visa service for foreign nationals. I spent a lot of my time looking carefully at the area and peoples needs and doing due diligence before my commitment to become a �specialist� visa consultant.

My team at Key Visa feels totally at home with the expats & foreign community and we endeavor to make every visa application a hassle free venture for our clients. We understand the problems clients face and we make every effort to support them until satisfaction is reached.

We are the official immigration advisors for the Pattaya Expats Club and I offer a lot of my time giving free advice to newcomers & expats in Pattaya specializing on retirement and long stay visa applications.

I am offering a weekly advice clinic in this newspaper and today I am focusing on the most common frequently asked questions by our clients.

Q: I am over 50 years old and have dual nationality.� I have a British passport and an Australian passport I want to apply for a retirement visa and I have a non immigrant visa in my Australian passport and my pension income for the application is from Australia.� But at the airport by mistake I entered Thailand on my British passport and received only 30 days.� Can I take both passports to the immigration office and ask them to transfer the stamps?

A: In my previous experience the answer is no.� If you need the retirement visa in your Australian passport and not the British then I would take a short vacation out of Thailand via the airport.� Go out on the British and return on your Australian passport. I would not advise a one day visa run to Cambodia; you will get some very funny looks by the officers if you go out on one passport and then return on a different passport 5 minutes later. We have found that it is hard for them to grasp how somebody can have two passports from different countries.

Q: I have a one year Thai driving license and I have been to the license office to apply for my five year license and they would not give it to me because I did not have a medical certificate.� My friend did not require it, why me?

A: This seems to be a grey area.� We believe it goes off your age, but we are not certain.� My advice is for the sake of a few hundred baht take a medical certificate with you when you apply.

Q: I currently hold a retirement visa.� I have been to the immigration office for my 90 day report (tm47) and realized that I was one week late, and I was fined on the spot.� Is this a new rule?

A: This is not a new rule but has been enforced more strictly now the fine is 200 baht per day up to a maximum of 5,000 baht.� So my advise is put the 90 day report date on your calendar and possibly report two days before the due date.

Q: I have my foreign child in Thailand with me and she has been enrolled into full time education and the immigration has converted her non-immigrant visa into a one year visa for education purposes without much trouble.� But myself, I am 45 years old, not working in Thailand and not married to a Thai national and my non-immigrant visa has nearly expired. Do I have any options?

A: The answer is yes, because your foreign child is your dependant and the child is in full time education in Thailand you can �piggy back� on your child�s visa converting your current non-immigrant visa to match your child�s long stay visa.� Please note that the immigration will ask you to show some kind of evidence of how you are supporting your child in Thailand if you are not currently working. Be it money in a Thai bank or a regular income from your own country. There is not a specific amount. It is at the discretion of the immigration office; so have your information to hand.

Q: I have been recently stopped by the police whilst driving my motorbike and I have been fined because I did not have a copy of my passport on my person