Confirmed 60-day Tourist Visa from Wellington $300 NZD

[Kiwifarang]

[HauptmannUK]

Bizarre when a 30 day entry is free. Can't see it being a popular option......What has NZ done to upset Thailand?

[Maestro]

@Kiwifarang What you have posted isn't really confirmation that the Thai embassy in Wellington is collecting a fee of NZD 300 for the single-entry tourist visa.

 

Let's see a real confirmation. Let's see a receipt posted by someone who applied for the visa, was asked for payment of NZD 300 and paid it.

 

Are you in New Zealand at the moment?

[Kiwifarang]

Hi Maestro,

 

Can you explain what you mean? I'm trying to understand. I'm sure I'm mistaken hence I'm asking for clarification. Are you saying the e-visa system has thrown up $300 by mistake and when you enter your card details it takes less? Are you suggesting that the Wellington Embassy will receipt for less and pocket the rest? Or perhaps you are suggesting that only a receipt rather than a screen shot of the payment page suffices as proof for some reason? I can't understand your rational for needing a receipt as proof. 

 

What does being in New Zealand have to do with the cost of the visa. If one is in New Zealand one MUST apply at Wellington. If a New Zealander is on holiday in Australia one MUST apply at Wellington. If one is living in Australia one MUST apply in Australia. If one is living in Thailand one must leave the country to apply via e-Visa, unless they go to immigration and apply over the counter.

 

I don't want to accuse you of not trusting my screen shot of the payment page on the e-Visa system, so I am holding off for your response to why you want a receipt. I'm sure you have a perfectly reasonable answer, I just want to know what it is.

Edited March 19 by Kiwifarang
delete a word

[Kiwifarang]

By the way, it appears to be clear that New Zealand is the only Embassy that have jacked up their prices to be ridiculously high. I'd love to know why. I doubt anyone will get an exact answer if they asked the Embassy, hence I'm not bothering to ask. All I can say is obviously Thailand doesn't like New Zealanders and treats Kiwi differently. So much for the 68 years of New Zealand and Thailand relations touted by the Thai PM when meeting the New Zealand PM recently. I'm sure New Zealand will be treating all Thai visa applicants differently to those from the rest of the world and they won't be paying the $211 New Zealand application fee, but an increased one (not). I'm sure we will be jacking it up to $300 for reciprocity (not), or perhaps more, since they can avail of up to 9 months on a tourist visa, while a Thai visa can only avail 90 days (not). Let's not forget that the prices of Non-B from Wellington and other visas are even more ridiculously priced.

 

THAI airways also dropped the Auckland flight during COVID and have no known plans to return, this for a country of 5 million, whereas they fly to Perth in a state of 2.6 million. More proof that Thailand dislikes New Zealand for some unknown reason.

[alex8912]

6 hours ago, Maestro said:

@Kiwifarang What you have posted isn't really confirmation that the Thai embassy in Wellington is collecting a fee of NZD 300 for the single-entry tourist visa.

 

Let's see a real confirmation. Let's see a receipt posted by someone who applied for the visa, was asked for payment of NZD 300 and paid it.

 

Are you in New Zealand at the moment?

Yah. What exactly are you saying? Fake price? Your post is confusing. 

[Pattaya57]

I still think the NZ fees are just a stupid mistake. The Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) website lists all visa fees and country embassies and consulates then have a [very bad] exchange rate conversion.

 

MFA fees vs $A

Tourist visa - 1000 baht = A$60

Non-imm O (single) - 2000 baht = A$120

Non-imm O (multi) - 5000 baht = A$300

 

So Aus is using 1000 baht = A$60. For some unknown reason NZ is using 1000 baht = NZ$300 as conversion?

 

https://www.mfa.go.th/en/publicservice/5d5bcc2615e39c306000a316

 

Edited March 20 by Pattaya57

[Maestro]

18 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Yah. What exactly are you saying? Fake price? Your post is confusing. 

 

I suspect that the listed price of NZD 300 mistake on the embassy's website.

[Pattaya57]

5 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

I suspect that the listed price of NZD 300 mistake on the embassy's website.

The screenshot kiwifarang posted in OP is not the NZ embassy website, it is the global e-visa application site. Next step is give credit card to pay the NZ$300

[Callmeishmael]

This could just be a test case.  If the number of visas issued in NZ at the new prices does NOT decline significantly, then they could roll out price increases for all other non-Chinese embassies.  However, if the number of visa applications plummets, won't!

[Kiwifarang]

6 hours ago, Callmeishmael said:

This could just be a test case.  If the number of visas issued in NZ at the new prices does NOT decline significantly, then they could roll out price increases for all other non-Chinese embassies.  However, if the number of visa applications plummets, won't!

I agree, or they could all be going up in the e-visa payment update happening tonight.

[Maestro]

Or the visa fee errors on the Wellington embassy website have to be corrected before access to the eVisa site is enabled.

[Kiwifarang]

12 minutes ago, Maestro said:

Or the visa fee errors on the Wellington embassy website have to be corrected before access to the eVisa site is enabled.

Time will tell, we may know as soon as tomorrow. The visa fees have been up on the Wellington Embassy website for a couple of weeks, with confirmation from the embassy that they are correct, and the same prices are in the e-visa system right now and available for people to purchase, so it would be quite a roll back in regard to Wellington and the MoFA reverting them to the former prices. I wonder how many have already paid and if they would get a refund if they did that. 

[Pattaya57]

50 minutes ago, Kiwifarang said:

I agree, or they could all be going up in the e-visa payment update happening tonight.

If you're referring to update in your other thread it said March 21, 00.00 to 00:30 am so its not tonight, it should have already happened 15 hours ago?

[Maestro]

26 minutes ago, Kiwifarang said:

...The visa fees have been up on the Wellington Embassy website for a couple of weeks, with confirmation from the embassy that they are correct, and the same prices are in the e-visa system right now and available for people to purchase...

 

Thank you for this very interesting information.

 

I was trying to get that information on the https://www.thaievisa.go.th website but it seems I cannot do that from Switzerland. Would you be so kind as to post a screenshot of that part of the respective web page?

[Pattaya57]

11 minutes ago, Maestro said:

I was trying to get that information on the https://www.thaievisa.go.th website but it seems I cannot do that from Switzerland. Would you be so kind as to post a screenshot of that part of the respective web page?

 

Edited March 21 by Pattaya57

[Kiwifarang]

10 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

Thank you for this very interesting information.

 

I was trying to get that information on the https://www.thaievisa.go.th website but it seems I cannot do that from Switzerland. Would you be so kind as to post a screenshot of that part of the respective web page?

It is only available to those in the Southern Hemisphere. You see things are upside down here, so you'll have to hop on a plane and get on down under to make absolutely certain that what has been posted here is correct. I wish I could be of more help, but sorry I can't.

[Kiwifarang]

53 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

If you're referring to update in your other thread it said March 21, 00.00 to 00:30 am so its not tonight, it should have already happened 15 hours ago?

Absolutely correct. So, the update has happened, and they have removed the notice. Strange though that the notice was still visible after the time had lapsed. So, has anyone noticed any changes to the fees for other embassies, or they all remain the same? Has the New Zealand fee reverted to the former fee in the update?

[Maestro]

1 hour ago, Pattaya57 said:

 

 

Thank you, but what you have posted is not a link to a web page on https://www.thaievisa.go.th/

 

Please note that the other poster, on whose behalf you have replied to my post, wrote "The visa fees have been up on the Wellington Embassy website for a couple of weeks, with confirmation from the embassy that they are correct, and the same prices are in the e-visa system right now and available for people to purchase"

 

I was very excited to read and if you can give a link to that webpage on what the other poster called the "e-visa system", I should be most grateful.

[Pattaya57]

7 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

Thank you, but what you have posted is not a link to a web page on https://www.thaievisa.go.th/

 

Please note that the other poster, on whose behalf you have replied to my post, wrote "The visa fees have been up on the Wellington Embassy website for a couple of weeks, with confirmation from the embassy that they are correct, and the same prices are in the e-visa system right now and available for people to purchase"

 

I was very excited to read and if you can give a link to that webpage on what the other poster called the "e-visa system", I should be most grateful.

You asked for a screenshot and I gave you one.

 

Anyway, it's been posted on here since 27th February so you're the only one that doesn't seem to believe it.

 

 

[Maestro]

10 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

Anyway, it's been posted on here since 27th February so you're the only one that doesn't seem to believe it.

 

I never said I did not believe it.

[Maestro]

I did the job myself now. Giving a residence address in New Zealand, I submitted an application for a single-entry tourist visa and quite promptly received the payment request for "300 NZD" from the "Royal Thai Embassy, Wellington", but I won't make that payment, of course, because I don't like the price.

 

I can't give a link to that page because it is personalised to my logged-in account, but I am proud to give below a screenshot of it.

 

That's the confirmation I had been seeking, now we have it.

 

 

[Maestro]

Thai embassies are quick to increase visa fees quoted in the currency of the country where the visa is issued when the currency weakens compared with the Baht, but slow to reduce them when the currency gets stronger.

 

I checked the price in Switzerland just now and it is still the same CHF 40 for the single entry tourist visa (THB 1,580 at Kasikorn Banks buying rate for bank notes) today as it was on 14.11.2014 (THB 1,339 at that day’s rate)

 

My submission of an application for a single-entry tourist visa to the Thai embassy in Switzerland today:

 

[Pattaya57]

7 hours ago, Maestro said:

I did the job myself now. Giving a residence address in New Zealand, I submitted an application for a single-entry tourist visa and quite promptly received the payment request for "300 NZD" from the "Royal Thai Embassy, Wellington", but I won't make that payment, of course, because I don't like the price.

 

I can't give a link to that page because it is personalised to my logged-in account, but I am proud to give below a screenshot of it.

 

That's the confirmation I had been seeking, now we have it.

 

 

Congrats, you did all that effort only to get the same confirmation screenshot that was already given in the OP 😆 

[Liquorice]

It's not just the TV that has inflated application fees.
I just did a comparison with the Thai Embassy London fees against the listed NZ fees.

 

London.
TV £30 = 1383 BHT
Non O SE £60 = 2767 BHT

 

NZ.
TV $300 = 6602 BHT

Non O SE $800 = 17607 BHT.
 

The NZ fees make no sense in comparison to other Thai Embassy fees.
I'm sure they've been informed or questioned on the fees?

For everything else there's Mastercard Visa exempt.   

[chuang]

On 3/19/2024 at 5:46 PM, HauptmannUK said:

Bizarre when a 30 day entry is free. Can't see it being a popular option......What has NZ done to upset Thailand?

The two brothers 😁

[Maestro]

12 hours ago, Liquorice said:

The NZ fees make no sense in comparison to other Thai Embassy fees.
I'm sure they've been informed or questioned on the fees?

 

I have sent an email to the Department of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking if they can confirm that the embassy in Wellington has the authority to charge the new fee of NZD 300.00 for the single-entry tourist visa.

[proton]

On 3/19/2024 at 4:46 PM, HauptmannUK said:

Bizarre when a 30 day entry is free. Can't see it being a popular option......What has NZ done to upset Thailand?

 

well there is Stickman in Auckland😄

[Liquorice]

49 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

I have sent an email to the Department of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking if they can confirm that the embassy in Wellington has the authority to charge the new fee of NZD 300.00 for the single-entry tourist visa.

I'm sure as you previously mentioned, it's a political move in response to the fees for Thais to visit NZ.
Actions speak louder than words.

[Maestro]

1 hour ago, Liquorice said:

Actions speak louder than words

 

1 hour ago, Liquorice said:

...it's a political move in response to the fees for Thais to visit NZ.
Actions speak louder than words.

 

Does that make it legal?