DeeMak9

7 hours ago, wombat said:

with the drop in value it could be prudent to find a gold shop that will exchange them. oh whats that, which gold shop ?
the day a gold shop in thailand exchanges digital currency for physical gold i will have a serious interest in bitcoin(s).... until then imho its a long con ponzi.

 

Bitcoin is very liquid so what you're saying is already possible. And abroad even easier without having to cash back into fiat.

@op , if you have a Thai bank account: bx.in.th . Otherwise locally with localbitcoins.com

On 6/21/2018 at 10:57 AM, Horace said:

If you are paying this kind of money, 500,000 Baht, for an Elite Card, Thailand Elite should clearly explain these matters to you and assist if there is a snafu.   I read you copy and paste of the message from Thailand Elite Customer Contact Center, and it manages to both be alarming and virtually incomprehensible.  I don't see the value of the Elite Card if they can't communicate the requirements to their customers in clear and comprehensible English.  I have never understood what value Thailand Elite provides to foreigners.  It seems to simply confuse matters and cause unnecessary and often serious legal problems.  Why pay 500,000 Baht for that kind of grief?

They do communicate this very clearly. I speak from experience. You either get an extension at the Bangkok Immigration after one year or leave and return the country.

On 6/9/2018 at 10:59 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Legally you may be correct, but not in practice. Otherwise all farangs would be banned from buying tools in hardware stores without a work permit to prove can use them legally.

I rewired 2 houses, and no police came to arrest me, but they were family houses. I even did plumbing on the houses the family rents. No one arrested me, but I wasn't advertising to do same for strangers.

You could be murdering someone and no police comes to arrest you. Hardly an argument haha.

14 hours ago, Jasonron said:

That is absolutely fine.. you aren’t painting someone else’s house.. it’s registered in your name now.. I do all my lawn work, wash car regularly, paint house when it is soiled by birds and even some electric work.. I never had any problems... I don’t think honestly anyone would report you for that ... you can’t do any work in a commercial area like market or public place for earning money.. 

Untrue. Legally, you cant even paint your own house. Please do not state opinions as facts.

2 minutes ago, OmegaRacer said:

I got the Non B with work extension and work permit when I was still working for a school. Then stopped and Immigration just changed the reason for the visa to 'marriage'. 
I know it's not usual, but that's what happened and I have it now 3 or 4 years. Not usual but possible.

I think you simply got a new extension based on marriage after your extension based on work became invalid when quitting your job.

1 minute ago, OmegaRacer said:

No, I meant Non B with marriage extension, because that's what I (and also a close friend of mine) have.

So you got a single entry non B visa and then got a year extension based on marriage?

4 hours ago, pearciderman said:

 

LOL, no you don't.

He most likely means a Non O based on marriage. If its a year extension then he is indeed able to get a WP with that visa.

Hi,

I have a friend who swears he and people he knows, are able to get a year Non O extension based on being the parent of a Thai child. Unmarried and with just the birth cetificate with his name on it, and financial proof.

Did the requirements changed in the past few years?

Kind regards,

Rob

17 minutes ago, moe666 said:

I find it very interesting that 2 guys show up in immigration detention within days of each other but just a slight variation of the story. I maybe wrong but sure smells like a troll

Ive been there too. Happens on a daily basis.

Im renting a safe deposit box at Siam Secure for a few years now and Im very happy with it. Its open everyday from 10 to 10 and most holidays.

But this is in Pattaya, not Phuket...

Why not improving your language skills meanwhile? The more boxes you tick, the greater your chances.

The immigration officer was wrong. Next time you should ask for his/her supervisor immediately. He cannot deny a Thai citizen and stamping the Australian passport most likely will end up in overstay.

I'm sure most of you read the news about this idea to have foreigners, including ex-pats, hold special SIM cards which allows the government to track you.

I have been in this country for 7 years and I fully understand I will always be a guest here, even though I have a house, bring money in every month, have Thai wife and a Thai daughter here.

I accept the fact that I have to report myself every 90 days. I accept that there are things like the forms where your very personal details and social media details are being asked. I accept the fact the most immigration officers are unfriendly to me. I accept that there a great percentage of Thais see me as an money maker rather than a person, I accept there is double pricing even when you hold a work permit or drivers license, I accept I can never hold land or fully own a SME and I accept the fact that I will never be a Thai citizen.

However, holding a special SIM card to able to track me, because I'm a foreigner, is a step too far for me. Especially because the only reason is the fact that I am a foreigner. As you and me both know, this is absolutely NOT helping improving national security. It only increases the already growing xenophobia.

This time, after all these years, I wonder if there isn't something we can do about this, in my eyes, bullying against foreigners. We must have some kind of voice seeing the amount of members here on Thaivisa.

Am I overreacting or do people share my feelings too?

Please leave your "if you don't like it, get out" comments for yourself. As I said, and like many other foreigners here, I have a Thai family, property and a happy life in Thailand. I love it here and I don't want to leave.

My Dutch passport of 2 years old definitely states the old number on the page after my personal details.

OP, your situation is not as bad as you think. Mine was a mess like this for over 4 years, with a single entry B visa in-between and an under the table bought ED visa. This is when you really get denied entry.

Its possible but cannot work from home legally. Have a look at iglu.co.th

I'm always in-out in 5 minutes for 90 days reporting. Excellent experience.

> Obviously I can't apply for a WP on my Elite visa.

Is it so? I was under a strong impression that it's possible to get a Work Permit with the Thai Elite visa. It doesn't come automatically along with the visa, you have to qualify (e.g. registered company capital, 4 Thai employees), but you don't need to get another visa type and throw away the TE visa. In fact, promotional materials for Thai Elite state that their staff will assist you in obtaining the Work Permit. Double check with them.

I contacted them again yesterday regarding my current plans and clearly asked them how far their services reach.

Currently I'm on an elite visa and still have 3.5 years left. However, I recently invested in a restaurant which turned out to have huge potential here in Thailand. I am the director and hold 49% of the shares and I would like to work in it as well. Obviously I can't apply for a WP on my Elite visa.

I am also the legal father (I posses a rap rong boot) of my 3 yr old daughter. I am not legally married.

My plan is the apply for a single entry O visa with the birth certificate of my child. Then apply for a year extension based of being the parent of the Thai child. I have a few million in a Thai bank for almost 2 years now.

Then when I get the year extension, apply for a work permit.

Is this possible? Or should I apply for a B visa instead?

Also, when I enter Thailand on a single entry O visa, and they ask me if I work in Thailand, can I say I will apply for a work permit later? Or is that not a smart thing to do? I have the same question for when I apply for the year extension.

Im a little paranoid when it comes to immigration because I have been denied entry once on the suspicion of working illegally in Thailand and not having enough funds on me.And that isn't a pleasant experience, especially when you have a family and multiple properties here...

I have no intention or desire to live here full time but i am a frequent visitor coming 3 or 4 times a year for periods of one to three months. The current visa rules are quite satisfactory and i have never had a problem.

However, the regular reinterpretation and inconsistant application of the rules makes me wary and nervous each time I come back.

The rules have always been applied inconsistently, but the general trend was flat for many years. I think a certain amount of negative public opinion and resentment has been building since '97, when the Thais wouldn't face the fact that their own economic policy (or lack thereof) precipitated the currency crash. Having to accept IMF bailout, and some externally imposed restrictions was not popular, with people calling the IMF, "International Mother and Father", and culminating with Thaksin (" The UN is not my father"), and the rise of the jingoisticly named Thai Rak Thai party.

Since then, various governments have whipped up distrust of foreigners whenever their failures needed cover. Public opinion wavered accordingly, and so did enforcement of existing immigration law, as well as a few draconian adventures into new ones (remember 90 days in any 180 day period?). Still, the trend was only slightly toward tightening, and Immigration pretty much followed public sentiment, some better and some worse, but on average, manageable.

At this point, it bears mentioning that, very often, a few baht was needed to get things done at Immigration. In Nong Khai, for instance, one of the IOs had cookies for sale, and a few baht got you something to munch on, and your passport stamped...

As petty corruption came under scrutiny, especially after the 2006 coup, Immigration officers came under a lot of pressure, and foreigners numbers were increasing. It was no longer as easy to make extra cash by extorting visa applicants. This was a huge source of resentment, and contributes to the unpleasantness and lack of service that many experience. The agents, with their stacks of passports, and, more importantly, their brown envelopes, are still welcomed, and treated well...

So, the trend of public opinion, and that of Immigration, which follows it, has been gradually, but steadily becoming anti-foreigner. The trend, since the junta took power, however, is more like the end of a hockey stick.

The petulance at the actions against human trafficking, air worthiness, etc., is demonstrable, and the public is palpably resentful at being subjected to what they see as outside interference. The refusal of the NASA monitoring station, the lagging on Cobra Gold and the shift toward China are all related to this trend. It's not surprising, therefore, that petty bureaucrats feel justified in making things harder for Western residents. The placing of the onus for getting a TM30 done, which is the landlord's responsibility, on the applicant, is just one example.

The enforcement of these laws was always reserved for bad actors, and used effectively to get rid of them, if need be. Now, someone who wants to use Thailand as a base to explore SEA has to live in fear that he will be refused entry upon encountering an IO who had a bad day. In the past, even a bad IO wouldn't say much more than, "Isn't it about time you went home?" And maybe hint around for a purple note...

All this is not to say that foreigners don't cause many of their own problems. The internet has made it possible for the most clueless to make their way to Thailand, and behave accordingly. And turning Chiang Mai into a giant geriatric intensive care unit has not gone unnoticed. No offense to the many lovely retirees there, of course.

Before all that, many people chose Thailand for the freedom and adventure, and the easy-going life there. While there are still ways to live that life, increasingly, the desperate refugees from Western society have taken over, determined to infect the first place with their desperation. Words like, "appropriate visa", " genuine reason to be in Thailand", etc., have replaced the live-and-let-live spirit that used to exist. Now, it's all about making it like whatever miserable hole they came from - more laws, more penalties, kick out those perceived as only in Thailand for fun, etc., etc.

Particularly galling is these desperate bastards attempting to speak on behalf of the Thai people and government, as if they have any insight. Telling you whether or not you're a 'genuine tourist'? Bullshit.

So, yes, it's getting harder to stay in Thailand, if only for having to suffer these types.

Good day.

Amen.

Are chanotes in my name enough proof the money came from overseas?

-

You got, like me, denied entry but youre probably not blacklisted. I'm on a Thai Elite now and still experience difficulty entering and leaving the country. But when you are really not working you just cant do much more than having a correct visa, cash, and a good explaination.

I'm on a Thai Elite PE visa, and I've never been questioned. Would you elaborate on the types of questions they were asking, etc.?

Thanks!

Why you stay Thailand long time? What is your job? Where you come from? Questions like that.

When I left Thailand for the first time on this visa, the system showed I was on overstay. Because I got the visa at Cheang Wattana. I suppose the systems there and at the airport aren't completely connected with each other. But that triggered the IO to dig deeper. All cleared after explaining the situation to a higher ranked immigration woman.

99.9% of the people entering on a PE won't be questioned. But I got refused entry once. Almost completely similar to the OP.

I do understand it is pretty unbelievable that I retired at such a young age (I'm 25 years old now). Also, my visa history is a mess. Many tourists visa's the first year, some visa exempts in between, then an ED visas, followed by a B visa (I was in the process of creating a company but we decided not to go ahead), then again an ED visa until I got denied entry. After that twice a single entry non-o with birth certificate of my daugher and now PE. I got a new , nice and clean passport with the PE visa on the second page. I feel much more comfortable now, but the unsure feelings will probably never disappear.

He was not working but was caught in the act of work.

Who ? I was coming back from week end holiday in HK. I've never engaged in any work in Thailand.

Hi. I experienced the same a year ago when coming back from HK. I believe we chatted before. You had the same stamp as me. I also spent a night in that cell with all the Nigerians. I had to buy a business class ticket back in order to leave the next day. Got my passport back after entering the gate. Anyways, I went home and got a non immigrant O based upon the birth certificate of my daughter. 2 weeks later I managed to enter. I went for one more in Vientaine after that.

You got, like me, denied entry but youre probably not blacklisted. I'm on a Thai Elite now and still experience difficulty entering and leaving the country. But when you are really not working you just cant do much more than having a correct visa, cash, and a good explaination.

I find it hard to believe they will issue a warrant over unpaid telephone and internet bills.

You still experience difficulties with the elite visa ? how is that possible ? Normally you have VIP service, no ?

They just ask questions. VIP service doesn't mean they won't talk to you at the immigration booth. When I arrive they escort me to the counter, then wait for me until I got stamped in or out. But I'm sure it'll help backing up the fact that I'm not working in Thailand. I might got unlucky (again) and to be fair I'm always nervous as hell now when in front of an IO.

Like I said, having the correct visa, cash and a good explanation should be enough.