JB300

 

I'm not into the Digital Nomad scene but if these western folks can't make 50k THB at least per month then I dunno, they must be doing something fundamentally wrong. But no matter if it's 20k or 200k, I think they are clearly a net plus for the Thai economy. Nobody said they are a big advantages, they are miniscule compared to the tourist, car, manufacturing etc industries. Doesn't negate the fact that they are a positive thing.

 

You not having any troubles to get a work permit is nice if you work for a local company. But these folks are working for foreign companies for which it is impossible to get a work permit. It shouldn't need to be made easier for them to get visa+work permit, it should be possible in the first place.

 

The global trend is to make it more difficult? On a global scale... maybe. The other countries around Thailand seem to make it easier. And even if everyone was to make it more difficult, that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. "A thousand flies can't be wrong"?

But it's not all positive as they drive up prices for things like accommodation for Thais.

What are the rental prices like in your capital city? Mine (London) are higher than Singapore & the reason for that is there's a disproportionate number of people there (lots of them immigrants) who earn more than the average salary & so drive up prices so much the average local can't afford to live there & has to move elsewhere.

Add to that the fact that they're not paying into the Tax system (please don't mention VAT/GST, that doesn't go towards social wealthfare or infrastructure) & I believe most of them are a net negative to the local economy/people

To put things in perspective, the National Debt stands at 1655 trillion pounds just before Christmas.

Bl@@dy hell. It's gone up over 1,000 fold since it was £1.56Tr in Q1 2015!!!

Think that should be £1.655Tr (or £1,655 Billion) but your point is still valid, what it would cost to do the decent & right thing by pensioners is a drop in the ocean given how much money the government wastes elsewhere.

If your US bank is Citi, withdrawals are free from their ATMs (big branch in Makati) & exchange rates are very good

Continuum - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954347/

To successfully sell on eBay or indeed anywhere online, you need to know how to do digital marketing, design, coding, SEO and a whole slew of other 'digital' skills.  

 

Fair call, I was thinking more about when my-ex used to do quite a bit of eBaying 10+ years ago but I guess it was always a (Quite lucrative) sideline for her.

If you're doing it as a main source of income, selling high volumes of the same/similar products then I can see how you would want to automate as much as possible & ensure you rank highly in the searches.

I feel both jealous & sorry for guys trying to make it in IT nowadays.

Jealous because of the tools & processing power they have available (my 1st paid programming work was in 1988, Cobol on a mainframe & we were given 2 x 1 hours a day "Terminal Time", rest of the day was spent reviewing the compiler/test results & planning what you were going to do during your next hour).

Sorry because in 1996 it was easy to earn £5-600 per day as a VB/C++ programmer (rates went insane coming up to the milenium), next to no tax (no IR45), 20 years later most of the jobs have been offshored & the going rate for a contractor can be below £200 per day.

It only costs B20k for the coveted Overstay Visa and the OV can be combined with any other visa to allow you a longer stay and avoid the additional  penalties.

That boat sailed in. March last year, overstay now & you risk a stay in IDC, overstay by more than 90 days & you'll get blacklisted http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/thailand-blacklist-for-foreigners-who-overstay-visas/

Given its getting harder to use Visa Exempt (max 2 per year at land crossings) & Tourist Visas I wouldn't want an overstay stamp in my passport, certainly not more than 1.

Isn't a "Nomad" somebody who travels from place to place?

I wouldn't call somebody who lives in the same place Year after year a "Nomad", Teleworker feels more like it but I guess that isn't as Cool sounding.

Oh & I wouldn't call somebody who makes a living peddling stuff on eBay a "Digital" anything either (not criticising what they're doing, good look to them, but it's hardly a "Digital" occupation.

Enjoyed episode 1 .
 
Tom Hardy is a magnificent actor methinks.

Fella, if you would have read my post you would have understood that I was suggesting give it a go for 6 months to see if A he likes it and B he can afford to do it, a sort of try it before you make a decision.

A 2 month tourist visa is a single entry tourist visa (SETV) and I have never been asked for proof of anything when getting one in my home country which I would hazard a guess that is where the op's friend actually is. An METV is a multiple entry tourist visa and yes for these you need to have all sorts of documentation but that is beside the point as that isn't what I was talking about.

The reason I suggested this is because after 3 months in Thailand he may go to a neighbouring country and maybe prefer it who knows.

The fact that people are bashing someone for wanting to try and live here on a budget is ridiculous there are loads of people here doing it I can't see the problem.

Fair play fella, as I said I was well mullered when I made that post & have since apologised for it.

Nothing wrong at all with giving it a go & I'd recommend the same to anybody (I gave middle of Bangkok a go, paid for a condo for 1 month & lasted 10 days... lesson well learnt).

Genuinely hope it all goes well for him but fact is years & years of people abusing Visas has led to a tightening up of all of the rules which makes it harder for everybody so I just urge anybody who's considering making the move to put a Long term visa at the top of their list or look elsewhere (no point in trying it out if you can't continue with it).

 
I received the following responses from Thailand Elite:
 
"Sorry for late respond, we have sent your inquires about using service to our management team. Finally, they informed that we have to comply with immigration rule by reservation fast track and Airport Service only for Thailand Elite member. Moreover, they do not accept the extra charge for using fast track service. However, for transfer service we allow your wife join you together in limousine."
"Good morning, firstly thank you for your kind understand for this situation. Due to limit Electric cart at the Airport which reserve only Thailand Elite Member, therefore we will not allow guest to join with our member. However, our staff at the Airport will allow you and your wife join together if the electric cart is available on that time."
 
Therefore, although my Thai wife cannot join the program and cannot go through the TE immigration desk (and they do not allow for the separate purchase of this service), they will allow her to use the electric cart, but only if a seat is available, and she can accompany me in the car.  Note that this is to take effect 1 Feb 2017.  Take this into account in your decision about joining the program.

Well, this time tomorrow I'll be on the plane...I'm taking 2 inches off the bottom of the door.

Don't!!! Had new wood flooring & carpets put down in my UK house before the new tenants moved in [emoji106]

Next thing I get a bill for £100 (plus VAT) for a couple of doors to be taken off, planed & put back [emoji17]

But... Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before

is it over/?

Easier to get the non O before you go Thailand, it is a little harder to get these now because they are trying to stop scroungers who go with little funds and do drug dealing to fund their stay ... bit easier if you're married to a Thai national, in the UK we have to show 3 months UK bank statements to show you have regular money going in from a job or other means,  to me thats pointless because if youre going to live there you will leave your job anyway. Once you have the multi entry non O and are in Thailand you need to have 800k Thai baht in an account for 3 months before you can apply for the more perm visa, however there are ways round the 3 months and the money through some visa agents, as always  not what you know its who you know ... if you are married to a Thai national you can apply for a marriage visa and you need to have 400k Thai baht in a sole account, can't be a joint account! Your spouse can also sponsor you to get a Thai bank account .. important to note is that Pattaya tends and often does have different rules to the rest of Thailand ... i didnt have any problems in Petchabun and always remember the majority of ex pats will know a way round things or they know somebody who can!! Rules change in Thailand often and the above is meant as a guide only.

Damn I was on one last night...

Apologies for my previous response to your post, you're quite right in what you say, it's just as a Brit working & living in Singapore it's not as straight forward as it would be if I was still living in the UK so despite being in a much better position to make the move now, it's harder to do so

But I will get there :)

An inflammatory profane post has been removed as well as a reply.  

 
My agenda is simply to find the truth:  did Blair fight tooth and nail in this matter or not?  So far, over numerous posts, nobody has provided any evidence whatsoever that he did, so I'm inclined to think it's simply baseless Blair-bashing.  However, such is my faith in human nature that I would like to believe those who so adamantly claim he did, and would be very happy to be proven wrong.

There's some decent people on here but there's also a some self important keyboard warriors who for some reason seem to hate just about everything, they tend to moan about Thais, Thailand, their own countries, quite ironically immigrants in their own countries and not forgetting people who come here without in their view enough money.

Personally it wouldn't be enough for me but it doesn't mean it can't be done as I said before give it a go if you like it then go for it if not you can always go home.

As for visa requirements come on a tourist visa 2 months extend 1 month go to a neighbouring country get another  2 month tourist visa extend another month that is 6 months you should know if it's for you or not by then. Also don't forget that Thailand has neighbouring countries which you may find you like more.

Great plan... Move somewhere to "Live" & rely on doing tourist visa runs [emoji106]

Again, it has nothing to do with Money, Elitism whatever! But before moving somewhere, at least have the bottom layer of Maslow's hierarchy of needs boxed off

Edit: Care to share how you get this "2 month Visa" (METV) without 2 x the OP'S friends bank balance & a letter from their employer?

Easier to get the non O before you go Thailand, it is a little harder to get these now because they are trying to stop scroungers who go with little funds and do drug dealing to fund their stay ... bit easier if you're married to a Thai national, in the UK we have to show 3 months UK bank statements to show you have regular money going in from a job or other means,  to me thats pointless because if youre going to live there you will leave your job anyway. Once you have the multi entry non O and are in Thailand you need to have 800k Thai baht in an account for 3 months before you can apply for the more perm visa, however there are ways round the 3 months and the money through some visa agents, as always  not what you know its who you know ... if you are married to a Thai national you can apply for a marriage visa and you need to have 400k Thai baht in a sole account, can't be a joint account! Your spouse can also sponsor you to get a Thai bank account .. important to note is that Pattaya tends and often does have different rules to the rest of Thailand ... i didnt have any problems in Petchabun and always remember the majority of ex pats will know a way round things or they know somebody who can!! Rules change in Thailand often and the above is meant as a guide only.

[no offence but have you read/understood the original point]

How to get a Non-O without money in a Thai Bank?

Oh & you're talking bolox about getting one in the UK...

Movies are like music and food, it's up to individual tastes. One man's meat is another man's poison.

 
when has keanu  ever not been keanu? or ben affleck for that matter?

A set of Superman pyjamas.

I kid you not, my Brother in the UK got my parents to bring them over for a wind-up.

So obviously I had to try them on & send him the pics [ok I'll confess, they're bl@@dy comfy [emoji14]]

Don't know why you were warned off Girl on a Train, thought it was very good.

 

Of course they need to be able to comply with the country's visa requirements but that's not the issue here is it?

The guy in the OP - we don't know his age - can live here for a decent enough period of time on a few visa options.

He could come here and teach English if he so chose - thousands of farangs live reasonably well in Bangkok on 30k a month.

Room in On Nut or Bangna, enjoy the variety of cheap and delicious Thai street food, cheap internet.

Maybe he doesn't need a constant supply of hookers and doesn't have a drinking habit.

It's perfectly doable.

I wouldn't like to try it but I'm not going to slag off someone who's able to do it and be happy.

 

 

Those looking down their collective noses at someone because he or she might not be able to emulate our lifestyle is the height of snobbery and, as we all know, the worst snobs are often not too far removed from peasants themselves.

 

Of course the ability to be able to comply with the country's visa requirements is the issue here! What else is there?

If he can do that, good on him, if he can't then good luck, nobody is judging him either ways, but people are trying to offer a perspective that has more to do with realism than elitism.

Unwelcome advise? Then ignore it, but at least acknowledge the fact that people as described in the OP (not necessarily the OP's mate) have spent years making it much harder for people (e.g guy in the OP situation assuming he's genuine) to get on in Thailand.

Just watched the Accountant and The Girl with the Gifts. Both outstanding movies. My favourite being the Accountant. Probably the best film Ben Affleck has done since Gone Girl (2014).

Sherlock S04 starting.

Enjoyed S04E01... especially after the last one (Abominable Bride [emoji15]) which was truly dreadful [emoji17]