The Multiple Entry Tourist Visa Topic (METV)

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, Travello01 said:

This is the first time I've applied for a Visa in Thailand.

Who gave you this "great" idea?

According to Thai law you need to be in possession of an accepted identification document, by sending your passport away you broke this law.

Then there is also the MFA saying that you need to be outside of Thailand to be issued a visa: http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15405-General-information.html

You might get back your passport, but it will come back without a visa.

Apply for an emergency travel document, fly back home, and sort it out.

 

[elviajero]

You are not allowed to apply for a visa from inside Thailand. And even if you get your passport back with a visa you might have trouble using it.

 

They should return your passport even if not issuing a visa, and you should have got it back by now. If you can’t talk to the embassy, and need to leave Thailand, your only choice is to report the passport lost and apply for a new one or emergency travel document.

[Travello01]

40 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Who gave you this "great" idea?

According to Thai law you need to be in possession of an accepted identification document, by sending your passport away you broke this law

 

20 minutes ago, elviajero said:

You are not allowed to apply for a visa from inside Thailand. And even if you get your passport back with a visa you might have trouble using it.

 

*for Thailand

I'm in the USA right now. Sorry, that wasn't worded properly.

But the rest of my comment reflects that I'm in the USA and had to miss my flight.

I'm paying rent in Thailand right now despite being in the USA without a passport (because DC Thai Royal Embassy has it) and I still need to buy another ticket once I get it back.

But I can't get in contact with them.

 

Who oversees them that I can contact? I doubt they're just allowed to accept money and passports in the USA and keep them with no consequences, but it kind of seems like that's what's going on.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Travello01

[elviajero]

23 minutes ago, Travello01 said:

*for Thailand

I'm in the USA right now. Sorry, that wasn't worded properly.

But the rest of my comment reflects that I'm in the USA and had to miss my flight.

I'm paying rent in Thailand right now despite being in the USA without a passport (because DC Thai Royal Embassy has it) and I still need to buy another ticket once I get it back.

But I can't get in contact with them.

 

Who oversees them that I can contact? I doubt they're just allowed to accept money and passports in the USA and keep them with no consequences, but it kind of seems like that's what's going on.

The website says they take a minimum of 15 business days to process mail applications, so something must have gone wrong if it's been over 5 weeks. You could try contacting the Embassy rather than the consular section. 

[Travello01]

8 minutes ago, elviajero said:

The website says they take a minimum of 15 business days to process mail applications, so something must have gone wrong if it's been over 5 weeks. You could try contacting the Embassy rather than the consular section. 

I've tried every number many times. The only one that has answered was the Chicago embassy and they said they couldn't even give me a status update for what goes on in DC. I'll give it another shot and use every option they give me when they re-open after their lunchbreak, like I did with the DC office though. Thanks.

 

I have a feeling their rating on Google would be very close to 1 star if not for the many Thai names giving it 5 stars. Maybe they choose to only answer calls from Thais? https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=thai+royal+embassy&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#lrd=0x89b7b64ebad85cbb:0xe8afdc2880bdfca0,1,,,

Edited August 27, 2019 by Travello01

[elviajero]

4 minutes ago, Travello01 said:

I've tried every number many times. The only one that has answered was the Chicago embassy and they said they couldn't even give me a status update for what goes on in DC. I'll give it another shot and use every option they give me when they re-open after their lunchbreak, like I did with the DC office though. Thanks.

 

I have a feeling their rating on Google would be very close to 1 star if not for the many Thai names giving it 5 stars. Maybe they choose to only answer calls from Thais? https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=thai+royal+embassy&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#lrd=0x89b7b64ebad85cbb:0xe8afdc2880bdfca0,1,,,

The number given by google is the main embassy number. Tel: 202-944-3600

 

Did you call the consular section too? Tel: 202-684-8493

[BritTim]

10 minutes ago, Travello01 said:

I've tried every number many times. The only one that has answered was the Chicago embassy and they said they couldn't even give me a status update for what goes on in DC. I'll give it another shot and use every option they give me like I did with the DC office though. Thanks.

 

I have a feeling their rating on Google would be very close to 1 star if not for the many Thai names giving it 5 stars. Maybe they choose to only answer calls from Thais? https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=thai+royal+embassy&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#lrd=0x89b7b64ebad85cbb:0xe8afdc2880bdfca0,1,,,

This page includes a fax number. Might be worth a try: https://thaiembdc.org/contact/

[Travello01]

16 minutes ago, elviajero said:

The number given by google is the main embassy number. Tel: 202-944-3600

 

Did you call the consular section too? Tel: 202-684-8493

Yes, I've tried both. Many, many times. Not even the operator will accept the call.

Sometimes it will be busy and I will choose to hold, but then it will say there's nobody to answer the call. It's like they're actively dodging my calls.

And the Chicago embassy gave me a different number that's supposed to be "the new number".

Royal Thai Embassy, Washington DC: 202-640-5658

in case that helps anyone (not that they answer).

 

I've tried every number several times at every time of day: morning, after lunch, just before close, etc. NEVER once got an answer in DC. Only in Chicago.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Travello01

[edwardandtubs]

When applying for an METV, what does the letter from the employer actually have to say? Is it supposed to be just a one sentence confirmation of your current employment?

[bangmatt]

hi guys so im currently weighing up visa opions. is my understanding of METV correct? the visa is valid for 6 months from date of entry. So if for example i arrive 1 jan it will be valid until the 30th june with border runs every 60 days. which would mean 3 border runs, correct? but if i make the final border run just before the 30th june, say on the 29th I would still get an additional 60 days is that right? so actually making the visa valid for 240 days (8 months). 

[ThaiBunny]

2 minutes ago, bangmatt said:

the visa is valid for 6 months from date of entry.

It is valid for six months from the date of issue, not the date of entry - like all visas

[bangmatt]

ah yeah ok. my misunderstanding. But am i correct about the extra 60 days if i make the last border run just but before the visa expiry date?

 

[elviajero]

52 minutes ago, bangmatt said:

ah yeah ok. my misunderstanding. But am i correct about the extra 60 days if i make the last border run just but before the visa expiry date?

 

Yes, but it’s possible to also get a 30 day extension giving you 90 days and a total of nearly 9 months.

[fhickson]

On 8/27/2019 at 9:43 PM, Travello01 said:

This is the first time I've applied for a Visa in Thailand.

I'm American and mailed my passport and all documents to Washington DC Thai Royal Embassy 1 month and 11 days ago and since then I haven't heard any updates, nobody has answered the phone in 11 days (including the operator) and nobody has returned my 2 emails.

 

This included a $200 Money Order, $25 shipped both ways, 1 MISSED FLIGHT because they have my passport, and now I've been paying for rent & travel insurance in Thailand as I wait here with nobody answering my calls. 

 

Can anyone please help me resolve this? What action should I take. Is there anything else I can do other than reporting my passport stolen?

Thank you in advanced.

 

edit:

-I've called Chicago and they said they can't help with anything from the DC office.

-My package definitely DID arrive there

-I cannot check if they cashed my Money Order or not

your first mistake was using the dc office and not los angeles.

 

make a long story short, never use the dc office, take my word for it.

 

if you do a passport theft report with state make sure you can prove you requested it back via certified mail, false report is a crime.

Edited September 2, 2019 by fhickson

[fhickson]

On 8/28/2019 at 4:15 AM, bangmatt said:

ah yeah ok. my misunderstanding. But am i correct about the extra 60 days if i make the last border run just but before the visa expiry date?

 

you should get that last 60 IF you have not been in country more then 180 days that year

 

180 day discretion by border official over rules visa validity date

Edited September 2, 2019 by fhickson

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, fhickson said:

you should get that last 60 IF you have not been in country more then 180 days that year

 

180 day discretion by border official over rules visa validity date

There is no such limit. 

[ThaiRebound]

If we have spent all of this year in Thailand and been here on consecutive tourist visas since April of 2018, does that make it possible that boarder officials will take exception to allowing 60 additional days after METV has been used for 60 days + 30 extended + 60 days + 30 extended? Are there any examples of this? 

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, ThaiRebound said:

If we have spent all of this year in Thailand and been here on consecutive tourist visas since April of 2018, does that make it possible that boarder officials will take exception to allowing 60 additional days after METV has been used for 60 days + 30 extended + 60 days + 30 extended? Are there any examples of this? 

Yes they might. There are reports of people  living in the country using METV’s being denied entry.

 

They won’t definitely deny entry, it’s all down to the IO in the day. As it stands you shouldn’t have any problem if using a land border (except Aranya’/Poipet).

[ThaiRebound]

I'll take a bag with my important things. If they deny me, I'll leave the rest behind in my hotel room -- along with 2 weeks pre-paid on a hotel room I rent by the month (not that cheap, either). Maybe it's time for a downsize~

[KarlPilks]

What's the best way tactically of going about using a METV to full effect? I am not planning on going beyond the 6 month period, and certainly don't want to do anything which is considered dodgy. I am just trying to do the maths.

I understand you can get a 30 day extension after the first 60 days, but I figure if I am just staying for 6 months, I am going to have to still leave twice for a couple days at a time if I get the extension or not. Either after 60 and 120 days if I don't get the extension, and after 90 and 150 days if I do get the extension, with my flight back home after 180 days.

Am I missing something, is there a way I only have to leave once? Thanks heaps.

Edited September 2, 2019 by KarlPilks

[elviajero]

11 minutes ago, KarlPilks said:

What's the best way tactically of going about using a METV to full effect? I am not planning on going beyond the 6 month period, and certainly don't want to do anything which is considered dodgy. I am just trying to do the maths.

I understand you can get a 30 day extension after the first 60 days, but I figure if I am just staying for 6 months, I am going to have to still leave twice for a couple days at a time if I get the extension or not. Either after 60 and 120 days if I don't get the extension, and after 90 and 150 days if I do get the extension, with my flight back home after 180 days.

Am I missing something, is there a way I only have to leave once? Thanks heaps.

No. Twice is the minimum. 

[jackdd]

You enter Thailand, get 60 days, then get a 30 days extension.

After 90 days you leave the country, come back, get another 60 days and then a further 30 days extension.

Gives you 180 days, leaving Thailand once.

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

1 hour ago, KarlPilks said:

What's the best way tactically of going about using a METV to full effect? I am not planning on going beyond the 6 month period, and certainly don't want to do anything which is considered dodgy. I am just trying to do the maths.

I understand you can get a 30 day extension after the first 60 days, but I figure if I am just staying for 6 months, I am going to have to still leave twice for a couple days at a time if I get the extension or not. Either after 60 and 120 days if I don't get the extension, and after 90 and 150 days if I do get the extension, with my flight back home after 180 days.

Am I missing something, is there a way I only have to leave once? Thanks heaps.

No. Twice is the minimum. 

I misread your post. If you only want to stay nearly 6 months 2x90 days you only need to exit once after the first 90 days.

 

If you want to “use the METV to full effect” you leave and re-enter just before the METV expires to get nearly 9 months.

Edited September 2, 2019 by elviajero

[wasabi]

Last year my wife and I were able to get nearly 9 months using the METV. We traveled frequently. I thought that was smart but it ended up being a mistake. We left the country about every 2 months, but our time outside the country was very brief. The first time in and out was fine. 2nd I began to get scrutinized more so I tried to extend 60 days to 90 days in the country and leave Thailand longer, nevertheless the scrutiny increased every time we came back. We returned a few days before the original 6 months expired, attempting to get close to 9 months. That time we were taken aside and rigorously questioned. The officer asked if I could speak Thai which I can and we began speaking Thai. I have no idea why he asked this but I figured best to be honest about everything. There were the usual questions what are we doing so long in the country, are we working? We weren't at all. Where does the money come from? We showed them Facebook pictures and Youtube videos we made of us clearly on vacation and not working. That calmed things down a lot. I then asked if I got a Thailand Elite visa would we encounter so much scrutiny? The IO said no. Thailand Elite was more appropriate if we want to stay in the country long term but aren't working and are too young for a retirement visa.  I've been out of the country 6 months now and plan to stay out a full year. We will again get a METV but will stay in the country 3 months (extending at CW) stay out a few weeks and re-enter from abroad only once. I won't be trying to get the full 9 months again, for us it is not worth the scrutiny and risk. I am only doing a METV again to see first hand how manageable the new TM30 visa process is. If it is annoying but manageable we will get Thailand Elite visas going forward. If we find it Kafkaesque and even with our best efforts unmanageable we will likely visit Thailand less frequently using SETV. We love Thailand and respect their laws, try to follow them, but if the rules are so onerous that all the joy of Thailand is gone there are other options and we can just be short term tourists.

 

[fhickson]

11 hours ago, KarlPilks said:

What's the best way tactically of going about using a METV to full effect? I am not planning on going beyond the 6 month period, and certainly don't want to do anything which is considered dodgy. I am just trying to do the maths.

I understand you can get a 30 day extension after the first 60 days, but I figure if I am just staying for 6 months, I am going to have to still leave twice for a couple days at a time if I get the extension or not. Either after 60 and 120 days if I don't get the extension, and after 90 and 150 days if I do get the extension, with my flight back home after 180 days.

Am I missing something, is there a way I only have to leave once? Thanks heaps.

due to possible tm30 fines when getting an extention at immigration offices i simply border hop every 60 days. no limit on that for six months and you dont have to pay the extention fee.

 

as simple as that.

[fhickson]

1 hour ago, wasabi said:

Last year my wife and I were able to get nearly 9 months using the METV. We traveled frequently. I thought that was smart but it ended up being a mistake. We left the country about every 2 months, but our time outside the country was very brief. The first time in and out was fine. 2nd I began to get scrutinized more so I tried to extend 60 days to 90 days in the country and leave Thailand longer, nevertheless the scrutiny increased every time we came back. We returned a few days before the original 6 months expired, attempting to get close to 9 months. That time we were taken aside and rigorously questioned. The officer asked if I could speak Thai which I can and we began speaking Thai. I have no idea why he asked this but I figured best to be honest about everything. There were the usual questions what are we doing so long in the country, are we working? We weren't at all. Where does the money come from? We showed them Facebook pictures and Youtube videos we made of us clearly on vacation and not working. That calmed things down a lot. I then asked if I got a Thailand Elite visa would we encounter so much scrutiny? The IO said no. Thailand Elite was more appropriate if we want to stay in the country long term but aren't working and are too young for a retirement visa.  I've been out of the country 6 months now and plan to stay out a full year. We will again get a METV but will stay in the country 3 months (extending at CW) stay out a few weeks and re-enter from abroad only once. I won't be trying to get the full 9 months again, for us it is not worth the scrutiny and risk. I am only doing a METV again to see first hand how manageable the new TM30 visa process is. If it is annoying but manageable we will get Thailand Elite visas going forward. If we find it Kafkaesque and even with our best efforts unmanageable we will likely visit Thailand less frequently using SETV. We love Thailand and respect their laws, try to follow them, but if the rules are so onerous that all the joy of Thailand is gone there are other options and we can just be short term tourists.

 

pretty much just ruined my vacation on the metv

Edited September 3, 2019 by fhickson

[ThaiRebound]

Not so much a question, but I wonder what it is like for foreign women and the process of entry. Do they get pulled aside in same proportion? It would seem that Thai men seem to have a problem with foreign men being in their country, in general.

Edited September 3, 2019 by ThaiRebound

[jackdd]

4 minutes ago, ThaiRebound said:

Not so much a question, but I wonder what it is like for foreign women and the process of entry. Do they get pulled aside in same proportion? It would seem that Thai men seem to have a problem with foreign men being in their country, in general.

Judging by reports it looks like that it are mostly female IOs who give people problems. So your theory is most likely wrong.

[ThaiRebound]

20 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Judging by reports it looks like that it are mostly female IOs who give people problems. So your theory is most likely wrong.

Yes, that would disprove my theory. One more piece of tactical data to add to my infiltration

[edwardandtubs]

I'm in the process of uploading documents for an METV from the London Embassy. How am I supposed to upload 6 months of bank statements? I have the PDFs so do I really have to join them all together and send that? And does the letter from my employer just have to confirm I am currently employed or is additional information required?