New Visa Application Process at the Oz Embassy

[Redbaron]

For those of you who don't know, the Visa and Immigration section of the Australian Embassy has moved down the road to level 34, Thai CC Tower. Sathorn Road (same as Embassy).

From the outside, it looks better, they are now open until 430pm, instead of 12 noon, the same old faces from the embassy are there as the last few years too.

 

BUT. Apart from the usual annual fee rise (tourist is now 2150THB, up from 1850 last year) there is a 428THB processing fee. As well as this it now takes 2 to 4 working days for a tourist visa (in the past it was issued on the spot - last year we waited 10 minutes... including the time it took to fill in the form).

There was a few people pretty annoyed today, we waited an hour and a half this morning, after being in the first group of people there, to be told to call back in a few days to pick up the Passport and visa. Seems they are being ferried back to the embassy for the stamps... I don't know.

 

Just for those of you who may need to know.

[Redbaron]

Security is good though, they do a metal detection wand thingy, AFTER you enter the room full of people.

[Nervous_Dog]

Did you kow it's NOT the embassy staff? But a private company who provides the service as a "outsource" to the Aussie Gov!?

 

Way to go little johnny!

 

Actually I thought it was pretty organised as you can check online if you've got your visa or not.

 

DOG

[Redbaron]

Yes, the online check will be handy as we'll be coming back to Bangkok just to pick it up. A lot of the girls behind the counter did work for the embassy last year though, we're sure of that.

4 days (this time) is a lot longer to wait than 10 minutes though (last time)- for us.

TBH I think we went on a bad day, there were literally hundreds of students applications being processed this morning, uni starts soon down under I guess.

We were number 17 in the queue - 1 hour and 40 minutes before we saw the first person (in the past the first person we saw did everything, this time 3 people, and we still need to wait up to 4 working days), I think 8 or 9 of the people ahead of us had a bundle of students' passports.

[Grumpy]

It appears not a lot has changed from December 2004 when the GF and I went to the Embassy to get her tourist visa. Cost *then* was THB2,000 and processing time was 3 days (well, I call it 2 days as we handed the form in on Monday morning and got the passport with visa back on Wednesday morning ). Most of the time spent then was in queuing (both initially at the gate on Sathorn Rd. and then once inside queue again just to get a number so we could lodge). After we sat down to wait our turn to be seen, I didn't even get past the front page of the paper before our number was called. The actual lodgement of the form/supporting documentation and short 'discussion/interview' lasted no more than 5 minutes even though it was the GF's first visit (since completed - 1 month trip & she returned 2 weeks ago). We were then told to come back in 2 days for the result.

 

Hmm, #17 in the queue and a 100 minute wait - not good!

 

The cheeky bit now is the new (additional) fee for having the private firm receive the paper work

 

The additional opening hours will be handy though - beats the 08:00-12:00 opening times at the Embassy. I bet they didn't have the long queues like at the embassy just to get through the front gate either!

 

Why did you have to see 3 people - what was the process?

 

Any idea of what documentation is required for a 2nd application?

 

 

http://www.vfs.co.th/

 

 

Cheers