Visa & Immigration News

[thailandgr]

Cabinet extends stimulus plan for tourism for another year
วันอังคาร ที่ 02 มี.ค. 2553

BANGKOK, March 2 (TNA) - Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday acted to extend a stimulus package for the tourism industry which would otherwise end on March 31 for another year as proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports with the aim to persuade more tourists to visit the kingdom, according to deputy government spokesman Watchara Kannika.

Mr Watchara told reporters after weekly cabinet meeting that measures approved to be extended included exempting foreign tourist visa fees, reducing aircraft landing and parking fees, cutting the electricity consumption guarantee fund for hotel operators and providing insurance coverage for visitors.

The cabinet also acknowledged the information provided by the ministry that in 2009 some 14.09 million foreign tourists had visited the kingdom, generating Bt527.3 billion. However, when compared to the figures to 2008, the number of tourists was down by 8.21 per cent which affected income around 3.38 per cent.

The ministry projected that that 15.3 to 15.6 million foreign tourists will visit Thailand in 2010. (TNA)

[halfway inn]

No Longer Re-Entry Permits Available At Suan Plu Immigration.

Bangkok Immigration has stopped the possibility to apply for a re-entry permit on Saturday morning as of 18th of May.



    Announcement:
    Special Service for Re-entry Permit on Saturday at The Immigration Bureau, Soi Suan Plu
    will be closed permanently commencing Saturday 18th May 2013.
    Applicants should contact the Immigration Office in the area of your residence during office hours.


You now have to go to your own immigration office for a re-entry permit during normal business hours.

Of course both airports in Bangkok now have a re-entry permit desk, officially only for emergency and up to the officers discretion.

[halfway inn]

“Notification of residence for foreigners.”

Many small hotels and guesthouses prefer to operate under the radar in order to dodge taxes, and worry that reporting to Immigration may expose them to the tax man.

The law applies not only to hotels and guest houses but also to rental villas and even private homes.

Section 38 of the 1979 Immigration Act states, “House owners, heads of household, landlords or managers of hotels who accommodate foreign nationals on a temporary basis who stay in the kingdom legally, must notify the local immigration authorities within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the foreign national.”

[halfway inn]

Long-awaited Patong Phuket Immigration office to re-open Thursday.

13 June 2013

PHUKET:  The Patong Immigration office, scheduled to re-open almost a year and a half ago will open on Thursday, and provide limited immigration services in addition to general immigration information.

The office, located on Thaweewong Road next to the Patong Tourist Police Volunteers office will provide 90-day resident reporting services.

In addition, hotels will be able to file their daily foreign guest reports at the office.

Officers at the Patong location will also provide information and assistance to foreign residents and tourists in the area, said immigration officer Angkarn Yasanop.

The office will be open from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.

Capt Angkarn was unclear about why the office is nearly a year and half late in re-opening.

“I am not sure why it took so long, but I think it was because we lacked officers.

This year we got five new officers, which is enough to man the new office,” Capt Angkarn said.

“The only other Phuket Immigration Tourist Service Point is located at the Saphan Hin office in Phuket Town.

Because the Saphan Hin office is so far away from most tourist centers and expat’s homes, many foreigners don’t follow the Immigration Act as they should,” Capt Ankarn said. “Having an office in Patong will make it more convenient for foreigners to take advantage of our immigration services.”

[halfway inn]

Third foreigner arrested in Phuket anti-overstay campaign

Friday 5 July 2013, 03:03PM


Jasso with Immigration officials after his arrest this morning.

Immigration officials have been combing through records and identifying foreigners whose names appear in the computer as having arrived in Thailand but who do not appear as having left before the expiration of their permit to stay.

Undercover officers are then going out and finding them.

This week a Canadian was arrested on Monday and a Briton on Tuesday.

Today it was the turn of another British citizen, Andrew Ross John Jasso, 33, found to have overstayed by three months in Thailand case.

Police did not have to go far to find him; he was arrested in front of the Phuket library at 9:30 am.
The library is about 200 metres from the Phuket Immigration offices.

An Immigration officer told The Phuket News, “He had been working for a boatbuilding company in Chalong, but the owner closed the business and went back to Britain.

Jasso stayed, living in a hotel in Phuket Town.

“This is not the first time he has overstayed. He was arrested before at Phuket International Airport for the same thing.

“We have handed him over to Phuket Town Police Station for more questioning.”

[halfway inn]

Notification of Residence of Foreign Nationals entering and stay in Thailand legally:

According to section 38 of the 1979 immigration act, "House owners, heads of household, landlords or managers of hotels who accommodate foreign nationals on a temporary basis who stay in the kingdom legally, must notify the local immigration authorities within 24 hours from the time of arrival of the foreign national."

If there is no immigration office in the province or locality of the respective house or hotel, the notification is made to the local police station.

In Bangkok the notification is made to the Immigration Bureau.

The notification of residence of foreign nationals is made by the manager of licensed hotels according to the hotel act, owners of guesthouses, mansions, apartments and rented houses using the form TM. 30.
 
The notification of residence of foreign nationals within 24 hours can be made in a number of ways to make the notification as convenient as possible:

In person at the respective office, or
Through an authorised person at the respective office, or
By registered mail, or
Via internet.

Filling in the foreign national residence notification form (TM. 30):

Fill in all requested information according to the foreign national's passport, as often arriving passengers do not fill in the correct data on the arrival card.

The form can be typed or handwritten in clear block letters.

Leave a space between name, middle name, and surname.

If the passport number is preceded or followed by a letter, fill in the letter too.
 
Write the arrival card number (TM. 6) in the respective field.
 
The arrival card is stapled into the passport.
 
Both letters and numbers of the arrival card number must be filled in.
 
Arrival date means the date of arrival in Thailand.

Date of accommodation must be filled in on the front page of the notification sheet.
 
After the officer in charge has verified the information on the notification sheet (TM. 30), he accepts the notification and hands over the lower part of the form to the person making the notification.
This part must be kept for further checking.

TIB

[halfway inn]

Bangkok Immigration - Division 1



Bangkok Immigration announces a blood donation drive tomorrow Thursday 8 of August.

People wanting to donate blood in honour of Her majesty the Queen's birthday can do so At Chang Wattana Road, in front of counter M, between 09:00 and 13:00.

As tributes to all mothers in Thailand, Bangkok Immigration will have a special lane on August 8 and 9 for mothers with children without the need for queuing.

The child(ren) will receive a special mothers day present.

Remember that all government office, including immigration and embassies, will be closed on Monday as a result of Her Majesty the Queen's birthday, which is also celebrated as mothers day in Thailand.

[halfway inn]

MISSING VISAS

24-08-2013

Arrests made in visa-sticker scam; civil servants involved

BANGKOK: -- Immigration police investigator Pol Col Chatchai Eam-Seang yesterday revealed that authorities had retrieved 55 of the 300-stolen visa stamps found to be missing on Thursday from the Thai embassy in Malaysia.

 He also said a number of arrests had been made in connection with 12 stamps that had already been used.

 Five civil servants are expected of being involved, including a Malaysian woman.

Police found their bank accounts showed transactions of at over Bt1 million a month.

The information would be submitted to the Anti-money Laundering Office tomorrow, said Chatchai.

 Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong Tovichakchaikul said officials had discovered that some Thai consulates issued visas without reporting back to Thai embassies creating a loophole for visa-stamp theft gangs.

 He said two people had been arrested after their passports were found to carry the stolen visa stamps.

 The ministry would also ask hotel operators to record visa numbers and submits them to the ministry to help in the probe, he added.

[halfway inn]

INVESTMENT VISA

Foreiners who transfer funds into Thailand to purchase condominium(s) property(ies) valued over 10,000,000 THB are allowed to apply at any Immigration Office in Thailand for the one year investment visa.

26-08-2013

[Oytopikos]

PHUKET: -- Two Frenchmen and a Swiss national were arrested on Saturday morning (August 24) for staying in Thailand after their permits to stay had expired.

Immigration police received a tip-off that three tourists, living together in Chalong, seemed to be overstaying. The tip off did not, however, say where they were living.

A second tip-off came on Saturday, saying that the trio had been seen in the vicinity of the PTT Petrol Station on Chaofa West Rd.

Pol Capt Angkarn Yasanop and the team hurried over to the patrol station and spotted the three, asked for their passports, and confirmed they had overstayed their permits.

The three are Damien Yann Minnig, 31, from Switzerland, whose permit expired in January 1, 2011; Frank Georges Vincent Fechant, 50, from France, whose permit expired on February 17 this year; and Soulimant Loic Yves Barthelemy, 23, also French, whose permit was valid only until February 22, 2013.

All three admitted to overstaying and were sent to Chalong Police Station to be charged.

They are expected to be fined and then deported.

phuket news

[turmeric2u]

VISA - EXTENSION.
=================
According to the New Regulation from August 13, 2013,
when submitting application for Visa Extension if the validity of passport of the applicant is not longer than one year left before expiry,
the extension of stay will be permitted not exceeding the expired date of passport.
After the renewal of your passport of obtaining a new passport,
you have to re-apply for Visa Extension by submitting required document and paying extension fee ( 1,900 Baht ).
In case of overstay, the fine is 500 Baht per day.

http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/intro1.html

[thailandgr]

Thailand to introduce e-Visa from 2015

BANGKOK: -- Thailand plans to introduce e-Visas in 2015 in order to improve immigration security and make it easier for tourists and Non-Immigrants to apply for visas online, Thai TV Channel 3 reported today.

E-visa, an alternative way of applying for a visa instead of going through a Thai Embassy or Consulate, certain types of visas can be applied for online. The service will be available to holders of passports from certain countries.

Unlike ordinary visas, when electronic visas are issued, no stamp or other documentation is affixed inside the traveller's passport; the computer-based system links the passport number to the electronic visa and is accessible by immigration officials and airline carriers.


Further details about the upcoming e-visas are expected to be announced shortly.

[halfway inn]

Thai Immigration announcement to PR holders with British Colony passports

BANGKOK: -- The Immigration Bureau is announcing the following changes for PR holders with British Colony passports:

According to the resolution of the Royal Institute, the nationality of British Colony or United Kingdom has been designated in Thai language as British.

Therefore the allien being a resident in the Kingdom and having the said nationality (who never got any correction of British nationality description in the relevant documents), should submit the application for correction of nationality description from now at: Sub-Division 1 (Alien Registration Section), Immigration Division 1, Government Complex (Building B), Chaengwattana Road, Bangkok
       The rquired documents for application are as follows:
1. Two photos (4x6 cm)
2. Alien Registration Certificate ( with copies)
3. Certificate of residence (with copies)
4. Household Registration Book (with copies)
5. Passport with copies and Thai Translation.
      (The procedure for correction of nationality description will take about 5 working days)

[Oytopikos]

announcement

Due to widespread and heavy rain now causing the flood situation in many provinces, foreigners granted stay permit in the Kingdom up to 31 December, 2013 are encouraged and requested to apply for Visa Extension urgently at the immigration office located in their residing area.

Please do not hesitate to contact us early before the expired date.

http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/intro1.html

[halfway inn]

ED VISA

Phuket Immigration: new detailed form to monitor education visa holders

PHUKET: -- Language schools will be required to fill out a more in-depth form for visitors applying for education visas from November 1, as part of attempts by Immigration to control the number of people working illegally in Phuket.

Education visas are required by foreigners who want to stay in Thailand to study.

Subjects that can be studied in Phuket range from teaching of English as a foreign language (TEFL) through to Thai boxing and mixed martial arts.

However, some people use this visa as simply a way to stay in the country, do not attend language classes and often find work instead.

At a meeting at Phuket Immigration yesterday, it was announced that from November 1 staff at language schools will have to fill out a new form for every student enrolling who requires an education visa.

The form is more specific than previously, and now requires details of how many language classes the student will attend per week (including days and times) and what exactly they will be learning on every given day.

Authorities plan that this new form will make it easier to monitor students who are in Thailand on the education visa but who skip classes and/or work illegally.

Last week a post was made on ThaiVisa’s web forum, with the poster, “Phronesis” (a Greek word for wisdom or intelligence), informing forum readers: “There are 42 language schools in Phuket.

They are being called to a meeting with immigration on October 17.

“Immigration want to do away with the student visa because of its abuse by Russians and other foreigners working illegally on the island.

Last week, after questions by The Phuket News, the Superintendent of Phuket Immigration, Pol Col Sanchai Chokkayaikij denied any intention by Immigration to launch a drive to find people misusing ED visas, or to stop issuing them.

At yesterday’s meeting, Col Sanchai asked for “more active cooperation” from schools when it came to the education visas.

He said the students had to attend classes, and if the students were absent more than 10 times, the schools had to inform Immigration and the visas could be cancelled.

He also raised the point that people could not work legally while they were on an education visa.

He explained to the 20 or so language school representatives how to fill in the new form correctly.

Col Sanchai said he encouraged students on the education visa not to leave their extensions to the last minute.

Extensions could be obtained up to 45 days before the visa expires, and the student would not lose any days of the visa.

“Immigration police have found some problem cases, where foreigners have been registered as having an education visa but are doing something else, like working. This is not correct,” he said.

Col Sanchai gave an example after the meeting about a Russian man who arrived in Thailand on January this year on an education visa.

He was later arrested in Chalong on drugs charges, and his education visa was cancelled – though the exact details of why the visa was cancelled are not known.

“This is the reason that schools should be careful about foreigners who come to study in Thailand.

The school or place where they study should observe which students do not study in class, because they might be working or doing other illegal things.

“I hope this meeting will allow for more understanding about this issue for the owners of schools or places of study.”

 

2013-10-18
Phuket News