10years

Nobody getting Sidegra? ฿100 for 1 pack of 4 50mg pills before discount. 😀

Indonesia requires 2 QR codes to complete entry. One is filling out a health questionnaire online. But apparently no one checks this. I was not asked to show this QR code. The other QR code is ostensibly for Customs but in fact is similar to the deceased TM6 arrival card. While you can go online and get the QR code before departing for Indonesia, you can wait till you pass immigration and do it at the airport by using your hand phone or the bank of PCs near Customs. This raises the question of whether they can still stop you at Customs even though you successfully slipped through immigration.

CGK. Note that there are 3 terminals. It seems like the e-gate system was already in force in T3. My experience was in T2, which might be for low-cost carriers.

The visa girl has no say in whether you're allowed to enter the country and for how long. She just checks if you're holding a passport from a country eligible for a visa on entry, then takes your money. Before, she would hand you a paper visa that you would take to the immigration officer, who would stick it on your passport if you passed scrutiny. Now, she takes your money and scans your passport. I assume that just tells the computer system that you're paid up. There is no paper visa or visa stamp. You still have to go see a IO or e-gate. Note that you can pay for a visa online before flying to Indonesia. I assume that you can bypass the visa girl in that case.

Had an interesting experience on my last trip to Indonesia that raised intriguing questions about Thailand admission possibilities in the future. Indonesia has reinstated the 30-day visa for everyone. In the past, you got a piece of paper that the immigration officer would paste in your passport. But this time the girl took my money and scanned my passport, then gave me a slip of paper. Reached immigration and was surprised to see a series of sparking new electric gates. I was confused about what to do so I proceeded to the immigration booths beyond the gates, but the IO saw the small slip of paper in my hand and waved me to the gates. Turned out it was just the receipt. All I had to do was place the passport on the scanner and pose for the camera and I was through. Totally no human interaction. No fingerprints. No entry stamp in the passport. What if Thailand adopts this unmanned arrival operation? Anyone who visits frequently dreads the flipping through the pages in your passport, the rattling off of questions like what are you doing here, are you working, no visa, how long you stay, etc. Are those days going to become fading memories.? Will there be system that flags you when you scan the passport? Or will it truly become a breeze to pass through the airport and go on your way? 😁

I forgot to add that my new passport was marked as issued on January 25. And the name of the agency is the National Passport Office.

As I said, I paid $130, which is regular service. In my case, that was for less than a month. But I did send the package by regular priority mail. It also came back by regular priority mai.

Update: Bottom line: Jan 02: mailed passport renewal application. Jan 29: "received" new passport. Less than 4 weeks. Details: 1/2: mail padded envelope by regular priority mail at post office, taking advantage of USPS's Label Broker service. Create a label, take the QR code to the post office, they print the gummy label for free and stick it on your package. Include the $130 check for 52 pages. 1/5 Bureau of Consular Affairs' Philadelphia office receives my envelope. BCA is often accused of being slow, but they were very prompt in cashing my check. 1/8 receive email stating: Application Status: In Process The U.S. Department of State has received your application for your passport book on 01/08/2024. We're now reviewing your application and supporting documents. 1/26 8:09 am receive email stating: Application Status: Approved The U.S. Department of State approved your application for your passport book. We're now printing your passport book and preparing to give it to you. 1/26 2:05 pm receive email stating: Application Status: Shipped The U.S. Department of State has shipped your passport book on 01/26/2024. We sent your passport book to you using Priority Mail. Input tracking number into USPS' website and it shows that it has received the new passport. 1/26 4:06 pm receive email stating: Application Status: In Process The U.S. Department of State has received your application for your passport book on 01/08/2024. We're now reviewing your application and supporting documents. Note that the last three emails all received on the same day. 1/30 receive new passport in my mailbox. It was out for delivery on 1/29 but never made it. 1/31 old passport sent by first-class mail. 2/5 old passport received.

Update: Bottom line: Jan 02: mailed passport renewal application. Jan 29: "received new passport". Details: 1/2: mailed padded envelope by regular priority mail at post office, taking advantage of USPS's Label Broker service. Create a label, take the qr

Thanks everyone for your replies. To clarify some points: I already purchased a 30-day roundtrip air ticket using the old passport number. I don't have an extension of stay with a reentry permit. I will try to enter visa exempt. Apparently the passport agency in the US sends you only the new passport first. It returns the old passport and any supporting documents at a later date. Does anyone know how long for the old passport to follow the new one? The old passport might not make it on time for my departure. BTW, i asked my congressman to help me get a two-year extension on my old passport because I paid for 10 years but got only 8 years of use out of it due to the pandemic. But now the law doesn't allow any extensions. I couldn't get a discount on my new passport either. This isn't as far-fetched as it sounds since my hotels and airlines, with the exception of AirAsia and Scoot, automatically extended the expiration dates of my membership cards and air mileage. And the US passport agency was frustratingly slow in renewing passports, causing travelers much grief. It should have given everyone an extra year or two.

My renewal application for a US passport is currently in process. I will enter Thailand visa exempt at Swampy after I get it. It will be completely blank. When I get to the IO at Thai immigration, how will he link the new passport to the old one? Do I need to show the expired passport along with the new one? Before I left Thailand, I managed to get the overstay stamp printed my old passport for arriving one day earlier than planned. Will the IO adorn my brand new passport with that dreaded stamp? I already purchased my air ticket online. I had to input my passport number and expiration date in the personal details section. Since I don't know the new number and expiration date, I put in my old number and made the expiration date for 2025. When I get the new passport, should I call the airline or just update the information when I check in online?

Is there an arriving fast lane at DMK? Where?

Note that there are fast lanes for departing and arriving pax at Swampy. The exit fast lane is now at the far right end. Think it's bigger too.

I was wondering about this. The last time I arrived, the IO at the door of the fast lane blocked my way and tried to send me elsewhere upon seeing my business class boarding pass. But he let me in when he saw I was over 70.

In the old days you had to pay to depart through the priority lane, so the check-in girl would give you a voucher so you wouldn't have to pay. The IOs collected the vouchers so they could charge back the airlines. Now your boarding pass will say business class on it.