Looks like Vientiane now the only 'hassle free' embassy/consulate for TV left in region

[thecyclist]

With Savannakhet recently introducing requirements of flight booking and proof of finances,then according to reports on this forum Penang following suit, it looks like Vientiane being the only embassy/consulate left in region that has no requirements for SETV. Somehow I think this is not gonna last. They might be so overwhelmed with visa applicants now that they will be forced to become more stringent.

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[Danielsiam]

What they're required as proof of finances ?

A Passbook copy with 20,000 THB is it enough ? for TV

[ubonjoe]

Off topic posts have been removed. No reason to close the topic.

Edit: More posts have been removed after somebody replied to one of the removed posts. Please do not sit on a post for so long before finishing the reply.

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, Danielsiam said:

What they're required as proof of finances ?

A Passbook copy with 20,000 THB is it enough ? for TV

Yes - 20K+ Baht on a bank-statement (from any country) or a Thai bank-book.

Some require hotel-bookings or a rental contract.

Some require showing a flight out of Thailand.

[freedomnow]

"Looks like Vientiane now the only 'hassle free' embassy/consulate for TV left in region"

 

Not for long with such a 'now in the cross-hairs' title......like a MEGAPHONE ?

[BritTim]

I have yet to hear that Hong Kong has any requirements. It was an excellent place to apply as of about six months ago. It was a little more expensive in terms of airfare and hotel, but it is a nearby location.

[ChakaKhan]

I just got back from mae sai from CM for my 1st land crossing 30 day STAMP

will give a full report tomorrow---i had all backups and showed NOTHING

So another 30 days for me and and extention at cm immig--120 days total

NO visa either! 

[ChakaKhan]

Is late and i want to give all the details so full report tomorrow-i promise

Success!

[Squeegee]

17 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

"Looks like Vientiane now the only 'hassle free' embassy/consulate for TV left in region"

 

Not for long with such a 'now in the cross-hairs' title......like a MEGAPHONE ?

 

 

[thecyclist]

"Looks like Vientiane now the only 'hassle free' embassy/consulate for TV left in region"
 
Not for long with such a 'now in the cross-hairs' title......like a MEGAPHONE ?

You suppose the consuls at embassies follow thaivisa . The guy from Bali used to , but he's probably the exception.



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[freedomnow]

27 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

You suppose the consuls at embassies follow thaivisa . The guy from Bali used to , but he's probably the exception.



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........................................

[jayci]

Yangon was hassle free last month. Proof of flight to Thailand, photos and photocopy passport.

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[gemguy]

The usual bureaucracy

On one hand, the tourism sector is still promoting Thailand as the place to be ...while on the other hand, another sector of the government is making it continually MORE DIFFICULT to leisurely  come and go.

Both sectors will argue their agenda supersedes the importance of the other but they will never coordinate anything of any significance or substance as both sectors are thinking about the profits they can make.

The embassies and or consulates make significant sums of money by way of their services while the tourism board of Thailand???....well, if you think they do not make a lot of money, somehow, someway....then you would be naïve.

Cheers  

[Chip Allen]

Vientiane was easy. I WAS asked for proof of income but the minimal "proof" I showed, seemed to satisfy them. All of my documents were statements from the USA, no bankbooks were presented. Sometimes, lack of consistency works in your favor.

[JackThompson]

16 minutes ago, Chip Allen said:

Vientiane was easy. I WAS asked for proof of income but the minimal "proof" I showed, seemed to satisfy them. All of my documents were statements from the USA, no bankbooks were presented. Sometimes, lack of consistency works in your favor.

Foreign bank-statements are accepted at all consulates requiring proof-of-finances. 

 

The only real advantage of a Thai bank-book, is that it is an original document, and could show your money originated outside Thailand.  But that is an issue at the checkpoint upon entry, not at consulates (yet).

[hawker9000]

Must you have printouts to submit with the visa application?  Bank statements; flight & hotel bookings?  Or can you just show them on your phone to someone at some point in the process?   Last time I used Vientiane, none of this was required, and I tend to agree that it's probably just a matter of time until they do.

 

PS  How does a Thai bank book show funds origination outside of Thailand?  'Don't have mine in front of me at the moment.  The transaction code?  ('Can't recall if that just shows a deposit, or an int'l transfer)?

  

 

Edited March 18, 2017 by hawker9000

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

Must you have printouts to submit with the visa application?  Bank statements; flight & hotel bookings?  Or can you just show them on your phone to someone at some point in the process?   Last time I used Vientiane, none of this was required, and I tend to agree that it's probably just a matter of time until they do.

 

PS  How does a Thai bank book show funds origination outside of Thailand?  'Don't have mine in front of me at the moment.  The transaction code?  ('Can't recall if that just shows a deposit, or an int'l transfer)?

  

 

If asked for them they want hard copies of them to be attached to your application.

My bank book shows  FTT (foreign telex transfer) for my incoming transfers from outside the country.

[alocacoc]

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If asked for they want hard copies of them to be attached to your application.

My bank book shows  FTT (foreign telex transfer) for my incoming transfers from outside the country.

Yes, mine too, it shows the code X1 (Siam Commercial Bank). Instead of copy the bankbook, you can easily ask for an Bank Statement at your branch. SCB ask for 100 Baht. It comes with a stamp and signed from the bank clerk.

[ChakaKhan]

I just got back from mae sai from CM for my 1st land crossing 30 day STAMP

will give a full report tomorrow---i had all backups and showed NOTHING

So another 30 days for me and and extention at cm immig--120 days total

NO visa either! 

 

I will do my mae sai write up now--stay tuned....

[thaitero]

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Foreign bank-statements are accepted at all consulates requiring proof-of-finances. 

 

The only real advantage of a Thai bank-book, is that it is an original document, and could show your money originated outside Thailand.  But that is an issue at the checkpoint upon entry, not at consulates (yet).

Helsinki thai embassy requires bank statement of 600 euros for SETV.

Last week i applied and showed statement foreign to Finland i was asked to show bankcard connected to that account..

 

Well this was not in nearby region but do not be suprised if one day they ask additional proof that statements you show are real..

[Get Real]

I have always been wondering what a hassle free consulate or embassy is?

As everybody knows there are rules for different kind of visas. Thoose rules have not been applied before, and that is something like people appearently have been taking as the same as hassle free.

Just because they are starting to do thier job as they are supposed to do, can´t be considered as a hassle.

I just hope that everyone follow and enforce all the rules in the same way, just as it now seems like they start with, so that all people can now what is required and not.

It can never be a hassle to follow the rules set up for different things. It becomes a much bigger hassle when rules are not followed.

[IMA_FARANG]

For well over a year there has been a English sign sitting right where a tourist visa can be picked up in Penang Malaysia that warns applicants land border crossers from Malaysia to  Thailand MAY be required to show the amount of 20K baht per person in cash  when crossing the land border into Thailand.

I have seen that sign several times while applying for tourist visas in Penang, but I have always flown back from Malaysia into Thailand.

 

[thecyclist]

7 hours ago, Chip Allen said:

Vientiane was easy. I WAS asked for proof of income but the minimal "proof" I showed, seemed to satisfy them. All of my documents were statements from the USA, no bankbooks were presented. Sometimes, lack of consistency works in your favor.

I have never been asked for anything at Vientiane,other than photos, passport copies and visa fee.The only problem there is that you cannot go through an agency.On a bad day you might be sitting or standing there for hours.So in a way Phnom Penh is more 'hassle-free' than Vientiane,agency does everything including outbound flight booking,but they can be a bit unpredictable.

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[alocacoc]

1 hour ago, thecyclist said:

The only problem there is that you cannot go through an agency.On a bad day you might be sitting or standing there for hours

I was there last Monday. The place was packed but the process was very fast. Was done within 15 minutes. Why? No queue number was needed. The people just leaved their application form on to a table in the front of the counter. A consulate clerk did a very quick check on the papers and finish. It took only a few seconds per person to pass the check.

 

I don't know if this is only a temporary solution. Since the clerk took only a quick glance to the papers, be sure your paperwork is in order and signed.

Edited March 18, 2017 by alocacoc

[Okis]

I got my fourth SETV from penang this week(in the same passort with a 2 years span), the only thing except passport copy/photos needed was a copy of a booked onward ticket. No hassle at all and everything went smooth as usual.

[ChakaKhan]

Imagine if i could offer them tea money to run a same day express visa service!

[thecyclist]

I was there last Monday. The place was packed but the process was very fast. Was done within 15 minutes. Why? No queue number was needed. The people just leaved their application form on to a table in the front of the counter. A consulate clerk did a very quick check on the papers and finish. It took only a few seconds per person to pass the check.
 
I don't know if this is only a temporary solution. Since the clerk took only a quick glance to the papers, be sure your paperwork is in order and signed.

Thanks for the update.Haven't been in Vientiane in over a year.Hopefully this rapid service is permanent and not just a one-off.

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[hawker9000]

7 hours ago, thecyclist said:

I have never been asked for anything at Vientiane,other than photos, passport copies and visa fee.The only problem there is that you cannot go through an agency.On a bad day you might be sitting or standing there for hours.So in a way Phnom Penh is more 'hassle-free' than Vientiane,agency does everything including outbound flight booking,but they can be a bit unpredictable.

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Well, they do ask for copies of your Lao visa and entry stamp, too.  At least they did the last time I was there.

[blorg]

3 hours ago, thecyclist said:

Thanks for the update.Haven't been in Vientiane in over a year.Hopefully this rapid service is permanent and not just a one-off.
 

That's how they have been doing it that last three visas I got from there, you no longer submit at the actual window, they take it at this little table at the end of the queue. You get given your number when they actually take your application. The visas are then given out the next day in number order. When you have to pay, (free right now) you pay the next day on pickup, not when submitting. They give it a very quick look over when you submit- from what I could gather, the key thing she seemed to check was that my last visa was not from Vientiane, which seemed good enough to not require an inventory of all the others (it was my fourth from Vientiane in this passport, fifth if you could the stamp that was transferred at the start of it).

 

My current visa that I got from there the queue was the longest I have ever seen, I was between 100 and 200 but I think it was well over 400 people by the time I left. It's certainly got busier- but they are extremely efficient and process people very quickly. It was around an hour waiting both to submit and pick up.

 

In the interests of not pushing my luck, I think I will try elsewhere next time if I go for one more tourist visa, thinking probably Yangon.

Last visa before this one from Vientiane was Hong Kong- they were very easy, no questions at all, and the flight wasn't even expensive (something like 4,000B return direct from Chiang Mai), it's just a little pricey when you are there but a great city. Was nice to go see somewhere that was celebrating Christmas for a change.

[Rc2702]

On 17/03/2017 at 5:12 PM, BritTim said:

I have yet to hear that Hong Kong has any requirements. It was an excellent place to apply as of about six months ago. It was a little more expensive in terms of airfare and hotel, but it is a nearby location.

The process there?