ALL consulates in S/E Asia switch to online eVisa system effective Jan 1st 2025

[Tod Daniels]

Probably old news (as I've been off this forum for a bit)
BUT
I wanted to put all the notices in one place so everyone knows, effective Jan 1st 2025 there are no longer any "walk in" (apply in person consulates)

This also means that effective that date the year-long, multi-entry Non-O visas based on marriage that people were getting from "user friendly" consulates in the area will no longer be available.  

Note that you apply online in Yangon, Vientiane and Savannakhet but then have th GO in person to pay for the visa (wonder if people could ask at that time if they could get a year/multi Non-O)?

These are the last consulates to switch to eVisa ; Taipei, Yangon, Singapore, Manila, Vientiane & Savannakhet

[DrJack54]

40 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

Note that you apply online in Yangon, Vientiane and Savannakhet but then have th GO in person to pay for the visa

This is the weird bit.

Fancy having an eVisa setup that does not include payment options with the application. 

[Caldera]

22 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

This is the weird bit.

Fancy having an eVisa setup that does not include payment options with the application. 

 

It's mind-boggling, almost as if they tried very hard to create an opportunity to discreetly ask applicants for some extra tea money. If their only concern had been that many applicants in Laos and Myanmar are unable to pay online, they could have made it an option to pay in person, not a requirement. 

[DrJack54]

35 minutes ago, Caldera said:

If their only concern had been that many applicants in Laos and Myanmar are unable to pay online, they could have made it an option to pay in person, not a requirement. 

Exactly.

Personally never applied for eVisa for Thailand but have few times for eVisa to Vietnam (Oz pp).

After the application is filled in online, you review, check all fields then hit payment.

I opt for debit/credit card. 

Done on the spot and visa takes ~4 days to process and the eVisa is emailed to you

[Briggsy]

Perhaps they have no other way of ensuring at the moment the applicant is not in Thailand at the point of application.

 

Note the lead time of 10-15 working days. Applicants may not want to spend 10-15 working days hanging around in Savannakhet but may apply from Thailand and then nip out and back when the visa is approved.

 

Having said that, it is not clear at what point in the process payment is made. Surely it must be at the point of application.

[Denim]

Thailand switching to all online visa applications. What could possibly go wrong ?  Glad I won't be one of the guinea pigs helping them to sort out the gremlins and get their ducks in a row.

 

Be a lot of people bypassing this and going for VOA then sorting things out in country.

[DrJack54]

What will be required in terms of entry via air/land borders.

For example when applying for eVisa for Thailand in say UK you include entry.flight details. Proof of flight.

 

Many years ago applying for tourist visas for Thailand from Saigon you had to provide hard copy of flight into Thailand.

What will you need to show if obtaining eVisa in Laos.

 

As pointed out in a post above....

Lot of folk will just border bounce enter visa exempt and apply for eg Non O marriage/retirement at local immigration office.

Even moreso if Multiple Entry Visa becomes unavailable.

 

 

[Tod Daniels]

We are seeing more and more consulates that are on the eVisa system sending a "request for extra documentation" after the eVisa is applied for and asking for EVERY page of your passport including blank pages <- That could be a way to make sure you're actually STILL in the country where you applied.

Interesting that it says on some of those notices that someone else can show up and pay for you, so it would appear it's not to check if the applicant is in the country or not.  

Dunno, really. 

Hanoi, HCMC, and Jakarta all switched over to eVisa pretty seamlessly and after the first week they got their processing time down to not that long.

People are still avoiding using the 3 consulates in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Kota Bharu and Penang) because they have extended processing (or that is what has been reported)    

[Pattaya57]

35 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What will be required in terms of entry via air/land borders.

For example when applying for eVisa for Thailand in say UK you include entry.flight details. Proof of flight.

Seems UK is different to Australia as I applied for 2 e-visa (Tourist and non-imm O) this year and neither required proof of flights. I had to enter date of expected arrival and flight number but I just made those up from the Singapore Airlines website (only bought ticket once e-visa approved)

 

Pretty sure Laos/Cambodia e-visa will be same as Australia approach of not requiring proof of flight due so many land border crossings?

 

[Tod Daniels]

Right now the TTEO (Thailand Trade and Economic Office) in Taipei is the GO TO place for visas..
 

They are a walk up consulate, and you get your passport sometimes the same day (or the next day at the latest)

People have been flocking there for DTV's because they're easy going and a "user friendly" consulate

My advice would be IF you're thinking of getting a visa before they switch over to eVisa get to Taipei NOW (before the 27th) and apply in person

 

[Denim]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

Thailand switching to all online visa applications. What could possibly go wrong ?  Glad I won't be one of the guinea pigs helping them to sort out the gremlins and get their ducks in a row.

 

Be a lot of people bypassing this and going for VOA then sorting things out in country.

 

Actually , I just googled this. Apparently Visa On Arrival ( VOA ) is only for 15 days and applies to 31 countries :

 

https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand-visa/visa-on-arrival

 

What you should be getting / asking for is Visa Exemption , 60 days with possible 30 day extension

 

https://washingtondc.thaiembassy.org/en/page/visaexempt-voajul2024

 

I guess the immigration officers at the airport know this and will not accidently ive you only 15 days.

 

 

[Tod Daniels]

12 minutes ago, Denim said:

 

Actually , I just googled this. Apparently Visa On Arrival ( VOA ) is only for 15 days and applies to 31 countries :

 

What you should be getting / asking for is Visa Exemption , 60 days with possible 30 day extension

 

I guess the immigration officers at the airport know this and will not accidently ive you only 15 days.

 

 

Yep you were referring to a Visa Exempt entry (60 day free stamp for 90+ countries since July 15th) <- which is not a visa at all just a free entry stamp
and
you were not referring to a real VOA (Visa On Arrival) which is SOLD to people from 31 countries now when they land here for 2000baht, and as you pointed out is only valid 15 days <- which means it can't be used to switch to any visa inside the country.. (not 31)

Here's the list of Visa Exempt countries AND the list of Visa On Arrival countries

AND
Before someone mentions it, YES it is totally possible for a country to appear on BOTH lists 😮

[bigt3116]

5 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

This is the weird bit.

Fancy having an eVisa setup that does not include payment options with the application. 

 

Both Laos and Myanmar have closed currencies, they both desperately like foreign cash. That is the only reason I can think of.

 

[Caldera]

5 minutes ago, bigt3116 said:

Both Laos and Myanmar have closed currencies, they both desperately like foreign cash. That is the only reason I can think of.

 

But the money doesn't go to those countries, it goes to Thai embassies and consulates. They've never accepted 

local currencies in those two countries, so Myanmar and Laos cannot even benefit from any money exchange.

[Tod Daniels]

1 hour ago, bigt3116 said:

 

Both Laos and Myanmar have closed currencies, they both desperately like foreign cash. That is the only reason I can think of.

 

The thai consulates in Cambodia & Vietnam only take USD and you can pay online thru the eVisa system

[Rob Browder]

6 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

Interesting that it says on some of those notices that someone else can show up and pay for you, so it would appear it's not to check if the applicant is in the country or not.  

So your "agent" can take care of this part, is my guess - for more timely service, given the timelines given are long.  Just a guess, but ...

[zmisha]

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Lot of folk will just border bounce enter visa exempt and apply for eg Non O marriage/retirement at local immigration office.

Are the border bounces still possible for those who have half of their passport filled with back-to-back Non-O visas?
Is it possible to make an easy single day border run with the updated bank book showing 400k ?

P.S. I am currently a happy owner of the Non-O ME (Marriage) from Savannakhet - so I don`t need a visa for about a year and a half. I just curious about the current situation to clarify the future.

[DrJack54]

14 minutes ago, zmisha said:

I am currently a happy owner of the Non-O ME from Savannakhet - so I don`t need a visa for about a year and a half. I just curious about the current situation to clarify the future.

You won't need to obtain a visa.

When you obtain your last 90 day stamp prior to expiry of your ME Non O you can obtain 12 month extension. 

The requirements for the extension based on marriage has many threads. 

 

Here is a thread for extension based on marriage.....

Some posts have included items not necessary 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1337120-what-are-docs-required-for-non-o-married-extension-please/

[Rob Browder]

21 minutes ago, zmisha said:

Are the border bounces still possible for those who have half of their passport filled with back-to-back Non-O visas?
Is it possible to make an easy single day border run with the updated bank book showing 400k ?

P.S. I am currently a happy owner of the Non-O ME (Marriage) from Savannakhet - so I don`t need a visa for about a year and a half. I just curious about the current situation to clarify the future.

I assume you are under 50, or retirement-extensions would be the easy way to go - agent or otherwise. 

 

Some of the Cambodian border-run agent reports indicate they charge a premium for those whose current/last entry was a Non-Imm type - was an extra 2K Baht, from memory, in addition to their usual charge. 

 

If it were today, I would do a border-bounce at a safe entry point like Nong-Khai / Vientiane.  There have been no reports there thus far of any problems.   Of course, predicting such SO FAR into the future  (15 months - LOL!!) in Thailand is always problematic, given things change on a dime. 

The DTV may be another option (or not) by that time.

[StayinThailand2much]

On 12/15/2024 at 8:38 AM, Denim said:

Thailand switching to all online visa applications. What could possibly go wrong ?  Glad I won't be one of the guinea pigs helping them to sort out the gremlins and get their ducks in a row.

 

Be a lot of people bypassing this and going for VOA then sorting things out in country.

 

How will this, practically, even affect visa applications in the medium-term? Can one still apply for a, say, tourist visa in Vietnam, or Laos, or will they refer me to the Thai embassy in my home country, even though I don't live there anymore?

[DrJack54]

32 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Can one still apply for a, say, tourist visa in Vietnam, or Laos, or will they refer me to the Thai embassy in my home country, even though I don't live there anymore?

You will be able to apply for eg a visa for Thailand while you are in Vietnam.

Same as shortly I will apply for eVisa (tourist visa) for visit to Vietnam.

I will that while in Thailand.

Oz passport requires visa to enter Vietnam.

 

However would seem that process time for applying for eVisa for Thailand in nearby may requiring spending longer time than previously required. 

In the OP from one of the attachments mentions 10-15 days. 

That would be unworkable..

If it is possible to apply while in Thailand and just exit Thailand when eVisa is approved then reenter to use the visa that would make the system workable. 

[StayinThailand2much]

42 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

However would seem that process time for applying for eVisa for Thailand in nearby may requiring spending longer time than previously required. 

In the OP from one of the attachments mentions 10-15 days. 

That would be unworkable..

If it is possible to apply while in Thailand and just exit Thailand when eVisa is approved then reenter to use the visa that would make the system workable. 

 

Doing this, and, possibly, having to pay in person, as discussed, wouldn't they check and compare application date and visa stamps?

[DrJack54]

4 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

Doing this, and, possibly, having to pay in person, as discussed, wouldn't they check and compare application date and visa stamps?

Even if the "payment in person" had an alternative the processing time for the eVisa would make it impractical if the application had to be made while in eg Laos.

 

I can recall obtaining my first Non O retirement at Vientiane

It was an overnight gig.

 

Now it's an appointment and process time of what 3 days? 

What will it be when eVisa starts 2025

The folk requiring a Non O will simply obtain the visa from the local immigration office from visa exempt entry.

There is no one requiring a tourist visa since exempt went to 60 days.

 

[StayinThailand2much]

16 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

There is no one requiring a tourist visa since exempt went to 60 days.

 

Fair enough, as visa exemptions, theoretically, and factually 😆 can be used to enter Thailand as many times as needed...

[DrJack54]

22 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

 

Fair enough, as visa exemptions, theoretically, and factually 😆 can be used to enter Thailand as many times as needed...

I don't see it that way.

There has always been an issue with back to back visa exempt entries  via air with extensive history.

Until recently there was limit of 2 entries via land per calendar year.

That was changed and that 2 per year removed.

Personally think the term "Unlimited Entries" via land borders was misleading. 

 

The eVisa to commence in 2025 in the countries mentioned in the OP is in the main is for expats looking for ongoing living in Thailand on extensions from a non O retirement or marriage.

If multi entry non O marriage is taken off the menu then those looking for that visa would just obtain the non O in Thailand.

 

For those prepared to just do ongoing border bounce for visa exempt entry that may work.

Just don't even consider taking a weekend away from Thailand via air..

[Tod Daniels]

On 12/17/2024 at 9:29 AM, StayinThailand2much said:

 

Fair enough, as visa exemptions, theoretically, and factually 😆 can be used to enter Thailand as many times as needed...

I believe you are confused..
There never was a hard limit of visa exempt entries by air EVER (as in no real rule)
AND
Previously there was a limit of TWO free visa exempt entries by land in a calendar year <- Which was a GOOD THING because you were guaranteed to get in by land two times a year without much hassle AT ALL.

Sadly once they went to the 60 day visa exempt entry and discontinued the "2 entry by land in a year" rule all that meant was you are now at the mercy of the officer at passport control stamping you in (just like you are at the airports). If they're having a bad day, they'll pass that right on to you. 

Borders that were previously soft touch, got HARD CORE really really fast, and they started making up rules, stay out 2 nights, stay out one night, telling people you can't get in, go to an airport and fly in.

People were tooting the drum and beating the horn when the "2 free entries by land in a calendar year" rule was discontinued

Remember people "no limit" doesn't mean "unlimited" 
 

[Tod Daniels]

Just a heads up to everyone wanting to get to a consulate that accepts walk-in, in person applications

Goto Taipei by the 27th of Dec <- that's next friday as that's the last day they'll accept in person, walk up applications