thanaka

1 minute ago, Dart12 said:

They are also punishing ED visa holders the same way as volunteer visa holders?

Not sure what you mean. Those two are unrelated (at least in my case)

Curious too if anyone ever got an update on this

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

That won't happen at immigration on arrival in Thailand.

 

The whole thing regarding onward ticket is being asked by the airline at departure.

Many are not asked and many are.

 

I'm starting to think that certain factors come into play and seems low cost carriers in particular require onward flight.

I have been asked by Jetstar from Melb to Bangkok and always using AirAsia.

In both instances it was my fault for clearly not identifying my reentry permit. 

BTW: From Saigon you will be asked for onward flight if visa exempt.

 

To add to this:

As far as I understand, the airline carrying you to Thailand is responsible for you in case you get denied entry. At least that's what they explained to my friend when he once got asked for an onward flight when checking in to a flight to Thailand. He didn't have an onward flight but showed them his bank statement and signed a paper that he would cover the costs himself in case he gets denied entry, basically transferring the responsibility from the airline to himself. That was sufficient enough.

Maybe the low cost carriers have a higher probability of asking for entry requirements since they have a higher risk of carrying passengers that may not have the necessary funds to pay for a flight back in case they get denied entry.

Personally I only got asked once for an onward flight, and that was not too long ago when I flew in from Manila with Philippine Airlines. Never got asked for anything in Thailand, though I do always keep ~1000 USD with me when traveling internationally in case they will ask for proof of money. At least for Thailand it's part of the entry requirements so better be safe. The same goes for an onward flight, technically you are required to show one if you plan to land on a visa exempt, so better be prepared.

I don't mind the word but I don't think it makes a lot of sense whenever it's used. When Thais talk about tourists (in general), they almost always use the word farang. 

Though, what about Japanese, Chinese or African tourists? I'd prefer the word alien or foreigner. Pretty much anything that makes sense. Farang targets a very specific kind of foreigner (white, western). It's not a catch-all term. 

For instance, when talking about white European people farang absolutely makes sense. But when talking about entry rules for foreigners (in general), why say farang when what you really mean is foreigner?

It's probably easier to say farang for Thai people rather than foreigner, and most probably have never heard the term Alien, so I get it. I still get irritated sometimes when people use it wrongly. 

I don't quite get it. So let's say someone is self-independent (registered 1 man company) for 10 years in their home country making 100k/year, but they do not have any academic degree. Would they qualify for this visa? What does intellectual property mean? Does having a company qualify as having intellectual property? Am I technically hired by my own company in their definition?

What is the definition of experience in a 'research field'? Also, is having experience in a research field part of the condition when not having a masters degree but own IP?

I don't quite get if this a visa only academics can apply for

6 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

How do you qualify as a local? 

In the south I get charged the same as Thai people with a pink ID card (fairly easy to get if you stay here longterm).

I don't understand the outcry

3 hours ago, seajae said:

I am hand watering in Surat Thani, havent had a decent rain for that long it isnt funny, even the dam only has a metre of water in it.

 

Interesting because I am in the same province and it's raining almost daily since a few weeks

1 hour ago, rbkk said:

There's more than just the work angle. Example: Your downtime spent on Facebook with Somchai reading all your thoughts. No thanks.

On the internet you write with ink not with a pencil. Meaning it's not just erasable. How many stories are there where people dug out old stories, comments or posts others posted on their social media or other platforms to cancel them or report them directly to the company where they work at? Not even mentioning the background checks these companies do anyway. You always have to assume that if you write something online, others are able to see it. It can directly impact your real life whether you are in Thailand or in the western world

Also, as someone who knows the digital industry very well, I don't know anyone who lets their steam out on facebook because that's exactly the group that is already aware of the consequences. Most of them just want a chill life at the beach, good and comparably cheap infrastructure and proper visa solutions. So yeah I just doubt that censorship regarding Thai politics will be a deciding factor whether or not digital workers want to work from here. Not for the vast majority of them

On 9/23/2021 at 12:45 PM, rbkk said:

The story is not about the speeds available. It's about what you can say freely without censorship or fake a/c's like the image above shows. 

I fail to understand in what way the current censorship would affect so many digital professionals that justifies saying it could hinder the development of a digital nomad hub. Journalism or opinion pieces sure but I'd argue that's not the vast majority of foreigners they want to attract to become a digital hub

Most of these professionals (designers, developers, administration workers) are looking for a fast and reliable infrastructure to work remotely. I don't see how censorship would affect that. Willing to change my opinion though if you provide me with a good reasoning

36 minutes ago, LawrenceN said:

When will my sport, channel-surfing, be recognized?

as soon as there are billions backing up the industry because millions of people are interested in it

3 hours ago, WinterGael said:

I have 3 brothers, all wealthy (entrepreneurs, property management and real estate, investments, etc.) Who have all been to Thailand at least once.  I wanted to start a business with my wife here, but not one of them would help me.  Why?

 

They all agree on one thing, this is not a country to invest in.  One brother likes it a lot, but he would never live here because, "Everything is cheap... cheaply built, cheaply managed, cheaply run for one reason only, to get people like me to throw my money away here." Pretty much how they all feel, so not willing to lend me money.  If we move to Vietnam, yes; Cambodia or the Philippines, maybe.

 

None of them would ever consider retiring here. One is retiring to the Philippines. 

 

They tell me took.look around and see why some countries are worth doing business in and why some are not. Thailand used to be,but not anymore. So here are some of their issues:

 

1.  No stable, non corrupt, efficiently run government in decades.

2.  Money before quality (money is wanted, but poor quality return for investment.).

3.  Too much reliance on tourism detracts from reliance on industry and service (poor service overall).

4.  Thailand has become expensive from a real world point of view (such as highest wages in ASEAN; Bangkok one of the most expensive cities to live in; government's expectations on foreign investment and earnings too high).

 

I get the last one.  I'm a digital nomad. I know Thailand wants to be a hub for digital nomads, but they also expect a monthly income in excess of 80,000 baht per month.  I'm lucky if I can pull off an average of 30,000 baht a month, so live off my pension. (And I work hard...)

 

Thailand needs to rethink a lot of things, otherwise the only ones investing here will be the Chinese. I see a lot of Japanese companies pulling out.

First off, the reasonings of your brothers are kinda weird. Not investing in Thailand because everything is cheaply build? Well yeah that's why it's cheap. You can get good quality here but you pay for it as you would elsewhere. Also Thailand unstable and corrupt but Philippines would be okay? What? Too much reliance on tourism? You know that tourism before covid was less than 20% of the GDP? It's a lot don't get me wrong but there's a lot more in Thailand than just tourism

Theres legitimate reasons to not invest here, like the ownership problem, I just think the reasons you concluded are kinda weird especially the comparisons to other countries that are just as sketchy as Thailand when it comes to business, laws, politics and regulations

Also 80'000 THB per month is not unreasonable to ask for a digital nomad and for sure not only Chinese will invest here lol. I know in a perfect world everyone would contribute their part and everyone would be welcome but we don't live in a perfect world and by setting the bar too low you attract a lot of people that wouldn't be a net benefit for this country (and with net benefit I mostly mean you bring enough money, which for a country also is completely reasonable to expect)

Quote

 

The third group are the so-called work-from-Thailand professionals who are interested in living in Thailand while working remotely for their employers in other countries, he said.

The people in this third group are expected to be digital nomads and employees of large organisations who are close to retirement, he said.

 

Could this be the long awaited digital nomad visa?

Thaienquirer says 80k USD/year for two year, Bangkokpost doesn't even mention numbers for digital nomads. Also curious on how strict 'employees of large organisations' or 'close to retirement' will be enforced as it really shouldn't matter for what company you are working for as long as you are eligible based on the total income

Nothing to get too excited about at this point as many details are unclear, but it sounds promising and I'm happy at least something is happening

does anyone know with what they got charged with? Fines? Jail?

1 hour ago, BestB said:

You may well be right, but what you forgetting is that those who are professionals earning top money will not be digital nomads or moving to Thailand, may be a few, most certainly not in droves requiring special visa ????

This is not top money. It's barely average for a good Dev or a SEO specialist. Also you highly underestimate how many there are. There's a reason why places like Chiang Mai or some southern Island make it into top 10 rankings of places for digital nomads every year. Half of the people I've met during last year who came here were working remotely. Especially now where companies all around the world changed their infrastructure to accommodate remote workers due to covid, there is a bigger demand for destinations than there has ever been before and it will only increase

1 hour ago, Captain Monday said:

Why don't they get a degree online then? If you want to play Thailands game play by Thailands rules. 

Just by demanding $100,000 insurance ( a pittance ) shows how out of touch they are this proposal will fail, just like all the others mooted, mulled and forgotten. Why?, no path to residence and citizenship. 

Thinking any insurance with less than 100k coverage would be sufficient enough shows how out of touch you are

I'm happy about the proposal. It's a step in the right direction. I've seen a similar proposal with 30k USD income a year. Make it somewhere between 30k and 50k and I think that will be completely fair