simple1

I'm a scuba instructor and have been offered a job. The company told me to get a multiple enty tourist visa.

Megan

To legally work in Thailand you will need a Work Permit which would be "sponsored" by the dive company. However, I would assume the company will not obtain a Work Permit for you. To be legal be very careful & cross-check everything the company says to you. Go to www.thaiimmigration.com to obtain info on the relevant visa. Then apply for the visa you want at the Thai Embassy/consulate in Canada.

At a recent Pattaya Expats Club meeting the Catholic Father managing the Chon Buri HIV/AIDS Hospice stated that he personally knows of a least 30 HIV positive falang males in the area who are still active sexually without protection with bar girls. Now please tell me more about Thai's bad mouthing falangs and as the Father was saying; be warned...

anyhoo, im trying to round up someone to be my assurer as i had 6 months holiday in bangkok to be with gf and..

now, they want an assurer to show last 2 years of tax returns to prove income

Why not get copies of your ATO Group Certificates from your last two annual tax returns faxed/emailed to you? I doubt the Oz Embassy will accept a financial guarantee from a "friend".

You can buy industrial earplugs for next to nothing

Where do you buy industrial earplugs in Thailand? I've tried web searches etc but cannot find a supplier to provide more than 28db protection. From my experience swimming earplugs/travellers etc are waste of time. My major noise problem has been cockerals. Noise level must be over 100db. Had to move out of the moo baan & rent a condo

All she needed was her ID card, hope that helps.

Be careful. If I remember correctly she will also need to provide her household card. Also any info on name change different to her birth certificate e.g. was married married to a Thai man & has not changed her name back to maiden name. In which case she will also need to provide copy of divorce papers. However Thai Foreign Affairs Office does have a web site with all requirements info in English & Thai; refer to: www.mfa.go.th then SEE "PASSPORT" UNDER "VISA/CONSULAR"

Go ask oz embassy

Either new or exsisting; depends on capital required for the location.

Your application for spouse or fiancee visa will get a more favourable response if you are an Australian citizen. Why not obtain? It's a very simple process and only takes a few months. You will retain your British citizenship. If you're getting married get a spouse visa.

Oz embassy would accept any local bank cashiers cheque. Not on overseas bank as takes about 30 days to clear. however, why not pay cash? Yes, there is a bank about 5/10 minutes walk from the embassy, would be same opening hours as all bank's in Thailand.

Can anyone running a business in Koh Samui comment upon the issues & opportunities faced when doing business in Koh Samui e.g. restaurant/bar

New software for immigration control checkpoints was developed about 2 years ago. This application will track passport name changes. If I remember correctly it was devloped by an Australian company and worldwide support provided by SITA www.sita.com. Here in thailand the immigartion system being implemented is from USA; I assume it would have the same functionality.

for answers go to www.sunbeltasia.com & www.thaistartup.com

i often worked for free when cashflow was low.

You obviously have no clue as to how Thai authorities will view your activities. In Thailand you must have a Work Permit even when "working for free". In your situation I would give serious thought regarding your business partners given that they apparently have zero understanding of Thai law. You may know this already, but your overstay will be noted on Thai immigration police database. If you were a Thai immigration police officer what do you think would be your response to a foreign national completely ignoring the laws of Thailand? Remember that Thai Immigration is a law enforcement agency. Upon your return to Thailand & if you obtain a Work Permit it is Thai Immigration police who will be monitoring your compliance to the terms & conditiions of your Work Permit.

I'm already a resident in Oz. But the question is what visa should my girlfriend apply for and when. Read the original post for more info.l

Go to the URL provided above repeated below and then decide on visa req'd. You will need a legally registered Thai marriage, not "just" a temple wedding. Strongly recommend you visit BKK visa section to confirm you and your girlfriend can supply all relevant paperwork prior to getting married. If all is okay should take no more than 3/6 months to get the spouse permanent resident visa. But as always don't make decisions based on replies received via a public forum. Do your own research with Oz goverment.

http://www.immi.gov.au/sponsor/partner_permanent.htm

All family applicants must be sponsored by an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen. The sponsor must be 18 years or over.

For official Oz government info on sponsoring fiancee go to:

http://www.immi.gov.au/sponsor/partner_permanent.htm

I have contacted CUB & Toohey's via their web sites without success. Can anyone help by providing contact info for Australian beer & wine distributors in Thailand. Thanks for your help...

He was joking, the Embassy staff are horrible.

Staff inside are no better, all the Thai staff are on power strips (surprise surprise) and are largely useless, miss-information abounds. I would ask to speak to one of the Australian VISA section staff members, and keep pushing it, try to bypass the Thai staff as much as possible.

I have had a completely different experience with the Thai staff. When my Thai G/F (now wife) & I applied for a tourist visa it was granted and stamped in her passport within 30 minutes. Six years later her son then resident in Thailand (aged 12) was granted a Permanent Residency Visa within three weeks from the original application. At all times the Thai staff were helpful.

I guess you may have a different experience if your "paperwork" and visa application do not fully comply with stated policy guidelines.

We need visa for Thai partner-we hope to know how to manage that --but the question remains WHEN can we apply .

Unsure what you mean by Thai partner. However when you apply for a visa you can state intended time of travel. Some Australian visa's are valid for up to one year from time of issue. As usual contact the BKK embassy when you are clear on the type of visa your Thai partner requires and ask relevant questions.

I recommend you have a meeting with your H.R. Department as I assume your employer is not offering the full support services of an Executive Expat overseas package. If they are you would not be asking the questions you have posted to this Board. One issue that seems not to have been bought to your attention is the requirement to invest in a private medical insurance package for your family.

By the way from your self description you will most definately be considered a falang by the vast majority of Thai's.

Best wishes...

I know this doen't answer your question, but I'm amazed you have been living in Thailand for six years & don't even know the basics of visa requirements. The answer to your question has been posted many times in www.thaivisa.com; just do a search.

Best of luck...

Thailand has a somewhat unusual view regarding foreign males residency rights if they are married to a Thai woman. In most Developed Countries if a citizen e.g. of Australia, wishes to marry a foreigner the sponsoring spouse (male or female) has to demonstrate their ability to support the foreign partner. I cannot recall the T's & C's. After two years the foreign spouse can gain Australian citizenship.

In Thailand only Thai males can sponsor a foreign female spouse. Similar rights for Thai females do not exist. This law was reviewed approx six months ago & was upheld.

I don’t think she wants to jeopardise the chance of living with a falang...

Phil, it looks like you are suffering from the "White Knight" affliction. I suggest you get off your high horse before you hurt yourself falling off.

That is Bull---t.

The only requirement is a Non-Immigrant visa. You should ask to see the supervisor, often the clerk in remote area do not know the rules. In Chonburi province you would have no problem as they are used to farangs ownign vehicles of all sorts.

Astral, the request was made at the main car registry in Bangkok, not in a remote area. I showed my Passport with O visa & extensions etc and was still refused to register in my name unless I had a Work permit. No bullshit...

I was transferring a Bangkok registered secondhand pickup I had bought to a Chon Buri registraion four weeks ago. Simulatneously I requested to register ownership in my name and was refused. Reason given was that I had to have a Work Permit. I hold one year O Visa - supporting Thai spouse and have a Thai driving licence. Therefore registered the vehicle in my wife's name. After collecting registration papers at Chon Buri I was allowed to register the pickup in my name. When I inquired why Bangkok refused they stated different provinces have different interpretation of the regulations!!!

When talking with the expat sales manager for Thailand Subway at Carrefore in Pattaya he stated that a Subway franchise requires an investment of around 3 million baht.