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Well, I have been at work now for 265 days without a day off, starting to feel the hit now and I am hoping to get home early Jan 2021.
I have been trying for months to get myself a visa so I can go home due to my Non O Multi Entry expiring whilst I have been here.
First I tried the Thai Embassy in the UK and to be honest they were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Al they did was keep fobbing me off, with read this link and read that link, possible due to where I am and my situation, however, a little more help would have been nice!
The best thing they did for me was tell me to get in touch with the Thai Embassy in Jordan. What a contrast!
Anyway I emailed the Thai Embassy in Jordan explaining my situation and asking the same questions I had asked the UK one.
The following day I had a reply and had all my questions answered, very politely too. Anyway, the upshot was, yes, they could help me with a visa and would be happy to do so. But the crunch came when they stated that they could not except a DHL delivery and that I had to go to Jordan or send a representative. I could have gone however at that stage of the game, Jordan was on lockdown same as the rest of us.
So I had to leave it and hope that either things changed in Thailand or Jordan.
Anyway about 2 weeks ago I emailed them again stating that I am still stuck in Iraq and if anything had changed on me getting my visa, also thought I would be cheeky and ask if they did Non O Multi Entry Visa. Again, I got a same day reply, yes, I could get a Non O Multi Entry and they were now excepting DHL deliveries. Fortunately, I have a clean second passport as I need my passport with my Iraq visa in. So good news all round.
I always carry all my marriage stuff with me for the ‘just in case’. So that was it, scanning and printing and Ohm sending me photos of her new ID and house book.
Once I had complied it all I emailed the Embassy and told them I was ready and how would they like to be paid? Cash was the reply! 200 Jordanian Dinar, approx. $282. They also wanted me to scan all my docs and email it all to them before I sent my passport and originals. Wise move really and it would be a waste to send it all over to Jordan and its wrong. The only thing extra they needed was the change of name certificate for Ohm i.e. Maiden name to my name. I did not even know she had one! So, a quick call to Ohm and 20 mins later she sent me a photo which I sent straight to Jordan. Yep, they were happy, and I can send the passport.
I was putting the cash in with the package so the choice I had was to send it via DHL from Iraq or give it to a colleague who was flying to the UK in 2 days and send it from there. UK it was, I thought it would be better with the money in it! Then the Embassy will return it to me in Iraq
So, my colleague took everything with him and 2 days later took it to DHL to send, then sent me the tracking number. I saw it get picked up, and took to Maidstone, great news, it was on its way! I checked the following morning to see where it was and it stated, ‘Return to Shipper’!!!! That was not good. So, I on delving deeper into the DHL site I found that they do not transit cash in any form. A big schoolboy error on my side, I only looked at the T&C’s and did not see anything about cash. So now I was stuck with all my stuff in the UK, and no means to pay. I checked UPS and FedEx, same thing, No Cash. I emailed the Embassy and updated them. They asked whether or not I could get someone in Jordan to deliver the money to the Embassy on my behalf, and stated they could not accept a bank transfer to the Embassy account as its strictly audited, which I can go with and fair enough. I thought about setting up a Western Union account and found an access point in a shopping mall about 700 meters from the Embassy, so I sent them a screen shot and explained that.
The reply I got back was astounding, the person at the other end of the email, has offered to let me pay them the money from my Thai account to their Thai account and they will they pay for the visa and return DHL to me….Well, what can you say? That is well above and beyond in my book.
My colleague is sending all my stuff again, minus the money this time.
The next hurdle is getting it back to me, hopefully with a visa, in Iraq without it going missing!!!! Time will tell
Wayne
I have been trying for months to get myself a visa so I can go home due to my Non O Multi Entry expiring whilst I have been here.
First I tried the Thai Embassy in the UK and to be honest they were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Al they did was keep fobbing me off, with read this link and read that link, possible due to where I am and my situation, however, a little more help would have been nice!
The best thing they did for me was tell me to get in touch with the Thai Embassy in Jordan. What a contrast!
Anyway I emailed the Thai Embassy in Jordan explaining my situation and asking the same questions I had asked the UK one.
The following day I had a reply and had all my questions answered, very politely too. Anyway, the upshot was, yes, they could help me with a visa and would be happy to do so. But the crunch came when they stated that they could not except a DHL delivery and that I had to go to Jordan or send a representative. I could have gone however at that stage of the game, Jordan was on lockdown same as the rest of us.
So I had to leave it and hope that either things changed in Thailand or Jordan.
Anyway about 2 weeks ago I emailed them again stating that I am still stuck in Iraq and if anything had changed on me getting my visa, also thought I would be cheeky and ask if they did Non O Multi Entry Visa. Again, I got a same day reply, yes, I could get a Non O Multi Entry and they were now excepting DHL deliveries. Fortunately, I have a clean second passport as I need my passport with my Iraq visa in. So good news all round.
I always carry all my marriage stuff with me for the ‘just in case’. So that was it, scanning and printing and Ohm sending me photos of her new ID and house book.
Once I had complied it all I emailed the Embassy and told them I was ready and how would they like to be paid? Cash was the reply! 200 Jordanian Dinar, approx. $282. They also wanted me to scan all my docs and email it all to them before I sent my passport and originals. Wise move really and it would be a waste to send it all over to Jordan and its wrong. The only thing extra they needed was the change of name certificate for Ohm i.e. Maiden name to my name. I did not even know she had one! So, a quick call to Ohm and 20 mins later she sent me a photo which I sent straight to Jordan. Yep, they were happy, and I can send the passport.
I was putting the cash in with the package so the choice I had was to send it via DHL from Iraq or give it to a colleague who was flying to the UK in 2 days and send it from there. UK it was, I thought it would be better with the money in it! Then the Embassy will return it to me in Iraq
So, my colleague took everything with him and 2 days later took it to DHL to send, then sent me the tracking number. I saw it get picked up, and took to Maidstone, great news, it was on its way! I checked the following morning to see where it was and it stated, ‘Return to Shipper’!!!! That was not good. So, I on delving deeper into the DHL site I found that they do not transit cash in any form. A big schoolboy error on my side, I only looked at the T&C’s and did not see anything about cash. So now I was stuck with all my stuff in the UK, and no means to pay. I checked UPS and FedEx, same thing, No Cash. I emailed the Embassy and updated them. They asked whether or not I could get someone in Jordan to deliver the money to the Embassy on my behalf, and stated they could not accept a bank transfer to the Embassy account as its strictly audited, which I can go with and fair enough. I thought about setting up a Western Union account and found an access point in a shopping mall about 700 meters from the Embassy, so I sent them a screen shot and explained that.
The reply I got back was astounding, the person at the other end of the email, has offered to let me pay them the money from my Thai account to their Thai account and they will they pay for the visa and return DHL to me….Well, what can you say? That is well above and beyond in my book.
My colleague is sending all my stuff again, minus the money this time.
The next hurdle is getting it back to me, hopefully with a visa, in Iraq without it going missing!!!! Time will tell
Wayne
Bye Bye EU Day 31st December 2020 (11 p.m.) 
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