Thai Embassy in New Zealand increases visa fee 600%

[farangbuffalo]

1 hour ago, Korat Kiwi said:

It may no longer be the land of smiles for us retirees. 

 

I'm thinking Robbie Williams... 

 

   Good Morning Vietnam has a nice ring to it. 

 

Umm that was Robin Williams. Robbie Williams is the guy who sang angels 

 

 

[Burma Bill]

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand anticipates welcoming 8 million Chinese travellers

 

For those posters quoting 8 billion Chinese, the above article clearly states 8 million Chinese!!

[lordgrinz]

4 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

 

For those posters quoting 8 billion Chinese, the above article clearly states 8 million Chinese!!

 

The link to the original story on TheThaiger still clearly states "8 billion Chinese".

[Skeptic7]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Swift said:

yes, you missed the headline: "Thai Embassy in New Zealand increases visa fee 600%"

You also missed: The current price is $300. And here's the math: Current price ($300) reflects  600%  of the old  price (six times the original amount) so you divide it by 6 and the answer is the original cost of $50. Be careful how you phrase this. The new cost is 600% of the old. But the percent of the increase amount (your third question) which is $550 on top of the old price of $50, there the math gets weird - the increase amount of $550 is 1100% of the original price $50. ($50 being 100%)  And if you say that the increase amount is 600% of the original price, in other words it went up BY 600%, then it's $50 PLUS $300 = $350. This is why there is a difference when you say something is 5 times more than, or five times as much. People mess that up all the time. 

Ha! Thanks for pointing that headline out. You're right I missed the headline after clicking the "Breaking News" headline below. Went straight to the article body, then to The Thaiger source article, which said zippo. (That's zero 😄). Thanks for the rudimentary and unnecessary math lesson, but you're right...I correct people on that silly error all the time, so many probably learned something. 

 

[moe666]

3 hours ago, elektrified said:

8 billion Chinese tourists? B.S.

The piece I just finished reading says 8million no idea were you guys got 8billion

[MrMo]

3 hours ago, BestB said:

how much tourism is coming out of NZ to Thailand?

Worth more revenue than they will get from reducing alcohol by a few Baht a drink.

[QPRFC]

4 hours ago, BestB said:

What if a Kiwi applies in Australia?😁

Most of them are there anyway

[kingstonkid]

SO ASEANNOW has joined the click bait world.  Can people not get a grop and report things properly in the headlines.

 

YOU LIED

 

ncreased visa fees by up to 600% expected at Thai Embassies and Consulates worldwide

 

 

[Straight8]

4 hours ago, Pdavies99 said:

It looks like New Zealand is on Thailand's "s..t" list

Yeah, must have done something to piss the Thai's off

[Gilligan In Drag]

They're trying to keep Stickman out of the country.

[hoopmonk]

5 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

 

8 billion? thats more than the world population.

these numbers from the TaT?

 

Perhaps the article was edited already.  The b was substituted for a m. 

[Reigntax]

5 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

 

8 billion? thats more than the world population.

these numbers from the TaT?

TAT are expecting extra terrestrial tourists to arrive as a result of the success of their space expeditions!!

[PingRoundTheWorld]

2 hours ago, degodasilva said:

You do realise that many of the things expats enjoy only exist - or only exist to the extent with which they exist - because of all the tourists that visit the country.

 

You can't have it both ways I'm afraid. 

I can't think of anything I enjoy that could not exist without tourists. There's a large enough population of expats here to support any business I frequent. If some tourist-trap bars and tourist-price massage joints close shop - no sweat off my back.

 

Not saying all tourists are bad - but millions of them raising prices and other negative consequences are bad IMO. Bad for us - expats - not necessarily bad for Thais who earn more when there's lots of tourists.

[geisha]

With Ubonjoe sadly gone, maybe Britman can get some answers to what is actually happening, or going to happen ?  As long as the 30 day extension possibility stays , I don’t see a great difference for myself for example ( there are many snowbirds and longstayers ) one can always do a border hop or go to a neighboring country and get another visa. Now if this changes, then there will be a problem, as many of us spend our EU winters here !  My opinion is that such raising of visa costs will only give prospective tourists a bad opinion of Thailand. 
Another problem is the online application that is designed by a fool.  Please , Thai government computer programmers, web developers etc take a look at visas online for Burma, Cambodia, etc and learn. 

[ukrules]

5 hours ago, Pdavies99 said:

It looks like New Zealand is on Thailand's "s..t" list

Question is, why?

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

6 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

 

8 billion? thats more than the world population.

these numbers from the TaT?

The article says 8 million, and the world population is now just exceeding 10 billion. I do agree everything we hear from TAT is hugely exaggerated but these figures seem to have been posted by the Thai embassy in Wellington, nobody else. Did the Kiwis just put their rent up?

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

3 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

The link to the original story on TheThaiger still clearly states "8 billion Chinese".

Thaiger is another publication that has no editors and uses Google translate and voice recognition.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

The figures that we really should be looking at are the increases in fees. Is Thailand now to be a "country wide" National Park or Historical Monument/Area/ Building etc with fees for some 400% and more above local rates (China, India etc) to visit. This is either a rogue announcement or a policy that will serve to discriminate on nationality alone.

Not good for tourism either way. I wonder if we will see an embarressing about turn and loss of face?

 

[mstevens]

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

I thought NZ had an agreement with Thailand so no visa was required for up to 90 days.

 

That was abolished 24 years ago, after New Zealand changed the rules on Thais who until that point could visit New Zealand visa free for 90 days. When NZ changed the rules on Thai passport holders, Thailand did the same to NZ passport holders.

[mstevens]

So what is the reason for this increase in New Zealand, and seemingly not elsewhere? There are a few possibilities:

 

1.  The price increases are indeed worldwide and the embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun in publishing the new prices. Consulates and embassies elsewhere will follow with announcements in the days before March 19. I strongly believe this is the case. Let's not forget that there have been changes to visa policy in the past that has been announced just a few days before the change came in.

 

2.  The new prices reflect the rates Thais have to pay for a visa to visit that country. If that were the case, expect adjustments elsewhere around the world and visa fees to be different, depending on where you apply / what your nationality is.

 

3.  New Zealand is a test case to see what sort of change there is to visitor numbers if visa fees are hiked significantly, with this used as part of the decision-making process to determine how much to increase fees by elsewhere. New Zealand has been used as a test market for some products released by major Japanese manufacturers such as Panasonic, so you could say there is precedent for this, even if it seems unlikely.

 

My money is firmly on number 1. The Thai embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun and published the new visa prices early. I maintain that come March 19, wherever you are in the world you'll be paying the equivalent rate for a visa in your local currency.

Edited February 27 by mstevens

[mstevens]

6 hours ago, BerndD said:

There are no changes on the homepage of the Thai Embassy in Berlin, the Non-Immigrant 1-year multiple-entry visa costs €175 = 6.808 THB.

 

Check around March 15 or 16 and you'll probably see an update then.

[mstevens]

5 hours ago, Korat Kiwi said:

I agree what another post says.  Come here for 30 days under visa exempt. Apply for an extension if required.  And if you want to stay longer.... Do a border run. 

 

I think this may just be the start...  Other visas may get hit with a price hike soon. 

It may no longer be the land of smiles for us retirees.

 

How long has it been since the visa extension fee of 1,900 baht increased? It is many years, right? If that went up 600%, that would take it up to over 10,000 baht. I think there will be a lot of very unhappy people if that happens. With that said, that visa extension fee is handled by a different government depart to visa fees at embassies and consulates.....but you would expect that at some point that 1,900 baht visa extension fee is going to go up too.

[bubba]

Don't worry about a drop in tourism . Those cheaper lao khao prices will more than offset these fees.

[Kiwifarang]

7 hours ago, sirineou said:

NZ$300  is a lot !!

6x of the cost in the US, $40 USD or NZ$64 in todays exchange. 

what did you guys do to piss them off? 

 

Yes $NZD300 is a lot considering the length of the visa is 60 days with possibility of a 30-day extension, which cost more still, whereas Thai pay $89 less (NZD$211) and get a 180-day tourist visa with possibility of 270 days.

[Kiwifarang]

7 hours ago, sirineou said:

NZ$300  is a lot !!

6x of the cost in the US, $40 USD or NZ$64 in todays exchange. 

what did you guys do to piss them off? 

 

Yes $NZD300 is a lot considering the length of the visa is 60 days with possibility of a 30-day extension, which cost more still, whereas Thai pay $89 less (NZD$211) and get a 180-day tourist visa with possibility of 270 days.

[kiwikeith]

7 hours ago, BestB said:

Sent Wh at if a Kiwi applies in Australia?😁

You can do that 

I think this fee increase is to cover the cost for the building they occupy, and their expenses. I will get my visas in los, it used to be very simple to get a visa here but they closed the consulate in Auckland during Covid and it's not going to re open, I spoke to the law firm that ran the consulate and they said it's all over no plans to open again, you have to go to Wellington to get documents for your Thai wife and son if needed and that's very expensive to do, things went mad during Covid. 

[Kiwifarang]

16 minutes ago, Kiwifarang said:

Yes $NZD300 is a lot considering the length of the visa is 60 days with possibility of a 30-day extension, which cost more still, whereas Thai pay $89 less (NZD$211) and get a 180-day tourist visa with possibility of 270 days.

Further to this a Visitor Visa to Australia for Thai is $AUD190 and is for 12 months and the AUD equivalent of $NZD300 is around $AUD282, so a Thai tourist visa is likely to be more that an Australian one too if the embassy in Canberra follows the New Zealand price.

 

Let's see other comparisons of US and UK tourist visas.

[Kiwifarang]

1 hour ago, mstevens said:

 

That was abolished 24 years ago, after New Zealand changed the rules on Thais who until that point could visit New Zealand visa free for 90 days. When NZ changed the rules on Thai passport holders, Thailand did the same to NZ passport holders.

Yes, New Zealand was concerned with the growing number of Little Ghosts in the country and in particular they wanted to prevent them from illegally working in the legalised prostitution industry.

[AhFarangJa]

Let us hope immigration do not catch on. An extension of stay for retirees up to 11,400.........

[alanrchase]

7 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Ha! Thanks for pointing that headline out. You're right I missed the headline after clicking the "Breaking News" headline below. Went straight to the article body, then to The Thaiger source article, which said zippo. (That's zero 😄). Thanks for the rudimentary and unnecessary math lesson, but you're right...I correct people on that silly error all the time, so many probably learned something. 

 

It's early in the morning and I haven't had a coffee yet but it seems like a terrible math lesson to me. Where did the $550 come from? Seems he confused 600% with $600 half way through the lesson.