METV Visa - Vientiane, Laos. It's official.

[orkid]

So Myanmar is still okay? I have a double-entry tourist visa and am wondering if it will be obsolete by the time I need to use my second entry in late December.

[elviajero]

So Myanmar is still okay? I have a double-entry tourist visa and am wondering if it will be obsolete by the time I need to use my second entry in late December.

Your existing double entry visa is unaffected by the new METV. You can use it until the 'enter before' date (expiry date) printed on the visa. When you enter in December (on or before the 'enter before' date) and activate your second entry you'll be given 60 days.

Edited November 6, 2015 by elviajero

[JDGRUEN]

So Myanmar is still okay? I have a double-entry tourist visa and am wondering if it will be obsolete by the time I need to use my second entry in late December.

The METV has nothing to do with a 2 Entry Tourist Visa or any other kind of Tourist Visa already in effect.

[easybullet3]

see below

see below

see below

I just thought of an idea to work around this! for UK citizens (and possibly other countries) to get a Multi-entry 6 month visa WITHOUT LEAVING THAILAND !

*PLEASE READ* and let me know if you think my idea will work.. (or if you can think of any Flaws in my idea).

In the UK, one can apply for a Visa BY POST.

http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/401

(actually.. i'm not sure if this service is now terminated, because the 1st paragraph dates or wording is possibly incorrect).

* even if Postal applications are now ineffective, one can also apply through an Agency (who applies on your behalf):

http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/60

[check paragraph 6]

So,

for any UK national who has FAMILY or Friends in the UK, here is my process:

1 - send your passport by DHL or UPS to your family or friend in the UK (together with filled out downloaded forms and any supporting doctuments).

2 - your family or friend re-sends your passport by Postal Application to the Consulate or Agency.

3 - Thai Embassy sticks 6 month visa in your passport and sends it back to the postal address of your family or friend (in the UK).

4 - upon recieving your passport, your family or friend re-send your passport back to you in Bangkok (via DHL or UPS).

5 - you make your next visa run to Poipet or whichever land-crossing border suits you and ACTIVATE your 6 months visa.

really, is this going to work?

Other than not having your passport on you for a few weeks,

if you can see any Flaws in this method, please tell me.

This method may also be possible for USA and other nationalities to do in their own respective Home Country.

Edited November 6, 2015 by easybullet3

[No Apologist]

4). Erosion of Thainess by cultural long term foreigners staying here

- Possibly, but then this is not a problem being solved, but rather a fear being prevented and would be more similar to the recent stopping alcohol sales rule 300 meters of a school, which is more a moral judgement and not really problem solving.

It's unquestionably #4, and you forgot to include, that Thailand has no social-system / welfare for any of those 'horrible foreigners' to take advantage of. Foreigners of any type - overstayers, back to back'ers, and no matter where they are from - all have to pay for rent, food, medical, everything that benefits an economy. Angry guys here will shout that 'cheap charlies and backpackers aren't needed!', but the xenophobia ushered in a year ago last May had a verifiably huge effect on the economy, and each step like this will continue to. I know partly because of how many Thais I know who run apartment buildings and shops - they've been very anxious since about losing so much of the revenue their businesses had been based on (and decent, hard working Thai people have suffered for it, I know).

The only mistake would be assuming that rationality would be turned to, once anger and paranoia take over. The current goverment is fine with an economy driven back to the dirt, because that means control. And as you say, the less examples of others knowing more freedoms, the better. And, there's no pesky vote to be concerned about anymore, so there's no motivation to conceed anything.

[William C F Pierce]

With laws like this it proves Thailand has no intention of play by any rules created in ASEAN. One rule for Thais and one for all other ASEAN members. So ASEAN is fake and a lot of BULL unless it complies with Thainess in the eyes of the Thai government .

[uptheos]

Anyone have any idea how many of these METV a person is going to be allowed?

[steven100]

As posted before, visa runs are finished. If you are wanting to stay in Thailand for an extended period then get the correct visa for which your purpose of stay correlates to.

Apply for a tourist visa from your home Thailand consulate. The visa run days of back to back are history. Get the correct visa.

And your position in Thai Immigration office is?

genuine tourists stay 1-2 months maximum, a person residing in Thailand for an extended period being facilitated by border runs for the purpose of back to back TV's is not considered a genuine tourist.

Those days are gone.

[JanDetlefsen]

problem is you are leaving the country without a "used" stamp on your visa.

[tribalfusion001]

see below

see below

see below

I just thought of an idea to work around this! for UK citizens (and possibly other countries) to get a Multi-entry 6 month visa WITHOUT LEAVING THAILAND !

*PLEASE READ* and let me know if you think my idea will work.. (or if you can think of any Flaws in my idea).

In the UK, one can apply for a Visa BY POST.

http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/401

(actually.. i'm not sure if this service is now terminated, because the 1st paragraph dates or wording is possibly incorrect).

* even if Postal applications are now ineffective, one can also apply through an Agency (who applies on your behalf):

http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/60

[check paragraph 6]

So,

for any UK national who has FAMILY or Friends in the UK, here is my process:

1 - send your passport by DHL or UPS to your family or friend in the UK (together with filled out downloaded forms and any supporting doctuments).

2 - your family or friend re-sends your passport by Postal Application to the Consulate or Agency.

3 - Thai Embassy sticks 6 month visa in your passport and sends it back to the postal address of your family or friend (in the UK).

4 - upon recieving your passport, your family or friend re-send your passport back to you in Bangkok (via DHL or UPS).

5 - you make your next visa run to Poipet or whichever land-crossing border suits you and ACTIVATE your 6 months visa.

really, is this going to work?

Other than not having your passport on you for a few weeks,

if you can see any Flaws in this method, please tell me.

This method may also be possible for USA and other nationalities to do in their own respective Home Country.

The Thai embassy in London will see that your passport does not have an exit stamp from Thailand, so probably will refuse the visa as they will assume you are still in Thailand.

[JackThompson]

Not really but I can tell you I will need to get a legal work permit and I will have to come out of retirement for a few years, but such is life as you cannot have it all your way. I have a Degree and I might as well use it again.

I still have not decided anything as I am still considering the TE Visa as I like my life the way it is now and the hassle of going back to work is something I need to think about.

Last thing I want to do is do anything illegal here and I want Thailand to be my long term home once I reach 50 in just a few short years. The last thing I want to do is jeopardize that!

I am with you 100% on this - close to 50 myself - never broke the rules, and not going to start. Making a bit of money beats throwing a bunch down the drain - so I also considered this.

Now I am leaning towards volunteer work, which could offer an easier pace than going back to 9-5. I can do the METV thing if necessary - and may in the short-term, but volunteering could be more rewarding, and provide a more stable visa-path to 50.

And steven100, if Thailand agreed with you on what a "genuine tourist" is, they would write the rules as such. They haven't. Take it up with them.

[Kitsune]

Anyone have any idea how many of these METV a person is going to be allowed?

Good question.

[jspill]

As posted before, visa runs are finished. If you are wanting to stay in Thailand for an extended period then get the correct visa for which your purpose of stay correlates to.

Apply for a tourist visa from your home Thailand consulate. The visa run days of back to back are history. Get the correct visa.

Visa runs are still going to happen, just single entry tourist ones or back home for a multi (actually good news for some people who couldn't get triple entries in their countries), or apply by mail from a nearby country. Nothing incorrect about it.

[elviajero]

One last hope for Vietnam & Indonesia, but not holding breath...

The Thai Embassy in Washington, USA already has a similar worded announcment.

I would say that this is world-wide.

the Thai Embassys in Britain allow for Postal Applications (if sent to a british address) friend or parents.

maybe a possibility to send passport to the UK,,, get your family or friends to re-post the passport application to the consulate and get visa.

then send passport (DHL) back to you in Thailand with the appropriate visa.

then you do a visa run to Poipet and ACTIVATE this visa..

will my idea work ? can you see any flaw in my idea ?

apart from not having your passport on you for a few weeks, not really a big deal.

and DHL or UPS will make sure passport is safe in transit.

seriously, will my idea work? (if you are british).

maybe USA and other countries also have local visa applications by post.

• Do you think the fact that it has to be sent to a British address might be a clue why you are not supposed to do what you suggest.
• And what happens when the person issuing the METV notices that you're stamped in to Thailand?
• And what happens when you enter Thailand and the IO notices that the visa was issued in the UK when you were in Thailand?
• And what happens if you're stopped and asked to produce your passport during it's trip to and from the UK?

You must be resident and present in the country to qualify.

Anyone doing this would be bonkers!

[gilo]

Easybullet 3 - there would be no exit stamp from Thailand in your passport that might raise issues in the Thai Embassy in the UK. If however say you left for a neighbouring country and carried out the plan then it might work. However it seems an overly risky and somewhat convoluted way of dealing with the matter imo as you would still need to wait in some neighbouring country without your passport or risk alerting the officials in the UK Embassy that something is amiss due to the absence of the Thai departure stamp.

[No Apologist]

Well, if u havent got 200k then why on earth you taking 6 months holidays... No other country will allow you in, without proving you can take care of yourself...

What you say is totally true, except for the 5,000,000,000 times a day all over the world that it isn't.

[jspill]

if you can see any Flaws in this method, please tell me.

Lots of people do it, you need to leave Thailand though. There are quite a few threads on it

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/569072-mailing-passport-to-thai-consulate-in-los-angeles-for-triple-entry-tourist-visa/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/136804-visa-by-mail-while-outside-of-thailand/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/35068-anyone-sent-passport-by-mail-from-thailand/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/204478-mail-your-passport-to-usa-while-staying-outside-thailand-but-not-in-usa/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/43466-passport-by-mail-to-thailand/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/38086-non-immigrant-o-visa/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/38086-non-immigrant-o-visa/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/173963-non-imm-o-hull-through-the-mail/

[totally thaied up]

Not really but I can tell you I will need to get a legal work permit and I will have to come out of retirement for a few years, but such is life as you cannot have it all your way. I have a Degree and I might as well use it again.

I still have not decided anything as I am still considering the TE Visa as I like my life the way it is now and the hassle of going back to work is something I need to think about.

Last thing I want to do is do anything illegal here and I want Thailand to be my long term home once I reach 50 in just a few short years. The last thing I want to do is jeopardize that!

I am with you 100% on this - close to 50 myself - never broke the rules, and not going to start. Making a bit of money beats throwing a bunch down the drain - so I also considered this.

Now I am leaning towards volunteer work, which could offer an easier pace than going back to 9-5. I can do the METV thing if necessary - and may in the short-term, but volunteering could be more rewarding, and provide a more stable visa-path to 50.

And steven100, if Thailand agreed with you on what a "genuine tourist" is, they would write the rules as such. They haven't. Take it up with them.

Yep, the last thing I want to do is do something illegal and I am not going to start. I am well Educated and can do a lot for my local area for certain. I really just have to decide what to do. I have skills that are in demand and have had many offers over the last 8 years to use them. I may even surprise myself and train disadvantaged people my skills.

Who knows yet but I have a few months to think about it.

[uptheos]

As posted before, visa runs are finished. If you are wanting to stay in Thailand for an extended period then get the correct visa for which your purpose of stay correlates to.

Apply for a tourist visa from your home Thailand consulate. The visa run days of back to back are history. Get the correct visa.

Visa runs are still going to happen, just single entry tourist ones or back home for a multi (actually good news for some people who couldn't get triple entries in their countries), or apply by mail from a nearby country. Nothing incorrect about it.

How do you apply by mail from a nearby country?

[jspill]

.

• Do you think the fact that it has to be sent to a British address might be a clue why you are not supposed to do what you suggest.
• And what happens when the person issuing the METV notices that you're stamped in to Thailand?
• And what happens when you enter Thailand and the IO notices that the visa was issued in the UK when you were in Thailand?
• And what happens if you're stopped and asked to produce your passport during it's trip to and from the UK?

You must be resident and present in the country to qualify.

Anyone doing this would be bonkers!

Or you could've just mentioned that he needs to leave Thailand and do it by mail from outside the country, then it'd be totally fine and something many people have done, for years.

[jspill]

How do you apply by mail from a nearby country?

Recorded delivery to a family member back home, then they send it, and return address is theirs, then they send to you in Hong Kong or wherever.

Lots of threads on it, with moderators confirming it breaks no laws as far as Thailand is concerned.

Edited November 6, 2015 by jspill

[tribalfusion001]

I highly doubt that back to back METV will be allowed, defeats the whole point of the visa, ie, to get rid of long term tourists living in Thailand.

[Derek JM]

The METV is only available to Laos nationals in Vientiane, right? So, can you only apply for it in your home country?

No...........

Please inform members where , other than their home countries, an METV can be obtained.

Nowhere, obviously.

It's still only Nov. 6th.

Not quite. I suspect those not living in their own country but are a legal resident in another via documented means (resident card/permanent resident card)

would be able to get a METV visa in a country other than their country of citizenship.

[jspill]

I highly doubt that back to back METV will be allowed, defeats the whole point of the visa, ie, to get rid of long term tourists living in Thailand.

Or encouraging and streamlining tourists that have enough funds such that they don't need to work in a Thai Baht paid job, or turn to criminal activity.

[brewsterbudgen]

As posted before, visa runs are finished. If you are wanting to stay in Thailand for an extended period then get the correct visa for which your purpose of stay correlates to.

Apply for a tourist visa from your home Thailand consulate. The visa run days of back to back are history. Get the correct visa.

People can still make a visa run for single-entry tourist visa, and visa runs will still be necessary for non-O/B visa holders.

[tribalfusion001]

I highly doubt that back to back METV will be allowed, defeats the whole point of the visa, ie, to get rid of long term tourists living in Thailand.

Or encouraging and streamlining tourists that have enough funds such that they don't need to work in a Thai Baht paid job, or turn to criminal activity.

I'm sure the details will be announced about back to back METV and by mid June 2016 people will find out when METV expires.

[No Apologist]

Easybullet 3 - there would be no exit stamp from Thailand in your passport that might raise issues in the Thai Embassy in the UK. If however say you left for a neighbouring country and carried out the plan then it might work. However it seems an overly risky and somewhat convoluted way of dealing with the matter imo as you would still need to wait in some neighbouring country without your passport or risk alerting the officials in the UK Embassy that something is amiss due to the absence of the Thai departure stamp.

I have to agree this has too many possibilities of not going well. The no exit stamp is a real concern, and could lead to real issues which the person would then be completely out of control of dealing with themself, wherever that passport was.

An agent at the US embassy in Bangkok, once stopped a conversation about something else last year, to say 'Whatever you do, DON'T lose your passport!'. She went on at length about how much hell people are in, when not being able to produce a passport at all - way worse, I guess, than whatever a passport my say (like an overstay). I guess, the moment that one doesn't have the document itself anymore, it is escalated to a whole new level of accusation; you sold your passport as a criminal, etc. No thanks to that kind of trouble, I'd say.

Edited November 6, 2015 by No Apologist

[gemguy]

Hmmmm...the new government order.

Give it six months and it will be corrupted somehow, someway and people will still be able to get a double entry visa...somehow, some way.

Meantime a pain in the butt for all too many people.

Cheers

[steven100]

As posted before, visa runs are finished. If you are wanting to stay in Thailand for an extended period then get the correct visa for which your purpose of stay correlates to.

Apply for a tourist visa from your home Thailand consulate. The visa run days of back to back are history. Get the correct visa.

People can still make a visa run for single-entry tourist visa, and visa runs will still be necessary for non-O/B visa holders.

correct ......... single may be ok for a while but those wanting double will need to apply from home.

I even suspect single entry TV's will be scrutinized further from now on.

[tonbridgebrit]

Screen Shot 2558-11-06 at 3.05.55 PM.png

Hold on a minute. You need to show a letter of employment ? Some people don't actually work, but do actually have over 200,000 baht (4,000 pounds) in their bank account. Then what ?