Hello,
un vendeur de la boutique du vieux campeur m'a conseillé pour la Thaïlande, de faire plusieurs photocopies de mon passeport car des policiers/militaires avaient de mauvaises intentions visant à récupérer du bacchiche en demandant le passeport aux touristes pour un soit-disant contrôle et puis le faisant passer de main en main avec à chaque fois des dollars à payer pour le récupérer.
Hello,
un vendeur de la boutique du vieux campeur m'a conseillé pour la Thaïlande, de faire plusieurs photocopies de mon passeport car des policiers/militaires avaient de mauvaises intentions visant à récupérer du bacchiche en demandant le passeport aux touristes pour un soit-disant contrôle et puis le faisant passer de main en main avec à chaque fois des dollars à payer pour le récupérer.
Quelqu'un peut-il confirmer cette info?
Jamais entendu ca ni jamais vu ca en thailande. En plus il y a la police touristique en cas de pb.
a mourrir de rire, le vendeur vieux campeur t es sur qu il est allé en thailland.
j ai jammais vu un pays aussi sécuritaire que la thailland, et leur police, jammais eu de problemes avec eux.
biman
Il vaut mieux avoir des photocopies de toute façon, c'est une précaution bon marché qui peut te rendre grand service en cas de problème (que ce soit policier véreux, vol, perte de bagage...), et aussi prendre des photos de tes papiers avec un appareil numerique (et vérifier que c'est lisible) et te les envoyer sur un e-mail consultable de partout (genre Hotmail), comme cela, même si tu te retrouves tout nu dans un pays étranger, tu as un moyen de prouver ton identité avec un simple ordinateur connecté à internet 😉
Ton vendeur est un bonimenteur. J'ai jamais eu de problème avec la police ou l'armée en Thaïlande, ni en Inde d'ailleurs. Par précaution, je scanne tous mes papiers importants et me les adresse sur ma boîte yahoo, de cette façon, je peux tout récupérer. En Inde, auparavant, je m'envoyais, en poste restante, sur deux villes principales, où je comptais passer, une photocopie des documents. J'ai un jour rencontré un couple suisse dont le fils s'était fait tout voler sur une plage la nuit (!!!) à Madras. il avait tenté de passer de nuit (!!! encore) l'entrée du port et s'était fait chopper par la police. il était resté plusieurs mois en prison; chaque semaine le juge lui demandait s'il pouvait prouver son identité. Cela a coûté une maison suisse pour le sortir de là. Mais c'était il y a plus de 20 ans et nous avons parcourru l'Inde sans aucun problème.
À Bangkok, jamais eu de problème, mais à la frontière avec le Laos, oui. Les douaniers inspectent ton passeport et te demandent un backchich pour le ravoir et un autre pour passer la frontière.
Mais c'était vraiment les douaniers laotiens ou c'était les "guides" d'un bus de Kao san road qui commencent à appliquer les mêmes magouilles qui font scandale à la frontière cambodgienne ?
C'était il y 4 ou 5 ans à l'arrivée à Bangkok. J'avais déjà plusieurs visa thai (périmés) dans mon passeport, quand j'ai tendu mon passeport pour un visa, l'officier, une femme, me dit "Oh you like Thailand! You wanna stay 2 months? Give me 500 bath, I give you two months." Je lui donne 500 bath, regarde le tampon, mais elle ne m'avait donné qu'un mois. Je lui fait donc remarqué, elle rectifie et je pars.
Finalement je suis restée un petit mois, mais l'officier au départ à regardé ce visa d'un drôle d'air, j'aurais sans doute eu bien des ennuis avec ce visa raturé, si j'étais restée deux mois...
Je ne sais pas maintenant, mais j'ai entendu bien des histoires sur les flics thai de la kao san road.
Fainéanter dans un monde neuf est la plus absorbante des occupations... (N.Bouvier)
Oui, malheureusement il existe parfois des petits fonctionnaires peu scrupuleux qui affirment pouvoir "arranger" les choses avec un billet.
Un trafic a été démantelé l'année dernière dans le sud, un policier gradé "s'occupait" de la prolongation des visas moyennant finance, mais les visas qu'il donnait étaient faux.
Pour les règles à suivre : http://www.imm.police.go.th et ce que je peux constater depuis presque 2 ans que je vis sur place, c'est que l'administration met tout en oeuvre pour combattre les magouilleurs à la petite semaine. Des avis invitant les farangs à signaler toute tentative d'abus sont placardés dans les bureaux de l'immigration.
Il ne faut jamais écouter quelqu'un qui peut "arranger" ta situation. Si tu es en Thaïlande en toute légalité, il n'y a absolument aucun problème.
En Thailande jamais eu de problème mais en Inde oui : Des douaniers indiens nous ont demandé des bakchish à la frontière de Sunauli entre l'Inde et le Népal...Ils s'embrouillaient même entre eux pour avoir chacun leur part et nous plumer un maximum (on s'est pas laissés faire, mais il a fallu payer tout de même pour récupérer les passeports...) 🏴☠️
Photographies d'Inde et d'ailleurs : www.marjilang.com
Sab kuch milega !
Je n'ai jamais eu ce genre de soucis et je vis en Thaïlande (en transitant une fois tous les 90 jours au Laos pour étendre mon visa, donc je passe assez souvent les frontières).
Il est prudent de disposer de plusieurs copies des documents importants (passeport, dont les pages avec les tampons d'entrée et le visa éventuel, notamment) et si possible, en garder une trace accessible sur Internet comme expliqué précédemment (on peut faire scanner les documents dans un cybercafé et s'envoyer ça dans une boite de type HOTMAIL, GMAIL, YAHOO ou autre).
Ceci dit, il m'est arrivé une arnaque sur la route avec la police entre Udon Thani et Nong Khai. Je roulais seul, et à la vitesse autorisée (je connais bien ce coin et à l'endroit où je me suis fait arrêté, il y a de nombreux contrôles, alors, je ne suis pas stupide et roule prudemment à allure tranquille). Donc, un flic me voit de loin (moi aussi) et me fait signe de me garer sur le côté de la route. Contrôle des papiers. Je lui présente mon permis international (valable). Il commence à me dire, une fois mon permis en main, que je roulais au-dessus de la vitesse autorisée (c'est faux !). Je lui dis poliment que non, je ne dépassais pas 80 km/h. Il me dit que si je refuse de lui donner 1000 bahts, il ne me rendra pas mon permis. Je lui dis que je n'ai pas 1000 bahts sur moi (je mens, là), mais pioche un billet dans la poche de droite de mon pantalon et lui refile 100 bahts (ce qui est normalement amplement suffisant quand on n'a rien fait de répréhensible). Le flic me rend mon permis et je peux repartir...
Maintenant, je précise ma tactique : dans ma poche droite, il n'y a que les petites coupures (inférieures à 100 bahts) et les pièces. Je conserve les billets de 500 ou 1000 bahts dans ma poche de gauche ou dans mon porte-feuille !
Ceci dit, il m'est arrivé ce type de mésaventure avec la police plusieurs fois (par exemple entre Udon Thani et Khon Kaen). Un jour, j'en ai eu marre, et j'ai demandé son nom et son matricule au flic qui me faisait le coup (pour la troisième fois depuis le début du trajet) tout en prennant mon téléphone portable et en composant le numéro de téléphone d'un copain qui habite la région. Le policier me demande un peu inquiet qui j'appelle. Je lui dis "Tanaï" (avocat) et insiste pour qu'il me donne son nom et son matricule. Du coup, il me rend mon permis et me dis de dégager... J'obtempère avec un grand sourire.
Mais si le flic est un peu plus malin ou s'il est moins bien luné, et surtout, si vous n'avez pas quelques rudiments de thaïlandais, cela peut être assez délicat, comme situation. Donc, sachez que souvent il suffit de 100 bahts pour vous éviter de longues discussions et des problèmes. Et suivez ma méthode : sachez toujours où piocher une petite coupure, et surtout, ne montrez jamais que vous avez beaucoup d'argent (tout est relatif, mais en Thaïlande, 1000 bahts, c'est déjà une belle somme) sur vous...
En espérant que ces conseils vous soient utiles...
je connais un gas qui n'a pas hésité à rester 3 heures à la frontière ouzbèke pour ne pas payer le bakchich de 10$. Le problème c'est qu'ils finissent par prendre l'habitude. Aux frontières il ne faut pas hésiter à faire le con, le mec qui ne comprends rien et demander à appeler son ambassade.
J'ai visité Bangkok tout de suite après le attentats terroriste de Ney-York ( novembre 2001) et je peux t, assurer que même a ce moment, il n'y avait aucun problème. Même qu'à Hong kong les douaniers ont ouvert un comptoir pour ma copine et moi, car la file était interminable et que nous avions voyagé Stand Buy. Nous n'avions que 2 hrs pour sortir de la zone internationnalle, prendre posséssion de nos valises, trouver le comptoir Air Canada ( tout petit en passant ) et nous enrégistrez pour rentrer. La seule chose que j'ai vu, ce sont des gardiens de sécurité hautement armé. Pour ce qui est de Bangkok, en 23 jours ce fut le paradis. Alors, si pour te sécurisé il te faut 4 photocopies de ton passeport alors fait les et amuses toi ! en passant garde une copie de tes papiers en sécurité et donne en 1 copie a une personne qui voyage avec toi !
Merci beaucoup! C'est un bon truc les petites coupures à un endroit et le reste ailleurs. Comme ça, quand on plonge la main dans la poche droite, on sait qu'on pourra manger quand même ce soir 😉
Véro
Dis moi, il abuserait pas un peu trop du whisky ou d'autre chose ton vendeur!!? En tout cas, si probleme, ne pas hesiter a contacter le police touristique dont le role est de faire en sorte que les touristes reviennent................... On peut meme discuter avec eux comme ca; ils sont disponibles, parlent bien anglais et peuvent t'informer des arnaques les plus courantes pratiquees dans leur secteur.
J'ai lu sur certains forum que certains voyageurs se sont fait refuser l'embarquement pour Bangkok car ils ne possédaient pas de billet retour ou de visa pour…
Les services de l’immigration du royaume de Thaïlande ont annoncé la création d’une carte de “voyageur fréquent” (frequent traveler), à l’usage de ceux qui…
Alors voila, j'ai un vol Delhi-Bangkok dans quelques jours, et je transite brievement par la Thailande pour gagner le Cambodge par la route, mais je compte…
J'ai réservé un A/R avec Thai airways pour Bangkok. 5 semaines séparent l'aller du retour. Comptant faire alterner mon séjour entre la thailande et le laos,…
I’m a bit embarrassed because I need to travel to Quebec from February 27th to March 13th. I’m a regular visitor to Canada—this will be my 10th trip since 1997, plus a year as a permanent resident (2000–2001) and a cross-country run from Vancouver to Halifax in 2011. So, I’m definitely not a terrorist!
But since our last trip in July 2015, they’ve introduced this eTA thing. Seems more like a way to make money than to actually secure Canada, if you ask me, but anyway, that’s not the point.
I applied for an eTA for myself, my wife, and our two kids. They all got approved within hours, but not me! I was asked to create a GC key and then an IRCC account, which I did. Normally, you get news within 72 hours, but since Monday, January 15th, nothing!
In the "message" section of the account, it says "explanation letter (required)" with a deadline of January 25th, but I can’t find any explanation anywhere—despite searching the Canadian government website and Google. No links, nothing!
I’ve emailed them but haven’t heard back yet. I’m thinking of calling the Canadian embassy in Paris tomorrow. Even though I’m not stressing yet, it’d be a bummer if everyone else got to go without me!
If anyone’s had this issue before or knows what this explanation letter is about, I’d love to hear more.
hi there
I’m heading to Seoul in September, and to do that I need to get a travel authorization that we apply for through K-ETA....... turns out I can (barely, I admit) fill out the form up to the address of our "stay location," but every address I’ve entered has been rejected by the system. I’ve tried my hotel, the Lotte Hotel (which is well-known in Seoul), the airport—basically, I’ve entered at least 20 addresses, all rejected....
So, to anyone who’s successfully gotten the authorization, could you tell me which address you used to get that "elusive" approval?...
Question for those who’ve done it:
In theory (French national), I’m visa-exempt for a 30-day tourist stay, but on France Diplomatie it says on this page
Hi there,
I know there are similar topics here and elsewhere, but they’re a few years old, and I need an up-to-date answer to make sure I don’t throw over 1000 € out the window. Thanks for your patience.
I’m planning a trip from France to Alberta/British Columbia, and I’m unsure about which bank card to use for the security deposit with the rental company (I’m thinking of going with AVIS).
I contacted Avis Canada, and they told me a credit card is absolutely required. I asked my bank for a credit card (a *real* credit card), but they only offered me a deferred debit card.
My question: For a rental with Avis Canada, is a Gold International Mastercard deferred debit card usable for the security deposit needed to finalize the rental? Is the "CREDIT" label enough? (Some cards say "CREDIT" and others say "CARTE DE CREDIT"—seems minor, but it’s actually a big deal in how the card works.)
I’ve seen conflicting info everywhere I look... My bank says it’s *usually* okay (the deferred debit card), while Avis Canada insists it *must* be a credit card, not debit—even when I mention the deferred debit card.
I know the whole credit card concept is already confusing, and on top of that, some sites say a deferred debit card counts as a credit card, while others say it doesn’t.
Thanks to anyone who can share a recent experience!
Have a great day
Hi there,
I’m heading to Senegal in January for a month and was wondering if I just need my French driver’s license or if I should get an international permit?
Thanks!
JL
Hi,
I’m bringing Seresta, an anxiolytic (tranquilizer) from the benzodiazepine family,
to help me sleep.
I’ll have the prescription with me.
Will this be a problem at customs, and do I need to declare it?
Same question for antibiotics?
Thanks a bunch!
I’m heading to Laos next spring, but I have a question about the Thai arrival/departure form. I’ll be flying PAR-BKK, then taking the train to Laos (so exiting Thailand), and later re-entering Thailand by train to catch my return flight. Do I need to fill out two forms in this case?
Hi there,
I have a 9-seater passenger vehicle that I use for my business in Paris, transporting people.
I’m planning to go to Algeria with my family.
The vehicle registration lists my company as the owner.
Can I get a TPD (Temporary Admission Document)?
Will I need a KBis extract or a power of attorney?!?
Thanks for your help.
Worst case, I can add my personal name as a co-owner on the registration, but that would be a real shame!
Hi,
I’m writing to ask for some info—I’ve heard that you **must** have travel insurance to land in Zanzibar.
What’s the process, and which insurance should I get?
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Best,
Seb
Hi, are there any travelers who’ve recently crossed the border between Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan) and Beineu in Kazakhstan?
It was closed for a while.
Thanks for any info!
I bought a one-way flight (Ryanair) and a return flight (EasyJet) to spend a week in Morocco in April.
My passport expires 3 weeks after the return date.
Some websites say the passport must be valid for 3 months at the time of entry.
However, it will still be valid both on entry and return, but its validity will only be 1 month at the time of entry (and 3 weeks on the return date, everything prepaid).
It's an individual family trip.
The consulate can't give me an answer—they're still looking into it (really!)
Last year, we stayed for 3 months in Thailand, north of Khao Lak, and were able to benefit from the 2-month visa exemption, renewable for one month by going to Takua Pa to validate a 1-month extension (1,900 baht).
This year, it’s a disaster for us—not only were we planning a 4-month stay, adding a visa run in between (which some say is quite risky), but the law is apparently changing in the coming months with the return of the 1-month exemption (plus the usual 1-month option). So, we looked into applying for a 6-month multiple-entry visa, allowing a maximum of 60 consecutive days in Thailand. However, I can’t find anywhere the minimum time required outside Thailand between two stays—do any of you have an idea?
Thanks for the info! If you’d like tips on Khao Lak and the surrounding areas, we’ve got some experience, though things change fast!
Cheers,
Bruno.
My partner, our 8-year-old daughter, and I are going on vacation to Gex.
We’ve decided to spend one day in Switzerland and another in Italy. Will we need ID (national ID card or passport)? Do we also need ID for our daughter?
Hello,
We’ll soon be moving to Madagascar long-term.
As a French national, I need to obtain a short-stay visa that can be converted to a long-stay one. To do this, I have to send the required documents to the Madagascar embassy in Paris.
No issues with that procedure so far.
If I get this visa, once I arrive in Madagascar, I’ll need to provide the same documents to the Ministry of the Interior in Anosy. I’m trying to find an email address or website for the Ministry to check which documents I need to submit (I think they ask for additional ones).
If you have any info on this, I’d appreciate your replies.
Best regards,
M. Buisson Eric
I’d like to know if anyone has already applied for a private visa to Russia with an invitation from a Russian resident.
I traveled earlier this year with an e-visa, but since I want to stay longer, I’ll be visiting my friend who lives in eastern Russia.
For the visa application, does the invitation need to be on an official paper form issued by the Russian ministry? And most importantly, do I need to present the original for the application, or is there an electronic version that can be sent directly to the consulate in France?
Thanks for any info if you’ve gone through this process before!
I filled out the B2 form to apply for a visa, created an account on Atvis to pay the visa fees and schedule a meet-up, but every time I try to pay with my Boursobank Visa 1st card, they refuse the payment with a message telling me to check my details (address), even though everything is correct. Does anyone know why this is happening, or maybe they don’t accept Visa cards? Are you aware of this?
Thanks for your feedback!
Elisabeth
There are rumors going around about the ETA: it must absolutely be on your smartphone in the "ETA" app.
Paper documents might not be accepted.
Is this real or just a hoax?
Thanks, I’m leaving in 3 weeks. My passport is good to go and my ETA is still valid for a year, but I only printed the email I received.
Thanks everyone.
Hi there,
We need to apply for a B2 visa because we visited Iran in 2018. It currently costs $185, but they’re planning an additional $250 fee per person for the same visa—it’s been approved but not yet implemented. Does anyone know when this fee will take effect?
Thanks in advance!
Elisabeth
Hi there,
In November, we're heading off on a 4-month trip. We'll be landing in China and plan to leave the country via a land border into Vietnam.
I’ve read that China may ask for proof of exit within 30 days (flight ticket or other reservation). Since we’d be leaving by land, I’m wondering how this works in practice.
Has anyone here been in this situation recently?
Did the airline ask for an exit ticket before boarding?
Did Chinese authorities require proof upon arrival?
Is a train/bus ticket to Vietnam sufficient?
Is a cancelable or flexible reservation accepted?
Hi there,
Just a question that’s probably been asked before (though usually the other way around for my situation :))
My wife and I are heading to the US.
On her ticket, it only has her maiden name (e.g., Martine DUPOND).
On her passport, it’s written as Martine DUPOND épouse AVRY.
No issues for travel, I hope I did the right thing with the ticket?
Then for the ESTA, is just Martine DUPOND enough, or do I need to include the "épouse AVRY" part like on the passport?
Thanks in advance!
Hi there,
I’m spending a few days in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) and would like to cross the Argentine border to make a loop toward Salta and then return to Chile to drop off the rental car.
I’ve heard that crossing the border can be tricky!
Is it possible with a rental company’s authorization? Which company, and at what cost?
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Best regards,
Arnale
I saw on the French Embassy in Peru’s website and the Peruvian Consulate in Paris’s site that the rule is to have a passport valid for 6 months *after the arrival date* (not the return date).
I arrive in Peru on August 13, 2019 (for about twelve days), and my passport is valid until February 16, 2020.
That’s 6 months and 3 days after my arrival date in Peru. In my opinion, I’m good to go.
But could I still be denied entry if they say I don’t cover the return date or that I’m too close to the 6-month mark?
I read on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that it’s possible to apply for a temporary driving permit in China, valid for 1 month.
I’m planning to rent a car (without a driver) to explore part of the country next August, so I was wondering:
Has anyone here already gone through this process upon arrival?
How long do the formalities take on the spot?
Is it possible to handle these steps in advance, before arriving in China?
Hi there,
My departure is slowly approaching, and now that I’ve got my Russian visa sorted, I’m fine-tuning the rest of my trip to Tajikistan. Since the Tajik visa is no longer required for stays under 30 days (for French nationals), I’ll need to visit the Ministry of Interior (OVIR) to register within 10 days of entering the country. No big deal, though, since I had to go there anyway to apply for my GBAO permit. 😉 However, I’ve *seen* several reports from travelers (mostly motorized) mentioning that you need an entry permit for Kyrgyzstan, which has to be arranged in advance at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) in Dushanbe. Otherwise, you’re *stuck* at the Kyzyl-Art border (with no Wi-Fi, of course, to try and sort it out). The most recent report was from a year ago, so I’d love to know if this is still the case and if it’s indeed at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) where you need to go for this pre-authorization.
Does anyone have any recent info on this?
Thanks in advance!
Hi everyone.
I’m leaving for almost 3 months in the Philippines (11 weeks total) starting in early May.
I already have my round-trip ticket.
The problem is, I don’t have time to get a 2-month visa because the process takes nearly a month.
From what I’ve read here and there, I need a return ticket valid for less than a month when I arrive in the Philippines to prove my good faith.
After that, I can apply for a 30-day extension at the immigration office.
I’m planning to either buy a fully refundable ticket to the nearest country or a fake ticket.
For 3 months, I’ll need to extend my visa two more times before my return date to France.
My question is this:
Will immigration ask me each time I extend my visa by one month to show proof of an exit ticket matching the new visa extension date?
Is it possible to extend directly by 2 months before the initial 30 days expire?
Thanks in advance for your experiences and tips! 😊
I’ve been to Thailand several times, but it was about 20 years ago…
There’s a new system in place now, it seems.
TDAC – Thailand Digital Arrival Card.
Before arriving, I apply for a TDAC, okay.
If during my stay I cross the border to spend a few days in Malaysia and then re-enter Thailand,
do I need to submit a new TDAC application?
Do I use the same TDAC as when I first entered the country?
Or do I initially have to pay for a Thai multi-entry visa?
Thanks in advance for your insights—I can’t find the answer online.
My partner (Mexican) entered France on January 21st as a tourist. She was therefore entitled to stay for 90 days in the Schengen Area. She’ll be leaving for Mexico on April 16th, so she’ll have “used up” 86 days.
She plans to return to France on July 18th. According to the European Commission’s Schengen calculator, this new stay “may be authorized for a maximum of 90 days.” That’s not very clear ("may be," "for a maximum of").
The text of Article 6 of the European regulation (2016/399) states that for a stay planned in the territory of the Member States, not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period, one must examine "the 180-day period preceding each day of the stay." That’s not very clear either.
My partner wants to return to France for a 90-day period starting on July 18th. Is this possible?
There are two ways to look at it:
1) The first day she spent in the Schengen Area was January 21st. That day will drop out of the calculation 180 days later, on July 20th.
From July 20th, she’ll get back 1 day of possible stay; on July 22nd, 2 days; and so on. All the days from her previous stay (January 21st–April 16th) need to be outside the 180-day rolling window.
The last day of her stay was April 16th. Looking 180 days ahead, that brings us to October 13th. From that date, she’ll be able to return for a full 90 days.
2) The number of allowed days is calculated for each day of the new stay. In other words: the 180-day window is recalculated every day, not fixed at the entry date.
If she re-enters France on July 18th, she’ll only have a “credit” of 4 days. But with each day of her new stay, one day from the previous stay (January–April) will drop out of the calculation. The rolling window allows her to “replace” days from the previous stay with those of the new stay, without ever exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period.
In this case, my partner could stay in France for 90 days starting on July 18th.
The Prefecture doesn’t provide any information, nor does Air France, and in the forums I’ve checked, opinions are divided. Thanks for any insights you can share!
Hello,
We’re planning to travel to Indonesia (Sulawesi with family) next July and August for a stay longer than a month (about 6 weeks).
I’ve seen that it’s possible to get a 60-day visa before departure, but I’ve also read about people having a lot of trouble getting it (some even didn’t manage and had to leave without it).
We absolutely need to have these 4 visas BEFORE leaving because once we’re in Sulawesi, I’m not sure we’ll be able to go to an embassy to request a visa extension after 30 days.
In short, how can we **100% guarantee** that we’ll get our 4 60-day visas before our trip this summer?
