Best value way to stay longer on Thailand Pass?

[penboy]

20 minutes ago, World Traveller said:

Thank you Talung66.

All is understandable. This part sounds strange to me though...

"A copy of recent bank statement (20,000 Baht per person..)"

That is only CAD750. Per month, per year, per fortnight, per one-time having in one's bank account? None of those periods make sense.

I will go to the official website.

Balance at a recent point in time. Yep, not very high, just another bit of (useless) information you need to provide.

[World Traveller]

9 minutes ago, penboy said:

Balance at a recent point in time. Yep, not very high, just another bit of (useless) information you need to provide.

What's more my bank in Canada does not provide statements with my or any account holder's name on statement without doing the following... walking in in person and asking for it as a known customer and/or (!) showing ID. I have done so several times in the past for various purposes (related to Canadian government financial benefits mostly). They had to print up something special, customized, unusual. I can of course produce 20,000 baht in cash to an Immigration officer in Bangkok with sufficient notice.

Edited December 1, 2021 by World Traveller
annoying spell check gets words wrong

[penboy]

24 minutes ago, World Traveller said:

What's more my bank in Canada does not provide statements with my or any account holder's name on statement without doing the following... walking in in person and asking for it as a known customer and/or (!) showing ID. I have done so several times in the past for various purposes (related to Canadian government financial benefits mostly). They had to print up something special, customized, unusual. I can of course produce 20,000 baht in cash to an Immigration officer in Bangkok with sufficient notice.

I guess you have to go in to the bank then. It's frustrating and time consuming, which is why some people won't bother with Thailand at the moment. If I lived in Canada, I'd seriously consider Colombia, Mexico or Cuba.

I always carry more than the equivalent of 20,000 baht when I enter, as it is a requirement but very rarely enforced. 

[World Traveller]

42 minutes ago, penboy said:

I guess you have to go in to the bank then. It's frustrating and time consuming, which is why some people won't bother with Thailand at the moment. If I lived in Canada, I'd seriously consider Colombia, Mexico or Cuba.

I always carry more than the equivalent of 20,000 baht when I enter, as it is a requirement but very rarely enforced. 

Penboy - you perhaps missed part of this thread. I am already in Thailand

[penboy]

3 hours ago, World Traveller said:

Penboy - you perhaps missed part of this thread. I am already in Thailand

No mention of you being in Thailand in your post. How is it on the ground?

[talung66]

6 hours ago, World Traveller said:

Thank you Talung66.

All is understandable. This part sounds strange to me though...

"A copy of recent bank statement (20,000 Baht per person..)"

That is only CAD750. Per month, per year, per fortnight, per one-time having in one's bank account? None of those periods make sense.

I will go to the official website.

Yes

Appling for a SETV requires you to have that amount in your account 

6 hours ago, World Traveller said:

Question #1 on e-visa site (citizenship) is a no-brainer. However, question #2 (permanent residency/current location) makes no sense because it could be, and indeed *is* in my case anyway,  two distinctly separate answers. The answer to each of these questions is contradictory and impossible to reconcile if forward slash punctuation means 'and/or'. Or rather it is ambiguous. Which is meant, 'and' or 'or'? I am a permanent resident (because I am a citizen and have not taken residency anywhere else) of Canada. But my current location is Thailand. There is space only for one answer.

Additionally, how can I apply for a visa from *inside* Thailand? I do not have a visa, only an entry stamp.  This all sounds very confusing. I do not see anything on the e-visa website regarding the thousands (?) of persons in my situation - those who entered with visa-exempt Thailand Pass. I am sure Immigration Thailand is not pretending that we don't exist.

Your confusing yourself 

One post stares your in Alberta this on implies your in Thailand

So 2 replies 

in your country apply for a SETV 60 day with form on your countries embassy website and the requirements 

In Thailand on a visa exempt on 30 days  extend for 30 days with this TM7 attached 

TM7.pdf

[World Traveller]

Thank you Talung66

Perhaps a user guide is published but I did not see it on Thai Immigration website. Many questions arise...

1. Immigration Office: City sufficient?

2. Month: numeric or text?

3. Year (many places): Buddhist or modern calendar?

4. Form of address: circle or cross?

5. Kind of visa: I have no visa, I was visa-exempt when I arrived. So, I wrote Thailand Pass. My entry stamp is in Thai and I cannot read Thai.

6. 'arrived by': "air" sufficient or flight code required? If share code (in my case Air Canada and All Nippon Airways use different codes). Presumably whatever my itinerary reads?

7. 'from': country, city or first international flight? Original departing flight was domestic, although final flight left from Japan because I was in transit (never entered Japan.

8. '..wish to apply for extension of temporary stay...' means what I can actually get or what I ''wish? These are two entirely different goals. I 'wish' to get a multi-entry ten-year extension. However, I might be 'eligible' for only 30 days. Can I request 60 days (my actual but realistic wish)?

9. 'Reason(s) for extension': I wrote 'onward travel in ASEAN region not possible due to border closures (CCOVID-19'. But does this interfere with a second extension, which I read are or were being granted?

10. 'Address in Thailand': I must ask hotel staff, rarely do business cards mention these technical address details, and if they do they do not mention which is the 'Tambon/Khwaeng' versus which is the Amphie/Khet'. Curiously postal code is not asked for.

11. Photo required. No details about size provided, except in Thai numerals, despite the remainder of the 2-page application form being dual language. I presume it is standard photo booth size. Additionally, I am surprised to see Thai Immigration asking for hard copy in a country that runs on online applications and digital messaging apps (LLine

Not a big deal but some ambiguity if procedure and strategy exists in my little brain. Perhaps somewhere on this forum all these questions are answered, particularly what extensions are permissible and for how long.

Applying for a 30-day extension does beg the question why not apply for a 3-month or even a six-month multi-entry. This is all rather esoteric. Where is best value for someone who over the next four months will be coming and going from Thailand at least twice (before early April)? I certainly don't want to waste money or time in multiple applications. I think in terms of what is the daily fee I am paying to enter and be in Thailand and how much headache and money are involved getting there.

Edited December 2, 2021 by World Traveller
typo

[World Traveller]

Postscript: for illiterates among us, apparently one is not required to pen one's name. A thumbprint is sufficient. Either that or this TM.7 form is obsolete, a form from 20 years ago and reflects neither current technology used by government of Thailand in most other departments or is inaccurate.

I asked the front desk of my hotel and he informs me that the 'Tambon/Khwaeng' and 'Amphoe/Khet' are all the same thing: 'Khlong Toei'. I am skeptical. I think that the Amphoe is in fact the same as the 'Changwat', i.e. Bangkok. If locals don't know these things, how can foreigners be expected to?

Since the form uses these geographic terms in Roman script (why not go the full nine yards and translate them?)  I looked them up...

1a. Tambon = sub-district

1b. Khwaeng = administrative district of Bangkok

One's address will be one or the other of the above, but not both

2a. Amphoe = district

2b. Khet  = district of Bangkok

One's address will be one or the other of the above, but not both

3. Changwat = province

Bangkok is apparently not a federal district, or even a city distinct from a province, but is a province unto itself. Do I understand this correctly? Reminds me of an economist's remark that Bangkok is a 'primate city' (or at least used to be). In Thailand in terms of commerce and finances there is Bangkok, and non-Bangkok. Bangkok is the entry point. Basically, everything passes through Bangkok. Surprises me since there are several ports.

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by World Traveller
typo

[DaveStarl]

Immigration is still doing "COVID" extensions, 1900B for 60 days.  These have been rumored to end for ages, but it keeps getting extended as both the country and Immigration need the cash.  

[World Traveller]

13 minutes ago, DaveStarl said:

Immigration is still doing "COVID" extensions, 1900B for 60 days.  These have been rumored to end for ages, but it keeps getting extended as both the country and Immigration need the cash.  

Thank you Dave. Much appreciated. Single entry I presume? Anything in hard copy that I need to show up at Immigration with other than passport and photo? Everything from Thailand Pass was digital.

Edited December 2, 2021 by World Traveller
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[talung66]

Edit 

Edited December 2, 2021 by talung66

[World Traveller]

6 minutes ago, talung66 said:

It not that F$%^3ing hard 

For morons like me it is!

Just learned that in Bangkok the Immigration office Google sends one to is NOT the correct one. The correct office for visa extensions is Division One, which is 1.5 hours out if town by public transit and over half an hour away by taxi.. I guess they have moved. I used to go to an old building right in town. And if Thai Immigration is like the civil service of most countries they are sticklers for details and love paperwork. "What, you brought document A? We need document B in triplicate, signed by your priest and taken within the last 29.5 hours on a full moon".

Edited December 2, 2021 by World Traveller
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[World Traveller]

90 minutes from Sukhumvit to visa extension - possible or dreaming? It is Thursday. There is always tomorrow...

A taxi is *supposedly* 35 minutes to Division 1 north of town. But the challenges are (besides rush hour traffic)...

Around Nana I don't see a single shop offering basic photos. Surprises me since it doesn't take a lot of space or equipment (maybe no money in it - there are fancy portrait studios further along apparently).

Secondly, maybe showing up in the last office hour is not only disourteous to civil servants, it is unlikely to work due to time constraints and queue.

[jonty]

i got a 60 day covid extension last month, u had to get a temporary stamp on the day but had to go back a week later for a further stamp which was a real pain as i stay miles away from immigration, does anyone know if its still the same?

[World Traveller]

FYI, closest photo service I could find was in the basement (ground floor) of EXCHANGE TOWER, Asok @ Sukulhumvit.

THB240 for six colour photos 4X6 cm

Edited December 2, 2021 by World Traveller
capitalization

[World Traveller]

20 minutes ago, jonty said:

i got a 60 day covid extension last month, u had to get a temporary stamp on the day but had to go back a week later for a further stamp which was a real pain as i stay miles away from immigration, does anyone know if its still the same?

Thank you Sir. Do you have the time to provide more detail? Perhaps you have already done so in a different thread?

Care to answer any further questions or you have more interesting things to do with your time than reply to obsessively detailed enquiries?...

Do you mean that you had to go on a specific day that the Thailand Pass entry expired, or the day before, or any day? More importantly, which day did you go on? I mean how many days were left for your legal stay when you visited Thailand Immigration Division 1?

For a 60-day extension I am willing to endure PITA. Same price as 30? Did you request 60?

What time of day did you go (e.g. Monday at 08:30) and what was the duration (e.g. one hour)  of the queue?

Edited December 2, 2021 by World Traveller
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[DaveStarl]

20 hours ago, World Traveller said:

Thank you Sir. Do you have the time to provide more detail? Perhaps you have already done so in a different thread?

Care to answer any further questions or you have more interesting things to do with your time than reply to obsessively detailed enquiries?...

Do you mean that you had to go on a specific day that the Thailand Pass entry expired, or the day before, or any day? More importantly, which day did you go on? I mean how many days were left for your legal stay when you visited Thailand Immigration Division 1?

For a 60-day extension I am willing to endure PITA. Same price as 30? Did you request 60?

What time of day did you go (e.g. Monday at 08:30) and what was the duration (e.g. one hour)  of the queue?

Google: Thailand COVID extension.  Tons of blog posts on it.  Same price as 30 but a bit more paperwork.  If you're planning to leave BKK it would probably be easier to do in a smaller town as immigration will be closer and less crowded. 

[SaddQ]

On 02/12/2021 at 13:23, World Traveller said:

Postscript: for illiterates among us, apparently one is not required to pen one's name. A thumbprint is sufficient. Either that or this TM.7 form is obsolete, a form from 20 years ago and reflects neither current technology used by government of Thailand in most other departments or is inaccurate.

I asked the front desk of my hotel and he informs me that the 'Tambon/Khwaeng' and 'Amphoe/Khet' are all the same thing: 'Khlong Toei'. I am skeptical. I think that the Amphoe is in fact the same as the 'Changwat', i.e. Bangkok. If locals don't know these things, how can foreigners be expected to?

Since the form uses these geographic terms in Roman script (why not go the full nine yards and translate them?)  I looked them up...

1a. Tambon = sub-district

1b. Khwaeng = administrative district of Bangkok

One's address will be one or the other of the above, but not both

2a. Amphoe = district

2b. Khet  = district of Bangkok

One's address will be one or the other of the above, but not both

3. Changwat = province

Bangkok is apparently not a federal district, or even a city distinct from a province, but is a province unto itself. Do I understand this correctly? Reminds me of an economist's remark that Bangkok is a 'primate city' (or at least used to be). In Thailand in terms of commerce and finances there is Bangkok, and non-Bangkok. Bangkok is the entry point. Basically, everything passes through Bangkok. Surprises me since there are several ports.

 

About administrative divisions:

Thailand is divided in provinces (changwat), districts (amphoe), subdistricts (tambon) and villages (mooban). In that order.

Bangkok is not a province but a special administrative area, functioning very much like a province does. It is also divided into districts and subdistricts, but they are called 'khet' and 'khwaeng' resp.

Btw, Pattaya is also a SAA but falls under jurisdiction of Chonburi Province.

There is another administrative level entirely, that of municipalities. Depending on number of residents some municipalities have thesaban status. From large to small: thesaban nakhon (city municipality), thesaban mueang (town municipality) and thesaban tambon (subdistrict municipality).

[SaddQ]

To the OP: I think some Malaysian border checkpoints in the south (Wang Prachan, Sadao, Betong, S.Kolok) may open soon for tourism. If Malaysia allows you in, you can travel overland to Penang or Kota Bharu for a visa for Thailand.

[SaddQ]

-

Edited December 7, 2021 by SaddQ
Double post

[World Traveller]

3 hours ago, SaddQ said:

To the OP: I think some Malaysian border checkpoints in the south (Wang Prachan, Sadao, Betong, S.Kolok) may open soon for tourism. If Malaysia allows you in, you can travel overland to Penang or Kota Bharu for a visa for Thailand.

Thank you. I have 'business' in Malaysia too, so that would work, though the location there is much closer to Singapore. Challenge is I have to be back in Thailand for mid-January. I am not willing to jump through hoops and go through the expenses and headaches of applying for another Thailand Pass. If it is easy-peasy to enter and exit Malaysia and the same for Thailand - great idea

Otherwise I stay put in Thailand until mid-February, by which time much if ASEAN region I expect will be back to normal (crossed fingers).

BTW in my experience some years ago Sadao and Betong 'ladyhouses' were a complete waste of time. Barely open. Nothing like lokalisasi in Indonesia in the 1990s. KL is actually better

Edited December 7, 2021 by World Traveller
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[Thomaz73]

3 hours ago, World Traveller said:

If it is easy-peasy to enter and exit Malaysia and the same for Thailand

You would almost certainly need a new TP to come back. Don't think that's going to change any time soon. They might make it a bit easier, though (as they already have since the launch.)