lsemprini

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I think you will find that all visa applications on the e visa site actually require a flight to here.

It certainly could be, but I checked all the screens in the manual:

https://thaievisa.go.th/static/English-Manual.pdf

and also checked the list of required documents for the visa types I was considering (non-O, TR):

https://thaievisa.go.th/ (scroll down to "Visa Category" and click each)

and I didn't see any request to send a scan of flight ticket to Thailand.  I DID see the form ask for date and port of entry, but not flight and no ticket upload.

For sure, the CoE application process at:

https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/regis/step?language=en

requires uploading an image of the air ticket during Step 3 of the CoE application, but that is a separate process from the visa application, and if the air ticket that ends in Thailand happens to be from another country, that is not actually anything unusual (it could be a transiting flight).

So at the moment I don't see any practical or legal obstacles to using e-visa.   Certainly there could be a catch, but I don't see it yet.

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You would not be able to apply from anywhere. One of the requirement for completing the application to prove you are a citizen or resident of the country where you are applying.

Understood, but since there is no embassy/consulate visit and no paper being mailed, it seems unlikely they would have any realistic way to check, and possibly they would not care as long as I am outside of Thailand.  The reason I say they might not care is that if you go to  https://thaievisa.go.th/ and you click "Am I  eligible to apply online?" the website states (after asking for one's passport country):

"Permanent Residency / Current Location: Your resident status in a country of which you are granted a residence visa to stay for more than six months."

So if someone is physically located in a third country for a short time, they should choose their country of origin in this box, and they can legally apply for the e-visa.

In the thread you mentioned below, some people speculated that they might require us to show a flight from the country of application, but that doesn't seem to be the case (only TR requires a flight and it is a flight OUT of Thailand).

Also some people speculated that they might want to see a scan of Thai exit stamps (to prevent people from applying for visas while inside Thailand) but they are not doing that and it doesn't apply to my case anyway since I am in VN.

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

There is a ongoing topic about it on this forum I posted when I saw a notice on the embassy website in the US.

FYI for others, that thread is here:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1231586-e-visa-stickerless-system-starting-on-september-27th-thai-embassy-usa-announcement/

24 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

Try get an e-visa.

https://thaievisa.go.th/

Interesting, I hadn't heard of that website in ages....

I clicked on the website and they said you cannot use e-visa if you are a US citizen resident in Vietnam....

HOWEVER, the website also popped up a message saying that as of 26 SEP 2021 (yes, 2 days ago), they have FINALLY fixed the fundamentally broken e-visa system so that it is no longer necessary to submit one's passport to the local embassy/consulate as part of the process (which, of course, COMPLETELY defeats the whole purpose of being an e-visa). 

Instead, finally, the e-visa website ends up in you getting a confirmation e-mail which you print and present to Immigration at the border along with your passport.

If that's really true, it is a massive sea change to the Thai Visa process and it would mean I could apply from anywhere.   I'm surprised it's not major major news on thaivisa.com, I mean aseannow.com

Is it really true??  Is there some "TIT" catch?

56 minutes ago, Phillip9 said:

Why not visit the US for a few weeks, get the JnJ one shot vaccine soon after you arrive, get your COE in the US, and then return to Thailand.  You wouldn't even have to quarantine if you used one of the sandbox schemes.

Yup, thanks, definitely considered that, but with the VN->US->TH airfare and the requirement to be in the US (and thus find housing in the US) for at least 30 days (the minimum number of days for any vaccine to take enough effect to be counted as "fully vaccinated;" J&J being one-shot doesn't meaningfully shorten that), that's going to be a much more expensive option. 

Currently there are a handful of flights from Viet Nam to BKK that are ~$200 and then you've got the $1000-$1500 ASQ quarantine hotel, but compared to VN->US->TH airfaire and the cost of non-ASQ hotel in Phuket (given that my goal is to end up in Mae Hong Son), it's still a lot less.  Granted I can avoid quarantine, but it's pricey.  Either way there will be the same cost for the absurd Thai health insurance.

Hi,

I am a US citizen in Danang, Vietnam and trying to find a way back to Thailand.

The only Thai consulate is in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city) and it is COMPLETELY closed due to COVID.

The only Thai embassy is in Hanoi and it seems to be open, but they never return messages or answer the phone.  AND there is no way I can get there anyway due to extremely strict COVID checkpoints (the Thai consulate is in a "red zone" in the city).  And there are no planes and Hanoi is a 16-20 hour expensive car ride away.

So, I am wondering:

1. has anyone gotten any Thai visas AT ALL in Viet Nam in the last few weeks?

2. were you able to do it by mail inside Viet Nam (whether yourself or through an agent)?

3. was an STV (special tourist visa) one of the choices of visa type available?   https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand-visa/thailand-tourist-visa

4. what documents did you need for the visa and CoE?

FWIW I have a work permit and TRC in Vietnam so that may be useful in showing residency.

As with 92-98% of the population I have not been able to get even 1 shot of vaccine yet.  It's just not available.

Thanks.

Thanks ubonjoe.  For others here who might have the same issue, the link he mentions points to one agent: https://www.a-plusservice.com/

Is there really only one agent who can do it (i.e. the-cousin-of-the-police-chief model) or are there really multiple agents who can get it done?

39 minutes ago, Beggar said:

Look here. But you know hopefully the problems... 

 

https://www.cmmediclinic.com/Dengue-Vaccine-Chiang-Mai.html

Thanks!  Here's another website (from a clinic in Bangkok) discussing the "should I get it" issues:

https://www.thaitravelclinic.com/blog/travel-medicine-issue/dengue-vaccine-for-travelersforeigners-in-thailand-should-i-get-it.html

Anyone found a place in Chiang Mai that has the Dengue Vaccine known as CYT-TDV or Dengvaxia?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengue_vaccine

https://www.who.int/immunization/research/development/dengue_q_and_a/en/

Note Dengvaxia is ONLY for lucky people like me who have already had one infection.  The second infection for people like us is typically much worse and much more dangerous, and the vaccine drastically reduces the chances of that (see WHO report).  There are also other Dengue vaccines in development, including some being trailed in Thailand, that will likely not have the same limitation.

7 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Super easy to speak with someone in NYC I’ve done it several times last time was in SEPT. The rules for  a METV are clear and easy to follow ( so I don’t understand your comment on that either).

To be clear, I meant that NYC was an example of an excellent and (relatively) small consulate/embassy that was very responsive to questions and clear about requirements, so we agree there.

7 hours ago, alex8912 said:

You DO need employment verification as well ( so I don’t know why you say you don’t) in NYC they don’t want a pay stub as OP mentioned. I keep mine super simple and most people over think everything and don’t realize these papers are barely looked at. On a non letter head piece of paper I type “ This is to verify or certify ( doesn’t matter which) John Doe has been A full time employee at xyz company for 15 years , please let know if you have any questions. “ 

I call and ask each time I apply and each time they told me I don't need anything for employment verification, only the income verification.  So it probably just depends on which person there you happen to reach when you ask.  It might also depend on the amount shown in the account for income verification (but of course nobody will ever say this even if you are rejected).

7 hours ago, alex8912 said:

 

signature is a boss ( he tells me to do it ) and I attach a business card and mine. Fill in your own name and company/ work place name obviously. 
That’s it. 
I’m quite sure you have to apply to the consulate that handles your area.

Yes that is the policy.  I simply send via a friend's address in the correct region and they are happy.

7 hours ago, alex8912 said:

OP there is not an embassy in Los Angeles it is a consulate. There is only one embassy in Washington DC. Also if you live and work in SC it would seem strange for you go through the Colorado area consulate because your employment letter is not from there. 

In my case (and presumably many others) they don't ask for employment verification, so nothing else other than the home address on the application form even has an address.

3 hours ago, genericptr said:

This visa still in 2019 doesn't make any sense. It's a tourist visa with a total of 9 months right?, but they request proof of employment  as if employed people just run off to Thailand for months on end. DC website says pay stubs are not accepted (quote:  **we don’t accept pay stubs**) either because apparently the institution paying you isn't sufficient proof that they've hired you??? I wish they would just tell us what they want.

Yes that is another problem with the larger bureaucratic embassies/consulates: they publish non-sensical requirements and then there is nobody to talk to/ask.  New York doesn't ask for proof of employment and I suspect that none of the other US embassies/consulates really require it, but they cannot admit that the published rules make no sense, because that would be a loss of face for their superiors.  However if you phone up the embassy/consulate and are (miraculously) able to reach a human and ask then they should be able to tell you the truth about what is really required (since that is not a public forum and face is less of an issue).

Technically you are supposed to use Washington because of your home location;

https://www.thaicgny.com/ภาษาอ-งกฤษ-english-version/visa-service/map/

However I strongly recommend you borrow a north-eastern friend's home address and use New York:

https://www.thaicgny.com/ภาษาอ-งกฤษ-english-version/

LA is horrible, slow, and bureaucratic and Washington is not much better.  I wouldn't go as far as to say your chances of getting the visa are less with LA (though it is possible) but for sure you'll enjoy the process less.  As a general rule of thumb, smaller embassies/consulates are always better in terms of service and ability to say yes.

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Manual

 

Thanks for the link!

I looked at the Thai.  On Page 8 (troubleshooting for the WP series) the only troubleshooting step relevant to short-cycling is the last one, and it just says "there is too little air in the pressure tank" and "empty all the water out of the pressure tank, then 'fill' the pump again (I think they mean prime)."  So not too helpful since that's only a temporary fix.

And the auto-air is called in Thai "automatic thing to push air" (p.33) and is part H02301Q00

9 hours ago, wayned said:

Like I said, I buy  parts from the distributer in Bangkok.  He sent me and IPL for four pumps many moons ago.

Do you have any of those manuals in an electronic form (other than the scan you posted above)?

10 minutes ago, wayned said:

Number 19:

Thanks wayned.  Where did those pages come from?  Any chance the rest of the manual is in English?  Even if it's Thai it might be useful to slog through and mine for info.

4 hours ago, lsemprini said:

Circled in red here (this happens to be a WP-305Q*). 

 

Looking at my friend's wide variety of Mitsubishi WP pumps, I noticed only some of them have the spaceship; some have no obvious component to put air into the tank.  Does anyone know how the other Mitsubishi WP pumps (only WP, we're not talking about EP here) get air into the tank?

CORRECTION -- I just went back over there to look and in fact ALL of the Mitsubishi WP pumps DO have the spaceship auto-air (I was confused by the angle of my other photos).

Anyway, still hoping someone can suggest a method of diagnosis to help distinguish leaky tank from busted auto-air from other possible causes.  Thanks.

2 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Where does this A/C device fit? I've had two pumps apart and have never encountered one?

 

Is there a picture anywhere?

Circled in red here (this happens to be a WP-305Q*). 

Looking at my friend's wide variety of Mitsubishi WP pumps, I noticed only some of them have the spaceship; some have no obvious component to put air into the tank.  Does anyone know how the other Mitsubishi WP pumps (only WP, we're not talking about EP here) get air into the tank?

Also, I noticed that none of the Mitsubishi WP pumps have a bicycle-type valve to manually put air in.  So the spaceship (or equivalent part) is the only way air gets in there (other than that the pump starts with air and is air after draining, of course, but that's just temporary).

It would REALLY be nice if someone could point to an authoritative manual where we could finally get to the bottom of how these WP pumps are really supposed to work.  There is so much mythology and speculation (especially by Thai chang) but there should be an actual answer somewhere!

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Shut the water off and drain the tank. Using the plastic plug on the side. If the system still cycles there is a hidden water leak. 

Thanks, that's what I figured, but my question is how to distinguish between different possible causes of the leak, e.g. auto-air/A-C problem vs. a physical leak at some point in the tank vs. other problems.

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

1) unplug the pump

2) turn of the water supply to and from the pump

3) talk the drain plug out.

 

if you get water coming out of the tank inspect the A/C device 

? won't there always be water coming out when we take the drain plug, regardless of whether there is any problem?

26 minutes ago, wayned said:

As said, the pump is most likely w

:water logged" and can be fixed easily by turnig off the input and output valves and draining the tank.  The WP pumps do not use a bladder, they have an Air Control device "the spaceship thingu" that controls the air.>  If the internal diafram is punctured it could cause the problem also.  I've repaired many pumps over the years and only had to replace one A/C device,  They cost about 600 baht and are available mail order from the Mitsubishi Distributor in Bangkok, Kang Yong Wattana.

Thanks!  Any suggestions about how to diagnose whether it is the A/C device vs. other problems that might cause short-cycling?

FYI For the benefit of others I found a few relevant details from this very old TV Mitsubishi pump thread here, but I am still looking for more general info on how to diagnose short-cycling:

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/374519-problem-with-mitsubishi-water-pump/page/5/#comments

Quote

 

Yeap, sure sounds like you have a waterlogged pump...that is, not the proper amount/enough air in the tank the pump/motor assembly is setting on.

Without the right amount of air in the tank to be compressed on top of the water then the pump will cycle on and off very fast like you have decribed...will be running around 90% of the time when a water tap is opened. This compressed air acts like an energy spring/cushion to push water out of the tank when the pump is not running...or said another way it helps the pump push water to your residence without the pump having to run all the time. I have a WP255 and with one tap wide open the pump will run approx. 5 seconds and then turn off for approx. 5 seconds.

After you drain the tank and be sure to let it completely drain because until it completely drains through the drain plug air can not get into the tank; no air in the tank...no energy spring/cushion can be created. If the pump cycle works properly after this draining procedure (i.e., "approx." 5 seconds on and 5 second off) then you need to figure what caused the pump to lose its air cushion. If the air control value (that six sided device screwed into the tank top with a small black/grey PVC hose running to the tank) is not working properly that can cause a loss of the air cushion/cause the tank to become waterlogged after a few weeks. Believe me, I know, as that is what happened to my WP255 once when the rubber diaphragm within the air control valve assembly ruptured with definition of a rupture being a very small tear in the diaphragm...but that's all it took...kinda like a pin hole sized leak in an intertube, a football, etc. I would drain the tank and it would work/cycle properly...then after a few days I noticed it was starting to run longer on each on/off cycle....then after a few weeks it was running most of the time...like only off for 1 second during each on/off cycle. Opened up the air control valve...saw the ruptured diaphragm...bought a new air control valve (couldn't buy just the diaphragm) for approx. Bt700...pump started working fine again....this happened about two years ago...the pump was around 3 years old at the time.

 

I am trying to help a friend who has a variety of Mitsubishi WP pumps of varying ages at his large guesthouse (e.g. WP-305Q5, WP-205M2, WP-155Q5, WP-205P, ...).

One of the pumps is short-cycling, which would imply that that there is a lack of cushioning/air-bladder in the system that stores up the pressure created by the pump when the pump is running so that pressure can be used when the pump is not running. 

The pumps I have experience with all have a separate air bladder, and so the fix to short-cycling is generally to re-charge or repair the air-bladder.

However, it would seem that these Mitsubishi WP pumps use an air space in the (single) tank of the pump, without any membrane between the air and water, as their air bladder.  Is that correct?

And I noticed that all these WP units have what the local chang like to call an "auto-air," a little plastic spaceship-spaced gizmo that injects a little bit of air into the tank every time the pump stops, both to fill the tank and to re-fill after some air inevitably dissolves into the water.  Is that correct?

So when you have a short-cycling WP pump, what is the likely cause and what are the fixes?

I can only speculate that some possible causes are the tank is leaking air, or the auto-air is clogged or otherwise not working.  Is that the main cause of short-cycling of WP pumps?  How to search for leaks?  How to diagnose auto-air problems?  What else to look for during diagnosis?

We could empty out all the water to start with an air-filled chamber, and that might fix the short-cycling initially, but presumably whatever the problem was before (air leak or bad auto air) would eventually resurface, so that doesn't seem like a useful thing to do.

Does anyone have an English-language manual for any WP pump that explains the principle of operation and/or troubleshooting?  I did a number of web searches but could only find Thai and Bahasa Indonesia/Malaysia.

As usual, our local small-town chang are no help.  They are convinced that the WP pumps have no air inside them at all...hm.

  - Chris Pirazzi

On 10/22/2019 at 7:08 PM, gamesgplayemail said:

hello, is it as good as buying a real air purifier ?

 

in case real purifiers are better, can you confirm that xiaomi pro is the best pair purifier for 5000 thb ? or which one should i buy ? Thank you.

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=xiaomi+purifier+pro

 

https://shopee.co.th/search?keyword=xiaomi purifier pro

The 1-fan DIY design shown in the OP is not as powerful as most Xiaomi models, however in terms of the overall parts cost and ALSO the amount of pollution cleaned per baht, it is definitely cheaper.

The 2-fan DIY design shown in the OP, while noisy and not pretty, actually cleans more pollution PER HOUR than the commercial unit I was comparing with (which wasn't a Xiaomi but I think the commercial units are pretty similar to each other) in addition to being much, much cheaper.

So it depends on your desired trade-off of cost, noise, space, effectiveness, ... and also whether you already have a fan or two sitting around and like arts and crafts projects with cardboard and tape.

For more info see https://slice-of-thai.com/air/

TELL SHOP OWNERS / THAI ENTREPRENEURS THAT THERE IS A WAY TO MAKE SOME GOOD MONEY: this would be a good time to order a bunch of real HEPA filters for the coming incineration in February!  I want to make sure as many enterprising hardware stores and other business folks get the word NOW and stock up on those filters, so that when the actual pollution comes in February (and everyone is running around unprepared looking for a quick fix) there will be a good supply in Thailand available for quick order.  We want to avoid the situation of the last few years, where 100% of Thai inventory is out of stock by the end of February and the only ways of ordering (from China) take 1+ months.

Quote

"X month window" means that the test can only tell you if you got the disease X or more months ago with a useful confidence level; it won't tell you if you got the disease more recently.  ALL tests have a window period (because the disease needs to time to replicate itself inside your body before tests are sensitive enough to reveal it); some tests have window periods in days and some in months.  Sometimes multiple tests are available for a given disease with different window periods, and at different prices, in particular for HIV.  Be VERY VERY careful to understand the window period of all your tests and behave safely according to that.  Ask the clinic/hospital what the window period is for all the tests you are getting.  For example, some HIV tests have a 3 month window period, so you need to keep using condoms for that period after the test [WRONG] to protect your partner!  More STD info including window periods for the most common tests: https://smartsexresource.com/about-stis/types-stis

Here is a correction about the window period and more about how to use it to stay safe:

THE PROBLEM: Many STDs have no short-term symptoms that you can notice.  The earlier you can catch the disease,  the greater are your chances of successful treatment/cure.  And, during the period with no symptoms, you can very easily pass that disease on to your partners.

THE GOAL: Say you do some high-risk sexual activity (perhaps you don't use a condom, or you find out your partner has a disease that can be spread easily even with condoms*) on a certain day.  You want to know if you got a particular disease on that day, and you want to know how to protect your future partners from potentially getting that disease from you. 

METHOD:

• First choose a particular test that you're going to get for that disease.  Ask the clinic/hospital for the window period of that particular test (which they will look up on the data sheets from the test manufacturer, since every test brand is different).
• For this example, let's say that the test's window period is 3 months.
• DO NOT get the test right away after your sexual activity: the test only tells you something meaningful (something with a useful confidence level) 3 months AFTER your sexual activity.
• You are going to have to deal with the reality that your disease status is UNCERTAIN for the full 3 months after the sexual activity and before the test, and you cannot take the test any sooner than 3 months after the sexual activity.
• So you must use extra protection (*) with your subsequent partners for the full window period (the full 3 months) BEFORE the test (not after, as I incorrectly wrote above)
• Get the test exactly 3 months after the sexual activity.  If the test is negative, then you can go back to whatever level of protection you were using before with your new partners.

If you get the test too soon after the sexual activity, the test result tells you about possible exposure you had in the past, BEFORE the high-risk sexual activity.  While that may also be useful information, it does not achieve the goal and it puts your partners at risk to assume that it does.

What I wrote in the OP ("keep using condoms for the window period after the test") is totally wrong.  First, my old text can easily be misinterpreted that you should get the test immediately after the sexual activity, and second, my old text implies that you could just look for symptoms for 3 months to see if you really have the disease.  Both of these are wrong.  You have to wait for the full window period, then get the test.  You cannot jump to the test early, and you cannot ever rely on symptoms alone.

IF YOU SWITCH PARTNERS OFTEN: The above method works only if you switch partners less often than the window period.  But if you switch partners often (say, every few days or weeks), there will NEVER be any point in time when you can get a meaningful result about your STD status that you can use to assure the safety of your future partners.  At every moment, you will always be inside the window period of possible exposure from one or more of your previous partners.  So, at every moment, you might have caught a disease and not know it yet (and the test cannot tell you it yet).  That means you MUST ALWAYS use protection every time with every partner, otherwise you are putting all your partners at serious risk.  Of course, you still want to get tested periodically for your own benefit (to get treatment ASAP if needed), but testing is not going to help your partners---only protection will.  For example, if you take an HIV test and the test is negative, it means you didn't have HIV 3 months ago (or whatever the window period of your particular HIV test is), NOT that you don't have HIV now.  STD tests tell you nothing about your current status.  There is NO WAY to test your current status---such a test does not exist yet (humanity has not yet invented it).  So if you switch partners often, you must always assume that you might have HIV for the purposes of protecting your partners, and use protection.  Because of this harsh reality of window periods, you can NEVER use any test result as an excuse to avoid using protection with any of your partners.  You must use protection every time with every partner.

* PROTECTION

Generally "protection" will be condoms because they do provide reasonable protection against many scary diseases, especially HIV.  However, condoms are not a silver bullet even when used properly:

Quote

https://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/brief.html

Condoms can be expected to provide different levels of protection for various STDs, depending on differences in how the diseases or infections are transmitted. Male condoms may not cover all infected areas or areas that could become infected. Thus, they are likely to provide greater protection against STDs that are transmitted only by genital fluids (STDs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and HIV infection) than against infections that are transmitted primarily by skin-to-skin contact, which may or may not infect areas covered by a condom (STDs such as genital herpes, human papillomavirus [HPV] infection, syphilis, and chancroid).

Another super-common path for infection, even for the first group of diseases above that are only transmitted by genital fluids, is when partners are "just rubbing against each other outside," especially when the man uses his bare magic wand to "just" rub against her vulva.  Turns out those fluids can live outside the body as well and are frequently present (especially if she is wet and/or the guy recently came or has pre-cum)!  SO many people have gotten chlamydia and other diseases this way.  It is not safe---don't do it!

Another useful resource:  If you end up choosing either the couriers (UPS/FedEx/DHL) or a Freight Forwarder, or in some cases the Thai Post, you will need to think about whether your particular goods will lead to the following charges on entry to the USA:
 

• import duties (aka import tariffs)
• import taxes, and the related subject of needing a US import license

In my case (books) there is no duty, but other cargo may have duty.

These fees are up to the whim of the customs department in the US and will be charged to you separately when the goods enter the US.  For example, in the case of FedEx, the FedEx person who delivers goods to your door in the US will want a check from you in the amount of the duties and taxes.

Fortunately, for duties it is quite easy to figure out by using this US customs website.  In addition to listing duty percentages directly, this website also gives you the all-important "Harmonized Code" ("HTS" code / "HS" code) describing your goods that you will need to use in the shipping paperwork:

https://hts.usitc.gov/?query=book

For import taxes and import licenses, things are more murky.  https://www.usa.gov/import-export  The good news: for most cargo, there are no taxes at all and no license is required coming into the USA.  The bad news: figuring out if you have cargo that does means reading this absurdly long document that no human being could possibly parse: https://www.cbp.gov/document/publications/importing-united-states

Fortunately, UPS has a tool to help you calculate estimated taxes and duties.  You might have to log in with a (free) UPS account first, but then you go to:

• Shipping (along the top of the screen)
• More Shipping Options...International Toolset (UPS TradeAbility)
• Estimate Landed Cost
• ... follow the many steps ...

In the end you get a "Landed Cost" which (for no obvious reason) includes the cost of shipping your items, plus their best guess of import duties and import taxes (the part you care about), PLUS the actual value of the cargo that you typed in (ignore this part).

FedEx has a similar tool (again a login may be required) under Customs Tools...Estimate Duties and Taxes.

If you use a Freight Forwarder, they will be very very paranoid about you needing an "export license" (from Thailand) and an "import license" (to the US).   In almost every case you don't need either one, but you will have to spend some effort convincing them so by quoting the relevant law.