ZAKY

I hope one of the foreign business man will tell him to ease the process for foreigners to open a Thai Company and obtain a work permit.

I hope too !!!

Religion is the biggest killer - more than aids, any diseases , calamities, accident...

Hello Can anyone tell me what paperwork actually needs to be submitted in practice (from forum members experience please) - when applying for Non-immgrant O-A Retirement besides the passbook statement showing the 800,000 seasoned bank deposit and current visa - do I have to provide:

• Medical certificate showing no prohibitive diseases and if so - do I have to get this from a specific hospital or can I get it anywhere - can anyone recommend a hospital who is used to issuing these certificates in centre of Bangkok where some staff speak english?
• On the immigration website it mentions submitting a 'Personal Data Form' where do I get that form? does anyone have that form please?
• Do I need a police no convictions statement - I have actually been working in Laos (for government but they never processed a work permit form me) for the past year (and not in my home country for past 10 years) - where would I get this police statement from? - Is it needed?
• Anythingelse?

5. Has anyone imported their personal belongings from another country into Bangkok - do customs require a copy of a residency permit and/or non-tourist visa? An agent will be handling it so Im not sure if I need to get this paperwork in advance ?

Please would you answer point by point to avoid confusion

I appreciate your advice

Yes of course you will require the police certificate but i cant remember about the medical one : whether this was required or not. If you are in Bangkok you may enquire with one of these small agencies. There is one in the corner of Asok Montri just near interchange building, they will give you all infos about required documents and customs allowance etc...whether you chose to apply through them or not.

His last shot !!!

Elite Mk1 made a resounding loss for the gullible, more money than sense punters.

So why should I read about part two,that will do the same!

All the 'round one' lifetime membership Elite cards are still valid and being used to this day.

Some people have mentioned that they're on their third five year visa now. Sounds good to me.

Its a matter of choice ! Its up to you ! Retirement or marriage visas ! Some other countries also do similar ways of attracting foreigners who can afford but the difference with Thailand is that you can be on your 10th '5 years' you will still have no right to purchase land and right to do buisiness or work unless you go for long administrative formalities and invest 100% for 49% shares like any other foreigners,

This thread is about the pros and cons of the Elite Card options. Those who feel disenfranchised by laws they consider draconian can protest in several ways including with their feet. The laws were about the same on your first visit to the Kingdom.

If the thread is about "who the elite card is for", then by implication it's as well about who it might not be for, i.e., who might benefit from another approach. 'Don't see why alternatives shouldn't get some time therefore...

I dont beleive that some are on a 3rd 5 years as the 5 years is new 500k card just released in 2013 at the same time as the 20 years 2m. One.

I personally know someone who is on his 3rd five year visa. He bought the original 1M Baht Thai Elite Card that is good for his lifetime. Believe it. Obviously from reading TV he is not the only one. For him the card turned out quite well.

It should be the old 1m. lifetime card released in 2010. Still costly, its vat-able on transfer. I cant remember whether - at that time - the holder should pay the annual fee of 20k Bath every year.

Elite Mk1 made a resounding loss for the gullible, more money than sense punters.

So why should I read about part two,that will do the same!

All the 'round one' lifetime membership Elite cards are still valid and being used to this day.

Some people have mentioned that they're on their third five year visa now. Sounds good to me.

Its a matter of choice ! Its up to you ! Retirement or marriage visas ! Some other countries also do similar ways of attracting foreigners who can afford but the difference with Thailand is that you can be on your 10th '5 years' you will still have no right to purchase land and right to do buisiness or work unless you go for long administrative formalities and invest 100% for 49% shares like any other foreigners,

This thread is about the pros and cons of the Elite Card options. Those who feel disenfranchised by laws they consider draconian can protest in several ways including with their feet. The laws were about the same on your first visit to the Kingdom.

If the thread is about "who the elite card is for", then by implication it's as well about who it might not be for, i.e., who might benefit from another approach. 'Don't see why alternatives shouldn't get some time therefore...

I dont beleive that some are on a 3rd 5 years as the 5 years is new 500k card just released in 2013 at the same time as the 20 years 2m. One.

"Land of smiles" is just a label or call it a virtual mask, it has not been created by the Thais but Western.

It is a USP. An advertising agent from the West came to Thailand and looked around. He went back to his office in the West and looked around and came up with a USP, unique selling point.

Many people he saw in Thailand were smiling and many people he saw in the West were not.

This can be proven easily. Go to a mall in Bangkok Thailand and another in Ferguson Missouri and count the people smiling. On second thought you may not want to go to Missouri.

You didnt say whether in the Bangkok Hall they still smile after you purchased

Elite Mk1 made a resounding loss for the gullible, more money than sense punters.

So why should I read about part two,that will do the same!

All the 'round one' lifetime membership Elite cards are still valid and being used to this day.

Some people have mentioned that they're on their third five year visa now. Sounds good to me.

Its a matter of choice ! Its up to you ! Retirement or marriage visas ! Some other countries also do similar ways of attracting foreigners who can afford but the difference with Thailand is that you can be on your 10th '5 years' you will still have no right to purchase land and right to do buisiness or work unless you go for long administrative formalities and invest 100% for 49% shares like any other foreigners,

It has many economic advantages for Thailand and no obvious disadvantages

Disadvantages include...

• Many of the retirees regularly break the law by using prostitutes which is illegal in Thailand and very bad for Thailand's image on the world stage.

• Dwindling amount of money or limited pensions which aren't worth quite as much as they used to be causing people to get into financial trouble they can't get out of - can lead to homelessness etc.

• Old people tend to need more medical treatment than younger people and might not be able to afford to pay for it.

I dont think that retirees are prostitute users as generally they are already old, and less oriented towards sex, they tends more to have a regular girlfriend for sharing their lives together. On the other hand, Thai law does not encourage a foreigner to get married to a Thai because even with the marriage visa he will still be like a tourist and cannot work here unless he obtain a work permit, which is quite difficult.

I am a 67 year old Canadian. I have 3 full pages and a few half pages left in my passport. The passport expires 2017. I have taught science in Thailand so not too many tourist visas. My non-b expires this week. I may return to Canada in the next 3 months. I will not be working. I have a 31,000 baht pension no savings. I am single but have a Thai gf

I will go to Penang for a tourist visa.

Any obvious or potential problems? Any suggested alternstives?

I have heard that Thai Authority is going to revise the rule for teachers, may be you can enquire before you take any decision

This is a question for those foreigners who intend to live in Thailand until their dying day.

As I edge closer to 'mature' years, I am getting a little concerned about the long-term viability of a visa extension based on retirement, the visa type that most of us older expats use to legally stay in this country.

Right now, this type of visa extension allows a mere 365 days of stay, based on proof of finances/pension etc.

I don't think it is outside the realms of possibility that the regulations concerning this visa extension type may change in the future, and very likely not for the better.

- What if the sum required to show in the bank/monthly pension was increased by 20%

- What if you were required to actually spend your 800,000 baht every year, not just show the same amount in your bank account?

- What is the age of eligibility for this visa type were raised to 65 years old?

- What if you need to make a visa-run at 90 years old???

I'm not scare-mongering, but considering very possible situations, especially considering the fact that Thailand is a lot closer (socially/economically etc) to China and ASEAN. In the future years, being an old 'whitey' in Thailand might not carry much weight....

For myself, I would jump at the chance to obtain Thai citizenship, to assure my future in Thailand. Unfortunately, being divorced from my Thai wife seems to remove the opportunity to apply for citizenship, even though I have a Thai child born within wedlock. (Yes, PR is a route to citizenship for single male foreigners, but I think some who applied more than 6 years ago are still waiting......)

Does anyone share the same concerns about 'retirement visas' as I?

"Land of smiles" is just a label or call it a virtual mask, it has not been created by the Thais but Western.

The reason that the Thai authorities don't raid shared-office space, knock down condo doors, and deny more entries to the online folks on repeated tourist visas may be pretty simple: The component that such persons represent to the overall Thai economy is so small that they really don't give a sh*t. Most probably only do enough to get by anyway.

Thai officialdom wants IT and online service companies to invest in Thailand and hire Thai university graduates and, I presume, as long as they do not provide incentives to the lone wolves who do neither, the potential investors really don't care.

As for the repeated tourist visas, regardless of WP status, you sign a declaration on your application that your trip is for pleasure purposes only which, if otherwise, is making a false statement to a Thai official which may be an offense under the Thai Penal code.

JL is there really any point continually discussing this subject if your best conclusion is that the Thai authorities "don't give a shit"? Though their lack of action certainly doesn't imply tacit approval, the fact is there is no official information from which to draw any conclusion. Since we can't really clarify the Thai authorities views on the subject we're just arguing semantics and opinion.

As you say the effect on the Thai economy is pretty much zero and most are quite happily “getting by” and enjoying their stay in Thailand. The sheer scope of niches, skill levels, and fields of work people utilize really makes it difficult to quantify these people as a definitive group as the only link is they use the internet. No one is disputing the wealth of tech talent produced by Thai universities, but no one is competing for work with these guys.

Is there a point discussing this? Yes. Because guys continually continually come on here and ask, since they believe they make such a significant contribution to Thai economy and culture, why are they not better accommodated by the regulations for immigration and working situation. The answer I gave to which you referenced still stands.

BTW the views of the Thai officialdom regarding the advancement of the IT sector is quite well documented particularly on the BOI website and I make inferences from that.

All these problem could have been solved and foreigners would have feel more confident and to work honestly and legally contribute to pay taxes here if they revise and update their policy regarding WP.

Who would be encouraged that for obtaining a WP to do online buisiness you have to go through the whole process of having to invest THB 2m at the same time owning 49% of a buisiness where you are the master, hire a office, pay trade licences and also employ thai at least 3 thais, where as this type of buisiness can be easily done while standing on the pavement with your ipad or sitting in a coffee shop.

No it's not work. And like most of your other statements here, you don't know what you talk about

Can you explain to me why it's not work though?

Better, can you explain to me what the practical difference is, to anyone in Thailand, or to the Thai economy, whether someone's money available to spend in Thailand is earned from a 10% gain in their foreign investment fund, or by a a foreign company selling coconuts to Australia. I doubt you can.

Inversely it is also difficult to explain where the word 'work' starts and where it ends. If washing one's car or doing some volontary domestic work is considered as work there will be always some confusion about knowing when exactly it is illegal and when it is not. I have read in one of the forum of TV that a foreigner owner of a bar was caught working illegally in his own bar because he was sitting and talking to customers, he was considered to be illegally working as entertaining people

Okay, I'm confused.

I understand that any work requires a work permit. But I'd like to reverse the usual sense of the question. I suspect it to be realistic that there are a great many expats living in Thailand earning at least *some* extra money for online activities. For the sake of argument, as it is what I am interested in, let's talk about having ebooks available via Amazon.

Under what "structure" are expats in Thailand doing this? Under what structure can anyone recommend it be done?

Specifically:

1) Are there expats on retirement visas doing this? If so, what is theire real-world risk level for this?

2) Let's say someone is on a work visa for teaching? Obviously this has nothing to do with teaching. But if they were doing this kind of activity in addition, again what is their risk level?

3) Is there a truly legitimate way to do this?

Im also confused about it, because this kind of activity qualified as illegal can be carried any where and anytime ! No need for a proper office, no need for staff, can be done even with a cell phone. On the other hand if Thailand can authorise such buisiness it could be profitable for the country. An updating of some specific kind of work should be done.

It is not an insult at being called a farang, the word itself does not mean so, it simply to distinguish between a foreigner or white western people, in some countries they are called whites (is it an insult? ) in certain places like for example in Reunion - an indian ocean island - they are called "Zoreilles" which means "ears" in english, nobody is offended about being called like that there. In Thailand the word Farang means guava where as french people are called farangse (francais) which has nothing to do with guava.

farang - non-Asian foreigner

This word is believed to have originated as a transliteration of the French pronunciation of the French word "Français." The French were the first group of Westerners to be known amongst the Siamese. ฝรั่ง is now used to refer to any foreign object adopted into Thai culture.

The loanword may have migrated into Thailand and the Thai language by way of 17th century Persian and Indian trade routes—there is a similar Persian loanword which is used to refer to non-Muslims.

This colloquialism is used to refer to a Caucasian or Westerner. The formal word that Thai people use for a foreigner is คนต่างชาติ (person; guy; people; man; human being - foreign; expatriate; alien) . Thai people would consider any Caucasian to be foreigners but they would by no means consider all foreigners to be Caucasians. Asians such as Chinese or Japanese—visiting and living in Thailand are technically foreigners but they would not be referred to as farang

So its in fact fa-rang-tse (franc,ais) which in turn has turned to falang !!!

rejecting passengers in favour of foreign passengers

Many time I have been rejected and I am foreigner.....

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thanks for all the replys. sure is food for thought . my wife already has a small business plan and without too much of a set up cost. and it s a pretty good idea, small but could pay the billls etc. like i said in first post i d always put off the idea of living in thailand once i had kids , but now ive got an inner urge to give it a go and it wont go away. we are not coming to thailand to get rich just live a simple , happy life in a nice house in a nice enviroment. chumphon . or i just forget about it and let the urge go away and be sensible and safe

Dear Boris,

I would like to disagree with some of advice that fellow members from Thai visa stated. First is that Thai international school cost 200,000 per kid.

That is false, you can check at any web site , for example Dara academy.or contact them via email, you have many choices.

Also community schools are not that bad.

Universities, depending if they are private or state can be from 50 000 to 700,000 THB per year, depending on program, location and status.

Its true that you cannot work for Thai company as carpenter, but that doesnt mean you cannot own 49% of firm that is doing carpenters jobs, anyway you are young, which is pretty positive, since you can easy find part time jobs in Australia or New Zealand, Its 6h of flight from Thailand, but you can safe more money, while your children and wife is at thailand, Carpentry jobs are on priority list for skilled immigration. if your wife doesnt have problem with you going abroad to work, I think its much clever than staying in UK,

About building a house, I suggest you to choose location that is in cheaper part of thailand, unless your wife job is related to tourism, then you should choose more "attractive" location.

You have many options, money are solid that you have, but If you are really skilled and good, plus you are young, dont hesitate to combine living in thailand with working in australia,

Even if a foreigner owns a buisiness, he cannot work for the company without a WP, this also depend on what kind of job you apply like management is ok but you must strictly keep to it, you cannot for example be a clerk or driver even if these employees are absent all these kind of jobs are reserved for the Thai.

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"Besides you can get married to a thai have kids, buy property and stay here 100 years, you will still be a foreigner and do your visa just like a tourist, if you are caught washing your car, do your lawn or do some volontary work you can be deported for working without work permit."

Crock of total . More Fearmongering at its best from some disgruntled sexpat who got overcharged for last nights onenighter.

There are 1000's of people who have assimilated here and live very good lives and are treated equally and fairly.

If you are married, have a decent business, you will not do a visa like a tourist. There are 1000's of people who have extended their visa for decades. You can wash your own car, etc. Show me a link to a Thai newspaper that shows any deportation for said offenses. The only time anyone is actually deported is when they commit a crime and usually only felonies not misdemeanors.

There is a limit where you should be considered as being part of the population not like when for example you divorce, you have to leave the country immediately. This open the door to many abuses.

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Thailand is not the right place for anyone to move at this time.

It's getting harder for foreigners to stay here.

It's very hard for most foreigners to earn money here (legally).

The Junta is getting more repressive.

Inflation is runaway.

I can't imagine anyone would want to move here now.

I wish I hadn't (and I'm not a foreigner).

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You have to laugh at all the self-righteous folk on here. I bet they all came to Thailand to see the temples and never thought about the opportunities for easy sex. The guy just fancied a bit on the side like most blokes do. He'll get out of it , just tell her to sod off and if the long termer complains get shut of her too. In Thailand it's best to just use the women for sex and don't fall for the ridiculous thought these women actually love you. They love your money and security it brings them , nothing else and if you believe different then you're just another self deluded mug.
 
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oh-really-owl.jpg
 
Is that judged off all the women you met in bars or just some of them?
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No , i actually mean all of them. It simply isn't possible to have what the average Western man would perceive as love with a Thai woman. They are from a different culture with totally different thoughts to a Western man. They don't have your education , your logic or anything else that's been your way of life in the Western world. Basically you have absolutely nothing in common with these women. You can't freely speak with them about anything that you'd take for granted that everybody knew. How many guys gasp in disbelief how stupid they can be. Try asking what happened to JFK , who was Hitler. , who's Elvis ... Excuse me tilac but just show me France on that Atlas ... Get my drift !!!
 
Now , i'm assuming a very large part of " love " involves deep meaningful conversations , an understanding of each other , a shared joke , a passion for the same things etc etc. You can't have any of this with any Thai woman no matter if she,s a whore or a bank clerk.
 
Well , after taking that out of the equation what's left apart from sexual attraction and that's what it's all about in the first place. Most guys i've met over the last 12 years all seem to have one thing in common. They all appear to have much racier younger models on their arm than what i'd normally see them with back in the West. Nothing wrong with that at all. Why run about with a fat old trout when you can have a much younger beauty who loves you too much.
 
The ironic thing is , many guys delude themselves into thinking their women love them for who they are and not what they have. Sad really but if their happy that's great.
 
Just use them for sex and you'll save yourself a million problems.

 
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Agree with this one,just have a comfort level with mine...period
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Very good and realistic comments, is this going to be served as a guide for others?
Further i have read with lot of emotion how a westerner's married to a Thai wife they have a son. All living since 11 years in Thailand, he is still a foreigner staying on a visa and have to report each 90 days.


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