Posted November 29th, 2008
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Question - Renew Thai Driving Licence
I have a one year Thai driving license which is due to expire next month but I shall be out of the country at this time can I renew my Thai driving license before it expires?
Answer
No, you cannot renew a Thai driving license until it has expired. The earliest you can renew your Thai driving license is on the day that it expires. You can also renew the license after the expiry date.
When you first apply or renew your Thai driving license make sure you take a copy of your passport with the latest visa stamp, a residence certificate from the immigration bureau and new photographs, you don’t need a medical certificate for your further five year license.
Tags: renew thai driving licence Posted in Uncategorized
Posted November 29th, 2008
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Question - Thai retirement visa income proof required
I have just renewed my Thai retirement visa at the Pattaya immigration office and because I am using my embassy income verification letter as part of the application they required a copy of my UK credit card back and front. Is this a new retirement visa rule and if so what are the reasons for this.
Answer
This seems to be a new procedure implemented by the Pattaya immigration office at the moment.
The reason for this new added procedure when applying for a Thai retirement visa seems to be that if you are working off an income as part of your application you have to show that you have a facility to withdraw funds from overseas if required. The easiest way to do this is with your ATM bank card.
I have been asked the same question many times from men in Pattaya regarding applying for a Thai retirement visa and my answer is - when you go for a meal at a restaurant and you pay with your credit card do you question the waiter or cashier “why do you need my credit card” and what are you going to do with the payment slip after I leave.
Tags: Retirement visa Posted in Retirement visa
Posted November 29th, 2008
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Question - Refused UK Tourist Visa
I have just been refused a tourist visa for my Thai girlfriend to visit me in the UK.
Can you advise me how long we have to wait before we can re-apply for a UK Tourist visa with the British embassy in Bangkok
Answer
Your Thai girlfriend has been refused a UK Tourist visa. There is no time scale set down by the British embassy in Bangkok before you can re-apply for the Visa.
If you think the refusal was unjust because the clearing visa officer has missed paperwork or due to lack of presentation they have misinterpreted the application. In this case you Thai girlfriend can re-apply for the UK Tourist Visa as soon as you feel confident. However in these cases after a refusal I always advise my clients to get professional advise and help with a re-application.
Tags: Refused UK Visa Posted in Refused Tourist Visa, Refused UK Visa, Thai Girlfriend Visa, UK Visa
Posted November 29th, 2008
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Visa Teaser Question
I have a Thai visa on arrival “30 days” and want to stay in Thailand for 50 days.
I have already got my flight booked and when I went to the Thai Immigration they onlg gave me an extra 7 days and said I had to leave Thailand at that time, what can I do to stay in Thailand for 50 days?
Visa Teaser Answer
The easiest solution to stay in Thailand for 50 days if you are already here is to go on a Cambodian visa run which shall give you 30 days more, In total this would give you the chance to stay in Thailand for 60 days. 30 days on arrival + 30 days given at cambodia
If you wish to stay in Thailand longer than 30 days - get the correct visa in your home country before you even travel to Thailand.
It is important that you have a visa run agent check your passport before you book a visa run to make sure you are eligible for the 30 days, in most of the articles I write I try to advise people that if you plan to stay more than 30 days when you come to Thailand don’t just bring your suitcase, make sure you obtain a visa from a Thai consulate in your own country before you arrive it does save you hassle.
Tags: 50 days in thailand, Visa Run Posted in More Than 30 Days, Visa Run
Posted November 29th, 2008
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Visa Teaser Question
I am 73 years old and I have been severally bitten by a stray dog and I can hardly walk. I am now on two days overstay in Thailand and my doctor has said I cannot travel at the moment. I am very worried, what can I do?
Visa Teaser Answer
I do hope you are ok.
In extreme cases such as this one the Thailand Immigration Bureau have the facility to offer a medical extension which is mainly aimed at people who have had an accident or worse and cannot travel on a Cambodian visa run or fly back home.
A Doctors letter will be needed to demonstrate your are Sick
Before you go to the Thailand Immigration Bureau you have to obtain a letter from your doctor or consultant clearly stating what your symptoms are and how long they advise you cannot travel for.
This letter must be written in English and must be official from a hospital and not a local clinic. The Immigration Bureau do like to help In extreme cases and at the Bangkok Pattaya hospital on Suckumvit road they have an Immigration desk inside the hospital for patients who cannot travel.
Tags: doctors letter, Sick In Thailand Posted in Sick In Thailand, Visa Over Stay
Posted November 29th, 2008
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Visa Teaser Question
I am an Australian passport holder I am 51 years old. I hope to be able to stay in Thailand for a long time so am looking at getting a 1 year retirement visa. I believe I have all the qualifications for a Thailand retirement visa.
I went to the immigration office and they said I had tampered with my passport. The Thai immigration officer then refused to issue me with a retirement visa. I had taken a large Cambodian visa off a passport page, I did this because my passport was full, what can I do?
Visa Teaser Answer
No, No, No, peeling a visa stamp off a page in your passport is illegal and not the answer to making extra pages available.
Never tamper with your passport
I would advise you to renew your passport from your embassy or consulate and then go back to the immigration with your application, but never tamper with your passport including removing existing visa stamps.
Tags: full passport, Refused Retirement Visa Posted in Refused Retirement Visa, Retirement visa
Posted November 29th, 2008
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Visa Teaser Question
What a nightmare, I have just returned from Singapore after traveling to Penang to obtain a Thailand single entry tourist visa, I was refused the Thai tourist visa in Penang because when I left Thailand I had paid two days overstay at the airport and they would not issue me a visa because my last stamp was an overstay, is this a new rule?
Visa Teaser Answer
Thailand has ever changing visa rules which keeps me busy, this seems to be the case now in Penang, if you leave Thailand and have overstayed “even one day” and then go to the consulate they can refuse to issue you with any Thai visa type, so the answer is don’t overstay in Thailand.
Tags: penang visa run, refused thai visa, single entry visa Posted in Refused Tourist Visa, Visa Run
Posted November 29th, 2008
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Visa Teaser Question
I have just had a terrible experience whilst trying to renew my Thai retirement visa. I thought that my Thai retirement visa finished on the 5th December 2007 but it actually was my 90 day report slip I was looking at and not my retirement visa which meant that I was ten days overstay when I wanted to renew, what can I do?
Visa Teaser Answer
This is an alarming occurrence at the moment, we have seen numerous cases were the client has presumed that there Thai Retirement visa finish date was not the ink stamp in there passport but was the 90 day report date.
Please be aware that your 90 day report date does not always run perfectly with your one year Thai retirement visa
Please be aware that your 90 day report date does not always run perfectly with your one year Thai retirement visa. In most cases your 90 day report date will run past your retirement visa date.
For renewing any long stay one year Thai visa you should always check the ink stamp in your passport and go by that date.
For your 90 day report go by the date on the white TM47 paper stapled into your passport, I would advise you to go to your local Thai immigration office and point out your mistake. Normally the immigration officer will allow you to pay the overstay and retain your visa.
Tags: 90 Day Report, thai retirement visa, Visa Over Stay Posted in 90 Day Report, Retirement visa, Visa Over Stay
Posted November 28th, 2008
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Visa Teaser Question
I have been recently stopped in Pattaya by the Traffic police whilst driving my motorbike and I have been fined because I did not have a copy of my passport on my person is this correct?
Visa Teaser Answer
Yes this is correct -
Like most countries Thailand law is that a foreigner should carry at least a copy of their passport showing the details page and your latest entry visa stamp and the white departure card that is placed in your passport when you enter Thailand.
It can be for your own safety. Also I always advise having a copy of your passport because if the eventuality arose were you lost your original passport it will save you a lot of heartache at your embassy when applying for a new passport.
Call in at one of my offices and for a small fee we can produce a credit card sized laminated copy of your passport which you can carry with you at all times with ease.
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted November 28th, 2008
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Visa Teaser Question
I am a British Citizen and I am applying for a 6 month Fiancée visa for my Thai girlfriend to come to the UK and marry me.
I have prepared the documents for the UK Visa application but a friend said that I cannot apply with the British embassy until I have produced a provisional wedding booking from the UK to prove that we are going to marry while my girlfriend is in the UK.
I have visited my local registry office and they cannot book the wedding until my Thai girlfriend is in the UK with the correct visa in her Thai passport.
Visa Teaser Answer
I do agree it would be beneficial to produced a provisional wedding booking from the UK for the fiancee visa application - but it is increasingly difficult to book a provisional wedding unless your Thai girlfriend is in the UK with a fiancee visa in her passport.
In February 2005 the marriages and civil partnership branch in the UK changed the law stating that your Thai girlfriend must be in the UK at the time of wedding booking with a fiancee visa.
This was stated on data sheet DSP 13.9, which was issued to all FCO and ECO offices, I would not be overly concerned if you cannot make a booking as this is a small insignificant part of the application and my advise is to concentrate on making sure that all the documentation you shall present to the UK Embassy at the time of the Fiancee visa application is correct.
Posted in UK Fiancee Visa, UK Visa
