kanook

By the time people do all their visa hops and going back and forth, assuming you stay in a reasonable hotel and now more than likely have to fly there isn't a great difference in what you are paying.

I did spent three years on Visa exempt stamps .

There and back in a day , just needed to pay for a bus and 300 Baht for the Myanmar Visa

I quite often bought counterfeit goods back with me to fund the trip .

Three years staying for free or the Elite Visa would have cost 300 000 Baht for that duration

That is quite a big difference

Lol I hope this is just a joke. If not you a exactly the type of person they are trying to rid themselves of. Again this has to be a total wind up,

Nope. I got a new passport before I came here in 2010 and I have one tourist visa and the rest of my passport was full with VETs and VETs only , 64 VETs in total, including the VETs in my new passport .

I still have the old passport to prove it .

Lots of us used to do it , there were usually about ten mini buses at the border, all full of VET ers and plus others went on buses.................and cars .

There were about 500 of us doing it a day, everyday

I can confirm luke000's account because I was also exclusively using visa exempt stamps for 2 years up until Aug 2014. Lived in Chiang Rai at the time so it was even cheaper; 50฿ or 60฿ fuel for the motorbike plus $10 U.S to cross into Tachilek. I could be at the border from my door in 30 minutes and if I wanted to take a trip (at any time) somewhere in the region, which I often did, no need to worry about a re-entry permit which would have been necessary with a double entry TV. Suffice to say that even though I think the TE visa is a viable option and would give you peace of mind and less stress, it wouldn't be cheaper than using SETV's from most areas in the country.

Forget it -- I always wondered what I would do if the retirement extension requirements were to change drastically and this METV might be just fine as an alternative. Seems you could get 14 months out of it without going to Thai Immigration for extension of 60 day entries.

How can u get 14 months out of METV?

Your last 60 day entry is one day before your ME one-year visa expires.

The METV is a 6 month visa, impossible to get 14 months stay with it.

This will thin out many very questionable foreigners living and hiding here. It likely in the long term will improve things. Those who have a serious (REAL) relationship with a Thai woman that have not married it could hurt. That is a very small minority. I think its a great idea the only thing i question is the amount in a bank account for six months and the required hotel reservation. That is NUTS!

Very easy to get married and apply for a visa/extension of stay based on marriage.

Not everybody wants to get married, some may not believe in marriage or have been married before and don't fancy doing it again! It seems a bit extreme just to stay in an emerging/third world country...

Not to mention even if you marry, there are other hurdles and still no reasonable path to permanent residency or citizenship.

A government that promotes Prostitution and violence (Saturday and Sunday muay thai on National tv)

Yet bans porn

and the DailyMail website...555

Many digital nomads have moved to Cambodia where the Internet is faster and the visa issues are fewer. If you are coder, you may enjoy spending time in Saigon. Seems to be the best place for coding in Asia. Good luck with Thailand.

faster internet in cambodia? perhaps if you are living under a rock in deepest darkest rural issan, however internet in bangkok puts phnom penh to shamer

Nothing further from the truth.

I have to reload this page 3 times to access server and I am in Bangkapi

Cannot compare the major cities of Thailand with Cambodia, but I'm in Chiang Mai and since I came back in the middle of Sept from Europe I've had nothing but problems with the speed of the internet. I don't want to make it sound like the situation is untenable, and yes at any given time I can test and come close to 20mbps, but it fluctuates so wildly that I find the need to use fibre plus 4G/3G. The speed and service is nowhere near the levels I would prefer.

time to go home boy !!!!!

For US$350 a year, the cost of a multi entry residence visa, Cambodia is home.

Yellowboat, I have heard others refer to it as a business visa. With the visa you mention, are you considered a resident of Cambodia by the Cambodian gov't? Either way, Cambodia is a real option with truly welcoming policies.

Malaysia does METV for foreigners except the usual African list ones

Here is the list, it's what it says on the website

http://www.thaiembassy.org/kualalumpur/contents/files/services-20150909-173935-504463.pdf

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR TOURIST VISA (TR)

Purpose: for Holiday or Vacation

Qualification:

Applicant from any of the listed countries must have Permanent Residence in Malaysia.

Required documents:

1. Original passport valid not less than 6 months with a copy of information page(s).

2. Visa application form duly filled out with one 4x6 cm. sized photograph (white / blue background taken within the past 6 months).

3. Original Letter from employer to certify the employment.

4. Original letter for bank account confirmation from the bank and Bank statement.

5. Confirmed air ticket and hotel booking.

6. Supporting documents, i.e.,

6.1 Letter from the school/college/university certified by authorized school director and affixed by the seal of the school/college/university. or

6.2 Letter from the spouse and copy of marriage certificate and spouse’ identity card.

Visa Fee

Single entry: RM 150 (effective 1 Sept. 2015)

Multiple entries (6-month): RM 750 (effective 13 Nov. 2015)

Gratis: Nationals of Malaysia, Singapore, Rep. of Korea and Tunisia (fee exempted)

MFA informed us their will be no METV in Malaysia for any of our tour clients from Europe if they are not legal resident in Malaysia. We have 10 country branches and it covers Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, China & HK and Japan.

I mentioned it two weeks ago already that METV will only be available for citizens and qualified residents for each country.

Their will also be more changes coming soon for None-Im-ME-O+B and everyone can expect next year to head home if they want one year multiply entry visas for O and B visas but Single Entry will still be issued. By next year the visa mills in Pattaya will be gone

I know, but this is what MFA says as a general rule and as you very well know, each consulate has always adapted these rules to their best suited needs.

Has Vientiane ever asked for 20K for a TR visa ? Non they did not.

Has Bali required hotel booking as Jakarta embassy demanded it? No they accept rental agreements

Has Savannakhet ever asked for funds to get one year non-o based on family,like the other consulates? No they did not.

The list of consulates and embassy that don't strictly apply the rules, and adapt them is endless

I think only you can decide if it is worth the hassle to try to stay here or leave. My opinion is that actions speak louder than words and even though no one from the Thai government has come out to say we don't want digital nomads or self sufficient foreigners living here, the current changes in visa policy couldn't be any clearer(Thai style clarity). Contrast the current policy to what was happening just three years ago and it is very easy to see where we are headed. Check out another thread currently running on TV where the OP talks about an Australian getting a 1 Non O visa for visiting friends in Thailand. I also added this; "A Canadian consulate gave me a Non O for visiting my GF 3 1/2 years ago. The consular officials were actively promoting these visas to travelers at the time. You would walk into the the consular office with the intention of obtaining a tourist visa and the official would immediately ask you if you have a GF in Thailand.." It was that easy just 3 years ago. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/868486-immigrant-o-visa/

He is about 30 years old, not sure if it was O or OA. It was issued in Ausatralia, that's all I know. Sorry, it was not done recently, it was about two years ago, sorry, I suppose that's all been stopped now. It's just that, at the time, I was very surprised.

A Canadian consulate gave me a Non O for visiting my GF 3 1/2 years ago. The consular officials were actively promoting these visas to travelers at the time. You would walk into the the consular office with the intention of obtaining a tourist visa and the official would immediately ask you if you have a GF in Thailand. If you didn't have a GF they would immediately offer a Non B visa. This is a good thread to remind us just how far the pendulum has swung the other way with respect to visas.

4). Erosion of Thainess by cultural long term foreigners staying here

- Possibly, but then this is not a problem being solved, but rather a fear being prevented and would be more similar to the recent stopping alcohol sales rule 300 meters of a school, which is more a moral judgement and not really problem solving.

It's unquestionably #4, and you forgot to include, that Thailand has no social-system / welfare for any of those 'horrible foreigners' to take advantage of. Foreigners of any type - overstayers, back to back'ers, and no matter where they are from - all have to pay for rent, food, medical, everything that benefits an economy. Angry guys here will shout that 'cheap charlies and backpackers aren't needed!', but the xenophobia ushered in a year ago last May had a verifiably huge effect on the economy, and each step like this will continue to. I know partly because of how many Thais I know who run apartment buildings and shops - they've been very anxious since about losing so much of the revenue their businesses had been based on (and decent, hard working Thai people have suffered for it, I know).

The only mistake would be assuming that rationality would be turned to, once anger and paranoia take over. The current goverment is fine with an economy driven back to the dirt, because that means control. And as you say, the less examples of others knowing more freedoms, the better. And, there's no pesky vote to be concerned about anymore, so there's no motivation to conceed anything.

I think you make many valid points. The biggest problem is that it is illegal to talk about those who are really responsible for all the recent changes that have affected foreigners and caused genuine hardship to many Thais. I wish my neck was longer so I could bury my head in the sand like so many others do.

Would anyone have have expected the METV to look like this when they first announced they were considering a 6 month multi entry tourist visa? I fear the rest of us are next on the Thai hit list.

Yeah to think everyone was rejoicing to the coming of METV... where are they now?

You were one of the first to predict where this was going.

And thank you for reminding it !

Although I would have preferred to be wrong...

I wish you were wrong as well and even though I'm on a Non O, I'm definitely not rejoicing at this news.

Would anyone have have expected the METV to look like this when they first announced they were considering a 6 month multi entry tourist visa? I fear the rest of us are next on the Thai hit list.

Yeah to think everyone was rejoicing to the coming of METV... where are they now?

You were one of the first to predict where this was going.

I want a job as a METV officer in Vientiane !

Loads of time on Facebook !

The consular staff in Vientiane will not be happy with this.

It's slightly closer and cheaper to travel to Mae Sai from Chiang Mai. For most nationalities the Lao visa costs between $30 - $42 U.S (some have free visa entry) while you will probably only need a crisp U.S $10 note to enter Myanmar. Crossing into Laos will also burn a whole page in your passport in contrast to a stamp to enter Myanmar.

I opened the file and it does not say residence only. The way I read it says you only need a legal permit to stay in Canada also..

cut from METV file.png

Agreed !

I believe they mean permanent residency OR a legal right to remain.

However, it adds to the impression that this visa will be difficult to obtain outside of ones own country

My take on it is that they mean a legal right to remain in that Country permanently , simply have a tourist visa doesnt give you the right to remain in said Country permanently .

Other than that, they could only mean that people in the Country illegally without a visa cannot apply, and that goes without saying .

Having a visa for a Country doesnt give you the legal right to remain, it can be cancelled at any time

The term 'permit to stay' isn't terminology used by Canadian Immigration, but we do have two classes that they may be referring to; those on a study permit or work permit.

Definitely a change in what was required for a triple entry in the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Edmonton. I have never had to show bank statements, and they usually only require a one way ticket. I am not sure about the residence requirement, but in the past I have seen Russian citizens applying at the Vancouver consulate(they may have had a PR or work visa). My friend just arrived in CM today from Canada with a triple entry from the honorary consulate in Edmonton issued late last week. He arrived here on a one way ticket and wasn't asked for bank statements either so the requirements for the new METV appear to be more strict. It will be interesting to see if the official requirements are actually enforced, especially at the friendly honorary Edmonton consulate.

The visa mentioned by oncearugge, stoneyboy and ubonjoe is the same visa. Many Thai Visa forum members have this exact visa including me, and I would definitely recommend it in your situation (dependent on your nationality).

@ubonjoe

I'd be intresested to know where you got this information from that HMC Thai Embassy is not issuing Non-O ME visas ?

As a Old buddy of mines got his last month ?

Regards

Very interested, when it comes time to apply for another Non Imm O multi-entry next year. If you have time please post a trip report after you apply for the visa.

Was at the embassy this morning for a DE TR. long queue due to the visa groups. I did ask the embassy staff about the METV and was told only for Laotians and those with permanent residence in Laos. She said we could only apply the new METV at our "home" country. Seems like this is the rule set by MFA, Thailand to all Thai Embassies/ Consulates overseas.

Thank you for asking.

Dear Ubonjoe...quick question.. Iam her on single entry tourist visa from Australia..just need another 30 days before heading back to Oz...however my partner has double entry visa and will do border run to Mai Sai..can I go with him to Mai Sai and get an extra 30 days that way or obliged to go to Immigration at Promenada and apply for extension through them? Cheaper doing Mai Sai.

A quick search and you would have found this thread, http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/867369-single-entry-at-mae-sai/, which discusses visa exempt entries at Mae Sai.

Mai Sai is not allowing out/in crossings to get a visa exempt entry.

If you have a valid visa for re-entry you can do it.

They have allowed people In and out but ask for onward plane ticket somewhere.

my friend went a few weeks ago.

sorry no visa no out , i was there last tuesday ; the guy saw my passport and try to found the visa and say no visa ? i say no , he say cannot go , he don't care if i have 20 000 on my book bank or plane ticket

This is exactly why thai006 tried to cross last week; several posters were reporting that they knew someone who was allowed a visa exempt entry. He ended up wasting his time travelling to Mae Sai.

at mae sai , no visa no out , only

go to chiang khong same i did last week , there they let you out and in without anything ask

I told you almost one month ago that you probably woudn't be able to cross. Your response was that you had no problem last November. I assume it didn't work out the way you expected?

Can you tell me why Thailand have retirement Visa but it has to be renewed every Year i dont want any hassle to renew the retirement Visa every year,what happens if you go up to renew the Visa and you get someone having a bad day and refuses to renew it,as i want to Buy a Condo in the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Bangkok as my Idea was to live there permanently and it is not cheap.for i of there Condos.

I agree with oncearugge, take a look at the Thailand Elite program. You seem to be exactly the type of person they had in mind for this program.