Caldera

One thing you can always rely on is that the U.S. will poison their friends and enemies alike.

1 hour ago, EricTh said:

It's not arbitrary, that was the retirement age for most countries decades ago until they keep raising the age.

 

Now the retirement age is 60 for most countries.

 

Thailand might increase the age later, who knows.

Your numbers are way off, have a look at https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/pensionable-age-and-life-expectancy-1950-2050_5kghq6c6lwhg.pdf

It's also worth pointing out that the minimum age for a Thai "retirement visa" used to be 55, until they LOWERED it to 50.

Most people cannot retire at age 50, and being retired isn't actually a requirement for obtaining a Thai "retirement visa". That age limit is arbitrary and could be changed in any direction. All other things being equal (with regards to the other requirements an applicant needs to meet), why make age a factor at all?

1 hour ago, GeorgeCross said:

if they sold them with 1 year durations instead of 5/20 i bet they would sell a tonne of them

I agree, a 1-year Elite visa for the gap year and sabbatical crowd would sell like sliced bread. Or they could get rid of the minimum age for the Non-OA visa and let anyone in who has the requisite money, health insurance and police clearance. Having a minimum age of 50 years for a "retirement visa" is pretty arbitrary anyway.

4 minutes ago, ExFarang said:

Stuck in Savannakhet

You seem to like busses. There are busses from Savannakhet to Vietnam (and there's a Vietnamese consulate in Savannakhet in case you need a visa for Vietnam), where you could try to apply for a Thai tourist visa. You aren't stuck, but you probably cannot stay in Laos for much longer (two more weeks?).

I think with your history, or relative lack thereof as it were, you would have no trouble to get a SETV in Vietnam. Personally I'd prefer Hanoi over HCMC, but with no previous tourist visa in your passport, I'm quite sure that HCMC would issue one as well.

2 hours ago, eg84 said:

Not sure what you're on about. The immigration officer stamped both my passport and the TM6 with 60 days. According to the immigration officer, she said the visa was valid therefore gave me 60 days. If you feel otherwise, do you have any posts or threads of actual use cases similar to this exact situation or you just spouting opinions with scare tactics of 15k baht penalty? 

At face value, to me it looks as if the IO - mistakenly - considered your tourist visa valid, stamped it "used" and admitted you for 60 days. Or in other words, failed to see that the visa had been voided.

The IO would have to be nearly blind or entirely brainless to fail to notice that, but hey, it's a member of the Thai police farce we're talking about.

But here's the catch:

If you stay for 60 days and if the IO you encounter when exiting the country realizes this, you stand a good chance of being fined for overstay. Never mind that it was a blind or brainless IO who made the mistake when stamping you in - they will simply claim that YOU should have known that your visa is invalid.

Out of curiosity, did you fill in the visa number on the arrival card? Or leave that field blank?

1 minute ago, bbi1 said:

So if you have passive income or investment income then they can't deny you under Section 12.2 because you have appropriate ways of living in Thailand. Correct?

They simply don't make any effort to investigate that properly. Keep in mind that they are members of the Thai police farce, not to be mistaken for real police officers that can be found in other countries.

I've been spending more than half of the year (sometimes much more, sometimes just a bit more) in Thailand since 2007, exclusively on tourist visa and visa exempt entries (plus extensions thereof, more often than not). All things considered, it has been a great time, and I'm happy with my decision not to up the ante by using other kinds of visa.

So far, I've never been questioned or denied by immigration or consular officers, BUT the effort you now have to put in to avoid problematic consulates and entry points has become too high in recent years. As I'm a genuine tourist in the sense that I'm traveling for pleasure and not engaging in work in any shape or form, I value having a leisurely time first and foremost. Playing games with immigration isn't really my idea of having a good time, so I have decided to cut the time spent in Thailand in half starting from next year. I'll spend the rest elsewhere within the region; I don't plan to spend more time "back home" than I used to. For me personally, that's an easy change to make.

For this year I'm all set, I'm stamped in on a SETV until December and I won't even need to extend it before traveling home for Christmas. Another great year - 9 months in Thailand, 2 months exploring Vietnam and the remainder in my home country.

I usually get some VND from SuperRich in Bangkok before flying to Vietnam. Their exchange rate is excellent, so if you have THB in Thailand anyway, that's a good option. I wouldn't take THB to Vietnam, but as said, you could exchange at gold shops. Otherwise I carry USD, simply because it's less bulky. ATM limits differ wildly, typically from 3 million VND to 10 million VND with foreign cards. Lower limits more common than higher limits. I've used Visa debit cards from Thailand for withdrawals occasionally, without any issues.

As for a prepaid SIM card, I'm happy with Viettel. If you want to keep it beyond a short trip, make sure to buy it at a proper shop that registers the SIM card in your own name - passport required. If you plan to throw it away after your trip, no worries, you can even buy a tourist SIM card at the airport.

42 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

But then, to comment on my own post, I guess they would have no way of knowing if the card had credit or was maxed out.

They could get a credit card terminal installed, obtain a payment authorization for 20,000 baht without capturing the payment. That would tell them that the card, at that time, is valid and good for (at least) that amount.

You could argue that would be the Thailand 4.0 way.

Duplicate of a thread already in the news section. I don't buy their propaganda, their numbers are laughable and don't even add up.

I'm curious when they will - once again - claim that they've caught all of the overstayers. Only to find tens of thousands more when the next round of hyped gadgets arrives.

I can recommend Hanoi, it's not a busy consulate and their requirements are more reasonable than HCMC's (surprisingly enough). In particular, they don't require you to provide accommodation details (hotel bookings) for at least half of your stay.

How refreshing, a Thai in a powerful position who speaks the truth.

They probably ask this to establish if an applicant who isn't a U.S. citizen is a bona fide resident of the U.S.

Note that employment isn't really a requirement. You can show proof of being self-employed or a student instead.

48 minutes ago, yogavnture said:

i have never been asked to show 20k baht in cash before .  nobody carrys that on their person.  if i were ever asked how could i prove it . should i bring a copy of my foreign bank acct balance?

If and when they ask, you need to show cash or travelers checks. It's a silly rule but an official one, not one they've made up.

I wouldn't say nobody carries that amount, ultimately some people prefer to carry cash while others prefer cards. I would have (a bit) more than that with me, in cash, even if they didn't have that retarded rule. It doesn't need to be in Thai baht, if that's your concern. Personally, I think $1000 in crisp $100 notes is a good emergency stash for traveling around in the region. Add some smaller notes in local currency for taxi and snacks at the airport, not too much to carry around and you come well prepared.

1 hour ago, orchis said:

I chose Chiangmai on purpose.

Good move.

10 hours ago, aldriglikvid said:

The Girlfriend question, should i've replied yes or no? 

Do you have a girlfriend?

You replied no, so let's assume you don't have a Thai girlfriend. If you had replied yes, there's a chance they would have wanted to talk to her on the phone.

Best to answer truthfully, I'd say.

21 hours ago, dinsdale said:

SuperRich. Best rates.

Right. Now we need SuperRich to follow suit, I'd like to see such a machine with their excellent exchange rates.

2 hours ago, TWWT said:

I'm thinking of going to Thai immigration to see about the "Denied Applicant has entered Thailand frequently..." stamp (if I get in). Although, I don't know if they can contest the decision of another embassy/consular, even if it's false. Anyone know if there's any chance it could be rescinded (or get a letter or something)?

As others have said, just let it go. With Thai officials, you can shop around, but there are no refunds, if you get my drift. Focus on getting back first and then get a new passport.

3 hours ago, POMRAKSIAM said:

If you love Thailand and do not want to be 86'd for life. I would borrow money and get education visa before entering the country or immediately after entering if you get lucky and they let you in now. Thai IO see a DENIED stamp and boom it's over! Each and every time. Same as being blacklisted. A person with a 30 day blacklist is blacklisted for ever! Thai's see denied, then they do same. You can negate the problem by finding a company to do it for you with Ed Visa.

That's nonsense from start to finish. Quite a feat.