Fecking Hull - Best Way To Stay In Thailand Now?

[modafinil]

I had intended to go back to the UK for a few weeks in March and get a non-immigrant O visa while I was there. Well, it seems that Hull consulate have messed up my plans entirely. Other than to say hello to friends and family, I don't have any pressing need to return to the UK.

So when my 12/15 month multiple O visa for the purpose of visiting friends runs out, what is my best way to stay in Thailand? Another few months here would be very nice, how can I do this easily and of course legally? I don't have a Thai wife, I've got a year-long rental agreement on my house & I live in Phuket. Another 3 months beyond March would be very useful to me.

All ideas welcome.

[Crossy]

It was only a matter of time before Hull was brought more into line with other, more local, consulates.

According to this post a rental agreement should do the trick, at least for now

Give them a call or an email to make sure.

Otherwise a Tourist Visa (60 days plus a 30 day extension) is your only choice, free until the end of March. Vientiane are apparently issuing double entries for free at present.

[modafinil]

It was only a matter of time before Hull was brought more into line with other, more local, consulates.

According to this post http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__4179110 a rental agreement should do the trick, at least for now

Give them a call or an email to make sure.

Otherwise a Tourist Visa (60 days plus a 30 day extension) is your only choice, free until the end of March. Vientiane are apparently issuing double entries for free at present.

Thanks for the advice, Crossy. My rental agreement is not exactly what you would call a "legal document", possibly I could ask my landlord to write something a bit more professional looking.

The Vientiane option would be a good temporary solution, would mean I could get back to the UK for the summer when the "land of frowns" briefly becomes tolerable

If I was going to Laos, I might as well just get a flight from Phuket to Udon Thani, Nong Khai is only a 45 minute bus ride away then. I don't suppose anybody would care to talk me through what I need to do to get a double entry tourist visa? I've only had 2 Thai visas so far, an edu visa when I did a TEFL course and my non-immigrant O. Am I pretty much guaranteed to get issued a tourist Visa? - don't want to get stuck in Laos forever

[Maestro]

...would mean I could get back to the UK for the summer when the "land of frowns" briefly becomes tolerable

If you regularly spend winter in Thailand, summer in the UK, you should be recognised as a genuuine tourist. A double-entry tourist visa (one border run, two extensions) gives you close to six months. If you need a bit longer, Hull might give you the multiple-entry non-O if you enclose a letter explaining your travel pattern, ie winters in Thailand, and a letter from your landlord confirming that you are renting a flat from him for that period. Call the consul for confimation or email him.

The way see it, consulates have been asked to document better their justification for giving a particular type of visa, in a manner of speaking cover their backs.

[bkksteviejai]

If your going back to the UK maybe a triple entry tourist visa would suffice?. Don't know if they do these at Hull but I know they do them in Birmingham.

[languageexpress]

Hi modafinil,

An alternative to returning on an O visa, or indeed any of the tourist visa with necessity of multiple visa runs, may be to consider studying Thai and obtaining an education visa.

The school I work for specialises in Thai courses and education visa - of up to 3 years, as the I believe the law currently allows. If you would like more information or advice please give us a call.

Cheers,

Jez

[ESB7]

I did get a 2 month extension at Hua Hin for 1,900 baht after the 15 months had expired...it was 3 years ago and I cant remember what docs, if any were needed...

[lopburi3]

A sixty day extension would have required proof of Thai family member (wife-child?). There is no normal extension of a non immigrant 90 day entry as is the case for tourist visas.

[jazzbo]

All ideas welcome... As explained on the Hull website Non-IMM 'O' package, maybe you can arrange to be a volunteer at a 'recognized' social welfare organization.

[Momar]

Is it just me who can't open the first file "Aa General Visa Rules and Regulations"? All I get is "File is not found". Running Office 10 Win 7 Premium.

Kan anyone be so kind and help me? The other files works fine in Office 10.

[Mario2008]

I have no problem downloading it with your link.

Have atteched it here. Hope that helps Aa General Visa Rules and Regulations.doc

[Momar]

I have no problem downloading it with your link.

Have atteched it here. Hope that helps Aa General Visa Rules and Regulations.doc

Sorry but still the same problem "File is not found"

Thanks for helping anyway.

[phaethon]

I have no problem downloading it with your link.

Have atteched it here. Hope that helps Aa General Visa Rules and Regulations.doc

Sorry but still the same problem "File is not found"

Thanks for helping anyway.

That's curious, the link in Mario's post is okay, it's the actual document that contains the words "File Not Found!"

ps

The original doc on the Hull website is FUBARd, something in their PDF generator screwed up.

[theoracle]

Hi Momar,

I couldn't open it either using windows 7, I emailed them and they sent me a copy.

Cheers, Paul

I have no problem downloading it with your link.

Have atteched it here. Hope that helps Aa General Visa Rules and Regulations.doc

Sorry but still the same problem "File is not found"

Thanks for helping anyway.

[Momar]

I have no problem downloading it with your link.

Have atteched it here. Hope that helps Aa General Visa Rules and Regulations.doc

Sorry but still the same problem "File is not found"

Thanks for helping anyway

That's curious, the link in Mario's post is okay, it's the actual document that contains the words "File Not Found!"

I think you are correctly on the on, my Office can open it but the its just the File is not found. Its 15byte long. Strange.

[jazzbo]

The following is a cache version I found of the suggested Volunteer that was previously on the Hull Consulate website:

Volunteer Organisation Sponsor Letter

(to be printed on organisation letterhead)

To:

Royal Thai Consulate

James Bell House

Connaught Road

Kingswood Business Park

HULL HU7 3AP

Date: ____

/ ____/ ______

Subject:

Visa for ____________________

Name of visa applicant

We hereby request the Royal Thai Consulate at Hull to issue a Non-Immigrant Category "O"

(Single / Multiple) Entry Visa to ________________________ who is to undertake volunteer work with this organisation.

Furthermore, this organisation confirms that it is acting as sponsor for this applicant.

____________________________

Signature of Authorised Person

Please note the above is a suggested letter only and can be varied provided it states the name of the visa applicant, the applicant's purpose of visit to Thailand and that the applicant is being sponsored by the organisation issuing the letter.

01/Jul/2006 (BE 2549)

This is from the current Hull website package Aba-1 Visa Application Pack

NON-IMMIGRANT VISA / Category "O

Volunteer work Evidence required: Suitable letter from recognised charity.

This is a list of established NGOs in Thailand : http://en.wikipedia....ons_in_Thailand

[endure]

All of their downloads seem to be screwed.

[stament]

Hi,

OP it would be useful if you explained why HULL has messed up your plans. Could you please for my benefit and I suspect some others on here. What has changed exactly at Hull to have messed up your plans.

Thanks and good luck

[Maestro]

All of their downloads seem to be screwed.

The document does load, but is is only one page with only the text "File not found". Weird.

[Crossy]

OP it would be useful if you explained why HULL has messed up your plans. Could you please for my benefit and I suspect some others on here. What has changed exactly at Hull to have messed up your plans.

Hull were just about the last Consulate to issue a non-o for 'visiting friends', that option has now been removed

[phaethon]

Hull were just about the last Consulate to issue a non-o for 'visiting friends', that option has now been removed

Hull was the last to do so in an English-speaking country, but are there any Thai Consuls in non-Anglophone countries who will do the same, maybe so far off the beaten track that they haven't had the memo yet? Since any (qualifying) nationality could apply to Hull (so long as they were in the UK or even EU at the time) we need some non-anglophones to phone their consulates and ask for us...

[clinique]

Try Paris, Perth, Wellington.

[Lite Beer]

Perth closed in October and have not seen anything to suggest that the others will issue.

[Foxman888]

OP it would be useful if you explained why HULL has messed up your plans. Could you please for my benefit and I suspect some others on here. What has changed exactly at Hull to have messed up your plans.

Hull were just about the last Consulate to issue a non-o for 'visiting friends', that option has now been removed

Does anyone know if you can still apply for a non O for visiting your girlfriend? Thats what i normally put on my application. I can't get anything to download from Hull...

[whatchamacallit]

Hull were just about the last Consulate to issue a non-o for 'visiting friends', that option has now been removed

Does anyone know if you can still apply for a non O for visiting your girlfriend? Thats what i normally put on my application. I can't get anything to download from Hull...

If you can't get Non-O for "Visiting Friends" why would "visiting your girlfriend" be any difference....

[Foxman888]

Hull were just about the last Consulate to issue a non-o for 'visiting friends', that option has now been removed

Does anyone know if you can still apply for a non O for visiting your girlfriend? Thats what i normally put on my application. I can't get anything to download from Hull...

If you can't get Non-O for "Visiting Friends" why would "visiting your girlfriend" be any difference....

Well that was what i was thinking, but i was hoping that they might look at it differently as it is a relationship as opposed to visiting a friend. But thank you for your reply. I have now emailed Hull to see what they say and also to ask if there is any documentary evidence i can provide to back up my future application. If not i'll guess i go down the Education Visa route. :jap:

[NanLaew]

^ Yes, the ED visa, or 'the visa of last resort'.

Chap I work with is planning getting one of them as two of his mates in Phuket have them and they only have to go to class maybe once a month. Just need to pick a day that doesn't clash with EPL games on the telly or the lads night out.

I note that the OP had an ED visa before while doing the TEFL course? What happened with that? Didn't graduate? Or maybe can't get hired due to lack of experience?

[modafinil]

Hull was by far the easiest way to get a multiple O Visa in the UK, so I'm naturally fed up that I have to find some alternative means to stay in Thailand.

I had a Edu Visa for my TEFL course, but the Edu Visa was only for 3 or 6 months, so it has long expired, and would have been superceded by the multiple O anyway I suspect.

Getting a teaching job complete with work permit is a viable option for me, but would put a serious hole in my drinking schedule My Thai gf has suggested a way for me to stay in Thailand permanently, but I think that it would cause a lot more problems than it would solve

I'll email the Hull Thai Consulate to find out how much leeway they give with regards to the "Residing in Thailand: Evidence required: Copy of house deeds". If that were true they wouldn't issue any Visas at all, what with farangs not being able to own a house here.

Regarding "lazy but expensive" options, if I flew to Singapore and back would I get an automatic 30-day Visa stamp? Could I keep doing this?

[Richard4849]

Perhaps a condo deed would work.

[Maestro]

...I'll email the Hull Thai Consulate to find out how much leeway they give with regards to the "Residing in Thailand: Evidence required: Copy of house deeds". If that were true they wouldn't issue any Visas at all, what with farangs not being able to own a house here...

You don't have to own the place where you stay. A confirmation from the owner that your are renting it will also do, or if you stay in a hotel, a reservation confirmation. Email Hull to ask for confirmation.