New e-Visa fees predicted to start tomorrow for all nationalities?

[Kiwifarang]

What are the chances that tomorrow those applying for an e-visa at the Royal Thai Embassy Wellington using the e-visa portal get charged the newly advertised visa fees for Wellington and those applying through other embassies worldwide get charged a similar increased price?

Alternatively, do you think that the Wellington embassy will be the only outlier, charging the new fees, so for example a New Zealander residing in New Zealand will be charged substantially more than a New Zealander residing in London and applying through the Royal Thai Embassy London? That is the embassy they must lodge their application to since they are residing there.

 

What are your predictions?

 

Anyone willing to lay bets?

 

 

Edited March 18 by george
added link to news article

[ukrules]

The new fees are so crazy that I wouldn't be surprised if there's some kind of 'mistake' here.

 

I guess we will find out soon enough though!

 

It would be massively unfair to charge tourists from NZ these huge fees when they stay the same around the rest of the world. If they apply the same fees to the rest of the world then they might just find that nobody gets a visa again, ever.

[Kiwifarang]

The new published fees are more than visas with longer duration to most other countries including New Zealand, so they have definitely been overpriced.

[Jack1988]

Why use e-visas when you can just go to Thailand with a free 30 days visa at the airport? You could just extend your stay at your local immigration, very easy and you can save money. Or maybe people from new Zealand can't get a visa exempt, I don't know 

Edited March 18 by Jack1988

[JayClay]

1 minute ago, Jack1988 said:

Why use e-visas when you can just go to Thailand with a free 30 days visa at the airport? You could just extend your stay at your local immigration, very easy and you can save money 

 

What about if you want to stay for 90 days as a tourist? How do you go about that?

 

And what if you want to travel around Asia for 9 months using Thailand as a base, without being grilled at immigration every fime you enter the country?

[george]

Here is the previous news topic about this possible increase of visa fees:

 

[DrJack54]

3 hours ago, Jack1988 said:

Or maybe people from new Zealand can't get a visa exempt, I don't know 

NZ citizens receive 30 days for visa exempt entry.

There are good reasons to obtain Tourist Visa. 

[Bday Prang]

After the recent events in Phuket I wouldn't be surprised if a few more restrictions might be applied to New Zealanders applying for visas

[Bday Prang]

11 hours ago, JayClay said:

And what if you want to travel around Asia for 9 months using Thailand as a base,

What does that actually mean ? if you don't mind me asking     Why would anybody need a "base"   in Thailand if travelling around Asia ?  and  what form would this "base " take?  would you maintain some form of rented accommodation here whilst day   tripping   (or longer) to Laos and Cambodia     sounds a bit bizarre to me but each to their own

[Kiwifarang]

7 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

What does that actually mean ? if you don't mind me asking     Why would anybody need a "base"   in Thailand if travelling around Asia ?  and  what form would this "base " take?  would you maintain some form of rented accommodation here whilst day   tripping   (or longer) to Laos and Cambodia     sounds a bit bizarre to me but each to their own

So that the family poodle can enjoy her base and not have to travel with mum and dad? Also, the kids can live with the nanny whilst attending the local Thai school. Parents of said, can flit around Asia at a whim without all the baggage? Sounds good to me, but not being in that situation I wouldn't know, just a guess.

 

Edited March 18 by Kiwifarang
mistake

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

What does that actually mean ? if you don't mind me asking     Why would anybody need a "base"   in Thailand if travelling around Asia ?  and  what form would this "base " take?  would you maintain some form of rented accommodation here whilst day   tripping   (or longer) to Laos and Cambodia     sounds a bit bizarre to me but each to their own

Doesn't  sound bizarre to me at all.

If he opts for cheap digs in Thailand on a monthly rental...makes perfect sense to travel to other Asian countries and maintain his Thai rental 

[Bday Prang]

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Doesn't  sound bizarre to me at all.

If he opts for cheap digs in Thailand on a monthly rental...makes perfect sense to travel to other Asian countries and maintain his Thai rental 

Would digs in Laos not be even cheaper,   I still don't get it , if i was travelling around asia or anywhere else for that matter I would just book accommodation in the countries I was intending to visit, and one sure fire way of avoiding being grilled when entering Thailand would be simply to refrain from doing so with  unnecessary  frequency. But as I said each to their own

[Kiwifarang]

2 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Would digs in Laos not be even cheaper,   I still don't get it , if i was travelling around asia or anywhere else for that matter I would just book accommodation in the countries I was intending to visit, and one sure fire way of avoiding being grilled when entering Thailand would be simply to refrain from doing so with  unnecessary  frequency. But as I said each to their own

That's right, each to their own, due each having a different set of circumstance. No two people are exactly the same and indeed some are far in a way different to each other. There are a million and one possibilities as to why someone would want a base.

 

[Bday Prang]

16 minutes ago, Kiwifarang said:

So that the family poodle can enjoy her base and not have to travel with mum and dad? Also, the kids can live with the nanny whilst attending the local Thai school. Parents of said, can flit around Asia at a whim without all the baggage? Sounds good to me, but not being in that situation I wouldn't know, just a guess.

 

I doubt any family poodle would be ecstatic about being abandoned in Thailand   Can't see the kids being over enthralled about the concept either, If I was saddled with either of those example of " baggage" I would seriously consider just  leaving them at home in familiar surroundings whilst I disappeared on my travels,  again each to their own

[Bday Prang]

3 minutes ago, Kiwifarang said:

That's right, each to their own, due each having a different set of circumstance. No two people are exactly the same and indeed some are far in a way different to each other. There are a million and one possibilities as to why someone would want a base.

 

if there are really a million and one examples why somebody would want a base I'm surprised you could not think of something more realistic than glorified boarding kennels and a dubious and risky place to dump the kids,  

[Kiwifarang]

3 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

I doubt any family poodle would be ecstatic about being abandoned in Thailand   Can't see the kids being over enthralled about the concept either, If I was saddled with either of those example of " baggage" I would seriously consider just  leaving them at home in familiar surroundings whilst I disappeared on my travels,  again each to their own

Could it be that said family was a sole parent family and father would rather distance himself from his kids and poodle while indulging in some debauchery in a locale not quite so close to home and come home on the weekends to check in and make sure the poodle is still alive and the nanny hasn't run it over inadvertently whilst driving the family beamer to take the sprogs to the international school?

[Kiwifarang]

5 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

if there are really a million and one examples why somebody would want a base I'm surprised you could not think of something more realistic than glorified boarding kennels and a dubious and risky place to dump the kids,  

How does one become an advanced member?

[DrJack54]

Please stop bickering or posts removed. 

[Kiwifarang]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Please stop bickering or posts removed. 

Thank you DrJack54. It would be good if posts remained on topic as they seem to have devolved.

[Lemsta69]

Zero chance.

[DrJack54]

21 minutes ago, Kiwifarang said:

Thank you DrJack54. It would be good if posts remained on topic as they seem to have devolved.

As few have posted in various threads NZ seems to be outliner.

Let's hope this is just serious error 

[Kiwifarang]

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

As few have posted in various threads NZ seems to be outliner.

Let's hope this is just serious error 

Someone applying in the e-visa system on the 19th, could apply in Wellington and elsewhere (and deleting the application before paying if necessary) to be able to post a screen shot of the cost for two different locales.

[DrJack54]

3 minutes ago, Kiwifarang said:

Someone applying in the e-visa system on the 19th, could apply in Wellington and elsewhere (and deleting the application before paying if necessary) to be able to post a screen shot of the cost for two different locales.

We will know in few days.

Thinking you reported this on previous thread.

Ridiculous increases from NZ evisa.

We all hope this is serious error and other countries do not have same Ridiculous increases.

 

[Bday Prang]

40 minutes ago, Kiwifarang said:

How does one become an advanced member?

I'm not really sure but I think its a combination of how many posts one makes and how popular those posts are with other members which builds ones reputation, as you can see from my profile  I have made around 4600 posts or comments and have a reputation of over 6000.   I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you

[Jack1988]

13 hours ago, JayClay said:

 

What about if you want to stay for 90 days as a tourist? How do you go about that?

You can do border run or apply for a 60 days tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Laos 

[Captain Monday]

6 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Would digs in Laos not be even cheaper,   I still don't get it , if i was travelling around asia or anywhere else for that matter I would just book accommodation in the countries I was intending to visit, and one sure fire way of avoiding being grilled when entering Thailand would be simply to refrain from doing so with  unnecessary  frequency. But as I said each to their own

Imagine it is 2005. You are working overseas on rotations 4 weeks on 2 weeks off. You can buy a nice condo in Chiang Mai for less than the price of a midsized car in USA. No expat has ever heard of TM-30, or ever said you can not fly into Thailand on your US passport as many times as you want per year visa exempt with no hassles or questions whatsoever.

 

 

[JayClay]

9 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

What does that actually mean ? if you don't mind me asking     Why would anybody need a "base"   in Thailand if travelling around Asia ?  and  what form would this "base " take?  would you maintain some form of rented accommodation here whilst day   tripping   (or longer) to Laos and Cambodia     sounds a bit bizarre to me but each to their own

 

I didn't think such a simple concept needed explaining but sometimes I forget exactly where I'm posting 🤦🏻‍♂️.

 

Maybe they want to have multiple visits to Thailand within a 6 month period, and also visit other countries during that period. And they may not want to chance coming in visa-exempt 4 or 5 times in such a short period of time. This is pretty much why the METV was invented.

 

@DrJack54 has also come up with the scenario where somebody might choose to rent a place for the whole 9 months in Thailand, due to the aforementioned cheap accommodation, so that they can travel light when taking a trip to other countries. That may well end up saving them money as they won't need to pay for checked luggage when taking a short trip.

 

As for why Thailand? Bangkok is an excellent place to choose as one's "hub" (do you prefer that word to "base"?) as it has excellent domestic and international connections, while also having a decent range of accommodation and entertainment to suit all budgets.

 

The question I posed, when taken in context, was clearly just an example of one reason somebody might not be happy entering on a visa exempt. I hope that this, and other posts in the thread, have helped you understand such situations.

[JayClay]

8 hours ago, Jack1988 said:

You can do border run or apply for a 60 days tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Laos 

 

Okay, I really didn't think I needed to clarify this one but here goes:

 

"What happens if you want to stay for 90 days without having to leave the country or worry about the potential complications of onward tickets?"

[Bday Prang]

3 hours ago, JayClay said:

somebody might choose to rent a place for the whole 9 months in Thailand, due to the aforementioned cheap accommodation, so that they can travel light when taking a trip to other countries. That may well end up saving them money as they won't need to pay for checked luggage when taking a short trip.

So renting a place in Bangkok for 9 months would be cheaper than paying the cost of checked luggage on a few  short trip flights,  I don't think I have heard of any accommodation that cheap . and even if it was available I doubt I would feel comfortable leaving my possessions unattended in such a place. 

[Bday Prang]

4 hours ago, JayClay said:

The question I posed, when taken in context, was clearly just an example of one reason somebody might not be happy entering on a visa exempt. I hope that this, and other posts in the thread, have helped you understand such situations.

I have been coming and going from here for over 30 years and have never once had a problem entering by land or air  either with a visa or even visa exempt despite in many cases my passport being full to bursting point with Thai entry and exit stamps and dozens of visas . I have no idea what "situations" you are referring to