El Matador

Had a look at the official website. Disappointing. Just a little website with some exagerated discounts. Nothing of value. Lots of talk for nothing once again. They seem to be keen on using the world "privilege" a lot like for the new Thai Elite visa. Just move on faster on longer visa exemptions guys instead of creating things people will never look at. The high season has already started.

I wish they would get rid of those annoying 30 days extensions which block a full day at the immigration office, but it is still a good step. I also wish it was a permanent move but I highly doubt it.

I don't remember it exactly but I remember they wanted the proof of accomodation for the whole stay at some point. And I completely skipped and forgot about that visa when I saw they also asked 6 months of having 5000 euros in the bank doing nothing with certified papers from the bank. I would consider that visa now, although I would try to apply 2 months before the first flight to avoid any bad surprise from the embassy. 3 stays of almost 2 months with 2 forced exits seem pretty ok for never dealing again with the immigration and embassies during the year. The procedure seems much less bureaucratic.

Apparently they just changed the requirements for the METV visa : - No more 5000 euros/$ requirement with proofs you had that money in the last 6 months. This is huge. - Only a proof of accomodation when you arrive but no need to show some bookings for 2 months. They stopped the most idiotic requirements of that visa. Now that sounds attractive. Not as good as the 90 days visa exemption they are giving to Russians but still a very nice improvement as you can do only one application per year and you are good to avoid the Thai immigration (and the tax system) with pretty much the same requirements as those of a single entry visa.

A bit surprised that Taiwan wasn't already on the list. They have a pretty good purchasing power. 41,000 baht per head in a week for Indian tourists seem exagerated. I got the feeling they were the biggest bargainers of all tourists although a few of them have good money. Still waiting to have the same consideration as Russian tourists in Thailand. Just did my visa extension in Philippines. Best service I've ever had in an immigration office. I spent only 15 minutes with just my passport and a paper and even received smiles. I was shocked as I got used to spend an awful day at the immigration office in Bangkok to get an extra 30 days.

I guess he's talking about Malaysian residency because of its territorial tax system which makes things much easier and optimized as you don't pay any tax on income not coming from Malaysian source. If you only need 90 days every year there and don't do more than 180 days in other countries, it gives some flexibility to move around without worrying too much about tax residency.

For once, a good new from that government. Not sure it will boost tourism though. People get used to go to clubs after 2am if they want to have a big night (or they go to more discreet bars). My guess is bars will take a little share from clubs income. Still nice from a consumer point of view to have more options. But it might be tiring for some bar workers to have full night shifts.

Health or family/friends can be important factors. Ignorance plays a huge part too. Many people think East Asian countries are still third world countries thinking their country is still the best in all fields while not being the case in reality. There is a condescending tone from Western medias when they talk about those countries ; no seeing many countries are catching up quickly. And there is the classic fear of change obviously. Going long term into another culture is not for everyone.

Could be reciprocity with visa exemption for Thai people in Russia like some South American countries do with Thailand. We don't talk much about them but Argentinian and Brazilian citizens have had 90 days exemption for years. Or it could be the beginning of a bigger visa friendly system towards Nothern countries. (which I hope) If it is not one of those 2 reasons, I would be quite upset.

I lived in Spain (mainly Barcelona) in some years. I recently checked the prices. The rent and inflation have skyrocketed compared to 10 years ago. Still more affordable compared to other European countries. Andalucia being the cheapest region (with free tapa with your beer). But housing will be cheaper in Bangkok compared to Barcelona and Madrid. You won't find a decent condo for 400 euros, mainly a crappy room in a flatshare. Local food is cheaper too (you'll never find the equivalent of food courts in Spain). So the essentials will be cheaper in Thailand. That being said, having a Western lifestyle with dinners in Western places, high end bars will explode your Thai budget. And you will have to pay extra bills like Travel/Healthcare insurance + visa fees. So you might be paying more if you try to replicate the same lifestyle as in your home country. Spanish bars and restaurants are excellent value, some of the best in the Western world.

Lovely. I heard the boss of Hamas was getting bored in his villa in Qatar and wanted to take some holidays in Pattaya. Hopefully Srettha can help this gentleman.

Northern Vietnam and Southern Vietnam are 2 different countries. They have troubles to understand each other when they speak Vietnamese. They even have 2 separated immigration systems between the North and the South which can create conflicts for visa extensions depending on the entry point of arrival. People in the South are much friendlier in my opinion and open to foreigners. Even most Vietnamese people moving to the South agree to that. The North gives a more Chinese vibe in that aspect. The North tends to be more beautiful because the war didn't destroy colonial buildings in Hanoi like in Saigon. Climate is also different with seasons in the North, and tropical in the South. Regarding visas, it used to be almost unlimited as long you were paying extensions to an agent before covid. They became ultra strict with one month visa for a year or 2 , and now they go back to 3 months visa but it doesn't seem to be as easy as before to stay long term. Philippines is really the best in the region for visas now.

Vietnam and Philippines. When Ho Chi Minh will get its long awaited metro next year it might be quite a game changer. The insane motorbike traffic is the most annoying thing there at the moment. If I have to change of continent, probably Argentina and Colombia would be at the top of the list. And Spain in Europe. Good lifestyle, nice climate, decent budget, and I speak Spanish which makes quite a difference in the long run.

Right. I've been in Manila for 10 days. The visa system here seems like a dream compared to the Thai one. That being said, Bangkok beats Manila in many aspects (infrastructures, food, etc.) although you can appreciate the city better overtime once you understand how it works. But a clear preference towards Russian citizens from Thailand would make me stop thinking about Thailand for a while (although I doubt they will do that foolish move). That would be a big middlefinger towards Westerners.

Great news for the Russian mafia in the country. Had discussions with locals in Bali. The Russian community brought some troubles to the island. Of course, there are decent Russian tourists coming. But there are also plenty of illegal workers with shady practises who moved there since the war began. Let's see how it goes in the next 2 weeks. If the 90 days exemption stays restricted to Russians, I will make sure my tourist money will go into Filipino pockets instead of Thai ones.

You ALWAYS have trip cancellations for whatever reason. A 10% cancellation rate seems pretty standard to me.

It was predictable. The short notice and the insane price increase created lots of FOMO. The level of unpaid applications might be high too due to tax uncertainity.

50k baths to get a no is a fantastic rip off. And if you get a yes you may have to pay taxes on top of the fee. They win in every case. Maybe they don't want to have any application which doesn't get paid at the end of the process. I suspect many applications were confirmed just in time for the deadline but will never get paid (because people are undecided due to the deadline and the new tax system has changed many things for some people). 50k is still a ridiculous fee. I don't see anyone sane buying that new Thai Elite visa before at least next year as those tax problems haven't been explained in detail. They are really doing their best to make the product as unattractive as possible.

They should do like Vietnam and try to steal business from China from foreign companies who want to escape China. A few Western factories would greatly improve the local economy. The locals are lovely.

Haven't checked that forum in one week. Seems things are the same. Have to wait for clarification for a correct understanding. I didn't expect that but I almost feel nostalgic of previous military government. So far, that "more modern" government is promising more tax headaches for expats, more Indian/Chinese tourists, and closing of canabis shops. This doesn't seem really attractive. I keep waiting for a potential 90 days visa exemption for more hassle free visits to compensate but so far, nothing on the table.

Maybe they will extend that to other kinds of visa (Thai Elite, Investor, Retirement). Otherwise the fall will be tremendous next year. Wait and see...

I guess Thai Elite agents had no clue about future laws. But for sure, they knew the future Thai Elite would be bad. So they promoted heavily the old Thai Elite visa with ads. I saw plenty of them on Google. But they will need to clarify the tax situation ASAP. They created something completely in the grey area.

I was very close to buy the 20 years Thai Elite visa at 1 million and thought I could make interesting tax saving which would pay for the visa in the long run. Fortunately I was unable to get the cash in time. It is saving me lots of headaches. They could get way more remote workers if they scrapped that stupid 150M entreprise rule. The 17%tax of all those big earners freelancers would be nice for the Thai budget. But Thailand wouldn't be Thailand without a proper stupid rule coming from nowhere.

The tax dividend in Thailand is 10%. If you already paid a withhold tax of 15% to the USA on the dividends from US stocks, basically you won't pay any extra Thai tax on your dividend and you will be able to deduct the extra 5% on your Thai income. Can be interesting if you have some income in Thailand. But the new law won't change anything. It was already better to remit your dividend income the same year to get extra deduction on your Thai income. Those who have special saving plans with no withhold tax on their dividends might need to pay the 10% to the Thai system as they can't make any deduction and those exceptions are usually never included in Tax Treaties.

The conversations are moving from "How can I stay the whole year in Thailand?" to "How can I stay less than 180 days in Thailand?. ????