Rob Browder

There is no reason those doing visa runs should not be encouraged to stay and keep spending money in Thailand. They are violating no law by doing so. This Stockholm Syndrome thinking is pathetic. The IOs at those borders want "tribute" payments, through their agent-partners, from those who stay in Thailand a considerable period of time, and their bosses allow this behavior. That is ALL this is about - the same as with changing the requirements/hassles for extensions of stay in the country.

Most higher-end property agencies tend to focus on Bangkok / Pattaya / Phukhet and similar. You can check this site for provincial rentals - though quality varies widely: https://www.renthub.in.th/en/apartment/roi-et Also, regarding the TM-30 - even if the landlord will not report for you, if they will supply signed copies of their ID, the Housebook for the property, and Chanote for the property, you should be able to file the TM-30 yourself. This can be verified with your local Immigration Office, to be sure that is all they want. You were wise to inquire on the TM-30 issues with the landlord in-advance of signing a lease.

I don't use the service - just going by posts here. Which one were you referring to below? ... Though I recall another report from a Russian who reported more like 3K, which he found out about via a border-run agent / company.

I would agree with this sentiment, in many cases - but not this case. There was an international ruling on China's made-up "dash line" claims - which extend far beyond any reasonable territorial limits. The PI is in the right, on this one. The USA engaging in bad foreign-policy in other cases, does not make the PI the bad guy, in this case.

No hard-limit on either, any more - but you may need to use Immigration's "agent service," to pay tribute / keep them happy, if doing this repeatedly.

No, you receive a permitted stay of 180 days "per-entry" ongoing for 5 years - so can border-bounce for another 180-day permitted stay. You might have to stay out a night before returning, between 180-day permitted-stays.

Last report I see is May of last year - but may still be available. That guy used a pension-letter - though I don't see why a bank-book + bank-letter + statement would not work - IF they still offer the 1-Year ME based on Retirement, at all.

See also the Chinese w/ "Thai nominees" inland-transport / trucking companies. I doubt folks from the West are doing illegal-driving gigs - but whoever they are, should be busted, deported, and banned - with those who hired them doing prison-time.

There is no "law" - but some IOs want to see a 1-year lease. They consider "retired" to mean glued to one spot, basically. Though, if you use their "agents," they will not create these obstructions. Best option is to file early - before you leave - as others have suggested. If that is not possible, I would go back "home" to file the annual extension. In either case, when you get back to CM, be sure to re-report your TM-30, since some hotel(s) elsewhere may have "updated it" to a different address.

MOST Americans cannot find $1K USD (~35K Baht) cash in an emergency - much less the homeless - so won't have 500K Baht worth of savings to show. The same is true, at a higher %, for other, poorer countries.

Impossible to know Thai Visa policy that far in advance. At best, one can hope to be "grandfathered" on an unbroken-series extensions-of-stay, as that happened in the past, in some (not all) cases.

Some Thai embassies limit visas based on residents - including for Tourist Visas, in some cases. The DTV has been successfully obtained in Vientiane and Phnom Penh by non-residents/citizens.

You say "massive issues" - with Koreans and Russians? Yes, I saw a few news reports of a few cases of such illegal workers - and they were busted, which is good. We used to see the occasional "dive instructor" from the West busted. The joke was using this to pretend every border-bouncer from the West was an "illegal dive-instructor." Compare/contrast to the millions of illegal-workers from neighboring countries, in addition to those allowed in en-masse on L1 Visas (like the H2B in the USA) to keep wages down for Thais. They even use the same "don't want those jobs" sales-pitch, when "... at the low-wage a foreign worker will accept," is left off the statement. As to how it would affect costs, if those companies had to hire Thais - what is the "labor cost" in the retail-price of the products/services? For example, if a condo building had to pay 2x more for the maid who cleans the public areas - how much per condo-unit in annual fees? Repeat with condo-construction per sq-meter with well-paid Thai workers. And how much per KG of shrimp or rice (consider the volume per-worker per-hour)? It is trivial for all but a few edge-cases, and those higher-paid citizen-workers become productive taxpayers instead of an economic net-loss to the country. The tiny difference isn't passed to the consumer, anyway - only "adds up" to significant money on the meta-scale - passed-on via stock-dividends and board-member bonuses. Returning to the DTV - yes, I hope the enforce the provisions for application, which should reduce the number of people from lower-wage nations using it to get access to working illegally in the Thai market - though that is flooded and not being enforced often, regardless. Yes, you can border-bounce on the DTV, every 180 days, for 5 years. Whether some "grease" will be needed at some border-crossings, has yet to be seen - but that would not change the equation.

He was off by a zero, multiplying 500 Baht times the number of days overstay was 45K, not 450K - and without recognizing the fine-increase stops accumulating at 20K baht.

True, but most "Visas" do not allow a continuous-stay over 90-days. If one obtains an extension of stay, which allows more than 90-days stay, they will be informed at immigration, complete with a slip in their passport indicating the next date to report.

There is no exception for 90-day reporting in the published (Gazette) information. One could "avoid" doing it, by doing exclusively border/airplane in/outs every 180 days - thus never having to visit immigration in Thailand. But, at some point in the future, they could start checking for 90-day compliance at exit-points.

Why "questionable"? They have money, or they would be sleeping outdoors and not eating. They would not be here "working illegally," as an under-the-table job here pays for six 10-hr days what one day pays back home at McDonalds. I definitely would NOT want "more strict" requirements for those with passports from higher-wage nations,, because I care about the Thais who benefit from our spending - some being friends and family. However, I would be throwing every Thai-company employer in prison who hires illegal foreign labor, which undercuts Thai's wages and opportunities. I also wish they did that in my passport-country, like they did in the past. Elite is a complete and total rip-off. "Investment" is set unreasonasbly high. Fortunately, there is now the DTV, and I expect many will switch to this, as the terms are better. "Abused" how? Competing with immigrants from neighboring countries to mop-floors and work on fishing boats? If Westerners are working here, they have a work-permit and appropriate-visa included. With local-extensions, the govt makes money, people stay longer and spend - and their money is spent in Thailand, vs in neighboring countries on "visa-runs."

Yes, you can apply at immigration in Thailand for a 12-mo extension, on any of the entries, in the last 30-45 days (depending on the office), with 2-mo seasoned 400K. Also, you can get a single Non-O with no money in Savannakhet. Only the multiple-entry requires funds.

The type of visa is irrelevant for taxes - only how many days you spend in the country per calendar-year - either under/over 180 days.

When they first started doing the money-check at Savannakhet, they seemed not to enforce the 2-mo seasoning. I have not seen a recent report where "no seasoning" policy was clarified by someone without it getting the visa, or being rejected - but it is "officially" needed. When you say "extend it after 3 mo to 12 months" - at Immigration in Thailand? Yes - and with all the required documents / rigamorole associated. Having that visa-entry as a starting point would allow you to go directly to a 12-month extension. A 12-mo "ME-Visa," however, would require going back to Savannakhet with a bank-statement showing the seasoned funds.

The problem many have at CW, is their time in-Thailand does not exceed 90-days before border-bouncing, due to their Visa-type. One would be legally required to do 90-day reporting if staying 6-mo on the DTV. Then, at CW, one could also get a Certificate of Residence. One could use an agent to do the 90-day report, if desired - and to get the CoR.

No. Even snowbirds do this, and they spend most of the year in another country. As to "legitimate" - is a made up word when used like this. There is no stated "how long can one be a tourist" in Thai law. If the foreigners are not working here, and spending foreign-earned capital into the Thai economy, they are quite "legitimately beneficial" to Thailand, and should be welcomed. Ideally, instead of this silly border-game, based around Thai rules, they could just go to immigration and pay maybe 5K for 90-days at a time = "win win" for everyone.

No - it has been confirmed repeatedly by multiple posters here, over years.

I've never seen a report of the Non-O-ME from Vientiane. Funds not in the bank for 2 months could be a problem. You might want to do a single at Vientiane, if easier to visit there - then, return for the ME at Savannakhet, after the funds are seasoned 2 months.

One would need to be in the room where they take people for "additional questioning" to see the cash-demand - and in many cases, they don't ask, and deny for "lack of funds," regardless. And, if they want to deny someone entry, they would waive-away the offer of a bank-book (reported here before), and stamp "lack of funds" as the reason for denial in the victim's passport, and there is nothing one can do about it. If one is coming in frequently / staying awhile as a tourist, they are in the "Permitted to extract tribute," category - and will use immigration's agent, or suffer the above experience. Usually, there is a warning first, in hopes the "mark" gets the message.