Caldera

It was nice while it lasted.

Many people probably wished he had stayed abroad, as far away from the troughs of Thailand as possible. No such luck though.

Fair enough, I've never had such a card myself. Great to hear that the option exists.

Why do you assume that people who don't have a Thai bank account have only a single foreign debit card and that their whole life depends on it? That would be irresponsible, alright, but I don't know anyone in that situation. It's a completely unrealistic horror scenario. Same with Thai cards. I have several and take at least two of them along when I travel abroad. Even though I usually don't use my Thai cards abroad. It just gives me more options if and when I need them.

The denied extension (7 days grace period to leave) won't cause you any issues later on. Much better than going on overstay.

No clarification is required. There aren't any special tax rules for DTV holders, they are liable to pay tax just like anyone else.

That would be a surprisingly low number, considering the "free for all" nature of this visa. If that's really true, Thailand seems to have lost much of its appeal for digital nomads, beyond the question of visas.

I think the strong baht in combination with China flooding the world markets with cheap products across all major industries is quite an explosive package for Thailand, already not blessed with a particularly productive workforce or competitive companies. It has the potential to seriously cripple Thailand's exports, and the icing on the cake is that tourism will also suffer as a holiday in Thailand has already become quite a bit more expensive for many.

I know a few foreigners who reside in Thailand and who neither want nor need a Thai bank account. I think that's fine and it's ridiculous to criticize their personal choice. They all have means and ways to access funds when needed, and it really isn't rocket science. Would I want to do it, personally? No, I like the convenience of QR code payments, free cardless ATM withdrawals and debit cards in the local currency for hotel bookings etc. All that requires having a Thai bank account. But that's the thing, anyone who lives here and wants any of that can and will open a Thai bank account. Without being told by strangers on the internet that they need one.

Most street food probably isn't healthy. Too oily, too much sugar, using the cheapest ingredients possible. Then there's unhealthy carbs, especially white rice.

If you don't mind the horrible air quality, you can just as well live in Bangkok, without the boredom that Chiang Mai offers. I think it lost most of its appeal.

Okay, and how is that relevant to this particular topic?

I've heard that some people have more than just one ATM card. Just a rumor though. Seriously though, we don't even know if that guy is in Thailand year-round. For all we know, he might fly back every 1-2 months and carry cash.

That has NEVER been a requirement when using an embassy letter. You've made that up, or you've mixed it up with what those from the three countries whose embassies ceased to issue income confirmation letters have to do nowadays. In other words, your post is complete nonsense.

Let's just say there's a reason why they remind us of this so often.

Seems to be getting worse year after year.

I don't get why there's even a discussion. There are no special tax provisions for the Elite visa in place, and there have never been any. The normal rules apply without exception.

Requiring a TM30 receipt instead of TM47 sounds like the sensible thing to do, and in line with what many other IOs have been doing. Hopefully that will stick.

What's the going rate for an agent-assisted DTV in Savannakhet? If it's "not cheap" as you say, I'd imagine it's a bit different from visa run companies taking people to Savannakhet for other visas. With those visa runs, applicants essentially need to qualify for the visa on their own.

There were clowns posting similar comments 15+ years ago. If anything, corruption within immigration has gotten worse (or, if you want, more prevalent) since. Either you're a new arrival or entirely clueless.

You might need to contact a visa agent for the expedited service. I don't know about Chiang Mai specifically, but some IOs are more reluctant than others to accept bribes from walk-in foreigners directly. There's always a risk that someone who's later unhappy that่ they had to pay 500 baht will write a nasty Google review besmirching the otherwise stellar reputation of Thai immigration.

That would be a good week to avoid Bangkok, then...

The only surprise, after reading the headline, was that this didn't happen where this kind of thing usually tends to happen - in Pattaya.

That doesn't surprise me at all, starting to roll this out in peak season would have been madness. Some damage has been done though, as some foreign media have reported on this slightly distorted (along the lines of Thailand getting rid of visa exempt entries, as pre-approval will be required for travel).

Let's see if she will even still be in office when the law becomes effective in January.