Hull Changes In All Non-Immigrant Visas April 2011

[RabC]

A tourist visa 60 day entry can be extended 30 days.

Are you working in an isolated or war zone? If not you might be able to obtain the visa sometime during your six week work period.

When there is clear indication of being outside Thailand (that you are not using tourist visa to work) most people do not have a problem obtaining them. There is no set rule on how many you may have.

Many thanks for that. I may as well work in a war zone as I am offshore so no access to Consulates or Embassies. If required I will just stop off somewhere on my way home to get a visa.

[lopburi3]

Normally it is not more than an overnight to do so.

[mrjohnno]

Thailand doesn't recognize same sex marriage performed in any country for immigration purposes. The issue of same sex marriage and immigration rights for their foreign spouses is an issue for Thai gays to promote for, or not, as they choose. Don't hold your breath!

I'm sorry to hear that. Were is not for religion, homophobia would have gone the same was as smallpox a long time ago

[mrjohnno]

a triple entry will get you nine months with extensions.

How does that work, if you don't mind me asking?

[Lite Beer]

A Tourist Visa gives you 60 days entry.

It can be extended at Immigration for a further 30 days.(1.900 Baht)

A triple entry will give 3 entries of 60 days.

Each entry can be extended by 30 days.

[mrjohnno]

A Tourist Visa gives you 60 days entry.

It can be extended at Immigration for a further 30 days.(1.900 Baht)

A triple entry will give 3 entries of 60 days.

Each entry can be extended by 30 days.

Thank you for such a swift reply. I have a number of friends who will be delighted with this information. I presume that one could visit Panang for a couple of weeks on the first two visa runs which would result in extending it to 10 months before having to reapply for another 3 entry visa? Thank you again.

[Lite Beer]

A Tourist Visa gives you 60 days entry.

It can be extended at Immigration for a further 30 days.(1.900 Baht)

A triple entry will give 3 entries of 60 days.

Each entry can be extended by 30 days.

Thank you for such a swift reply. I have a number of friends who will be delighted with this information. I presume that one could visit Panang for a couple of weeks on the first two visa runs which would result in extending it to 10 months before having to reapply for another 3 entry visa? Thank you again.

No. You will find that the Visa will have expired before the third entry.

From the Hull website.

With a TWO or THREE entry Tourist Visa you must ensure you enter Thailand on your final visit

before expiry of the visa which is 6 months from date of issue.

[mrjohnno]

A Tourist Visa gives you 60 days entry.

It can be extended at Immigration for a further 30 days.(1.900 Baht)

A triple entry will give 3 entries of 60 days.

Each entry can be extended by 30 days.

Thank you for such a swift reply. I have a number of friends who will be delighted with this information. I presume that one could visit Panang for a couple of weeks on the first two visa runs which would result in extending it to 10 months before having to reapply for another 3 entry visa? Thank you again.

No. You will find that the Visa will have expired before the third entry.

From the Hull website.

With a TWO or THREE entry Tourist Visa you must ensure you enter Thailand on your final visit

before expiry of the visa which is 6 months from date of issue.

OK, I see what you mean.... In theory one could get 90+90+90 but the practicalities of getting this are slim given weekends and where one lives in the Kingdom. I wouldn't leave it until the last day as I live on Samui so any number of things could stop me from making the crossing at that time. When you say 'date of issue' it means when one first enters the Kingdom? Once again, thank you for your time and knowledge.

[sotsira]

"Date of issue" means the date that the embassy or consulate put the visa in your passport

it's validity starts from that date onwards.

So the closer that date is to your arrival in Thailand the better it is for maximum length of use.

[mrjohnno]

"Date of issue" means the date that the embassy or consulate put the visa in your passport

it's validity starts from that date onwards.

So the closer that date is to your arrival in Thailand the better it is for maximum length of use.

Good to know and thank you. It's good fortune that the postal service in Europe is of reasonable quality so one can be pretty sure of getting one's passport back before the flight out. I personally wouldn't do it myself... I would book an appointment two days before my flight to get the visa but then I would be staying only 30 mins from a Thai embassy.

[NALAK]

not suprised they cracked down with so many people posting how easy it was and about posting passport via friend to get it etc. best to keep quite about things when they are that good. wagging tongues probably left consol no choice but to crack down. hopefull my consul is still ok, but married, over 50 and do recognised voluntary work. if not will get retirement visa here.

[mrjohnno]

not suprised they cracked down with so many people posting how easy it was and about posting passport via friend to get it etc. best to keep quite about things when they are that good. wagging tongues probably left consol no choice but to crack down. hopefull my consul is still ok, but married, over 50 and do recognised voluntary work. if not will get retirement visa here.

I understand what you are saying but it is shooting oneself in the foot. Who is going to inject more currency into the Thai economy... A single man in his 30's or 40's or a married man over 50? A poster earlier, I forget who, pointed out that it would be prudent for the Thai government to see where the money from 'youngsters' comes from but since one only has to provide bank details it is hard to see that that reasoning is in any way valid. The whole thing stinks of some being given a job and doing 'something' rather than being seen to be doing nothing. If that change is good or not appears to be by the by.

[mrjohnno]

Thailand doesn't recognize same sex marriage performed in any country for immigration purposes. The issue of same sex marriage and immigration rights for their foreign spouses is an issue for Thai gays to promote for, or not, as they choose. Don't hold your breath!

Some links would be good. I own, run or are one of the admin team for quite a number for sites with thousands of members. I also have a very good friend in Australia who is gay (I hate using that word because he is just another human being) who is a journalist and quite well known. I feel a 'Amazing homopheobic Thailand' video coming on.

[Lite Beer]

Being an Honorary Consulate Hull rely on issuing Visas for their income.

So I doubt that they had little choice when bringing in these changes.

Pressure from above I should think.

[ignis]

Now that is a question.... I guess there is no same sex marriage in Thailand?.....

There is in the UK, so guys that are married to a Thai guy [simple at the British Embassy in Vietnam] would have no problem at Hull ?

'Evidence required: Copy of marriage certificate (in English)' .... This you would have + it would be in English

[DMC1]

This is a bit of a bummer. I am 36 and have had a work permit for 7 years but before that I used to get multi-entry Non O visas. I will probably lose my WP next year due to our contract situation so now I cant revert back to a Non O. I have been with my TGF for 11 years and we have no intention of getting married, we have our reasons which I wont go into.

All my life, home & money is in Thailand and now I wont even be able to do things like renew my 5 year driving license without a non O until I am over 50. I will probably be working outside of Thailand come next year but my leave periods can vary from 30-90 days so a non O is perfect. Having to do this on a Tourist visa doesn't seem right and will fill up the passport a lot quicker.

[baboon]

Being an Honorary Consulate Hull rely on issuing Visas for their income.

So I doubt that they had little choice when bringing in these changes.

Pressure from above I should think.

Which is why I think they will continue to cut applicants as much slack as they possibly can for the time being until the heat is off and they can quietly go back to the way things were.

We should not lose too much heart here.

[PattayaParent]

"Visiting Thailand as retired person aged 50 years and over

Evidence required: Copy of bank statement showing income of minimum £900.00 per month.

So for people like me over 50 I see no problem........"

No problem if you happen to have an income. Personally I'm not bothered by this as I'm already here, already have my visa obtained from Birmingham just a few months ago (for which I provided no documentation at all), and will have an extension issued here based on having 800kB in the bank.

But if I was applying now in the UK for a visa I wouldnt get it because although I have a lot of money in the bank I dont receive any sort of regular income. This is rather silly, given the amount of money I have. I suspect that many other people would also be in my position.

Also rather silly in that the UK state pension (which is a suitable qualification for a visa) is only half of the GBP900/month required for people over 50 who dont receive a pension.

I will also be in that position when my work finishes later this year as I will have no income and no pension.

Hopefully the Consulate may translate the £900 per month into money in the bank for the 1 year life of the visa and settle for a bank statement in excess of £10,800 or even the equivalent in Baht in a Thai bank.

[DMC1]

Being an Honorary Consulate Hull rely on issuing Visas for their income.

So I doubt that they had little choice when bringing in these changes.

Pressure from above I should think.

Which is why I think they will continue to cut applicants as much slack as they possibly can for the time being until the heat is off and they can quietly go back to the way things were.

We should not lose too much heart here.

I really hope they do for the sake of a lot of people.

[mrjohnno]

Now that is a question.... I guess there is no same sex marriage in Thailand?.....

There is in the UK, so guys that are married to a Thai guy [simple at the British Embassy in Vietnam] would have no problem at Hull ?

'Evidence required: Copy of marriage certificate (in English)' .... This you would have + it would be in English

It also wouldn't specify gender. As lite Beer said above, it is in Hull's bext interest to issue as many visas as they can so it seems unlikely that they would check. Come to think of it, how would they know ANY marriage certificate's gender status. If I was going to go down this route I think I would also get it translated in to Thai and 'green eagled' to give it another level of authenticity.

[ukrules]

I presume you are having a laugh. 43 and no need to work anymore but new visa rules mean I can't spend the money I have over here. Mindless.

There seems to be a lot of very wealthy young people commenting on this thread. Even if they let young people with "vast quantities" of cash (as one member put it) stay on some type of visa, they would have to have some way to check up on the source of these vast piles of money. That would seem the sensible thing to do for any country entertaining these young guns with more money than they know what to do with.

This latest change is not a good step. I earn a reasonable chunk of cash from my share in a business back in the UK / US and I've been using this type of Visa over the past few years as it's flexible and convenient.

I don't want to jump through lots of hoops just to stay living in Thailand, in fact, I'm not going to. Going back to the UK once a year for a few weeks or a month was acceptable to me before. I generally don't like wasting days traveling.

When a British passport holder arrives in Hong Kong you get a 180 day stamp.

This isn't about money, it's about inconvenience.

[tropo]

As the old 'cliche' says "Is it better to work for a living ? or live just to work?

Many people thrive on work and start rapidly decaying when they stop. It really depends on how fulfilling a person's work is.

[tropo]

This latest change is not a good step. I earn a reasonable chunk of cash from my share in a business back in the UK / US and I've been using this type of Visa over the past few years as it's flexible and convenient.

I don't want to jump through lots of hoops just to stay living in Thailand, in fact, I'm not going to. Going back to the UK once a year for a few weeks or a month was acceptable to me before. I generally don't like wasting days traveling.

When a British passport holder arrives in Hong Kong you get a 180 day stamp.

This isn't about money, it's about inconvenience.

In reality Hull's "easy-visa" was a huge bonus to people living in that country. Most others have not had that luxury and have had to jump through hoops to stay if under 50. In the end it just depends on how much you enjoy living in Thailand as to how much effort you will expend in order to stay. Obviously it's too much hassle for you, so good luck finding a suitable alternative.

As you've discovered, it's not all about money in Thailand. If it was it would be easier for people like you with bags of money to find an easy visa option.

[mrjohnno]

I presume you are having a laugh. 43 and no need to work anymore but new visa rules mean I can't spend the money I have over here. Mindless.

There seems to be a lot of very wealthy young people commenting on this thread. Even if they let young people with "vast quantities" of cash (as one member put it) stay on some type of visa, they would have to have some way to check up on the source of these vast piles of money. That would seem the sensible thing to do for any country entertaining these young guns with more money than they know what to do with.

This latest change is not a good step. I earn a reasonable chunk of cash from my share in a business back in the UK / US and I've been using this type of Visa over the past few years as it's flexible and convenient.

I don't want to jump through lots of hoops just to stay living in Thailand, in fact, I'm not going to. Going back to the UK once a year for a few weeks or a month was acceptable to me before. I generally don't like wasting days traveling.

When a British passport holder arrives in Hong Kong you get a 180 day stamp.

This isn't about money, it's about inconvenience.

I guess it depends on where you live in Thailand and where your nearest immigration office is but it doesn't seem to be all that bad. The triple entry 60 option plus extensions works for me though the 90+90+90 would be impractable due to weekends etc. so would be more like 86/7+86/7+86/7. Then a jaunt to KL or somewhere and get a 60 day before returning to the UK. I generally go for 4-6 weeks so I doubt my applications would be considered back to back (though there does not seem to be a limit on the number of back to back applications one can make). My immigration office is only 20 minutes away which I agree makes it easier. It's a little bit more inconvenient but not so much that it will send me packing.

Regarding your situation in particular, it seems that if your income is in excess of 900 quid a month then you should be fine. I imagine it depends on what is considered income? I'm sure (as much as one can be) that it is simply 900+ going into your account because if you are retired (and apply for that visa) then you are not working and therefore do not receive a wage

[sotsira]

To qualify for the £900 per month as a pension/retiree you still need to be over 50yrs

[mrjohnno]

To qualify for the £900 per month as a pension/retiree you still need to be over 50yrs

Sorry, was not aware of your age. You seem to be in the same position as many others, too many others IMO. As a member said earlier in the thread, there does seem to be quite a number of reasonably wealthy people around who are under the age of 50. I'm part of a group of old friends who sat around chatting in our mid 20's and came to the conclusion that the best road would be to work our nuts off and retire before the age of 40. One guys got married a few years later, settled down, had kids and will be working for another 20 years. 7 of us retired before the age of 40 while one guy is a year off retiring which will make him 44.

[SantiSuk]

As the old 'cliche' says "Is it better to work for a living ? or live just to work?

Many people thrive on work and start rapidly decaying when they stop. It really depends on how fulfilling a person's work is.

You can have a fulfilling job but nonetheless look forward to doing other things and retiring early without hankering for it. Too many people seem to define their self-esteem by reference to their job and 'position'. I agree entirely with your factual statement in the first sentence though.

Sorry - we seem to drifting ....

[mrjohnno]

As the old 'cliche' says "Is it better to work for a living ? or live just to work?

Many people thrive on work and start rapidly decaying when they stop. It really depends on how fulfilling a person's work is.

You can have a fulfilling job but nonetheless look forward to doing other things and retiring early without hankering for it. Too many people seem to define their self-esteem by reference to their job and 'position'. I agree entirely with your factual statement in the first sentence though.

Sorry - we seem to drifting ....

I don't think it's off topic. You are both simply pointing out posible effects of the change defined in the OP. Even though I worked my nuts off for 15 years in order to retire early, I would say I am busier now than I was during that whole period.

The first two years after retirement are a real danger zone with high mortality rate (At least they are in the UK) and even higher, whether that be by choice or the demise of one's partner, if single. Persue a hobby or interest which one was unable to do when working. I'm learning Photoshop and Flash to a professional level, not that I'm going to use that knowledge for a profession but 1. It interests me 2. I can use the knowledge on my own sites. The changes at Hull will have a small effect on me but though I would rather do it here in Thailand, it could just as easily do it in say Cambodia. Or both.

I was speaking to a Russian friend of mine last night, she is a member of a couple of Russian forums much like this and it seems that after 3 back to back 60 day 3 entry visas the Thai embassy refuses to issue another but after being out of the country for a month (which I guess to mean 30 days) they will issue another visa. I have asked her to find out if that means another 3 60day triple entries. Will keep the forum posted

[lopburi3]

Flame removed.

[tabby]

Went to Birmingham last week with my deeds,only 42 years young they gave me multi o no problem,and the bloke said many people come here now because Hull changed the rules,its Hull nothing to do with Thailand,just go to Birmingham easy same before.