bmanly

As of about 2 and half Months ago, Jomtien Immigration was easy for the visa extension. I went on a Thursday which was exactly 1 week prior the my stamp expiring and I was there at 8.30 AM which is when the doors open. Not many there. My paperwork was all done prior, with photo and photo copies, TM30 original (although photo copy was only required.) I was out 30 minutes later, all done and dusted and heading up to catch the songthaew back to Pattaya. FACTS: No queues, no reason to get there any earlier than 8.30 am, no waiting until next day to collect passport and visa was extended another 30 days. Easy to do yourself, cost 1900 baht.

I went to Danang Vietnam last year for a side trip. It has nothing on Pattaya and Pattaya is a far better option. The bar scene is crap and restaurants are ok but nothing great. I did some serious walk arounds and the bars during the daytime have no customers. At night, some night street food opens up and someone always sells local beer for around $1 USD per glass but that isn't in a bar. On the promenade they have several eating places but you have sit on those crappy small kids like chairs and low to the ground. Anyone over 100 kilos will fall straight to the ground. The food is OK but not cheap and quality compared to Thailand is so so. Accommodation was ok and around $40 AUD per night which is around 1,000 baht including breakfast, mid range 2 or 3 star hotel. Some things were very good though. The promenade walk is great and better than Pattaya. It is longer, well paved and there are TOILETS which Pattaya has never had, plus it's safe also. The Vietnamese are out there at 4.30 to 5 AM exercising as was I. I am a walk for exercise person and I loved doing that before the sun came up. The other thing I like is that some of their small 7/11 style shops had table and chairs outside (not the kid ones) and you could buy a cold can of beer for the equivalent of 20 baht per can. On a hot day it's great sitting out there having a few cheap beers. But the over all comparison to say Pattaya, I still choose Pattaya over Danang any day.

My wife was rejected outright. They appeared to enter my surname into the computer and it came up as being held by a Thai citizen already. The person behind the counter said, "it's already been taken and you can't use that name". With that my wife left the Ampher and didn't try again. My Question was, how come Thai people can ordinarily change their names with ease but you were rejected? She said what can I do they said NO.

You are right there. I watch a YouTube channel called "PoliceActivity". They show body cam footage of shootings and 95% of the perps end up dead.

This is the correct answer.

Hi, what did you end up doing about this? My wife and I are in the same situation about this. I was told that for a name change all that is required is the Thai ID Card and house book. Only difference between us and you is that we have no children so we don't need permission from anyone. We mostly want to do this so my wife can get a Thai passport with the same as her Australian passport name (mine). Thanks.

I am similar to you. I spend 4 or 5 Months in Thailand each year and I am a genuine tourist. I come and go regularly with side trips. The METV is perfect for me but I usually do the SETV as I can extend that one for 30 days and then I go for a break and return on a visa exempt. Perfect way to do 4 Months. To all the people saying that if you are over 50 you should get a retirement visa, you are wrong. I do not get yearly rental contracts, I move around and holiday about in Asia. I am not entitled to get one as I don't live there permanently. I am a retiree who travels a lot but prefers to base myself in Thailand. The Tourist Visa is the correct visa for me and I will continue to use them. In 34 years I have never been questioned by an immigration officer, 95% of all my entries have been on Tourist Visas.

I put in an online application on Wednesday morning. In your educated opinion, how long do you think I will have to wait until they green light me to come in to drop my passport off? How long roughly before I get that email? Thanks.

I sympathise with the OP. I would have thought a 30 day waiver wouldn't have raised questions as he was legitimately using the METV as it was suppose to be used. Yes maybe he could have done another run before the visa expired. The reason I made a reply here is that I am currently in the queue for a METV my home country now. My plan is to make 3 different entries into Thailand over that 6 Month period with the last entry to be extended at a local immigration office. During that METV I will return to my home country and also visit Vietnam on another trip. Am I likely to encounter any problems?

I just wanted to revisit this thread, re: letting my Kasikorn ATM card lapse. I let my ATM card lapse and there were no further yearly 300 baht fees deducted and I did not notify them of anything. I do get charged 20 baht a Month for SMS alerts but it is not necessary as you get push notifications on the app. About ATM QR code cash withdrawals. This is the best and most simplest way to make withdrawals of cash. So I walk up to my ATM, I have the app open and the cash amount ready to go, I press cardless cash withdrawals on the ATM then KPLUS and a QR code pops up, I scan it on the app, touch correct on the ATM and out comes the cash. It never failed and only took 15 seconds to do. Did is several times during my stay, very fast and the way to go. Thanks for all the advice people.????

20 odd years ago they had several visa agents in the Georgetown area of Penang that you could use to obtain a tourist visa. Are these visa agents still operational or are they not allowed to provide this service anymore?

Well, I followed up on one tip which was Cina Travel Visa Agent in Phnom Pehn. The reply was that is takes 4 days to get your tourist visa. So I asked that if I lodged on Monday Morning, would I get it back on Thursday or Friday and the reply was "come to my office first". Not very encouraging. Anyhow, I have not been in Thailand during 2020 and 2021 due to covid. In 2022 I did 2 separate visits from AU both with tourist visas. So at this time I have not been in Thailand for 6 Months, I am leaving shortly. I was thinking of booking flights for my 1 week away and getting that second TV at a friendly Consulate. The last TV I got from a neighbouring country was in Vientiane in 2019 and that Consulate at the time was lodge one morning and pick up the next morning with the first morning being by appointment only. So as far as I know I'm certainly not pushing my luck or abusing the system. I added this info just to clear things up, cheers.

Thank you to all respondents, you have all provided me with some good info, much appreciated.

Hi everyone, long term member and visitor on this site and things are changing all the time so need a little input from members. Travelling on an Australian PP. I will have a single entry TV on entry from au. After the first 2 months I plan to spend a week in a neighbouring country looking around while getting a new TV and come back to Thailand. I've done them all in the past, Penang, Vientiane, Phnom Phen. But things change, where would it be the easiest/least hassle to get a new TV for my return. I know about extensions but prefer the TV route. Thank you.

Can you tell me exactly where you buy your lottery for 80 baht, thanks.