El Matador

Ho that would be great news. The embassy in Paris was notoriously slow to process those evisas. I lost my fee and finally went directly with the visa exemption. Maybe I'll check it again then. EDIT : they still say 3-4 weeks of wait on the Embassy website - I won't risk it. That being said, I also noticed the requirements and papers for the METV were much easier ; pretty much the same as for the SETV.

Well with Trump as potential de facto leader of this mega-alliance I don't see how things could go wrong...

I was very close to put 1 million bahts in a Thai Elite visa last year. Glad I am avoiding the big tax headache. Still watching the mess from far away with easy tourist extensions in Philippines. Thailand is a good country to stay for less than 180 days at the moment ; much easier for visa and taxes if you just stay pure tourist. The rainy season is quite expensive now. Their timing was perfect : they annunced that tax change just after selling Thai Elite visas like hot cakes before doubling or tripling the price. Probably there won't be any crystal clear answer before at least 2025. So this thread will live for a long time with partial answers.

Well you are basically betting the Thai government will do something intelligent. It may happen but I never bet on politicians doing something which won't be annoying and bureaucratic. If the country was managed with a clear pro business mind, Thailand would be above China in terms of GDP per capita. So I always keep my expectations very low with them.

Thanks for the clarification. The sentence was very confusing. Well I did a bit of simulation. (Without taking into account double tax treaties) Transfering 1 million bahts every year would cost 8,3% in Thai taxes. I think it is the most simple strategy to minimize taxes (before going into he 25+ % tax income bracket) without going into difficult accounting. That being said transfering a big amount of money into Thailand before becoming tax resident is probably the best strategy for those who plan to leave long term in Thailand, especially if you wanna buy a condo. Buying a condo when you are tax resident really sucks now.

I haven't checked that subject in a while. So the new tax system is not based on remittance anymore but a classic worldwide tax system where you have pay taxes wherever you receive your income if you are Thailand tax resident ? Am I correct ?

I get the impression many Europeans are ready to sacrifice a substantial part of Ukraine and allow the decline of the democratic world to stay in their comfort zone. Well even if we submit to Putin's revendications, there will be a massive Russian defense budget in the coming years so Europe will have to match it by paying much more for its defense. People don't seem to realize we are entering in a new forced Cold War whether we like it or not, and a Russian victory will only accelerate the process. Putin also considers the Baltic nations belong to the Russian Empire and shouldn't exist like Ukraine. So what are the European plans to protect the Baltics in case of a Trump election ? Without having to send men, there could be an intermediate way to send many more weapons with some political will and some dedicated European military industry boost. The current production of shells in Europe is actually pathetic. Europe has wasted too much time in that aspect and is counting too much on its unstable partnership with the USA.

Maybe the 90 days visa waiver will come into life at some point and it would make things much easier as you could do 2 in a year and call it a day. Otherwise the METV is good and you do a bit of holidays in Vietnam, Malaysia or Bali to avoid questions. I honestly hate those 30 days extensions inside Thailand as they can waste you a day so I would plan 2 small vacations and use 3x60days on the METV for easiness. It is the clear the 180+ days are creating tons of insecurities in terms of immigration, bureaucracy, and taxes. So it is a good idea to save the headache related to it.

If anything goes wrong in China there could a massive bubble in the condo market as Thailand would be a great plan B. It is honestly way cheaper than mainland China at the moment. Prepare to see more and more streets where everything is written in Chinese and Russian in the next few years. I saw that a bit in Nha Trang and Phuket. But they are doubling down hard to expand it quickly with the new government.

Disappointed by the direction Thailand is heading. The zealous politic towards Russia and China + extra taxes this year make it quite unattractive. They could be smart and enjoy the benefit of being quite neutral between the West and China/Russia like India or Vietnam do. They choose the road of corruption and easy fast cash instead. Russia is a dead horse in the long run. Wait till around 2030 and Phuket will be run by Russians behind the curtains.

Basically he's saying "Don't compete more with us because my politics are anti business friendly and a failure". The guy is delusional. Thailand should attract businesses moving out of China but Vietnam is currently the biggest winner by far. Thailand manages to be less attractive than a communist country for foreign businesses. It says quite a lot.

METV + Escaping the rainy season = NO headache Those extra rainy months are painful and expensive.

Haven't checked those threads in weeks. Seems Thailand is lots of headaches now. Tax reform, passport check at airports (although not a big deal), ban of cannabis, massive opening for China, India and Russia but still nothing better for European visa exemptions. This new government put good effort to make its country unattractive. Malaysia and Philippines are the best for a base in South East Asia for visa and taxes. Visiting Thailand with a METV during the dry season seems the least bureaucratic and painful option those days by far.

Lots of talk for nothing again. Seems the 60 days visa exemption is dead too.

I think we don't have a clear economic picture of China at the moment. Statistics about youth unemployment are now forbidden. It showed it exploded before it got forbidden. All those factories moving to India or Vietnam must have an important impact. The possibility of a potential war in Taiwan is something businesses have to get in mind before investing. I am very doubtful China still has a 5% economic growth rate. They must be near the recession line IMO.