Re: [103attendees] [EXTERNAL] Re: Visas for IETF 103 in Thailand

Hi

On Wed, Aug 15, 2018 at 2:18 PM, Deen, Glenn (NBCUniversal)
<Glenn.Deen@nbcuni.com> wrote:
> In line....[GD]
>
> On 8/15/18, 12:53 PM, "Michael Richardson" <mcr+ietf@sandelman.ca> wrote:
>
>
>     Deen, Glenn (NBCUniversal) <Glenn.Deen@nbcuni.com> wrote:
>         Carsten> Yes, it would need to be qualified as “not legal advice”, “subject to
>         Carsten> change”, “void where prohibited”, etc.  It would help if it contains
>         Carsten> pointers to authoritative information I can look up myself.  And,
>         Carsten> ultimately, it is my decision (or that of my organization) how to
>         Carsten> handle this information, but the IETF could do most of the legwork
>         Carsten> here.  Regularly, as a routine component of venue selection and
>         Carsten> preparing for a meeting.
>
>         > Hi Carsten,
>
>         > As Chair of the IAOC let me say that no information is being withheld
>         > on Thailand visas.  We are simply reminding everyone to do what you
>         > already do when visiting a new country - learn what the entry
>         > requirements for your personal situation are, such as reading on the
>         > web, asking your travel agent, or consulting a visa service.
>
>     Glenn, what Carsten is asking is that we get a list of what the IAOC
>     found to be *authoritative* information sources.  Yes, we can Google, but
>     there is a motive for the non-authortative sources (particularly those with
>     a service to sell) to do better SEO, so they are going to show up earlier,
>     and there may be language issues that keep us from finding the real site.
>
>     I am surprised that https://www.businesseventsthailand.com is authoritative
>     as I'd expect to find it at something.go.th...
>
> [GD]  The site John Levine cited (https://www.businesseventsthailand.com/plan-your-events/general-travel-information/visa-requirements/) is run by the a government agency and it links to  (http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908)  which is the Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign affairs page which has visa info and Q&A.   So far in my own reading those seem to be the two most authoritative sites and are both published by the Kingdom.  The second site is a .th domain. There two are where I started reading.

I did not quite trust the businessevents web site, so I tried to to
look at the cited references, including the Ministry of Foreign
affairs, and I could not find any place there where it says that a
visa is not needed when attending a conference. The info I've seen
from various Thai consulates' web sites all seem to indicate that a
visa is required for attending a conference. Is there a more
authoritative source than the businessevents site stating this?

Stig

>
>         > I personally spent about 20 minutes with google search and some reading
>         > to understand how it applies to my own situation.  One thing that
>         > caught my eye was in the Questions and Answers on Thai Visa section on
>         > the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand website
>         > (http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15380-Questions-&-Answers-on-Thai-Visa.html),
>         > which stated a financial support requirement for tourists from the US
>         > and 41 other countries that don't require a visa for tourist travel up
>         > to 30 days, do need to have "adequate finances equivalent to at least
>         > 10,000 Baht per person or 20,000 Baht per family".  5,000 Bhat is as of
>         > today's exchange rate around $150 US.  In other words - if I visit as a
>         > tourist, I need to have at least $150 US in my wallet when entering.
>         > That's a something I didn't know until I read about it.
>
>     This is useful to know. (How did 10000 Baht become 5000 = 150US?, btw?)
>     Is a valid credit card "finances equivalent to"?  Or do I really need $150US?
>     How about 150EU? Or 150CDN?
>
>
> [GD] My mistake - I should have said 10,000 Baht which is about $300 US.  Some sites say you don't literally need $300 as major credit cards will be accepted by inspectors.  However, this isn't clearly stated on either of the sites I mention above.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Q&A says "adequate finances equivalent to ..." which could be interpreted a couple ways in by own reading of it - either cash in pocket, or credit cards, or I guess gold bars if you like carrying them around.
>
>
> -glenn
>
>
>
>
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