olsen

Just wondering if the child is older than 7 years if you still need the court document??

Olsen, because some posts mentioned that some immigration offices also want a court document when the child is younger than seven years I wonder how old your child is.

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Maestro

You should then be able to arrange things at the amphur, instead of court. From age 7 the amphur will interview the child and then make a decision.

Does that mean that when my son grows older I will have to visit the amphur when I need to extend my visa?

You want a Mercedes, you gotta pay, there's no free lunches, you get what you pay for ....!

I like Mercedes....but I don't want to buy a rusty and worn out one!!

Why do we want progress in our own countries yet want other countries to remain the same always? I think this is the attitude of the tourist anywhere. That's life in our world, fortunately or unfortunately.

I for sure don't mind progress....but overdoing it like in Phuket is a bit harsh I think!! f you cannot coop with the increasing numbers of tourists and residents and the increasing TRAFFIC then this progress isn't progress at all....

Someone mentioned that 20 years a trip to the airport was 1 hour.... and said this was progress.....but I don't agree.... Staying in Patong no taxi will be able to to this trip in less than 1 hour today due to the traffic congestion all over the island.

Hi there....thanks for all the comments and response to my post.....of course many of you don't agree with me, but that's okay.....seems somehow Phuket will survive forever

Scubabuddha > No I am not just rying for Patong, but for the whole ruined island!

Sir Burr > Well.....I guess my memory is fading....I recall that I saw plenty of wood houses .....and maybe my memory placed them at Soi Bangla by accident. So you say that Soi Bangla was already developed in 1997??? That sounds strange to me, comparing with what it looks like today in 2009.....but OK comparing to the 80's I understand....wish I was there at that time! :jerk:

CroBiker > Yeah...at least we use the litter bins.....

thaiwanderer > "a tourist bemoaning the affect of tourism"....so after living and working and having started a Thai family for 11 years, you still consider me as a tourist???

simon43 > Good one there....but whos fault is it that these resort towns end up like dumps? It isn't the tourists' fault....they are all a bunch of cheep, just follow the ass in front of you!

samuibeachcomber > Yeah I bet Samui and Phuket has quite much in common

tw25rw > I don't agree with you...even locals who have lived for most of their life in Phuket do nothing for the sake of the island....they just stay here becase they can earn good money ....once the downturn shows its ugly face, then everyone will find a better place to spend all the money they earned here instead of investing in the island!

hagler > I guess you're right!

RobotTeacher > I suggest that you read my post once again....Sichon is not in Korea or in or near Seoul......

And no...I didn't just went back home after 3 days, I drove to Krabi where I spent a few nice days! Krabi is the most beautiful place in Thailand for sure!!

General > About taxi prices....when I said 2,000 THB for a trip to the airport, it was what I was asked to pay, but however I refused to pay that price....but I am sure many tourists pay an amount like that or even more....they get ripped off with a smile "Special price for you"

....about promoting Sichon.....I've also promoted Krabi in this post....so you mean, just because I live here I am expelled from telling others about my view on Phuket and Sichon...and Krabi??

I have just returned to Sichon after a 3 day vacation in Phuket.

Now my heart is crying!

What has happened to the good, old, beautiful and wonderful Phuket I discovered on my very first trip to Thailand in 1997?

OK….I know things changes in Thailand with the flourishing tourism in mind. But please correct me if I am wrong:

The tourists mainly come to Thailand because of the beauty of the nature and the beaches, right? And because of the friendly and helpful Thai people and the good and cheap food no? And of course because Thailand in general is a cheap country!

So why do they ruin Phuket like this?

Because that's what they're doing…!

Well then…who are "they"? Who am I talking about?

I am talking about the Governor and the Thai Government in general.

Those people who allow the overcrowded roads and traffic jams, those people who allow the overpopulation and those people who allow the never ending construction at green areas that will soon disappear from Phuket.

Everybody know very well that Phuket and its infrastructure is NOT geared for a growth like this. But instead of construction and repair the roads before allowing new projects, they decide to allow the projects and then start constructing and repairing the roads when it is NECESSARY ….but then it's too late!

When I first visited Phuket in 1997 it was a sleepy small town with a wonderful beach and only a few hotels. Bangla Road was a small soi with wooden houses that was used for the shops and bars.

Later when I relocated to Phuket for good for working in 2003 I of course got surprised by the changes that had happened to the island.

The whole Phuket Charm was almost gone….

I had to settle in Chalong to find some of that old Phuket Charm.

Patong, Kata and Karon was already somewhat ruined back in 2003.

It was also on that time they started renovating the roads in Phuket.

And they're still renovating!

I lived 4 years in Phuket and every single day I felt like living on a construction site in the middle of Bangkok!

Construction everywhere you went …dirt and noise everywhere….and the traffic and the pollution were terrible!

At last I had ENOUGH…and I decided to relocate to Sichon, where I live now with my wife and son.

This was the best decision I've ever made in my life….I was simply so terrible tired on Phuket!

Now I am back in Sichon after a short 3 days vacation in Phuket.

And my heart is still crying!

It was actually my intention to stay with my wife and son at Phuket for 1 week, as I was still convinced that Phuket was a nice place to relax and enjoy some of the shopping possibilities that we lack here in Sichon.

But after only 2 nights at our hotel both I and my wife were ready to leave Phuket for good! We had booked a hotel in Phuket Town to stay away from the overcrowded tourist areas. But I somehow forgot the terrible traffic that has been even worse since I left Phuket 2 years earlier. We visited some friends in Patong one day. It was a trip lasting 1 hour….each way….even it was only a stretch of 15 kilometers from Phuket Town. So we spent 2 hours in a weird traffic jam just to visit friends for 1 hour. That's crazy, no? We couldn't stand it…!!

We left Phuket 2 years ago and settled in Sichon.

Since then they are still not finished renovating and building the new roads! They're still working at it at this very moment! And they still construct new hotels, villas and shopping centers….all over the island. Today you can't see where Phuket Town is ending and where Chalong begins….it is just one big town now….same as Kata and Karon….and soon Karon and Patong.

Soon there will be no green areas where you can build a small house. It will all look like Singapore and Hong Kong!

But even new and wider roads will not help Phuket in the future….right now at the vey moment it will of course ease the traffic …but the growth of the island happens too quickly, so in a few years time Phuket will be back to its normal traffic jams…..

I can see only one solution to the problems in Phuket:

A total stop of constructing hotels, resorts and private villages so no more people will settle in Phuket and add to the overcrowding!

I really don't understand why tourists keep coming to Phuket!

I have heard from many people visiting Phuket. When they leave, they say: "Phuket….NEVER AGAIN!!!"

And what about the kind and helpful Thai people at Phuket?

Well…they are still here…but they don't speak English!

Those Thais who speak English they are also kind and helpful...but just as far as they can earn money...they regard you as a walking wallet!

Phuket has now converted into a huge money factory. Everything is about money here. And I am not just talking about the bar girls. I am talking about every single business and Thai person working on the island! Only money counts!

Everything is more expensive in Phuket than in the rest of Thailand. And I mean EVERYTHING!

The normal Thai price for a plate with rice and chicken in curry is 45 bath at a food stall in Phuket. This is around 100% more expensive than a similar plate in Bangkok….or Sichon.

A beer at a Sichon restaurant costs 35 baht….compared to the prices in Phuket ranging from 65 to 90 baht.

A taxi to the airport in Phuket will cost you some 2,000 baht….compared to the same 45 kilometer stretch from Sichon to our local airport at a cost of only 800 baht.

If you want to take a taxi from Patong beach road to Rat U Thit Road, which is the parallel road to the beach road and hardly a stretch of 1 kilometer then the price is 200 baht. The same stretch would in Pattaya cost you 10 baht with a baht bus. So in this connection Phuket is 2,000% more expensive than Pattaya!!!

Did anyone say mafia?

Well…you're right…the mafia runs all the tuk tuk and taxis in Phuket!

First time visitors to Thailand often chose to visit Phuket because they have a friend who says the island is a nice place. But after their visit many of them never return to Phuket!!!

I think one of the reasons that so many tourists visit here is that the island is very famous around the globe, especially due to the many tour companies in Europe and USA that offers reasonable charter tours to Phuket showing wonderful brochures and tend to persuade their customers to chose Phuket, but of course the agents never tell the FULL story about Phuket…they don't tell about all the bad things! Else they would never be able to sell so many hotel rooms in Phuket!!!

Those tourists who like Phuket must be because of the exiting night life, that is comparable of Pattaya and Bangkok. Or maybe they like to huge shopping centers where they can shop till they drop, without sweating like an elephant in a sauna?

I mean, if the tourists come for the beaches then they will soon realize that the beaches are overcrowded and polluted ….and with beach vendors strolling around disturbing every minute. Not to mention the pollution and noise from the traffic and the shops and bars in the rear of the beaches…!!!

I must say, I don't understand that any tourist will ever visit Phuket…at least not more than 1 time! I ask myself often…WHY???

What do you think?

My heart is still crying over Phuket!

And I am happy as ever because I've made Sichon my home in Thailand!

Sichon is located on the east coast of Thailand, on the mainland opposite Koh Samui and midway between Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

We have 2 airports here. The nearest is some 40 minutes away, less time it takes with a taxi from Kata to the airport in Phuket.

Here I have attached a few more pics:

My son is 2 years old.....

If you like overcrowded beaches like Kata and Railay just to mention a few, well....then OK with me

But if you want clean and uncrowded beaches, where you don't need to share the beach with thousands of tourists, then I can highly recommend some of the beaches we have here in Sichon.

They are all officially rated 4.5 Stars compared to only 4 Stars in Phuket and Koh Samui

I lived in Kata 4 years, but finally got fed up about the overcrowded and polluted beaches in Phuket, so I simply relocated to Sichon.

This is the real Thailand as it looked before the tourism boom

Take a look at this beach:

You need evidence of income. Ask your embassy to write a supporting letter for you stating your income. Translate into Thai.

Bring your Thai bank statements to the immigration together with evidence that you have a Thai daughter (birth certificate with your name on it as the father).

I did this myself in Sichon Beach last week. No problems at all. Good luck!

.....and they could've refused the visa and asked you to leave the country to get a new visa!! Lucky guy

Yes, you can do this....the immigration will accept it.... I've done it before when living in Phuket.

Your Non O visa can be converted into a Non B visa at the immigration in case you can provide evidence of employment.....which you can do with your company registration.

You apply for a full 1 year Non B visa, but you will probably only be granted 3 months.

After 3 months you'll have to come back to the immigration and show your tax payment receipts, then you'll probably get 6 months more....after the 6 months you will finally get a 1 year visa......at least that is my experience!

Once you have your Non B, you don't need to leave the country ever....just renew your visa and your WP.

Of course you will only get a 1 year Non B if you qualify.

You have to earn a salary of minimum 40,000 THB/month and the company must employ minimum 4 Thai staff.

Your work permit will normally only run as long as your current visa, but I have experienced that if "your boss" signs an employment contract with you for 1 year, then you get a 1 year work permit!!

Hope this helps?

Yes. 400,000 Baht in Thai bank or 40,000 Baht monthly income.

Where did you apply?

That's right...I applied in Nakhon Si Thammarat as I live in Sichon Beach. Earrlier I applied in Surat Thani, because they're more effective and kind, but with the new law stating that you must apply from within the province where you live, then I had to do it in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and it went well

If you get a 1 year B visa then the only way to get it renewed is to show up at a consulate or embassy outsite Thailand with your work permit. But how can you do this if you do not work?

So you want to pay another 10k to this company for getting a new 1 year B visa?

But I am not so sure you can get this, because the embassies and consulates keeps track on the visas they issue, and they might still require to see your work permit.

If you have a child in Thailand you can get a 1 year dependant visa for supporting your child.

I am 46 years old, and I have a son in Thailand.

I am not officially married to my son's mother, but we live together.

I also have a 1 year work permit.

But I found it easier to apply for a 1 year dependant visa, because all I need to show was my papers from the my embassy that I receive a pension from my home country. That's all!

Earlier I applied for a 1 year work visa and also I got this, but here I had to provide evidence of my income from the company where I work (this is in fact my own company, but owned by my wife, as we are dealing with real estate) and also I we had to provide evidence of 4 Thai staff and a minimum salary of 40,000 THB/month....

So if you have a child in Thailand you can get a 1 year visa, and you do not need to be over 50 years old anymore.