How NOT to Get a Visa*

1. Get into lively discussions on the way to DC. There's no recipe more proven than a discussion on relationships to assist you in missing all your turns (or at least the important ones).

2. Arrive after 10am (and forget your quarters!). After 10am, all the parking garages increase their prices exponentially... and there probably won't be any street meter-parking left.

3. If you happen to get there before 10, be sure to park front-end-first in the street parking slots. Even if you're only there for a couple minutes, you will receive a ticket. Street parking is back-in only.

4. Have a third-party do your background check. If it's not done by the State Police, the Embassy won't be interested in your app.

5. Leave your cash at home. They only take cash or money orders... so no cash, no visa.

6. Come during their lunch break-- anytime between 12:00-2:30 works.

7. If you aren't successful with #1-#6, and the Embassy does issue you a visa, you have one last hope! Don't look at your visa when you pick it up. Don't check for signatures, don't check to make sure all the fields were filled out correctly, if you're lucky, they may have left some things blank-- making your visa invalid.

But, if you decide that you DO want a visa... just follow the inverse of the above steps, and also take note of the following:

- DO bring your own prepaid flat-rate mailing envelope for the Embassy to mail you back your visa (otherwise, you get gouged by paying $20 for theirs)

- DO make sure you have all the correct information and paperwork, so you only have to make one trip! 

- DO have the contact # of someone in the country you are visiting in case you run into trouble and need advice 

- DO take a picture (or write down) where you parked if you choose to brave a parking garage

Anyone else have advice on the Do's and Don'ts of Visa acquisition? Leave them in the comment section below.


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* This information is tried and true and has been fully disclosed for the purpose of assisting any aspiring travelers, missionaries, or expatriates attempting to acquire their Thai work visas in DC.