dsfbrit
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Posts posted by dsfbrit
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Y'know, I don't really understand all the new regulations but I do understand the reasons why.
I came to Thailand for a course and ended up staying for one year to be with the Singapore woman I met while there. We travelled a lot out of the country, but over the year I ended up making about four 'visa runs.'
During those runs, and also during my sojourns to Kho San Road and countless other locals in Thailand, I met a lot of scumbags.
Call a spade a spade, already. Some people are in Thailand for legitimate reasons and many are there just to party their face off and many are there to sqaunder their lives away in cheap and pathetic ways from dubious means.
<deleted> em ... they are sh**. No human values and their resumes (if they have one) read like crap.
I live within the law whereever I am. If the law says this then I adjust. I am a busineesman. I use whatever the system says I can use. I'm glad this happened after I left, but it doesn't change what my goals where - which was to be with the woman I loved. We will manage no matter where and what is thrown at us. Now we are in China. The business rules are simple: if you do legitimate business through a legitimate company you are welcome.
Thailand is putting itself out of the business-hub and that's fine. Couldn't get anything done of any substance in any amount of time anyway. They can't even determine the difference between shipping and receiving without a sh*tload of tea money. China moves in a raw form, Singapore takes it up to a higher standard.
So business goes where it goes and legitimate-whatvever can stay wherever they want. It's all the 'have-nots' and 'permanent tourists' who seem to have a problem. ...like it matters if they are farting around in Thailand or Myanmar or Phillipines...really: it's the price of plane, train, bus, or overland ticket.
The permanent 'wanna-stays' just don't want to put their case to immigration. They want anonymity and I don't blame them. There is no humanitarian reason for staying in Thailand unless you are a refugee. But you are farang: no matter what country you are in unless you are in your own. Take a powder. You are in self-exile. You have no 'rights.' Put your heart on your sleeve and jump borders into Cambodia, Laos, ...the other worlds than the ones that offer you the comforts you love so much. Think about how much it would take to live in Disneyland - with an xxx twist - for the rest of your life., and then ask yourself 'what the hel_l am I doing?'
Thailand isn't f**ked up. Immigration isn't f**ked up. The majority of cling-ons are f**ked up.
Sure I used the system to stay there for my own reasons. But it nothing to do with exploiting poor ol' little Thailand; it had to do with what I wanted and what I was willing to do to get it. Now that I have it I couldn't care less what happens to all the others who are bending the rules to do the same.
It would make sense for Thailand to have a 'humanitarian' approach to a case-by-case basis - at least for consultation (I was advised to 'not attempt a non-married appeal' and do the bus runs). Then they might grow up.
In the meantime, Thailand really does need to put a stamp on all the sh*tholes being created through the existing process. The moral and ethical decay of the country as a whole is threatened by the drug and sex industries. I don't decry a little fun, but c'mon folks: everywhere you go someone is selling or buying something that none of us want on our own street whereever we live. We want this freedom sure, but Thailand is turning out to be crap on crap country where relatively nice, easy-going people are being trained like dogs to play outrageous games and guile to suckor strange animals out of their filthy lucre.
Defend how you may; I don't see or hear a lot of people saying they are leaving. There are better cliimes and other places in the world. If you don't like it get up and move. I left because I prefer China for the culture, people, and it is the place where things are really happening. Most of those stuck in Thailand are there because it offers them a little bit of home with all the things they can't have at home and they have no imagination to go anyplace else.
It's a simple place for simple people....which is why it's a nice place to visit. But it's not likely I will live there again.
Maybe if they incorporate law for all that applies to all... but till then, not likely.
Good luck to you other poor bastards and cheers to all of you who are there for legitimate reasons (you know who you are and so does immigration).
zaijian...
(and, of course, I'm just ranting at you the same way so many rant at me for my circumstance(s) so take if with a grain of salt will ya...)
'Most of those stuck in Thailand are there because it offers them a little bit of home with all the things they can't have at home and they have no imagination to go anyplace else.'
You are entitled to your opinion - fair enough. Are you sure you are not missing Thailand and the Thai way of life and weather more than you admit. After all, I notice you are a Senior Member with nearly 150 posts and you still log into this forum and post comments. Perhaps you could get involved with a Forum similar to this in China now you live there - if the Chinese government allows them that is. By the way whats the weather like today over in China - over here its a bit cloudy but should be lovely and hot and sunny later.
all the best dsfbrit
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I think the rules did need changing but the goverment has gone about it the wrong way. The investment visa removal as one example plain stupid.
I think the goverment does need to keep criminals and other persons of questionable character out of the country. I really dont fancy having the place overrun with Chinese mafia etc. They are alot harder to spot than us Europeans. I would not mind being subject to a background and criminal record check to get a visa its just this stay 90 days leave 90 days. I have also heard that 1 entry counts as a month. What about the backpackers and, dont forget buisness people. If they need to come to thailand for investment meetings, what they can only come in 3 times in a 6 month period. I hope I have been miss informed about this rule cos, its stupid.
To be honest it does take the p out of the rules when you are doing visa runs every month ( I am also guilty of this as I am a visa runner ) Did not want to get married, not over 50, never heard of the investment visa until now opps 2 late on that 1 lol. Have heard about this multi 0 visa but dont really know a thing about it. I am looking into it.
I suppose we only have our selfs to blame, I have heard that alot of people have made official complaints about having to go on visa runs (duh) if half of us got the correct visa's. Then maybe this action would not have been taken. We also have to remember that we are not privy to all the information which the Thai goverment had when making this decision. Maybe they have big problems with criminal gangs from abroad. Maybe there 2 many illegal workers. I mean who really knows what they are trying to achive.
Between the tunsinami, bombings in the south, the new years murder ( uk backpacker on samui ) army coup and the new visa rules its not looking good for tourism in Thailand. Not the kind of press coverage you want.
I am a monthly visa runner if i have to leave the country for 90 days then I will just going somewhere else and, come back that is unless it my exile I find somewhere nicer to stay.I am going think of it as a very long visa run. Quite fancy going surfing in oz, unless some one less can advise me on some where which is like Thailand and has kick ass surf. Thats the only thing I really miss while I have been in thailand, no surf.
Phillip2006, relax its not a bad as you think. If you look at the other threads you will see now it is confirmed:
- when you enter and leave the country the immigration (computers) count the number of DAYS you have been in the country.
- You can leave Thailand and come back in immediately - (well less the time it takes to get to a consul abroad anyway) - with a visa for 60 days which can be extended 30 says.
- the counting of days starts from Otober 1st.
I wont list all the permutations of visa runs versus visa, but have a look yourself and you will see it aint that bad. enjoy the surf.
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Nice post sabaijai - thanks
I Read this on the Phucket Forum - from SIMBO - posted on the 20th so pretty up to date. The bit about the return air ticket was interesting.
From SIMBO.
I received the following reply off the Thai Consul in Cardiff today- I hope it clarifies things a bit
RE YOUR ENQUIRY. TO DATE WE HAVE NO
NOTIFICATION OF A CHANGE IN THE TOURIST REGULATIONS.
ie A TOURIST VISA ALLOWS A STAY IN THAILAND OF UP TO 60 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF ARRIVAL. ON APPLICATION, A FURTHER 30 DAY CAN BE GRANTED BYTHE IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES
ON A SINGLE ENTRY A TOURIST HAS TO ENTER THAILAND WITHIIN 90
DAYS OF THE VISA BEING ISSUED, OPTHERWISE THE VISA BECOMES
INVALID. THIS PERIOD IS EXTENDED TO 180 DAYS IF A DOUBLE
OR MORE ENTRIES ARE OBTAINED.
WE HAVE RECEIVED REPORTS (NOT YET OFFICIALLY RECEIVED
THAT PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED BY FOREIGN
NATIONALS ABUSING THE 3O DAY ENTRY WITHOUT A VISA AND
IT THIS WHICH IS BEING TIGHTENED UP.
THE 30 DAY FREE OF VISA SHOULD ONLY BE ISSUED TO TOURIST
WITH A CONFIRMED AIR TICKET TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY AND
WE BELIEVE IT IS THIS PROVISION WHICH HAS NOT BEEN
FULLY APPLIED.
SHOULD WE RECEIVE ANY OFFICIAL INFORMATION,
WE WILL NOT FAIL TO ADVISE YOU.
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These thoughts echo my sentiments that I posted in a recent related thread:
This situation is perceived by the Bangkok elite as both a long term political and long term economic threat to the status quo, which benefits the existing elite, which remains vey much a Sino-Thai elite. Not wanting to shoot themselves in the foot, the elite will slowly tighten restrictions over time on various types of visas ranging from tourist to business to retirement visas.
I also posted something a while back during the PAD rally threads, that went something like this.
Having a picture of a farang on the front of every newspaper every day holding an anti government sign at a big protest is going to bring swift repercussions, and don't be surprised if when you arrive to renew your visa the officer pulls out a picture of you protesting asking you some pointed questions about what you do on your vacation in LOS.
You can't only blame the government on this one because the opposition would also back the move, as they don't want to be in the same position down the road. No politician wants to be put in that position and we can't vote for squat in Thailand. I have a feeling that this latest crackdown has more to do with perceived open decention among Farang visitors causing political problems, than them working illegally. They have just decided to clean house and make it possible for immigration to track you a bit easier with the 90 day reporting rule. Thus giving them more power over your stay and life via visa renewals. These rules are not new, they are just going to enforce them now.
I think you are right about them using the 90 day reporting as an opportunity to check us out more. Which is why they want us to get visas and see who is in the country.
At the Pattaya Expats Club Visa changes forum I mentioned earlier, this was brought up as a major desire of the Thai Immigration Department, certainly in Pattaya.
One of the likely outcomes of the 'changes' is to use this 90 day reporting to perhaps get us farang to bring along our bank statements to prove we still have the money we had when we got our visa - less of course reasonable living expenses. To prove we did not just borrow the money for a month or whatever.
Firstly they must get us all with some sort of Visa, so they can track us!
By the way, we were told that in Pattaya there is a meeting at the Pattaya Town Hall on 28th Septembr to finalise all this. SO nothing is yet set in stone - certainly not here in Pattaya, so I expect that is the same all over Thailand.
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Its near election time. Thailand is a very xenophobic country, and with the negative press just recently from a high-profile arrest of some <deleted> from the US; you'd have to expect some sort of reaction; even it is the usual wide-of-the-mark sweeping brushstroke.
Shooting yourself in the foot is a national characteristic here.
Ah, a breath of fresh air after all the self-important hullabaloo that's been spouted on TV about this topic. Thanks for the moment of straight-forward sanity. It really is pretty much that simple, isn't it?
I was at a meeting at the Pattaya Expats Club yesterday(sunday) and there was a 2 hour forum on this with about 200 of us farangs asking questions. The people providing the answers were the owner of Pattaya People Newspaper and a visa expert - they both work with the Pattaya Immigration a lot.
It would be almost impossible to document all that was gleaned, but it appears these changes have been in the pipeline for about a year. There was a suggestion the Mark Karr incident may have been a final straw, but not the major driver.
The thrust is to get as many foreigners to get a visa as possible. Preferably, they will also come through the new airport at least once in the near future. The new airport and I believe it is 14 other entry points into Thailand have new computer software that will count the number of days you have been in the country. This new software will also have immediate access to a database of all visa holders in the country. At present the border data can take a month or more to get into the computer.
Also, in Pattaya for example, I forget the numbers now, but there are something like 10000 businesses and only 2000 or so pay any tax !!! It is also believed that many are fronted by Thais but farang are the real owners. The Thais are not happy with this.
The Marriage visa (certainly new marriages) will also be scrutinised more closely than before. Possibly visits to the house will be more regular to see if the marriage is 'real' also the farang may have to prove he can get a work permit to show he can support his spouse - if not where is he getting the money??? I know at present we have to show 400k baht in the bank - but somepeople borrow that it appears - then pay it back when they have their visa.
There was lots of other stuff - none of it is 'finalised' yet, but I really didn't get the feeling after all this info that the Thais were 'out to get us farang' as perhaps I did before the meeting. I just got the feeling they want to know who is in the country and for us all to get a visa and get legal, maybe pay some tax.
good luck everyone!!
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Hi All
This is my first post
I was coming to thai in Oct- Nov visiting friends, I was going to get a multi entry non immigrant visa in case i decided to stay for a longer period, I understood I could stay for 90days then leave and come back in. Will i still be able to do that as i would of already stayed my 90 days. is it still posible to leave and come back in to the country say 2 or 3 times so i can stay for the 12 months.
All help appreciated
Warwick
Yes. This is no problem to come and go even 300 times in a year as you have a visa.
www.sunbeltasiagroup.com
But how will Warwick get a multi entry non immigrant visa ? does he does put 'I want to visit friends' on the application form or does he have to make up a story? Does this mean anyone who wants to come here and stay just gets this visa? Thanks for all your help by the way Sunbelt - appreciated by us all I can assure you!
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a couple of things.
First the sunbelt said that they wil be checking into "sham" marriages. so do u want take the chance ? If so
If you try and set up a Thai company they will catch you as they are invesgating ALL thai companies that have an Farang in them. That is what worries the property developers here in Phuket. Since they started this investigating very very few homes have sold cause no longer can u set up a thai companies with nomines to be able to buy a home OR get a Type B visa
My suggestion.
Get a really tight prenup. get married at the Amphur.
get your marriage paper translated into english and certified
Get Divorced
The 2 officies do not comunicate
You will always have your marriage paper to present to the embassy in Singapore where you can EASILY get a 1 year multiple Type "O" visa.
IF you try and get the 1 year extension IN Thailand they will have ask your "wife" to come in.
BUT they will never ask to see her if your applying for a multi type "O" outside thailand.
Leave thailand every 3 months as required and come back. After your one year is up go back to Singapore or wherever and get a new 1 year mutiple entry.
Then your home free until you turn 50 then get your one year extension as a retirement visa
It is not rocket science.
Apparently, for the under 50 cashed-up single guy, the options are two: (1) Get married. This is probably the cheapest and least pain in the butt option (as long as your chosen is low-maintenance). As I have lived here 5+ years, the nitelife scene is really deminimus to my reasons for staying here so maybe I will finally have to bite the bullet. Far more important is the generally friendly people (jing-jing), the low cost of living, and fairly good infrustructure and health care. (2) The other option I guess as some people have mentioned is to form a legit company and do some kind of small business or consulting or something and along with that get a WP. However, many report that this is very much a pain in the arse process, expensive, and maybe in the end you may not get a 1-year renewal visa extension anyway. Seems sorta high-risk option.
Question: If one does the marriage thing and it goes tits-up at some point, would your 1-year extension based on that marriage be non-renewable when it expires? I would assume so and one would be unable to obtain another 1-year extension of a non-imm visa based on marriage until and unless one got remarried!!!
Can anyone think of any other options I have missed?
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Where is the HUGE UPROAR from Thai landlords, owners of hotels,longstay bungalows, visa run companies, etc?!? This is going to mean an INCREDIBLE LOSS of business for them and the Thai economy in general. They just must not be publicizing this to the general Thai public (Bangkok Post is English only) and most landlords I know barely speak it. Farrang out there, please start spreading the word to your Thai friends, especially those in the rental and tourism industries... only through their complaints and uproar is there any chance that the government will realize the MASSIVE MISTAKE they are making with this non-sense.
Does the Thai government actually think they are going to make more in taxes on work permits and marriage visas then the BILLIONS OF BAHT their economy will loose if the farrang population stops spending at least 50% their money here? Also, the reason many foreigner laborers are here is because THAI companies are illegally hiring these people for agriculture, construction, and other undesirable menial tasks that most Thais don't want to do, and certainly not for the extremely low wages they pay. Removing the low cost labor force will only serve to drive up labor costs, and thus retail prices for basic commodities, which will increase core inflation -- something Thailand cannot afford. If they really wanted to address the problem they should crack down on these companies which are hiring illegal workers.
I also whole-heartedly agree with the person who said before that the requirements of the retirement visa (800K Baht) are sufficient to ensure non-working, financially stable, and desirable status WITHOUT THE NEED TO BE OVER 50 YEARS OLD. Why does it matter how old one is? If you have that much money in Thailand, why would you need to work anyway?
No axe to grind here - really - but 800k baht in the bank account proves very little. Last year I was short of about 100k for the 400k married visa amount. The friendly immigration officer suggested I borrow the money until I got my visa - 'thats whats the others do and then they pay it back straight away' she explained. So quite simply 'wealthy' 40 year old has no cash, borrows it for a month and go goes back to working illegally. Its a mess indeed.
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i am a 49 year old who can get his pension at the age of 50 who works in England and was planning to move to Thailand next August what do i do now?
the lump sum i take from my pension will be used to build a home so i will not be able to stick 800,000 in the bank.HELP
Straight forward? ... Not a chance (and there hasn't been for quite a few years - nothing changed) ... You only have two options for a longstay retirement in Thailand: 1) Show proof of 800,000 baht on your Thai bank account, originated from abroad, at every yearly extension. 2) Get a letter from your embassy stating you get a monthly pension from abroad (don't remember how much, but that monthly income must sort of level with the 800,000 a year)
Rishi, mate - I hate to be negative about this. I am 52 years old and live in Thailand in a house I have built here. I believe unless you have a lot of money it would be unwise to build anything here.
There is a guy who keeps writing in this forum - 'only bring into Thailand money you can afford to lose' and he is corect. Look, it is quite likely after you have built your house and you are happy here - they will raise the amount you need in the bank to - think of a number - 1.5 million baht - then what do you do? My advice is to come here and RENT for a while until you understand the 'game'. Good luck with your retirement.
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Good one immigration, you have just screwed Thailand out of a serious amount of money.
Idiots.
... guess, they've figured there isn't much money in 30-day-visa-runners ... wonder why it took them so long ...
Sure, these people don't eat and don't sleep....
- Travellers get a 30 day on arrival or a real visa either back home or at their first exit, they are good for at least a year - OK
Good for a year? on what visa?
Although this new change doesn't apply to me, I'm sure other members here would love to know what visa you get to stay as tourist for a year..
I think people here are very quick to dismiss the amount of income that long term tourists bring to Thailand. This is indeed a bad move on the part of the Thai government, those who think otherwise seem to think working in Thailand makes you some sort of higher class... Don't write off the long term tourist visa farang just becasue they don't have to work for 30k a month teaching English.
Time will tell exactly what happens, my prediction is that this will casue a ripple effect... no more long term tourists, higher price condos will lose tenants, Thais will default on loans, etc etc Not to mention the diving instructors down south who can't even seem to get non-immigrant visas, with 90% of the dive industry based around farang instructors.. that industry will now be almost history.
Those of you who think this is a good move, I challenge you to think beyond the scope of your own existance, just because you are over 50, married, etc etc, does not mean everybody else is.
If the "farang divers" guys are so important to the industry why don`t your employers provide you with work permits. Or alternatively, If you have your own company you should be safe already. It`s black and white.
It`s the same with teachers who are working in Thailand without work permits. You know and I know you are working illegally. And as far as I am concerned good luck to you because I am probably working illegally on my rubber farm. The thing is, many people have been able to work illegally for many years now. And probably will still be able to work illegally in the future. It`s still a bit early to say how things will pan out in the long run because as we all know the immigration guys can and do use a lot of discression. And going on a visa run can be different from the previous run.
I.e., some people get visa A, some don`t. Some people get visa B, some don`t.
But at the end of the day you cannot knock them for trying to stop illegal immigrants from working or people on tourist visas from working also. It`s their law and we have to abide by it.
Most people who come here are probably eligible for a 6 month tourist visa at least. I would imagine that when it`s finished you could then go do a visa run get another 3 x 30 days giving you 9 months in total. There are not many countries in the world that allow you to stay as a tourist for that length of time.
We`ve been lucky so far. It was only a matter of time before it all went tits up as far as the 30 day visas were concerned.
Although I am fortunate to live here as a retired farang and this debate therefore does not directly impact me, I have some sympathy for the people this will catch.
When laws are not enforced for a considerable length of time - in this case many years - they tend to become 'normal practice'. Sure the Thais are entitled to enforce their laws, to say otherwise would be silly, but this is the second major law that is being enforced this year - I am referring to the enforcement of the farang land ownership law.
In my case I think I am fairly safe as I have all bases covered - enough money to live here etc...
However, tell me this - just what other laws are there out there at the moment that are NOT BEING ENFORCED - if I get some illness for example - is there a law that is not being enforced that says I must leave the country - ok that is a poor example, but seriously what other laws are out there that are not being enforced at the moment that will be ENFORCED NEXT?
I love it here in Thailand and will obey their laws as best I can, but I am certainly feeling less comfortable about the Thailand experience than I did before reading this topic!
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I'm married to a Thai but so what. It doesn't get you much does it. I mean you can get a 90 visa from the get go extended for one month thereafter but then what?
If you were married at an Amphur in Thailand or legally agroad (ie: not just a trip to the local wat) and have 400 thousand baht to put in a bank account, you can get a 1 year extension.
Need to fill in some forms and prove you live here etc and maybe buy a 'gift' for the immigration
officer - usually a bottle of whisky or packets of tea - less than 1000 baht anyway!
good luck
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This is a bit off the topic of this thread -sorry, but perhaps necessary in light of the previous reply. A different perspective maybe.
I too went to the British Embassy in BKK with my Thai wife about 4 years ago and got the visa for her to live in the UK.
We planned to come back to live in Thailand after a year anyway, but that's another story.
Sadly, I found the staff (interviewer) at the Embassy quite rude, mainly because he had too much work I think.
Being 48 years old at the time and having quite a lot of money in the UK, I was eventually given the visa.
I would point out that I was very well dressed - wore a suit and tie even and I was fortunate enough to actually get into the room with my wife when she was interviewed. When the interviewer was rude I used my years of practice 'biting my tongue' in meetings, smiled sweetly and all was OK.
Had I said what I was thinking - well who knows!
My wife was an x-bar girl who also dressed very smartly and had paperwork showing she worked in restaurant.
The couple who were in front of us were refused an entry visa, she had her bar girl outfit on and he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I only saw her crying outside, so I dont know why they were refused - but as the Americans say 'go figure'.
Good luck if you apply - you should have no real problems if you use a bit of savvy. There are also lots of places you can go to get help filling out any forms!
Well,
Four and a half years ago I went through the visa process with my Thai fiancee for a settlement visa in U.K. - we had lived together in BKK for 2 years and I had been back in the U.K. for over a year with no visits here ; (establishing the that end of the business).
It was a simple process of reading the forms and presenting the information that is required by the Home Office to satisfy the financial and, even more importantly, that you do have a stable relationship that is liable to last.
After the initial 6 months whilst she was not allowed to work, she then obtained the two years to stay and the following day went and found herself a job that she loves doing and has made lots of pals in a fairly upmarket store.
She now has permanent leave to stay - accepts that tax in the U.k. is high but the benefits of medical treatment and future education far outweigh the tax costs.
One serious car crash...........think about it.
She is delighted that she can have further education (She has a Thai Degree already) in the future if she so decides.
The embassy staff at that time were polite - efficient and as they are civil servants, they look for discrepancies in paperwork.
I am back here for a couple of years and she will vist during her hloidays. Why?.
She doesn't need a re-entry stamp for the U.K. - she can come and go as she pleases, within reason of course.
Over the years the Britlag embassy did get a lot of bad press and a lot of it was justly deserved, but I do feel that there has been a sea change in the attitudes of the Embassy these past few years and this in itself could be as a result of actually having a U.K. Ambassador to Thailand who is not living in the age of Kipling.
Cheers,
Couthy.
I would love to be in my wife's postion for coming to the UK!
Okay, £300 for the visa - but after that she get's to stay for a year. Then applies for Indefinite Leave to Remain - she can then apply for a NI number and then has the same rights as I do in the UK. Free health-service, eligible for credit, can own property. She doesn't have to bring in an amount of money every month that is almost 10 times more than minimum wage.
After 3 years she can then apply for UK citizenship and can carry a UK passpost and all the benfits that are afforded from that.
Then i read in other Forums , how rude the UK embassy staff are towards Thai wives and how its almost impossible to get a UK visa ! .......Just who is telling the truth here, or perhaps the UK Embassy are realising just how difficult the Thai govt are making life for british nationals and just reciprocating.............Whats good for the Goose is good for the Gander ?
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Well,
Four and a half years ago I went through the visa process with my Thai fiancee for a settlement visa in U.K. - we had lived together in BKK for 2 years and I had been back in the U.K. for over a year with no visits here ; (establishing the that end of the business).
It was a simple process of reading the forms and presenting the information that is required by the Home Office to satisfy the financial and, even more importantly, that you do have a stable relationship that is liable to last.
After the initial 6 months whilst she was not allowed to work, she then obtained the two years to stay and the following day went and found herself a job that she loves doing and has made lots of pals in a fairly upmarket store.
She now has permanent leave to stay - accepts that tax in the U.k. is high but the benefits of medical treatment and future education far outweigh the tax costs.
One serious car crash...........think about it.
She is delighted that she can have further education (She has a Thai Degree already) in the future if she so decides.
The embassy staff at that time were polite - efficient and as they are civil servants, they look for discrepancies in paperwork.
I am back here for a couple of years and she will vist during her hloidays. Why?.
She doesn't need a re-entry stamp for the U.K. - she can come and go as she pleases, within reason of course.
Over the years the Britlag embassy did get a lot of bad press and a lot of it was justly deserved, but I do feel that there has been a sea change in the attitudes of the Embassy these past few years and this in itself could be as a result of actually having a U.K. Ambassador to Thailand who is not living in the age of Kipling.
Cheers,
Couthy.
I would love to be in my wife's postion for coming to the UK!
Okay, £300 for the visa - but after that she get's to stay for a year. Then applies for Indefinite Leave to Remain - she can then apply for a NI number and then has the same rights as I do in the UK. Free health-service, eligible for credit, can own property. She doesn't have to bring in an amount of money every month that is almost 10 times more than minimum wage.
After 3 years she can then apply for UK citizenship and can carry a UK passpost and all the benfits that are afforded from that.
Then i read in other Forums , how rude the UK embassy staff are towards Thai wives and how its almost impossible to get a UK visa ! .......Just who is telling the truth here, or perhaps the UK Embassy are realising just how difficult the Thai govt are making life for british nationals and just reciprocating.............Whats good for the Goose is good for the Gander ?
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I travel fairly frequently from Pattaya to Bangkok by taxi. The time to the new airport will be at least 1.5 hours and possibly a bit longer at peak times. This talk of an hour is nonsense that some authorities have been pushing.
Possibly things will speed up a bit when the four lanes each way are completed on the Motorway 7 between the airport and Pattaya.
The taxi service to Pattaya has a fixed meter taxi price of 1040 baht plus 90 baht tolls.
I agree. I am delighted to have the new Airport nearer to where I live, which is in Banglamung, about 10 Kms outside Pattaya and only 5 minutes from the M7.
However, during my last couple of trips to Bangkok Airport we have timed the trip to the new airport
and it is 90 minutes at a good speed and little traffic. I know our timing is not totally accurate, but this suggestion that to reach even the nearest point of Pattaya (north) takes an hour is a bit hopeful. Anyone made this trip in an hour?
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Taxi mafia unfortunately exists in any 3rd world country. As long as westerners are prepared to pay, they will never be out of business. For ex, in StPetersburg and Moscow(Russia) there are set prices for taxi in American Dollars. No one will drive you cheaper that set price. Also, not every willing taxi driver is allowed to pick up. Mafia taxi drivers know to have punish severely drivers who drops their prices. I refuse to pay obsene charges and once was stranded at StPetes airport for couple of hours. Just got drunk in the bar and show two fingers to griddy b***ds. One guy was very persistent and waited around all that time. In these countries they have beleif that all westerners are rich, so they have no shame for daylight robbery.
I guess England must be a 3rd World country then as well - as the experiences you descibe above apply to Heathrow terminal 3 as well I can assure you - not so sure about the Mafia part mind you - I think its just the regular black cab and mini cab drivers who practise this dark art at Heathrow.
I would say that in the defence of Thai cabbies - at least in Thailand the overcharging is peanuts compared to the prices I have had been quoted at Heathrow...
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Hi,
Many thanks for the info from you all.
At present I am in aposition where I can walk away from a property in Pattaya and just lose a small deposit ,I would like to buy a property but the present climate there seems to be unstable.
I am not a developer but do not want to invest 100K and next week find the market has fallen 20%
or the Land Dept are looking into the way my house has been purchased/registered.
I do not have a Thai wife (2 European ones sorted that out) so another named party is out.
Any of you experinced lads have any suggestions of how a house can be owned here with some security besides''don't buy''.
PS ;I was offered the Buy Now Transfer later deal 1 month ago, from a European view of Bussiness Law it seemed OK.
In my previous reply on this subject, I just mentioned about some telephone conversations I overheard whilst in my lawyers office and some off the cuff feedback from the Lawyer. I was actually in the office at them time getting a 'pre-nup' signed hence my attention was not really on the ownership of land problem.
However, this subject is dear to my heart as I ('my' company) bought a small piece of land a couple of years ago and had a house built on it. I could now do some clever things I am sure, such as put the land in my wife's name and lease etc... but lets face it that can cause problems down the road, I dont know exactly what problems, but you only have to look at Paul McCartney's messy divorce to see just how inventive a disgruntled soon to be x-wife can become.
So for now I will leave things as they are and I expect - as many things seem to do in Thailand - wait for the law enforcement to go away.
So as you can see I am not someone who is particularly phased by this sort of thing and anyway most of my major assets are out of this country. However despite my laid back approach, if I had my chance again, I would Never buy any property in this country via the company route - be it a house on land or a condo that is not part of the 'buy in your own name' 49 percent ownership. So my advice - unless you can switch your deposit to something withiot a company -walk away now and put it down to experiencs.
Good luck in whatever you decide.
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Hi,
Has anybody any recent experience within the last 2 weeks regarding purchase of a house with a Thai company.Is the position reverting to normal? Or as I expect the under the table payments have got bigger.
Anything being sold?
ed
Just depends on the region and it ebbs and flows like the ocean.
For instance at one land dept, a week ago, it was not a problem for a company to register land with foreign investors unless the company was in the real estate business. They were not looking into the Thai shareholders even when proof was provided to them on companies with no objective to be in the real estate business
However at this same land dept office, starting this past Wednesday, a recent meeting was held to determine what to do about the Minister's new request. They're not looking for anything under the table. They've decided for the entire area to not allow ANY land/property transfers to companies with Foreign investors until they get better guidelines from the ministry. They don't know when that will be, one week, one month or one year. Only thing allowable now is condos in the name of the Foreigner. They will still allow sales from Foreign companies that already own property - but not to Companies with Foreign investors. The real Thai limited companies with Thai shareholders (not nominees) are not suppose to be affected by this regulation, however they are.
However, the Phuket Land Office has officially stated, if there is a Thai director. they don't look any further even if it is a co-director with a Foreigner.
Another land office is allowing it with couple questions into what the company is doing.
Hua Hin and Pattaya forget about it. No matter what proof you have. They are looking for better guidelines before they do anything. They are not looking for under the table money.
As it is with the Thai embassies/ consulates with visas, each land dept location has their own guidelines and interpretation of the regulation. It is simply practical guidance for the land office. Some however say, "We need better guidelines to know what we should do."
You would think this would bring the land departments to a standstill but it is not. Business is continuing. It is important to be safe and get good advice how to be proper and in the spirit of the law, as well be protected if you are a foreigner. If you can justify a company, nothing wrong with that method. The same as a 30 year lease, if you can show it to be right, without using a nominee. Anything that you do with land,must stand up under scrutiny. Show it to be reasonable and have proof is the key.
I had to meet with my lawyer this week about a completely different matter, but I asked him in passing what was the situation now with company land registration. He said there were no problems at the (Pattaya) Land Office as they were now putting the company as 100 percent Thai owned and changing the company to show the Farang status after the land was registered. Although I did not take all that much notice of what he was saying - as I say I was there for another unrelated matter - I did hear the other lawyer talking to someone on the phone and he said '... I have no problems - got 4 through today no worries' So although there may be problems down the road - it at least looks
like the land can be registered.
Thai Bank Current Account, Getting On Thai Tax System, House Registration Book
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted
I am a Brit who was the victim of identity theft - a long story which I wont bother you with here. You are absolutely right to want to do everything by the book.
I am not a financial expert but have learnt the following.
If you have money in the UK you will want to access it online from Thailand and security is a high priority.
If you are with a bank in the UK that is not 'non resident' friendly I would change your bank in the UK now to one that is. For example, if you are the victim of fraud then you may have problems claiming if they deem the fraud to be your fault.
I am now with Halifax Bank Of Scotland - they are OK with non-residents, provide online internet access and good interest rates and have a no quibble guarantee if your money is stolen.
You do need to open an account before you give up your UK residency though.
Also HSBC has banks in the UK AND Thailand - I have an account with HSBC in Bangkok and the UK, which is a safe way to transfer money knowing that if it gets 'lost' I am dealing with just one bank, so they cannot blame the 'other' bank for problems!!
Also, if you have an address in the UK then you may have difficulty NOT paying UK tax. You can of course reclaim tax from the Inland Revenue online now.
Even many offshore accounts with a UK address now have to pay UK tax - a nice new law between
the offshore havens and the UK Inland Revenue.
good luck