them again some months ago, and the lady behind the counter gave my wife a quite involved and time-consuming two-visit process that she claimed we'd have to follow if we wanted to get married there again.

I believe the process and requirements are somewhat different when applying for the regular 5-year Thai license, as you did, vs. applying for the initial two-year Thai license on the basis of having a valid home country license. For me, applying for the initial two-year license earlier this year on the basis of having a valid home country license (which DLT ultimately wouldn't accept because it was a 1-year paper card extension), I had to take the online learning course at home (which involved watching several driving-related videos and then answering several questions about their content). And then upon completing that course and the questions, the DLT system indeed produces a QR code that you're supposed to save and print out. You bring that with you when you submit your application at the DLT office, along with bringing your valid home country license and your Thai-issued medical certificate and Certificate of Residence.

That's correct. Americans basically have to obtain the CoR from their local Immigration Office, and at least in BKK, they don't give them to you when you apply. Instead, once you apply, Immigration mails them to your home address, with a typical turnaround time of up to 2 weeks. But DLT, once you apply to them, wants your CoR to be no older than 30 days from its issuance date, AFAIK.

I'm sure Trump is quite pleased that he motivated yet another dumb as rocks sucker to do his criminal bidding.... The fact that she's gonna end up in jail/prison for it... som nam nah.... another martyr for the Trump cause while he entertains at Mar-a-Lago.

Me thinks, there's likely more behind the saga of this particular escapade than what's being reported in the news here... Why this particular place, as opposed to all the others?

Can anyone with actual experience on the point resolve the apparent contradiction raised in the info above in my post? Are regular Non-O visas (either single or multiple entry) available thru the Thai E-Visa system for Western country nationals specifically for retirement, as opposed to for marriage/family purposes? Unless I'm missing something, the current info webpage they have for regular Non-O visas (as opposed to O-A visas) makes no mention of the retirement category. https://thaievisa.go.th/non-immigrant-o

What I described above is what they do at the OnNut area DLT office.... I don't know if Chatuchak is exactly the same, though I expect it would be at least similar.

Disgusting.... "Nevertheless, officers let Wuttichai go allowing him to evade arrest for a month before he surrendered himself to the police yesterday. ... According to the report on Channel 3, Wuttichai escaped arrest in Nakhon Pathom and hid in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Despite his location being known, no substantial action or search operation was initiated to apprehend him at that time."

As I noted above, when I dealt with the medical clinic used by the Fatboys service out in the OnNut area, pretty much the ONLY thing they did/checked was a blood pressure cuff reading. But I don't know what (if any) level of reading would be considered disqualifying.

I was there for a bit observing how all those different tests worked, because I'd never seen or done any of them before... and the write-ups I'd read in advance weren't really clear of just how things actually worked. And I did notice, when people got stalled or confused, the DLT staff folks handling the various tests seemed to try to help... perhaps to avoid snarling up their queues and/or avoiding unpleasantness on the part of their customers. ????

They (Fatboys OnNut) were OK when I dealt with them earlier this year. The price was reasonable as listed above. And they were able to arrange for the whole thing to be done in ONE day with little advance scheduling at the DLT OnNut area office, as opposed to the normal DLT routine of having to go one day to make an appointment, and then come back on a subsequent day for the actual appointment. Regarding the required medical certificate, they work with a small Thai medical clinic a short distance from the OnNut DLT office on the main Sukhumvit Rd. that quickly and easily issues the required medical certificate. Never saw a doctor, just had the nurse take my personal details and do a quick blood pressure check. That was all! The more troublesome part was having to trek out to the BKK CW Immigration office to get the required residence certificate, and wait in a long queue there for it. And carefully time that with your DLT visit because I believe (from recollection) DLT wants it to be no older than 30 days at the time of your visit. At the OnNut DLT office, they have four physical tests you need to pass when applying for a Thai license on the basis of having a valid home country license: 1. using a little machine to align two little vertical sticks to be even with each other 8-10 feet in front of where you sit (depth perception). 2. switching from a mock accelator pedal to a brake pedal when a red light is shown (response time). 3. calling out the colors flashed by a traffic light display (for color blindness) and 4. calling out the colors of small lights in side panels on either side of where you sit in a chair (to check peripheral vision).

I had a perfectly valid 1 year extension (via a paper card) issued on a state DL from the U.S. And the Thai DLT office out near OnNut earlier this year refused to honor it for purposes of applying for a first-time Thai license. They only would accept the hard plastic DL type version.

Perhaps now they'll implement a new kind whereby if anyone tries to force their way into the box, it will promptly explode and kill everyone within a 10 meter radius??? ????

Hmm... just coincidence that the amount stolen happens to roughly equate to a farang marriage extension bank deposit??? ????

I submitted mine online a day before yours, and got my confirmation back via email yesterday afternoon from BKK CW, fyi.

I was looking on the E-Visa website the other day as a U.S. resident, and it showed both the single and multi-entry Non-Os as being available. But, now I'm confused in what I'm seeing... The initial screens definitely show the notion of a Non-O for retirement purposes,, as follows: But then when you click thru to the Non-O info link at the bottom, the ensuing page only talks about marriage/family visit stays and misc others...and nothing about straight retirement. https://thaievisa.go.th/non-immigrant-o

AFAIK, a person also has the option of applying for a multiple entry Non-O based on retirement that provides multiple 90 day stays during the first year... The application fee is a bit higher ($200 USD), but the requirements otherwise are the same. That's an alternative to doing a single-entry Non-O and then applying in-country for a one-year extension of stay from Thai Immigration based on either marriage or retirement, which in either case, is going to require funds being deposited in or imported into Thailand.

Tim, what's your rationale for recommending the Non O visa over the Non O-A for the OP here? I always have trouble keeping all these different visa details straight... But AFAIK, the O visa is only going to allow individual 90-day stays before having to leave the country (and return if the visa is multi-entry), whereas the O-A visa entitles the holder to a continuous one-year stay, and a second year if they leave and re-enter just before the first year expires. Also, with the O-A, the financial / bank deposit requirement can be met entirely in the home country / U.S., without having to deposit the funds first into a Thai account. Though it does require a criminal history report and medical check. Given the OP's stated plan -- "Our plan is to move to the US after a US immigrant visa is granted to my spouse." -- it sounds like he's going to need to be in Thailand for a while.

I'd be curious to know from some of the posters making recommendations above just what kind of "apartment" the OP is likelty to find at those prices? An actual real apartment, or, a low-end Thai single room furnished with a bed and small dresser along with a small attached bathroom, and not much else?

Finally got my confirmation acceptance from BKK CW late this afternoon by email. Turnaround time from submission ended up being 6 business days -- which is double what my last two online reports were.

Checked mine today after seeing your report. Mine from Aug. 8 still shows as "pending."

Can't say for sure... but I'm guessing it means the police will write to the hospital requesting the medical records for the victim. Or, if the victim hasn't already been examined there, perhaps it's a formal police request for the hospital to conduct an examination of the extent of the girl's injuries.

You're entitled to your opinion. But in all my many past tourist years in Bangkok (before now living here for many years), I spent far more time in the Silom to Sukhumvit to OnNut areas than I ever did along the river. And I had quite a good time doing so. The river attractions are fine for a visit or occasional stay... But hardly an essential endpoint destination to stay while visiting Bangkok... unless you're just into big dirty rivers.

The news reports here are frequently filled with loads of nonsense... But this particular report really takes the cake for being high on the nonsense scale. "Anti-crime uniforms"??? Key features of "white thread sewn onto a uniform color patch."