Hi there, my husband and I are both Americans that have secured teaching jobs in Thailand this year. We are stuck in America right now until Thailand opens their borders. While here, we are trying to get our non-b visas (rather than hop a border over there which was our original plan). We have been in constant contact with our school and they are working with the Ministry of Education to complete all paperwork that we will need in order to secure a non-b visa. We heard this week that a new a requirement from the MOE states they need to see our physical passports in order to issue the paperwork. The only way to comply with this rule is for my husband and I to ship our American passports to Thailand and then have them shipped back after the MOE approves.
We are both a bit hesitant to send our passports over and think it is a bizarre request from the MOE as we have already sent photo copies of all the pages in our passports. However, we do think having a non-b visa will help us get in once the borders re-open, rather than just entering on a tourist visa.
Our question is - would you advise us to ship our passports to receive this non-b paperwork? Or just wait it out to see what the Thai government decides with foreigners entering the country?
Thanks in advance!
TLDR : Answer Summary
A couple of Americans, securing teaching jobs in Thailand, is hesitant about a new requirement from the Ministry of Education (MOE) that mandates them to send their physical passports to Thailand for visa processing. They are concerned about the safety of their passports and whether they should comply with this request. Community responses overwhelmingly advise against sending passports by mail, emphasizing that legitimate schools can provide necessary documentation for visa applications without needing the actual passports, which can pose a risk if mailed.
