theoldgit

You have until this Friday for the Embassy to check and send your application to Hong Kong, as from Monday 9th August they will no longer do it for you, to be honest the process seems pretty straightforward.

http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/

The UKBA normally issue multi entry visas which would allow her to return to the UK from Hungary, but to be safe I would get your girlfriend to include a copy of her proposed itinerary with her application detailing the proposed side trip to Hungary.

Likewise I would add that she proposes to return at the end of April 2011 for an Easter holiday, visas are normally given for the full six months, and are valid for multi entries for six months from the start date of the visa.

Whilst she should be ok applying late November/early December, I would apply a tad earlier to allow for unforeseen delays in the visa processing procedure, she can ask for the visa to be post-dated to commence just before the Christmas trip.

The Hungarian Embassy is in Sukhumvit 24 in Bangkok http://www.mfa.gov.hu/kulkepviselet/TH/en/

As you say Hungary is a Schengen State so your girlfriend needs a Schengen Visa.

You should actually apply for the visa for the country she is entering the Schengen Area.

My experince in applying for Schengen Visas is limited, but when my partner applied she had to provide details of the trip as well as return tickets in and out of the Schengen Areas and travel insurance, though I thought the process was quicker and easier than a visa for the UK, the visa was only valid for the duration of the trip as specified in the application.

Others may have different experiences.

She will find Hungary cold at that time of the year.

You can also pay online with Kasikorn, you can either do the transaction yourself monthly or can set up regular payments, it's very easy.

Bit of a sad request so please bare with me.

I love coconut ice, which is a candy very popular in the UK, I have never seen it in Thailand but it seems to be very easy to make.

The main ingredient is Desiccated Coconut which is basically dried coconut very finely grated. Does anybody know if it's available in Thailand, maybe called something else - I have just got blank looks so far?

http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/coconutice.htm

My sincere condolences to Kuhn Raymond's family and friends, another unnecessary loss of life seemingly as a result of greed.

The only good thing I can say is that the police appear to have apprehended the alleged perpetrators in record time.

just got a sms from SCB that i am rejected.

then i called the call center to ask the reason,and they told me "for self employed minimum monthly transaction should be more than 2.5 million baht.

Well maybe they should include that gem in their information packs, I can just imagine all those self-employed somtam sellers with a yearly turnover of 30 million Baht, I suspect they plucked that answer out of the air.

scumbag!

Who?

I think it would be very difficult for agents to publish generic fees to assist with a visa applications, you are not buying a can of beans from a supermarket, no two cases are the same.

I am not an agent but I imagine that a fee would be quoted after the agent has ascertained the complexity of the case and the work involved after which, as Bridge has explained, a written quote is given and the applicant can decide what to do.

Agents are not charities, they have overheads and have to make a living, but they seem to maintain a good balance of offering some free advice on this forum and paid work. The dodgy characters are those that lurk around the various visa application centres and are to be avoided at all costs.

I for one am very grateful for the advice they offer.

This law restricts the right to marry a lady of your choice.

Are you sure? That's certainly not my understanding of the new ruling.

Nor my understanding.

ITS THE SAME OLD STORY OF THE DUMB AND DUMBER BRITISH GOVERMENT SHOOTING AT THE WRONG TARGET AGAIN!EASY TO TARGET PEOPLE WHO DO THINGS BY THE BOOK(IE APPLY FOR VISA THE CORRECT WAY).THE BRITISH PUBLIC MUST BE <deleted>£$%&G STUPID NOT TO SEE THE REAL PROBLEMS AROUND THEM WITH ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION,AND WHAT IS THIS FECKLESS GOVERMENT DOING ABOUT THIS,NOTHING! ILLEGALS SHE BE ROUNDED UP,NO PAPERS OR PASSPORT, THEN PUT ON THE NEXT FLIGHT OUT OF THE UK SIMPLE!

I would be grateful for some advice here, you seem to think it's simple, just how do you identify and round up all these illegals?

If they have no papers or passports how are you going to put them "on the next flight out of the UK", where exactly would you send them and which country would accept them without proper documentation?

UKBA already have enforcement teams that scour the UK looking for illegal immigrants and visa overstays whom they detain and remove from the UK. There are 11 Immigration Removal Centres throughout the UK, David Blunkett actually changed the name from Detention to Removal Centres to give a message that their purpose is to remove and not detain, to facilitate this operation, and large numbers are successfully removed every year. The enforcement teams and caseworkers face an uphill struggle to get people removed, there are pressure groups, lawyers, the judiciary and even the great British public fighting their every move, and countries are very reluctant to issue travel documents or even to admit to people being citizens of their respective countries. So it is not, as you suggest it is, "Simple".

Don't get me wrong I don't like the visa application process I find it demeaning, but I think that countries requiring people to speak the language of the country they wish to settle, to a very basic level, understand the difficulties of living in a country where you cannot make yourself understood or understand what people are saying, and by introducing these requirements are trying to help such people, so I believe this requirement is a positive one.

Just one more thing, please don't post in caps, it is bad etiquette.

It's worth remembering that if you fly in Elite from the UK you are liable for the higher rate of passenger duty which is now £100 and increases to £150 in November.

You have contradicted yourself, your title say's 2 liter's, then you say 2 bottles.

Not at all, you can buy spirits in litre bottles as well as the regular 70cl bottles.

I am fully aware of the burden of proof required by an applicant and whilst I agree that supplying relevant supporting will assist an ECO in making a decision on whether to grant Entry Clearance, the documents have to be meaningful.

In my opinion getting a free print out of a possible flight would no more to prove to an ECO that, on the balance of probabilities, the applicant would return home at the end of the trip any more than a itinerary or an actual ticket.

But as you rightly say, "to each his own".

Provide evidence of, is actually what I said. This does not imply purchase.

You can make a reservation for a return ticket and submit this. In Thailand I know this can be done free of charge.

And the ECO's know this as well.

I personally would just provide details of your proposed itinerary rather than making a ghost booking which you know, and the ECO will have a good idea, will not be taken up.

I've completely given up on Air Asia and since then have found plenty of alternatives - cheap and relatively hassle free. Nok Air, Thai (specials), Bangkok Air.

Save that this thread is about Air Asia flights to Hong Kong and Nok Air and Bangkok Airways don't fly there, well actually Bangkok Airways does but you have to fly via Koh Samui.

That said, I agree there are plenty of alternatives to Hong Kong, I flew there with Ethiopian Airways recently.

One thing puzzles me. You say

house in surin - rent book - with our names on

Does this mean you live together in Thailand? If so, this would count as a family visit, not a social one and she needs to complete form VAF1B. See also Spouse/Partner of British Citizen (Based in Thailand) going to the UK for a visit (family visit) – Check List

Just a small point, you would need to prove that you have been living together for two years or more to apply for a visa for a family visit, if this is the case.

Emirates often have good deals to Hong Kong.

Of course it's a policy of the individual banks whether to issue a credit card or not, they will look at your background and assess the risk.

If they see that you are applying making applications to all in sundry, and as I say I don't know if the Credit Bureau records such checks, they may think you are risk.

I am not a banker but I am aware that in many countries people making multiple applications are treated with caution.

I can tell you that after I had been in Thailand for 12 months I made one application for a credit card and it was approved with a credit limit sufficient for my needs, I am retired so don't work and don't have a work permit.

I wish you every success in your endeavours.

I would not know where to look for the nearest DHL office to me, Bangkok I suppose!

Would you be able to send it from the Thai post office EMS, they send stuff off world wide?

Look see http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/17274209/dhl-locations-thailand.pdf

I don't know if credit card applications are recorded with the Credit Bureau in Thailand, they certainly would be in the UK and I suspect many other countries, but if so, the banks to which you are applying will note the number of previous applications and may well suspect it's an act of desperation on your part.

Think this will open up a lot of debate. Why doesn't she work now, what was her work, is she ill, is her ' brother ' her brother. Sorry to sound off but here lots of guys who have asked questions cos they are unsure of what they have let themselves in for and many posts open eyes.

Indeed, one could also ask why she/you need to support her parents, how did they support themselves before she worked in Pattaya and you came along, what would her parents do if you were not on the scene?

20,000 Baht is about twice what somebody might in earn in a store or a basic office job, and they would need to pay for all their food, rent, travel and other expenses out of that.

rubik101, whilst I think you are probably fighting a lost cause I wish you well, I thought you might be interested to read this email that I received from the CSPA (Civil Service Pensioners Alliance).

The email forwarded an email on behalf of International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP), I have cut and pasted as it may be of interest to you.

Dear Mr Amos,

I am contacting you on behalf of John Markham at the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP) in the hope that the CSPA might be able to help us with a piece of work we are about to do.

You may be aware that the ICBP campaigns to ensure all British pensioners are entitled to receive their full state pension, regardless of where they choose to retire. Currently around 540,000 British pensioners that have retired to countries such as Canada, South Africa, Australia and the majority of the islands in the Caribbean find that their pensions are frozen at the rate at which is it first drawn, despite having made National Insurance contributions their whole lives. This would mean that if you leave in 2010, 10 years later your weekly pension would still be £97.65, while pensioners in the UK would receive between £120-130 a week.

We are currently undertaking a piece of work to assess the economic viability of the UK Government rectifying this situation, and as part of this we are doing a survey of the attitudes of pensioners to retiring abroad. The survey itself will be a very short questionnaire which will be available online at Survey Monkey, please see a link here: http://www.surveymon.../frozenpensions

The survey is being done in partnership with AgeUK and NCP, but we are looking to other key organisations and individuals to help us disseminate the survey as widely as possible. We were therefore wondering whether you might be able to help us to tell as many pensioners about the survey and encourage them to take part.

If you think you might be able to help, I would be very happy to discuss it with you in more detail, so please do call me on 020 7149 3705.

Many thanks and with best wishes,

Annie Bruzzone

Associate Consultant

This is the price list and a couple of pics from the Thonglor showroom.

I thought the bikes were nice, reminded me of my days as a Mod, though a tad expensive.

Suspect they might be a target for theives.

Vespa price list0001.pdf