TonySn0

That fact that you don't hear music that you like today says a lot more about you than it does about today's music. There are tons of great music coming out every year, sure it's not popular, so you will not hear it unless you listen to new music. I listen to music ranging from the 17th century to 2022 releases and there is great inspiration and innovation to be found in it all. I have equal appreciation for Bach, Coltrane, Led Zeppelin, Jay-Z and Masego. Different? Yes. Incomporable? Yes. Genius? Yes. Now, I kind of have it out for hip hop over the last ten years or so. There are some (very few) new artists who blow my mind but the majority of what I hear (and I do listen), I just can't vibe with. Which, again, says more about me than it does about their music.

I'm not that kind of Russian haha ???? I looked into it but can't afford it ????‍♂️

In our case it's a regular international school with kindergarten classes. I think that we literally just got lucky. A couple in the window next to us asked for 60 day but was told they can only get 30 day extension. We asked for 60 days and got the 60 days. I've spoken to some other travelers since and it seems to be a coin toss, as to which stamp you get, though the rules, as you rightly have noted, state that one must first get the 30 day stamp.

I was told about the 25k by the director of the school my child attends, as well as by consultants at two of the language schools I reached out to. If this is indeed the case (only pay 1900 baht), then this would definitely be the best option for me. Will investigate further, thank you.

Thank you for the replies all. Thank you. Regarding the "no additional 25k needed on top of the schools fee" I was told many places that the 25k is for immigration to change tourist visa to non-immigration visa and that the only way to bypass it is to travel outside of the country and get a new visa at a Thai consulate. I should add that, were it not for the 25k fee, I would be more than happy to pursue the Non ED route, as I, at any rate, plan on learning the Thai language. We're all traveling on Russian passports. Not Thai. Apologies, I meant that the plan was to spend 2 months here but decided to stick around longer. Already got a 60 day covid extension for all three of us three weeks into our stay. And thank you for the bump.

Hi everybody. Apologies for the long read, I've got a big ask for information and want to make sure that I list all relevant details + my research. I initially came to Thailand for two months and since then made the decision to stay here longer, maybe for a year. My child is attending school and wife and I are enjoying living here. For background info - we're in our thirties, both work remotely, daughter is year 1 in school. I need to decide which type of visa to pursue. We are eagerly awaiting the “digital nomad visa” Thai government has promised to roll out this year, yet for the time being we need to find a way to stay here, until the holy grail visa becomes available. After research and talking to everyone I could about it, I understand that our options are: Stamps every 60/30 days at immigration. Not a huge fan of this, as it keeps our status sort of up in the air. What if we are denied a stamp? What if later on when we want to get a proper visa this will come back to bite us? Also, don’t feel confident to purchase vehicles here, etc., as our immigration status is very ephemeral. Non-Immigrant ED Visa for wife and I studying Thai language (for example). The cost, as I understand are around 25k Baht for the education plus another 25k baht to change visa type from Tourist to Non-immigrant. * Non-Immigrant ED Visa based on the fact our daughter is attending school. Cost - 25k baht each to change visa type for one parent and one child. * We were also told that we need to deposit 500k baht into a bank account to get this visa type. Can anyone confirm this is so? Employer of Record - I understand there are some companies specializing in this for tech workers. The quotes I’ve been given look like $2K USD to start the process + $500 USD monthly fee which adds up to $8K for a year (way too expensive for me). + I also have to get a separate visa for dependents, as they are not covered. I take it I also have to pay 25k baht to change visa type for each person… * I am not sure what this is… maybe also EOR? I called a visa agency and over the phone the lady said she can “hire me for her company”. It was difficult to get more details, over the phone, I’m thinking to stop by there tomorrow but not sure. Is this also EOR or some funky illegal scheme I should avoid? Here are my questions: Are there any other options for us to stay 9 months-year with a non-immigrant visa that I have not considered? Regarding the 25k baht tax to switch tourist visa to non-immigrant - I heard it mentioned that this can be avoided by going out of the country, say to Malaysia, visiting a Thai consulate there and getting the visa there. Can anyone confirm that this is true? Aside from the hassle of Thai Pass and tests (I think it’s only ATK starting with April), are there any pitfalls I’m not seeing or reasons to avoid going this route? I was told that if I get an ED visa, and my wife gets an ED visa, it’s okay if our pre-school child goes without a visa. Is this true? In some countries (US e.g.), a parent’s educational visa covers their minor dependent with an educational visa, is it the same way in Thailand? If there is anything else you can share that might be helpful, please do. Thank you so much for your help!