jspill

Looks like they want tickets in and out of thailand for every 60 entry submitted with the application?? Thats hard to do that far in advance.

and if its not granted your stuck with all these expensive tickets.

http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=33

You'll notice consulate websites have rarely ever written '60 days but then you can extend to 90' even for the existing double and triple entry visas.

E.g. the UK site which hasn't been changed yet http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/44

Consulate websites are notoriously unclear.

The METV will probably come with the extensions to 90 days, because the immigration act says 90 days.

Anyway we'll have to wait and see.

On the link they crop out their faces from the pics. Nice double standards

I just come back from BK-Pattaya. I still trying to understand why people lives there, specially foreigners, when Thailand have so many nicer places to have a great life..and a lot cheaper! The people's landscape in Pattaya is also not the best. One day walking around was enough for me.

Probably BK may be good to make money and/or sex...but the world offers the same and better in nicer places.

BKK has about 100 times the population of Pattaya, I think you can find some nice spots and pleasant people.

The fact that the US has a specific visa for remote workers, working from their home, should make it even clearer to you that doing such with a tourist visa is illegal.

Or that it's in an as yet unrecognized, grey area, because the country is less developed, and it's a total non-issue in terms of safety or ethics, pending a specific visa eventually coming out.

Which explains why there's been zero historical arrests and Thailand has never said not to do it.

Thailand has not yet singled out remote workers, but IMO it will come eventually. Until then the only reason so many get away with it is because they don't disclose their true activities.

IMO eventually Thailand will state something along the lines developed countries do:

Individuals temporarily residing in the United States who will be working from home for foreign based companies may be eligible for business visas provided they satisfy the following conditions:

• The individual is employed by a company outside of the United States
• No remuneration will be received from a U.S. source

You think wrong. I have lived here since I was 31 (19 years) and work online everyday (legally). I'm not suspicious just a realist who knows the facts from the authorities that count.

Seems strange that you are privy to these 'facts' yet Thailand has never released an official statement on the matter, or made any arrests. Or any other country for that matter.

As I've said before, just because someones skill set enables them to work anywhere doesn't mean they can work anywhere. The country they are sat in has a huge say.

If their work doesn't have a physical presence in that country, yes they can. It's indistinguishable from trading stocks (they are digital nomads too) or overseeing rental properties back home, why would a country restrict you simply generating money in a foreign currency in your own home.

So you agree trading stocks or currencies should be legal... but if I trade in domain names you think that shouldn't be? A common activity of digital nomads. Or making small adsense websites then selling them, another common one. Known as flipping.

I think you just can't get your head around online work as you come from a different generation, and view it with suspicion.

How have you proved me wrong or proved anything? How is me Skyping with some clients in the US, accepting Skrill payments and spending the funds here considered 'working in Thailand'?

I'd wager that it'll be an option between showing either proof of a job OR proof of X amount of funds, not both. Similar to how retirement extensions can be obtained by showing either 800k in the bank, or 40k per month coming in to your account. Plenty of people are self-employed with an online business so have no 'boss' (that 1900s paradigm) to type up a letter saying where they work (how archaic).

Plus I can't see consulates wanting to deal with that much paperwork, i.e. chasing up someone who has more than enough money in their bank account but didn't send in a piece of paper from their employer.

for singapore

Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa will only be granted to Singaporean nationals or Long-Term Pass Holder of Singapore.

4. Evidence of adequate finance

Single-Entry Tourist Visa: $1000 per person and $2000 per family

Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa: $8,000 per person (6 months of financial statements)

5. Letter of Employment (compulsory for Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa applicants)

6. Evidence of accommodation booking (compulsory for Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa applicants)

seems like to me all of the above not a choice

the ONLY one that is not a problem is the accommodations, as with Booking.com u can usually cancel 2 days before the stay with no charge

I've seen that thanks, but just having them in a numbered list doesn't really mean anything does it. On a Thai consulate website which we all know aren't particularly well designed.

I'd wager that it'll be an option between showing either proof of a job OR proof of X amount of funds, not both. Similar to how retirement extensions can be obtained by showing either 800k in the bank, or 40k per month coming in to your account. Plenty of people are self-employed with an online business so have no 'boss' (that 1900s paradigm) to type up a letter saying where they work (how archaic).

Plus I can't see consulates wanting to deal with that much paperwork, i.e. chasing up someone who has more than enough money in their bank account but didn't send in a piece of paper from their employer.

Make sure you hang on tight to those straws.

Still banging the same drum i see Jspill

This is the natural progression of any digital nomad discussion, you guys run out of any points to make, and turn to making jokes ('appeal to ridicule' fallacy) and then the thread ends / gets locked, and digital nomads keep living in Thailand as they have without issue for a long time. Then another thread pops up later on.

^ No different to all the guys in coworking spaces across BKK and Chiang Mai (e.g Punspace) right now and for years, that have never had an issue.

Once being arrested by accident when police thought they were employees of Punspace, and immediately all released when they discovered they weren't, seeming to imply you can work for yourself.

As long as there's no Thai employer, Thai Baht involvement, etc. (oh hey that's stuff the Alien Labor Act says about a dozen times while not mentioning online work once! http://thailaws.com/law/t_laws/tlaw0366.pdf)

As to proof of income whilst not working illegally, most "Digital Nomads" operate under a business name in their home country. That business pays them money, so they can easily show proof of business ownership and income.

And I would bet a lot of money they're not going to be asked 'will you continue to do this work in Thailand?' when applying. Because it doesn't matter, they just want to know you can support yourself, i.e. probably won't start working as a tour guide here.

Again on the persona non grata criteria - Those who have no appropriate means of earning a living once they have entered the Kingdom.

http://www.thaivisa.com/392-0.html

Thailand doesn't need illegal online workers by any name. Your 8.4 billion example is baseless as you have no idea how many online workers there are or the money they bring in to the country. No doubt the Thais relying on these people would be disappointed, but that has no impact on the country as a whole. And if the relationship is genuine I'm sure the foreigner would continue support from afar.

Well it doesn't 'need' anybody, it would survive with zero foreigners. You just throw that platitude in there in the hope it makes you sound more credible when you make totally baseless statements like online workers are illegals.

IMO. Getting back to back METV's from your home country will be difficult because they appear, based on limited information, to be wanting to issue these only to people that have jobs or businesses to go back to. Surely anyone getting back to back METV's would need to explain how they can do their job or operate their business without working in Thailand. I expect the number of back to back applications will be limited.

You don't see online working as illegal and yet you are already seem to be thinking of ways to obtain a tourist visa without disclosing your work activities when in Thailand. How is a digital nomad going to explain how they will not be working at their business whilst in Thailand and not breaking the terms of a tourist visa?

Where am I doing that. I just said since it mentions 'entrepeneurs' on some of those embassy guidelines digital nomads should be fine, i.e. those that don't work for a company.

I actually work for a company myself, so I'm fine with the 'proof of job' part. I'd be willing to bet Thailand just wants to keep people with low funds out, and working online is a non-issue if you have the funds, don't sell stuff to Thais, don't take jobs from Thais, etc.

To me actually the whole 'proof of a job' thing implies that if you have some western based or online based job, and can show that, then you are never working IN Thailand, from their perspective.

To them working in Thailand is as it states on the persona non grata list, 'Those who, having entered the Kingdom to take up employment as laborers or practice other forms of manual work that require no special skill or training' http://www.thaivisa.com/392-0.html or those who have been arrested in the past - Phuket tour guides and so on. Never have we ever seen online workers mentioned, and we still don't yet with this new visa coming out. So your opinions are based on nothing yet.

What do you mean you don't see it?

its in RED

Ok chill out I was looking at the OP of the Norway thread, not online. My bad.

I don't know why everyone seems to be assuming this will make digital nomads leave, or is intended to do so. Actually what this MIGHT mean is they have the green light to stay long term on back to back 6 month (possibly 9 months if you can do an entry just before it ends then an extension) visas, just in a more slightly more expensive way.

So before they had to take trips selectively to one or two consulates (Vientiane / Savannakhet) and be hopeful each time they wouldn't get a red stamp, and if so go to another one to 'break the chain', and after a while of doing that consider renewing their passport for a clean slate... jumping through those hoops put a lot of people off. Many just gave up and all this time have already been in Cambodia / Philippines / Vietnam for precisely the reason that tourist visas were so fiddly.

Now if they're able to do back to back METVs by flying home, it's a more expensive (only slightly though) GUARANTEED way to stay. $6k is not a lot of money to show (but we already have one example of a country that doesn't require you to show any funds at all) and a flight home isn't that big of a deal. I'd prefer METVs by mail from back home in my country, to another trip to Laos.

I'm making a few assumptions which remain to be seen (like others in this thread) that:

1. can do METVs back to back as long as you have the funds in your bank account

2. 'proof of residence' just means proving your nationality - but we don't see this on the Norway one

3. 'proof of a job' this could be showing monthly X income instead of one lump sum, like for retirement visa extensions you can show 40k/mo instead of 80k - but we don't see this on the Norway one, and others make reference to 'entrepeneurs' so those who work for themselves (digital nomads) will have some way of explaining what they do to support themselves

To me the above is more likely. I don't think Thailand wants digital nomads out, I think they want illegal workers (which are only those working IN Thailand, actually) and criminals out.

Anywhere near Bor Pen Yang bar is fine. The main bar, with a nice rooftop view, and right on the riverfront strip, across from the little night market and walking distance to some nice international food places.

If there was a USAvisa.com (probably is actually) I'd go there and complain about this latest Drone Papers exposé about how the president puts people on kill lists and 90% of drone attacks don't hit their intended target.

That would be less fun though because I don't live there.

Thaivisa is our own 'patch' of the internet for complaining about things we come across in our day to day lives.

- Living back home would be even worse

- It's fun to let off steam and complain anonymously

- Not much point in giving praise to things that are good already

- Addressing problems with 'tough love' criticism can often mean you care more than someone would just pretends everything is great

- Makes sentences too long to add in caveats like 'the good outweighs the bad, and I still like living here, however I do wish that...' at the start

- Thailand is a curious country where the authorities / ruling elite / police / government etc. are worthy of disdain, but the average person on the street is really nice, quite a contrast

- I think you'll find many Thais complain just as much as us about the same things we do, if not more

People have been told by immigration officers that they've blacklisted / will be blacklisted, as a way to elicit bribes. Example - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/774560-how-does-a-png-blacklist-stamp-look-like-blacklisted-or-not/

Or out of misunderstanding about the new rules not being in effect, or because they're having a bad day.

So just stay calm and as gilo said, I'd dress in a shirt trousers and shoes, and be clean shaven. Other tips are don't say you're working here (obviously) online or otherwise, just say you 'stay with girlfriend' as that will let them know that somewhere there is a Thai person who is probably financially dependent on you. You could say you're planning some day to soon to get married and get a proper visa that way.

'I love you silly old man'

and 'sweet dreams'

She makes some spelling mistakes / typos though, as MaeJo pointed out in the first one, and again in the last one. But it's still understandable. And that's probably why Google translate fails you, any minor error and machine translations can fail.

^ You wrote 'are'... looks like you're saying it's a question to me

@OP you could reply

คิดถึงสิ 'Of course I miss you'

มากๆ 'A lot'

นั้นดิ 'That's right!'

รู้ดี 'You know me too well!'

คิดถึง เค้า อ่ะดิ = are you missing me. (dor dek not kaw kwai)

It isn't a question actually, it's a teasing statement

'looks like you miss me then!'

or 'i see you're thinking of me!'

translated literally 'you miss me' then 'ah di' two ending particles making it softer / teasing in nature