#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Thai Visas and Visa Runs >  >  Phuket immigration wankers

## Mr Earl

I went in tuesday to get my visa changed from tourist to non-imOA retirement visa.
I dutifully filled out the forms and all the copies all ready to present when the power went out. They informed everyone no more visa today. I didn't get time yesterday so I went this morning bright and early. I present my papers and passport and the motherfucker says no he cant do it because my 30 day tourist visa expires today. They made buy a stupid 7 day extension for 1900 baht and told me I have to leave the country, and then come back, WTF! I just looked this smirking motherfucker and said you must be making this up. The fuck just shook his head and grinned. I wanted to strangle someone. Fuck me this is first time I heard of this little detail.
Now I got an excuse to go to Penang and eat some.indian food.and drink some of that good beer down there, I reckon.
What a bunch of fucking chickenshit bullshit. Sometimes this country pisses me off to no end.. Wankers

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## taxexile

can only get a retirement extension if you already have a non-imm. visa.

it cant be done on a tourist visa. so you wouldnt have got one yesterday either.

you will need to get a non-imm. visa in penang.

enjoy penang, its a fine town.

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## Mr Earl

No they said they would have done it yesterday. I dont know where that myth comes from. I heard that before probably crap proliferated from thaivisa.

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## taxexile

strange, i thought that you could only get a retirement extension on a non-imm. visa.

they must do things differently in phuket.

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## Davis Knowlton

Those immigration wankers, in any country. sure revel in the power trip.

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## Mr Earl

> strange, i thought that you could only get a retirement extension on a non-imm. visa.
> 
> they must do things differently in phuket.


I thought that also for a long time and perhaps true for the first one. But since I had numerous non im OA visas in the past I able to change from a tourist visa. My last one expired while I was in South America.
I could have just gone to the hospital gotten a check up and a 90 day medical excuse, hindsight is great!

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## richie22

I had the same trouble with this bunch of ****s a few months ago.
They love fcking with you because they can.
It took all my willpower to walk out without smacking the fat grinning prick who had just asked me for a tip and who was now having a good laugh with the other backrow pricks.
You can change a tourist visa to non imm O then change it to retirement.Cost me 3900 bht I think

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## Thetyim

> You can change a tourist visa to non imm O then change it to retirement.


Correct, bit I think it can only be done at certain offices.
I presume this is because the Non Imm O is issued by The MFA, not Immigration.
The sad thing is that most offices won't tell you to go to Bangkok to change your Tourist Visa to a Non Imm O.
They will tell you that you must go abroad to get it.

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## VocalNeal

Whilst I empathize with your situation one should never leave important things like this until the last day!

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## Mr Earl

^yea I know, but I still dont understand why my tourist visa is less valid today the day it expires than it was yesterday. They couldn't explain it! 
What really rankled was paying 1900 fucking baht for a seven day extension. I told them what I thought too I'm afraid, I called them "Kamoi". I probably shouldn't use Phuket imm. ever again.

Anyway I needed an excuse to go to Penang to see some people I've been wanting to meet. I'll take a couple of weeks and ride the motorcycle down to Melaka and Singapore too. 
What the hey! :Smile:

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## Jun

> Whilst I empathize with your situation one should never leave important things like this until the last day!


I agree

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## sunsetter

> Melaka


 
great place, loved it there, must do a thread

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## Butterfly

> No they said they would have done it yesterday. I dont know where that myth comes from. I heard that before probably crap proliferated from thaivisa.


they were talking crap, as usual, you can't switch from a tourist visa to non-OA without getting out of the country. Might be done with an agent paying off the officials, but on your own, mission impossible

You are dealing with idiot monkeys who play games with your mind, so don't believe anything they say. To get a TM7 extension for up to 1 year, you will need a valid stay under a non-resident visa

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## Butterfly

> Originally Posted by richie22
> 
> You can change a tourist visa to non imm O then change it to retirement.
> 
> 
> Correct, bit I think it can only be done at certain offices.
> I presume this is because the Non Imm O is issued by The MFA, not Immigration.
> The sad thing is that most offices won't tell you to go to Bangkok to change your Tourist Visa to a Non Imm O.
> They will tell you that you must go abroad to get it.


also I don't think it can be done on your own, you will have to go through agents who will make sure to pay off the right official so things get done as they should.

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## Mr Earl

> Originally Posted by Mr Earl
> 
> 
> No they said they would have done it yesterday. I dont know where that myth comes from. I heard that before probably crap proliferated from thaivisa.
> 
> 
> they were talking crap, as usual, you can't switch from a tourist visa to non-OA without getting out of the country. Might be done with an agent paying off the officials, but on your own, mission impossible
> 
> You are dealing with idiot monkeys who play games with your mind, so don't believe anything they say. To get a TM7 extension for up to 1 year, you will need a valid stay under a non-resident visa


I did first go to Ranong imm where I usually get my OA visa and they would have changed the tourist visa for me a couple of weeks ago, but I'd forgoten my bank book in Phuket and I figured I could just get it done in Phuket. I'd forgoten what officious little monkey pricks these flaming assholes in Phuket imm can be.
 :mid:  :mid:

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## lom

> Originally Posted by richie22
> 
> You can change a tourist visa to non imm O then change it to retirement.
> 
> 
> Correct, bit I think it can only be done at certain offices.
> I presume this is because the Non Imm O is issued by The MFA, not Immigration.
> The sad thing is that most offices won't tell you to go to Bangkok to change your Tourist Visa to a Non Imm O.
> They will tell you that you must go abroad to get it.


Samui doesn't allow it, I've tried.
"Could do before, can't do anymore" was the response.

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## peterpan

In udon thani they changed from Nong kai where they where staffed by ignorant rude  morons, I used to dread going there.
To a new office at Udon. 
Great people, friendly & competent. Our immigation woes are over, for now.

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## richie22

> Originally Posted by Thetyim
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by richie22
> ...


No agent I did it a couple of months ago here in Phuket.
They didn't make it easy but they did it.
I was on a retirement visa but due to a cock up with the bank holding on to my transferred funds my 800 k was a couple days late so I had to leave the country get a tourist visa then go back a few days later when the money had been in the bank for the full 90 days 
I know rules are rules but 2 fckin days late.
It's just their attitude when I asked what I had to do The smarmy prick just waved me away and said Go Another Country No Come Back If You No Like.

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## richie22

A few of my mates who could and have been on retirement visa's have give them up and would rather do visa runs than deal with Phuket Immigration

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## ltnt

Phuket Immigration is dealing this year in particular with some pretty rotten assholes in the costume of Russians, Indians and Chinese tourists.  I think anyone's bullshit tolerance levels would be reached after dealing with these people for several months in succession.  I do agree that Phuket Immigration can be a sterile environment when it comes to reason or logic.

We all had to go out for our initial Non-im O visa.  Its part and parcel of the lessons learned here.  I had the same indignation on my first attempt at getting a Retirement O visa.  Exit to KL early morning flight, off to Thai Embassy before 10:00, return to Thai Embassy by 16:00, pick up Passport and Non Im. O visa stamp, back to KL airport for early evening flight return to Bangkok.  All in a days work.  You can manage the same routing if you choose to visit Penang as well.

Its a pain in the ass, but once done you have the satisfaction of knowing its the last time you'll have this fruck around.  Of course they'll think or create new piss-off methods for you every year on application as the rules change by the Immigration individuals personal feelings on that particular day.  Its always an adventure.

BTW, the new authority in the Phuket Immigrations offices is a lady.  She takes no prisoners.  The amount of backhanding has diminished considerably.

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## kingwilly

> *I didn't get time yesterday* so I went this morning bright and early.


So your problem has nothing to do with the power outage on Tuesday...




> Whilst I empathize with your situation one should never leave important things like this until the last day!


Indeed. 




> I told them what I thought too I'm afraid, I called them "Kamoi".


Good move, I'm sure that will really help your cause.

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## Mr Earl

> So your problem has nothing to do with the power outage on Tuesday...
> .


No my problem was with what seems to an arbitrary rule regarding not soliciting the visa on the last day of your current visa's validity. My tourist visa was valid at the time, a visa is either valid or its not. They could have given me a visa but they chose to be the nasty little pricks that they are. What do they get out it? Nothing.
I really don't mind cuz I get to take a holiday in Malaysia. So they actually did me a favor unknowingly, the stupid bureaucrat monkeys. :yerman: 

And I never have to set foot in Phuket imm if I don't want to. Doing visas in Ranong is by far and away a much more pleasant experience. Last time I got the visa there I was in and out in 30 minutes.

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## Phuketrichard

> I went in tuesday to get my visa changed from tourist to non-imOA retirement visa.
> I dutifully filled out the forms and all the copies all ready to present when the power went out. They informed everyone no more visa today. I didn't get time yesterday so I went this morning bright and early. I present my papers and passport and the motherfucker says no he cant do it because my 30 day tourist visa expires today. They made buy a stupid 7 day extension for 1900 baht and told me I have to leave the country, and then come back, WTF! I just looked this smirking motherfucker and said you must be making this up. The fuck just shook his head and grinned. I wanted to strangle someone. Fuck me this is first time I heard of this little detail.
> Now I got an excuse to go to Penang and eat some.indian food.and drink some of that good beer down there, I reckon.
> What a bunch of fucking chickenshit bullshit. Sometimes this country pisses me off to no end.. Wankers


I have been dealing with Phuket immigration for over 22 years and I love them,  they are kind and helpful and i am never there more than 30 minutes to do extensions and re-entry even if there is a line in front of me. If you had gone in 4 to 5 days before ( as anyone that has any brains would have done) u would have had time, TO wait until the last day is just plain stupid.  If u had NOT lost ur temper and smiled and had asked Politely  what can u do to make it right they would have helped u.

2 weeks ago my friend went in for his yearly retirement extension renewal.  He had screwed up and taken out 10,000 baht from the 800,000 and then put it back they next day.  Immigration caught it and showed him., telling him he had to go get  a new visa.  Rather than losing his cool and yelling , he asked how he could make it right.  They asked him how much it would cost to go to HK for him and his wife ( as her visa is tied to his )  stay in hotel, apply for new visa etc etc, then offered to make it all right for 10,000 baht.
OK corruption but it saved him double that and time.

Smile, allow them to feel superior and u will have no problems.

Many times i have been to them and they have filed out the forms for me for my re-entry permit as it was late.  I have NEVER given tips or bottles but i have been polite an allowed them to feel superior.  IT's all a game and u play by their rules or leave

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## Mr Earl

> they are kind and helpful .


yea right, and pigs really do fly in Phuket. 
Next you'll be telling us tuk tuk drivers are gentle spirits. :smiley laughing:

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## taxexile

> They asked him how much it would cost to go to HK for him and his wife ( as her visa is tied to his ) stay in hotel, apply for new visa etc etc, then offered to make it all right for 10,000 baht.
>  OK corruption but it saved him double that and time.



you or your friend obviously threw your morals and pride out of the window when you arrived in thailand if you think that is the correct way to handle that situation.



the more that people kow tow to these extorting jobsworths and their sleazy ways the more they become empowered and brazen in their demands.

there would be no corruption if people refused to pay these government employed crooks.

your friend made the mistake by withdrawing the money, he should have accepted responsibility for that error and made the trip to hong kong, not bribed an official to overlook it.

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## Mr Earl

> you or your friend obviously threw your morals and pride out of the window when you arrived in thailand if you think that is the correct way to handle that situation.
> 
> 
> 
> the more that people kow tow to these extorting jobsworths and their sleazy ways the more they become empowered and brazen in their demands.
> 
> there would be no corruption if people refused to pay these government employed crooks.
> 
> your friend made the mistake by withdrawing the money, he should have accepted responsibility for that error and made the trip to hong kong, not bribed an official to overlook it.


Exactly if they truly were "kind and helpful" they would NOT be trying to take advantage of people over a small one day mistake. The whole 90 day money in the bank is rather burdensome and I'm sure many people left Thailand because of it, ending up hurting the locals who made modest livings from thier trade.
Those cnuts dont care about anything but thier little power trips and take great pleasure in gouging foreigners.

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## Phuketrichard

> They asked him how much it would cost to go to HK for him and his wife ( as her visa is tied to his ) stay in hotel, apply for new visa etc etc, then offered to make it all right for 10,000 baht.
>  OK corruption but it saved him double that and time.
> 			
> 		
> 
> you or your friend obviously threw your morals and pride out of the window when you arrived in thailand if you think that is the correct way to handle that situation.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How long have u lived here?  i would imagine a short time if any.  Morals/Pride?? This is Thailand and if you want keep those i suggest pick a western country where those things matter.  My friend fucked up and paid for it.
 IF Earl had acted nice an given the choice of paying  a few baht rather than dealing with all the hassles of flying out and starting over do u seriously think he still would have chosen to travel?  I doubt it.

IN any other country it would have cost more or been imposible to make a msitake correct but as long as u know they rules THEY play by u can enjoy ur stay/life here
otherwise you become a bitter old fuck

"forget it Jake, it's Chinatown"

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## CaptainNemo

> Originally Posted by taxexile
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 			
> 				They asked him how much it would cost to go to HK for him and his wife ( as her visa is tied to his ) stay in hotel, apply for new visa etc etc, then offered to make it all right for 10,000 baht.
> ...


Just to clarify, are you:

A. Advocating bribery and corruption in whatever country you are in as a harmless way of getting things done? 

Or 

B. Are you saying that you'd never advocate bribery and corruption in a more sophisticated country than one like Thailand?

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## taxexile

> How long have u lived here? i would imagine a short time if any. Morals/Pride?? This is Thailand and if you want keep those i suggest pick a western country where those things matter. My friend fucked up and paid for it.
>  IF Earl had acted nice an given the choice of paying a few baht rather than dealing with all the hassles of flying out and starting over do u seriously think he still would have chosen to travel? I doubt it.
> 
> IN any other country it would have cost more or been imposible to make a msitake correct but as long as u know they rules THEY play by u can enjoy ur stay/life here
>  otherwise you become a bitter old fuck


ive been here 7 years now, and i would never pay one of these greedy fucks a bribe.
and i make sure all my paperwork is done on time.

i could never lower myself to their corrupt level.

how you can call them polite and helpful is beyond me, they are thieves plain and simple,  taking advantage of foreigners, the very foreigners they beg to come here and welcome with open arms.

they laugh at us and spit in our faces, and you froth at the mouth with praise for them





> My friend fucked up and paid for it.


your friend fucked up and paid them for it, its pathetic, conniving with their dishonesty, you become no better than them, you sink to their level, you become an active contributor to the immoral system here that deprives so many in thailand to a fair deal, that enriches the dishonest and keeps the deserving in poverty.

in short you are a prick.

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## Kwang

Harsh words Tax Exile, but very honest unlike Tricky Dicky here

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## navynine

OA is only available outside of Thailand in your home country, ......

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## adzt1

I don't know what ur complaining about..  my immigration  officer in January  was very helpful ..
 had a 60 day tourist visa that was near its end and I wanted an extension .  
he sat me down and said "how long do u want?".. I said well I have work in may but 30days extension  would be good then I can do a couple of boarder runs to Cambodia ....
he shook his head and said  ill give u till the end of may.. ok?..
I said that'll  be nice but is it going to cost me?    he said 1900 bt...
I tried to give him a drink and he declined saying "I'm rich enough"..  
what a nice man!!! had a smile on his face too!!!

hence to say I've made a note of his name!!!!!

it must be those overcrowded places where they're  not helpful .. or ur looks!!!

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## DrAndy

> otherwise you become a bitter old fuck





> in short you are a prick.


oh dear, a little visa hassle and all hell breaks loose

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## geoff

You seem to have been in Thailand a long time.............................................
YET.............You've learnt nothing....................???????????????

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## Mr Earl

The longer I stay in Thailand the less I know I reckon. Eights years ago it seemed to me Phuket immigration was NOT staffed by a gang of greedy wankers who actually harbour a profound hatred of the very foreigners who provide them jobs.
Regarding the so called rules. These wankers just make them up as they go along.
Paying the 10k baht bribe because the fellow was one day off with his bank statement is pure bullshit. As was denying my visa application simply because it was the last day of my current visa..
Sure if some actually overstays their visa there are established penalties.
Deffending these power tripping  greedy wankers is nearly incomprehensible to me.

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## DrAndy

> The longer I stay in Thailand the less I know I reckon.


fair enough

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## DrAndy

> As was denying my visa application simply because it was the last day of my current visa..


if that is really correct, then the visa was still applicable

are you sure it wasn't one day over?  if not, then you should have spoken to the boss

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## Seekingasylum

Obtaining a retirement extension is not limted to those who entered the Kingdom on a Non Immigrant O visa. Certainly, seeking an extension on the basis of marriage to a Thai is dependent on the appropriate O visa first obtained abroad, but not for retirement. 
Those on a tourist visa or who arrived as an exempted person and received 30 days simply apply in country for a Non Immigrant O visa which is valid for 90 days - it costs 2,000 bt and the application is submitted on form TM87. Once this has been obtained you should wait two months before submitting the application to remain for the purpose of retirement on TM7 which costs 1,900. In days past one could complete the process on the same day but now they insist you submit when there is less than 30 days validity on the O visa. Also, I understand from other reports that some immigration offices are insisting that the TM87 application can only be submitted provided 21 days remain on your original visa used to enter the KIngdom.
I do hope this helps.

Mr. Earl was indeed foolish to wait until the currency of his visa had practically expired but then anyone riding a motorcycle through SE Asia and peninsula Malaya must surely be the proverbial brick short of a load.

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## Mr Earl

> but then anyone riding a motorcycle through SE Asia and peninsula Malaya must surely be the proverbial brick short of a load.


exactly  :Yup:

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## Mr Earl

> Originally Posted by Mr Earl
> 
> As was denying my visa application simply because it was the last day of my current visa..
> 
> 
> if that is really correct, then the visa was still applicable
> 
> are you sure it wasn't one day over?  if not, then you should have spoken to the boss


It was indeed valid, they just wanted play games. I know it was dumb to wait till the last minute because it forced me to buy the stupid 7 day extension. But who knew that our visas are not valid on the last day? :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Looper

> ive been here 7 years now, and i would never pay one of these greedy fucks a bribe.


You cannot really blame individuals in a society based on corruption. They probably had to pay cash to get their job and see it as an investment and bribes as the return. No point in getting all Don Quixote about it. Accept the situation and learn how to use the bribery options to your advantage when you can and accept the costs when you can't. Getting all jai ron against an official just extracting his daily bribes probably makes you look like a dumb noob in their eyes, no wonder they are laughing. The alternative is a western society where unbribeable bureaucracy can be almost as frustrating at times.

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## taxexile

> You cannot really blame individuals in a society based on corruption. They probably had to pay cash to get their job and see it as an investment and bribes as the return. No point in getting all Don Quixote about it. Accept the situation and learn how to use the bribery options to your advantage when you can and accept the costs when you can't. Getting all jai ron against an official just extracting his daily bribes probably makes you look like a dumb noob in their eyes, no wonder they are laughing. The alternative is a western society where unbribeable bureaucracy can be almost as frustrating at times.


you make good points.

in order to avoid finding myself in a situation where a bribe might be necessary, i tend to ensure that my paperwork is kept up to date and on time. its not that onerous really, once a year for the renewal and every three months for the 90 day.


i understand the system very well here, but it is easy enough in just about every case to avoid having to pay bribes to obtain services to which i am legally entitled.

those that do pay bribes are either stuck between a rock and a hard place (very few) or are just people who prefer to take the easy option, just like the people they are paying. money for nothing.

its why the rich can get away with anything here, and if you pay petty bribes to ease the processing of visas, you become part of the same system that frees criminals and murderers and allows politicians to walk over whoever they choose.
you sink down to their level. you compromise yourself and just give them more power to extort you again next time, because you have shown them that you are willing to break the law by paying a bribe.

it a nasty system, as is the inflexibility of the western system.

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## FarangRed

Gone are the days when you could walk in and get what you wanted I used to be on first name terms with them.

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## FarangRed

And it's not just the Immigration thats at it, also the amphur go to the labour department here in Phuket and try getting a work permit, more chance landing on the fuking moon

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## Mr Earl

The whole bribery system has merit if you do something wrong , with a little money you can make the whole thing go away. Someone I knew a few years ago got pinched on a dui here and 30k made it disapear entirely.
The corruption in the west is endemic at very high levels where the super rich use lobbyists to persuade politcians to write laws favorable to their causes and beliefs.
In comparison the petty corruption here is almost refreshing.
I got stopped speeding in my car a couple of times and 30 seconds 50 and 100 baht later I was on my way. If you get a speeding ticket in the usa you're in for a royal hosing!

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## Phuketrichard

> How long have u lived here? i would imagine a short time if any. Morals/Pride?? This is Thailand and if you want keep those i suggest pick a western country where those things matter. My friend fucked up and paid for it.
>  IF Earl had acted nice an given the choice of paying a few baht rather than dealing with all the hassles of flying out and starting over do u seriously think he still would have chosen to travel? I doubt it.
> 
> IN any other country it would have cost more or been imposible to make a msitake correct but as long as u know they rules THEY play by u can enjoy ur stay/life here
>  otherwise you become a bitter old fuck
> 
> 
> ive been here 7 years now, and i would never pay one of these greedy fucks a bribe.
> and i make sure all my paperwork is done on time.
> ...


Thanks;

U all that seem to have troubles and do nothing but complain, why do u stay?

I accept Thais for who they are, greedy children plain and simple, but the best way to get along is to play the game with them.  I prefer to live where i am relatively free and happy.  For many of u i think Thailand is not the place for you.

They don't want farangs here, never did BUT they do want the $$

The only thing that will remain the truth throughout this is
Thailand will not change

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## Bettyboo

> a royal hosing




No thank you.

Don't play the corruption game, doing so sells future generations (your kids) into a life of patronage. Regardless of your own self-respect, think about future generations...

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## BaitongBoy

^^Wow...profound... :Smile:

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## taxexile

> 30 seconds 50 and 100 baht later I was on my way.


which is why there is no incentive whatsoever to obey the law here.

20,000 dead a year on the roads, drunk driving ,speeding, rusted unsafe broken down vehicles on the road, bus crashes etc.etc.

its because there is no incentive to obey the rules, most of which are written from a position of common sense and benefit society as a whole.

where is the little red flag in your head that says i'd better not speed or drive drunk or operate that 30 year old bus with bald tyres in case i get caught, lose my license and go to jail. its not there, because you know that for a few hundred or thousand baht you can get away with stupid behaviour here, negotiate your way out of your responsibility or have your protector speak on your behalf, and fuck the consequences or what happens to anyone else who loses out due to my selfishness and access to money to pay people off because i am a selfish turd who doesnt give a shit about anybody else but myself.

there is no other way to justify it.

its wrong, full stop.

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## Looper

You all make valid points.

I don't agree that Thailand will never change. Western countries were as corrupt as Thailand if you go back enough years. The natural desire for fairness and acountability will prevail but it will take a long time.

No point in getting hot under the collar about the current situation because it is different from your homeland. It will change eventually but nothing you do at an individual level, especially as a long stay tourist, will have any effect so better to think about how to use the situation to maximum personal advantage (and there are many advantagaes as Earl acknowledges).

Change will come eventually from pressure from the population, red shirts etc. but for now an indignant farang railing at windmills is truly a laughing stock from a Thai's perspective.

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## snoother

> I went in tuesday to get my visa changed from tourist to non-imOA retirement visa.
> I dutifully filled out the forms and all the copies all ready to present when the power went out. They informed everyone no more visa today. I didn't get time yesterday so I went this morning bright and early. I present my papers and passport and the motherfucker says no he cant do it because my 30 day tourist visa expires today. They made buy a stupid 7 day extension for 1900 baht and told me I have to leave the country, and then come back, WTF! I just looked this smirking motherfucker and said you must be making this up. The fuck just shook his head and grinned. I wanted to strangle someone. Fuck me this is first time I heard of this little detail.
> Now I got an excuse to go to Penang and eat some.indian food.and drink some of that good beer down there, I reckon.
> What a bunch of fucking chickenshit bullshit. Sometimes this country pisses me off to no end.. Wankers


Was the dude a thin guy with short hair and small glasses?

I never had any problems with phuket immigration, except for my first visa extension with this fucker.
I didn't know exactly where to wait, and one of the officer told me to  sit in a corner. 10 minutes later, the same guy, still with a big smile  on his face, invites me to sit in front of him. I show him all the  necessary papers, he studies them cautiously for 2 minutes, and then  tells me while laughing... "Sir, you need go back tomorrow, office close  soon hahaha"
I look at the clock showing 3:15 pm, bewildered, and look at him again,  he is still cracking up like he just told me the joke of the year. 
I try a timid "Poodlen mai?"
"No no no, come back tomorrow sir" with a smile that made me want to punch him in the face.
Not knowing if he wanted to make a farang angry for fun or if he  genuinely believed it was a really funny situation, I tried to give him  my best fake smile and told him "mai pen rai krap, sawadee krap". What a fucking asshole.

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## Mr Earl

^That was the wanker.

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## Mr Earl

I have to report again on Phuket Immigration;
I've been back there three times now and the place has changed, surprisingly for the better.
Once for a 90 day report which took about 30 minutes, I arrived bright and early too.
Next was filing a retirement visa extension for an elderly friend, I arrived about 11am with all the paperwork all in order, walked right up to the guys receiving these, he looked it all over asked for 1900 baht and asked me to wait over yonder with a wave of his hand, I get on the phone will a pal and while chatting I see the guy waving the passport and nodding to me, I walk over thinking "oh shit, something is wrong!" He hand me the passport and I look at him inquiringly, he says "done"! I'm flabbergasted, all less than 15 minutes.
Yesterday I went in to renew my retirement visa, about 10:30 this time wait a minute or two and the receiving guy take the documents, looks them over, spends a lot of time looking over all my stamps old visa, photo copies a visa from tow years ago, then asks for 1900 baht and tells me to wait yonder. I take a seat and make a note of the time. In less than 10 minutes another guy is waving my passport and nodding to me, this time I'm not that surprised when he hand me my passport and says "done". I'm still kinda amazed.
I also got my multiple reentry stamp which required another series of photocopies and photo plus a whopping 3900 baht, and took about 15 minutes.
I was like a breath of fresh air to be free to come and go for another year in such short order.

I suppose they somehow realized giving people a hard time renewing their visa was dangerous as they might have pissed off the wrong farang and he'd come back and shoot the place up. Suppose it's all the Russian influence there that's shaping them up?

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## ltnt

^  I think its your "Sunny Personality." :Smile:

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## Phuketrichard

went in Thursday;
took all of 15 minutes for retirement extension  and multi re entry permit ( 3,800 not 3,900)
Not only that but they did all the photocopies of my passport RIGHT THERE FOR FREE!!!
Only had to go downstairs for one copy of new extension of my re-entry permit

as i said years ago, phuket immigration gets better each year i go in. :Smile:

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## slackula

I know one of the guys who work the back desk socially and from what I have gleaned over the years everything depends on the head honcho of the office and his interpretation of the directives that come down from BKK.

The heads seem to get rotated out quite frequently and that leads to a lot of confusion and frustration when a detail that was OK six months ago is now different due to some memo getting issued.

The guy I know doesn't like pissing people off but he doesn't have the rank or authority to interpret the rules on his own so his hands are tied, it's a messy situation.

As an example, one year it was OK to submit a photocopy of my tax invoice and the Rev Dept receipt stapled to it, the next year they had to be separate. No rhyme or reason, just a new rule.

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## ltnt

^The main thing is not to get upset.  Stay cool, get the photo copies that never were called for before, do the deal and depart.  Next time it'll be different and a different person so nothing is stable in their world either.
You need them. They don't need you individually.  Lots more standing in line behind you.  So best case scenario is stay cool and move along.

Typical Bureaucracy and bureaucratizes found world wide.

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## Attilla the Hen

> can only get a retirement extension if you already have a non-imm. visa.
> 
> it cant be done on a tourist visa. so you wouldnt have got one yesterday either.
> 
> you will need to get a non-imm. visa in penang.
> 
> enjoy penang, its a fine town.


Wrong. You can change a tourist visa to a Non-Imm O retirement. You might even be able to do it with the 30 day stamp.

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## Mr Earl

> Originally Posted by taxexile
> 
> 
> can only get a retirement extension if you already have a non-imm. visa.
> 
> it cant be done on a tourist visa. so you wouldnt have got one yesterday either.
> 
> you will need to get a non-imm. visa in penang.
> 
> ...


Indeed you can get a non-imm o retirement from a 30 day entry, you just have to have at least 2 days remaining on the visa.

They even now have a nice web site in English.
Welcome to Phuket Immigration Office

After nine years off and on dealing with them things have greatly improved.

I even noticed that skinny smiling mofo(the one who pissed me off in the OP) giving some old white haired farang a shoulder rub! He was smiling as ever. I was going to ask if I could be next, but I figured I'd better not push my luck! :mid:

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## ltnt

^Sadly, the site has no English version.... :Confused:

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## Phuketrichard

used to have a english but seems its down,
http://www.phuketimmigration.go.th/main-en.php

I have been seeing the same faces for the past 15 ++ years behind the desks.
only thing that seems to change is the head honcho ( and with the change different regulations/enforcements)

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## ltnt

^URL not found....not up either. No Problem.  We're flexible, change is good they say.

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## Mr Earl

^oh well  it did work when I visited it a week ago. They probably are using a Thai  web hosting.

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## Ratchaburi

Indeed you can get a non-imm o retirement from a 30 day entry, you just have to have at least 2 days remaining on the visa.

 [/quote]

 I think it is more like more than 15 days left on your Visa.
That why you can not do a border run 15 day & you can not change to Non-IMM O
As it's the same as Non-Imm B   :mid:

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## toddaniels

The poser, err poster known as "taxexile" is taking a little creative license with what limited knowledge they have about what can and can't be done concerning visas here. Sad really, because usually they're pretty accurate in their take on all things whacky here in the "glorious Land 'O Thais".. . . .

You can most definitely apply for an in-country 90 Day Non-Immigrant Type-O visa with a 15 or a 30 day visa exempt stamp or a 60 day Tourist visa.. I've shepherded more people than I care to count out thru Chaengwattana Immigrations here in Bangkok over the years.. 

I couldn't comment about Phuket, but I can say in Bangkok when changing from a 15 or 30 day visa exempt or a 60 day tourist visa to a 90 day Non-Immigrant Type -O inside the country, you need to have 2 weeks remaining on your permission to stay stamp.  I've had to tell foreigners to "run-4-the-border" to get a 15 day visa exempt stamp. Then went with them to Immigrations the next day and apply for the Non-O. We went back to Immigrations the day their visa exempt stamp expires and got the 90 day Non-O stamped into their passport.  

Oh, and before you ask, this is totally above board, follows the Thai Immigration Rules as they are interpreted here in Bangkok, and involves greasing NO-ONE's palm.. I don't play the "donation" game for following the rules in this place, no matter how convoulted they appear to be. I just take the correct forms, the correct documentation, and wait in the correct queue for the things I'm tryin' to get done..  

They used to issue the 90 day Non-O's on the spot but that stopped a couple years ago and now they go "under review" for 2 weeks. Then you come back in and get the non-O stamped into your passport.

Also you could apply for a 90 day Non-O, AND the yearly extension of stay based on retirement at the same time. That too is something they don't do in Bangkok.  Now you hafta get the 90 day Non-O, come back when there's 30 days or less remaining on it and then apply for the yearly extension of stay..

I call it the "three step process" because you;
1-turn in the documents for the 90 day Non-O
2-come back two weeks later and get it stamped into your passport
3-come back 2 months later and apply for and get the yearly extension of stay.

Once they started the "Zone Immigrations offices" where you hafta go to the office in the zone where you live, the Immigrations officials in those "satellite offices" seemed to interpret the rules differently than the main office in Bangkok.  

I was up country shepherding someone thru the process, at one of those satellite offices (something I rarely do), when an officer mistakenly told me "Cannot..". I called the Immigrations Hotline, got transferred to a contact at Chaengwattana, had that officer explain to the dim-wit I was sitting in front of that indeed I "can" do what I wanted.  Not 10 minutes later we had the visa stamped in the passport..  

Now granted I'm probably not on that Immigrations officer's Christmas card list anymore, because he indeed came off looking like a moron.  However don't think just because some Immigrations officer doesn't know if something can be done, means it can't be done.. Don't be afraid to ask why, ask to see the regs, (I always have a copy in thai and english), and don't be afraid to ask to see a supervisor if you're not getting the right answer.    I've yet to have anyone's visa denied by following the rules the Thais have for issuing visas and extensions of stays here.

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## Phuketrichard

This is PHUKET IMMIGRATION thread :Smile:

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## ltnt

Accomplished my 90 day today in under 10 minutes.  Had to get photocopies of my first page and my trip ticket now 8 years old for submittal along with copy of form TM-47.

The boys now have I-pads to reference and enter your data.  Bright red they are and all seem to be happy with the new additions.  For a Monday, the place was virtually empty.

^^Bangkok Immigration and the rest of Thailand Immigration have the same rules, just not the same personalities.

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## Mr Earl

I have done my share of ranting and raving about Phuket immigration.

Things have gotten way better the past couple years.

today I got my retirement extension so smoothly it might have been confused with a baby's butt.
30 minutes! and the chief assistant was one of the total wankers of the past!
fucking breath of fresh air it twas!

I simply have to go pick it up monday after 13:00 hours

 :Beerchug:

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