Is Macao a good visa run?

[SGX]

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Well thanks, that is a lot more information than I had before. Tell you this, living here certainly doesn't make me feel like an expert in anything...

Thats because you going about it the wrong western way, Your not in Kansas anymore..

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

OP, as many can tell you, Thailand and "hothead" for a farang are two things that definitely DON'T go well together.

Meanwhile, as to the point of your original post, how long are you looking to get for your next permission to stay?

--A visa exempt entry, which doesn't require any consulate, is for 30 days initially and can be extended at Thai Immigration in country for an additional 30 days.

--A tourist visa, from one of the Thai consulates outside Thailand, will buy you more time, both with the initial term and then potential extensions. But it does require submitting the application to the consulate, perhaps waiting a day or two, and some subsequent travel outside Thailand if you really want to extend its time to the fullest.

At least in BKK, I believe, a tourist visa can be converted to a Non-Immigrant visa at Thai Immigration, assuming you meet the requirements.

If you're not planning to stay in Thailand, that makes the choice easier. But if you're planning to seek future employment now, then perhaps someone more versed in employment-related visa issues can advise whether a tourist visa will have any advantage over a visa exempt status, when you transition to a new job.

[krdowney]

Tall Guy. Thanks for the good info. The visa administrator said she will flip the VEE into a work visa as soon as I get back. The two threads I started have given me a lot of great info, but have made me feel like a thoroughly crappy human being. I have made too many mistakes but I am not a bad person, really. I would like to ask the mod to lock this thread. Thank you.

[realenglish1]

Sounds like you want casino action Go to Hong Kong to the Thai embassy there and take a boat to Macau Its about a hours ride

Or just to to Macau, take a boat ride to Hong Kong and go the the embassy there in Hong Kong .

I've made the trip several times when I cannot get a decently priced Air ticket to HK Macau is usually much cheaper

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Tall Guy. Thanks for the good info. The visa administrator said she will flip the VEE into a work visa as soon as I get back.

Enjoy your trip! Macau is a pleasant change from Thailand, being relatively cleaner, more well-ordered, and without the SE Asian country feel.

[BritTim]

A question I have about all this: since the last entry was visa exempt (albeit then converted to Non Imm K) could the wrong IO at Don Muang decide that this amounts to back-to-back visa exempt entries? I am guessing not, but would have 20,000 baht cash and an outbound air ticket as insurance.

[mango66]

Then what have I always gotten at the airport? What did I get in January when I came back from the US? I am really confused here.

and you are absolutely sure you have a PHD? 555 Sorry, I just could not resist.

I think the poster you replied to was alluding to semantics. You received a Visa waiver/exemption and not a Visa in January. That said, Macau will be busy on the weekends with the plethora of people from Hong Kong.

While you are there you might consider the cultural differences between the East and West. An earlier post mentioned proper observance of Thai culture. You have to be prepared for the underlying reality and not focus on what things look like on the surface. As an example: (and this is only an example) Your Dean could in all likelihood despise you. Unless, you, 1) Never raised you voice while in his company, 2) Always have given the proper Wai when you have seen him, 3) Never acted with any bravado or dominating attitude, 4) and generally have always acted within the parameters of the "expected", there is no way to tell what the Dean or anyone else really thinks about you. Someone of his stature would have to appear to like you in public because that is what is required to act within the bounds of his position. The admin girl is at more liberty to portray her disdain of you because of her lower position.

Try to remember Thais prefer to resolve disagreements with a win/win solution. In this way no-one loses face.

It seems from your posts you are operating on a innocence/ guilt, right/wrong, win/lose cognitive evaluation process.

You need to leave that kind of thinking behind.

To make things simple- (because, realistically you are not going to learn all the complicated maneuverings of the Thai cultural milieu in a few days in Macau), just simply do everything exactly the opposite of the way you would do it in the west!

Someone pulls out in front of you in traffic, don't lose your temper and scold them for causing a potentially dangerous situation, just slow down, relax and let them in. Forget about it- It's the way it is here.

Try to remember- to Thais, ascribed status and achieved status are the same form of currency. That makes your PHD worth slightly less than the position a rich Thai girl has after her rich powerful dady gave her that position- a position of which she would obviously not be qualified- because again, that's the way it is here.

The PHD only got you in the door- your behavior and proper acceptance of cultural values keeps you in the door.

b

PHD today you can get for less than 1.000,- U$

[Tomtomtom69]

Tall Guy. Thanks for the good info. The visa administrator said she will flip the VEE into a work visa as soon as I get back. The two threads I started have given me a lot of great info, but have made me feel like a thoroughly crappy human being. I have made too many mistakes but I am not a bad person, really. I would like to ask the mod to lock this thread. Thank you.

You've already bought that ticket to Macau, but why not consider getting a tourist visa while you're outside of Thailand? It will add a great deal of time to your authorized period of stay, assuming you need it. Given your experience dealing with incompetence when it comes to converting your visa back to a non-F or non-B or whatever, are you sure the staff will be able to do it in time? Is 30 days really enough?

You would have been better off going to Laos for a double entry tourist visa. Would have been cheaper and quicker to get there. Now that you're going to Macau, you could try to get a tourist visa in Hong Kong, but I'm not sure how straightforward that will be. Some consulates and embassies around the world only do visas (of any type) for residents and citizens, others may do work visas for non-residents but tourist visas are only for residents. No idea about Hong Kong, but it wouldn't be my choice of place to apply.

[krdowney]

Because the visa officer is flipping it over to a non f or b again as soon as I get back.

[Suradit69]

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not back to back. I had to get a tourist visa when I came back from the US after Christmas because the department screwed up my visa, then I got a non-F for three months, then my department wouldn't renew it because they will be giving me a new contract next month and didn't consider that I had become illegal, so I have to get another tourist visa. The thing is I know the visa stuff pretty well, the staff just doesn't give a crap about doing the paperwork

"the thing is I know the visa stuff pretty well"

The jury is still out on that.

Then what have I always gotten at the airport? What did I get in January when I came back from the US? I am really confused here.

You get a visa exempt entry which, as the name implies, is permission to enter Thailand granted by immigrations without a visa. No visa. Just permission to stay in Thailand for 30 days.

[krdowney]

You know, "pretty well" is relative. I usually know enough to keep out of jail...usually. I started tlis thead because right now I didn't know enough to stay out of trouble and needed help. Many people have. Many others just insulted me because of ny education. M schooling is the least of my concerns, so lets just let it go.

[blackcab]

PHD today you can get for less than 1.000,- U$

Does it come with a complimentary SAS membership as well?

Ask anyone whose fees for their Ph.D studies cost less than $1,000 what the title of their thesis was, and I'm fairly sure the first word out of their mouth would be, "Err...".