Lampang2

The METV is a better visa than 2ETR or 3ETR

It's just the prerequisite that is harder.

They could have hiked prerequisite on 2ETR and 3ETR even if they had not introduced the METV.

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

In that case let's say 20 days on average.

So 20x500=10000 people is the complete stock on circulation?

But need to remove days for when immigration is closed.

5/7 x 10K = 7142

Some people probably is there for other type of visa.

So maybe 5K stock on rotation.

How does that match up to the annual amount of tourists?

Why is proof of employment required? What does that have anything to do with being a tourist? Some people have loads of money already and do not need to work.

A means of determining a person has a good reason to return home.?

Those with "loads of money" can easily resolve their visa "problems" by becoming members of the Thai Elite program.

Funny how Thailand is having all these first world country requirements all of a sudden.... without being a first world country.

I have to say I have a huge problem with a bunch of old men absolutely salivating over the thought of younger people not be able to enjoy the country long term just because they are not over 50 and not on "proper" visa. How absolutely pathetic. Tourist visa has always been a proper visa. It just reeks of jealousy.

As for Elite Visa no questions asked if you have 500k baht.... how open to abuse is this visa to any half serious criminal. Invest 500k baht and you can be on a rampage in Thailand on all kind of illegal activities for 5 years. For example, I heard Chiang Mai is now full of illegal Chinese developers. Easy solution for Chinese. Buy an elite visa and dry the country of resources. Is this happening? I don't know, but it sure as hell is simple enough. That's just one example.

I am also curious with this visa crackdown if we will see any of the folks of certain race selling hardcore drugs in well known touristy spots. I highly doubt it.

Personally, I am getting married and these visa rules will not affect me in any way. I do suspect that all the 50++ sexpats are in for a huge surprise when the immigration targets them next. One of the possible scenarios is putting the age limit higher and doubling the money in the bank from 800k to 1.6m.

Good luck!

So you are so anti Thai you call them third world.

A seriously pathetic reply. Shame on you for playing a race card,

BTW, I am from Serbia with a Canadian citizenship. I would also call my country Serbia third world.

Personally have no problem with Thailand, possibly my post gave a different impression. Term of third world is a shade offensive to me. Possibly not to you. Could care less about your nationality.

Thailand is like an extension to China.

The majority of people in governing positions are of Chinese decent.

Not surprisingly Chinese people runs a bunch of business with or without citizenship in Thailand.

The laws prohibiting you from buying land and running a business is to keep you out of the competition.

Possibly METV will benefit them even more, I would not be surprised.

Thailand no longer wants to play in the bottom league.

Convert your own country into a cheap whorehouse if you think it's a brilliant thing to do.

Submit a petition.

They are in the bottom league for everything else except tourism.

Large groups of thai people are earning good money outside of tourism.

Middle class people.

Tourism will continue, but falang is not the only tourist anymore nor the richest.

I read a lot of people in this thread say that Thailand is doomed without their presence.

Just nonsense.

Thailand no longer wants to play in the bottom league.

Convert your own country into a cheap whorehouse if you think it's a brilliant thing to do.

Submit a petition.

Thailand do not lack ordinary people living ordinary lives.

Thai citizens manage that quite well by themselves.

Thailand clearly wants to snap out of Disneyland mode.

The question now is how many back to back SETV's someone can get.

After a while 2 per running year.

Guesstimate.

thats why i have a chip on my cards

Middle class Asians have more money.

Entrance fee to Disneyland went up.

Edit.

Missed the date on old article.

ok; opinions

who really is this new METV for that can qualify for it?

The only ones that would really be able to use it (backpackers/travelers/ kids on gap years) cant qualify for it.

folks who have jobs and 7000 in the bank. no retired folks need apply

Retired as I am I need 800 KBaht.

A bit more than 7000 USD.

Surely, that's for the Retirement extension, and presumably, you're living in Thailand, rather than being a visiting tourist?

Hardly comparable, wouldn't you agree?

Or retired vs working?

ok; opinions

who really is this new METV for that can qualify for it?

The only ones that would really be able to use it (backpackers/travelers/ kids on gap years) cant qualify for it.

folks who have jobs and 7000 in the bank. no retired folks need apply

A bit more than 7000 USD.

seems we all read English but not all understand it :-)

NOT just for us citizens!!

or a valid visa for the states

I expect they will want the non US citizen to have a visa for work or study to demonstrate a semi-permanence in the US. I doubt a non US citizen with a tourist visa for the US would qualify.

It's a pre stage to citizenship.

Not all of them ever bother being naturalized into citizens.

You need to read the US requirements again. It says a valid visa is acceptable.not just residency. No change there that is what they have wanted before to get visas.

So if valid US visa is acceptable in US, what about valid Cambodian visa to apply in Cambodia for METV. I don't know why it is still unclear :/

It has been the case for a long time that some embassies have different restrictions regarding who may apply for a Thai visa. So it is not surprising that the embassies are now applying different rules for different visas categories.

You may like all the rules for all the embassies to be the same, but they aren't and won't be.

It seems quite likely that embassies that are a long way from Thailand are more likely to allow non residents to apply for more kinds of visa, but each embassy can set its own restrictions.

So the PP embassy that have been issuing visas to non residents for ages can be considered a long way from Thailand?

I guess that you are talking about the Phnom Penh embassy and if so then Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa will only be granted to Cambodian nationals or those with proof of permanent residence in Cambodia.

You may have miss read my post to imply that SETV would not be given near by, that was not my meaning I was talking about METV's probably not being easily available near to Thailand.

Agree that METV will not be given outside your home country.

At least not in a bigger scale.

btw, i dont think thailand is worried about a few thousand or so "farangs" trying to game the system, so they can remain in Thailand

there expecting 7 million Chinese next year :-)

Thailand has always ONLY wanted "real" tourists

and everyone knows who that is and i will bet $$ to donuts there not here on Thai Visa

METV are for Asians on tour in organised groups.

Side effects concerning a subgroup of falangs is just that.

You need to read the US requirements again. It says a valid visa is acceptable.not just residency. No change there that is what they have wanted before to get visas.

So if valid US visa is acceptable in US, what about valid Cambodian visa to apply in Cambodia for METV. I don't know why it is still unclear :/

It has been the case for a long time that some embassies have different restrictions regarding who may apply for a Thai visa. So it is not surprising that the embassies are now applying different rules for different visas categories.

You may like all the rules for all the embassies to be the same, but they aren't and won't be.

It seems quite likely that embassies that are a long way from Thailand are more likely to allow non residents to apply for more kinds of visa, but each embassy can set its own restrictions.

wait an see but although thai's do some stupid things,my guess,

they wont allow loop holes on this.

Loop holes on what. They are doing away with double and tripple entry tv.

Have you information that they will limit the number of tv back to back. Sorry but don't understand the phobia. Thai like most countries do not want people working illegally. Where is the move to restrict consecutive tv. Zero.

Thai official website.

From 2014-July - 3

http://www.thaiembassy.se/minmapp/news%20from%20the%20consular/Announcement_visa%20runners.pdf

Many consulates will issue METV to residents of the country where the consulate resides.

Cambodia will not issue to aliens.

Laos are unlikely to do otherwise.

But we will see.

The METV Will be attainable and many consulates. Just take a chill pill and wait till November 13. What's the fuss

I wish I could buy insurance on that - enough to cover a few flights to Hawaii.

I suspect the consulates who currently offer DE and TE TVs are not releasing information, because they want to prevent a stampede. I hope I am wrong.

Where I live in the UK some land is only ^inches above sea level, I have lived here over 50 years the sea has not risen at all , Maybe becasue we are near the top of the world and the water runs down,,

Your right and Thailand same same because Thailand is above the equator like UK so if Thailand gets too full of water then the water will just trickle down and away easy no problem they call it gravity we're safe lets all have another drink

Unclear if that's the case for UK tough, but could be.

Just had a friend come back from Savannakhet.

Said it was mad!

Foreigners from everywhere, even down south, getting in before the Visa changes.

Long queues, all farangs, hardly any Laos.

So "Panic" has set in ?

The key to any new replacement of double and triple tv with the METV. No one really knows if they will only be issued in your passport country. It's all guess work until the details are finally released. My opinion like most is guess work. I think METV will be available at many consulates. Would be difficult to imagine any sensible alternative.

But METV requires you to show cash.

Also to my understanding METV will not be given back to back.

Time will tell.

Why do they sell a visa giving multiple entries for 6 months, but insist on a return flight reservation within 60 days of the first entry.

i don't believe you 'll must have a return flight within 60 days... it would be a non sense. just a return flight within 6 months should be ok.

antway, a return "open" should also be ok.. and maybe better/careful if you would meet problems (of all sorts) during your stay and must flight back to your origin country in emergency..

Definition of return is exit Thailand by air I assume.

Not necessarily to point of origin.

The vast majority of Cubans complete lack the culinary gene. Though I have been to a few paladars in Havana that served good food, for the most part the food in Cuba is absolutely horrendous. Worse than in the Philippines, buy far. Atrocious. Horrific. Abominable.

I have to agree....this other guy claiming to love it has obviously never been there....

I'm American, so no, I've not been there.

I have eaten Cuban food in Miami and at Cuban restaurants popular with Cuban Americans in other U.S. cities.

I have known Cuban people who migrated to the U.S. and attend parties hosted by them with their home cooked food.

Dudes, that is Cuban food, and it is often quite delicious and tasty.

Oddly, perhaps my favorite dish is rather simple, YUCCA CON MOJO, steamed yucca with the garlic spice sauce. I love yucca.

Cuban black beans cooked by an expert Cuban cook ... heavenly.

The Cubans I knew in the U.S. were certainly not culinary retards ... they were generally PASSIONATE about good food, and not only Cuban food.

I have also traveled in the Dominican Republican where I could tell has a similar food culture as Cuba.

I enjoyed some of the food there, but not as much as the best Cuban food I've had in the U.S.

There is no doubt that Cuba has suffered in recent decades for political/economic reasons so I presume that did impact on the food availability there, perhaps making the food culture degrade.

If the argument is that it's not food served in Cuba then it's not Cuban food, I reject that premise 100 percent.

If people are saying that the Cuban food served IN CUBA is awful, I'll really have to take your word for it.

But Anthony Bourdain recently did a show there, and he seemed to be able to find some wonderful Cuban food IN CUBA, so maybe those who say it all sucked just didn't care enough to FIND IT THERE.

As far as moving there to live, for the food or otherwise, that doesn't really interest me at all. I can see a visit to check out the scene and architecture before the Yankee invasion ruins it all.

Cuban food in Miami, like on la carreta can be said to be cuban food before the revolution sat in.

Very hard to get food that good in Cuba itself.

So what is cuban food then?

You could argue that true cuban food can only be found outside Cuba but that of course breach the very definition.

When I used to stay in Havana, I would rent an apartment in Miramar. Women would come around selling bags of lobster tail, on ice. I once bought a few kilos of it. Sautéed a kilo of lobster, in a wok, with some peppers, onions, garlic, etc. It was spectacularly delicious, and super fresh. A heaping platter of lobster tail! I then cooked up a pot of beans and rice. And invited over several Cuban friends. Half said they loved lobster, and could not wait to have some. The other half said they hated lobster, and asked me if I had any white bread and mayonnaise. Believe it or not, white bread with mayonnaise is considered a sandwich in Cuba. That tells you how atrocious the food is. The choice of that over lobster tail, tells you something else entirely. I have stopped at roadside restaurants, in the countryside, where all they had to eat was white bread with mayonnaise, or french fries. That was all they had! Period. Nothing else!

Bread alone was hard to get by.

Edible that is.

I went every morning to la panadería with the libreta, you would not exactly call it quality bread, 555

Farang teachers will not have problem staying in Thailand.

They just get "married", and head to Savannakhet.

Those who are over 50, will go to Pattaya to get a Non-O based on Retirement, with the "help" of a Visa Agent.

you know immigration is making home visits to surprise "married" couples and interrogate neighbors?

No they're not. Some offices are making home visits, by appointment or with prior warning, as part of the extension of stay application and no neighbours are interrogated. Neighbours are asked to confirm the foreigner lives at the address and sign a statement.

Spread over the country.

Possibly pattaya has not been reached by this yet.