COE brick wall

[vbjohnc]

On 12/21/2020 at 12:06 PM, vbjohnc said:

I applied about two weeks ago. Initially I applied at the Thai in-country site and got rejected as the only visa that was available on their pull-down menu was a diplomatic visa. Got this response from the DC embassy:

 

"The rejection is just a technical issue. You applied in https://coethailand.mfa.go.th which in not yet open for US residents. Please go to this Embassy's link https://thaiembdc.org/onlinevisaapplication/ and re-apply. For more information please go to https://thaiembdc.org/visas/"

 

I still have a valid non-B visa, APEC and a work permit. I reserved a delta flight with a connection through Seoul into BKK and have reserved an ASQ/ALQ in Chonburi with confirmation and included a bank statement and proof of insurance in my online application. Have not heard back yet. Will keep you guys posted...

Got my COE after 21 days! I travel on 1/22/21.  The consulate in Chicago sent me the COE as well as a declaration form. I had called them earlier and the officer in charge of COE approvals was very helpful. He sent me an email that had a "View Entry"  button to click that took me directly to my online submission. I was getting nervous that they did not receive my submission but it was nice to see it there with my own eyes.

 

By the way if you try to enter another submission on the same website it automatically checks to see if you already submitted an application as a message pops up warning you not to submit another application!

 

[Suphawk]

5 hours ago, vbjohnc said:

Got my COE after 21 days!

That's great news! Do you mind sharing when you applied ? You said after 21 days, is that 21 business days?

 

Also do you recall what extension you called to talk with the "officer in charge"?

[Shey420]

I have an update. So yesterday I went to consulate and applied for tr visa and got it in under two hours. When I got home I uploaded my documents to get coe because I already booked everything. Consulate told me it takes 2-3 days. After checking my email 20 hours later I was denied because the transit flight number wasn't right. I fixed the mistake and 40 minutes later they emailed me my coe to download.

Edited January 7, 2021 by Shey420

[vbjohnc]

The 21 days were calendar days. As far as reaching someone I punched in 4 then 2 about 7  times for the main Chicago consulate number until someone answered directly. He was able to verify my application and told me everything looked in order and not to worry, I had plenty of lead time. He stated his name was Officer Nick and the only person in the Thai Consulate in Chicago that reviews and approves COEs. Good guy. 

 

Not sure it it took 21 days only because my flight is in 2 weeks but sure was relieved! 

[vbjohnc]

I applied on December 16 and got the approved COE on January 6.

[Winegeeker]

Any contact info for anyone at DC embassy, im waiting for my passports with visas and its been 9 days. I tried every phone number listed for embassy and every email i could find and no one answers phones or responds to email. My flight is in 12 days if i get my passport and coe

[Mai mee]

3 hours ago, Winegeeker said:

Any contact info for anyone at DC embassy, im waiting for my passports with visas and its been 9 days. I tried every phone number listed for embassy and every email i could find and no one answers phones or responds to email. My flight is in 12 days if i get my passport and coe

Have you applied for both already, the COE online, and the visa by mail? Yeah, it's a tense game...

 

I know my blood pressure went down by 10 or 15 points when I finally had both of those documents in my hands.  Now just have to get through the final 72 hr requirements. I won't really relax until I'm wheels up outta LAX... but the visa and COE are the biggies.

[Winegeeker]

1 hour ago, Mai mee said:

Have you applied for both already, the COE online, and the visa by mail? Yeah, it's a tense game...

 

I know my blood pressure went down by 10 or 15 points when I finally had both of those documents in my hands.  Now just have to get through the final 72 hr requirements. I won't really relax until I'm wheels up outta LAX... but the visa and COE are the biggies.

Yes i did, I finally had someone answer at embassy today, they told me 3 weeks for visa from time they received it and i have to apply all over again for COE once i get my passport back with visa and that’s another 2 weeks. 
i hope i dont lose my asq money as i had to pay in full when i booked it. 

[Mai mee]

1 hour ago, Winegeeker said:

Yes i did, I finally had someone answer at embassy today, they told me 3 weeks for visa from time they received it and i have to apply all over again for COE once i get my passport back with visa and that’s another 2 weeks. 
i hope i dont lose my asq money as i had to pay in full when i booked it. 

Dang, that's one of the big problems with this system, you gotta put out thousands up front before you can even APPLY to get in... Not vey balanced, but the folks we're dealing with probably don't think that broadly about it.

 

Good luck with getting your bookings changed Most hotels seem pretty agreeable. (probably not too much hope for a refund though, but give 'em a phone call and see what they say)

[at15]

I sent my passport and documents to DC embassy on the 29th of December. Still waiting to get it back. I have my flight on 20 January. They say allow 15 working days from the time you start the online application. What happened with yours @Winegeeker? Did you have unforeseen problems?

Edited January 9, 2021 by at15

[Winegeeker]

1 hour ago, at15 said:

I sent my passport and documents to DC embassy on the 29th of December. Still waiting to get it back. I have my flight on 20 January. They say allow 15 working days from the time you start the online application. What happened with yours @Winegeeker? Did you have unforeseen problems?

I sent mine on 29th also, no problems but they told me today visa takes 3 weeks and once i get passport back i then need to start process for COE which is another 15 days. 
are you getting visa and COE?

[Suphawk]

6 hours ago, Winegeeker said:

then need to start process for COE which is another 15 days

I'm very surprised they quoted you 15 days for COE process. That doesn't seem to be what others experience so far.

 

I hope for you and me both that's an extreme over estimate. ????

 

Oh and I'm happy to announce my passport has been returned with my Visa. So I also went back and completed the COE application with the box checked that I now have a valid Visa. ????

[Winegeeker]

2 hours ago, Suphawk said:

I'm very surprised they quoted you 15 days for COE process. That doesn't seem to be what others experience so far.

 

I hope for you and me both that's an extreme over estimate. ????

 

Oh and I'm happy to announce my passport has been returned with my Visa. So I also went back and completed the COE application with the box checked that I now have a valid Visa. ????

It might take less but it says on website 15 days, so im thinking your flight and ASQ must be 15 days out minimum  from COE submit date. 
this is from embassy website

the applicant needs to fill in information online and upload all required documents at least 15 working days before the intended date of travel (please click here.

[at15]

9 hours ago, Winegeeker said:

I sent mine on 29th also, no problems but they told me today visa takes 3 weeks and once i get passport back i then need to start process for COE which is another 15 days. 
are you getting visa and COE?

Hmm that doesnt seem right. The one time i talked to someone on the phone they seemed like a low level general employee that just answers questions not really knowing anything. I still think we could get ours in the mail any day now. 2 days ago they asked me to upload my new flight because of the taiwan transit ban. You would think they would tell me i cant make it for the 20th if im buying a whole new flight. Personally my ASQ says i can change 1 time for free, so im not too worried. I would not recommend anyone get into this visa process to thailand, I would have gone somewhere else if i knew the craziness i was getting into but its too late now.

Edited January 9, 2021 by at15

[Winegeeker]

1 hour ago, at15 said:

Hmm that doesnt seem right. The one time i talked to someone on the phone they seemed like a low level general employee that just answers questions not really knowing anything. I still think we could get ours in the mail any day now. 2 days ago they asked me to upload my new flight because of the taiwan transit ban. You would think they would tell me i cant make it for the 20th if im buying a whole new flight. Personally my ASQ says i can change 1 time for free, so im not too worried. I would not recommend anyone get into this visa process to thailand, I would have gone somewhere else if i knew the craziness i was getting into but its too late now.

I’m checking my tracking number on my self address express mail envelope i sent them and its not mailed back yet, i think the visa department has nothing to do with COE and thats why need to start COE all over again as it needs you to upload copy of visa in the online application 

[at15]

3 minutes ago, Winegeeker said:

I’m checking my tracking number on my self address express mail envelope i sent them and its not mailed back yet, i think the visa department has nothing to do with COE and thats why need to start COE all over again as it needs you to upload copy of visa in the online application 

No need to start over. I received my first COE decision within 2 days, they just said to go back in the system with your 6 digit code and upload your visa once you get that back in order to be approved.

[Winegeeker]

I dont have a 6 digit code. That for the new system that just started 2021, i did everything before but need start over, will it let you complete it without uploading visa

[Shey420]

On 1/9/2021 at 12:10 PM, Winegeeker said:

I dont have a 6 digit code. That for the new system that just started 2021, i did everything before but need start over, will it let you complete it without uploading visa

No. You need to have flight proof, asq proof, insurance and visa proof 

[at15]

On 1/9/2021 at 12:10 PM, Winegeeker said:

I dont have a 6 digit code. That for the new system that just started 2021, i did everything before but need start over, will it let you complete it without uploading visa

@Winegeeker

I completed it without the visa. They just told me to upload the visa once it arrives. Did you get your passport back in the mail yet? 

Edited January 11, 2021 by at15

[Winegeeker]

3 hours ago, at15 said:

@Winegeeker

I completed it without the visa. They just told me to upload the visa once it arrives. Did you get your passport back in the mail yet? 

I completed it today and it got rejected for not having visa, i still didnt get passport back, they received it on December 30th

[Winegeeker]

This is what i got back after submitting COE app

[at15]

yes i got the same. hopefully our COE approval will be quicker once we add on the visa. 

[Winegeeker]

36 minutes ago, at15 said:

yes i got the same. hopefully our COE approval will be quicker once we add on the visa. 

I wonder how long for visa, i think they just sitting on a desk in DC

dont think i will make my flight set for January 22nd, hope the asq lets me change and they have rooms available 

[at15]

16 minutes ago, Winegeeker said:

I wonder how long for visa, i think they just sitting on a desk in DC

dont think i will make my flight set for January 22nd, hope the asq lets me change and they have rooms available 

I dunno man, It doesn't make any sense.

I emailed and called today but no response. Lets hope its only another day or two. If you get any tracking update on yours let me know , mine is untracked. 

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by at15

[Winegeeker]

11 hours ago, at15 said:

I dunno man, It doesn't make any sense.

I emailed and called today but no response. Lets hope its only another day or two. If you get any tracking update on yours let me know , mine is untracked. 

 

It took me like 8 days to finally get to talk to someone last week, they are the ones who told me 3 weeks for visa, not sure if it was just the embassy telephone operator i was talking to or someone official 

[Suphawk]

Update for me, I got my 2nd of 3 emails telling me my Visa was approved and I should mail my passport in, that was the longest part, maybe 3 weeks and that was including Christmas and New Years holidays.

Then they returned my passport in 4 days with the Visa attached inside. The next step is the COE for me , which I realized yesterday that process has changed to the new webpage , http://coethailand.mfa.go.th . 

I had already completed the COE form on the original link and it told me it was submitted successfully. But after reading the posts here I went back and entered my info on the new COE page and submitted it there.

I fly in 2 weeks so I hope this part goes smoothly also.

 

Best of luck to everyone, this process is nerve racking to say the least. When we don't know the status and there is no update , we can only hope we will make our reserved dates for flights , hotel , COE etc.

Edited January 12, 2021 by Suphawk

[at15]

52 minutes ago, Suphawk said:

Update for me, I got my 2nd of 3 emails telling me my Visa was approved and I should mail my passport in, that was the longest part, maybe 3 weeks and that was including Christmas and New Years holidays.

Then they returned my passport in 4 days with the Visa attached inside. The next step is the COE for me , which I realized yesterday that process has changed to the new webpage , http://coethailand.mfa.go.th . 

I had already completed the COE form on the original link and it told me it was submitted successfully. But after reading the posts here I went back and entered my info on the new COE page and submitted it there.

I fly in 2 weeks so I hope this part goes smoothly also.

 

Best of luck to everyone, this process is nerve racking to say the least. When we don't know the status and there is no update , we can only hope we will make our reserved dates for flights , hotel , COE etc.

Which embassy in America are you working with? And what day did you mail your passport and documents to them?

[Winegeeker]

1 hour ago, Suphawk said:

Update for me, I got my 2nd of 3 emails telling me my Visa was approved and I should mail my passport in, that was the longest part, maybe 3 weeks and that was including Christmas and New Years holidays.

Then they returned my passport in 4 days with the Visa attached inside. The next step is the COE for me , which I realized yesterday that process has changed to the new webpage , http://coethailand.mfa.go.th . 

I had already completed the COE form on the original link and it told me it was submitted successfully. But after reading the posts here I went back and entered my info on the new COE page and submitted it there.

I fly in 2 weeks so I hope this part goes smoothly also.

 

Best of luck to everyone, this process is nerve racking to say the least. When we don't know the status and there is no update , we can only hope we will make our reserved dates for flights , hotel , COE etc.

Did you get an email stating they were mailing back your passport or did it just arrive in the mail

[Suphawk]

43 minutes ago, at15 said:

Which embassy in America are you working with? And what day did you mail your passport and documents to them?

I know this is a long topic, I'm the OP ???? But I've stated before , I'm working with Chicago. I'm not about giving specific dates to be identified later by someone. They returned my passport in 4 days after I mailed it, using USPS priority mail and sent a return USPS priority addresses and paid for.

 

10 minutes ago, Winegeeker said:

Did you get an email stating they were mailing back your passport or did it just arrive in the mail

Yes they did send an email stating that my passport and Visa was being returned and that I needed to apply for the COE.

[at15]

I'm at 15 days now since i sent my passport. Fly in 8 days no passport in hand. Advise against the DC embassy if possible.