Visa applications move to the Web

[JackThompson]

 

I'm pretty sure they will put 100% effort because Chinese tourist money is more important than foreigners staying and paying tax here.

Tourist money?  You mean the "shopping" at designated stores, with profits split between a few unscrupulous Thais and their Chinese partners? 

 

All while the infrastructure / traffic / crowding issues from "mass zero-baht tourism" make the country much less attractive to those who actually spend money at Thai-owned businesses that hire Thai staff at a much higher employee:customer ratio?

[shy coconut]

 

Not yet in fact, 2 months or more away for Chinese and possibly 4 months or more for Brits.

 

So just like the Breaking wind Thai visa news item three weeks ago.

 

Double entry tourist visas and unlimited visa exempt entry stamps.

 

But not a clue when or if? despite the great fanfare.

Is that a haiku, if it is I'm sure it's supposed to rhyme!

[Different]

Disgusting China, please don't ask why I will never have respect for such absolute ruling of commie party with no freedom of speech and no respect to human rights.

[Jonathan Swift]

 

 

In terms of the payments I suggest K Bank would be very serious about total security, their entire reputation is on the line.  

 

 

Speaking of payments I'm sure K Bank sees money to be made by charging an annoying amount for their "service" or "processing"  fee

[taxin]

Cambodia has been offering this service for many years already, but Thailand will only be offering the same in 3 years ? Haha !

[DrTuner]

 

Can you name the farang company or individual who created the app?

 

I remember Kasikorn was looking for devs with English job descriptions in 2015. Since then they've launched the app and a new version of the web UI. Likely in-house with non-Thai devs.

[alex8912]

 

A Thai friend owns a shop which caters for Chinese coach parties (they buy certain types of candy, Hello Kitty rubbish and cheap liquor such as 100 Pipers--and worse). The drivers are paid 300b to stop at this particular shop.

 

My friend says that he has his sister as the store detective, because there are light fingers.

 

However, the main problem is that most do not spend or buy anything. However, if a hotel buffet is "free", it vanishes like a biblical plague of locusts has flown by.

 

I do not understand why the Tourism Dept works flat out to get the chinese crocodiles in. I suppose somebody worked out that 100,000 Mainland Chinese will spend as much as 5,000 fast-vanishing westerners. Now, we hear that 10 million Indians will arrive before 2030. Anybody who has been to Pattaya can tell you that Indians (except the Bollywood Billionaires) haggle over everything and usually walk away without buying--it's like a sport, or an art-form (I too have lived in Mumbai and Delhi).

Lol. I have to walk through TOKYU dept store and then MBK to get to my gym. You would not believe the amount of Indians who try to haggle in the department store!! The staff sometimes have that <deleted> look on their face.  I heard one girl say nooo maybe MBK but not here. Another time I saw a staff put their finger by their nose because of the smell.  

[radiochaser]

 

Visa applications move to the Web

By The Nation

 

Image: Thaivisa

 

Chinese will soon become the first nationality able to apply and pay online for Thai visas, Chairi Archjananum, director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday.

 

The service arranged through Kasikornbank (KBank) would be globally available within three years, he said. 

....

The e-Visa system allows foreign nationals to apply online for visas, from completing the form to pay for the visa. 

.....

Citing the submission address www.thaievisa.go.th, KBank president Predee Daochai said it met world-class security standards. 

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-12-03

May be off topic.

Not knocking Thais or Thailand, but currently, I don't believe there is any "world-class security"  when it comes to the internet.

I lost that belief when my entire life history, up to 2004, was stolen from a U.S. Government web server.  That history was there due to having background investigations for three security clearances.  

They investigated all the way back to my birth place for me and ran background investigations on my parents and other relatives! 
 

 

[radiochaser]

May be off topic.

Not knocking Thais or Thailand, but currently, I don't believe there is any "world-class security"  when it comes to the internet.

I lost that belief when my entire life history, up to 2004, was stolen from a U.S. Government web server.  That history was there due to having background investigations for three security clearances.  

They investigated all the way back to my birth place for me and ran background investigations on my parents and other relatives! 

(if this is a double post, delete it.  Strange things going on with my internet right now.)
 

[ukrules]

These dates are set and planned quite meticulously, here's what I think :

 

This years high season is going to be a disaster, it will be very evident by March.

 

So come the start of March to much fanfare this is the pre planned reason for why things will be much better next year, simplifying things is 'the excuse' to get them out of what's happening now.

 

What's happening now : not very much - decline.

[crazyk]

Indias been doing it a few years now,very simple & quick,do it on your smartphone,i was at thai cosulate kl & in a long queue but was quicker than i thought,gets near the gate & poster on wall saying download your forms online,as it happens theres a bloke round the corner does it for 10 ringgit,nice little earner 

[Ulic]

 

It is well known that the Chinese do not spend much money here. Typical Thai thinking to make things easy for those that make a mess here and do not leave the money in Thailand.

 

As I understand it you are right in the big sense but wrong in the TAT sense. The Chinese have the biggest daily spending average at 6,000 baht a day. (According to the TAT) I have no reason to doubt this number. Their vacation is one big all-inclusive package. You see them following their tour leader on Walking St., at temples, and are often in the news for drowning while snorkeling or the tourists involved in boat collisions and sinkings. The TAT likes to pat itself on the back vigorously. In looking at the ever-rising numbers of Chinese tourists and there high daily spending average you might think everything should be great. What the TAT ignores is the Chinese stay on average 4 days. An intense action-packed junket. Often there planes arrive and depart in the middle of the night so the tour operators can save on hotel costs. Western tourists spend less daily, at a reported 5,000 baht a day, but they stay on average 3 weeks. So, Chinese tourists spend 24,000 baht while in Thailand, Western tourists spend 105,000 baht on their trip. Much of the Chinese money stays with the Chinese tour operators as their profit, the Western tourists sprinkle their baht around at various bars and restaurants and day tours they find interesting. The hotel, boat, bus, and restaurants who serve the Chinese market are happy to have customers, but profit margins are razor thin. The tour operators are cutthroat negotiators. As for the Indians, they might be independent travelers coming in small groups but their reputation as "Cheap Charlies" is second to none. Just yesterday a roadside hamburger stand operator told me she just had four stop for refreshments. The four of them split two bottles of Fanta (four glasses). 80 baht bill. They usually share hotel rooms as well, so not much money to be made off them. Of course, the biggest total spenders are the expat-retirees. They probably have the lowest daily spending average but spend 400-800 thousand baht a year, and many much, much more. They drive condo construction and resales, smooth out the low-high season and are the least appreciated by the TAT because they don't fluff up the tourist arrival numbers or have a high daily spend even though they bring in the most foreign currency per tourist into the country and don't clog up the airports.

[huberthammer]

 

It is well known that the Chinese do not spend much money here. Typical Thai thinking to make things easy for those that make a mess here and do not leave the money in Thailand.

complete rubbish - they don't spend it in the bars but if you have your business plan right restaurants and shops benefit from them (not to say survive because of them). The stupid comments about all money being made in China from their trips to Thailand seem to result from disgruntled bar owners and people who have not changed their business to benefit from this new stream of tourists.  

 

If you walk around in tourist areas you will see as they spend as much as Farangs just in different places. does not mean 

[ZeVonderBearz]

The visa application is all online but you'll still need to print off the application, make several copies of several pages of your passport, buy several odd sized photos, sign everything in blue pen only and then take everything to your nearest embassy in person. 

[BigT73]

 

 

No. Certainly in the UK at any of the consulates to get a single entry tourist visa (60 days extendable by another 30) all you need is to fill out a form, provide 2 passport sized photographs and pay £35.00

I think the new multi entry is a different matter though.

Im not from the Uk and didnt realise there were different strokes for different folks! The UK metv application rules,  you need a return plane ticket to the uk on application.  That seems a bit harsh as how would you know when your returning and what if you wanted to continue to other nearby countries and not rush back?  Also a letter from employer or to that nature?

The Aussie metv is a bit simplier we just need a onward ticket to anywhere near and just write a employers name on the form that has never been checked to date. 

 

[Mainhattencitizen]

 

As I understand it you are right in the big sense but wrong in the TAT sense. The Chinese have the biggest daily spending average at 6,000 baht a day. (According to the TAT) I have no reason to doubt this number. Their vacation is one big all-inclusive package. You see them following their tour leader on Walking St., at temples, and are often in the news for drowning while snorkeling or the tourists involved in boat collisions and sinkings. The TAT likes to pat itself on the back vigorously. In looking at the ever-rising numbers of Chinese tourists and there high daily spending average you might think everything should be great. What the TAT ignores is the Chinese stay on average 4 days. An intense action-packed junket. Often there planes arrive and depart in the middle of the night so the tour operators can save on hotel costs. Western tourists spend less daily, at a reported 5,000 baht a day, but they stay on average 3 weeks. So, Chinese tourists spend 24,000 baht while in Thailand, Western tourists spend 105,000 baht on their trip. Much of the Chinese money stays with the Chinese tour operators as their profit, the Western tourists sprinkle their baht around at various bars and restaurants and day tours they find interesting. The hotel, boat, bus, and restaurants who serve the Chinese market are happy to have customers, but profit margins are razor thin. The tour operators are cutthroat negotiators. As for the Indians, they might be independent travelers coming in small groups but their reputation as "Cheap Charlies" is second to none. Just yesterday a roadside hamburger stand operator told me she just had four stop for refreshments. The four of them split two bottles of Fanta (four glasses). 80 baht bill. They usually share hotel rooms as well, so not much money to be made off them. Of course, the biggest total spenders are the expat-retirees. They probably have the lowest daily spending average but spend 400-800 thousand baht a year, and many much, much more. They drive condo construction and resales, smooth out the low-high season and are the least appreciated by the TAT because they don't fluff up the tourist arrival numbers or have a high daily spend even though they bring in the most foreign currency per tourist into the country and don't clog up the airports.

you are absolutely right

[chama]

On 12/2/2018 at 11:53 PM, Samui Bodoh said:

"...KBank president Predee Daochai said it met world-class security standards. Fee payments will be supported by KBank’s electronic payment system to accommodate cross-border transactions in more than 126 currencies..." 

 

"Payments can be made via including credit card, QR code and Internet banking. Payment via QR code will debut in China through WeChat Pay, AliPay and China Union Pay..."

 

They can't even run a website to process 90 day reports. They are going to have a website which is secure, can process 8 MILLION applications a year, speak many languages, and provide secure payment in three years?

 

How many of you would be happy to put your passport information AND your financial information on that site? Seriously, how many?

 

 

Comedy gold!

 

 

Under the Cyber Protection found in Thailand....nah, I'll drive.

[freedomnow]

Will there still be an option to apply in person at consulates in UK after April 1st  as well as online ?

[djayz]

On 12/3/2018 at 11:47 AM, webfact said:

It will be available in Britain and France starting on April 1

April Fool's Day? Is this a joke or what? 

[5633572526]

So in 3 years they will have caught up to Cambodia 

[BradWilkins]

Prepare for even more of a Chinese tourist explosion there.

[sallecc]

Sounds unclear, not simple as Cambodia E-visa...

 

"E-visa system will be first launched in Beijing, China on Feb/15, and the service will be extended to include other Chinese cities on March/1... will then be introduced in the UK and France on April/1"

 

It looks like applicant must be national/resident of a country where he is applying from (not a visitor/tourist, e.g. in China)?

[Tom9999]

On 12/3/2018 at 8:30 AM, brain150 said:

... and you will be 100% digitally controlled.

You will like it !!!

 

Sheep asking their slave masters to make it easier to be sheep !

Makes no different if you use the Scanner yourself or if you hand your Passport to the Officer behind his desk.

It is all digital anyway nowadays...