Embassy Experience

I've been living in Thailand for the last five and a half years on various visas, the last one being an education visa to learn Muay Thai, which expired on Saturday. So thought I'd combine a visa run with a holiday, as I was travelling with my Thai girlfriend.

I'm fortunate to have two nationalities so here is the history in my NZ passport that I applied with:

NON B (Auckland): Mar 15-Jun 15

SETV (Vientiane): Jun 15-Sept 15

METV (London):  Oct 15-July 16

SETV (Auckland): Sept 17-Dec 17

SETV (London): May 18-July 18

SETV (Hong Kong) Aug-Oct 18

The Thai embassy in Seoul is a fair distance out of the CBD where i stayed. You need to take a train (which are excellent in Seoul) and then a taxi. I got there about 10.30 am on the Wednesday. It was packed to the rafters, must have been at least 50-60 people waiting either inside or on the street, nearly all Thai's, No Koreans as they get 90 days on arrival, so they rarely bother with a TV. However only a few people actually applying for TV so I was seen within 5 mins. They have quite a strict criterion:

·       Bank Statement with sufficient funds (I provided one from the UK with 3k showing)

·       Flights into Thailand and out of Thailand

·       Hotel booking or rental contract, the chap in the window next to me was rejected for just writing down the name of a hostel on a piece of paper)

·       Copy of passport page plus 1 passport size photo

·       Most importantly, they won’t issue a TV if you have just been in Thailand (which clearly, I had, but that was in my UK passport).

·       Fee is the standard ฿1000, but a two-day turnaround. So, I picked it up Friday morning and was again, in and out in 10 mins.

 

Got through immigration at DM with no problems, despite my extensive history, but now I've been finger printed, I think time may be up for me, living here by switching passports.

 

City Experience

Seoul is a vibrant, exciting city. Lots to see and do so you won’t get bored. The people are a bit rude and unfriendly, and I didn’t enjoy the food that much, but I think my perception has been skewed from living in Thailand. It’s a five-and-a-half-hour flight from Bangkok plus the two-day visa time scale, so it’s not a quick visa run. You will spend a lot of money, so If you do go, it’s worth seeing it as a city break/holiday, with a visa run as a bonus.

 

Hope the above helps

 

 

 

 

Hey there London Boy. I've no plans to ever visit Korea, but I said the same thing about Thailand in 1996. And here I am since Aug. 1997 (mind you, most of my work was outside Thailand).  I really appreciate your report.