Gabor

It is only the Passport that tells anybody if you are legally in the country, no other ID card tells whether you have a Visa or have done you 90 day reporting

A plastic card with a chip / magnet line would be a good solution for those who voluntarily want to buy one to avoid the hassle...

I don't have the slightest idea.

ANY Thai embassy will tell you it is a tourist visa (double entry). A visa for a holidaymaker is covered under a tourist visa.

I spoke with the Thai embassy in L.A. California and Washington D.C. Friday. They both said tourist visa with multiple entries is good for 90 days every six months. Leave country and return does not extend time. I know that has not been the previous experience of visa holders. Just sharing what I was told.

It was true for people arrived without visa, on the arrival stamp... is the law changed ? I doubt.... Why bother to make laws if the authorities ignore them ?

3 entry tourist visa is good for 9 months by the law...( not under the recent rules )

I don't think the triple-entry tourist visa was ever intended for a long-term stay of nine months with just two border runs, although some people seem to use it that way.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Intended or not.... practically legal, unless anything other is written in the law...

That's where you are wrong Gabor. There has already been a thousand posts on here explaining that no laws have changed and that out/in behaviour was merely tolerated as a convenience to tourists.

UNTIL

So many sum-bishes who only wanted to plop there butts down in Pattaya for years and not tour anything but the top of a bar stool finally took the piss so much that Thai Imm. had to do something about it.

'nuff said

~

Exactly what I say... the law don't changed, just the interpretation.... do you want to say, the thai immigration officers broke the law and abused the visa system for decades, allow the 3 entry tourist visa to use it for a 9 month trip ? In your inbterpretation they did....

What is written into law is this: The official Immigration translation of Police Order 777/2551 of which 2.4 covers the 30 day extension of tourist visas with the heading:

Criteria and Conditions for Consideration of an Alien's Application for a Temporary Stay in the Kingdom of Thailand

Note the word 'consideration'. It is always within the discretion of the 'competent official' whether or not to grant such extension -- they are in no way obligated to do so just because you show up with your 1900 baht.

if you have a legal non imm, tourist etc. visa... " It is always within the discretion of the 'competent official' whether or not to grant such extension "

So nothing to do with the official validity of the 3 entry tourist visa...

3 entry tourist visa is good for 9 months by the law...( not under the recent rules )

I don't think the triple-entry tourist visa was ever intended for a long-term stay of nine months with just two border runs, although some people seem to use it that way.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Intended or not.... practically legal, unless anything other is written in the law...

So for a minimum cost stay - They can come in, transport around/chill in Thilaland for 6 months,

then visit, say Cambodia/Vietnam for 4/5 days, then come back for 180 days?

No tourist can get a visa to stay 6 months in Thailand. They have to leave the country and come back to stay that long.

3 entry tourist visa is good for 9 months by the law...( not under the recent rules )

Just to note that, while a US citizen in Thailand requires 4 hours of class instruction to maintain an education visa, a Thai student in the US requires 18 hours per week of class study to maintain an education visa

Believe it or not, the USA isn't the navel of the WORLD, nor any kind of exemplar. Who cares on a Thailand forum what do you boil in the USA, many escaped from ?

All the Thais are doing is enforcing the laws that already have been in place for a long time,but just relaxed,i have lived here for 20 years and had many visas and been legitimate ,its not hard to do,just get the right paperwork and play by the rules,i get my wife a UK visa every year for a holiday there and its a pain in the arse,a visa for Thailand is way easy compared to that.

What laws ? No any laws changed....and no any illegal moves were allowed beforehand.... or am I mistaken ?

Please citate the laws are enforced now... without speculation, just the law....

What has it got to do with Cambodia. USA, UK and others have similar schemes for rich people But vastly more expensive. And a few Euro countries as well.

I suppose you'll be off to Cambodia then. Goodbye.

You'd also better look up the definition of blackmail. No-one is blackmailing you. You obviously don't know what it means.

I like when the commie type zeal turns some people thinking they are the authority to say me good bye...

Criminals hide without any visa or visarun... I saw a few people overstaying already 7-10 YEARS.... also the secretary at the embassy moaned why to hassle the tourists, the criminals will anyway to hide without any visas...

And how will they do when exiting Thailand ?

They will get one of new "ban" for 5 or 10years ?

They may not appreciate that and decide to change of country :-)

Before this circus it wasn't a problem... now it is... however really easy to change your name and your passport... some thei bargirls do it for years when they are banned from HKG or Singapoore... believe me, people with hidden agendas ( criminals ) will solve easily this storm in the teacup... we, who try to be legal, we sucks....

Maybe this will also keep out some of the criminals hiding here on in/out visa's or to worried to apply in their own country through the correct process.

Criminals hide without any visa or visarun... I saw a few people overstaying already 7-10 YEARS.... also the secretary at the embassy moaned why to hassle the tourists, the criminals will anyway to hide without any visas...

Proper visa is a non-immigrant visa, which is possible to get for 90, also for people without thai wife, thai child or retirement.

I know several young people who obtained non-immigrant visa outside Thailand, then after entering Thailand applying for work permit and so on.

Are they really work or just abuse the visa system ?

... They stayed with two back to back tourist visas. Retirement visas are not an option, they are not retiring in Thailand. They are tourists enjoying winter months in the sun.

As Immigration said "If they are genuine tourists that's fine". No problem.

They can just get one of those 6 month seasonal tourist visas which don't exist.

Either a new seasonal visa is introduced or they will be forced to do a 'visa run'. Visa run is now banned so seasonal tourists who want to stay for a full winter are now banned.

Nothing states that visa run is banned completely. Continuously visa runs and people with a long history of visa runs are those this scheme is aimed for.

What is " continious" and what is " long " ?

How many tourist-visa runners own property? Zero.

False.... under 50 year old age ( I don't worked, I dont leartn thai, I had no thai wife... I was just a long term tourist: Only relax and spending my money ) no any other options to stay in the country for longer time, than the 3 entry tourist visa ( visa runs ) Now it seems illegal, despite the law says it is still legal.... BTW I own 3 condo and planned to buy a 4th... Under the new " visa lottery " I changed my mind...

You have money. Why not get an Elite Card? I don't know much about them but I think they allow you to stay for 5 years for around 500K baht. Reasonable price for people with money.

Because I don't buy an Uganda type brigand blackmail....for this money I can buy half Cambodia....

How many days and entries is said in the stamp, but mentioned before, an entry doesn't secure an entry into the country and which is what this crackdown is also about.

Just because it has been possible, doesn't mean it has been correct. Many things in Thailand has been possible, even though it's against laws and rules.

You wrote that i have been abusing the system with my ED visa, what was your claim, so you are the one talking about abusing.

Stop acting like people are entitled to stay here as tourist for years and years. Which visa is proper for him, depends on the individual person.

I am 36 and i got a non-immigrant O (guardian but not married visa), actually just extended with another year today. So please don't come and tell me that i am abusing any system here, because i had to go to court go get joint custody for my daughter and prove that she is my daughter, to be able to be here and provide for her. It actually made me very angry when you make such assumption, because of all the difficulties it has been to get a proper visa and do things the right way, I don't want to abuse any system here, because i got a daughter and i got responsibilities, so abuse a system and end up getting kicked out is NOT an option for me.

Ok.... nothing again...no any facts, just assumptions and a nice family story.... good luck for you... but please don't judge the others based on assumptions and prejudices.... have a nice day....

( please read this....maybe better to understand yourself... and the pompous smugs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome )

Just because after 3 years it can a fact be an issues to extend the visa, doesn't mean i abused it.

And it's quite clearly written in peoples passport who are tourist and who aren't, question is just who are more than just a tourist as written in their passport.

90 days in/90 days out - 180 days in/180 out is far from a new law and easy to find information about. You want me to google it for you?

¨

What privileges are you talking about that i should lose? Again you're making assumptions, just as you assumed that just because i was aware that extending ED visa after 3 years and decided to change for something else, made me abuse the system. Get your head out of your..... please!

You wan't me to start assuming here? Ok then, i guess you have an issue, because you cannot get a proper visa and work permit for the bar which you have in your lady friends name. I guess you have an issue, because you are one of those who will be affected by this crackdown. Get a proper visa dude..... How is that for assumptions?

ok

Who is a tourist and who isn't ? Please any legal resources.....where it is written the definition of the tourist ? ( apart from your assumptions )

Wrong... arrive with a triple entry tourist visa you allowed - by the law - to stay 9 months... and allow to come back on the next day with a new triple entry visa....

I'm not affected at all.... I'm on my retired visa, have more, than enough founds and I don't plan to work or own any business....I'm a long term tourist... doing nothing else, just relax and spending my money.... I just don't like the unfair games....

The stamp in your passport define if you're tourist or not o.O

No it doesn't. It has been possible to do so, because the rules has not been uphold. 3 entries allow you to leave country and come back the amount of entries you have. It's not made for you to be able to stay in Thailand 9 months, it's made so you have a chance to travel other places than in Thailand doing your holiday.

How is it unfair games to require people who want to live here and work here to obtain a proper visa, and if working a work permit as well? Please explain why that is unfair games? Again, no foreigner is entitled to be here at all, just be happy that we can stay here as long as we go it the proper way. If people wish to love here, they should be getting a proper visa, or stop moaning if they get issues entering the country because they didn't get a proper visa to begin with.

The stamp say tourist.... OK... how many days means it ? How many entry means it ? What it means at all ? In numbers.... not assumptions.

It was possible because of the law. 60+30 days three times. If I am right nowhere is written it is abuse of the visa. If i'm wrong, please show me where it is written.

Unfair game: for example people under 50 and DON'T want to work or marry or invest.... nothing more, just relax and spending his money... which one is the proper visa for him ? ( Don't say the elite card robbery... nothing better, than a fat Uganda type bribery... )

BTW... what kind of visa you use ? How old are you ?

Just because after 3 years it can a fact be an issues to extend the visa, doesn't mean i abused it.

And it's quite clearly written in peoples passport who are tourist and who aren't, question is just who are more than just a tourist as written in their passport.

90 days in/90 days out - 180 days in/180 out is far from a new law and easy to find information about. You want me to google it for you?

¨

What privileges are you talking about that i should lose? Again you're making assumptions, just as you assumed that just because i was aware that extending ED visa after 3 years and decided to change for something else, made me abuse the system. Get your head out of your..... please!

You wan't me to start assuming here? Ok then, i guess you have an issue, because you cannot get a proper visa and work permit for the bar which you have in your lady friends name. I guess you have an issue, because you are one of those who will be affected by this crackdown. Get a proper visa dude..... How is that for assumptions?

ok

Who is a tourist and who isn't ? Please any legal resources.....where it is written the definition of the tourist ? ( apart from your assumptions )

Wrong... arrive with a triple entry tourist visa you allowed - by the law - to stay 9 months... and allow to come back on the next day with a new triple entry visa....

I'm not affected at all.... I'm on my retired visa, have more, than enough founds and I don't plan to work or own any business....I'm a long term tourist... doing nothing else, just relax and spending my money.... I just don't like the unfair games....

I am not on ED visa anymore, i was for 3 years where i did start to get nervous, because after 3 years on ED visa is where this could give issues extending it.

Reason why i did when i suggested, recommend not to skip classes (which is 4 hours per week i think), is that you might have an immigration officer check up on you, or interview you at your 90 reporting at immigration office, to see if you can speak the language after studying it for a while.

But of course i am afraid that some kind of crackdown will make it difficult for me to stay here, because i got responsibilities here. And it is a shame that some people abusing the system is making it difficult for people who are not here on tourist visa and working.

So....YOU abused the system with your ED visa for 3 years and now you moaning about to abuse the system... by the others.

BTW... who abuse the system ? You throwing out what the law allows and what the law don't allows... Your resources ? Where is it written who is a tourist and who is not ? Please quote some numbers, regulations, laws.... not only your asumptions, prejudices....

Where did i abuse the system? I did attend my classes and studying the language. Stop making such assumptions without knowing anything at all. Because non in what i wrote indicate that i abused the system.

Also, i am not moaning about people want to be here as tourist for long time, what i do say is that people should not expect and feel entitled to do so.

Use google, there is plenty of informations about what the law say, problem is just that it haven't been uphold.

You're are the one assuming here you numb-nutt, saying that i have abused the system!?!

Yo wrote:

" because after 3 years on ED visa is where this could give issues extending it. "

You moaning, just because you scared to lose your pricviledges... Why not to expect it, if it is legal and issued by a thai embassy ? Because someone - let it be you or the immigration officer has a bad day - just think so ?

I'm not Mr Google and you try to show yourself as the knows it all person... so please justify with some legal sources your rants.... ( a note for yourself: you are not the thai law )

I am not on ED visa anymore, i was for 3 years where i did start to get nervous, because after 3 years on ED visa is where this could give issues extending it.

Reason why i did when i suggested, recommend not to skip classes (which is 4 hours per week i think), is that you might have an immigration officer check up on you, or interview you at your 90 reporting at immigration office, to see if you can speak the language after studying it for a while.

But of course i am afraid that some kind of crackdown will make it difficult for me to stay here, because i got responsibilities here. And it is a shame that some people abusing the system is making it difficult for people who are not here on tourist visa and working.

So....YOU abused the system with your ED visa for 3 years and now you moaning about to abuse the system... by the others.

BTW... who abuse the system ? You throwing out what the law allows and what the law don't allows... Your resources ? Where is it written who is a tourist and who is not ? Please quote some numbers, regulations, laws.... not only your asumptions, prejudices....

Up to you to try, but don't whine when you're standing at the border and will be refused to get back in.

Probably will be the situation by the rules.... abusing the law.

For the past many years, you haven't been allowed by law to be tourist more than 180 days doing 360 days.

false.... only if you arrived without any visa.... With the proper visa ( for example 3 entry tourist visa ) you can still stay 9 months in the country by the law. It's not the long term tourists abuse the law....if you understand what I say...

That is not correct. Just because you have the entry to get the days, doesn't mean that you as tourist by law are allowed to be that long. The number of entry has nothing to do with the days maximum allowed by law.

Please a link, how many days the law allows....The LAW says you can stay as long as your permit stamp allows you. The law also says you get 60 days on your arrival and 30 days the extention.... anything else I missed ?

So the Condo's you say you have is also about someone else ?

Edit 1: Added Link - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/742834-no-more-thai-visa-runs-immigration-will-not-let-visa-runners-return-after-aug-12/page-18#entry8102764 -

I don't gamble... I bought them on my own name.... What to do with the visa ? I could own 100 condos, still I'm a nobody...

<snip>

Easier to make now the retirement visa.... BTW you support a kind of brigand / blackmail mentality.... dropped out from the corner and ask to pay to walk....And yes... too expensive for the nothing...

You Sir, need to read up on the rules for extensions a stay based on retirement as in an a earlier post you stated

under 50 year old age ( I don't worked, I dont leartn thai, I had no thai wife... I was just a long term tourist: Only relax and spending my money ) no any other options to stay in the country for longer time, than the 3 entry tourist visa

And I do it and did it in the past. I'm talking not about my own problems. ( for example guys under 50 ) I just have some empathy.... what is missing from the pompous smug's posts...

For the past many years, you haven't been allowed by law to be tourist more than 180 days doing 360 days.

false.... only if you arrived without any visa.... With the proper visa ( for example 3 entry tourist visa ) you can still stay 9 months in the country by the law. It's not the long term tourists abuse the law....if you understand what I say...

A lot of people are going to lose a lot. Including Thais. This is baby with bath water on steroids. Too inflexible and done too fast. It would be OK if there were now easier "real" visas, work permits, including legalization of online freelancing, etc. But there is not. On the condo market, no kidding, this is really bad for places like Pattaya. Cause and effect clearly not well considered on this one.

having lived in pattaya for over 20 years i dont know any condo owner that is a visa runner.

False.... under 50 year old age ( I don't worked, I dont leartn thai, I had no thai wife... I was just a long term tourist: Only relax and spending my money ) no any other options to stay in the country for longer time, than the 3 entry tourist visa ( visa runs ) Now it seems illegal, despite the law says it is still legal.... BTW I own 3 condo and planned to buy a 4th... Under the new " visa lottery " I changed my mind...

If you are that wealthy as you say (already have 3 condos and thinking of buying another one) why don't you spend the 500K to get the Thailand Elite Easy Access Card ? Or is that too expensive ?

Easier to make now the retirement visa.... BTW you support a kind of brigand / blackmail mentality.... dropped out from the corner and ask to pay to walk....And yes... too expensive for the nothing...