Australia Visa

[Mobaan]

We want to travel to Oz next year in May and June 2005 and want to get the best deals possible on RV rental, airfare etc. Therefore we want to arrange everything way ahead of time .

We need visa for Thai partner-we hope to know how to manage that --but the question remains WHEN can we apply . Some websites say up to a year before travel ,now the travel agent says only 1 month before travel .That would be an absolute bummer ,since we could not rely on having the visa and make bookings now already.

Any up to date info on this from our Ozzi friends ??

[simple1]

We need visa for Thai partner-we hope to know how to manage that --but the question remains WHEN can we apply .

Unsure what you mean by Thai partner. However when you apply for a visa you can state intended time of travel. Some Australian visa's are valid for up to one year from time of issue. As usual contact the BKK embassy when you are clear on the type of visa your Thai partner requires and ask relevant questions.

[Pink Mist]

We need visa for Thai partner-we hope to know how to manage that --but the question remains WHEN can we apply .

Unsure what you mean by Thai partner. However when you apply for a visa you can state intended time of travel. Some Australian visa's are valid for up to one year from time of issue. As usual contact the BKK embassy when you are clear on the type of visa your Thai partner requires and ask relevant questions.

and as usual the helpfull friendly staff will advise

[Mobaan]

Thanks guys,

I am looking foreward to meet the friendly and helpful staff at the Aussi embassy . That would be such a welcome change to find some actually be friendly and helpful at an embassy .

Perhaps this could be the right introdution to a friendly visit to Oz

[RooBoy]

He was joking, the Embassy staff are horrible, it starts at the gates, security have the training of monkeys, dont take any shit from these people if you have a western passport.

Staff inside are no better, all the Thai staff are on power strips (surprise surprise) and are largely useless, missinformation abounds. I would ask to speak to one of the Australian VISA section staff members, and keep pushing it, try to bypass the Thai staff as much as possible.

Visa right now 6 months validity before entry, at least from the last few I have seen, could be up to 12 months though, dont rely on what the Thai staff tell you, you must get the info from an Embassy officials mouth.

Dont leave it till the last minute, dont believe what travel agents tell you, go in early!

[simple1]

He was joking, the Embassy staff are horrible.

Staff inside are no better, all the Thai staff are on power strips (surprise surprise) and are largely useless, miss-information abounds. I would ask to speak to one of the Australian VISA section staff members, and keep pushing it, try to bypass the Thai staff as much as possible.

I have had a completely different experience with the Thai staff. When my Thai G/F (now wife) & I applied for a tourist visa it was granted and stamped in her passport within 30 minutes. Six years later her son then resident in Thailand (aged 12) was granted a Permanent Residency Visa within three weeks from the original application. At all times the Thai staff were helpful.

I guess you may have a different experience if your "paperwork" and visa application do not fully comply with stated policy guidelines.

[Sporting Dog]

I didn't have any problems with the Embassy staff. Tourist visa took a while, more like 3 hours, not half an hour. But we didn't get any grief.

I reckon I'd get a bit tetchy if I had to deal with some of the people I saw there. Some people seem to think that you should be able walk up, pay the money, get the visa, and be out in 15 minutes. And all based on their word alone - no background checks, no conditions, just "she's with me and I'm an aussie so everything is sweeeet, maaaaaate."

Maybe some of the Thai staff are on bit of a power trip but thats probably because the Aussie staff don't HAVE to stand at the counter in the (shit) firing line.

[12call]

We want to travel to Oz next year in May and June 2005 and want to get the best deals possible on RV rental, airfare etc. Therefore we want to arrange everything way ahead of time .

We need visa for Thai partner-we hope to know how to manage that --but the question remains WHEN can we apply . Some websites say up to a year before travel ,now the travel agent says only 1 month before travel .That would be an absolute bummer ,since we could not rely on having the visa and make bookings now already.

Any up to date info on this from our Ozzi friends ??

http://www.mandalatravel.co.th/airticket/bookingonline.asp

[brubo1]

I have applied for (and got) 2 tourist visas for my TGF in the last 10 months. Both times we had to wait for 5 hours at the embassy and both times the visas had to be taken up within a 3 months period. I do however believe that you can tell them the intended date of travel and if granted they will accommodate you.

[Mobaan]

Thanks every one ,

we try this early Nov. and will let you know what came about.

[ProThaiExpat]

So often, posts don't give you any background to judge whether the poster would be expected to have a problem getting a visa.

Example: An Australian citizen trying to get a g/f a visa whould be expected to have more trouble getting the visa than an American who has lived in Thailand for years, even though the Austrailian's attitude might be a lot less tolerant since it is his Embassy. After all, there is far more probability of a "stay over" with an Australian citizen than a citizen of a foreign country who is likewise on a tourist visa. The American can expect a much tougher time getting a U.S. visa for thai g/f than an Australian.

This week I obtained a visa for my Thai and found the Australian Embassy staff to be as before, polite, and very Thai. No different than Thais elsewhere.

I try to get the same "mental-set" as the interviewer so their "needs" for information are met. I had an initial turn down the first time we applied two years ago and turned that around by finding out what they were truly looking for. This time, only one question was asked by the "in-take" person in Window three, (and in my opinion, the one who gives preliminary approval or disapproval quickly) "Is this the same farang you went with last time?.

When the answer was yes, we were informed that "they no longer grant visa the same day, come back in ten days." "We live in Chiang Mai", "I will ask my Supervisor, come back tomorrow". In Thai "You should have no problem getting visa". Picked up visa next day, one iminute to find it.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, I had a full package of documents with Exhibits A through U, even though it was second visa request, as I wanted to make sure there were no grounds for refusal. Trip was for daughters wedding so the visa was a must. Thais love paper, give it to them. They will pick out of the packgage what they want to support their information need. In my case, the intake girl pulled the package apart, selecting the University paperwork, asked for the student I.D. card and wrote across the application face a string of numbers, slashes and letters, indicating in code her preliminary review, in my opinion.

My Thai is near forty and going to a study at home University!!! My guess is the "student sponsored for a trip" designation appealed to her.

[Mobaan]

Thanks for the added info . We will take a bundle of papers when we go and let everybody know how it turned out

[rabbitoh]

the australian embassy opens at 8am..whenever i have gone there..both for a tourist visa and later a spouse visa..i got there at 7.30 and waited near the front of the line..and was nearly first served when the embassy opened at 8am..if you get to the embasssy after 8.30 am you can expect a 4-5 hour wait..

if you think the girls who work at the counter are rude..wait until you have to start dealing with the case officers who process the spouse visa..took me 11 and a half months before the visa was granted..after 11 months i telephoned the minister of immigrations office and told him that my family and i had voted for his party all our life(which we didn't)but after the way i have been treated we will never vote for them again..the visa was granted 2 weeks later

[Pink Mist]

Now you have to deal with Vandstone, Rabbitoh (like the handle, my team also), I doubt if you'd get a sympathetic hearing from her. We had a bit of help from a polly though and ours only took 3 months.

So if you know someone who can pull some strings, use them.