InterestedObserver Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Denver is very friendly but only helps those from the local area. Likewise Houston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJAS Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Well I would tell the Washington Embassy that I was applying through them because LA will not give me an Multiple Entry Visa as allowed by MFA regulations.Embassies trump Consulates any day of the week But of course - you'll do just that :-). DC is a nice city to visit for a weekend - but don't forget to get a return ticket back to LA :-) Well we have a handy little thing in the US and it is called Express Mail and it saves you from having to fly from LA to DC and it is only $14 Does the Washington Embassy accept postal applications? The London Embassy most certainly does not (meaning that you have to turn up in person)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 (edited) - When submitting application by mail, application must include self-address return envelope by these following mail service 1. Next-day Express Mail (US Post Office) with $ 17.50 postage stamp (Metered stamps will not be accepted) 2. FedEx with a prepaid air bill or FedEx account number and envelope. http://www.thaiembdc.org/consular/visa/Non-Imglong.aspx Edited April 19, 2009 by lopburi3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 If you do it by mail do it well in advance. This from website. Applying by mail:- Applications are usually processed approximately within 10 business days (not including mailing time) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimGant Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Denver is very friendly but only helps those from the local area. Likewise Houston. If you mean Houston is "very friendly," then yes. But unlike Denver, they *do* accept applications US-wide. A few years back, the Denver Honorary Consulate sent this email to the PattayaExpatsClub: We are trying to tell customers who are trying to obtain a visa, to go to theirnearest consulate within the state they reside in. We will accept travelers who are within the state of Colorado or neighboring cities who do not have a consulate in their area. We are trying to make customers understand that we will not be issuing visas as easily as we had in the past due to the changes that have taken place since October 2006. We are trying to follow the rules the best we can per the Thai Embassy. We do not want customers misinformed that we can issue ANY TYPE of visa easily if requested or we will take applications from those who reside outside our area. We will try to ask the customer to provide as much documentation as possible pertaining to the type of visa applied for. Somehow, they got spooked about territorial rice bowls. So did the Miami Honorary Consulate. Most others, however, did not -- and will stlll honor mail in applications from within the overall US (but not from outside). It's easy to see how the confusion might have happened, as we all know Thais don't like "in your face" directives. And I'm sure such a directive to a bunch of (mostly) US lawyers acting as honorary consul generals would be even more unappealing. So, something open to interpretation was put out by the Thai Embassy -- and thus we have ... open interpretations. Anyway, this territorial thing has always been a big deal with the LA Consulate, who it seems, doesn't even recognize honorary consulates (per the Austin native who was told to go to the Thai Embassy DC vice either of the three honorary consulates in Texas). Hopefully, we won't see more of this, as it's just a reaction by offices that are seeing more of their 'territorial' customers going to more efficient, user friendly offices in other territories. And the same thing is now happening with Immigration Offices in Thailand -- rice bowl protection time, forcing us to go back to the crummy offices we learned (and once were able) to avoid. Once again Thailand bureaucracy doesn't get the Deming Award for user-friendly efficiencies. Applications are usually processed approximately within 10 business days(not including mailing time) The quote applies for mail ins to the Thai Embassy DC. Mail it to Houston First Class on a Friday, get it back the following Thursday. I bet most of the other honorary consulates are about the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grnelson75 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Denver is very friendly but only helps those from the local area. Likewise Houston. If you're in Boston, I know from recent first hand experience they will handle visa apps from those outside the area. I live in Wisconsin and for convenience used Boston while there for work. Fast and friendly service for my tourist visa in Feb and then my O-A in April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubonjoe Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Any honorary consulate is better than the LA, DC,, NY or Chicago consulates. Not sure honorary consulates can do OA's though. For a list of hononrary consulates use the pull down menu at the top of this page on DC website. Link: http://www.thaiembdc.org/AboutEmb/EmbDirect.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimGant Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Not sure honorary consulates can do OA's though. For sure Houston, Honolulu, and Portland -- and now we see that Boston also issues O-As. I believe most others in the US do too, with the possible exception of Denver. It's in the UK where the honoraries have stopped issuing O-As. Curious, as they do issue O visas with easier-to-meet criteria than in the US. And I believe all the honoraries in Australia issue O-As -- for sure Perth -- which also has user friendly criteria for O visas. Definitely no consistency between Thai honorary consulates worldwide -- and even within individual countries, at least in the US. Curious, but not surprising with fiefdom mentality. Fast and friendly service for my tourist visa in Feb and then my O-A in April. gr, was that a multi entry O-A? If not, did you have that option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJAS Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Be aware it does not renew your visa. You enter country while visa is still valid and you always get a one year permitted to stay. So if you do it the day before visa expires it is almost two years. But for any travel with a return after the original visa expires you need to have a re-entry permit. After that you extend your stay in a normal manner at Immigration each year. I think that this is a very important point. If you had a multi-entry OA visa and re-entered Thailand the day when your visa expires, you would presumably only be stamped in for the standard 30 days, would you not? I have a multi-entry OA visa which will expire on 12 August 2009. I am planning a trip back to the UK next July with a scheduled return date of 11 August 2009. This will presumably mean that I shall then be stamped in until 10 August 2010? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lite Beer Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I am planning a trip back to the UK next July with a scheduled return date of 11 August 2009. This will presumably mean that I shall then be stamped in until 10 August 2010? Yes. 12 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimGant Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 with a scheduled return date of 11 August 2009. This will presumably mean that I shall then be stamped in until 10 August 2010? I don't know what happens if the plane arrives late, as on the next day when your visa expires. I've arrived (chocked in) shortly after midnight on flights scheduled to arrive pre-midnight -- and have been stamped in as if I had arrived pre-midnight. Whether that's the policy, I don't know. I would think, however, if your flight has a mechanical delay -- and arrives well on the 12th, you'll be the proud recepient of a 30-day stamp . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grnelson75 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Fast and friendly service for my tourist visa in Feb and then my O-A in April. gr, was that a multi entry O-A? If not, did you have that option? It was a multi entry O-A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimGant Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 It was a multi entry O-A. Thanx for that -- and letting us add Boston to the repository of good guys. LA, you're here why? Oh yeah, to service your brethren in Thai Town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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