The Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) had two guest speakers at their Wednesday, September 6, meeting. First up was Brian Chapman giving an overview of the types of visa available for entry into Thailand. He was followed by Barry Kenyon providing information about Expat ability to obtain a Thailand Yellow House Book and a pink Identity card.
Brian Chapman is with Speedy Visa which has 15 years experience in offering visa and other services; now from two offices in Pattaya. Using PowerPoint slides, Brian gave a broad overview of the different types of Visas for entry into Thailand inluding Tourist, Retirement (category O and O-A, and dependent spouse), Business, Student, and Marriage.
For retirement, he mentioned a Non-Immigrant O Visa can be obtained from Immigration in Thailand if one is at least 50 years of age and meets certain financial requirements. Or, one can obtain a Non-Immigrant O-A Visa in their own country, but that Visa does require one to have health insurance. For those that are married to a Thai, they can obtain a “marriage” Visa (Non-Immigrant O), but Brian noted the requirements are quite stringent.
He concluded by mentioning some of the reasons that may lead Expats to use the services of an Agency such as his. He also noted that his Agency in addition to Visas can assist Expats with obtaining Thai driving licenses, drafting wills & testaments, or handling legal problems as they have an in-house lawyer. To view a video of Brian’s presentation on the PCEC YouTube Channel, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf-5ckvIQVo.
Following Brian’s presentation, Barry Kenyon, foreign cases advisor to an international law office in Jomtien Beach Road Soi 5, spoke on the topic of “Is it worth applying for the yellow book and pink card?” He covered the pros and cons and explained the documentation needed. Barry is well known in the Pattaya Expat community as he was the British Honorary Consul in Pattaya consular from 1997 to 2010 and currently writes articles for the Pattaya Mail on subjects of interest to Expats.
Barry began by mentioning what the Yellow House Book and pink identity cards are and are not. They are an official confirmation of a foreigner’s principal address in Thailand and can be useful in some administrative contexts. They are not, a Thai Identity Card, proof of ownership of property, or proof you have invested financially in property.
Barry described the documents required and the procedure to follow for application which can be done at City Hall or at District Office(s). He said that it generally takes about one month for the process to be completed. To view a video of Barry’s presentation on the PCEC YouTube Channel, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-lmRLLg6pg.
After the presentations were concluded, MC George Wilson brought everyone up to date on upcoming events and then conducted the Open Forum portion of the meeting where the audience can ask questions or make comments about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya. To learn more about the PCEC, visit their website at https:/pcec.club.
