jgold

I also got rejected in Ho Chi Minh because I had a 2 tourist visas in my passport. If you want to stay in Thailand start looking for a long term solution rather than keep kicking the can down the road. It is a painful reminder every time I had to go to immigration to extend my ed visa. I would follow DerekMarshall advice. I rather save the money and learn on my own. 

1 minute ago, FritsSikkink said:

passport change doesn't help you at all

It does help somewhat. If you give immigration a passport with no visas you have much less chances of coming under scrutiny. Of course they can link all the passports but the immigration officer sometimes is too lazy or too busy to look into it.

They can see at the immigration at airport BUT when you give them a passport with no thai visas you have much less chances of coming under scrutiny. Best to take a break in the neighboring countries like Cambo or Vietnam. Very easy to stay in Vietnam right now. 

truth is it is getting harder and harder to live in Thailand for the under 50, I nearly got denied entry and I had an ed visa and a re-entry permit when I got into Thailand 7 months ago.  Now you have to change passports more often and not let visas accumulate. 

I am in Ho Chi Minh now, much much easier to stay here on tourist visas. Not as good as Thailand but things are changing fast here.

51 minutes ago, BKKBodhisattva said:

Comparing apples and pears

 

Why should they give farangs an advantage over their own people?

 

That's the same question I have for my government. I am not from a developed country, not US or EU. We are considered third world and still we offer Thais opportunities that are not offered to us here. 

Just because a few Thais can afford is not an excuse, they have a right and Thais don't offer the same rights to us.

I tell you if every british, US and Australian expat jam their embassy email and phone lines they would put pressure to loosen some policies here. 

I constantly read about foreigners complaining about the way we are treated here be it for immigration, business or simply buying a house.

If you think you are being treated unfairly write an email to your embassador, only they have the power to put some pressure in the Thai government if you want change.

I constantly hear about not being able to fully own a business or buy a house under your name. If your country extend these rights to Thai people and enough people complain they will start to think and hopefully say "hey this is not fair". 

Thai people come to your country and we let them buy land, own a business, right to work if they marry and citizenship after 4 yrs. 

Do you get the same treatment here?? 

I have been living here 15 yrs now and honestly I think the junta is stirring up anti-foreign sentiment among Thais. I am not talking about tourists, I am talking about foreigners who live here and do business here. Since the military took power I sense the sentiment against foreigners got stronger. When Thaksin was in the prime minister you could even buy land if you had elite visa among other things that were tolerated back then and now are not. When will Thailand welcome foreign residents, not only tourists? Each has their own opinion about red shirts and yellow shirts BUT which one is more welcoming of foreigners? I am a foreigner and I care about my interests just like anyone should if they own property here or settled here. 

Great dude!! Wish you best of luck. But don't push your luck. Change that passport before you come under scrutiny by the immigration at airport. Yes they can link all your passports including the old one BUT they don't look most of the times when they see a new passport.

Another thing at one point the computer will flag you so be prepared for when that day comes. I lived there on a mix of tourist visas and ed visas for 5 yrs. Now I am in Saigon cooling off for 6 months before I return because I was flagged last time I went in, I was dumb to let my passport fill up with Thai stamps and visas.

This is a hard decision. I was in your shoes before in a different country so I know exactly what you are going through, 18 yrs so about the same time. Lucky you this is not America and you might have a slight chance, if you speak Thai a bit bigger chance. 

You really have to think your options on this one. What happens if you go back to your country and how can you not have a problem of overstaying again in the future. It is getting much harder for the under 50 crowd to stay here. Vietnam is getting better and lots of the under 50 yrs old people who could not stay here moved there.

Best advise here is go to the airport pay the fine and beg beg and beg for mercy. Thais do have a good heart and might not ban you. BUT be prepared to give it all up if they don't. It is a very difficult decision, stay illegally forever or take a chance. 

If you speak Thai and have some kind of roots in Thailand they might feel sorry for you and let it slide. I think I would try Don Muang instead of Suvarnabhumi.  Take photos of your family here to show them. 

I know someone who can cancel the ban in Pattaya but I always heard it is very expensive. If it fails you can go back to your country work hard to save money to "pay off" your ban

Poipet is probably the worst border to cross into Thailand. Even if you had a visa you might have been turned away and told to fly in.

It is just not possible to live in Thailand anymore on tourist visas. Doing many visa extensions raises a flag w immigration. I rather do a visa run than an extension. I ran out of luck after 4.5 yrs. I had an ed visa w a re-entry permit and only got let in after I paid off the supervisor at suvarnabumi. I am now taking a 6 month break and will only live there again on a elite visa.

It is just humiliating being taken aside at the airport immigration. This 3rd world country all of a sudden thinks of itself being the likes of US or UK.

Have a back up plan!! In Vietnam americans get a 1yr multiple entry for under 150 bucks. Not as good as Thailand but if you want to stay in the area it is a good option. Good luck!

One last advice is to stay away from the poipet border!! there are many posts here and everyone says it is to be avoided. Go to the borders w Laos.

I think if a lot of people started protesting and sending emails to their embassy something might be done. 

My country lets Thais marry and get a citizenship within 3 yrs, buy land, own a business and many privileges our citizens do not get here.

If every expat in Thailand would raise this with their perspective embassy this would get them to start talking about it and maybe go to the Thai government and say 'Hey this is not fair".

Taiwan for example has a law that lets foreigners own land ONLY if the country of the foreigner lets Taiwanese citizens buy land there too. 

I was in the same situation as you so I decided to go to Saigon, they flat out denied me because they said I had an ed visa already so I had to fly to Vientiane and did it there. It was my second Ed visa.

I would go for Vientiane BUT try to get a new passport done in BKK. If I had a clean passport I would have been granted a visa in Saigon. I made the mistake of letting visas accumulate in my passport and it caused me problems.

Citizens from these countries don't need a visa and can stay up to 15 days

* - required to hold a passport valid for at least 6 months from date of departure from Vietnam, at least 30 days must have passed since last leaving Vietnam, and required to show a printout (computer/mobile screen not acceptable) of a flight ticket to a third country. For British passport holders, only holders of British citizen passports are eligible.

It is a lot cheaper to get the entry permit letter online with agencies  and get the visa on arrival than to do it at the embassy. You were not swindled just costs more doing at the embassy.

I have been to VT 3 times and the agencies are very reliable. Every expat in Vietnam knows going to embassies is more expansive and everyone living here goes with the agencies using the letter. 

Next time you need it get a visa go on facebook and look for expat group in Ho Chi Minh and ask about visa agency there. You will get tons of reliable recommendations.

You could have gotten a 6 month visa for the same price they charge at the embassy.

"" I feel this is not normal for a 21 yr old to be staying rent free food free All Free with his aunt... ""

You are forgetting you are also a guest there. How about you putting some money together and buying your own place for you and your new family. After all it looks worse a grown up men to be living in the gf's aunts house than a 21 yr old doesn't it????

Thank you ubonjoe! You are the most valuable member in this whole website!

Hello,

I am aware the minimum investment to qualify for an investor visa is 10 million baht. What if I am married, will my spouse be granted if I apply for this type of visa?

Another question I have is can I apply for residency under this visa? Is it 3 or 4 yrs later?

Thank you !!

Yes, I told them I get monthly payment from an apartment rental back home. My gf got stopped and taken aside for the 3rd time this time.

We are fed up and I am packing my stuff as I type this. We are moving to HCMC since they have a much more friendly visa policy. Staying here if you are under 50 is a hassle. Getting extorted at the airport is not a good feeling. 

Ok here are the details. I have been here over 4 yrs, I just got a second Ed visa 2 months ago, and the previous visas was a mix of tourist visas and the in/out in Poipet years ago. I had a re-entry permit as well.

It was a Thai Airways flight from HCMC.

IO looked at my passport and called supervisor, first words out of his mouth was about the Pro Language ed visa I had on a previous passport 2 yrs ago.

Got taken to a desk and they started writing down all my stays here, counting the duration of every stay.

Supervisor asked me many times how come I haven't been back to my country and then asked if I owned a condo here and where I was staying. Everything was written in the arrival card I handed to her. 

Not once she mention the possibility of me working me, which I don't. Asked if I had any books or school ID from my school, I told her that I don't take books and school ID when I travel. 

It was almost midnight and there was no more flights arriving.

I started to wonder what the hell she wants w me because she was holding me for 3 hours and not saying she would let me pass or not. 

She asked if I knew any thais here, had a thai gf, asked the number to call the school (it was almost midnight) so she can call and verify the information.

I gave her a number of a thai person I know, she called him and there was an "agreement".

They hung up and I was let go. 

I was coming back from a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, I had a re-entry permit and was on an ed visa and my gf too. We both got pulled aside, she was let go quickly, I got questioned for 3 hours and I was let go because of an "agreement" I cannot talk about here. Immigration officer was talking about Pro Language which was my old ed visa I got almost 2 yrs ago. 

I am moving to HCMC so the timing is about right. 

Thanks for all the feedback on my "thai bashing" I will carefully give a lot of thoughts and reflect on the comments of those who said I am "thai bashing", I deeply care a lot about the opinions all the members in this forum. Lastly I mentioned it is stupid to change your name because of the opinion of a phychic, not being Thai.

I knew this Thai gf and I noticed she change her name on facebook. My first thought was she probably married but then I noticed she changed her first name as well so I thought maybe she is trying to hide from someone. I asked her best friend what's the reason behind and she told me she went to a psychic and she was told to change her name for better luck. No need to say more, I was appalled and thought this was a 1 of stupidity that I would not possibly ever see again.

To my surprise I met another thai women who also changed her name and I asked her what the reason behind and she told me it was also on a psychic recommendation because bad things kept happening to her so the psychic told her to change her name to change her luck.

And I thought I would not see something as absurd as the luk thep doll trend BS.

I am curious to know if the 6 entries are counted for 1 yr since the first entry so they are re-set on january 1st.