As someone who travels and lives abroad, I inevitably run into different bureaucratic processes. Some of these are more negotiable on one's own than others. Others may require quite a bit of assistance from a local contact. Nonetheless, I sometimes think about how those processesreflect the culture at large.
For example, I believe I was registering my home address in Japan when the official working at the office told me the way that I signed my initials on two different documents wasn't similar enough. They then proceeded to white out one of the signatures and asked me, with my colleague acting as translator, to sign it more similarly to the first one. If I didn't let out a laugh, I almost certainly smiled. When would this ever happen in the United States? Regardless, I eventually found this singular instance of Japanese bureaucracy a representative example of broader cultural attitudes and values. My experiences and observations indicated that there was strict adherence to orderliness often through the meticulous attention to seemingly inconsequential details.
Most recently, I had the experience of extending my tourist visa in Bangkok. I looked on the official website of the Thai immigration authorities and it listed only four things I needed:
- An application form (TM7)
- A copy of my passport
- A passport photo taken within the last six months
- 1,900 Thai baht (approximately $50)
Other third-party websites listed additional documents. Some listed a TM6, a dual departure and arrival card, but I knew for certain that I was not given one on my arrival flight and the immigration agent had not requested it. I also read online that it had, as of July 2022, been discontinued.
Many of those third-party websites were also in the business of visa services. The language they employed was intended to make you feel unprepared and unaware of the "real" requirements. "Here, let us help you, you ignorant fool," they seemed to say.
OK, I thought. The government's official information must be correct. Why would I need a service provider to help me with this? I'll trust that more than these other websites that seem to have out-of-date information and a money-making purpose.
After a taxi ride across what seemed like the whole city (Bangkok traffic makes any trip feel like you're going across the whole city), I arrived at the imposing immigration offices. After the relatively short wait time, I sat down across from my assigned immigration officer. She looked at my documents and told me that the copy of my passport page was too large. It should be the same size as my actual passport. Furthermore, she told me I needed a copy of the page of my passport containing my Thai tourist visa. What's more, I was missing a copy of my initial visa approval.
My jaw dropped and out of it may have meekly come some faint noise of helplessness.
I said, "Is there a copy machine close by?"
She replied that there was indeed one downstairs.
Then she saw that I had listed my address in Phetchabun, a province several hours north of Bangkok.
She said, "We only service Central Bangkok. Do you have a hotel in Central Bangkok?" My heart started racing as I pulled out my phone to search for the address.
I showed her the address and she said, "OK, good" as she took white out to the address. "Keep your number and come back here when add your hotel's address and get the copies of your passport, visa, and visa approval."
I took the escalator downstairs and helplessly looked for a store that might have a copy machine in this massive building. I mean, really - this place was practically the size of a mall. There was even an area that had probably fifty vendors selling food. There were banks and other businesses spread throughout the downstairs area.
A kind man looked at the papers in my hand and said, "Copy?"
I nodded and he pointed me in a general direction.
"This must happen all of the time," I thought.
Eventually I came upon what seemed to be a pop-up copy and scanner business as they were not within their own space. Instead, there was makeshift space created by tables of copiers and scanners. Just imagine what sound engineers look like surrounded by their mixing boards and replace that imagery with copiers and scanners. The two young employees manning this business looked on edge, especially for Thai people who make having a "cool heart" both a national value and a social requirement. Just as quickly as they would make copies of passports and visas for one person, another person would approach them requesting the same service.
After just a minute or two, I was able to secure the copies I needed and I returned to the same immigration officer and secured the approval to extend my visa by thirty days.
Thailand seems like other countries I've lived in or visited in the way that helpful details are not communicated or seemingly prioritized for others. I had similar experiences in Uzbekistan when applying for my work visa. Many of the questions on their online form were ambiguous. Ultimately, the details did not seem so important anyway as long as the major parts were answered correctly. I suspect that, in other instances, a strategic bribe or relationship placement may help an official to conveniently overlook some of the details. In Uzbekistan, people often sought out someone who was perceived as having the information or having gone through the same experience. It was often annoying for me because they would ask me questions about U.S. Embassy visa processes or exchange programs, and I would have either no idea or all of the information they were asking for was written clear as day on the Embassy's own website.
But what I realized is that people often relied on their relationships for informaion and that was, in a sense, a way that they maintain the strength of their social networks - through these transactional relationships. Based on my experiences with the bureaucracy in Uzbekistan, you couldn't really trust (or be fully confident in) the information provided on a website, and those who went through similar experiences or had insider knowledge were generally much better sources of information.
But what makes Thailand different, in my limited experiences, is that you just have to find out for yourself. Sure, I imagine having the relationships help (acquaintaces in Phetchabun assured me that they could "talk" with their friends at the immigration offices if I ever had any trouble). But despite reading information on different websites and talking with people who deal directly with visas for foreigners, no one had the correct information or clear answers. However, systems like the copy machine business are in place to make up for information not being updated or clear. You just have to take the risk to your time, energy, and (possibly) finances in order to find out for yourself.
This wisdom applies to when I was initially trying to find a bus from Bangkok to Phetchabun. I was looking at a website that showed different departure times for the bus. My friend who has lived in Thailand for five years said, "None of that is probably accurate. You just have to go to the bus terminal and ask for a ticket for the next bus that's leaving." So, that's what I did. I just had to wait an hour or two for the next bus.
But what if there weren't anymore buses going to where you want to go today? Well, then take a minivan instead. Or pay premium and take a taxi (we did this when we took a taxi from Pattaya to Bangkok).
There just seem to be systems in place to make up for the inconveniences. But what does that say about the culture at large? It's tough to say with my limited experience in the country, but there does seem a business-mindedness that identifies these kinds of gaps.
Thailand became one of a handful of countries to decriminalize weed just a few months ago and now Bangkok has official storefront dispensaries as well as pop-up stands in bar districts selling all kinds of products. Seemingly complete oversaturation of the market has taken place in practically no time While there may not be a lot of ingenuity and innovation, there is certainly the entrepreneurial ability to identify gaps.
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