METV?

[hugolars]

Hello,

Anyone has a opinion about obtaining METV these days?
I intend to stay longer than 3 months in Thailand. 
METV is still issued from my country.
STV seems too complicated due to the fact that I want to travel soon.

Thanks,

[DrJack54]

Yes METV is available from some countries. 

Excellent visa. 

The issue being that it requires exit after 60 days. However you can obtain a 30 day extension to each entry. 

So effectively after entry to Thailand you would need to exit within 3 month (if obtain extension).

A guess at a border being open at some point next year is bit of a gamble.

Edited December 13, 2021 by DrJack54

[hugolars]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Yes METV is available from some countries. 

Excellent visa. 

The issue being that it requires exit after 60 days. However you can obtain a 30 day extension to each entry

Yes but no border runs are allowed yet due to pandemic?

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, hugolars said:

Yes but no border runs are allowed yet due to pandemic?

Yes, I was adding to my post at same time you posted. Land borders closed. 

So arrival to Thailand say December would require exit late March. 

No one can state absolutely that a land border will be open by then.

World news shows if anything a backward step with new variant.

Your call. 

[London Lowf]

I wish I could have got a METV - London embassy took the £150 fee off my credit card but then said that they could only give me a 60-day SETV. No refund of the difference of course, a bit like dealing with Thai Airways!

[freedomnow]

OT - but wonder if covid extensions will roll right into late 2022 as omomonicron escalates...negating such visa need.

[ubonjoe]

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

No one can state absolutely that a land border will be open by then.

they have plans to open the crossing to Vientiane from Nong Khai on  the 24th. And some crossing to Malaysia late ths month. But for both there is not info about what the requirements will be.

When they do open the borders it will not a simple matter of crossing and then turning around and returning to Thailand.

[ThLT]

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

they have plans to open the crossing to Vientiane from Nong Khai on  the 24th.

27th of January, correct?

 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, ThLT said:

27th of January, correct?

 

The 24th of the is month (fixed a typo in my post).

[hugolars]

16 hours ago, London Lowf said:

I wish I could have got a METV - London embassy took the £150 fee off my credit card but then said that they could only give me a 60-day SETV. No refund of the difference of course, a bit like dealing with Thai Airways!

At this point with land borders closed and amnesty what benefit do you see with METV? One can only stay 60 (+30) days in the country.

[London Lowf]

2 hours ago, hugolars said:

At this point with land borders closed and amnesty what benefit do you see with METV? One can only stay 60 (+30) days in the country.

The clue is "Multiple" - I originally planned to do an Oct-Dec trip, go home for a few weeks over Xmas, and then return for another three months without the hassle of applying for another visa. A lot has changed since I laid that plan and so I am now just doing (hopefully) one much longer trip.

[geisha]

23 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

they have plans to open the crossing to Vientiane from Nong Khai on  the 24th. And some crossing to Malaysia late ths month. But for both there is not info about what the requirements will be.

When they do open the borders it will not a simple matter of crossing and then turning around and returning to Thailand.

Do you think it will be possible to fly to Phnom Penh or Malaysia, stay 10 days, re do THai Pass and fly back to Thailand and receive 30 days on arrival ( uk pass) and then extension 30 ? I see plenty flights to Phnom Penh. I have friends there.

[ubonjoe]

2 hours ago, geisha said:

Do you think it will be possible to fly to Phnom Penh or Malaysia, stay 10 days, re do THai Pass and fly back to Thailand and receive 30 days on arrival ( uk pass) and then extension 30 ? I see plenty flights to Phnom Penh. I have friends there.

Yes you could do that.

[MaxT]

trying to keep/catch up... is it possible to get an SETV (or is it STV now?) whilst there?

[ubonjoe]

44 minutes ago, MaxT said:

trying to keep/catch up... is it possible to get an SETV (or is it STV now?) whilst there?

You can apply for either of them.

[MaxT]

Great good to know many thanks for the info much appreciated!

[Jaymatheson]

1 hour ago, MaxT said:

trying to keep/catch up... is it possible to get an SETV (or is it STV now?) whilst there?

 

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

You can apply for either of them.

I might be missing something, but are you saying people can apply for a STV at the Thai Embassy in Cambodia?  They've been notoriously difficult for even a single entry tourist visa for a decade for those with even a slight history of Thai visa experience.  I'd be highly interested and skeptical at the same time. 

[MaxT]

Agreed - I never tried in Cambodia mostly because of the stories how difficult it could be and Vietnam/Laos always went smoothly but have no idea about air/land travel to/from either of them at the mo was just thinking 'generally' if things were starting up again

 

Been trying to work out what the STV is all about and other than it looked to have ended in Sep '21 (various googling/Thai Embassy London website) the Thai Embassy Hague website is showing it ending Sep '22 so guess it's still available but even if it is all info I've read clearly states can only apply in home country or country of residence

 

[DrJack54]

21 minutes ago, MaxT said:

.......but even if it is all info I've read clearly states can only apply in home country or country of residence

Also METV own country or country of residence.

Where are you now. 

[MaxT]

I'm in Thailand - just seen by chance on an FB group someone managed a Cambodia bounce back in on the visa exempt few days ago and another commenting on the same thread saying they've just succesfully applied for and received an SETV there no problems

[kinyara]

On 12/14/2021 at 12:05 AM, London Lowf said:

I wish I could have got a METV - London embassy took the £150 fee off my credit card but then said that they could only give me a 60-day SETV. No refund of the difference of course, a bit like dealing with Thai Airways!

A bit harsh you were effectively overcharged for an effectively lesser visa. I wonder why they wouldn't give you an METV, it wouldn't really make much difference to them if everything was to shutdown and they granted a tourist visa amnesty again anyway. In a perfect world the METV means you stay longer and spend more much needed revenue.

 

I've still got an 18 month old outstanding Lon-Bkk-Lon Thai Airways flight which they've automatically extended to Dec 2022. Ideally another year's extension would be fine for me :)).  However I'm almost tempted to pay an in person visit to wherever they are in Bangkok and attempt a refund request,  but even though I'm very relaxed and patient I just know it's likely to be a frustrating experience. 

 

 

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, kinyara said:

,

........  but even though I'm very relaxed and patient I just know it's likely to be a frustrating experience.

Write it off 

I have lost multiple flights. 

I book year in advance. Many flights.

All my booking AirAsia and Jetstar (au) lost.

Only company that refunded all instantly was Airbnb. 

 

 

 

[kinyara]

32 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Write it off 

I have lost multiple flights. 

I book year in advance. Many flights.

All my booking AirAsia and Jetstar (au) lost.

Only company that refunded all instantly was Airbnb

 

 

 

I got a Vietnam Airways refunded without even asking or following it up which I thought was pretty impressive given the hassles everyone was experiencing with other airlines. I suspect I may have lost the BKK-Lon return leg of an Etihad but I haven't checked since I've still got no desire to attempt the trip :))

[DrJack54]

9 minutes ago, kinyara said:

I got a Vietnam Airways refunded without even asking or following it up which I thought was pretty impressive given the hassles everyone was experiencing with other airlines. I suspect I may have lost the BKK-Lon return leg of an Etihad but I haven't checked since I've still got no desire to attempt the trip :))

I'm on your page.

For some flights I was given a credit. Finding it difficult to access.

All this bit off topic.

I have written those flights off 

All up maybe Les than 

50k baht.

Can live with that.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by DrJack54

[London Lowf]

On 12/17/2021 at 10:05 PM, kinyara said:

A bit harsh you were effectively overcharged for an effectively lesser visa. I wonder why they wouldn't give you an METV, it wouldn't really make much difference to them if everything was to shutdown and they granted a tourist visa amnesty again anyway. In a perfect world the METV means you stay longer and spend more much needed revenue.

 

I've still got an 18 month old outstanding Lon-Bkk-Lon Thai Airways flight which they've automatically extended to Dec 2022. Ideally another year's extension would be fine for me :)).  However I'm almost tempted to pay an in person visit to wherever they are in Bangkok and attempt a refund request,  but even though I'm very relaxed and patient I just know it's likely to be a frustrating experience. 

 

 

A bit harsh is putting it mildly - they took the £150 and then emailed me "For your visa, we proceeded your application for single-entry as we are not allowed by the MFA to issue Multiple entry." and kept the money - anyone who has any experience of dealing with Thais will understand that you simply have to accept this sort of thing and that is the price you have to pay for all of the positive sides of visiting.

 

Similarly, my Thai Airways return to London can only be extended to 3rd January and I now have a visa extension to 1st March - most airlines are flexible in these Covid times, but not Thai. I actually went to their office at Phuket airport to try and extend the validity of my ticket but they wouldn't budge and so I will do a no-show and buy a one-way return to London - and it will not be with Thai.

 

So much about this country is delightful, but so much is utter <<<insert your choice of expletive>>>

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by London Lowf