I mailed off my application on 18 October, the consulate received it on 19 October and I received the passport with the visa back only on 31 October.

When I called to ask if it always takes so long the consul, who spoke very nicely on the phone, explained that her new assistant had mistaken the date for my last visit to Thailand (6 FEB 2012) as my planned travel date 6 FEB 2013 but I never got a call about it. The normal processing time is 3–4 days, the consul said.

I sent the application to Basel this time because the consulate in Zurich says on its website that they want a return envelope plus CHF 10.00 for mailing the passport back although the postage for a registered letter is only CHF 6.00, and the embassy in Bern wanted copies of the marriage certificate and my wife's passport signed by my wife but she was abroad when I made the application. Incidentally, all three consulates also want a copy of a return/onward ticket or confirmed reservation.

I recently got a new visa in the USA, they required the return envelope to have a $20.00 postage stamp from the USPS. This is the most expensive postal option.

There's a Thai consulate in Basel, even though Zurich is less than 100km away? Strange and completely unnecessary...in Australia the Perth consulate closed recently despite there being daily flights from Perth to Bangkok and Perth being located thousands of km from the next nearest Thai consulate, which is located in Adelaide.

Yes, there is a Thai consulate in Basel, one in Zurich and one in Geneva, plus of course the embassy in Bern.

Yes, there is a Thai consulate in Basel, one in Zurich and one in Geneva, plus of course the embassy in Bern.

I believe the one in Zürich is inoperative.

I could never reach anyone there.