Info for people applying for METV in London

[darrendsd]

I was talking to a guy I know this morning, he is from the UK and spends a few months a year in Thailand

 

As this time he has planned to stay here for 6 months he decided to obtain the METV, he applied in person in London, the most interesting part of this is he was not asked to provide bank statements nor letter from Employer, although as he is 72 that would be not required I guess

 

If they are disregarding the bank statement rules then that is good news for people applying for the METV there

[Putmak]

Hello All...

A couple of questions please. How many entries can you get with a METV ?. And what is the method to gain the longest amount of time in Thailand with this visa ?....

Thanks.....

[elviajero]

2 minutes ago, Putmak said:

Hello All...

A couple of questions please. How many entries can you get with a METV ?. And what is the method to gain the longest amount of time in Thailand with this visa ?....

Thanks.....

• You have unlimited entries for 6 months from the day the embassy/consulate issue the visa.
• Each time you enter you are granted permission to stay for 60 days.
• Each 60 day entry can be extended (optional) by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.
• If you want to maximize the amount of time spent in Thailand you should; apply for the visa as close to your first entry, and make your last entry as close to the end of the visas 6 month validity, and extend that last stay by 30 days. This makes it possible to stay in the country of almost 9 months.

[Putmak]

1 minute ago, elviajero said:

• You have unlimited entries for 6 months from the day the embassy/consulate issue the visa.
• Each time you enter you are granted permission to stay for 60 days.
• Each 60 day entry can be extended (optional) by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.
• If you want to maximize the amount of time spent in Thailand you should; apply for the visa as close to your first entry, and make your last entry as close to the end of the visas 6 month validity, and extend that last stay by 30 days. This makes it possible to stay in the country of almost 9 months.

Many thanks....great info. Cheers. 

[Putmak]

3 minutes ago, Putmak said:

Many thanks....great info. Cheers. 

Sorry......just thought of another question....let's say I apply for this visa on Jan 2nd and it takes me up to pretty much the end of September,  could I then apply for another one on the following Jan 2nd for the next year and so on ....?

[elviajero]

38 minutes ago, Putmak said:

Sorry......just thought of another question....let's say I apply for this visa on Jan 2nd and it takes me up to pretty much the end of September,  could I then apply for another one on the following Jan 2nd for the next year and so on ....?

There is no published limit of how many visas you can have, or the frequency of applications. So as long as you meet the requirements there is no reason why you couldn't get another visa.

[Putmak]

13 hours ago, elviajero said:

There is no published limit of how many visas you can have, or the frequency of applications. So as long as you meet the requirements there is no reason why you couldn't get another visa.

Thank you. Just one thing, I have read that you can only stay in Thailand up to 180 days per year, so how does the 9 month (270 days approx) thing work in this case then ?....

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I dont think the 180 days out of a year rule is enforced any longer. It used to be, some years ago, but that was in the past.

 

Re the employment verification requirement, I've never understood that in connection with the METV.

 

I mean, when I was working, I was lucky if I had enough vacation time to travel to Thailand, and certainly was never going to go beyond the 60 days (plus 30 day extension in country if needed) available from a single entry tourist visa.

 

Now that I'm retired, I'd actually have the time and the ability to make use of a Multi Entry Tourist visa. But alas, no longer have an employer verification!  It seems like a kind of self-defeating requirement in most cases.

 

[Putmak]

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I dont think the 180 days out of a year rule is enforced any longer. It used to be, some years ago, but that was in the past.

 

Re the employment verification requirement, I've never understood that in connection with the METV.

 

I mean, when I was working, I was lucky if I had enough vacation time to travel to Thailand, and certainly was never going to go beyond the 60 days (plus 30 day extension in country if needed) available from a single entry tourist visa.

 

Now that I'm retired, I'd actually have the time and the ability to make use of a Multi Entry Tourist visa. But alas, no longer have an employer verification!  It seems like a kind of self-defeating requirement in most cases.

 

Many thanks......I'm just looking at my future options should this 10 year visa thing become a reality and actually does replace the current non imm a-o set up....Cheers. 

[rogeroc]

Thank you very much for the information, i have been put off not getting an METV at London purely because I understood that i could not get a Visa if i was not employed. Trouble is you really cannot ask any questions at the London embassy and i guess if 'no employers' letter then they could decline and you lose £125. 

[Putmak]

7 hours ago, rogeroc said:

Thank you very much for the information, i have been put off not getting an METV at London purely because I understood that i could not get a Visa if i was not employed. Trouble is you really cannot ask any questions at the London embassy and i guess if 'no employers' letter then they could decline and you lose £125. 

.....i agree, phone calls not answered, I have tried to call on many occasions, and one day i tried and left my phone dialling for over an hour and all I got was the recorded message...!. I then called a different extension, the one for political calls and actually someone answered. I said I have been trying to speak to someone about a visa for over an hour....she said ok ill put you through. I thought ok getting somewhere now. But where did she put me through to......yep, the recorded message again !!!. I called the political extension back right away and guess what ?, recorded message on that one too...!. Emails never replied to either...!!. Absolute rubbish service from the main embassy in the UK. It needs looking into. Any body have the contact details for the Thai ambassador for the UK please.....!!.

[MartinBKK]

In the summer I called London, Hull and Liverpool and all told me the same thing. No employment letter (or self assessment) then no visa. The lady was quite sympathetic but unable to help me. As a result I had no other option but to go for Thailand Elite because my whole life is in Thailand. It seems quite unfair to me because in Germany, Australia and New Zealand I know for a fact visas are issued without employment documents.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I know this may not mean anything directly for the London consulate, but FWIW, I recently asked the "what if I'm retired" question re METV to the Thai consulate in Los Angeles, and just got this answer from them by email today:

 

Quote

 

If you do not have an employer, please state in the application form that you are retired and that you are not employed. However, you have to present a copy of your financial statement of at least USD7,000 including other requirements in the list below

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=32

 

Visa Section