Chaaang

On 8/11/2020 at 9:01 PM, nightfox said:

I have also never done the TM30 thing as when I went to my local IO last month about my visa. They never said anything about any TM30 or 90 day report as Im on a Non O visa so i wouldn't bring it up if they don't.

Well, 2-4 years ago at CW IO they haven't asked for it. Last year went there for a standard 1 year extension based on marriage. And immigration officer asked a question "Where is your TM30 form?". Told her that they had never asked for it before. She said no extension without it. A lot of people were caught by surprise since there was a huge line to pay the fine. Mine was 800 Baht.

And what about parents of Thai nationals who will support their retired asses in future?! Ooooh, get out, we don't want you here.

Teachers... Alright, what salary is offered EVEN TO NATIVE SPEAKERS - 15k-30k THB. That's nonsense. If that native speaker goes to China it can easily make 20k-30k+ RMB (90000 THB - 150000 THB+) per month. Visa covered, flight covered, accommodation at the beginning is covered. If you have a TEFL certificate, or any other certificate, or relevant experience you can get even more. Compare it with Thailand.

Even NON-NATIVE ESL teachers get, at least, 8k-16k RMB (36k-72k THB). And here we're talking about simple kindergartens, language schools, some Tier-3 cities schools.

No point working here on such conditions...

They can go F themselves.

I have submitted one. They returned me ALL the document and a stamp on old 90 days report paper - "No visa extension". Yeah, sure, I will bring two children and my wife to your office. No, I will not.

If they want to put me to prison - ok, no problem, I am ready for this. I am tired of that thai BS.

13 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

2 months is was what I was told this past March.  They didn't mention the month after "under consideration" - which can be 2 months, if they are "still considering" after the 1st month (rarely reported - but can happen).  So, you have your money for 8 or 9 months - though God forbid you need it for an emergency in the other months. 

 

The 3rd (+) month you are forced to leave the money untouched is against the rules, anyway.  Too bad there is no one holding anyone accountable, as it is clearly a way to push more to agents, which skips money seasoning entirely.  The official enforcing this should be doing five years in the slammer for each person who had to show their bankbook to get their final-stamp, with the underlings who "went along to get along" also doing serious time.

 

In any case, it is sick that you have to "prove money" to stay with your family in the first place, and that this only gets you a 1-year extension and the same rigamorole or worse every year thereafter.  Jumping hoops One Time, when you first get married, should be sufficient.

That's why, despite having a house here we wanted to get back to Europe (Latvia) first and then back to the UK when I had a new contract (now I don't...).

Now I have only one option - to leave alone leaving family behind.

I do not have my "wonderful" country embassy in the Kingdom.

So, one son with two passports: Latvian and Thai, needs to obtain an emergency travel document from a Latvian Embassy, which does not exist in Thailand. Managed to get that paper, but it has expired by now and it is impossible to get a new one.

Embassy of Hungary, which takes cares of "latvian idiots" cannot simply do a Schengen visa for him due to dual citizenship.

Second son had been born in Bangkok, have got only Thai passport. He got a Schengen visa from Hungarian Embassy which... has expired now, and at the moment they are not making any new visas.

My wife's UK residence permit has also expired.

So now NONE of my family can leave the country and at the same time Thai government will be forcing me out. It would be ok if not that crazy requirements to get back. I cannot get negative Covid-19 paper three days before my flight back because it takes 5-7 days to get the results back and there are no flights back. And I cannot get Covid-19 special insurance because one does not exist yet.

So, basically, Thai government will separate me from my family, send me back to EU via 1-2-3 stop-overs and a risk of getting that Covid-19 <deleted> during my time at the airports and during the flights and tell "it's normal".

...

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I have never seen a report before of Chaeng Wattana not going by the written requirements before.

They ever show 2 months on their website.

Well, that's my experience.

First extension, 2 months, everything fine.

Second extension 3 months before + 1 month after (have to make a passbook update) to show you still have 400k + TM30 that have never been asked before. So, basically, foreigner cannot touch that money.

Your extension is due in late March, early April. So, 3 months before + 1 month after you cannot touch the money. 4 months, and before the next extension it's the same thing, your cannot touch money for 4 months, even if you have an emergency situation. 8 months a year money are untouchable, if you, for some reason, use part of this money you have 1-4 months to refill the balance. If you cannot do that - you are out.

And their "picture requirements"... wow... Had a picture of a new born with mother and me sitting on a sofa. Wow-wow-wow, new born's toe was visible, 4 months old. IO told me it's unacceptable, a senior IO will be offended. That boy might be paying his pension and he's feeling so offended about a naked toe. This country is on a wrong way. In the last year I've got 5 new neighbors: 3 families from Pakistan and 2 from India. How are they better than me?

Also, did you know that Thailand pays Child Benefits? Yes, they do. Just out of curiosity tried to apply for it. The answer is no, the reason - father is a foreigner.

Kindergarten and school applications... You can make a movie about the rate of level of bribery that exists there.

I have met my wife in 2004, when I was 19 years old. We got married in 2007. Since then traveled the world working in China, UK, Italy. After having two children decided to come back to Bangkok. And now, my wife, native Thai, is willing to leave her country due to this BS. We just cannot stay here in peace, you always have to prove, report something. And at the same time, Thais abroad are not forced out, provided a proper visa/residence permit to stay with your family and kids etc. Only here it's all perverted...

2 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I have never had to have a witness for renewal when the children or my Thai family is concerned. I find this to be over the top of them having the audacity to request a witness. For me I do not talk to any of my Thai neighbors or are friends with them so this would never be an option. We stay alone and have very very few friends other than family.

I guess, once again, that this stupid requirement have got tails in 1970's.

Witnesses, TM30 BS, 90 days reports etc.

This is a complete nonsense, for couple of years TM30 was not requested. Once, we went to CW to do standard one year extension. All the documents were the same but, noooo, this time IO started to bother about TM30. Damn (I apologise for my language), my wife is the owner of the house, we have got two kids, everything was fine before and suddenly they decided to bring that Frankenstein back to life. I am not renting anything, I am living with my family, <deleted> my wife should report me as "foreigner staying in my house". They have got all the copies of blue book, yellow book, pink ID card etc. Nope, that's not enough, you have to pay the fine.

When we still haven't got children and lived and worked in Beijing, China many years ago, Chinese didn't have that BS. For example, you have got a visa, valid for one year, you go to the nearest Police Station, bring copies of everything + rent agreement. And here you go, they issue you a paper that "you're OK" for the duration of your visa. If you leave the country you pass that paper to the officer, when you return - just make a new "registration" document in five minutes.

Then we moved to the UK. I have got a job there, none of us were British... First my wife got a visa, then, BY POST, we sent all the documents to Home Office, a little bit of waiting and... she was granted with 5 year residence permit. She could work, start her own business etc. No restrictions.

When my contract finished, we moved to Italy, already having a new born son. Same thing. Do whatever you want if you really want it.

And then we moved back to Bangkok. It's a nightmare. Prove this, prove that, you are not allowed to do this and that, bla-bla-bla. And at the same time Thais is EU/Shengen Area are not forced out.

This is not normal. Completely not normal...

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

They are wrong. For extensions based upon marriage it has been 2 months since 2008. For being a parent of a Thai there no amount of time it has to be in the bank since 2014.

For retirement they changed it to 2 months last year.

Pff, then CW IOs are just all wrong.

Father of two Thai boys. For the first extension several years ago they wanted money in the bank account for two months. For all further extensions it's three months BEFORE you submit documents + one month AFTER their "consideration period". So if during their consideration period the amount drops lower than 400k you are not getting an extension.

Any suggestions on good agents in Bangkok for Non-I (Marriage) extension?

5 hours ago, Kaopad999 said:

for those people who were on tourist visas and then transferred to the amnesty visa should have already planned their trips back home or out of Thailand.

Yes, sure...

Look at my situation.

EU citizen - Latvia. No Latvian Embassy in Thailand, no Embassy of Thailand in Latvia.

Wife - Thai. Two kids - one have got expired Latvian passport + Thai passport, another has got only Thai passport.

We were planning to leave Bangkok in May. But now only me can leave. And if I leave I will not see my family again.

Wife had UK residence permit, now expired. Son with Latvian passport had emergency travel document through Latvian Consulate - expired. Another son had Schengen visa through Hungarian Embassy - expired.

So now "wonderful" Thai Government will kick me out of the country alone and I will see my family only on Skype.

8 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

They rejected it due to you not needing to do a 90 day report of staying longer than 90 consecutive days in the country. They are not required until after the 31st under the amnesty.

You can stay until the 31st if the amnesty is not extended. I am confident it will be extended for at least 30 days.

If married to or the parent of a Thai you can apply for a 60 day extension to visit them.

Thank you for your reply.

Last time when I did 90 days report (in May) my extension of stay was still valid (until 7th June), I sent them the same docs and they sent me a new "90 days" paper. This time they returned all the copies + old 90 days report paper with a red stamp "No Extension Visa".

60 days extension in an option IF they will allow it. But after those 60 days it will be "bye-bye" anyway...

Sent my 90 days report by post, today received an envelope back with all the documents copies and a red stamp on previous 90 days report paper - "No visa extension".

Planned to leave Thailand in May. Made one son emergency travel document since his EU passport expired, another one got Schengen visa. Spouse had valid UK residence permit.

As for today - everything is expired. Emergency travel document, visa, residence permit...

No money to make a proper visa extension based on marriage. Relatives needed money, sent them almost everything I got, then Corona BS happened, money cannot be returned.

Now I cannot return back to Europe with my family, and at the same time I cannot stay here with my family.

They better lift the 400k requirement for the extension of stay for couple of years.

On 5/11/2020 at 8:14 AM, DrJack54 said:

I'm thinking folk here currently with no permission of stay stamp and allowed to remain during amnesty period should have fallback plan of return to home country.

Well, returning to home country is not a problem once planes are back in the air. This biggest problem will be to come back to Thailand. For example, COVID-19 test 3 days prior to your flight. Impossible, at least in my country. It takes 5 - NoBodyKnows days to receive the results (that's in case you're wishing to make the test). In case they bring you in by ambulance they'll do it immediately, but in this case you're flying nowhere. Another problem - Covid-19 insurance. I've checked several large insurance companies - no one issuing such type of insurance. For many people the situation will be the following: leaving your wife, your children, flying back to home country and be separated for an unknown period of time.

On 5/1/2020 at 12:20 PM, vivananahuahin said:

And i hope so,but the chineese need a 72 hours health certificate,corona free and a 100.000$ health insurance,they are the new rules of i make a mistake?

No, they don't need one. "Other nationalities" do require one.

I do wonder WHY Thai government is so loyal to Chinese...

They DO NOT spend any money when they travel.

Before moving to Thailand me and my family traveled the Europe.

In a tiny town Salzburg there was a place (maybe not just one, but we've seen one) - a Chinese restaurant. And four buses of Chinese tourists... They stay in places owned by Chinese, they eat in places owned by Chinese. These is almost zero solo-Chinese tourists in any country (that are coming from mainland China).

And still, Thai government wants more and more of them as "tourists".

8 minutes ago, RedPill said:

Only in Thailand? 

 

Because I don't know any other country which has a alcohol ban ... other than Muslim countries.

 

Or are there?

 

Greenland, Nuuk
South Africa
Aisne, a region in northern France
Mexico (still legal in Mexico City and most of the country. But some local officials restricted the sale in some municipalities).
Thailand

39 minutes ago, phkauf said:

fake Wuhan Virus insurance and health certificates

I've been thinking about it. Is there any info in what language do they want health certificate?

For example, you are from France, you will get this certificate in French. You show it at boarding, this may work out, but if you show it to the immigration officer... they'll just roll their eyes.

Or everybody will need to go down the following route: get the certificate, make a certified translation of it to Thai, then go to the MFA office and get it legalized. It's already impossible to make it within 72 hours, and if they will demand the legalized one it will take couple of weeks.

22 minutes ago, marvin1950 said:

There is not enough covid-19 testing in Thailand.

 

There statistics are incomplete and inadequate.

 

Tell me how may people did they test?

% positive?

%negative?

% of population tested?

These are keys statistics that are needed.

How many unreported cases are there?

 

And where Covid-19 testing is enough?! US? Europe? In the US the test itself costs USD 1.3k, and you cannot just come to the hospital at take it, you have to wait until the moment you're on your death bed and call an ambulance. In Europe pretty much the same. You cannot come to the hospital and take the test. You have to call your GP first. But GPs are telling you NOT to come to their office if you've got the symptoms. And again, the only option to get the test done is to call an ambulance if you are feeling you are going to die soon.

1 hour ago, crazykopite said:

It’s a possibility providing that they drop there stupid insistence that people have to have $100,000 virus insurance plus a letter issued no more than 72 hours before the flight confirming they are Corona Free even Thais overseas are struggling to get such letters. I am in Thailand whilst my wife is now stuck in the U.K. having gone back to visit our newborn grandson her return flight was cancelled.

If I remember correctly, Thais do not need to provided a letter they are Corona Free. Only foreigners.

I've checked how long will it take to obtain such a letter in my country... Minimum 5-7 days (if you're lucky). It's impossible to get it 72 hours before the flight.

And as for the insurance, none insurance companies have a special option for Covid.

That "90 days report" online cr@p is not working again. Tried all possible browsers, first page loads fine, enter all the information, clicking "Submit" and... blank page. Last browser I've tried was IE11, it showed a blank page too + that stupid message "Please go to the Immigration Department Office". iOS and Android apps won't let me register. Why people have to risk their lives by going to the Immigration Department Office at this crazy time?!
 

On 3/19/2020 at 3:42 PM, HOAX said:

Wonder what will happen if my currency continues to drop, and eventually drop below the 40.000/month requirement. Just a few years ago I had 120-150k to spend a month, now I'm counting coins lol. I have to renew my marriage visa in 10 days. If it continues to drop 10-20% everyday for the next 10 days then I most certainly won't have 40k. Wonder how I'm going to get that stamp from the Embassy then. Some weird times we live in.

Pretty much similar situation but I still have a month an half. Will be "great" to be kicked out leaving the whole family behind.

2 hours ago, justin case said:

same as thai able to buy company/land/house in other countries

 

hope S-korea bans them FOR LIFE

How many Thais are able to buy company/land/house in other countries? And now compare it to the number of foreigners from different countries that have a purchase power. If Thailand says "OK, everybody can buy land, houses etc." in a year all land will belong to foreigners.

In China it's even better, no one but the state can own land. Some laowai (farangs) bought apartments, houses there... but at the end it's a rent for 90 (now maybe even less) years. And at any time government can kick you out, if they would like to use the land your house standing on. Same goes for chinese, no one owns land in China.

Another example, - some eastern European countries that were "selling" PRs in exchange of purchasing a property. First it was 100k EUR, then 250k EUR. And now most of them said "Well, we have changed our mind, get out.". People purchased properties from 100k to 500k+ EUR and now they are being forced out ???? If you want to see your property - apply for a tourist visa.

Or, another example of "Yes, let's allow everybody to do whatever they want.", - Canada. Half of the properties belong to Chinese. Prices up, locals cannot afford to buy land, or property and forced to live in a shared accommodation that belongs to... Chinese!

3 hours ago, DrTuner said:

It's an excellent chance for the west to restart their manufacturing industries and get rid of the dependence on China. Then slam the borders closed permanently.

You are welcomed to try ???? Even toilet paper is being produced in China. West lost everything. Only if you are ready to return to 1940's you maybe get a chance.

You cannot restart something that had been destroyed.

And to re-built a factory + train the staff etc... do you imagine how much will it cost?

Your grandchildren's grandchildren will not be able to pay the cost...

17 hours ago, smedly said:

you know what is funny 

 

Chinese are not well travelled people - they are brought here on very well fine tuned packages - plane - bus - hotel - bus - eating - bus - hotel - rinse repeat, being ripped off at every opportunity possible - they think it is all normal because they don't know any better - they are herded everywhere - charged a fortune and after 10 days shipped off home thinking - well that is what a holiday is...……..they have no concept of travel 

 

we from the west are always well travelled - it is very hard for us to understand what exactly is going on with these Chinese (so called) tourists - they just don't know any better and are being taken advantage of - very sad really and is just massive exploitation of people that don't know any better or different

 

and no it isn't really funny at all

Well... "not well traveled"... in order to get out of China they need to get an approval from PSB (Public Security Bureau). That's why we mostly see retired people. PSB have no problems with them, and let them go abroad. As for a younger generation, it's a way more complicated. Also, why do they use "travel agency packages", - because 99.99% of them do not speak English, or any other language. That's why they cannot do any solo trips.

They are not taken advantage of, they just agree to what is offered to them.

But there is a problem... those "tourists" DO NOT make any contribution to the economic of the country they visit. They eat at chinese restaurants (specifically built for them). Last year I visited Salzburg, a small town... and... they do have a restaurant built for those chinese tourists. They don't go out to explore town, and do some tiny purchases like water, ice cream, hot dogs etc. They do not spend any money. Chinese tourists are "parasite-tourists". They use infrastructure etc., but they do not contribute to it at all.

So stop feeling sorry for them. They bring NOTHING at all, as tourists.

On 1/12/2020 at 12:47 PM, Vacuum said:

What's all the fuss about U-turns? One just have to wait until there's no oncoming traffic before you make the turn, how difficult can it be?

Yeah, in normal countries there are no difficulties. Here, in Thailand, it's always this way -> you're trying to make a u-turn, two-three rows out of four seems to be ok and letting you to make a turn, while some idiot in a row four decides to speed up, thinking he's some sort of a super hero who can avoid everything, and then, boom, and accident happens. Yesterday, returning back home to Bangkok with my family from Pattaya day trip. 20km away from home there was a u-turn under the main motorway. Two motorcycles with 3 idiots on each were racing each other. I was driving on the main road, good I had no one on my left so I did a sharp left, otherwise there would be 6 dead bodies. My wife (Thai) said, next time just drive straight. This cr@p is happening every single day here. Motorcycle drivers, pickup drivers and Fortuner drivers are idiots that are willing to die.

On 1/8/2020 at 10:01 PM, chrissables said:

Goodbye

Goodbye to you too