mankindmatt5 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Just arrived in HCMC and heading to the consulate tomorrow to complete a visa application, so I can stay in Thailand for 2 and 1/2 months. Have heard mixed reports about the consulate and it's requirements. I don't have any problems showing bank statement/flights etc - but really unsure what to do about accommodation for half of my stay. I have an ad hoc arrangement at the moment to stay in a friends condo, but I have no way of providing proof of this beyond informal messages Will they definitely ask for accommodation proof? Any advice on what I can show if they do? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essecola Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 They ask for accomodation details. Not sure for how many days. Maybe a month. But you could book something cancellable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Make a reservation at hotel or etc to show for a week or two and then cancel it after you get the visa would be enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveldude Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said: Make a reservation at hotel or etc to show for a week or two and then cancel it after you get the visa would be enough. Little bit of topic, but do they ask for ticket out of Thailand on the savannakhet consulate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 18 minutes ago, Traveldude said: Little bit of topic, but do they ask for ticket out of Thailand on the savannakhet consulate? Yes they do but it can also be a bus or train ticket out of the country. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJack54 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 OP, you have it covered. Consulate is good and they strictly adhere to rules. Make sure the fight in/out Thailand is hard copy same for any other docs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mankindmatt5 Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share Posted January 10, 2019 Reporting in. Handed in application today. Two guys in the queue in front were insisting on showing stuff from their phone screen, the consulate will absolutely only accept printed copies. They were careful to check my name and the dates on all my documents, and also had a long look through my passport stamps (I don't have any SETVs in there, but there are lots of Thai stamps from transit visits I've made over the last 3/4 years. For accommodation proof I managed to get my friend to draft up a contract with an address, dates and my name on it - which were the main things the official was looking for. They were careful to check everything, so my advice, get your paperwork done for HCMC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post robsamui Posted January 10, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) Hmmm - and while you were in Vietnam I don't suppose you noticed how they do things over there? No, probably not, as you were tearing your hair out with the distracting complexities of getting to grips with nitpicking Thai red tape and paperwork. But in Vietnam . . . 1. Go into the country on a 1-month transit stamp. 2. Then go to one of the many official immigration agencies and buy a 3-month visa. ($25 approx and no documents needed other than passport.). You then are issued a letter of authorisation. 3. Leave the country and do a U-turn. Give the letter to the immigration official on the way back in and pay a small stamping fee. 4. Repeat process over and over again with no limitations, as many times as you want. That's it. It's the difference between a small nation which is in an administrative mess and still half a century out of date, but believes itself to be the best and finest in the world, and takes itself very, very seriously . . . . . . and a small nation which has realised just how much revenue they can get from foreigners, and cheerfully welcomes them because of this. After living here permanently for 22 years I just can't take the mad and confused complexities of Thai red tape any more - it's now become so convoluted that half of the Thai officials themselves don't know what page they're on and are able to interpret the laws in any way they want - hence the need for all the reports on ThaiVisa about which consulate abroad is good this week, and which ones to avoid - likewise with dodging to and fro on visa runs. It's all become quite insane. So I'm now taking the advice that Thai people have been throwing at me for the last 22 years - "If you don't like it go back to your own country." Except I'm taking my money to one of their main competitors instead (along with thousands of others) - bye bye Thailand and enjoy your hordes of beloved Chinese daytrippers. Flight booked for 13th March. Edited January 10, 2019 by robsamui 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJack54 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) And they don't have 12 month extensions based on retirement in Vietnam and they don't provide visa exempt to many countries such as USA. Au, Canada etc etc. I go EVERY month for last 5 yrs. Costs me 25/approval letter + 50/multiple entry 3month. That's $300usd every yr. I can get a business visa after obtaining Vietnam residence card. Cost the same. Guess how you get one. AGENT. Don't carry on about Thai imm and agents etc, its all the same. Edited January 10, 2019 by DrJack54 Error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsamui Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) 27 minutes ago, DrJack54 said: And they don't have 12 month extensions based on retirement in Vietnam and they don't provide visa exempt to many countries such as USA. Au, Canada etc etc. I go EVERY month for last 5 yrs. Costs me 25/approval letter + 50/multiple entry 3month. That's $300usd every yr. I can get a business visa after obtaining Vietnam residence card. Cost the same. Guess how you get one. AGENT. Don't carry on about Thai imm and agents etc, its all the same. ThaiVisa was created to sort out the complexities (way back in the early 2000s) of the Thai immigration system, and today the number of posts and complexity of the enquiries bears witness to the need for this. There is nothing at all like this for Vietnam. They just don't need it. It's not the same at all. I don't know what cloud you're sitting on but you seem to have wandered off on your own here and not really responded to anything that I wrote above - except to confirm just how straightforward the immigration process is in Vietnam - nice one! Edited January 10, 2019 by robsamui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJack54 Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 1 hour ago, robsamui said: ThaiVisa was created to sort out the complexities (way back in the early 2000s) of the Thai immigration system, and today the number of posts and complexity of the enquiries bears witness to the need for this. There is nothing at all like this for Vietnam. They just don't need it. It's not the same at all. I don't know what cloud you're sitting on but you seem to have wandered off on your own here and not really responded to anything that I wrote above - except to confirm just how straightforward the immigration process is in Vietnam - nice one! Exactly the opposite. I'm over 50 use money in bank method. Annual extension a breeze. If I was 45 or younger I would buy an elite visa. I pointed out that I've been to Vietnam over 60 times. I find visa options easier in los. Anyway enough, this tread was about setv from Saigon. My first post was advising the op to have hard copies of flights etc. His post report (appreciated) reaffirming my post. What have you contributed to advise a member on procedure for setv obtained in Saigon. Answer:zip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackThompson Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 1 hour ago, DrJack54 said: I go EVERY month for last 5 yrs. Costs me 25/approval letter + 50/multiple entry 3month. That's $300usd every yr. So, about $50 cheaper than a 1-year ME Visa in Cambodia, or extending a free tourist-entry to the PI for a year - though those don't require border-runs. That sounds about right. And, of course, never an issue doing an out/in with any of those 3 - they are happy to see you return. If Thailand would offer the same deal - or even at a slightly higher price - it would be able to take a huge chunk of business from all 3 of the others. But some faction seems to think it's better to keep "too many farangs" out, regardless of the economic opportunities lost for the Thai people. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyFriend You Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) 17 hours ago, DrJack54 said: And they don't have 12 month extensions based on retirement in Vietnam and they don't provide visa exempt to many countries such as USA. Au, Canada etc etc. I go EVERY month for last 5 yrs. Costs me 25/approval letter + 50/multiple entry 3month. That's $300usd every yr. I can get a business visa after obtaining Vietnam residence card. Cost the same. Guess how you get one. AGENT. Don't carry on about Thai imm and agents etc, its all the same. No, not yet, but they are considering more visa types this year, retirement visa's being one of them. I have a Multi-Entry one year tourist Visa, recv'd in Nov 18, it can be extended one year, I am from US. But rumor is they may discontinue this visa in favor of other visa types - I know people that have 5 & 10 year multiple entry based on Marraige and Kids. Business permits are easy if you are so inclined. Edited January 11, 2019 by TunnelRat69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJack54 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) "Not yet but are considering it".. Ha Note USA is only country able to obtain one yr multiple. Also it ain't cheap. Note USA are not visa exempt to Vietnam. Business visas are NOT easy. You use AGENT. Perhaps reminds you of country people bang on about. Goes by name of Los. Edited January 11, 2019 by DrJack54 Error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 There does seem to be a significant difference between Vietnam and Thailand. Vietnam estimated international arrivals for 2018 was about 1.3m. That's way less than Thailand even in the early 90s when I first started working here (Thailand was about 5m per year then). Since then Thailand's level of international arrivals has risen sharply - not sure what the final 2018 figure was but say at least 35m. More than 35m annual visitors for a country with 69m population does probably change the way the authorities look at things. Wonder if Vietnam will ever have that type of visitor traffic, and if so, if they may change their policies too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackThompson Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Not "visa-exempt" - not a problem. I was always happy to pay a mere $30 for Hassle Free Entry or per-month stay-extension cost in other countries. Free is nice, but not necessary. The service / reliability is what matters most. Vietnam for USA Citizen: One year, multiple-entry: $220 Approval Letter: $60 (needed if you don't apply at a Vietnamese consulate in-advance) Worst case $280 / year for NO Hassle service. It's a bargain. But go to a Vietnamese consulate first, and you can skip the "approval-letter" part. Even the 3-mo version, available to others - not bad, and can skip the approval-letter by going to a consulate. If people want to use agents to bend the rules - up to them. Just as long as no one has to use an agent to follow the rules, honestly. Edited January 11, 2019 by JackThompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackThompson Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 7 minutes ago, Misty said: There does seem to be a significant difference between Vietnam and Thailand. Vietnam estimated international arrivals for 2018 was about 1.3m. That's way less than Thailand even in the early 90s when I first started working here (Thailand was about 5m per year then). Since then Thailand's level of international arrivals has risen sharply - not sure what the final 2018 figure was but say at least 35m. More than 35m annual visitors for a country with 69m population does probably change the way the authorities look at things. Wonder if Vietnam will ever have that type of visitor traffic, and if so, if they may change their policies too. Given a huge chunk of that increase is from VOA China, if they were worried about it, they could stop offering free/discounted VOAs - designed to bring in those who are least likely to have much to spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 9 minutes ago, JackThompson said: Given a huge chunk of that increase is from VOA China, if they were worried about it, they could stop offering free/discounted VOAs - designed to bring in those who are least likely to have much to spend. Strange, I know, but if current policies are an indication of what worries the authorities - it doesn't seem to be VOAs from China, there seems to be more worry about other types of visitors.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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