Mattd

And just how are Scotland going to fund their independence, defend their sovereign nation, fund their education, their police, pay off their slice of the National debt, build and maintain roads and infrastructure?

I'd give it months before bankruptcy.

10 minutes ago, toenail said:

Totally a poor design for going through departure security (upstairs) then waiting to go down the escalators (peak hours I guess) to wait 30 minutes in a packed room to go through passport patrol. This area is made for an airport 1/4  the size or volume of people. 

 

I look at the airports in SE & E Asia and their security & passport patrol are more spacious. 

That is a part of the problem, the airport was designed for 20 Million less passengers than the current throughput, for those that remember, the original design of the airport had the security screening at the start of each gate wing.

If they hadn't reopened DMK then this over capacity would be far far worse!

I've just been on a business trip to the Philippines and Thai airports are ultra efficient compared to there, nearly 2 hours to enter in at Clark airport and over 2 hours for check in, immigration and security screening at Manila airport T1!!

5 hours ago, Langsuan Man said:

SCB has always had a 20,000 Thai Baht per pull limit from your Thai account and Bangkok Bank has a 30,000 per pull limit from your Thai account, nothing to do with days

Most newer SCB ATMs are now allowing 30,00 per withdrawal, all to do with the size of the dispenser.

For SS payments etc. - https://www.sso.go.th/wpr/ 

5 minutes ago, moontang said:

It is certainly not a free ride... Customs, duty, excise.. It is all a bite in the ass.  Maybe you can explain why they used to collect deposits from people bringing laptops in... 

Computers are liable for 7% VAT on import, no other duties.

14 minutes ago, alant said:

How do they collect the data?

Is that data from their own connection only?

Who can ask for the data?

IS there any requirement here to keep the data secure?

It has been a requirement since 2007 for Thai based companies over a certain size (staff nos.) to log all internet websites visited by their staff, I would imagine this is managed via a firewall.

Most modern WiFi routers log this data, although probably not for as long as 90 days.

I would be very surprised if each Thai ISP isn't logging this data for each and every one of their customers, both corporate and private.

Further to UJs reply, the reason they need this is to prove that you are still married and not just using an old marriage certificate for reason of extending.

2 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

I'm not sure that's legal. I think if you have a current UK licence you must use that ahead of your Thai licence.

It is actually the opposite, you MUST use the Thai license if your UK license has a none current address on it, this is via DVLA and rental companies.

20 hours ago, dirtybirty said:

Do you have a Thai licence as you can drive I think for 6 months in the UK on that

When I asked DVLA about this, they told me that you are allowed to use the Thai DL for a maximum of 1 year if you are living in the UK again.

Technically you are supposed to be resident in the UK for 3 years before DVLA will issue a new UK DL, in reality this doesn't appear to be the case, I know of two people who moved back to the UK from Thailand and obtained a new UK DL within the first two weeks of being back, both applied online using their photo kept by the passport office.

It is illegal to drive in the UK using a UK DL that has an address on it that you no longer have a connection to, the police do have the means to carry out checks on this, quite how I do not know, likely some form of access to the public version of the electoral role.

I imagine the need for this is connected to driving offences that fixed penalties cannot be applied and a summons for a court appearance needs sending out.

Quite how this is dealt with when anybody is using a foreign license is anybody's guess.

39 minutes ago, Langkawee said:

What you are saying is not true. He was denied on means. There was no supporting evidence that he was working and neither was he denied for this reason. You need to speak to Ubon Joe. For visa matters he should be the only one to speak. He was denied because of a lie, insufficient means, yet he has 21,000 baht. No evidence to support he had insufficient means. Thai airports have become a circus. He had a METV for crying out loud. What dont you understand? They had no proof he wasn't a tourist, no evidence that could mean he was working. 

You miss the point completely.

1. He wasn't denied for having no cash in that sense of the word, as they used 12.2 which is their standard denial clause for SUSPECTING he is working in Thailand.

2. Having a METV means nothing, immigration in EVERY country have the right to deny entry if they suspect that the person is trying to enter for purposes other than the visa allows.

3. They do not need proof that he was working, suspicion is enough - The OP himself admits he is a frequent visitor to Thailand and has previous SETVs and at least one other METV, he is young and therefore, in the minds of the immigration officers dealing with him, he should be working to support himself, as he is spending a great deal of time in Thailand, their conclusion was that he is working here, to use your own words, what part of that don't you understand?

Laptops are subject to 7% VAT only upon import.

There seems to be a lot of discussion about the immigration database etc. 

When a person goes to the desk and hands their passport to the IO, he scans the passport and the system compares the name, nationality, gender & DOB against what exists in the system, if there are matches with different passport nos. then the photo in the system can be compared by the IO to the person standing in front of them, if the two match the two passports are linked.

The photos will be replaced by fingerprints over time.

This doesn't take long at all in a properly managed DB.

1 minute ago, bbi1 said:

Please explain which non-immigrant visa is suitable for a person under 50, isn't married to a Thai, doesn't work in a company here and only stays here for long-term holidaying?

The only options are the Elite program, an ED or an investment visa.

32 minutes ago, jackdd said:

The reason stamped in his passport actually translates to: Doesn't have basic needs. Or to simplify it: He is impoverished.

This reason is just abused by immigration to deny people who they suspect of working even though they have zero evidence.

Exactly, it is their way of saying we think you work here but cannot prove it.

As I said, you can see the reasoning, a young bloke who is spending large amounts of time in Thailand, how is he supporting himself etc. 

As far as immigration are concerned, the means to stay in Thailand in cases such as this is provided for by the Elite program, I am not saying this is right or wrong, but you can see the logic.

To add to this, the pattern of denials are mostly visitors who make serial visits to Thailand and are under the age of 50.

1 hour ago, SANSAI said:

Yesterday I returned to Chiang Mai from a 6 day trip to Bangkok and Pattaya. and after we returned, my wife, who is the owner of my accommodation here, rang CM Immigration and asked whether she needs to submit a new TM 30. The answer was yes and she should bring a Taxi receipt or boarding passes to show that it is within 24 hours.

This morning we went to Immigration armed with the completed TM30 form, copy of her house book, ID card, my passport, my boarding pass and the original of the previous TM 30 receipt she submitted in February this year.

They kept all the documents, returned the boarding pass which I don't think the I.O. even looked at and the previous original TM30 receipt endorsed with todays' date and an initial. 

The attached notice is on the desk of the I.O.

Your information and the notice contradict each other, the notice states that after the initial notification, a new TM.30 is needed only if the foreigner has been outside of Thailand and returns.

In your case you are saying they needed a new one after returning from visiting another province in Thailand.

And they wonder why people get confused!!

On 9/22/2019 at 6:54 PM, sanemax said:

Unless the kid was born twice , your son cannot have two birth certificates from two Countries .

Not sure why you think that?

Both of my children were born in Thailand, both have British passports, a birth certificate issued by the Thai authorities AND a birth certificate issued by the UK authorities, this is up to the parents, if you so wish, the UK can register the birth with GRO (for outside of Scotland) and you can get a BC from that registration.

Legally speaking, a Thai birth certificate would be accepted in the UK, so long as it is translated and certified.

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth 

The WP will need updating with the new company name.

A couple of my colleagues are applying for PR, they will go to CW to formally submit the application tomorrow and have been told that they will be questioned about the application in Thai, they are understandably a little nervous about this mainly they are not sure what to expect.

Does anybody have any recent experience of this? i.e. what kind of questions will be asked and what level of Thai will be expected of the applicants?

1 hour ago, john thom said:

I have a Retirement "visa", It expires Oct 20,2019. Went to my IO here in Sisaket to renew last month. IO officer said I didn't have 12 months of transfers so I should go to laos get a 1 year non O, or A (since not married to my lady ) to build up my transfers.

You do not require a police certificate for a non-O visa application in Laos.

The reference to the differences between being a tourist and living here is bang on in my opinion.

I have lived in Thailand for 30 years, worked here for the last 20 of those 30 years, been married to a Thai, had two sons, unfortunately experiencing one of the bad parts of Thailand in that one of them lost his life in a motorbike accident.

Do I complain about Thais / Thailand, yes, of course I do, but not in a hating way, my complaints are generally based on wanting to improve things and feeling frustration at not being able to etc. etc. By human nature we make comparisons, sometimes without taking in to account cultural differences etc. etc.

There is good and bad in every country, whether it be people or the system, when visiting on a holiday it doesn't bother people that much, when living in a country and it has an effect on your daily life, then you start to complain, I'd complain no more or less in my home country than I would here, it just wouldn't necessarily be about the same things.

So in answer to your question, yes, on the whole I do like Thai people, even if some annoy me sometimes ????