Bad Surprise At Thai Embassy In Athens, Greece

[space666x]

I went to the Thai Embassy in Athens, Greece in order to apply for a double entry tourist visa today. The Greek employee in the visa section there asked me if I was a resident of Greece. I am not (I am Swiss, living partly in Thailand, currently visiting friends in Greece, travelling BKK-ATH-BKK), therefore I honestly said "no" and this was already the end of my visa application, before even getting a form...:

The employee told me that there was a regulation for Europe that Thai visas could only be issued for residents of the respective country by Thai Embassies and consulates in Europe, therefore I couldn't get any visa in Athens. Only the countries surrounding Thailand would issues visas to non-residents of these countries.

I have never heard or read anything like that.

Does anyone know if this is a special Athens thing or if it is a general, rather new Thai regulation? I am quite sure that the practice isn't (or at least wasn't) the same all over Europe.

[samran]

not sure about the particulars RTE in greece, but it is not an uncommon practice for embassies only to service citizens/residents of that country.

[Sateev]

not sure about the particulars RTE in greece, but it is not an uncommon practice for embassies only to service citizens/residents of that country.

Although the OP mentioned countries surrounding Thailand as exceptions, last I checked, Australia was issuing visa to non-residents. Are you sure this is not just another example of make-it-up-according-to-which-side-of-the-bed-you-arose-from embassy prerogative?

Sateev

[samran]

not sure about the particulars RTE in greece, but it is not an uncommon practice for embassies only to service citizens/residents of that country.

Although the OP mentioned countries surrounding Thailand as exceptions, last I checked, Australia was issuing visa to non-residents. Are you sure this is not just another example of make-it-up-according-to-which-side-of-the-bed-you-arose-from embassy prerogative?

Sateev

nope, though it is unusual for a Thai embassy to follow this rule by the sounds of it.

[Maestro]

And the morale of this story…

Question: Are you a resident in <country name>?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: For the duration of your stay in <country name>, even if only for a short time to visit friends, you may consider yourself a resident of that country.

--

Maestro

[space666x]

And the morale of this story…

Question: Are you a resident in <country name>?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: For the duration of your stay in <country name>, even if only for a short time to visit friends, you may consider yourself a resident of that country.

--

Maestro

Yes, I very much agree and I am even thinking about trying my luck again at the Thai Embassy in Athens, hoping that next time someone else who hasn't heard my initial answer yet will ask me that residency question. ;-)

Edited September 11, 2007 by space666x

[dr_Pat_Pong]

not sure about the particulars RTE in greece, but it is not an uncommon practice for embassies only to service citizens/residents of that country.

Although the OP mentioned countries surrounding Thailand as exceptions, last I checked, Australia was issuing visa to non-residents. Are you sure this is not just another example of make-it-up-according-to-which-side-of-the-bed-you-arose-from embassy prerogative?

Sateev

Australia issues Thai visa's to most non residents.

[Crossy]

As a Brit.

Brussels would not, Rome did, Amsterdam said they would (but then I got it in Rome so I didn't actually try).

[IMA_FARANG]

I went to the Thai Embassy in Athens, Greece in order to apply for a double entry tourist visa today. The Greek employee in the visa section there asked me if I was a resident of Greece. I am not (I am Swiss, living partly in Thailand, currently visiting friends in Greece, travelling BKK-ATH-BKK), therefore I honestly said "no" and this was already the end of my visa application, before even getting a form...:

The employee told me that there was a regulation for Europe that Thai visas could only be issued for residents of the respective country by Thai Embassies and consulates in Europe, therefore I couldn't get any visa in Athens. Only the countries surrounding Thailand would issues visas to non-residents of these countries.

I have never heard or read anything like that.

Does anyone know if this is a special Athens thing or if it is a general, rather new Thai regulation? I am quite sure that the practice isn't (or at least wasn't) the same all over Europe.

By coincidence the very first Visa I ever recieved for Thailand (over 30 years ago) was a 60 day tourist visa from the then honarary Thai Consul in Athens.

The Thai consulate in many countries now is limiting Visa applications to residents of or to foriegn nationals currently emloyed in the country. If you were actually living in Greece as a foriegner and were employed in Greece (with alien I.D. work card), they might have given you a visa. Or maybe not, if it was afternoon nap time.

[LaoPo]

And the morale of this story…

Question: Are you a resident in <country name>?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: For the duration of your stay in <country name>, even if only for a short time to visit friends, you may consider yourself a resident of that country.

--

Maestro

Maybe the OP's problem was that he asked for a "double entry tourist visa" and on top of that he is Swiss (a non-Schengen and non-EU country...)?

But, in his (OP) case I would try it again indeed.

edit:

I did some searching for you; please have a look here:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2490

From this website:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/1367.php?id=1776

Good luck.

LaoPo

Edited September 11, 2007 by LaoPo

[Prakanong]

As a Brit.

Brussels would not, Rome did, Amsterdam said they would (but then I got it in Rome so I didn't actually try).

Really - Brussels would not?

I was a resident there though and had a Belgian ID card but I do not think it was asked for - really can not remember.

[space666x]

As a Brit.

Brussels would not, Rome did, Amsterdam said they would (but then I got it in Rome so I didn't actually try).

OK, just like in SE Asia, there seem to be "good" and "bad" Thai Embassies in Europe...

Therefore stay away from

Athens

Brussels

... where else?

[space666x]

Maybe the OP's problem was that he asked for a "double entry tourist visa" and on top of that he is Swiss (a non-Schengen and non-EU country...)?

I was prepared for trouble because of the double entry tourist visa, but I didn't even have a chance to request it... The residency question was the first thing I was asked, just after I said that I was there for a tourist visa.

I don't think that being Swiss is relevant in this case, although my Swiss passport could be seen on the table. Besides that I think that the EU and Schengen are no Thai issues, Switzerland has special treaties with the EU which include free movement of people, that's why in EU airports the Swiss can use the "EU lanes" for immigration checks. Switzerland is on the way of becoming a "Schengen country".

(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland_a..._European_Union)

[somtaamgaiyang]

Been there. I had to register the birth of my daughter.

A very interesting little place with a very hi-so (who regaled us of her times in New York and Frankfurt) old biddy on her way to retirement and a very camp farang assistant.

Not too many Thai children born in Greece so it was an unusual request only made stranger when the old biddy looking down her nose at us asked my wife "Can you read and write dear?" as she passed the documents to my wife. Still causes problems at Thai immigration when they try to work out where our daughter was born.

[DaffyDuck]

And the morale of this story…

Question: Are you a resident in <country name>?

Answer: Yes.

Comment: For the duration of your stay in <country name>, even if only for a short time to visit friends, you may consider yourself a resident of that country.

--

Maestro

Yeah, bummer that he'll be sent home the moment they get a hold of his non-domestic passport, and he'll have wssted his time.

Brilliant advice.

[stumck219]

passport and residency are 2 seperate issues, you do not have to have a greek passport to be a resident of greece.

[baboon]

I do not understand why an Embassy/consulate would refuse an application simply because of non residence. I got a Chinese visa in BKK in 4 hours! Surely a visa is a visa is a visa, or am I missing something?

[Maigo6]

I got a Tourist Visa for Thailand in Tokyo, but they won't give Non Immigrant to non residents.

Not sure about the Consulates, I went the The Thai Embassy.

[bangkokgas]

I got a Tourist Visa for Thailand in Tokyo, but they won't give Non Immigrant to non residents.

Not sure about the Consulates, I went the The Thai Embassy.

Wow, then things have changed in tokyo - my wife who is japanese and lets just say financially comfortable is refused a tourist visa every time she tries (she stays here in Bkk 3-4 months and then Tokyo 2-3 months for business reasons which have nothing to do with Thailand) - "you can get 30 days at the airport', "yes, but i want to stay 4 months, how much cash do you need to see/" Don't care, we are not giving you one"comes back the response.London is not much better either -thank god for Vientiane and Penang. (and Hull and Birmingham for that matter)

[fft100]

this isnt just a thai thing. When i was working just outside Geneva (in France) back in the early 1990's i applied for a b1/b2 US visa in Switzerland (Bern i think) with full paperwork. They refused, saying i should go back to London. They also (and this bit worried me) stamped my passport with "visa refused". However, I got the b1/b2 without any problems when i was back in London.

So, its not just thailand and at least Thai embassys dont stamp "visa refused" !!

[gzu88bv]

Bangkokgas' message like

.....for business reasons which have nothing to do with Thailand) - "you can get 30 days at the airport', "yes, but i want to stay 4 months, how much cash do you need to see/" Don't care, we are not giving you one"comes back the response.London is not much better either -thank god for Vientiane and Penang. (and Hull and Birmingham for that matter)

and the quote below

this isnt just a thai thing. When i was working just outside Geneva (in France) back in the early 1990's i applied for a b1/b2 US visa in Switzerland (Bern i think) with full paperwork. They refused, saying i should go back to London. They also (and this bit worried me) stamped my passport with "visa refused". However, I got the b1/b2 without any problems when i was back in London.

So, its not just thailand and at least Thai embassys dont stamp "visa refused" !!

show me that in this weird world of visa matters each und every time one can be thankful if one obtains the visa that one requests for. And you cannot count on anything at all and take things for granted, but just keep trying at another place. Or how come that i.e a German with a German home address got 3 subsequent Multiple Non-O-Visas from Basle/Switzerland or, myself as a Swiss, with home address in Switzerland, received just recently a Multiple Non-O-Visa from Hull/England?

[jstumbo]

This is just crazy. I get business visas for Vietnam in BKK all the time. I have a US passport.

Don't they realize that with today's global economy, it can be years before some of us ever get back to our home countries? They want us to fly half way around the world to go back to our home country just to get a visa?

Jim

[g00dgirl]

I got several visas (1 yr non-B etc) from the Thai embassy in South Africa, even though I am not a citizen or permanent resident of South Africa, but I had a business permit for South Africa at the time.

[Captain Chaos]

This is just crazy. I get business visas for Vietnam in BKK all the time. I have a US passport.

Don't they realize that with today's global economy, it can be years before some of us ever get back to our home countries? They want us to fly half way around the world to go back to our home country just to get a visa?

Jim

Yes they do, because they either haven't grasped, or just don't give a sh*t about, some of the realities of the global economy you've described ...

[somchai69]

not sure about the particulars RTE in greece, but it is not an uncommon practice for embassies only to service citizens/residents of that country.

I have received that answer regarding Non Imm visas

but am surprise that it applies to tourist visa...........

[wileycoyote]

In my experience ,most Thai government departments try to backheel it to the Consulate/Embassy of the country you hold passport for.

European Dis-union

Wiley Coyote

[jayceenik]

I went to the Thai Embassy in Athens, Greece in order to apply for a double entry tourist visa today. The Greek employee in the visa section there asked me if I was a resident of Greece. I am not (I am Swiss, living partly in Thailand, currently visiting friends in Greece, travelling BKK-ATH-BKK), therefore I honestly said "no" and this was already the end of my visa application, before even getting a form...:

The employee told me that there was a regulation for Europe that Thai visas could only be issued for residents of the respective country by Thai Embassies and consulates in Europe, therefore I couldn't get any visa in Athens. Only the countries surrounding Thailand would issues visas to non-residents of these countries.

I have never heard or read anything like that.

Does anyone know if this is a special Athens thing or if it is a general, rather new Thai regulation? I am quite sure that the practice isn't (or at least wasn't) the same all over Europe.

Bad luck. An American I know got a one-year non-immigrant visa at the Thai Embassy in Budapest last June while vacationing in Europe. No problem but he could show a BKK bank savings account passbook.