Mr. Chang @ VISA SERVICE IN PATTAYA
E-MAIL: changvisa@gmail.com
183/27 M.10 Soi 13/2 Nongpure, Banglamung Chonburi 20150
Mobile: 66 81 7549342
Tel: 66 38 711 145
Fax: 66 38 710 163
www.visacentergroup.com, www.visa2britain.com
Visa for wife
Q: I am a work permit holder in Thailand with a Filipina wife. She is not working, but I obviously want her to live with me here without having to apply for separate visas all the time. How can I do this please?
A: Your wife can share your non immigrant “B” visa, based on your work permit, for as long as you continue in legal employment. She needs a non immigrant (any type) three month visa, passport and marriage certificate. You need to provide some documents too – work permit, passport and company registration and tax certificates. The Immigration Office with which you deal can then bring your wife’s visa into line with yours.
Joint visa query
Q: I am shortly going to visit Thailand and then Cambodia by air only and each for about three weeks, so do I need to apply for one of the new joint visas issued by the overseas consulates and embassies of these countries?
A: Not really. The new joint visa allows you to enter both countries once for up to two months, but you have to pay a fee at the airport or border post when you enter them. As you are an American, best to come to Thailand free (30 days at the airport) and then proceed to Cambodia where you will get a visa on arrival for US$20 at Phnom Penh or Siem Reap airport. The new joint visa might be more suitable if you were coming to Southeast Asia for a longer stay.
Sickness strikes
Q: I was admitted to hospital three months ago with heart trouble and only now am I ready to return to UK after an operation went badly wrong. In all the confusion, my visa was overlooked and I am now in overstay for a period of several weeks. I am concerned that I will be arrested when I get to the airport next week which my friend says I will be.
A: Not so. Thai immigration rules are flexible when it comes to serious incapacity. When you arrive at the airport carry with you the air ticket (of course), 20,000 baht maximum overstay visa and a letter from the hospital outlining the medical problems encountered. It is simply untrue that casualties in your situation are jailed.
Blacklist or not
Q: As I ran out of money I am afraid that my visa will be three weeks over by the time I reach the airport. I have the overstay fine ready to pay – 500 baht a day up to a maximum of 20,000 baht – but I am concerned that I may be blacklisted and refused entry again to Thailand. This would be very difficult as I have a young Thai daughter.
A: Immigration staff have wide powers, but overstayers in your situation are not arrested or blacklisted provided they can pay. The blacklist is usually reserved for crimes such as drugs possession or trafficking, child molestation or serious violence.
Blacklisted already
Q: I was blacklisted two years ago after being convicted of a serious indecency offence in Thailand. I recently applied for a 60-day tourist visa with a new passport at one of the consulates in UK. Does this mean that I can return to Thailand without difficulty now?
A: No it doesn’t. Consulates abroad sometimes issue visas without access to the Thai immigration blacklist. When you arrive in Thailand, the officer may well refuse you admittance – which he/she can under the Immigration Act of 1980 as amended. In this eventuality you would not be able to leave the airport pending a return flight to your home country.
Renew driving licence
Q: What documents do I need to replace my Thai driving licence which expired three weeks ago? Does it make any difference that it has expired? I quite forgot to renew it on time.
A: Same documents as usual – new certificate of residence from Immigration, your passport and expired driving licence plus the fee. You must be careful not to drive on the roads with the expired licence as you will invalidate any insurance in case of an accident.