Ronuk

It looks to be going to get more difficult.

The bad element continue to make it hard for those that want to do it the correct and legal way.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/934037-marriage-visa-crackdown-immigration-officers-who-demand-extra-fees-to-face-criminal-charges/#entry10994069

I may be a candidate, but to be honest, I have been told a lot of B- -sh-t by "salesmen " in my life who got a commission for their "service".

So, please understand, I will be a "hard sell".

One question, if I do buy, and I want to travel around Southeast Asia, how many times can I leave Thailand for a trip to another country in Asia each year.

I would like to hear "unlimited trips" as the answer.

And, yes, I know about exit re-entry permits.

You can leave Thailand as many times as you want....Every other day if you want too and just re-enter again. You will get a full years stamp in your passport every time you re-enter the Kingdom. You will also not be needing to do any re entry permits. You still need to do 90 day reports if you are in the Kingdom for 90 days without leaving.

Do you know if it's French passport control or British in Calais ? If it's French then she should not have a issue, at a guess there just check to make sure she has a uk visa.

In all honesty, if they was going to have a problem, they would have it anyway be they British or French I/O. They are checking entitlements for people coming to the UK and well versed as to what is required. The majority of times, if they saw British number plates you just held up your passport, they see it is British and they never checked. That may of changed though. Remember, you have already come through the ticketing area before you get to passport control anyway.

Another little tip. If they are travelling around Europe and have intentions of going to Southern Ireland, Thai passport holders need a Visa. A UK Visa isn't accepted in Southern Ireland. They are easily available on the day though at the Irish Embassy in London.

Do you know if it's French passport control or British in Calais ? If it's French then she should not have a issue, at a guess there just check to make sure she has a uk visa.

I haven't been through for a while but I recall them being British I/O leaving France because it's essentially British Territory due to the Bi Lateral agreement.

It's done the way it is so as not to cause hold ups to traffic leaving the Port on the arrival side. There are big delays though on the French side at the moment with strict passport checks due to the 3 month extension France has implemented of the heightened security measures. The delays are in the region of 3 hours according to news reports.

We did the same trip about 18 months ago and I'm sure we did not show our passports at Dover, as my wife has a British passport it would not have mattered but how would they know.

The Passport control coming in to the UK is in Calais. Travelling in to Calais, the passport control is in Dover. No passports are checked in the country you have entered. You drive directly off the boat (Calais) or the train (Ashford) or and are away unless customs stop you.

I've not looked on the London Embassy site for a while but I'm pretty certain they say to allow 10 working days. The turn around is much quicker normally but you was cutting it fine!

Plenty pulled to one side Sunday evening when I flew in. That had return tickets and money but I/O never liked the fact they had no visa and the the return flights were over 30 days in advance. People being told to get visas and not being allowed to do extensions or visa runs. People being told they had done too many in the past, particularly to Laos. I have no idea what the out come was as I was through and on my way.

Any Health Insurance for 10,000 bht a year, won't be worth the paper it's printed on. Get a copy of the terms and conditions, take it home and read it thoroughly. A decent and proper Insurance will cost you in the region of 10,000 bht a month more if you want cover for all eventualities depending on your age. Remember that a lot of Thai policies want you pay and claim back. The better policies will pay the Hospital and Doctors direct.
I like AXA PPA but it isn't cheap at 150,000 bht a year at 58 yrs old but you also covered world wide (except the USA) as well as Thailand.

This is interesting. It looks as if foreigners will be excluded though.

http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/227086/sole-foreigners-barred-running-business-thailand/

Since viewing TV in Google chrome browser, it is running fast and smooth with no issues whatsoever.

Can anyone confirm or deny the statement that units bought under the foreign quota (I'm assuming that's the 49%?) can only be purchased for personal dwelling? And does that mean the personal dwelling of the owner only- i.e., not for rent to others?That would put quite a wet blanket on some of my foreign coworkers who own multiple condos for rental income...

Or they simply allow there wifes to buy them problem solved and no not your money gift you give your wife which I belive is allowed.

Your 'Wife' will need to prove the money came from her own right and not 'Gifted' from outside of Thailand.

Not really. If it is a condo you can give it as a present to your wife. Just done it last week with one of my studio's on Sathorn.

I was referring to the previous poster who suggested giving the money to his wife to then purchase the condo to rent out. Whether or not 'Gifting' your wife a previously bought Condo is legally binding, I wouldn't know. If it has been in your possession for a while, I would see as being OK (But I have no idea regarding the law) giving your wife money to then purchase the condo with Foreign earned income as an investment I think would cause an inquiry if it came to light.

Can anyone confirm or deny the statement that units bought under the foreign quota (I'm assuming that's the 49%?) can only be purchased for personal dwelling? And does that mean the personal dwelling of the owner only- i.e., not for rent to others?That would put quite a wet blanket on some of my foreign coworkers who own multiple condos for rental income...

Or they simply allow there wifes to buy them problem solved and no not your money gift you give your wife which I belive is allowed.

Your 'Wife' will need to prove the money came from her own right and not 'Gifted' from outside of Thailand.

Desi this apply to the whole of Thailand or ONLY PHUKET????

The whole of Thailand.

I think it's safe to assume that this new law will not help to boost the sales of new condo units. Most condo owners who do not live there would like to rent out .

It is not a new Law. It has always been illegal to earn an income in Thailand and not be in possession of a work permit. They are just applying the law which has always been there. You cannot just do what you like here anymore and in my mind, that is fair enough. Just the same as they are coming down on Tourist Visas being used to live in the country on a full time basis. It's all coming to an end.

where does it say they are applying the work permit law in regards to condo rentals?

'Units under Foreign quota'. It isn't hard to understand. It also isn't hard to understand that you MUST have a WP to earn or receive any income derived in Thailand. At the end of the day it's up to owners how they see it and how they want to proceed. Work permit or not, it's illegal anyway for a non Thai National to rent a Condo out. The Law states they are only sold for personal use.

So, a foreign Phuket condo owner is sitting in their house in the UK, Europe, America etc, and places their condo on AirBnB.

A tourists books the condo for 2 weeks, and forwards AirBnB payment.

AirBnB forward payment to the condo owner's foreign bank account, minus commission, and the foreign condo owner is "working" in Thailand and needs a work permit.

Thailand continues to embarrass itself on the world stage.

Cant see how he can control nightly rentals on Air BNB. You need to be there to welcome them , give them keys and help with tourist questions , these people are needy. I used to rent a place out in Bangkok monthly only and that was a pain the arse and I was in the country! No way he will be using Air BNB from OS. He would be looking for minimum 1 year rental and an agent to manage busted air con unit or fridge etc

From what I have read, many condo owners doing this use the services of the onsite property manager (Thai) to arrange handing over the keys and cleaning the room, and/or, an agent (Thai).

The property managers and agents have full knowledge of what is going on.

If so, bye bye foreign property investors.

What does that do to the value of properties on Phuket?

It makes them virtually worthless in a market that already had barely a pulse. Many foreigners who purchased condos, town houses or villas who no longer reside in them for any number of reasons really have no choice but to rent them out in order to re-coup the yearly payments and maintenance costs which can be quite substantial. This move to enforce the law will cripple the property market completely and the knock on affect is going to have a serious impact on Phuket. There are thousands of people employed by these places. If the hotels think this will increase their bookings I think they are sadly mistaken as the people choosing the alternates to hotels will not be booking their next holiday at a hotel in Phuket because their usual accommodation is not available. They were coming because those options were available! As fewer people come to Phuket so all the other services will suffer and begin to shut down thus not giving the place the vibe it once had. This will snowball and as each sucessive high season passes the effects of this will begin to show. I suspect Patong will see the biggest change from this. They have already lost half of Jung Ceylon, this is just another nail. What they should be doing is allowing condo owners to register and comply with safety etc and pay the necessary taxes etc. This would be the most sensible thing to do and everyone wins including the hotels but they won't think so until they realise shutting all these places down will actually be their undoing.

It is country wide, not just Phuket.

I think it's safe to assume that this new law will not help to boost the sales of new condo units. Most condo owners who do not live there would like to rent out .

It is not a new Law. It has always been illegal to earn an income in Thailand and not be in possession of a work permit. They are just applying the law which has always been there. You cannot just do what you like here anymore and in my mind, that is fair enough. Just the same as they are coming down on Tourist Visas being used to live in the country on a full time basis. It's all coming to an end.

True. But only FAIR enough IF you could actually GET a WP. In this instance you can't get one for purely renting out your own property. It's the same as the many online internet workers be they call centre, teachers etc.. no WP exists that an individual can get without a Thai registered company backing them.

The same as many other countries in the world where work permits are required for foreign nationals. Thailand have decided it's time to catch up. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't see anything wrong with it quite honestly.

Easy to bypass, use a agent...small fee, but worth it. They have licenses.

Not good advice. The 'Owner' would still be the recipient of the funds. Not a good idea unless you want money Laundering added to the mix?

I think it's safe to assume that this new law will not help to boost the sales of new condo units. Most condo owners who do not live there would like to rent out .

It is not a new Law. It has always been illegal to earn an income in Thailand and not be in possession of a work permit. They are just applying the law which has always been there. You cannot just do what you like here anymore and in my mind, that is fair enough. Just the same as they are coming down on Tourist Visas being used to live in the country on a full time basis. It's all coming to an end.

Total and utter nonsense, send me a message if you are an owner in Phuket.

Not only Phuket so how do you see this as utter nonsense? Renting out your Condo or other property is an 'Income'. You 100% need a work permit and be registered as a Thai Company. As for not being in the country and renting your property out, that makes it no better, just worse. Times are a changing. Be prepared to lose the lot because that's how it works here.

A source tells me over 30 people are under investigation in Hua Hin for owning houses they actually live in and not even renting them out. The days of simply making a Thai Company just to buy a house are over.

''It is not only the authorities in Phuket which have issued warnings to property owners about renting out their condos illegally.

In May, local government officials raided residential villas and condos in Pranburi, south of Hua Hin, which were suspected of renting out rooms and operating without a hotel license''.

Thank you anotheruser for the information your finding out. TE members appreciate it.

You should know by now how the Haters hate the TE program and how easy we live and travel to and from LOS.

They would love to see it stopped as they need fresh blood on them 12hr minibus visa runs and the stimulating conversation of how they saved 32bt by shopping in 7/11

Well, there are faults on both sides. Some of those who 'hate' TE are irrational. And some of those who hate the haters have some grave misconceptions. Such as the continuous impression that those who do not choose TE must be poor or cheap and will endure any levels of uncomfort to save a few baht.

That's simply not the case.

Also, it could simply be pointed out that those who have TE are too poor to get investment visas or fly chartered planes.

I encourage discussions on TE that are fair from *both* sides (those who have and those who do not have). But jumping to the position of 'If you don't have it you must be poor' is not a very contributive stance.

And given that this is Thailand, its also useful to understand the true costs and reasons behind the TE visa versus other options, and trying to understand the rationale behind those decisions.

It is a fair point, especially in this thread, to understand the privileges afforded to TE members especially beyond the PE aspect and to frame that into the context of its cost.

For example, you could purchase 10M THB 30-Year bond with about 2.5% return (enough to cover inflation). This would also mean after 5 or 20 years you could sell back the bond and get your original 10M back. Since this would grant you a visa it would actually have a total net cost less than a TE visa.

Of course, for those who can not afford to invest 10M into Thailand there is the TE visa option.

All very good information and a further choice to stay long term in Thailand. Is a long term Bond for me? No. Can I afford it? Yes, very easily. Would I knock anybody for choosing that option? No, up to them. Fact is, I see the TE Program as doing what I want it to do for me. I don't see it as being expensive but I do it see it as an easy way to live with no hassle and no problems. Good luck to the Visa runners if that is how they choose to live but again, it isn't for me but don't knock the program at every given opportunity for sake of doing it. I pay my money and I am sorted. That's how I like to roll.

How is that answer remotely helpful in any way?

I just answered what you was asking. Sorry if it isn't what you wanted to hear. I have no idea what else I could of said regarding your question?