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expat challenges
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This page displays all the results for the expat challenges tag, sorted by the most recent activity. There are a total of 34 questions that have been tagged with expat challenges. Explore the questions to find discussions and information relevant to this topic.
Heads up to anyone using Pattaya Immigration. I had my annual interview for the Non Imm. O visa Ext. of Stay thru marriage yesterday. Nightmare. Worst in 28 years. Even my usually unflappable Thai wife was upset at the process. Home photos rejected. Had to go home take more, a 1-hour return drive. Photocopies unacceptable. In and out all morning to get more done then having to queue up again in long queues of at least 40 or 50 people in front of us twice.
The female immigration officer even had a problem with the map to our house which we printed off from Google Maps. Not good enough. It had to be hand drawn with a copy so that means hand drawn twice. Don’t know if the IO was just having a bad day or not but doubt it as a friend said he had something similar happen to him last week in Bangkok immigration. Oh and marriage cert. good for the last 23 years, not anymore. Needs updating every year now so had to go to the Amphur district office do that.
The questions they’re asking nowadays are very invasive as well. Why did you move? (asked twice) How did you pay for your house? Got receipts? Where does your income come from? Got any pension? Proof? Receipts? Be warned. It’s a new dawn in immigration these days and the bank freezes were just the start. I’d be interested to know if anybody’s had similar experiences having done a recent 1-year Extension of Stay on long-term Thai visa. Thanks.🙏
Twice I've been rejected previously for 'first report to be done in person...' even though I've been here nearly 10 years and never left the country?
Today a new one..! Rejected.. 'can only be submitted 15 days before until due date' even though I was exactly 7 days before, bang in the middle of required range??🤔
Thai IT and bureaucracy will never cease to amaze me...
I thought we had all the ducks in a row, I have got a Thai marriage certificate stamped and certified, yellow book, Thai ID card and trying to work towards a marriage visa. Now I need to open a Thai bank account to season funds however after having been to several banks that refuse to open an account without a visa, my wife is now taking me to a Chinese bank, I’m having serious reservations about this.
No one mentioned the nightmare that uploading the various documents in the correct format would be. Maybe it's because I'm old and crap at such things.
The evisa is a nightmare. They keep asking me for my bank statements proving income over and over....and now on try number 5 they are now saying they want proof of 800 k in particular. They also insist I have the 5 prohibitive diseases health certificate. Ive just gone to the clinic. The one test takes 9 weeks. The tests also cost about 12k baht. Not a train smash but why???? I thought I had done my homework. Clearly not. Goal posts keep shifting. Insane.
My other option is to deposit the 65k into my Bangkok Bank account for 12 months and then apply. Not ideal of course.
Hi. Evisa for non O. What do you do when they now after the fact ask for following up docs...in particular medical certificate in past few months showing no prohibitive diseases. Well I havent had one. Do they mean I must now go for a health check? No mention of a number of things in the online visa system. Now suddenly all these other things. Like ALL the pages of your passport suddenly. Any clarity? I'm in Malaysia
I went to Thai Revenue department (Chalong) earlier with all the correct paperwork and they told me I couldn't get a TIN taxpayer number until after the tax year has ended. Is this normal? (doesn't sound like a smart way of doing things)
Edit: Sounds like it's just another case of ineptitude and I wont be able to sort this out at the office. Does anyone know an agent that will get me a TIN now for a decent price?
Edit 2: Went again armed with a wall of pre translated text from my accountant everything everything, and despite this I had to spend a whole hour repeatedly schooling them on the law, accounting and the revenue code, with them accepting my arguments each time and then changing the subject and perpetually and erroneously inventing new things I'd need to get the TIN, and after an hour of debunking and debating with 4 staff they just went right back to the start as if we hadn't spoken yet, and at that point I had to just throw in the towel because it was obvious that we weren't going to get anywhere. The principal lady that dealt with me was incredibly smug and rude and childish, and it was very obvious that she simply didn't want me to succeed.. the problem wasn't my paperwork, logic or position; it was her/what she represented. Politeness got me nowhere.
I finished my dtv and aprroved, but now need to sign the 90 days. I'm in a difficult situation - I recently moved from Chiang Mai to a new apartment in Lat Phrao, Bangkok, but the landlord refuses to provide his ID. Because of that, I can’t submit the TM30 form and update my address. My visa extension appointment is in the next few days - I urgently need a solution. If anyone has advice or has dealt with something similar - I’d really appreciate your help.
I’ve had ฿800,000 in my Thai bank for a couple years for my Non-O and wondering if it’s possible to switch to ฿65,000 a month without needing to do the monthly deposits for a year to maintain my Non-O? Chance somewhere between slim to none?
Is there anyone still stuck in “Pending Approval “ stage in HCMC Royal Thai Consulate General? I applied on 12th March and got request documents on 13th March and now still stuck in “ Pending Approval “. Do I need to worry for approval? Can I get any update information for HCMC situation lately? Appreciate for all the discussions. 🙏