Hahhi

The Penang consulate does not ask for proof of income or money deposit, for marriage based Non-Imm O multi entry. They only asked the following documents:

- visa application

- copy of passport name page

- copy of marriage certificate

- copy of wife's passport, ID and tabian baan

- copy of our air tickets to Thailand

- 550 Malaysian Ringgits

No hassle, no queues - everything was very smooth. And this experience happened 2010-06-16.

So if you plan to continue working your best option is likely to continue as you are doing now and obtain a new non immigrant O multi entry visa each year. One place close by that will issue with marriage proof and 100k in a Thai bank account is KL.

The Penang consulate does not ask for proof of income or money deposit, for Non-Imm O multi entry. They only asked the following documents:

- visa application

- copy of passport name page

- copy of marriage certificate

- copy of wife's passport, ID and tabian baan

- copy of our air tickets to Thailand

- 550 Malaysian Ringgits

No hassle, no queues - everything was very smooth. And this experience happened 2010-06-16.

Well, it can easily be purchased online! (One needs a credit card, though.)

The Cebu Pacific site works well. I had no problems whatsoever, when I bought 3 tickets a week ago.

Although it has been said in this thread that opening an account in a Lao bank is easy, I have a different experience.

A week ago I tried to open an account in BCEL (Savannakhet Branch), but couldn't. They said that one can have an account only if one worked in Laos. As a tourist, even a regular tourist, I'm just to use their ATMs with my Thai-card. No account in Laos.

Are the branches in Vientiane different, or "more lenient"?

Thai passport holders get 30 day visit stamp on their passports on arriving Malaysia and Laos.

How many days they get in Singapore or Indonesia?

How about Cambodia and Vietnam? And Burma?

They asked for this document when I applied in Nan. I had my wife e-mail them before I went to see what they wanted and that was on the list in their reply, so I was prepared.....

Hi TongueThaied,

As I'm also "tied to Nan", although I live nowhere near the Province, I would appreciate if you could copy-paste the requirements here. Even if it is in Thai, no matter, my wife can read (and translate) it for me.

Thanks in advance,

Hahhi

Thanks for all the info, guys.

I'm planning to make a visa run after a couple of weeks to Mae Sot, and have some questions:

- Do Thai nationals need a passport to visit Burma-side, or is an ID enough? (My wife has a passport, but the driver, her brother, does not...)

- What does the "one day visa" to Burma cost?

- Is there anything interesting on the Burmese side, like tax-free stuff, Burmese curiosities, etc, that couldn't be bought from the Thai-side?

Thanks in advance.

Officially, to get a visa, even a Tourist Visa, one needs to prove that one has money to live on in Thailand. Usually no one asks, but any officer may choose to do so, and if you cannot "show the money", you will not get a visa.

About 18 months ago, in Savannakhet, while applying for a Tourist Visa, I was told that "at this time we will issue you a visa, but the next time you come here (to Savan Consulate), you will have to show that you have means to live by to get a visa from us. If you cannot show the money, you will not get a visa." (I did have a four years worth of various visas and entry stamps in my Passport, so I was obviously a long term tourist - something that the Official Thailand seems to abhor.) Sad to hear that this attitude has spread to Vienchan also.

If your money is in a normal savings account (and not in a time deposit account), just leave the money there, and take an internationally valid atm/debit card with you to Australia, just in case.

If it is in a time deposit, try to move it into a savings account, and take the card with you.

The name Thai Panich was a nick-name of the founder of the Bank (SCB). There is a history page in SCB website, I recall. Read it all there.

The bank uses his name even today as a John Smith type of "general name" in their credit card advertisements - ie. all advertisement credit cards are in his name.

Maybe it is about these...

TM.28 Form for Aliens to Notify Their Change of Address or Their Stay in the Province over 24 Hours

TM.30 Notification Form for House Master, Owner, or the Possessor of The Residence Where Aliens Have Stay

Look in the Download-section.

Ok, thanks.

Did they require that you work in Thailand? (I'm not working.)

Were there any Visa-requirements? (I'm currently on a Tourist Visa...)

After getting married I made sure that I got a yellow book, a Thai driving License, a Social Security card and of course a Tax number.

How does one get a Thai Social Security Card? And is there any use having one?

(I'm married too, and "in process" of getting the Tabian Baan, but that SSC is news to me...)

Penang Consulate is closed at these dates (in addition to weekends) during 2552, that is 2009

January 1 - New Year

January 2 - New Year

January 26 - Chinese New Year

January 27 - Chinese New Year

February 9 - Makha Puja

March 9 - Malaysian holiday - Muhammad's Birthday

April 6 - Chakri Day

April 13 - Thai New Year - Songkran

May 5 - Wan Chanmongkhon

May 8 - Visakha Puja

July 7 - Asalha Puja

July 8 - Wan Ookphansaa

August 12 - Queen's Birthday (Mothers' day)

August 31 - Malaysian Holiday - dunno

September 21 - Malaysian Holiday - dunno

September 22 - Malaysian Holiday - dunno

October 19 - Malaysian Holiday - Dipawali

December 7 - King's Birthday (Fathers' Day)

December 25 - Christmas

December 31 - New Year

Source: A neat little Thai language booklet that I got from the Penang Consulate.

Nothing will be open before the 16th I suspect.

Penang consulate was closed only on the 13th. It was very open yesterday the 14th of April when I visited there.

I got a free tourist visa yesterday (14th April). I tried to get double entry, but they give only single entries.

Tourist visa can be collected the same day. Non-Immigration visas are ready the next day. So if you arrive, for instance, with the Air Asia morning flight, you can do everything during one day, and return to BKK in the evening. Morning flight arrives 10:05 local time, and the consulate accepts visa applications between 9-12, so it gives you plenty of time. (Still, take the photocopy of your passport and the mug photos in Thailand.) Tourist visas can be collected between 3:30-4 PM the same day. Neat.

But there is the following decree still at the wall, so let's be careful there...

From June 1st 2009

The Royal Thai Consulate-General,

Penang, shall not allow those who wear

improper attire (thong, sandals, t-shirt,

shorts, singlet etc.) to enter the consulate

ground.

9th April, 2008 (date of decree)

Hey beammeup, look at here http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Passport-t231130.html&view=findpost&p=2452077#entry2452077 and onwards, to see my very recent experiment. No hassle.

(Wha... I could not post a link that works. Bhoah!)

Well, the experiment went well, as I expected.

I gave my boarding pass and the old passport (that still had the departure card) to the Imm Officer at the Passport Check booth, and watched his surprised look as he opened the broken and voided passport. I said that "the passport got broken, but I have a new one", which I then handed to him. He pressed some hidden button, and in 5 seconds a Female Officer approached the booth, and took the two passports, the departure card, boarding pass, and me, into a separate desk. She took the dep card away, and stamped it. And then stamped my new passport with a departure stamp, under which she wrote "new passport" and something in Thai, which my wife later translated as meaning "was already in country, leaving now". Then she handed the two passports and my boarding pass to me, and smiled. I said "khop khun khrap", and proceeded to the international area of the airport. There was absolutely no hassle, and actually I was "processed" faster than some farang cases in the regular Passport Check booths.

Very neat, very efficient, no hassle, no questions.

Okay. Today I will start the experiment, involving two passports, and no transference of the entry stamp. Test environment includes Suvarnabhumi Airport and Penang.

Will report later.

Ok, thanks. Just as I suspected (but I wanted to make sure...)

Anyway, if the entry stamp transfer is not necessary, then I'll skip the Immigration Office hassle because I have to leave the Kingdom this friday. (Lucky me that the passport came already today. JIT.)

This may be a silly question, but is there any need to transfer the entry stamp into a new passport if one does not have a visa, but has entered into Thailand simply with the 15 days entry stamp?

(Hey, this was my first post! Hooray!)