Non-immigrant B - New Rules?

[Krungbin]

A friend of mine recently came back from France, his home country, where he submitted a complete and well documented application to one of the Royal Thai Consulates to obtain a one year multiple entries "non-immigrant B" visa.

Quite surprisingly, he was granted a single entry, 3months' one.

And was told that, as of October 6th 2006, these were the "new rules"... "new rules" that are supported by the copy of an official "notice to the public" issued by the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris .

Anybody aware of this change in policy?

Thanks for your comments

[bikerjoy]

A friend of mine recently came back from France, his home country, where he submitted a complete and well documented application to one of the Royal Thai Consulates to obtain a one year multiple entries "non-immigrant B" visa.

Quite surprisingly, he was granted a single entry, 3months' one.

And was told that, as of October 6th 2006, these were the "new rules"... "new rules" that are supported by the copy of an official "notice to the public" issued by the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris .

Anybody aware of this change in policy?

Thanks for your comments

a new rule has been applied in switzerland too. the consulate in zurich cannot issue one yr multiple visas anymore. all applicants must apply in bern at the embassy.

[kiakaha]

Auckland, NZL issues 1 yr multiple entry Non B , but the CEP agreement between NZL and Thai is the provisioning factor that allows for this. I also think that you have to be a NZL citizen to get the multi entry visa in NZL.

[Pattaya46]

he was granted a single entry, 3months' one.

And was told that, as of October 6th 2006, these were the "new rules"...

Hi Krungbin,

Your friend is not the first one having this kind of problem in France. I mentioned similar cases during February in this old topic : ... is it possible to get it anymore?. It's one of the many rules of the Thai Embassy in Paris... France definitively is no more friendly for everything relative to visas...

Pattaya46... french too

[xbusman]

Went for mine at that Chicago Consulate on April 23rd and was only given a single entry one year non-imm B. They pulled out all the same faxes and notices to the public, bottom line is that multiple entry can only be granted inside the country. The new process is that you leave the country and get the single entry B then return for more forms at immigrations (and another $100) to get a multiple entry stamp in your passport.

My report is here Single entry non-imm B

[lopburi3]

And I have never heard of any such thing as a multi entry visa being issued by Immigration. If anyone obtains such please post full details. Immigration, to my knowledge, only issues single entry, changes visa type, or issues extensions of stay as a normal procedure. And I am very sure Immigration does not charge USD for any action inside Thailand.

[Firefan]

Am guessting that the poster refers to;multiple entry PERMIT. 3800 Baht. Still a 1 year single entry non-emB sounds like a weird animal. Cheers!

And I have never heard of any such thing as a multi entry visa being issued by Immigration. If anyone obtains such please post full details. Immigration, to my knowledge, only issues single entry, changes visa type, or issues extensions of stay as a normal procedure. And I am very sure Immigration does not charge USD for any action inside Thailand.

[Krungbin]

he was granted a single entry, 3months' one.

And was told that, as of October 6th 2006, these were the "new rules"...

Hi Krungbin,

Your friend is not the first one having this kind of problem in France. I mentioned similar cases during February in this old topic : ... is it possible to get it anymore?. It's one of the many rules of the Thai Embassy in Paris... France definitively is no more friendly for everything relative to visas...

Pattaya46... french too

Hi Pattaya 46,

I raised the subject because two other friends have used the same Consulate in the past and never had any problems whatsoever. One year multiple enties visas were regularly delivered for the last 5 years. Obviously, something has changed. Now, if proven correct, I would be very interested in learning more about immigration "modifying" a single entry non immigrant B visa into a multiple entries one...

[xbusman]

At the Chicago consulate they showed me a complete documentation package of the process. There is a new form that gets filled out and basically the same documents that are used to apply for the non-imm have to be submitted. If approved, they have a new stamp that takes up a page of your passport with all the details of turning your single entry into a multiple entry.

[maesai]

I just received the following from the Consulate in Florida.

"Thank you for your email. Yes, We do issue a multiple non-immigrant

visa. Attached is all information and an application form. Please feel

free to contact me if you have any questions."

[Krungbin]

At the Chicago consulate they showed me a complete documentation package of the process. There is a new form that gets filled out and basically the same documents that are used to apply for the non-imm have to be submitted. If approved, they have a new stamp that takes up a page of your passport with all the details of turning your single entry into a multiple entry.

Hi Xbusman,

Thanks for your comments. Guess you refer to the Immigration's process that entitles you to multiple entries. would you, by any chance, have a copy of the documents/nes form that were shown to you?

Thanks for your assistance

[lopburi3]

I have never heard of any such procedure; and the Consulate website does not claim any such procedure so would like to get to the bottom of this.

What they do say is you can extend your stay up to 9 months at Immigration - that is well known but you must meet the required conditions such for family is 40k family income per month. Now if you do that at 1,900 baht and also buy a multi re-entry permit at 3,800 baht perhaps that is what Consulate was talking about. But that is nothing new and is not a change of a single entry to multi entry non immigrant visa.

It would be most interesting if you have any copies or can recall exactly what these "stamps" looked like. Did one perhaps have the wording "NON-IMM" "IMMIGRATION THAILAND" "RE-ENTRY PERMIT" "Number of Persons" ONE "Number of Entries" Multiple and dates and take up half a page? That is what a re-entry permit used with an extension of stay from Immigration looks like.

Edit: I wrote above on basis of "O" rather than "B" but with B extensions of stay there is a work permit and income by nationality requirement. I really hope that there is a new procedure as working visas seems to have become very problematic recently

[xbusman]

During the next three weeks I will be in the general vicinity of the New York, Chicago and Los Angeles agencies. There is so much confusion over this issue that it might be prudent to stop in at each embassy and ask directly plus pick up any literature they might have.

The stamp they showed me was on an official letterhead that was dated around the 16th of April. This stamp took up a full page of the passport and had about ten lines to be filled in. The official word from the consulate was no more multiple entry, all future non imm Bs were to be single entry. On return to Bangkok, new forms required to turn the single entry one year visa into a multiple entry visa. They thought the fee was around 3000 baht. There is a new form, they have not seen it but expect to have a copy of it shortly.

Thats all I know. Sounds like others are having the same problems. I will stop in as many consulates as possible and see if I can get two stories to vaguely line up.

[sriracha john]

During the next three weeks I will be in the general vicinity of the New York, Chicago and Los Angeles agencies. There is so much confusion over this issue that it might be prudent to stop in at each embassy and ask directly plus pick up any literature they might have.

Thats all I know. Sounds like others are having the same problems. I will stop in as many consulates as possible and see if I can get two stories to vaguely line up.

Your willingness "to go that extra mile" in an effort to assist other members by obtaining information is remarkably commendable.

[Krungbin]

During the next three weeks I will be in the general vicinity of the New York, Chicago and Los Angeles agencies. There is so much confusion over this issue that it might be prudent to stop in at each embassy and ask directly plus pick up any literature they might have.

The stamp they showed me was on an official letterhead that was dated around the 16th of April. This stamp took up a full page of the passport and had about ten lines to be filled in. The official word from the consulate was no more multiple entry, all future non imm Bs were to be single entry. On return to Bangkok, new forms required to turn the single entry one year visa into a multiple entry visa. They thought the fee was around 3000 baht. There is a new form, they have not seen it but expect to have a copy of it shortly.

Thats all I know. Sounds like others are having the same problems. I will stop in as many consulates as possible and see if I can get two stories to vaguely line up.

Dear Xbusman,

Many many thanks for both the extra explanations and... the effort!

[xbusman]

Well shucks... not all that commendable. I have watched the visa issue slowly become very obtuse and convoluted over the past two years. As with everything here, the real reasons are never apparent and it is essential to pay very close attention to the slight glimpses we get of what is really going on behind the scenes. If they are intent on drastically reducing foreigners, foreign investment, and controlling the press, its for a reason. Whatever that reason is, it wont be any good for me or my business. I need to cut my losses as quickly as possible and look at alternatives rather than swim upstream.

I have a profitable export business pushing a few million US out of Thailand every year. If they want to jerk me around on visa and work permit issues I really need to rethink my reasons for being here. As always, this could be the usual Thai mass confusion and constipation that keeps the entire system in chaotic misdirection but then again, it might not be. So as a small business owner, I need to do my homework thoroughly and stay one step ahead of the moronic bureaucracy we affectionately refer to as government.