Tourist complains about crowded visa office, shoddy treatment by Thailand

[nausea]

My SO is lucky, she has me, before she was a player in the Phuket thing, could never compete with that, so much money running around. She made the decision to stay with me. Big decrease in income, Now doesn't seem like such a stupid decision. 

[Destiny1990]

7 hours ago, MangoPineappleBanana said:

Pay and stay....hmm sounds a lot like elite visa

An Excellent investment but for you.

I get my visa extensions rather in another country for 40 Euros just to hand my passport to an agent next day get my new visa stamp good for 8 weeks.

But hey u go on with that Elite thing and its requirements ????

[DavisH]

Nice job moaners. You want social distancing? 10 at most in the office, they rest of you get outside and form a LONG queue. Enjoy the Songkran heat suckers lol

Should have gone home when you had the chance. Idiots. 

[berrec]

3 hours ago, Buck 5868 said:

It is utterly disgusting the way I and many other 'guests' of this country were treated by the immigration officers at Jomtien . We were forced to stand in 35 + deg  heat for 4 hours outside  with no water or food or anywhere to sit to get a number all the while being shouted at and finger waved at . Then 3 1/2 hours stuck inside a room with up to two hundred other people again being shouted at by some female officer We all applied for a thirty day extension and received 16 days only but we were still charge nearly £50 . I arrived here beginning of January on a 90 day non-imm o. And I noticed an officer dishing out passports to people who was not wearing a mask and stuffing thousands of Baht notes into a large plastic bag. I fly out on Tuesday I shan't be back . Ok trolls your turn ...

You mean plastic bags are not banned at immigration 5555

 

 

[Guitar God]

Complaining to the government. Yeah, that’ll turn out well.

 

When they said I couldn’t renew my visa because even though I put close to 2 million into my Thai account from foreign accounts in the past 12 months one month I didn’t have 65,000 and I said, well four times that much that came in a couple days later and they said I’m sorry my manager won’t approve it. I asked the woman who is very nice and she’s always been nice to me in the past, what to do now and she said well you could complain to the government and I said yeah complain to the government and we both laughed and laughed and laughed. Then I left. 

[RedPill]

13 minutes ago, Jacobi Barnes said:

It took me a grand total of 2 hours to get my visa sorted this year.

Then this didn't incl. bedroom pictures ???? and all those other piles of papers + witness etc. you need for the marriage extension. 

 

Total of 2 hours, sounds like a retirement extension. It's a breeze indeed, I did it a few times for my friend to help him.

 

Really glad it was my turn in Feb to start the renewal and picked it up 2 weeks ago. Crazy to see these lines of ppl.

 

 

[berrec]

2 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

Good post Destiny! ???? I see the stuff you mentioned being done as downright weird. Pictures of where you live ... what a farce!

Yes landlord to accompany people ... what !!!!, special letter stuff from banks rather than a printout of your account transactions done simply in your own home. It's so bizarre huh?

I got a theory that because the people who run the country are corrupt to the bone they have to make all these rubbish rules because they have an obsession to control and confuse in order to keep the chaos at a level so they can profit and stay in power.

I'm almost dead now so I don't worry too much about it as it's gunna end very soon for me, and I pay someone to do my reporting for me too so I avoid a lot of the <deleted>.

But for those who have years and years left here, families they love and are rightly scared and kept in this state of chaotic uncertainty by the junta it's a sad sorry situation.

I remember Thailand in the early eighties and it was pretty wild but full of loving Thainess. Now it's becoming rarer and rarer and mostly not this loving caring for everyone like Buddha said for us to do.  

Sad to hear you nearing the end, sincerely hope you enjoy the remainder of your years here in peace despite all the BS Immigration fiasco, childish rules and regulations and corruption.

 

God bless you and take care 

[Destiny1990]

27 minutes ago, Jacobi Barnes said:

Oh, give it a rest mate. Do you really find all this difficult? If so, hire someone to do it all for you. It’s pretty simple stuff that you have to do once a year, kind of like taxes. It took me a grand total of 2 hours to get my visa sorted this year. Granted I live in Phuket where life is easy breezy. When I lived in Bangkok though, actually it was even easier because I just paid some dude to do everything for me. But it’s so easy in Phuket that I just do it myself.

 

Thailand has the most lax immigration policies on Planet Earth. Let me see you to try to pull this off in the US or Europe. Talk about draconian!!!! You folks always complain about Thailand every chance you get and really have no concept of have easy you have it.
 

 

You have not a clue what you talking about with you 20 posts.

I will bet that you cant even find Phuket and or Thailand on a world map !!

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Destiny1990

[garyk]

13 hours ago, UbonThani said:

Why did they enter after March 10? By late Feb it was clear travel would be a problem. No sympathy for people like this.

That's the spirit. ????

[brianthainess]

4,000 words                                                                             nothing more to say.

[brianthainess]

3 hours ago, P100 said:

Hard to understand Thai's way of thinking and their mindset, so far away from everything what we consider normal. Is that pure stupidity? Or officer's stupidity combined with a deep hate towards foreigners?? It seems Thailand really tries to give foreigners as many problems as possible. But they could do it better. Just start treating foreigners same way like your beloved Chinese tourists. They come and will go, move on to other places, and you will need the bad farangs to come back and help again.

 

I just can't understand why Thailand never does something good for farang tourists and for those farangs who live in Thailand on one year visas. They keep the economy going, can't they understand this? What currently happens is the evidence, no tourists no food to eat!

 

 

 

 

There must be a stupid gene, there simply must be.

Plus they only kowtow to Chinese, not westerners.

Edited April 5, 2020 by brianthainess

[brianthainess]

@Traubert seem like your happy tonight.   orBoth ?

[kingdong]

13 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

this says everything about Thailand you need to know

 

 

At the end of the day it's their country and their rules,while people keep standing for it they,'ll keep doing it,vote with your feet and go some where else.

[Xavnel]

China was supposed to save Thailand Tourism Industry .... 

Well,  China has sure did a number on the Tourism.... 

[jimmjam]

2 hours ago, nausea said:

Tough <deleted>. What do you think's gonna happen when you go to third world country and <deleted> happens.

Get your visa extended until further notice, like indonesia, vietnam, malaysia have done for tourists during this covid out break "3rd world countries too" 

[jimmjam]

10 minutes ago, Xavnel said:

China was supposed to save Thailand Tourism Industry .... 

Well,  China has sure did a number on the Tourism.... 

Pmsl. ????????????

[Destiny1990]

37 minutes ago, kingdong said:

At the end of the day it's their country and their rules,while people keep standing for it they,'ll keep doing it,vote with your feet and go some where else.

Well that Is exactly what happened since nearly all farangs have left. 
Just a few elderly farangs stayed behind because they are stuck in some unsellable house in Isarn..

[NoshowJones]

10 hours ago, pmh2009 said:

Because they don't want the westerners here anymore!!!

Unless they come for a short holiday and spend plenty of money, or more importantly, buy an Elite Visa.

[Billthekiwi]

15 hours ago, UbonThani said:

All tourists should have left 3 weeks ago. Don't these whingers read the news. Forget holidays for 9 months.

Some dropkicks have no idea about the realities of life.

In fact they seem ideally suited to life here in the land of smiles.

 

Were they always like that or was it assimilation? Perhaps the heat was too much for the brain cells?

 

If you don't know all the circumstances then <deleted>.

[Scott Tracy]

I guess it will take the Covid related death of an Immigration Officer based in an out of the way Immigration Office to make the authorities realise the danger they are placing their staff in. 

 

[drbeach]

16 hours ago, UbonThani said:

Why did they enter after March 10? By late Feb it was clear travel would be a problem. No sympathy for people like this.

Nope, it wasn't clear until mid-March. A few people, often called "conspiracy theorists" were telling us weeks, months, years ago this would happen but for the vast majority of us, it only became obvious around March 10ish.

[Niteowl45]

17 hours ago, UbonThani said:

All tourists should have left 3 weeks ago. Don't these whingers read the news. Forget holidays for 9 months.

Quoted because that's the truth:

Anybody going on holiday in the middle of a pandemic doesn't deserve any sympathy. Self-entitled retards the whole lot.

Look, I love Thailand, and I was planning to visit in March....but I happen to read the news and that there was a pandemic afoot, worst possible time to go anywhere...I canceled my plans and I will go back when the situation is normal again, not at a time of curfews, closed bars, and retards who think a pandemic won't affect their holidays.

 

 

[Miami007]

17 hours ago, Thailand said:

Multiply this by every immigration office in the country.

 

Post Covid, I don't think tourists and tourism will be a problem for the foreseeable future.

 

They may well be a few long term tourists,retirees etc, who will be subject to royal treatment when the authorities realize they are the only ones left. (Then I woke up!)????

Highly likely that western travel to Thailand will decline in the next few years.  But Asian tourists will come again as Thailand is close to their homes.

 

[Miami007]

7 hours ago, P100 said:

Hard to understand Thai's way of thinking and their mindset, so far away from everything what we consider normal. Is that pure stupidity? Or officer's stupidity combined with a deep hate towards foreigners?? It seems Thailand really tries to give foreigners as many problems as possible. But they could do it better. Just start treating foreigners same way like your beloved Chinese tourists. They come and will go, move on to other places, and you will need the bad farangs to come back and help again.

 

I just can't understand why Thailand never does something good for farang tourists and for those farangs who live in Thailand on one year visas. They keep the economy going, can't they understand this? What currently happens is the evidence, no tourists no food to eat!

 

 

 

 

The number of Western tourists and expats do not keep the "economy going"...  Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and eventually Indians will come in much larger numbers and bring more money overall.  these countries are closer, it's easier and cheaper for their people to reach Thailand.

Many European countries are already moving to other destinations in SE Asia, which reduces the importance even more.  

[bander]

The immigration is the only department in Thailand who get money from tourist these days, if they close the doors and give free visas this country will end up bankrupt.

 

[riclag]

Sorry if this should be a separate topic but I just got my first 90 day report done in Sakon Nakhon!

I have been in contact with the IO a week prior,he said just bring your passport in!

I arrived with my wife as about 10 people were in line! She went in then waved me to come. No copies needed ,no copies made  he  took out the old paper and just attached the new one ! Less then 4 minutes!

Edited April 5, 2020 by riclag

[kekalot]

this is rubbish but for some people they don't have any other options

 

I have an Elite visa, so it's 90 days reports and yearly extensions only (unless i went out of the country). I have made an account with the immigration service app (for 90 days reports) a long time ago, I can login on the app properly, fill all the information in and it keeps saying that it "can't find my entry". this app btw: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=th.go.immigration.immeService&hl=en
 

to be honest, all this information should be saved on my account but the app forces me to type it all every single time, fine.

 

so I jump on the computer, try the immigration link for 90 days report with Internet Explorer (as they ask for), fill the whole thing, press submit and it goes to a white empty page (great job!)

close the thing, try it again with Firefox, fill it up and press submit. pops up a message telling me to go to the local immigration office

 

before anyone asks, yes I did one 90 days manually before (one of the requirements) and I am within the 15 days before the 90 days is required.

 

Immigration Office here opens at 8:30 here and even with me fumbling around to find a pen and fill up the form last time, I had my paper stamped 8:35:37 and was out the door less than two minutes later

 

but people should still not not be forced to go there, ESPECIALLY not for 90 days reports

[JimmyTheMook]

36 minutes ago, kekalot said:

this is rubbish but for some people they don't have any other options

 

I have an Elite visa, so it's 90 days reports and yearly extensions only (unless i went out of the country). I have made an account with the immigration service app (for 90 days reports) a long time ago, I can login on the app properly, fill all the information in and it keeps saying that it "can't find my entry". this app btw: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=th.go.immigration.immeService&hl=en
 

to be honest, all this information should be saved on my account but the app forces me to type it all every single time, fine.

 

so I jump on the computer, try the immigration link for 90 days report with Internet Explorer (as they ask for), fill the whole thing, press submit and it goes to a white empty page (great job!)

close the thing, try it again with Firefox, fill it up and press submit. pops up a message telling me to go to the local immigration office

 

before anyone asks, yes I did one 90 days manually before (one of the requirements) and I am within the 15 days before the 90 days is required.

 

Immigration Office here opens at 8:30 here and even with me fumbling around to find a pen and fill up the form last time, I had my paper stamped 8:35:37 and was out the door less than two minutes later

 

but people should still not not be forced to go there, ESPECIALLY not for 90 days reports

 

Ask for a refund.

You bought a shoddy product.

 

 

[fusion58]

11 hours ago, charmonman said:

Fair enough I suppose, but why does immigration insist on a situation that puts people in danger, including their own officers, in the middle of an unprecedented public health crisis? Maybe these tourists were stupid not to get back home weeks ago but Thai immigration is doing nothing but compounding the stupidity.

Yes, that’s the salient question here - no matter how much the usual TVF authoritarian-following brownie hounds insist on blaming the victims.

[Purdey]

Tourism is just less than 18% of GDP so I guess Thai "authorities" perhaps want to drive it down to 5% and depend on the automobile Industry so they won't have a problem like this in future. Just a guess.