OK. This was probably their third application, so, are they now treating the tourist visa the same as they are with the "on arrival?"
Onlyme.
Tourist visas Penang.
Tourist visas Penang.
Not that it affects me but, I have met a few people who have recently been to Penang to renew their tourist visa, got the stamp and underneath in red print: Do not visit this office again to renew your visa.
OK. This was probably their third application, so, are they now treating the tourist visa the same as they are with the "on arrival?"
Onlyme.
OK. This was probably their third application, so, are they now treating the tourist visa the same as they are with the "on arrival?"
Onlyme.
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Wanderlust
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From what has been said over the months and years about Penang, it appears that they interpret the rules completely in their own way. There is nothing in the visa regulations stating anything about a limit on the number of tourist visas anyone can have consecutively, only the 30 day visa exemption stamps, of which you are allowed 3 in any 180 day period. It might be worth your friends enquiring at immigration in Suanplu in Bangkok about this - I would certainly be very peeved to have something like that stamped in my passport, let alone the inconvenience of having to go somewhere else less convenient! However there is always a certain amount of discretion allowed to immigration officers, which can be good or bad, so maybe your friends upset them in some way, for example being very demonstrative?
Yup, that's been going on in Penang for a good few months.
I can't speak for their or any other consulate mindset, but the reason seems clear. Unless you have a valid reason (married to a Thai, retirement or working), we'll give you 6 or 9 months and then we'll categorise you as not being a tourist. Unless you can convince us that you have some revenue from abroad and you're drawing on it to stay here, you're out. You must be working.
Penang is very volatile though. It's whims change almost daily. Those in need of further Tourist Visas should apparantely go to Vientianne these days. However, I suppose that as soon as all the visa runners turn up there, they'll clamp down again - it was always known as being "visa unfriendly".
I can't speak for their or any other consulate mindset, but the reason seems clear. Unless you have a valid reason (married to a Thai, retirement or working), we'll give you 6 or 9 months and then we'll categorise you as not being a tourist. Unless you can convince us that you have some revenue from abroad and you're drawing on it to stay here, you're out. You must be working.
Penang is very volatile though. It's whims change almost daily. Those in need of further Tourist Visas should apparantely go to Vientianne these days. However, I suppose that as soon as all the visa runners turn up there, they'll clamp down again - it was always known as being "visa unfriendly".
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sandman67
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Col tells me they did that to him a few months ago...I think its to stop people bouncing back and forward to Penang to renew 60 day visas like the old 30 day runs.
Col said that he was told the rule applied at all the nearby embassies, so maybe VT and PP are also doing this.....
seems the only way to get a full METV is to go back to blighty....ho hum
Col said that he was told the rule applied at all the nearby embassies, so maybe VT and PP are also doing this.....
seems the only way to get a full METV is to go back to blighty....ho hum
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
Wanderlust, you're well off the mark there, one of my friends didn't even realise he had the stamp. He's 77 years old.so maybe your friends upset them in some way, for example being very demonstrative?
Please stop summising that my friends are all ars******es!
Anyone with any positive feedback?
Tony.
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Wanderlust
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Hey! I only said 'maybe' because some farangs get a bit stroppy with Thai officialdom and get short shrift because of it. if you are going to be that touchy when i suggest a possible reason i won't bother next time.Onlyme wrote:Wanderlust, you're well off the mark there, one of my friends didn't even realise he had the stamp. He's 77 years old.so maybe your friends upset them in some way, for example being very demonstrative?
Please stop summising that my friends are all ars******es!
Anyone with any positive feedback?
Tony.
P.S. Based on your response I'd surmise that 'maybe' you are what you think i think your friends are
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sandman67
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Lads this aint stoppiness.....it seems to be a trend
They worked out we dont do the 30 day any more and instead do the full run and a 60 day application.....so they fucked us on getting a METV other than in your home country by the looks of it.
As I said I think this may be the case in PP, VT, and all points close.....
SO
what are reports from VT and PP, Singapore, Taiwan and anywhere else....????
They worked out we dont do the 30 day any more and instead do the full run and a 60 day application.....so they fucked us on getting a METV other than in your home country by the looks of it.
As I said I think this may be the case in PP, VT, and all points close.....
SO
what are reports from VT and PP, Singapore, Taiwan and anywhere else....????
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
I'll do my best with sandman67's query.
First off, Penang have only been issuing single entry TVs for quite some time. Years ago, they'd do a double-entry, but it seems no more. Plus they've got this rather hit and miss 3 Tv's and that's it (in some cases only 2!!) . I doubt they ever issued a multi-entry TV (that's what I assume you mean by METV) and very few places do. One of the reasons for that is that you'll never get to use a fourth entry on the visa as it'll have expired. You'd even have to cut a third entry plus 30 day extension short as a double/triple entry TV is only valid for 6 months. (Don't get confused with the multi-entry Non O which is valid for a year).
Singapore seem not to have any limit on the number of TVs you can get - at least I've heard of no negative reports. Again, only single entries, I believe.
Phnom Phen has always been extremely user unfriendly as they view themselves as being for Cambodian nationals only. I wouldn't try PP for one, especially if I had no 30 day entries left. You wouldn't get back into Thailand.
There were reports that Savanakette, who were visa friendly before, have started asking to see financial details before they'll issue even a single entry TV. This is quite recent and I'm not sure how reliable the information is. I believe they wanted to see overseas bank statements showing 40k a month income. This, if correct, is another total digression from the Imm laws as there should not be any income requirements for a TV.
This brings us to Vientiane who seem to be friendly at the moment. I've seen lots of reports of double-entry TVs being issued and havn't read any report of someone getting a dreaded "red stamp" from there.
Consulates and Embassies make up their own local rules which is why the situation is always so difficult to predict. Other than catching on to fact that people are trying to do endless TV runs now, rather than 30 days (or combinations of them), I do believe that a lot of the reason for changing attitudes is down to overwork. Penang, for instance, was always a busy destination, but once all the 30 day runners started coming along for TVs, the situation got out of hand. The same seems to be the case in Savankette.
Incidentally, there is nothing in any police order that limits the number of TVs you can get, but the granting of one is always at the discretion of the Officer concerned.
Maybe Penang will relax in a while? Slightly off-topic, but they've now started issuing multi-entry Non O's again after years of only giving single entries. So, that's what I'll be after next week. There's no guarantee of getting it and I'm taking along financial information about my income from the UK to demonstrate that I don't need to work and can take care of the missus. If I don't get that, I should certainly be OK for a single entry Non O with a copy of the marriage certificate and a copy of my wife's ID card.
As mentioned before, I'll ask the visa agent what his views are on TVs whilst I'm there and report back.
Hope the above helps. I emphasise that I havn't been to these places so my words are based on others' experiences. Do also remember that rules and their interpretation change all the time. It's a lottery out there!!
First off, Penang have only been issuing single entry TVs for quite some time. Years ago, they'd do a double-entry, but it seems no more. Plus they've got this rather hit and miss 3 Tv's and that's it (in some cases only 2!!) . I doubt they ever issued a multi-entry TV (that's what I assume you mean by METV) and very few places do. One of the reasons for that is that you'll never get to use a fourth entry on the visa as it'll have expired. You'd even have to cut a third entry plus 30 day extension short as a double/triple entry TV is only valid for 6 months. (Don't get confused with the multi-entry Non O which is valid for a year).
Singapore seem not to have any limit on the number of TVs you can get - at least I've heard of no negative reports. Again, only single entries, I believe.
Phnom Phen has always been extremely user unfriendly as they view themselves as being for Cambodian nationals only. I wouldn't try PP for one, especially if I had no 30 day entries left. You wouldn't get back into Thailand.
There were reports that Savanakette, who were visa friendly before, have started asking to see financial details before they'll issue even a single entry TV. This is quite recent and I'm not sure how reliable the information is. I believe they wanted to see overseas bank statements showing 40k a month income. This, if correct, is another total digression from the Imm laws as there should not be any income requirements for a TV.
This brings us to Vientiane who seem to be friendly at the moment. I've seen lots of reports of double-entry TVs being issued and havn't read any report of someone getting a dreaded "red stamp" from there.
Consulates and Embassies make up their own local rules which is why the situation is always so difficult to predict. Other than catching on to fact that people are trying to do endless TV runs now, rather than 30 days (or combinations of them), I do believe that a lot of the reason for changing attitudes is down to overwork. Penang, for instance, was always a busy destination, but once all the 30 day runners started coming along for TVs, the situation got out of hand. The same seems to be the case in Savankette.
Incidentally, there is nothing in any police order that limits the number of TVs you can get, but the granting of one is always at the discretion of the Officer concerned.
Maybe Penang will relax in a while? Slightly off-topic, but they've now started issuing multi-entry Non O's again after years of only giving single entries. So, that's what I'll be after next week. There's no guarantee of getting it and I'm taking along financial information about my income from the UK to demonstrate that I don't need to work and can take care of the missus. If I don't get that, I should certainly be OK for a single entry Non O with a copy of the marriage certificate and a copy of my wife's ID card.
As mentioned before, I'll ask the visa agent what his views are on TVs whilst I'm there and report back.
Hope the above helps. I emphasise that I havn't been to these places so my words are based on others' experiences. Do also remember that rules and their interpretation change all the time. It's a lottery out there!!
Brilliant reply Lomu, I didn't realise that you worked in MI6 as a code breaker before moving to Thailandsandman67 wrote:Lads this aint stoppiness.....it seems to be a trend
They worked out we dont do the 30 day any more and instead do the full run and a 60 day application.....so they fucked us on getting a METV other than in your home country by the looks of it.
As I said I think this may be the case in PP, VT, and all points close.....
SO
what are reports from VT and PP, Singapore, Taiwan and anywhere else....????
Honestly sandman, your post left me totally flummoxed.
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Loumart. The old gentleman I mentioned in the earlier post was told by the agent to bring proof of income next time he visits. I don't want to send him back there as I know he doesn't have the required income (65,000.) He does have a reasonable income to take care of him here, approx 50,000 per month, so you can see my concern for him.
I've told him to do a run to Ranong at the end of the month and hopefully we can resolve this problem in the next few weeks.
Cheers.
Tony.
I've told him to do a run to Ranong at the end of the month and hopefully we can resolve this problem in the next few weeks.
Cheers.
Tony.
¼Ã
Are you asking about a visa or an extension to one? There is a big difference.Onlyme wrote:Loumart. The old gentleman I mentioned in the earlier post was told by the agent to bring proof of income next time he visits. I don't want to send him back there as I know he doesn't have the required income (65,000.) He does have a reasonable income to take care of him here, approx 50,000 per month, so you can see my concern for him.
I've told him to do a run to Ranong at the end of the month and hopefully we can resolve this problem in the next few weeks.
Cheers.
Tony.
Loumart. As the gentleman can not meet the requirements for the retirement visa he has been staying here with the use of tourist visas.
He's had three consecutive tourist visas from Penang and they've red stamped him!
I want to wait and see what the other people who've been "red carded" decide to do. In the meantime, he can go to Ranong and do a border run.
Hope this clarifies things.
Tony.
He's had three consecutive tourist visas from Penang and they've red stamped him!
I want to wait and see what the other people who've been "red carded" decide to do. In the meantime, he can go to Ranong and do a border run.
Hope this clarifies things.
Tony.
¼Ã
Hi all,
I spoke before about living in HH from 2009/2010.
Im a bit naive....bless!.... But when i get there....
Ill be 37. Im not planning on Working... but maybe i will after
6 months( i dont know) She wants to work probably with her mam etc...
Anyway... we will be buying a reasonable house not a flash one mind....Ill will be bringing enough cash ( i hope) to pay rent for
3months ( so i can look for a pad ) and enough for my first year.
My income for 2year onwards will be interest from my capital
but this will not be 60K a month!!
The point is the wife recons that because were married
(3yrs ago in LOS) that i can stay there forever. As long as i go
to the embassy in BKK...every 1 or 2or 3 years??....
Yet again im putting it to yourselves as you have the experience...
I certainly cant go for a retirement visa! .... What is best for me?
Was getting a bit of a worry on... whilst the wife recons get there
and sort it out later!!!
Any advice is welcome!!!
Big thanks!
I spoke before about living in HH from 2009/2010.
Im a bit naive....bless!.... But when i get there....
Ill be 37. Im not planning on Working... but maybe i will after
6 months( i dont know) She wants to work probably with her mam etc...
Anyway... we will be buying a reasonable house not a flash one mind....Ill will be bringing enough cash ( i hope) to pay rent for
3months ( so i can look for a pad ) and enough for my first year.
My income for 2year onwards will be interest from my capital
but this will not be 60K a month!!
The point is the wife recons that because were married
(3yrs ago in LOS) that i can stay there forever. As long as i go
to the embassy in BKK...every 1 or 2or 3 years??....
Yet again im putting it to yourselves as you have the experience...
I certainly cant go for a retirement visa! .... What is best for me?
Was getting a bit of a worry on... whilst the wife recons get there
and sort it out later!!!
Any advice is welcome!!!
Big thanks!
The only Geordie in sleepy Cha am since 2009 :cheers: