Saudi Embassy In Bangkok

[tutsiwarrior]

I'm presently working in Saudi with a resident permit (iqama) and have all the documents issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jeddah ready to present to the BKK Saudi Embassy to obtain the stamp in her passport to allow my wife (thai national with Thai passport) to travel back with me. The application process for the wife's visa is done in Saudi as those of you who have done this know, the wife gets a stamp to travel at the BKK embassy and the actual visa/resident permit is issued later in Saudi after a trip to the Ministry...the husband is the sponsor. I hold a US passport.

Now...when I applied for a business visa at the Saudi BKK embassy last year to travel to Saudi to take up employment there was unpleasantness, mostly on the part of a tall european looking arab with thinning hair...demanded to see university transcripts for this purpose while bellowing 'you must prove to me that you are an engineer...' etc. Almost told him to stuff it but I needed the job. Luckily I had transcripts in the file that I carried with me at the time. The dude has a serious attitude problem and I expect a demand for 'supporting documents' to get the required passport stamp for my wife although I have been assured by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jeddah that their documention and my wife's passport should be all that is required. I will take originals of marriage certificate, wife's ID card, invitation letter from my employers in Saudi, etc. just in case.

Has anyone who has gone this route got any advice re: what additional documents to expect Mr Abdullah bin <deleted> at the embassy in BKK to demand for my wife's travel stamp?

Edited April 12, 2008 by tutsiwarrior

[Naam]

Has anyone who has gone this route got any advice re: what additional documents to expect Mr Abdullah bin <deleted> at the embassy in BKK to demand for my wife's travel stamp?

i am travelling with my wife (german citizen) once a year to Saudi Arabia and occasionally she travels alone (to Jeddah). in order to avoid the well known problems caused by bin-<deleted> our visas are applied for at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. the ministry sends (by telex or e-mail) a specific visa number to the embassy in BKK (or where required) and the bin-<deleted> are left out in the cold.

[tutsiwarrior]

yeah, but...details for my business visa arrangement last year had been electronically transmitted to the BKK embassy and that didn't prevent 'ol Abdullah from sticking in the fecal oar when I came to request the stamp for travel. I was part of a 'block visa' and presented a copy of the document in arabic to the embassy that had been faxed separately to me. Presumably electronic copies all of my wife's docs have already been sent by the Ministry in Jeddah to BKK.

So, your wife ain't never had no probs in BKK in this regard? Maybe I worry too much; however there is the thai vs. european applicant business to factor in...can't say that it helped me much as an american white man last year ...

[Naam]

yeah, but...details for my business visa arrangement last year had been electronically transmitted to the BKK embassy and that didn't prevent 'ol Abdullah from sticking in the fecal oar when I came to request the stamp for travel. I was part of a 'block visa' and presented a copy of the document in arabic to the embassy that had been faxed separately to me. Presumably electronic copies all of my wife's docs have already been sent by the Ministry in Jeddah to BKK.

So, your wife ain't never had no probs in BKK in this regard? Maybe I worry too much; however there is the thai vs. european applicant business to factor in...can't say that it helped me much as an american white man last year ...

never had a problem when the embassy had the visa number from the ministry. without that number waiting period one month and repeatedly stupid questions by bin-<deleted> "why, what, how?" last time my wife was told in BKK she can't travel without me accompanying her or at least my written permission. i called bin-<deleted> and threatened him that i will make sure he is transferred to the embassy in Mogadishu. he then was quite friendly "afwan ya Sihdi... maleesh... mafee mushqilla... anta Almani lekin ismak Abdul-Rahim? ahlan wa sahlan! "

Edited April 12, 2008 by Naam

[rgs2001uk]

yeah, but...details for my business visa arrangement last year had been electronically transmitted to the BKK embassy and that didn't prevent 'ol Abdullah from sticking in the fecal oar when I came to request the stamp for travel. I was part of a 'block visa' and presented a copy of the document in arabic to the embassy that had been faxed separately to me. Presumably electronic copies all of my wife's docs have already been sent by the Ministry in Jeddah to BKK.

So, your wife ain't never had no probs in BKK in this regard? Maybe I worry too much; however there is the thai vs. european applicant business to factor in...can't say that it helped me much as an american white man last year ...

i dont know who your wifes sponsor is, you or your company.

saudi will have sent what is known as a cable number to bangkok, this is usually issued from the saudi authorities after you have already provided the relevant papers in saudi to prove you are married.

usually cable numbers are requested in blocks by the sponsor, your wife will have a cable number unique to her.

whoever applied for you wifes cable number will be able to tell you when the cable numbers were released, and what your wifes cable number is.

your wife can call the saudi embassay in bkk to confirm they have her cable number, after which she goes along and gets the entry stamp in her passport.

a while ago it was recommended that first time visitors were either accompanied by their husbands, or the husband was waiting at the airport to meet his wife.

times have changed lately and i will be out of date with current practices for escorting/meeting your wife, however the basic system for getting the cable number and your wifes passport hasnt changed.

allah kareem.

[tutsiwarrior]

I've tried to contact the BKK Saudi embassy in an attempt to coordinate with them so that there are no surprises when I go with the wife for the passport stamp; directory assistance in Jeddah gave me a fax number. Does anyone have a user friendly telephone number for visa enquires for the BKK Saudi embassy? I'd be much obliged.

[mrbojangles]

I can't help you with your OP tutsi but it's very relevant to me how you go on. I go to work in Riyadh mid May but upto now my company have done all the administration side, including getting me a second passport, which i didn't know could be done. The Mrs is having our baby in Aug/Sept and so i am hoping to bring them out early in the new year.

Can you keep us posted please

[rgs2001uk]

tutsi,

google is your friend.

here are a bunch of numbers i got off the net,

02 237 1938/41

02 266 3888

02 238 0888

02 639 2999

02 639 2960

hope these help.

mr bojangles, which company are you going to work for? did you ask this question at the interview?

many of these companies are desperate to get bums on seats and will tell you anything to get you out to saudi before they are penalised by the saudis for not filling vacant slots.

once you are in saudi you may find there is a waiting list to get your wife over there, in some cases in can take years.

dont want to alarm you, but just want you to be aware of the situation.

[chuckd]

I have obtained resident visas in BKK before with little problem. The Consulate has always asked for my documentation to support the resident visa for myself but has required nothing for my dependants.

When your wife has her resident visa approval number, she should present herself to the Consulate on the 23rd floor of CitiBank (after 0930 but before 1100). The gentleman at the window will look up the number and, if it is in their register, will provide your wife with the medical examination forms along with the visa application itself.

Your wife must go to an approved hospital in BKK to have the various tests run. I recommend St. Louis Hospital on Sathorn Road as it is the closest and is really quite professional. The hospital will perform the various tests, including chest x-ray, HIV test, urinalysis and the most unpleasant of all, the ignominious stool sample. I have always had good luck getting one day service on this with the aforementioned stool sample being the prime thorn in your/her side (so to speak).

Once she is in receipt of the completed examination, take all the completed forms to the Consulate and submit them for action. I always got same day service if there before the 1100 cutoff time.

Recently I brought two children over here for the school holidays on visit visas. I was thrown a curve, being informed we had to visit a web site, fill out the internet forms, pay US $10.50 per visa and then come back, although we had the approved forms from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh. Nothing to do but do what they told us. I was in Riyadh so I had to handle it long distance, with little help from the Consul. I talked to him and he's a typical bureaucratic Saudi. Full of himself, among other things.

If they tell you to visit this web site, contact me and I can give you some information that will save you some time:

https://enjazit.com

THEY DO NOT TAKE AMERICAN EXPRESS.

I stress this as the web site doesn't reject it with any explanation. The web site merely rejects your input and says try again, without telling you AMEX is not accepted.

Perhaps with a resident visa, you won't have to go through this. I would recommend you not lose your cool when dealing with them. I would like to kill them when there but it only delays what little help they provide.

I hope this helps but either post here or PM me if you think I can help.

PS: the number I got results on was 02-639-2999

Edit in:

I just re-read this and realized I left out one important warning. The Consulate might want to have a copy of both your Iqama and your passport. I recommend you have copies of both handy.

Edited April 13, 2008 by chuckd

[tutsiwarrior]

Mr BJ, the way I did things is the way most others that I know here have done, that is, once you have your Saudi resident permit, or IQAMA (a lengthy process - I had to travel to the US to get a work permit from the Saudi embassy there to give to the Ministry in Jeddah for them to issue the iqama) you then make an application for your wife's visa in Saudi as her sponsor.

The visa application is straightforward; the usual documents with arabic translation and pay a SAR2000 fee (about USD500). You need to have your company's PRO person assist you in this. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs then issues a document for you present at the BKK Saudi Embassy for your wife to get a stamp to permit her to travel. Her actual visa or resident permit is then processed/issued after her arrival in KSA.

My query here on TV has to do with any additional requirements by embassy staff in BKK...shouldn't be any from what's been discussed here as there is electronic communication between the MFA in Saudi and the BKK embassy to confirm that all the arrangements for travel are in place. But as we all know from attempting to get thai non - imm 'O' visas and etc from various thai embassies there is always some embassy/consulate dipshit that makes up his own rules...the saudis ain't no different...see my original post.

I won't be travelling to Thailand until after the school year starts middle of next month as my wife will be tied up with the usual new school term stuff with the kids. Maybe someone else reading the thread will have recent news before then...

(Mistah Naam he tell dat boy he gwine sen' his ass ta Mogadishu...mistah Naam he baaaaad.... )

//edit

oops...my last post was after chuckd who posted just before me...I was told by others that medical exams, etc for the wife's visa are done in Saudi; however their wives were not coming from Thailand...

Edited April 13, 2008 by tutsiwarrior

[chuckd]

Duplicate medial exams will be required in KOSA after her arrival in order to have her placed on your Iqama. This includes the previously mentioned and thoroughly distasteful stool sample. She will still have to have the medical examination in BKK in order to get the visa issued into her passport.

I just remembered something else. The consulate might require a copy of your wife's travel document (E-ticket will do).

[Naam]

(Mistah Naam he tell dat boy he gwine sen' his ass ta Mogadishu...mistah Naam he baaaaad.... )

aiwa ya sheikh Tutsi! when them things go too complicated mistah Naam pull one rabbit outa his sleeve and tell bin-<deleted> to call in Riyadh one good friend of mistah Naam who have da family name extension "al-Saud". normally mistah Naam him always very polite but when bin-<deleted> act too high and mighty he can be baaad too much

[rgs2001uk]

dat doctor naam, him be dangerous man, him have de big wastaa.

[chuckd]

Uh, you might want to be certain that Abdulla Bin-<deleted> at the Consulate doesn't have the last name of "Al-Saud" as well.

It might turn into an embarrassing meeting for all concerned.

[Naam]

Uh, you might want to be certain that Abdulla Bin-<deleted> at the Consulate doesn't have the last name of "Al-Saud" as well.

It might turn into an embarrassing meeting for all concerned.

good advice!

[mrbojangles]

Thanks for your help guys. I am hoping my company will sort the visa out when the time comes. They're doing everything for me, all i have done is hand them my passport with my due date in Saudi and they do the rest. Also, Mrs BoJ is having the baby (in the UK) in sept, so we won't be looking to bring her out until at least new year and initially it will be just a visit visa.

[chuckd]

Thanks for your help guys. I am hoping my company will sort the visa out when the time comes. They're doing everything for me, all i have done is hand them my passport with my due date in Saudi and they do the rest. Also, Mrs BoJ is having the baby (in the UK) in sept, so we won't be looking to bring her out until at least new year and initially it will be just a visit visa.

Just a question, Mr. Jangles. Is your company doing the visa work in the UK and are you in the UK at present?

Is this your first trip to Saudi?

[mrbojangles]

Hi chuckd,

Yes my company are doing the work in the UK. They are a big company and have even managed to get me a second passport. I am using my old one to travel to Thailand today and they have just sent my new one to the Saudi embassy.

This is also my first trip to Saudi, although i have spent time out in Kuwait and other UAE countries.

I know that it will be a while before my Mrs can come out but i'm looking at various options. We are having a baby (in the UK) at the end of August but i'm wondering after the birth, if it is best for the Mrs to then go and live in Thailand with her family and when the time comes apply from there. Or stay in the UK and apply from there.

The difficulty i will have, is that on my leave periods i will have to come back to the UK, which won't really feel like an holiday and i won't want to fly back here and then fly to Thailand. I'd sooner she go to Thailand and then i go there for my leave periods. However, now she has settled here and got friends etc it's convincing her to go and live in Thailand which will be the problem.

[chuckd]

Why will you have to go back to the UK on your holidays? I presume it has to do with ticketing policies of your company but, if not, you should be able to travel anywhere you wish.

If you need any advice or information on Saudi, post it here or PM me and I will try and help. My first visit to the Magic Kingdom was in 1981 so I have a bit of experience with it.

Good luck with it all. I am sure it will work out to your benefit.

[mrbojangles]

Why will you have to go back to the UK on your holidays? I presume it has to do with ticketing policies of your company but, if not, you should be able to travel anywhere you wish.

Yes, as far as the company is involved, i can travel almost anywhere. They give me the cost of 3 First Class flights back to the UK per annum. I can then use them in any way i want to upto that value (or put extra towards).

The reason i may have to come back to the Uk is because at the moment, that is where my Mrs and little one will be living. I could book them flights to Thailand and meet them there but it will be difficult for the Mrs with a new born baby and all the stuff that a baby needs, to travel on her own.

Good luck with it all. I am sure it will work out to your benefit.

Many thanks chuckd

[chuckd]

Here is an update on dealing with the BKK Saudi Consulate. My wife (currently on my Iqama and on exit/reentry visa from Saudi) went to the BKK Consulate today to get a visit visa for my daughter for their return to Saudi. This is what has transpired on getting the visa issued:

1. We applied for and received the visit visa approval from the Ministry of Interior in Riyadh. I did not have to personally go. I sent my government relations guy with my Iqama and he applied on my behalf.

2. After obtaining the receipt off the internet (one week perhaps?) from Saudi MOI, I got on the internet with the Enjazit.com people and paid the US$10.50 using a credit card other than Amex. I printed all pages out before submitting them and then printed out copies of all receipts proving payment.

3. I then scanned all these documents to my wife in Thailand where she dutifully printed them out and took them with her to the Consulate this morning. I also sent an e-ticket for her return trip.

4. After arrival, she showed all the documents to the Saudi behind the glass and he said, "this looks good but now you have to do a new requirement that we started two weeks ago. You cannot apply for the visa on your own but you must use one of the approved visa services to apply on your behalf. Here is a list of those approved agencies."

5. To make a long story short, she called one of the visa agencies. They sent a courier to the City Bank Building and met her on the 9th floor (dining room area). She was told they will do everything for her for the nominal fee of 5,000 baht, which includes paying the 2,100 required for the visa. She agreed to this with my approval and off the little courier went. I talked to the owner of the agency and stressed this must be issued tomorrow without fail. He assured me it would be done, Inshallah. She now returns tomorrow to pick up the completed passport with visit visa stamped in.

I am assuming this will work. The main purpose of this post is to warn you that things change very rapidly with the BKK Consulate. They seem to have all new staff and the new staff appears to be very inventive in causing roadblocks and earning a little extra money.

This will be the last visa we will be getting. My next trip out will be on an exit only.

[tutsiwarrior]

Here is an update on dealing with the BKK Saudi Consulate. My wife (currently on my Iqama and on exit/reentry visa from Saudi) went to the BKK Consulate today to get a visit visa for my daughter for their return to Saudi. This is what has transpired on getting the visa issued:

1. We applied for and received the visit visa approval from the Ministry of Interior in Riyadh. I did not have to personally go. I sent my government relations guy with my Iqama and he applied on my behalf.

2. After obtaining the receipt off the internet (one week perhaps?) from Saudi MOI, I got on the internet with the Enjazit.com people and paid the US$10.50 using a credit card other than Amex. I printed all pages out before submitting them and then printed out copies of all receipts proving payment.

3. I then scanned all these documents to my wife in Thailand where she dutifully printed them out and took them with her to the Consulate this morning. I also sent an e-ticket for her return trip.

4. After arrival, she showed all the documents to the Saudi behind the glass and he said, "this looks good but now you have to do a new requirement that we started two weeks ago. You cannot apply for the visa on your own but you must use one of the approved visa services to apply on your behalf. Here is a list of those approved agencies."

5. To make a long story short, she called one of the visa agencies. They sent a courier to the City Bank Building and met her on the 9th floor (dining room area). She was told they will do everything for her for the nominal fee of 5,000 baht, which includes paying the 2,100 required for the visa. She agreed to this with my approval and off the little courier went. I talked to the owner of the agency and stressed this must be issued tomorrow without fail. He assured me it would be done, Inshallah. She now returns tomorrow to pick up the completed passport with visit visa stamped in.

I am assuming this will work. The main purpose of this post is to warn you that things change very rapidly with the BKK Consulate. They seem to have all new staff and the new staff appears to be very inventive in causing roadblocks and earning a little extra money.

This will be the last visa we will be getting. My next trip out will be on an exit only.

chuckd...care to update? how'd it go with the agency that you used?

This is to advise that the use of visa agencies now seems to be SOP at saudi consular sections whenever an iqama (resident permit) holder applies for a visa for wife/family. Colleagues from various countries working here have verified this to be the case when attempting to obtain visas for this purpose. The last instance that I heard of was in Romania last month.

(this is not to say that things haven't changed since then )

in my own case, with the wife we've decided for various reasons not to pursue the matter further...

[chuckd]

Here is an update on dealing with the BKK Saudi Consulate. My wife (currently on my Iqama and on exit/reentry visa from Saudi) went to the BKK Consulate today to get a visit visa for my daughter for their return to Saudi. This is what has transpired on getting the visa issued:

1. We applied for and received the visit visa approval from the Ministry of Interior in Riyadh. I did not have to personally go. I sent my government relations guy with my Iqama and he applied on my behalf.

2. After obtaining the receipt off the internet (one week perhaps?) from Saudi MOI, I got on the internet with the Enjazit.com people and paid the US$10.50 using a credit card other than Amex. I printed all pages out before submitting them and then printed out copies of all receipts proving payment.

3. I then scanned all these documents to my wife in Thailand where she dutifully printed them out and took them with her to the Consulate this morning. I also sent an e-ticket for her return trip.

4. After arrival, she showed all the documents to the Saudi behind the glass and he said, "this looks good but now you have to do a new requirement that we started two weeks ago. You cannot apply for the visa on your own but you must use one of the approved visa services to apply on your behalf. Here is a list of those approved agencies."

5. To make a long story short, she called one of the visa agencies. They sent a courier to the City Bank Building and met her on the 9th floor (dining room area). She was told they will do everything for her for the nominal fee of 5,000 baht, which includes paying the 2,100 required for the visa. She agreed to this with my approval and off the little courier went. I talked to the owner of the agency and stressed this must be issued tomorrow without fail. He assured me it would be done, Inshallah. She now returns tomorrow to pick up the completed passport with visit visa stamped in.

I am assuming this will work. The main purpose of this post is to warn you that things change very rapidly with the BKK Consulate. They seem to have all new staff and the new staff appears to be very inventive in causing roadblocks and earning a little extra money.

This will be the last visa we will be getting. My next trip out will be on an exit only.

chuckd...care to update? how'd it go with the agency that you used?

This is to advise that the use of visa agencies now seems to be SOP at saudi consular sections whenever an iqama (resident permit) holder applies for a visa for wife/family. Colleagues from various countries working here have verified this to be the case when attempting to obtain visas for this purpose. The last instance that I heard of was in Romania last month.

(this is not to say that things haven't changed since then )

in my own case, with the wife we've decided for various reasons not to pursue the matter further...

Sorry I didn't see this query before today.

The visa agency did their jobs and the visa was picked up in time for the flight connections to work.

I am out of Saudi and in Thailand now, semi-retired. My wife would go back tomorrow as she loved it. I would go back as I love the paychecks.

[mrbojangles]

My wife would go back tomorrow as she loved it.

That's nice to hear. My Mrs and baby should be getting their visa's anytime now. I reckon they'll love it too.

I would go back as I love the paychecks.

Ditto that. I love it out here and i love the fact i don't pay tax

[deankham]

Apologies for re-starting an old thread, but seems to be some good information on here.

I've just got my Saudi visa (although just a business visa and not work one initially) and will be heading over in June.

..Assuming I decide to stay my company will then apply for the work visa and Iqama. So hopefully in about 3 months time I'll be in a postion to apply for my wife & daughters resident visas.

With regard to my daughter who has both UK and Thai passports, does it matter in which passport we get the Visa issued?

..On the one hand I'd think UK passport would be better as I understand the Saudi's can be racist and a UK passport would 'appear' better than a thai passport? On the other hand It might be easier if both my wife & daughter are on Thai passports if they need to get the visas issued in Thailand or if they need to travel together without me.

Perhaps my assumptions are wrong so apprieciate any advice.

thanks!