El Matador

They will definitely honor the 5 years as they always did in the past with Thai Elite visa despite huge political changes. They might reconsider new applications in one or two years if they see an uncontrolable increase of Indian and Chinese applicants. I wouldn't like to work at the embassy in India right now. 55555

It is much better than I expected. It is basically a full open door policy now with its ups and downs. We should enjoy while it lasts because that policy could finish like the cannabis policy.

I was close to buy a Thai Elite last year before the big price increase and the new tax laws. I am glad I didn't do it It seems possible to apply via the evisa website : https://www.thaievisa.go.th/visa/dtv-visa For the embassy in France they ask : Documents to be submitted online: Passport page related to civil status (The passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the departure date). Official color ID photo (photo booth) taken within the last 6 months. Proof of residence in France dated within the last 3 months for European passports (electricity bill, mobile phone bill, internet access bill) and residence permit if you are not a European citizen. Official bank statement showing a minimum credit balance of 15,000 euros dated within the last 30 days. Proof according to the purpose of travel mentioned above: Employment contract / Employment certificate from the company in France specifying that you are still employed and paid by the company during your stay in Thailand. Alternatively, a professional portfolio presenting the status of digital nomad, remote worker, highly skilled worker, or freelancer. Invitation/acceptance letter regarding the activity of the host organization in Thailand or the appointment letter from the hospital. For spouse/child, proof of marriage or kinship with the DTV visa holder (marriage certificate, birth certificate, or family record book) as well as the passport page and the DTV visa of the latter. The visa fee is 350 euros.

Great news. It seems All Asean countries except Myanmar are on the list. Game changer for neighbors who usually never get more than 30 days anywhere.

Still need to see all the details in a proper official annuncement. It seems a bit too good to be true. But let's see. The bad side of this massive opening is it could be too much, and they could reverse it in the near future (one of Thai specialities)

It seems we are still at the same point. Nothing new for visa exemptions either. I hope they didn't change their mind like they often do.

Let's be patient then. We can only speculate a the moment and maybe they changed some details during the annuncement delay.

Any tourist has to provide an exit certificate when they leave the Philippines if they stay at least 6 months in the country. So it would be for you and your wife. Well you will need a trip to the immigration office every 2 months to extend. At least, it is much faster than in Thailand. I usually spent around 20 at the Makati Office and they speak good English + they are veyr polite most of the time so it is refreshing.

The trend is it is harder and harder to get a 6 months extension if you are not married with a Filipina. Some offices may still provide those extensions but I wouldn't count too much on them in the near future. And technically you are suposed to be tax resident if you stay 180 days in a year in the Philippines. I think they don't enforce the law on tourists and they have a territorial tax system for alien residents too but staying 2 or 3 years in a row in Philippines may raise some red flags.

This is a very good question. Philippines is the country with the least amount of discrimination I've ever seen. I've seen a bunch of ASEAN people extending at the immigration office so I guess it is doable for tons of nationalities. That being said, there is a clearance exit certificate to get before leaving the country if you stay at least 6 months (be aware it is more bureaucratic than a single extension). And with the 3 years maximum being extremely generous for a tourist visa with extension, I can see problems may come if you stay one year or more without leaving the country. I would try not abusing too much the system to stay on the safe side.

I was actually expecting this kind of taxation as the remittance system is an absolute bureaucratic nightmare to deal with for the tax administration. Now the possibilities to optimize your taxation will be completely closed. It will follow the common worldwide taxation adopted by most countries. The remittance system gave a great incentive to never remit the money earned outside of Thailand. Sorry for the people who bought the Thai Elite visa last visa based on the previous tax system. I can't wait for the new visas to stay under the 180 days limit to limit the bureaucracy.

Right. I saw different versions of that visa on different websites. So we need to wait all the details. I quite like the version where you have a maximum of 180 days/years during 5 years. It would limit visa runs without triggering the tax residency. It would make sense if it was different from a full year residency.

They completely killed the Thai Elite visa last year with the double/triple price + the new tax law. The new numbers for that new Thai Privilege visa must be a disaster. Need to wait the details though as that Thai Destination visa seems a bit too good to be true. At least a clear 180 days period would solve the tax headache for many.

No I clearly use the conditional in my sentence. Nothing sure. Just an educated guess. I would be highly surprised this kind of visa would be available in any embassy while the METV would be available only in the home country.

It might be similar to the METV. You probably will need to make the Destination Thailand visa at your home embassy so they can easily check the income proofs in your native language.

We all know Pattaya is considered as the Acropolis of Thailand where all the most intelligent men from around the world converge to discuss discretly philosophy at very high level. I really hope this secret garden will be well preserved from those barbaric hordes of losers.

I would keep an eye on what Siam Legal is publishing. They are usually more reliable than Farang style news websites. A maximum of 180 days per year would make perfect sense with the tax residency law. Need to see if the stamp can be renewed during the whole 5 years period. If it goes this way and not coming with stupid criterias like for the LTR that would be an attractive option.

It is written in this article which was posted in this thread : https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2024/05/30/visa-liberalisation-measures-unveiled-with-dtv-visa-for-living-and-working-in-thailand-legally/ It could be a mistake though. But the article is well detailed.

I would say Siam Legal is better informed than those websites which copy-paste everything. Actually a visa allowing a maximum of 180 days each year would solve the tax problem with the new law while legalizing properly online work for foreign companies. Seems an attractive proposition if Siam Legal is correct. But let's see the confirmation on the 1st of June.

I just realized Taiwan only gets a 15 days visa on arrival while China is now getting a 60 days visa exemption. It is hard not to see the hand of the CCP. It doesn't make much sense. Happy for ASEAN citizens they start getting a better treament from their neighbor with that 60 days visa exemption.

Don't hold your breathe, the government said it will be open in June 2025. Many things can happen during that time. Regarding the 500k bahts, I guess it will be something similar to the METV when you needed to show bank statements showing $5000 sitting there.

"At this time, the government has announced that the visa will only be available from June 2025." Well it seems we can forget the digital nomad visa for next winter. And they have the time to change 10 times their mind. I still take that 2 months visa exemption instead of waiting weeks for the evisa. "In 2024, foreign tourism on track to generate ฿1.254 trillion, far short of nearly ฿2 trillion generated in 2019. Cabinet wants ฿3 trillion in receipts" Interesting to see that despite a high number of tourists, the money coming from tourism has dropped by a lot. It gives an idea about the current opening towards Russian, Chinese and Indian tourists. It hasn't attracted wealthy tourists.

Unfortunately that is a Thai classic to count a lot on tourism to improve the economy. The problem with the 51% of Thai ownership for local companies is it makes Thailand absolutely unattractive for foreign investors. I totally understand the 51% ownership for condos and the exclusivity of land ownership for locals but for companies it doesn't make any sense. So they can only boost what is working already and managed by Thai people. And let's face it and be honest with ourselves, China is the new superpower and India is the next one, so there won't be any coming back in our lifetime, although they will probably make new laws in the next few years a usual.

In all honesty I don't see more people coming back to grey UK because they don't want to do the 90 days report. Despite being bureaucratic, the retiree visa is still quite attractive compared to many other countries. On the other hand, taxes are another story. The criterias are completely absurd. You need to work for a company which makes 150 millions of dollars each year, which excludes self employed people (the vast majority of digital nomads).

That is wonderful news. Haven't seen something as good for visas in a long time. I didn't expect that digital nomad visa. I guess they saw Indonesia moving positively with their digital nomad visa and finally came to the conclusion remote workers were bringing money without stealing local jobs. Have to see the details but it sound promising with that 180 days period which is the exact limit for staying non tax resident.