I received a Ed Visa from the Thai Embassy in Hanoi yesterday. The whole process took five minutes and was pleasant, if businesslike. I'm 70 years old, used to have a retirement visa in Thailand, but left in March 2019 because of family matters I had to attend to in the USA. This little history, I was told, would make it difficult for me to get an Ed Visa because it would look like I was one of those guys who didn't have the funds to meet the newly enforced income requirements and was trying to circumvent them by getting an Ed Visa. So I brought printouts of my checking and savings accounts going back six months in both cases, showing clearly that I had ample funds to get a retirement visa if I chose to do so. I put these papers on top of the application and papers from the school so that they would be the first thing the officer saw. I also dressed in shirt and tie, slacks, leather shoes, and got a haircut. All this because my language school in Chiang Rai had told me that the Hanoi Embassy was pretty tough, rejecting up to 50% of applicants. It all worked out.

 

But there was a European guy in there with me who was in his 60s, dressed in shorts and T-shirt, complaining loudly to me about how stupid the Vietnamese were at the Hanoi airport, how stupid the fees are for Thai visas, how he shouldn't have to pay so much, etc. Then I heard him informing the consular officer that the office wasn't run well. Do I need to say that they denied him a visa and showed him the door? In sum, I can say that one needn't be afraid to apply for an Ed Visa in Hanoi, but that it behooves you to dot every (i) and cross every (t). Just be smart about it, and respectful, and it'll proceed all right.

I loved the slob in the shorts and tshirt story...made me smile...????

On 3/6/2020 at 9:11 AM, Puchaiyank said:

I loved the slob in the shorts and tshirt story...made me smile...????

Me, too. But it explains why the 16-40 yr old people feel so entitled too.

First time isnt the problem. Your 2nd and 3rd year renewals are.