Visa expiring soon but can't get passport back from agent

[richard_smith237]

47 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

seems to me 2 different scenarios happening here:

a) they really lost your passport and trying to find it. this is a very common thing even with the best known agencies. 

b) they are just waiting your passport from the immigration

 

just wait another 1 or 2 weeks then if the passport is still with you go and file a lost report at the police station. meanwhile call the agency every 2-3 days. 

Fair enough... IF so... why not just tell the truth ??... Poor language / communication ?

 

Why not just get the bosses phone number so the Op can speak with the ‘the boss’ directly and find out whats going on ???

 

 

[richard_smith237]

49 minutes ago, need to escape said:

My situation came about from the s*** show COVID. My business in the UK went in to receivership  (COVID related), my wife came down with COVID almost died and someone had to look after the kids. (No local family). So went to agent as I had no time to spend hours in immigration, (It's called prioritising what's important) was cheated. reported it to the police they didn't care. I chose to use my savings to move my wife to a private hospital and look after my kids.

Think before you insult people. I hope you have a happy life. 

Not sure how thats an insult, even for the extremely thin skinned...   you chose not to go, your choice. 

Perhaps you chose that you ‘were unable to go’....  [ (c) The ‘unable’ ]

 

But, the reality is you were able to go, as you mentioned you prioritised your time, even though immigration visit takes a few hours. 

 

Did the Visa agent do what you were fully able to do yourself ? or where you expecting them to circumnavigate some regulations i.e. [ (b) 'the needy’ ] you need them to do something you can’t ?

 

But as you mentioned, you chose to prioritise...  perhaps a combo of (b) and (c)... 

 

must have been stressful...    but there no need to get butthurt about it....  you were ripped off by an agent, the Op maybe getting ripped off by an agent too...  there have been plenty of threads recently of people getting ripped off by agents... 

 

Lesson learned: Do not use agents for something you can do yourself. 

 

 

 

 

[need to escape]

Think very, very carefully before you report the passport to the UK embassy as lost. It may eventually become necessary but, once you do so, there will not any longer be any chance of a simple resolution of the problem. That will be true even if, not improbable, the passport materialises with your extension a day or two after you tell the embassy your passport is gone. Your passport will have been cancelled in the UK's system, and no longer be valid for trav

 

Correct, it's cancelled immediately on a computer system and I understand. not sure if true, but the British consulate told me, it would be flagged by Interpol. 

If you get it back with a week, 2 weeks overstay it's fixable you might be able to do a border hop. or risk immigration, their rules seemed to be made up on the spot. But retirement visa applicant, money maybe, ok? Yes, I know it's a risk. You have to ask yourself, if you leave Thailand what are you leaving behind family? Do you have a place to go? and what gamble your want to take in country that only wants rich long term stayers? And is no longer the easiest or cheapest place to retire.

Good Luck and Ignore the Multimillionaire bar stool critics.

[Neeranam]

14 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

b) Someone doesn’t meet some criteria, an agent circumnavigates that stumbling block.

That's a nice way to put it. The agent bribes a corrupt Immigration police officer to allow foreigners, who don't meet requirements to be here, to get a visa. 

[Neeranam]

If you report it as stolen, you might get charged for telling lies. You gave it to them, I assume. 

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, problemfarang said:

there is no danger. the worst scenario is you will go to the police station and tell them you lost your passport then take the police report to your embassy.

A missing boss is not something to take lightly - if his passport is currently being used for illegal activities and he does not report its loss there could be serious issues.

I do not believe this is the case but letting a 3rd party have access to your passport is not a good idea in the best of cases - and a "missing boss" (if real) is a huge red light.

[alexlm]

1 hour ago, alexlm said:

I would always follow eyes closed whatever he says... let's thank him for all his contributions, time spent and help with his incredible knowledge of the Thai Immigration """"systems""""

I meant Ubonjoe... could not edit so here, just to clarify.

Follow his instructions.

When you do. No reason to stress and you can breathe...

[richard_smith237]

37 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

b) Someone doesn’t meet some criteria, an agent circumnavigates that stumbling block.

That's a nice way to put it. The agent bribes a corrupt Immigration police officer to allow foreigners, who don't meet requirements to be here, to get a visa. 

 

Exactly.....  Thats the only reason I can imagine many would bother using an agent... 

 

Unless of course as the example another poster mentioned when there really was so much other stuff going on he really didn’t want to use previous time dealing with visa-logistics... 

 

 

[Lemsta69]

59 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

That's a nice way to put it. The agent bribes a corrupt Immigration police officer to allow foreigners, who don't meet requirements to be here, to get a visa.

Thailand is corrupt from top to bottom, we're just trying to fit in by using agents. You want to stop it, go have a chat with the big guy instead of whining about it on here and see hot far you get.

[novacova]

5 hours ago, Orinoco said:

Its a lesson to others.

And should be duly noted.

 

 

 

 

 

17 hours ago, Orinoco said:

Don't use agents.

DIY, works most of the time.

 

 

Best advice on yet another thread epitomizing why not to use an agent

 

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Indeed....  Agents used by...

a) The Lazy

b) The ’needy'

c) The ‘unable'

 

i.e. 

a) Someone can’t be bothered to go through the hassle of renewal and gets an agent to do if for them.

 

b) Someone doesn’t meet some criteria, an agent circumnavigates that stumbling block.

 

c) Someone is physically unable to go to immigration i.e. immobile etc..

 

 

I’d argue that b) fits most cases for people using an agent and by that mere fact they are entering the grey area of illegality and those inhabiting that grey area are always going to be of questionable moral fabric.

 

None of this helps the Op though - knowing if there is a physical office is a good start. 

 

 

-on the lazy

It’s easy enough for anyone who is half educated to do it on their own unless mentally or physically impaired.  Too lazy to stand in line or take a drive, circumvent the rules…then have at it. No pity at all from this camp if something goes wrong. 

The further advise here is to those who are contemplating using an agent, not necessarily for the OP.

Good grief! Don’t give your passport to anyone who is not a government official!

Edited January 19, 2023 by novacova

[rwilem]

21 hours ago, BritTim said:

 

This is such a weird situation that half the posters here are going to assume this is a made up story.

Yes.....

 

On an exempt entry and needing to get a 30-day extension? It's got to be among the easiest of issues to take care of. Lesson: DIY the simple things, leave using agents for the hard ones.

Edited January 19, 2023 by rwilem

[rwilem]

8 hours ago, MJCM said:

 

I would never ever part with my Passport unless it's

 

A- Immigration

B- An Embassy or Consulate

C- or the Passport stays in my sight.

I'm fully aware that many people use agents for convenience, time-saving, favorable handling of outstanding issues, etc. 

 

But your passport is critical. I don't allow anyone (other than immigration or embassy) to take possession of it. Fortunately, I am able to handle my not-so-onerous immigration affairs on my own. If one is in a dodgy spot and has to go to an agent, the OP shows things can go haywire.

Edited January 19, 2023 by rwilem

[alexlm]

3 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

Thailand is corrupt from top to bottom, we're just trying to fit in by using agents. You want to stop it, go have a chat with the big guy instead of whining about it on here and see hot far you get.

Even for something as simple as the standard 1,900 THB extension.

 

I got in in-unimaginable troubles.

 

In Sri Racha Immigration...

 

From now on, my agent takes care of everything. Even the list of paperwork required is shorter than normal ????

 

I saw someone say "unless someone is disabled".

I have ASD and ADHD. Does that count? ...

Both my disabilities are officially recognised by my home country, the French Government.

Edited January 19, 2023 by alexlm

[Damrongsak]

I spent 50 days in Thailand and 10 in Vietnam last fall.  I dragged my passport everywhere I went.  I didn't even leave my passport (or cash) at our house in Loei when we went out to the market. 

[Andycoops]

Call the police...

[problemfarang]

11 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

A missing boss is not something to take lightly - if his passport is currently being used for illegal activities and he does not report its loss there could be serious issues.

I do not believe this is the case but letting a 3rd party have access to your passport is not a good idea in the best of cases - and a "missing boss" (if real) is a huge red light.

well obviously OP know about this agency or introduced by a friend or likewise. or even used it before. so that means most likely they are legit. Again most likely they are having problems with the immigration officer. probably he is busy or lazy to do. or maybe hes asking for more money.

missing boss thing is just something to earn more time. I dont know the english level of the agency or OP's thai level but by missing the agency guys most likely wanted to say they dont know where he is at the moment or they cannot reach him at the moment. 

 

i totally agree with your illegal activity warning though.

[problemfarang]

12 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Fair enough... IF so... why not just tell the truth ??... Poor language / communication ?

 

Why not just get the bosses phone number so the Op can speak with the ‘the boss’ directly and find out whats going on ???

 

 

probably its all about language and communication problems due to agency eng level VS OP thai level.

there is no thai company or agency or any business in thailand that will tell you the truth about whats going on. its thai way. 

 

though i wouldnt wait no more 1-2 weeks from today

[lopburi3]

9 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

well obviously OP know about this agency or introduced by a friend or likewise. or even used it before. so that means most likely they are legit. Again most likely they are having problems with the immigration officer. probably he is busy or lazy to do. or maybe hes asking for more money.

missing boss thing is just something to earn more time. I dont know the english level of the agency or OP's thai level but by missing the agency guys most likely wanted to say they dont know where he is at the moment or they cannot reach him at the moment. 

 

i totally agree with your illegal activity warning though.

Actually this may be a first time use (tourist visa) so not sure how reliable visa agent is (if you can actually call any really legit when working in the shadows).  But agree it is likely just a housekeeping problem.  But overstay without a passport is not something I would want to be doing these days.  Suspect time to shake the tree as well as the branches.  

[Maestro]

The Visa agent is the Key. With this key missing, it's off to the police station, on the double. Do not wait a second longer.

[Expat68]

Digressing a little, is there a time limit (ie months left on passport) for applying for retirement extension 

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

Digressing a little, is there a time limit (ie months left on passport) for applying for retirement extension 

If your passport has less than 12 months of validity remaining when you apply for your extension it will only be issued to the day it expires.

[The Old Bull]

Last year I had an application in for a Thai Pass before they changed the quarantine from one day to one week. However they wanted the insurance to show USD not TBT. The insurance company replied real quick but the Thai govt. closed all the email and phones so I could not submit it. Second time I used an agent, the Thai Pass that was supposed to take 2-7 days took 2 hours and the agent cost ฿ 3000, I should have done this first time I would have saved over$4000.

[Thingamabob]

You need to buy time. Maybe you could apply for a 30 day extension on line assuming you have copies of your passport. If nothing happens after 3 weeks I'm afraid you will have to go the police/embassy route. Sorry for your predicament. I've heard of agents who perform well for years and then suddenly disappear, usually as a result of money problems. 

[Expat68]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

If your passport has less than 12 months of validity remaining when you apply for your extension it will only be issued to the day it expires.

Do you need to have 6 months left on your passport when applying?

[RedArmy]

40 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

You need to buy time. Maybe you could apply for a 30 day extension on line assuming you have copies of your passport. 

Ridiculous advice as not possible for him to apply for a 30 day extension on line.

[LS24]

OP, if you are on a visa exempt you are a tourist. Along the lines of Ubon Joe's sage words, maybe walk into the agency ask again for your passport. If they do not supply or give you the details that you need, Call the Tourist Police on 1155 and explain the situation. Then ask the Tourist Police to speak directly to the staff in the agency. Hand the phone over to staff.

 

Wait for the next step.

[richard_smith237]

The Op [bongojules] has not been back since Weds.... so he’s either had the issue resolved and can’t be bothered to update the forum any more, or his in a lot deeper and is frantically trying to sort something out and has no time to reply...   

[NoDisplayName]

On 1/18/2023 at 11:21 PM, bongojules said:

I'm in a stressful situation where my visa exemption expires in 2 days but my passport (UK) is with a visa agent and despite my pleading with them it is looking increasingly unlikely that they are going to return it in time for me to either make an extension or exit Thailand before the cut off.

 

Just to clarify, you have a 30-day visa waiver in your passport expiring soon, and you are using an agent to apply for a 30-day extension?  NOT applying for a non-O visa plus extension?

[Deerculler]

Follow Ubon Joe's advice.

[kingstonkid]

On 1/19/2023 at 8:54 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Exactly.....  Thats the only reason I can imagine many would bother using an agent... 

 

Unless of course as the example another poster mentioned when there really was so much other stuff going on he really didn’t want to use previous time dealing with visa-logistics... 

 

 

When I came here in 2010 i was not sure of the process for retirement extension so went to SIAM Legal.  Talked to people ther and got advice they told me what needed to be done and that as I lived in PT they could not help me unless i wanted to pay extra.  paid for their verbal assistance and did it al myself.  

 

Have since found Thaivisa and Ubonjoe and Jack and still do it myself quick easy and usually done in less than an hour.