Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Phenom Phen, Penang?

[rexall]

Mon 2 Aug 04

Hi guys,

I haven't had any difficulties with Thai visa for six years . . . and now I am getting confused and paranoid about how to handle it. I don't know if that is because I am a confused and paranoid person by nature, or if the changes in the laws and the way they are applied will cause me difficulty.

Here is the problem. I am in a small town in China. I can apply to the Thai consulate in Guangzhou . . . except that it is a 2+ hour bus ride, and an expensive overnight at a hotel. And I would rather go to the depths of hel*l than spend 2 days in Guangzhou anyway.

Hong Kong, only 2.5 hours by ferry, is a much more pleasant option, but it is also much more expensive. And although recent posts have suggested that the consulate there is reasonable, I have read elsewhere on this site that they can be real bastards!

However, I might like to spend some time in Phenom Phen when I leave China before heading on to LOS, so applying in PP would save me trips to both Guangzhou and Honkers. I would hate to have a visa problem in Cambodia with three pieces of luggage and all my worldly goods with me.

In a recent response to another topic, someone suggested that Penang was a better choice over PP. I suppose I could swing through Penang if I had to, it is a rather pleasant place. But is that necessary? Is it worth it? And, more importantly, I am sure I read somewhere recently that Penang is no longer issuing "B's". Any truth to that???

Geeze, I must seem like a total scatterbrain. I don't normally obsess over these kind of decisions

If anybody out there remarkably has experience with all of these options, I would be grateful for some input.

Thanks, lah!

Aloha,

Rex

[huski]

However, I might like to spend some time in Phenom Phen when I leave China before heading on to LOS, so applying in PP would save me trips to both Guangzhou and Honkers. I would hate to have a visa problem in Cambodia with three pieces of luggage and all my worldly goods with me.

it was i who suggested penang in a different thread...i dig PP and have fun when i go, but can tell you from personal experience and seeing friends denied don't expect it. they are very strict there with paperwork.

if you are denied a non immigrant visa you will get a tourist visa so you will get into thailand.

[ovenman]

Assuming that you are of a nationality that is granted a thirty-day visa-free entry into Thailand, you have nothing to lose by applying for a visa at the Thai embassy in Phnom Phen if you were planning a Cambodia stopover anyway. If your visa application is denied, you could enter Thailand on a thirty-day stamp and then plan your next move (Penang?).

For what it's worth, perhaps it wasn't made clear in the other thread you started on non-B visas that the paperwork requirements for such a visa at the "local" consular offices tends to follow the letter of the law more so than a consular post back in FarangLand. A consular office is perfectly within their rights to ask for the following documentation (clipped from the MFA website):

Foreigners who wish to conduct business in Thailand:

Visa application Form completely filled out

Applicant’s passport with validity not less than 6 months and its copy

Two 4x6 cm. full-faced, bareheaded photos taken within the past 6 months

Letter from the applicant’s company stating the objective of the visit to Thailand, his/her salary,etc.

Document showing correspondence with trading partners in Thailand.

Financial evidence in case that the applicant is doing his/her own business

Evidence of adequate finance (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family)

Letter of invitation from company in Thailand together with copy of corporate documents comprising of -

1) list of shareholders

2) business registration and business license

3) company profile

4) details of business operation

5) list of foreign workers stating names, nationalities and positions

6) map indicating the location of the company

7) Balance sheet, statement of Income Tax and Business Tax (Por Ngor Dor 50 and Por Ngor Dor 30) of the latest year

8) Alien income tax return (Por Ngor Dor 91) and

9) Value-added tax registration (Por Ngor Dor 20) , etc.

(Copies of company documents must be signed by Board of Directors or authorized managing director and affixed the seal of the company.)

Document indicating the number of foreign tourists (for tourism business only), or document indicating export transactions issued by banks (for export business only)

Official marriage and birth certificates (In case of the applicant’s family members)

Consular officers reserve the rights to ask for additional documents as deemed necessary.

In the absence of a required document, a letter indicating the unavailability of such document must be provided.

The applicant must sign on each page of the copy.

Documents in foreign languages must be translated in Thai. If translated into English, it should be notorized by notary organs or the applicant’s diplomatic/ consular mission.

The holders of this type of visa are entitled to stay in Thailand for a maximum period of 90 days. Upon completion of such period, an extension of stay for a period of one year counting from the date of arrival in the Kingdom can be applied for at the Office of the Immigration Bureau.

Don't be surprised if a simple letter from your company stating that you want to buy art to resell in the US and Europe is not acceptable for issuance of a non-immigrant 'B' visa at a Thai consular office in Southeast Asia.

[Sunbelt Asia]

Rexall,

What is your true purpose in Thailand for getting a "B" visa?

This will help in giving you the best answer.

Ovenman, is correct, the odds are VERY low you'll get a visa in SE Asia countries with just a letter stating you want to buy art.

Regards,

www.sunbeltasia.com

[rexall]

Tue 3 Aug 04

Thanks Sunbelt, Overman, Huski,

Thanks very much. I really appreciated it. My situation is a bit complicated, and I don't know how I can avoid being a bit long-winded in explaining it.

I lived in Pattaya for six years and for 2 of those years, had a very "kosher" business with a lot of capitalization, three farang partners and Thai staff. The fact is that I really do buy paintings in LOS and sell them over the internet to US and European customers. However, after we dissolved the partnership, everything I did was pretty much "under the radar" and income from sales went directly into my U.S. bank. The only thing showing in Thailand was that I was buying a lot of art. I have had different types of visas, but the most recent "B" was the via an agent and issued by a consulate in the UK, and the visa was granted with the single letter about buying art that I referred to.

I made my living selling art on the internet for several years, but the market hit a bad patch last year and I have been teaching in China the past year. Now I want to return "home", and selling art will be at least one of the projects I am involved with. I am also a qualified and experienced ESL teacher and, regrettably, may have to do at least some teaching to earn a living.

The real problem is that I have no money, not even enough to qualify for a retirement visa. If I did, I would have simply paid someone to make this go away a long time ago rather then spending my time prowling around this forum trying to figure things out, not a fun hobby! . . . which makes Cambodia a very attractive alternative in many ways.

Now, that should absolutely answer all of your questions and in addition, tell you quite a bit that you never wanted to know in the first place!

Thanks a lot. I am really touched at how helpful everyone is around here.

Aloha,

Rex

[ovenman]

I have had different types of visas, but the most recent "B" was the via an agent and issued by a consulate in the UK, and the visa was granted with the single letter about buying art that I referred to.

There was a big crackdown on this process since you last time you applied for a Thai visa (the visa itself was probably valid, the means by which it was obtained while you were still in Thailand was not). The most sure-fire way for you to obtain another similar visa with the same paperwork would be to visit that consular office or another "friendly" office somewhere in FarangLand. Nothing to be lost but time by trying one of the neighboring consular offices that you have suggested but I would not expect that a visa application would be approved. Even if a non-immigrant visa were granted to you by one of the local offices, it would more likely be single-entry rather than multiple-entry.