yogi100

6 hours ago, Tuvoc said:

I'm retiring to Thailand late next year, joining my wife who went ahead of me at the end of last year. So for about two years in the interim I'll be making 4 x trips a year for 2 weeks each, on visa exempt. The address on the TM6 won't be a hotel but will be a residential address. I'm getting worried now that the residential address will create problems and they will think I'm living in Thailand. Any advice ? In this calendar year I've been once, 4 weeks in July/August. Or am I concerned about nothing...

Some people are thinking twice about even holidaying in Thailand.

Let alone retiring there!

In the last few years there have been just too many negative developments to consider. Visas, insurance, poor exchange rates worsening attitudes etc.

Unless of course you don't seek a stress free retirement. In which case go for it!

22 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

I disagree. I’m covered in ink which I don’t cover up and I always enter dress casually. 37 entries in 7 years now with never a question asked. 

Mixture of extended METV, extended SETV x 2, a bunch of exempts and now non-ED

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.

There's always a first time. There was for my friend that I mentioned in the other topic on the same subject.

23 hours ago, StevieAus said:

I have been visiting Thailand for over 20 years and have lived here as a retiree on a retirement extension for more than eight years.

During this time I have never had an issue with Immigration and never been questioned at any airport or border crossing.

We have regular and return visitors from overseas as do many of my expat friends and none of them seem to have experienced any problem as it would seem neither do the thousands who arrive here daily.

I suspect the only ones who experience problems are the ones who want to stay here longer than a few weeks or make regular repeat visits over short period and are deemed not to be a “genuine tourist”

Answer go somewhere where they are happy to have tourists for long periods of time and give them your money.

But we do not know who has had these problems when trying to enter Thailand. Nor do we know how many others have experienced them. Especially falangs who do not even speak or read English. There are millions in Europe alone.

Very few visitors to the LOS are aware of this forum let alone the issue we're discussing. Many of them especially the older ones do not even know how to turn a computer on.

Some of my older pals definitely don't.

On 10/11/2019 at 3:28 AM, chrisinth said:

This to me is one of the major problems here. Embassies/consulates coming under MFA and immigration coming under immigration. Two separate parts of the government that currently don't seem to talking to each other. Main factor of this is that MFA don't (currently) have access to the Immigration database(s) and will issue visas through a checklist system and visual information obtained from your current passport.

 

What they believe and what immigration officials think could be worlds apart.

 

I noticed in post #67 of this thread by @Lovethailandelite that he states:

 

"The majority of Embassy's do not yet have access to the immigration database.....until very early next year"

 

If this is the case (not doubting it just because I haven't heard of this before) then IMO, this will not be any advantage to the frequent visitor but rather lead to a dramatic increase in the refusal to issue various visas as the person's travel history will be available.

 

It will however (if this is indeed true that MFA will have access to immigration databases from early next year) reduce the amount of visa turn-away's  entering Thailand.

What's MFA?

On 10/11/2019 at 2:56 AM, yuiop said:

Yes that's true, I hear this advice a lot, but you do need to show a ticket to Thailand when applying for a visa in your home country don't you. A throw away ticket would be something expensive, then you will have to buy your ticket to let's say Malaysia. The all thing would cost a fortune if you buy a refundable ticket. Unless you enter visa exempt (by land crossing for example) or apply for a visa in a neighboring country. At this point, better to chose another country to spend your time and money.

I've been getting METVs for years from the London Embassy and various UK consulates.

I've never once been even asked about any airline ticket.

On 10/10/2019 at 7:58 PM, Smokegreynblues said:

Few years ago I was on my second Tourist visa, I wore a suit , the immigration official questioned me like crazy. It is never a good idea to wear a suit.

Be honest. You wore a suit hoping to get a free upgrade to Business Class.

This 'insufficient funds' and 'working in Thailand' malarkey had not been thought up back then!

10 hours ago, FredGallaher said:

Bingo A very fitting name for this gentleman  whatever. 

A very rude and insulting remark and not based on any established facts. Just one based on hearsay.

10 hours ago, madmen said:

Because the fear mongers so desperately want to believe these dramatic stories of abuse by IOs To be true. 

Many of us who visit Thailand actually do fear that these stories concerning IOs are true.

From what I've seen of the IOs with their scowling faces and after what happened to my chum I can well believe it.

Especially when we first have to spend hundreds of pounds on a flight and possibly a hotel to find out. That's no joke!

It's not as if we can ask anyone if we'll be allowed into Thailand before we cough up the money to get on the plane.

19 minutes ago, La Migra said:

Simple explanation: Craft beer = more expensive.

 

It used to mean, locally produced, usually brewed in the same place you were drinking it. A greater variety of flavor - some of which you would like and some not, rather than brewed to the least common denominator for mass consumption.

Now it seems to mean funny names and unusual labels....plus more expensive.

It's that arty farty muck they sell in the UK to the middle class yuppies in the posh pubs of London and the home counties for £5 a pint then. None of 'em could not even tell it from an ordinary £1.95 pint of bitter from the pump in their local Witherspoons.

Give me an honest to goodness pint of lager any day!

4 hours ago, eddie61 said:

There are things the tourist authorities could do to stimulate the individual tourism sector.

 

Relaxing the laws that prevent local craft brewers from offering their products for sale, as an example.

 

Globally, there is a trend to interesting and varied craft beers being offered in bars. In Thailand they are all highly taxed and expensive imports, due to the laws that effectively create a tasteless duopoly in a key sector of the tourism take.

 

I suspect that if you follow the money, you will figure out why!

What actually is craft beer?

45 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

No. Who?

Ronnie Biggs.

2 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Tourists don't have a problem, just the people who live here like the OP and try to do that on a tourist visa.

My chum was a tourist. They wanted to refuse him entry.

32 minutes ago, JamJar said:

 

Bumping a thread after nearly a year? No information as to qualifications, equipment and prices? Not good.

Don't read it then.

What about qualifications and equipment in the post you've just made. Not good.

5 hours ago, metempsychotic said:

honestly now, how could you even begin to pretend you are in a position to know this.

Be fair MTP he did start his post with the word 'Methink' even though it's not even a real word.

9 hours ago, Skallywag said:

Haha.  I agree.  Yes.  Wait till you have real money and a pension to date a "regular" girl, then marry her, have babies, build her a house, and live happily ever after.

That's if he can still rise to the occasion. We're not all Charlie Chaplin.

I was in a Pattaya gogo bar one night with two of the girls I'd just bought a drink each for back when we were getting about 60 B to the £ and LD were about 95 B a throw.

Three young falangs walked in and I said 'Quick quick, look young falang, big money, they buy you drink!'.

But the girls were not the least bit interested. 'Young falang kineow' they said, 'Him want f*** for free'.

So young falangs want to put their hands in their pockets if they want to make time with Thai girls.

The OP should get a book called 'Money Number One' and read it if he wants more success with Thai women. You're not in Falangland any more.

13 hours ago, tgw said:

I had the feeling you were way too serious for Thai girls, so I checked your post history and I *think* my first impression was confirmed.

 

16 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

really dude...you watched a hockey match recently? Look dont get me wrong, I find soccer artistic, but add speed and toughness to the mix and you got a winner...thats hockey.

"Toughness"

English school girls have played hockey for well over a hundred years without protective clothing let alone 'body armour'.

56 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

 

I think it fair to point out that whilst there is some aggression against Muslims that 99% of all terrorism is probably Muslim in origin ! You highlight maybe say 30 a year killed by far right, but how many killed by muslims in the same year ? 100,00 ? 

Steady Richard you'll get him more confused than he already usually is!

5 hours ago, schlog said:

Divide et impera.

Call me a cynic but isn't the point of time perfect only some days before the next election....

New chapter of the NSU show?

NSU were taken over by Volkswagen long after WW2 and the demise of the Nazi Party.