quick introduction and query

Post by aj » November 28, 2005, 12:54 pm

Hi to all , I retired to udon thani on the 6 October . I have been on this forum before whilst arranging my move from london , sadly cant remember either the name I USED OR THE PASSWORD . SO have re registered . Spent last few weeks settling in with girlfriend and a fair few visits to hospital with a gammy knee that was not needed , however just about fully mobile again . I came on a multiple entry o visa for a year but did all the documentation for retirment in the uk . At customs passport was just stamped for one year from date of entry . Not told to report anywhere etc. having heard that it is neccesary to report every 90 days went up to the friendship bridge and imigrtation there with girlfriend . They said Ok everything fine , no need to report anywhere , apply again in one year for extension . byeeee no problem .
Neither imigration departments have taken or asked for my living adresss ? My passport is stamped for multiple entries untill october 2006 ,but I keep wondering if everything is really as cool and easy as it sounds and they say.

Girl friend is teacher and so counts as government official not sure if this makes any difference or not . She chatted away to imigration officer for a long time thats for sure ? Would be interested to hear your thoughts on this , Is there likely to be a knock on door in the middle of the night ? Maybe catch up with some of you guys before they come and cart me away.
lovelly day today though , AJ

Post by **businessman** » November 28, 2005, 2:41 pm

Hi aj.Had the same problem myself with no date for 90 registration.Had to force the guys at Nong Khai to sort it out after they kept saying it does not matter.Just fill in the form and ask politely for a date.If they are there in the future then you have no problem,BUT if they are rotated out and some stickler for the rules comes in you could be in trouble.Only takes 10 minutes to fill in the paperwork for a little piece of mind.

Post by **jingjai** » November 28, 2005, 5:28 pm

I think immigration officers are at AEK Udon Hospital on Mondays. I have never heard of any type of Thai visa that didn't require one to report to a immigration official every 90 days. As Mom always said, "better to be safe than sorry".

Post by **wokkawombat** » November 28, 2005, 6:46 pm

Immigration are NOT at AEK Udon on any day. Nong khai Immigration is where you have to go.

Post by **Bump** » November 28, 2005, 7:02 pm

jingjai wrote:I think immigration officers are at AEK Udon Hospital on Mondays. I have never heard of any type of Thai visa that didn't require one to report to a immigration official every 90 days. As Mom always said, "better to be safe than sorry".

Might be a good idea to be careful, even if you have the annual visa you still have to report every 90 days and give them your current address. Don't go to the Friendhip Bridge go the the immigration office in Nong Kia, it is not at the bridge.

Post by **arjay** » November 28, 2005, 8:07 pm

Ray is correct. I have had 1 year work permits and now a 1 year retirment visa, none of which required me to even exit every 90 days, but you ARE REQUIRED to go to Immigration and confirm your current address every 90 days.

And as Ray says the Nong Khai Immigration dept is on the way to the bridge, but NOT at the bridge..

Post by aj » November 29, 2005, 11:02 am

Yes , thanks your answers are what my gut is telling me. it was Immigration at Nong Khai that I went to . who in fact said ok , no problem ,see you next year . I shall drive up there again and try again . many thanks

Post by **Bump** » November 29, 2005, 11:23 am

aj wrote:Yes , thanks your answers are what my gut is telling me. it was Immigration at Nong Khai that I went to . who in fact said ok , no problem ,see you next year . I shall drive up there again and try again . many thanks

Ok AJ here are some thoughts. On your current visa do you have to exit the country every ninety days. We had one guy who came in and thought a O non immigrant didn't require anything as it was issued for a year. He had a lot of problems down line and had to pay a huge fine in overstay.

I would go there at a minimum and fill out there address forms every ninety days, just to be on the safe side. Usually when I do that they staple a form in my passport telling what day I need to report next. Then you have a record that you did report and did your best to comply.

Be careful and make sure you are talking to a immigration officer and not an intern. That is how thew other guy got in big trouble, he listened to an intern who really didn't know what to do and wouldn't say she didn't know. It's a Thai thing and starts early.

When an actual immigration officer saw the guys passport the officer went through the roof. The guy had to leave that day and pay the fines, other then the fines it was not a big deal, just had to cross the bridge and come back didn't have to go into Vientene, that can be a real mess. Takes two days at least.

It was funny I remember the guy complaining, but we all tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen I reminded him of that, Then he complained about the fine. I finally told him you don't seem to be getting the picture, your lucky you could have been deported. I doubt very seriously that would happen, you would really have to tick someone off.

On thaivisa.com they have a complete section on these type of things you might want to review it.

Post by aj » November 29, 2005, 12:02 pm

Thanks Ray . the whole episode at imigration at Nong Khai was a little bizzare . on first seeing my passport the officer said I had over stayed and had to leave and go over bridge etc. I pointed out the date on pasport was in fact 2006 to be greeted with huge grin and opoligy . Maybe I just got officer on his happy day . Mind you have to say that he in turn went to a second officer who appearred to confirm all he said . Ah well shall return there in a couple of weeks and try again ,in the meantime am off to chaing mai for a couple of weeks . I incidently still have a slip of paper stuck inside my passport which is a departure slip with the date oct 6 th 2005 on it . Im thinking of having a permanent signature ? What does it all mean ? springs to mind .... thanks again

Post by **arjay** » November 29, 2005, 3:31 pm

Just a quick PS to the above dialogue. If you actually leave the country, for whatever reason, and return, the 90 day address notification starts again. Because when you come back in, you effectively notify your address again at that point in time, (on the arrival card) .

Post by **Paul** » November 29, 2005, 10:47 pm

The departure card in your passport is the 2nd half of the arrivals card you filled in when you came here. This (departure) card should be filled in when u leave Thailand and will then be removed from your passport. They have stamped the date of your arrival on there (6th Oct) so they can cross reference it when you leave.

If your passport is stamped for 'multiple entries until 2006' - are you here utilising a non-imm visa or a retirement visa?
A bit confused.

Post by aj » November 30, 2005, 10:25 am

hi Paul , that is a very good question , the Thai embassy in london told me that a retirment visa would be granted on arrival at bangkok . the visa in passp[ort is a noon imigrant o-a . the paper work done and accepted was for a retirment visa ie , police record ,cash , and notorisation . so question has to be , what do i do next i think.?

Post by **arjay** » November 30, 2005, 6:54 pm

Be careful whether your visa allows for "re-entry", no pun intended. If it does, does it allow single or multiple re-entry. Non -immigrant visas usually provide for multiple re-entry. Retirement visas do not.

A normal one year retirement visa does not provide for re-entry, so if you were to leave the country during the year, without first having been to immigration and obtained a re-entry permit, your visa would be cancelled when you left the country.

Post by **Paul** » November 30, 2005, 9:18 pm

aj wrote:hi Paul , that is a very good question , the Thai embassy in london told me that a retirment visa would be granted on arrival at bangkok ..?

What a load of crap you have been told !

Visas are issued in countries other than the one you want to visit - In this case outside of Thailand.
A stamp in your passport is given on arrival in Thailand and is a PERMIT TO STAY. Visas are issued outside the country and Permit To Stay's (the stamp) is issued IN Thailand. The exeption being if you wish to change the category of your visa - which can be done inside Thailand (if of course you qualify)

It sounds to me like you have entered on a non- imm O visa (multiple entry) in which case you will have to leave Thailand every 90 days to revalidate it for another 90 days (multiple entries) UNLESS you get it changed to a proper retirement visa. I do not know what or why has happened to you - but if it says in your passport Non Imm O - then that is what you have - irrespective of what paperwork you filled in - in the UK
After you have been here for 60 days (I think this is the minimum) you can change the visa to a retirement visa and stop you going to Laos every 90 days - or if you like going to Laos - change it when its got just a few weeks left before it expires !

if you are bored at some time - go to Nong Khai Immigration and try to sort out what has happened to your retirement visa ! _ do you have the receipt from when you paid for it - or any other documentation?

The worse case scenario is that you will have to submit documents (and fee) again over here.

Strange one this - did you submit an application for a non- imm O visa (and pay the appropriate fee ?) as I cant understand if you applied for a retirement - you ended up with a non- imm. ???

Next time stay as far away as possible from the Thai Embassy in London and use the consulate in Hull (by mail if you wish) they are very very nice people there.

Paul

Post by **BobHelm** » November 30, 2005, 9:55 pm

Paul. Agree 100% with what you say about Hull being an excellent place to deal with, only problem is that they cannot issue a retirement visa, they can issue all the others but told me that I would have to go to London once I needed the retirement visa - made me think if the retirement visa was worth going for, or just ask Hull for a 4 times non imm... and see Laos every 90 days...

Bob

Post by **Paul** » November 30, 2005, 10:03 pm

or..........
get a non-imm from them and then change it once you are here (relatively painless) - ask LA for more info - he just did it

Anything has got to be better than visiting the London embassy?

Seems like what this guy has done (unintentionally) anyway, so should be a breeze.

Wombat from this forum is about to do this also and his usual fee is a beer so I am sure he will be only to pleased to advise - should you pay the appropriate fee !!! and a brokers commission of course too

(thats 2 beers then)

Post by **BobHelm** » November 30, 2005, 10:16 pm

Paul, no probs paying the fee, seems reasonable, but a brokers fee 200% of the basic fee

Have you gone into the Thai bride introduction scheme???

Post by **Paul** » November 30, 2005, 10:24 pm

well lets talk

LOL

Considering the number of girls who asked me to find them a farang boyfriend - I have considered it more than once !

and actually I meant 2 beers in total - 1 for me and 1 for Wombat

regards

Paul

Post by aj » December 1, 2005, 10:30 am

thanks fellas , yes the embassy in london was a nightmare . the whole buisiness of having documents notified for a start . a notory can only authenticate a document if it is sighned in front of them . in the end it cost me 150 pound to swear to a notory that all the documents where legal and genuine . The embassy accepted that . In fact when I asked them about notorisation they where pretty clueless. I have an O and A multiple entry visa . plus copeies of all the documentation submitted to london embassy . what I want to know is do I have to leave the country every 90 days on a o and a visa ???

Post by **Bump** » December 1, 2005, 12:31 pm

aj wrote:thanks fellas , yes the embassy in london was a nightmare . the whole buisiness of having documents notified for a start . a notory can only authenticate a document if it is sighned in front of them . in the end it cost me 150 pound to swear to a notory that all the documents where legal and genuine . The embassy accepted that . In fact when I asked them about notorisation they where pretty clueless. I have an O and A multiple entry visa . plus copeies of all the documentation submitted to london embassy . what I want to know is do I have to leave the country every 90 days on a o and a visa ???

You I don't know for sure but it sounds like you may need to go over to Vientene and dance with the pretty girls about every three months. It should be fairly easy to convert what you have to the annual visa. But those Loa Gals are really cute