Visas & Immigration.
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In my previous column I reported that the Visa section at Bangkok immigration office had been contracted out to a private firm. This is incorrect, and I apologize for my error. I was misled by the fact that the staff was not wearing the customary uniforms. Incidentally, it is now the case that, subject to certain requirements, dependent spouse type visas can be obtained which do NOT require the holder to report every ninety days. If you are legally married to a Thai lady and are a householder with a permanent address, suggest you check direct with Immigration to see if you qualify. I have some very happy news, for those of you who, in the past, have had the pleasure of dealing with the extremely helpful and efficient staff at the Nakhon Ratchasima Immigration office. Without warning, that office was closed. The cynics among us thought that action could well have been because the powers that be had become alarmed at the fast growing reputation of that office for being altogether too helpful towards, and therefore popular among, farangs. Such a state of affairs could not possibly be allowed to continue, after all, it might encourage more foreigners to stay longer, and spend more money! Possibly because of public pressure, or maybe because the overworked (?) officials at the Bangkok Office complained at the sudden influx of work as a result of the closure, the Nakhon Ratchasima office has been reopened at bigger and better premises. Hopefully also, the previously excellent service will also be resumed. You will not be surprised to learn that Visa regulations are a common and continuing topic among my readers, and I am frequently asked wide ranging questions, most of which I am unable to answer definitively. So, to help readers, I would advise visiting ajarn.com website, you can find the answers to an impressive range of the most common questions and difficulties raised regarding visas. If you want to seek professional help from an established and experienced specialist company, you could do worse than contact Key Visa Co, (keyvisa@gmail.com), which company has been writing an advisory column in the Pattaya People newspaper for many years, and is well regarded among local farangs. In conclusion, I repeat what I have pointed out many times, due to the nature of the Thai culture, and the built in ambiguity of the regulations, it is frequently the case that different immigration officials, even in the same office, will interpret the regulations completely differently, and there is nothing that you can do to change that situation.