Visa agents in Penang

[BestB]

12 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Apparently you are using the wrong agent. Perhaps they are not registered with the consulate. Others do everything for you. After paying them you just wait until the next day to get your passport back from them with the visa in it.

Using the highly recommended Jim 

[lazygourmet]

54 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Apparently you are using the wrong agent. Perhaps they are not registered with the consulate. Others do everything for you. After paying them you just wait until the next day to get your passport back from them with the visa in it.

Newly implemented rules according to a friend who requested the help of Jim on Monday.

Apparently nowadays, applicants have to be present in person at the consulate to ask for and to receive, the day after, their visa.

Same as it happened in Vientiane two years ago...

Exception made that in Vientiane using an agent is still useful to cut the queue and/or avoid a red stamp.

 

[christophe75]

1 hour ago, BestB said:

Using the highly recommended Jim 

 

So you  eventually decided to choose him, despite his "manners" ?

?

 

And how it went ? Are you satisfied with his services ?

 

Furthermore, could you elaborate about those "new rules" ? Do you confirm that the visa holder has to go to the consulate, with the agent, in order to pick up his passport ?

 

Last but not least, what type of visa did you ask for ?

 

thanks.

[BestB]

14 minutes ago, lazygourmet said:

Newly implemented rules according to a friend who requested the help of Jim on Monday.

Apparently nowadays, applicants have to be present in person at the consulate to ask for and to receive, the day after, their visa.

Same as it happened in Vientiane two years ago...

Exception made that in Vientiane using an agent is still useful to cut the queue and/or avoid a red stamp.

 

Only agent as i mentioned does not even come with you, all alone from start to finish but have the taxi to drive you there and back. If agent came and handled all while you present then it could be justifiable to use an agent. But as I said you pretty much paying for a shared taxi ride and nothing else.

[BestB]

Just now, christophe75 said:

 

So you  eventually decided to choose him, despite his "manners" ?

?

 

And how it went ? Are you satisfied with his services ?

 

Furthermore, could you elaborate about those "new rules" ? Do you confirm that the visa holder has to go to the consulate, with the agent, in order to pick up his passport ?

 

Last but not least, what type of visa did you ask for ?

 

thanks.

Yes I used him as he came highly recommended.

 

i think I explained in earlier posts about the service , there is no service besides taxi ride.

 

confirmed, sealed and delivered , agent does not come with you, you go alone from start to finish. You hand in your paperwork, you deal with any refusals or problems and you go back to pick up passport.

 

again, not you go with agent but you go alone, agent does not come

 

non b visa 

[christophe75]

1 hour ago, BestB said:

Yes I used him as he came highly recommended.

 

i think I explained in earlier posts about the service , there is no service besides taxi ride.

 

confirmed, sealed and delivered , agent does not come with you, you go alone from start to finish. You hand in your paperwork, you deal with any refusals or problems and you go back to pick up passport.

 

again, not you go with agent but you go alone, agent does not come

 

non b visa 

 

OK. Thanks for the report. I'm baffled !

 

Like Ubonjoe wrote, it's not supposed to be like that...

 

Perhaps there was a problem with Jim ?

 

Someone else could confirm ?

 

Anyway. As I wrote earlier : I need to go back to Penang first week of October, to make another O visa.

 

I will try to contact Jim before. I will take for security the contact given by danielbehcy ("stardust café").

 

And in any case, I will write a full report for TV, like I did last year.

[BestB]

1 minute ago, christophe75 said:

 

OK. Thanks for the report. I'm baffled !

 

Like Ubonjoe wrote, it's not supposed to be like that...

 

Perhaps there was a problem with Jim ?

 

Someone else could confirm ?

 

Anyway. As I wrote earlier : I need to go back to Penang first week of October, to make another O visa.

 

I will try to contact Jim before. I will take for security the contact given by danielbehcy ("stardust café").

 

And in any case, I will write a full report for TV, like I did last year.

Jim is here,no problem with him . Have another guy doing all the talking, his name is James I believe.

 

about a non o, one guy was with us asking for 1 year non o, consulate refused and gave only 3 months. Upon return everyone just shake their head and that’s it.

 

while queuing up I did see a few agents bringing in groups but all had to line up in general queue and agents were hardly involved.

 

i will say though , Jim and other agents all said current Thai government and consulate are crazy and making lots of problems .

 

from personal experience , I would say staff at consulate were not friendly at all, not rude but rather very unfriendly and unless some paper is not right there in their face, they turn you away without even bothering to look through all the papers.

 

best you do not book return flight until you have your passport back

[danielbehcy]

4 hours ago, BestB said:

Against 100 limit per day applies and clearly says so at the consulate.

 

might be wise not to argue with someone who is in Penang as I type and was in consulate yesterday 

Once again, You just saw the notice paper stick on the wall is because they haven't removed the notice. If you still facing problem to enter Thai Consulate office before 11am. Pls email me <contact by personal message>. I will help you.

Again there is no limit for walk in applicant before 11am (Malaysia Time)

[mihastare]

I will be in Penang on Sunday, and on Monday morning I am going to do a SETV.

 

Wanted to go to Jim, but now I think I would do by myself. Because if he only takes care of your taxi, I can do it by myself.

 

The only concern I have: What to do if I don't have an onward ticket yet?

[mihastare]

PS: Jim's answer:

"depends on the passport. no need to go to consulate if documents ok"

[tfc]

Wow things have changed fast.  With Jim the other advantage was that you could drop it off pretty much any time during the day and at the time he was open until midnight and so you could pick it up anytime. 

[RickG16]

I don't get it... so Jim does not take your passport to the Consulate any more?

[BestB]

17 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

I don't get it... so Jim does not take your passport to the Consulate any more?

Did not take mine and other at least 8 people who were with me 

[RickG16]

11 minutes ago, BestB said:

Did not take mine and other at least 8 people who were with me 

Google reviews from within the last 3 weeks suggest that it's business as usual....

[BestB]

1 hour ago, RickG16 said:

Google reviews from within the last 3 weeks suggest that it's business as usual....

Well then I am lying, this is why I made the post and updated the post.

 

Would number plates of taxi drivers that took us to consulate be sufficient enough proof for you?or you require CCTV footage from the consulate to confirm my experience ?

[RickG16]

7 minutes ago, BestB said:

Well then I am lying, this is why I made the post and updated the post.

 

Would number plates of taxi drivers that took us to consulate be sufficient enough proof for you?or you require CCTV footage from the consulate to confirm my experience ?

Jeeeez ^__^ I never said you were lying.

 

This forum is about contributing helpful information, so I'm glad you posted. But it is also worth noting that from Google people seem to be getting the service they expected. So it might not be a complete change in the service. Maybe on certain days or when you went, for whatever reason 

 

It's not about proving each other wrong, it's about contributing info and putting the pieces together.

[BestB]

3 hours ago, tfc said:

Wow things have changed fast.  With Jim the other advantage was that you could drop it off pretty much any time during the day and at the time he was open until midnight and so you could pick it up anytime. 

Today during pick up , had 4 of us in taxi. 2 were a Canadian couple. I raised the question of why we had to go . The girlfriend said Jim told her she did not need to go at all and he could have done it but boyfriend had to go in person because he had too many overstays . This made little sense as boyfriend was the one who needed assistance not the gf.

 

3 of us had a hassle on Tuesday when handing in paperwork and all 3 dealt with it ourselves.

 

also to note actual visa fee is 300 ringgit not 350 as earlier mentioned.

 

Receipt from consulate attached and its 300 ringgit, so Jim’s fee is 80 ringgit. 

 

If you go to consulate with taxi it’s 20 ringgit each way, but if you go with Grab than it’s 10 ringgit

 

Same with airport,if you take taxi it’s 44.70 ringgit but with Grab it’s 22.

 

unlike Thailand , Grab is totally legal.

 

would be wise choice to download the app and use it.

[BestB]

2 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

Jeeeez ^__^ I never said you were lying.

 

This forum is about contributing helpful information, so I'm glad you posted. But it is also worth noting that from Google people seem to be getting the service they expected. So it might not be a complete change in the service. Maybe on certain days or when you went, for whatever reason 

 

It's not about proving each other wrong, it's about contributing info and putting the pieces together.

I just told you at least 5 times experience in the past 24 hours not from 3 weeks ago and a detailed experience unlike google reviews but as it turns out it’s not sufficient enough for you.

 

yes thrre could be a million different reasons, one fact remains the same , Myself, along with 8 people paid the agent and ended up doing it all ourselves.

 

[RickG16]

2 minutes ago, BestB said:

I just told you at least 5 times experience in the past 24 hours not from 3 weeks ago and a detailed experience unlike google reviews but as it turns out it’s not sufficient enough for you.

 

yes thrre could be a million different reasons, one fact remains the same , Myself, along with 8 people paid the agent and ended up doing it all ourselves.

 

When did I say it wasn't sufficient? Just posted what I'd seen on Google reviews, as it helps others build a time frame of how long this could have been going on for.

 

Don't be so defensive mate. If you are in Penang i suggest you chill out and enjoy some Indian food?

[BestB]

11 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

When did I say it wasn't sufficient? Just posted what I'd seen on Google reviews, as it helps others build a time frame of how long this could have been going on for.

 

Don't be so defensive mate. If you are in Penang i suggest you chill out and enjoy some Indian food?

Wait let me do a google review , hopefully that would satisfy you

[mihastare]

Guys what do you suggest as I don't have flight tickets?

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, mihastare said:

Guys what do you suggest as I don't have flight tickets?

You only need a low cost one way ticket out of Thailand to anywherer from any airport here.

Just checked for a flight to Kuala Lumpur from Hat Yai in 2 months on Air Asia and it is only about 1700 baht.

[mihastare]

1700bht is expensive for me ?

[christophe75]

15 hours ago, BestB said:

Well then I am lying, this is why I made the post and updated the post.

 

Would number plates of taxi drivers that took us to consulate be sufficient enough proof for you?or you require CCTV footage from the consulate to confirm my experience ?

 

There could be another explanation.

 

Look at what mihastare wrote :

"PS: Jim's answer:

"depends on the passport. no need to go to consulate if documents ok"

 

Perhaps your documents for a visa B were not totally ok ?

 

Or perhaps visa B are now more complicated to obtain ?

 

The other 8 people with you were asking a B visa as well ?

[BestB]

1 hour ago, christophe75 said:

 

There could be another explanation.

 

Look at what mihastare wrote :

"PS: Jim's answer:

"depends on the passport. no need to go to consulate if documents ok"

 

Perhaps your documents for a visa B were not totally ok ?

 

Or perhaps visa B are now more complicated to obtain ?

 

The other 8 people with you were asking a B visa as well ?

My docs were in order , had mix of people , non b, non o and tourist.  Had Australians, Canadians,Brits and Norwegian.

the non b, we all had work permits and all docs in order 

[Stese]

I am also in Penang and used Jim's services. He doesn't attend embassy what best b says above is currently correct. It was worth the 600baht for me for the document checking service. Neither myself nor my employer were aware of the latest home country police requirement needing to be certified by home country embassy. 

 

[spacebass]

Jim is the man 

 

get on his facebook

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, Stese said:

It was worth the 600baht for me for the document checking service.

In the end, it's up to the IO.

[mihastare]

I will probably go to Jim and in case he says that I need to go to the consulate by myself, I won't pay him for a taxi ride. 

 

I already have all the documents so I don't see any problem of doing it by myself.

 

I wanted to be free those 2 days to explore Penang, but if I need to go by myself, I don't need to pay him.

[BestB]

13 minutes ago, mihastare said:

I will probably go to Jim and in case he says that I need to go to the consulate by myself, I won't pay him for a taxi ride. 

 

I already have all the documents so I don't see any problem of doing it by myself.

 

I wanted to be free those 2 days to explore Penang, but if I need to go by myself, I don't need to pay him.

He does not say anything, just takes all your papers and payment and tells you what time to come back. Then sends you off with a taxi, its only when you lining up in the consulate by yourself is when you realize you are on your own