Time for triple entry tourist visa at Hull

[tbailo]

I plan to drive over to Hull on Thursday to get hopefully a triple entry tourist visa.

Two questions

1. Are they still available?
2. How long do they take to process, is it a same day job?

Thanks all

[Maestro]

I think it would be best to call them for an appointment and for information on their current requirements. Phone, not email.

[eyecatcher]

I am doing exactly the same on thursday.

Firstly, dont just show up; you have to call them and make an appointment. (tel 01482 581668)

making an appointment is a hurdle in itself, they only have 2/3 staff so you will have to call about 10 times before someone picks up your call.

the multi tourist visa cost is around £89, it does vary sometimes but they incude a £10 charge for the priveledge of waiting for it.

you will also need 2 passport photos; dont forget as i have been before and they have turned people away or snet them into town to the local sainsbrys to find a photo booth.

they have application forms there; i usually take some away with me each time so i can fill them out before hand, but this time they advise me the form has changed and i am still waiting for a set they are posting.

as an aside...I went online to check the changes but just saw the notice about the non immigrant multiple visa which they advise needs London embassy approval. That can be a pain now and with the Non immi you cant leave that until the last minute now. There is another lengthy thread on this which is worth reading.

However, it seems the mutli tourist visa is not affected at the moment; so make the appointment, arrive on time, give them the form and your credit card etc and they will bring it back to you in 10/15 mins

on the whole, I find this place excellent, convenient and quick, and the staff are usually quite helpful and not bombastic about new rules etc.

good luck, may see you there!

[tbailo]

Awesome, thanks both.

Eyecatcher that's really really helpful - I'll get on the phone first thing tomorrow.

Cheers

Tim

[ubonjoe]

There is no multiple entry tourist visa. It is done by number of entries you request.

[rumbo1]

Hi all

I have been to Hull twice now for a triple entry tourist visa , the last time was in August this year and both times I just turned up with passport and photographs and left with my triple entry visa within 20 mins , no appointments made !

Not quite sure what other poster is saying about no multiple entry tourist visa ?

All I know is the maximum you can get is a triple entry and if I remember correct it's £25 for each visa plus a £10 admin fee I.e triple entry = 3 x 25 + 10 = £85

[ubonjoe]

That was in reply to a post by eyecatcher where he wrote muti tourist visa which is incorrect.

[mitsubishi]

What is the current tourist visa fee these days?

Is it still £84 + £10 for return postage?

[ubonjoe]

It is 25 pounds per entry plus postage. It appears from post above it is 10 pounds for postage.

[CFC]

^{If you go to the London Embassy, can you get a triple entry visa the same day}

[ubonjoe]

No

It takes two days from date of application. See: http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/60

[buzzz51]

I sent my passport by post with photos and completed forms with £85.00 fee including postage on 4 October and the passport arrived back with me on tuesday 8 october, what a service !!!!!!!!

[tbailo]

Just to add to this I went in the morning at 10am with photos, they asked me how many entries and I stated 3. I completed the form and made payment and had a spanking new triple entry visa back in 20 minutes. Super easy.

[Briggsy]

Their service for tourist visas seems to be more delayed than usual. In the past tourist visa postal applications were processed within one working day. No longer it seems.

[Briggsy]

They are processing tourist visas in order of departure date from the UK. My passport has been with them for a while.

[yoshiwara]

Hull provides an excellent service.

[Briggsy]

Hull provides an excellent service.

I agree.

Albeit a slower service than in the past.

This could cause problems if you require your passport, say for another visa, before you leave the UK or if you are going to a different address in the UK, say a relative's who lives in London, before you fly from Heathrow and you had expectations of a quick turnaround as Hull used to do in the past.

[digitalchromakey]

Hull provides an excellent service.

Maybe that was the case in the past, but things have changed within the last two months.

For example, several recent cases have shown that Hull are no longer to be trusted to promptly supply relatively hassle free non immigrant visas, as they did in the past.

Now we are seeing reports of variable delays when issuing even Tourist Visas.

it is definitely time for visa applicants to consider looking for alternatives to Hull.

[silver sea]

Hello, hope it's ok to piggyback onto someone else's thread rather than starting a fresh one.

Is there a limit to the number of triple entry visas that Hull will grant please?

I first went to Thailand in January 2012 for three weeks and so had the usual 30 day visa exempt stamp at the airport.

My second visit was in August - November 2012 so I got a single entry visa from Hull.

My last visit was February 1st - October 18th this year and so got a triple entry visa from Hull.

I am planning on returning to Thailand around next Friday, although I have not yet booked my flight.

Plan A had been to get a single entry visa from Hull and then whilst I am in Thailand obtaining a one year multi entry visa. However, I am not sure at this stage that I want to be away from England for as long as 15 months. I love Thailand hence my many recent visits. It's a great country, but I love England too. Two very different countries - a bit like blondes and brunettes, and I am very happy being with both!

I am now moving over to Plan B. This would mean another triple entry visa from Hull. This would take me through to next August. If I then want to stay out there for another 2 or 3 months I could get another visa or alternatively, I could just fly back instead.

My questions are:

(1) how many times will Hull grant triple entry tourist visas to the same person? At some stage they are going to say to me that I can't be a tourist and wonder why I don't apply for year long visa.

(2) do they look for a time gap of say 6 months between applications for triple entry visas?

(3) If they refuse a triple entry visa presumably you get a red stamp in your passport to that effect. What does that mean in practical terms? e.g. does it mean that I can never ever apply for a single/ double/triple entry tourist visa again, because they no longer regard me as a tourist, even if I wait another 10 years before making another such application?

Thanks for your advice and help.

[thaiexpat21]

Hello, hope it's ok to piggyback onto someone else's thread rather than starting a fresh one.

Is there a limit to the number of triple entry visas that Hull will grant please?

I first went to Thailand in January 2012 for three weeks and so had the usual 30 day visa exempt stamp at the airport.

My second visit was in August - November 2012 so I got a single entry visa from Hull.

My last visit was February 1st - October 18th this year and so got a triple entry visa from Hull.

I am planning on returning to Thailand around next Friday, although I have not yet booked my flight.

Plan A had been to get a single entry visa from Hull and then whilst I am in Thailand obtaining a one year multi entry visa. However, I am not sure at this stage that I want to be away from England for as long as 15 months. I love Thailand hence my many recent visits. It's a great country, but I love England too. Two very different countries - a bit like blondes and brunettes, and I am very happy being with both!

I am now moving over to Plan B. This would mean another triple entry visa from Hull. This would take me through to next August. If I then want to stay out there for another 2 or 3 months I could get another visa or alternatively, I could just fly back instead.

My questions are:

(1) how many times will Hull grant triple entry tourist visas to the same person? At some stage they are going to say to me that I can't be a tourist and wonder why I don't apply for year long visa.

(2) do they look for a time gap of say 6 months between applications for triple entry visas?

(3) If they refuse a triple entry visa presumably you get a red stamp in your passport to that effect. What does that mean in practical terms? e.g. does it mean that I can never ever apply for a single/ double/triple entry tourist visa again, because they no longer regard me as a tourist, even if I wait another 10 years before making another such application?

Thanks for your advice and help.

You would be better directing these questions to the Hull Consulate.

Most of us are aware they are experiencing "problems" but are not aware of the detail or how , exactly, the difficulties are affecting service.

I doubt they use red stamps ! A straightforward refusal is more likely !

[ubonjoe]

You should have no problem getting a 3 entry tourist visa.

How do you expect to get an to get 15 months here at immigration.

[silver sea]

Thanks thai expat21 and ubonjoe for your comments. Much appreciated.

In reply to ubonjoe's query about 15 months: under Plan A, I was going to return to Thailand on a single entry visa. Once I had got the 30 day extension on my initial 60 days, I was intending to apply for the year long multi entry visa so the two together would add up to 15 months. Sorry I didn't make that clear in my original post.

I would add that there is a reason that I would enter on a visa rather than simply getting a 30 day visa exempt stamp at BKK airport and then applying for the multi entry visa. The reason is that I intend buying a one way ticket to Thailand next week. As I understand it, the airlines won't let you board their planes unless you either have a ticket out of Thailand or you have a visa stamped in your passport. They don't want to be fined by the Thai authorities.

Also I don't know exactly when I shall be returning to the UK next year. Last time, I had a return date in October. I wanted to stay inThailand until January next year, but the booking agent wanted to charge me over £300 (15,000 THB) to change the date. That was more than I was willing to pay, so rather than paying them and then buying another visa to cover me until next January, I flew back to the UK in October instead.

When I do decide to fly back, I shall then book a return flight from Bangkok to Heathrow. As I understand it, return flights from Bangkok are cheaper than those starting from Heathrow.

I am now, however, moving to Plan B. I would still buy a one way ticket, but it would be backed up by a triple entry visa. That would take me up to the middle of next August. I do not, however, fancy flying back during the height of the UK holiday season. I see from one of the current "hot" threads that G7 countries now get 30 day visas rather than 15 days on a visa run. That would suit me as I could then stay until September and then fly back to the UK.

Hope that makes sense If I have got something wrong, no doubt you will tell me. I would rather know now than get into an argument with a Thai official at some later stage because my paperwork was not in order.

Once again, thanks for your help.

[thaiexpat21]

" I was intending to apply for the year long multi entry visa "

Just as a matter of interest on what basis were you going to apply for this "visa"

Apologies If I have misunderstood your post

Edited November 5, 2013 by thaiexpat21

[silver sea]

Hello thaiexpat21.

Thank you for your reply. I guess that as you have put the word, visa, in inverted commas, this suggests that the alarm bells should be ringing

If ever I make the application, I shall be over 50 and I will have at least 800,000 THB in my Thai bank account. I am in good health and I am not someone that the police call on to help with their enquiries.

If, as seems likely, I go for Plan B, as outlined in my previous post, I won't need to make the application as I shall be returning to the UK in either August, or preferably September, next year.

Again, thank you for your interest.

[thaiexpat21]

Hello thaiexpat21.

Thank you for your reply. I guess that as you have put the word, visa, in inverted commas, this suggests that the alarm bells should be ringing

If ever I make the application, I shall be over 50 and I will have at least 800,000 THB in my Thai bank account. I am in good health and I am not someone that the police call on to help with their enquiries.

If, as seems likely, I go for Plan B, as outlined in my previous post, I won't need to make the application as I shall be returning to the UK in either August, or preferably September, next year.

Again, thank you for your interest.

Thanks for the good natured response .

A long stay "visa" can only be obtained from within ones own country .

It is however possible to secure an extension of stay in Thailand which only comes in vanilla flavour ! ie no multiple entry options !

This can however be overcome by purchasing a re-entry permit which does come in single or multi flavours !

Anyway my best wishes for a good trip

[sparkey]

After calling and emailing hull . After having no response on either. I called birmingham and got the same service i used to get from hull. Only difference was i had to send the tenner in cash as they don't take cheques. That was for a double entry tourist visa. Business visas are too much hassle now for my personal circumstances.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[silver sea]

Hi thaiexpat21

Thank you for your patient explanation I am still new to this game so any input from more experienced members is always appreciated. I would rather be shot down in flames on this forum than end up taking part in one of those "pointing finger" group photos with the Thai police, which seem to be so popular on Thaivisa.

I didn't know that you can only apply for long stay visas in one's home country. The reason I was considering applying for one was that it was suggested by the man who operates the visa runs where I live in Thailand. He runs a legitimate business and works within the rules set by the authorities. He said that he could get me a year long multiple entry visa whilst I was in Thailand. He knew that I was returning to England last October. He advised me to reenter Thailand on a 30 day visa exempt stamp and then to go and see him. He would then arrange the year long visa for, I think he said, 11,000 THB. I guess that I must have misunderstood what he was saying or offering me.

Anyway, this time round, the triple entry visa is the best fit for my plans, together with one of these new fangled 30 day extensions that everyone is talking about. That will take me up to early September next year. When I go on the visa runs with him I can then quiz him more closely about what type of visa he was offering me.

Thank you for your good wishes for my trip too.

[thaiexpat21]

Hi thaiexpat21

Thank you for your patient explanation I am still new to this game so any input from more experienced members is always appreciated. I would rather be shot down in flames on this forum than end up taking part in one of those "pointing finger" group photos with the Thai police, which seem to be so popular on Thaivisa.

I didn't know that you can only apply for long stay visas in one's home country. The reason I was considering applying for one was that it was suggested by the man who operates the visa runs where I live in Thailand. He runs a legitimate business and works within the rules set by the authorities. He said that he could get me a year long multiple entry visa whilst I was in Thailand. He knew that I was returning to England last October. He advised me to reenter Thailand on a 30 day visa exempt stamp and then to go and see him. He would then arrange the year long visa for, I think he said, 11,000 THB. I guess that I must have misunderstood what he was saying or offering me.

Anyway, this time round, the triple entry visa is the best fit for my plans, together with one of these new fangled 30 day extensions that everyone is talking about. That will take me up to early September next year. When I go on the visa runs with him I can then quiz him more closely about what type of visa he was offering me.

Thank you for your good wishes for my trip too.

If you ever wish to stay in Thailand long term come here and ask about achieving your aim.The process is very simple and easily accomplished without "help" or the need to spend 11000 Bht

[silver sea]

Thanks thaiexpat21. Will do.

Last Friday, 8th November, I sent my passport off to Hull. It was a busy day. First I had gone to my UK bank, HSBC, to arrange a transfer of money, via Swift, from my current account to my bank account in Thailand.

I then went downstairs to use the ATM. I drew out £75 (3771 THB) for the triple visa, and £10 (502 THB) to cover the cost of returning the passport to me from Hull. I was in a hurry as I had promised to go over to my sister's. She had wanted to cook me a nice big midday meal. I quickly filled in the application forms and shot along to the Post Office to send the documents off by Special Delivery. This would guarantee delivery at Hull on Monday 11th November.

My various jobs done, and feeling very pleased with myself, I jumped on a bus to my sister's. She is a good cook and had prepared one of my favourites: casserole with loads of dumplings and new potatoes. And very good it was too. So much so, I had three very generous servings along with plenty of wine served by my brother-in-law.

Whilst Big Sis was in the kitchen, dishing up a slice of apple pie and a scoop of ice cream, and my brother-in-law was organising some more wine, I leant back in my chair and gave my tummy a satisfied rub. "Life is good," I thought.

And then a dark thought floated across the empty space that lies between my two ears: "You didn't enclose the two photos for the visa with your application!"

Somewhere in the distance I could hear Del Boy from "Only Fools and Horses" calling me:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HwDBZuHw7l8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DHwDBZuHw7l8

When I was in my late 20s and early 30s my parents were convinced that I looked like Rodney

Anyway, I didn't say anything to my sister or brother-in-law; I was too embarrassed. By the time I got back into town it was 4.30 pm; the Consulate at Hull stops taking calls at 4 pm. I therefore decided to send the photos the next day. As this would be Saturday, the photos would arrive on Monday in the same post as my passport.

On Sunday evening, I sent an email to the Consulate marked "urgent" explaining what had happened. For good measure,, I added a photograph of the envelope with the photos. It was fairly distinctive and so hoped it would help them to locate it amongst the piles of visa applications.

I was tempted to phone them on Monday but I was quite busy with other tasks. I had given them my mobile number on the application form and in my email.i thought that I would see what would happen. I have not yet booked my flight, as I was waiting to see whether they would grant my application for my visa.

Also, their information pack advised that their busiest period was September - December. During the other 8 months of the year they would aim to deal with the application by return of post. During their 'busy period' they said that it might take an extra 2 or 3 days to return the passport.

I am pleased to report though that my passport came back this morning, Tuesday 12 November! To recap, I sent it on Friday; it was processed and put back in the post on Monday; I received it on Tuesday ...

... And that was notwithstanding the problems I caused them ...

... And I did not need to phone them on the Monday to check whether they had read my email. They were able to sort out everything themselves....

... And this was during their busiest period of the year too ...

So although there have been some recent concerns raised on ThaiVisa about the Consulate at Hull I have nothing but praise for them.

Well done, Hull!