Lawyer offered me 1 year visa for 25k THB. Hot or not? Anyone ever make the same? Legit or not? Thank you.

Not.

Yes, clearly many people used such services and based on the very limited info in your post, likely not legit. When you say visa, can you be more specific? Is it an annual extension based on retirement where you don't actually financially qualify for said extension?

If you can tell us more specifically what you will get in your passport by paying this lawyer and what (if anything) your lawyer requires other than the cash, we can tell you more specifically the ways it is illegitimate (assuming it is).

If you are really asking, will you get away with it if it is not legit, that's a matter of opinion, but my opinion is probably yes.

Edited December 15, 201213 yr by Jingthing

A friend of mine did the same.

No problems at Immo M......t

With the limited information provided its hard to tell whether it's legit or not. If you qualify for a 1 year extension for either having a Thai family or retirement, you can do it yourself for 1900 baht. The rest would go directly into the lawyer's pocket!

A friend of mine did the same.

No problems at Immo M......t

OK, I'm confused now. It the OP asking if it is legal or is he asking if will work. Anyway, probably not legal, probably will work. Ok then.

Lawyer is in no position to offer a visa, neither is immigration, all they do is extend an existing visa that was issued overseas.

This guy may be charging you 23,100 baht service fee for an extension that costs 1,900 baht, just so you can have the privelege of him accompany you to immigration.

know a guy who pays 30000b per year to some bloke in bangkok, all after 5 years of doing it. skips all the bank stuff.

Lawyer is in no position to offer a visa, neither is immigration, all they do is extend an existing visa that was issued overseas.

This guy may be charging you 23,100 baht service fee for an extension that costs 1,900 baht, just so you can have the privelege of him accompany you to immigration.

Perhaps! Some lawyers charge fees to babysit qualified applicants and that is 100 percent legit. Other lawyers play games to service unqualified applicants and use your imagination on how that can work at immigration.

Edited December 15, 201213 yr by Jingthing

A friend of mine did the same.

No problems at Immo M......t

OK, I'm confused now. It the OP asking if it is legal or is he asking if will work. Anyway, probably not legal, probably will work. Ok then.

Legal?Thailand,tea money,grey area.

A friend of mine did the same.

No problems at Immo M......t

OK, I'm confused now. It the OP asking if it is legal or is he asking if will work. Anyway, probably not legal, probably will work. Ok then.

Legal?Thailand,tea money,grey area.

As a foreigner especially if you play those games, you are perhaps setting yourself up for a future vulnerability. Personally, if I couldn't qualify for my extensions completely legally, I would start to plan to leave Thailand.

Lawyer is in no position to offer a visa, neither is immigration, all they do is extend an existing visa that was issued overseas.

Visas can be issued (changed) at immigration.

But only if you qualify for extension of stay and in that process. No one year visa can be obtained - only a single entry of 90 days.

But only if you qualify for extension of stay and in that process.

This is not true with Non Ed visas.

Yes it is true in all situations.

Lawyer is in no position to offer a visa, neither is immigration, all they do is extend an existing visa that was issued overseas.

This guy may be charging you 23,100 baht service fee for an extension that costs 1,900 baht, just so you can have the privelege of him accompany you to immigration.

Perhaps! Some lawyers charge fees to babysit qualified applicants and that is 100 percent legit. Other lawyers play games to service unqualified applicants and use your imagination on how that can work at immigration.

JT, no need to use my imagination, I have seen it happen.

Heres a tip for you guys, dont pay the fee until you have the visa.

Watched a guy get thrown out of immi sans visa, ranting and raving about having already paid for his"visa".

^^ Chaeng Wattana Immigration.

Will change any Visa or Visa Exemption to an Ed Visa (90days) without University's Receipt of Payment.

They will not grant an Extension of Temporary Stay for the purpose of Education without a Receipt of Payment.

I can forward you the names of the Immigration officers if you want to call them and clarify.

Edited December 15, 201213 yr by cbrer

I think he is on about a 1 year multi entry B visa, there are quite a few lawyers here who will arrange the required business sponsorship letter so you can then apply from abroad for this type of visa.

A former friend of mine up here used a guy in Pattaya for several years, It cost him 20,000 baht every year. I doubt if it was legal but he had no problems. I say former friend because he has passed away.

I have been " offered " a retirement visa for 22k baht. No need for the 800k in the bank. Just need to open a bank account ( I was told which one but have forgotten which one it was in Jomtien as I haven't taken up the offer ) with 500 baht then give the savings account book to the appropriate person, 2 days later ret. visa done, hand over 22k, bye bye 'til next year, job done.

If one is on about paying 20k+ for an illegally obtained and possibly fake 12 month visa, probably best just to forget it all and just overstay as long as you wish and keep the 20k for the overstay fine upon leaving.

A former friend of mine up here used a guy in Pattaya for several years, It cost him 20,000 baht every year. I doubt if it was legal but he had no problems. I say former friend because he has passed away.

That's the deal I've received too. Don't know how it's done but obviously an under the table deal and I doubt will have any probs. I've been on an Ed Visa for 3 years, which is the max. allowed. I am no longer eligible to study Thai and frankly, wish to avoid the schools & the immigration process altogether. Ready to go into the grey area as many other expats do too.

I have been " offered " a retirement visa for 22k baht. No need for the 800k in the bank. Just need to open a bank account ( I was told which one but have forgotten which one it was in Jomtien as I haven't taken up the offer ) with 500 baht then give the savings account book to the appropriate person, 2 days later ret. visa done, hand over 22k, bye bye 'til next year, job done.

And illegal. Not worth the risk.

I agree illegal but the visa was actually going to be done by an immg. officer. So, if it was to be done by an immgration officer how illegal will it be?

I agree illegal but the visa was actually going to be done by an immg. officer. So, if it was to be done by an immgration officer how illegal will it be?

That's kind of a philosophical question, innit?

I agree illegal but the visa was actually going to be done by an immg. officer. So, if it was to be done by an immgration officer how illegal will it be?

You hope.

Rubber stamps don't cost too much to make.

I remember a lot of people got stung with a travel/tourist agent in Khao San who was doing such visa options about 10 years ago.

The last batch were entirely fake, he disappeared, everyone with a fake got got done for not having visas (at the least).

He must have made quite a nice stack off that scam.

Edited December 15, 201213 yr by cbrer

But the question remains.

You can get a legal stamp, illegally obtained.

Consider how you might feel though if there is a crackdown / change of management at your local immigration office and the visa fixit shop you used is arrested. Would that be a comfortable feeling?

A quick google shows this from 2009.

Yes you can get a fake stamp in your passport from ksr. I used to get them about 7 years ago and I introdused well over a hundred people into getting them. Then one day the government did a crack down on the stamps (the code number round the edge of the stamp) and hundreds were arrested at airports, border points and so fourth. I had to hand my passport back to the British embassy so they could impound it and I had to buy a new one. There were more than 2000 dudes doing the same thing as me so my advise is.

Get the real stamps.

Its just not worth it.

Same guy

I got in sooo much shit and I felt really bad for the people that I convinced into getting the stamps from the shop that was giving me more and more discount every time I got a new customer for them. Even the school I was working for was sending all the farrang to them. My visas wern't costing me shit. Then one day it all went wrong and stickman was posting the 'bad' numbers. We were all checking every day and I knew something was up. So I went to the british embassy to try to lie and get a new passport and there was a big note on the door saying,

"If you've been buying fake stamps from that guy on KSR (it may as well have said my name) then dont bother lying. Just come clean and we'll sort the problem out.

Whoops!

My intention was never to make any money (as I didn't) and I never even thought about it being illegal, I was just dumb enough to think it was an easy visa extension.

Lesson learned by me and lucky enough that I worked for a rich guy who got a couple of close girl friends (friends that were girls) that I worked with out of the holding cells at immigration. (I told them to photo copy every page of the passport before it got impounded but girls are just dumb)

Other guy:

I remember seeing a photo in a news paper when it all kicked off about fake stamps, it was a picture of fifteen or twenty Aussie all chained together being taken to court to face charges over fake stamps, all were shaven headed and looking pretty fuvking miserable, I remember thinking that could so easily be me.

Either get a proper visa the proper way (advisable).

Or overstay and keep a stash of money safe. (not so advisable)

Edited December 15, 201213 yr by cbrer

You can get a legal stamp, illegally obtained.

Certainly can.

Though how will know if it has been illegally obtained, or the guy decided to keep all the money and put in some fake stamp he has himself?

Not something I would like to be worrying about.