I just came back from renewing my visa at Thailand embassy in Hong Kong, I already had 2 single entry tourist visa(Cambodia,Malaysia) and 1 double entry visa(Laos). Immigrant officer carefully checked all my visas and asked me what i was doing in Thailand (Already been here for a year), I just told him i was staying with my thai girlfriend (fortunately my thai girlfriend was there), then he asked me why we didn't get marry yet, I just told him we are still too young (I'm 26 and she is 22), then he said nothing. He told my girlfriend that will be my last visa issued at Hong Kong. I paid 300 HK dollars for it, and immigration officer asked me to do new pictures for my visa application (The pictures i was going to hand were 3 months old and i had short hair), after i came back with new pictures(cost 50 HK dollars) he asked me for my girlfriend passport photocopies, so again i had to leave the embassy to do some copies. He didn't ask me for my bank account information,flight tickets or hotel reservation. I wouldn't recommend going there to renew your visa there if you have too many, but if you wanna enjoy of HK and Macau for 5500 thai baht from Air Asia, go ahead!Visa was handed next working day.

(Sorry for my poor English)

Thanks for the clear and detailed account.

Girlfriend's passport copy!! I am sure that is not specified but there you go. A lot of these decisions are discretionary.

I've been asked the whole 'Why are you not married to your girlfriend yet?' too. I felt like saying 'none of your f****** business!'.

I wouldn't advise anyone to actually do that. All the same, It's a really unprofessional question to ask someone in a consulate or embassy. (In the context of applying for a tourist visa)

I'm going to Hong Kong to get my non B next month. I guess I'll prepare to bite my lip.

Yeah I went there for visas twice, and that's enough, a lot of trouble and questions from the staff, and always need extra documents, bla bla... HK itself is nice to visit, but I'd rather go to Penang for visa stuff

I have to agree.

First time I got my one year Non-O in HK, I had no issues (marriage certificate, passport, HK ID card, pictures, fee and the copy of my wife's ID card along with my HK bank statements).

Second time around, suddenly that wasn't enough and my wife's (who doesn't work) Thai bank statements are needed as she's my "sponsor". As I didn't have her bank statements with me, I ended up getting a single entry tourist visa (they were free at the time), as I was going to London later in the year, and I got the Non-O in London (no requirement for bank statements of any sort for a Non-O there).

Since then, I generally get the visa in London as it's less hassle (I travel quite a lot), despite being employed in Hong Kong and having my HK ID card. The lack of consistency in the required documentation is what makes applying in HK a pain.

The only problem I had in London is that the visa fee had increased and they don't take debit cards, so I had to go and find an ATM and come back. (Outside the embassy, the UK is turning into a near cashless society, with the rolling out of contactless cards for purchases under £15, and chip and pin for anything above that, people see no issues with using a card to pay for everything from a packet of crisps to a car).

Hong Kong has never been a good place for Thai visa's.

Edited July 6, 201214 yr by CNXBKKMAN

I've been asked the whole 'Why are you not married to your girlfriend yet?' too. I felt like saying 'none of your f****** business!'.

I wouldn't advise anyone to actually do that. All the same, It's a really unprofessional question to ask someone in a consulate or embassy. (In the context of applying for a tourist visa)

I'm going to Hong Kong to get my non B next month. I guess I'll prepare to bite my lip.

The question would be annoying, but technically he is applying for the wrong type of visa and admits it when he states he's staying in Thailand with his GF..., so really the consulate officer is doing him a favour.

Edited July 7, 201214 yr by tropo

I've been asked the whole 'Why are you not married to your girlfriend yet?' too. I felt like saying 'none of your f****** business!'.

I wouldn't advise anyone to actually do that. All the same, It's a really unprofessional question to ask someone in a consulate or embassy. (In the context of applying for a tourist visa)

I'm going to Hong Kong to get my non B next month. I guess I'll prepare to bite my lip.

The question would be annoying, but technically he is applying for the wrong type of visa and admits it when he states he's staying in Thailand with his GF..., so really the consulate officer is doing him a favour.

They should do a new kind of visa neither tourist nor Non-B for people in my case(j/k). I'm not just going to get marry to get a Non-B visa! I forgot to add that no red stamp was added. One Australian friend went 1 month before me to Thai embassy in HK and he didn't have any problem, they didn't ask him anything nor show any flight ticket or bank account info. He applied for a TR visa( he already had 3-4 TR visas as me), that's why i decided to go to HK.

Edited July 7, 201214 yr by carlosbkk

For marriage to a Thai that would allow a non immigrant O visa to be issued (not a B visa). As you claimed to be in Thailand for specific GF reasons rather than normal tourist reasons you were more closely questioned and ask why you did not get married to allow issue of non immigrant O visa. Sounds as if they were actually trying to understand and to let you know of that option in case you were not aware of it. Would your country allow your GF to live there on your say so without marriage? I know many would not so not sure Thailand is the party out of step.

They should do a new kind of visa neither tourist nor Non-B for people in my case(j/k). I'm not just going to get marry to get a Non-B visa!

Should they introduce a visa for people who claim they are living in Thailand with their partners? I don't think they are quite that naive. Anyone could grab a girl and claim they are living together in a defacto relationship. Even if you are officially married you don't have automatic rights to continuous back-to-back tourist visas.

They were doing you a favour by giving you a tourist visa. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. At your age they have reason to be suspicious about how you fund yourself too. Most 26 year olds are back at home trying to earn a living.

Edited July 7, 201214 yr by tropo

They should do a new kind of visa neither tourist nor Non-B for people in my case(j/k). I'm not just going to get marry to get a Non-B visa!

Should they introduce a visa for people who claim they are living in Thailand with their partners? I don't think they are quite that naive. Anyone could grab a girl and claim they are living together in a defacto relationship. Even if you are officially married you don't have automatic rights to continuous back-to-back tourist visas.

They were doing you a favour by giving you a tourist visa. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. At your age they have reason to be suspicious about how you fund yourself too. Most 26 year olds are back at home trying to earn a living.

as i said above, I was just kidding. And as you said, they did me a favour giving me a tourist visa.

as i said above, I was just kidding. And as you said, they did me a favour giving me a tourist visa.

Sorry, I didn't know you were kidding - but I'm just keeping it real. I had to get tourist visas for my gf and I for 4 years before I turned 50. It was a God send that we could get these in neighbouring countries. We could never have stayed if it were not possible. Single entry, double entry - gifts really - and without one question about return tickets or funds.

What made it even sweeter is that my Filipino GF had zero chance of getting back-to-back tourist visas in her own country. In actual fact she had nearly zero chance of getting one tourist visa from the Thai Consulate in Manila.

Edited July 8, 201214 yr by tropo

as i said above, I was just kidding. And as you said, they did me a favour giving me a tourist visa.

Sorry, I didn't know you were kidding - but I'm just keeping it real. I had to get tourist visas for my gf and I for 4 years before I turned 50. It was a God send that we could get these in neighbouring countries. We could never have stayed if it were not possible. Single entry, double entry - gifts really - and without one question about return tickets or funds.

What made it even sweeter is that my Filipino GF had zero chance of getting back-to-back tourist visas in her own country. In actual fact she had nearly zero chance of getting one tourist visa from the Thai Consulate in Manila.

No problem! Wow, 4 years that's impressive! I've been doing it for 1 year already and everytime is harder to get it. As you said, is all thanks to these neighbouring countries. So far, i haven't been asked for return tickets or funds, and i already got 4 TR visas.As you pointed above, that's a gift.

Edited July 8, 201214 yr by carlosbkk

No problem! Wow, 4 years that's impressive! I've been doing it for 1 year already and everytime is harder to get it. As you said, is all thanks to these neighbouring countries. So far, i haven't been asked for return tickets or funds, and i already got 4 TR visas.As you pointed above, that's a gift.

... and kudos to this forum for making it possible.... staying in touch with the latest happenings through reading the latest reports.

if you wanna enjoy of HK and Macau for 5500 thai baht from Air Asia, go ahead!

was that round trip? where did you get your ticket?

if you wanna enjoy of HK and Macau for 5500 thai baht from Air Asia, go ahead!

was that round trip? where did you get your ticket?

It was round trip. www.Airasia.com

It was round trip. www.Airasia.com

Wow, thanks!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect App

I've learned in Thailand not to be too offended by personal questions, even from officials. It seems to be the Thai way on many things - beginning with my neighbors asking, "bai nai?", every time I went out. Or telling me, "oh, you look fat". Part of it is just the way it is, so I'd say biting your lip is a good course to follow.

I've been asked the whole 'Why are you not married to your girlfriend yet?' too. I felt like saying 'none of your f****** business!'.

I wouldn't advise anyone to actually do that. All the same, It's a really unprofessional question to ask someone in a consulate or embassy. (In the context of applying for a tourist visa)

I'm going to Hong Kong to get my non B next month. I guess I'll prepare to bite my lip.