Re: [102attendees] [103attendees] Visa problems - need a different invitation letter

[Robert Wilton <[e-mail]>]

Hi Jakob,

I agree that the text is not as clear as it could be, and it would never 
get through the RFC process, but my interpretation of visa-reqs 
<http://www.tceb.or.th/en/article/visa-requirements> does not match 
yours, particularly when considering the specific examples that are 
given of when a business visa is required (i.e. for conference 
organizers) vs when it is not required ("Participating in meetings, 
conferences, or seminars" and "Visiting business or attending business 
meetings").

 From my reading of the rules, and given that I am employed by neither 
IETF nor a Thai company, I intended to travel without a business visa.

I'm hopeful that I will get in without issue.  If not, then perhaps I'll 
get the chance to share my sorrows with Ted, Lorenzo, and any of the 
other renegade IETFers who get stuck at the Thai border. ;-)

Rob


On 18/10/2018 13:35, Jakob Heitz (jheitz) wrote:
> Note that whether the employer is Thai or not makes no difference.
>
> Regards,
> Jakob.
>
>
> On Oct 18, 2018, at 5:22 AM, Ted Lemon <[e-mail] 
> <mailto:[e-mail]>> wrote:
>
>> Most of us who are traveling to Thailand and need to go through 
>> customs and immigration are being paid by an employer not in Thailand 
>> to go to Thailand.
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 18, 2018 at 2:20 PM Jakob Heitz (jheitz) 
>> <[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>> wrote:
>>
>>     Most of us are “employed or working for income” while attending,
>>     not on vacation or time off. Someone is paying for our time to be
>>     there.
>>
>>     Regards,
>>     Jakob.
>>
>>
>>     On Oct 18, 2018, at 3:50 AM, Lorenzo Colitti
>>     <lorenzo=[e-mail]
>>     <mailto:lorenzo=[e-mail]>> wrote:
>>
>>>     On Thu, Sep 6, 2018 at 7:49 AM Michael StJohns
>>>     <[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>> wrote:
>>>
>>>         > Foreigners entering Thailand for MICE without the purposes
>>>         of being
>>>         > employed or working for income, but being event attendants
>>>         will be
>>>         > regarded as tourists under the definition of Tourism
>>>         Authority of
>>>         > Thailand Act of B.E. 2522 (1979).
>>>
>>>
>>>     FWIW, this page
>>>     <http://www.thaiembassy.org/helsinki/en/customize/28150-ConferenceBusiness-meetingSeminar.html>
>>>     on the Finnish embassy says something similar: "Foreign
>>>     nationals wishing to enter the Kingdom of Thailand to attend a
>>>     MICE event, which is endorsed or sponsored by TCEB, without
>>>     being employed or working for income, are regarded as tourists".
>>>     It lists the TCEB website as being www.tceb.or.th
>>>     <http://www.tceb.or.th>, and IETF 103 is listed on
>>>     www.tceb.or.th <http://www.tceb.or..th> as a conference here
>>>     <http://www.tceb.or.th/en/event-calendars/article/1>. The TCEB
>>>     page on visas is here
>>>     <http://www.tceb.or.th/en/article/visa-requirements>.
>>>
>>>     IANAL. YMMV. Void where prohibited. This message does not
>>>     constitute, and must not be construed as, advice of any sort.
>>>     This message is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind,
>>>     either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the
>>>     implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
>>>     particular purpose. This message does not affect your statutory
>>>     rights. And so on.
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>
>
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