bubba1

Even with the new options, makes me glad that I bit the bullet nearly a decade ago in the early days of the program - unlimited everything for LIFETIME, for 1M Baht at the time, no VAT or anything as well. Just for kicks, I keep a general track of the number of airport transfers I've used over the years. If you assume one way transfer value is 1,000 baht, I have recovered over 25% of the cost of the card in airport transfer services alone!

In Bangkok a taxi to the city is less than 300 baht. What is your reference point using 1000 baht?

Ermmm....You won't get a Chauffeur driven BMW 7 series Limo with the driver waiting in arrivals to take you anywhere in the City and not driving like a mad man for 300bt

How many people without a Thai elite would pay for this? My guess is less than .05% of the people leaving the airport.

Hire a lawyer to threaten her.

Even with the new options, makes me glad that I bit the bullet nearly a decade ago in the early days of the program - unlimited everything for LIFETIME, for 1M Baht at the time, no VAT or anything as well. Just for kicks, I keep a general track of the number of airport transfers I've used over the years. If you assume one way transfer value is 1,000 baht, I have recovered over 25% of the cost of the card in airport transfer services alone!

In Bangkok a taxi to the city is less than 300 baht. What is your reference point using 1000 baht?

You did it all wrong.

Before you go to Immigration visit an Indian tailor and get a brown 3 piece suit made. Bring a silk tie from HK or your home country.

Get your suit on and head to Immigration with a leather briefcase. Wai everyone you see and tip everyone in uniform 100 baht. Walk out like a superstar and catch the baht bus home. Crank up some George Jones at the house and have a few light ales. No worries in the world.

Go to Jims place without a doubt. You can pick your passport up at 2:00PM on Tuesday.

Uber will get you around Penang very cheap from airport to Jims place will be about 30 minutes and cost less than $5 USD.

English lessons are cheap

If caught by immigration or police you could end up in jail for an overstay. Go early.

I heard from a mate they stopped stapling the cards as a cost cutting measure to save on staples. Great idea if you ask me

Had it happen in Taiwan main thing they were worried about was the duty free items.

Are the pics from Don Muang or Suvarnabhumi ?

Suvarnabhimi

You have just gotten older.

Why don't you buy a fully refundable ticket? Buy a few days before you fly then cancel it and get a full refund. Costs nothing using a credit card.

I thank those who replied to my question and all is clear . I cannot get a METV but I can get a extention based on retirement renewable every year . Better in a way .

To those who think this visa is wonderful and easy to get I would like to comment on that.

I would agree with this visa as a welcome step forward except for the condition that you must be working , self employed or receiving State Pension . It excludes quite a chunk of people like myself who are retired early not of pensionable age . Given that Thailand is all about attracting money , why introduce a visa that excludes one of the groups of people who have the most disposable income of all and who are likely to stay longer than those in a full time job who have to get back to work .? They should have introduced into that clause perhaps a condition that these very people have to have £xxx on deposit at a Thai bank . That would then keep everyone happy . I asked the consulate at Hull yesterday and they confirmed even if I was a 1st prize lottery winner with £10million (I'm not by the way ) I would NOT qualify for this METV . I mean how mad is that ?

And its even worse for those retired early and under 50 years old .. they have to make do with a SETV no matter how much money they have .

Whoever drafted this new visa clearly totally forgot about a whole section of the population . Clearly it wasn't a deliberate decision , Thailand would never turn away a wealthy group , they simply forgot .

Amazing Thailand indeed

I think your understanding of the METV and it's target group is wrong. It is aimed at those wanting to visit regularly over a 6 month period, that go home between visits, and don't want or need to take root in Thailand.

The drafters didn't forget anything. Visitor numbers are still on the increase since the METV was launched as the vast number of tourists are catered for with the SETV and Visa Exempt Scheme. Those that want to stay medium long term already have options.

Under 50's that have genuinely retired shouldn't have a problem paying out for the 5 year PE visa. Assuming you are over 50, and looking to stay in Thailand long term, a non immigrant visa and extension of stay is the way to go.

Thailand wants tourists to visit, spend money and go home. That's not unreasonable or unique. Some visitors can stay long term but, rightly, Thailand controls the numbers with stricter criteria.

Most under 50 and retired didn't get that way by paying over the top for things like a PE visa.

Definitely not.

The ASEAN Economic Community allows the free movement of labour for eight professions at this point in time: engineering, nursing, architecture, medicine, dentistry, tourism, surveying and accounting.

They probably couldn't find Thai staff to work for a similar wage.

How can we have so many Burmese gardeners, contructionworkers, landworkers if those are the rules?

Not to mention the loads of Indian salesguys i saw on the street many years ago.

Indian sales guys are usually Nepalese that migrated to Burma and then Thailand.

How can some from Nepal be Indian? The Indian sales guys are Sikhs who are Thai citizens. Sikhs have been living in Thailand for the last 150 years.

What he was calling Indians are actually Nepalese. The Sikhs are easy to recognize because of the turban.

People that ask this question are the ones that are still working.

The ones that didnt ask and did whatever they needed to do to get the job done retired early

Definitely not.

The ASEAN Economic Community allows the free movement of labour for eight professions at this point in time: engineering, nursing, architecture, medicine, dentistry, tourism, surveying and accounting.

They probably couldn't find Thai staff to work for a similar wage.

How can we have so many Burmese gardeners, contructionworkers, landworkers if those are the rules?

Not to mention the loads of Indian salesguys i saw on the street many years ago.

Indian sales guys are usually Nepalese that migrated to Burma and then Thailand.

Practically speaking there is no freedom of movement of labor into Thailand

Are the airport offices for re-entry permits also closed these days?

I have two existing visa exempt entries, one was extended by 30 days.

Also have a SETV that was used this year and extended.

I am on my second SETV issued the beginning of this month. I left Thailand last week for a few days after getting a re-entry permit. I am planning on leaving once or twice again over the next month. Should I keep getting re-entry permits? I don't want too many visa exempt entries and get flagged at the airport.

I spoke to an immigration officer who lives close to me. She called me last morning and I spoke to another guy who is working at the immigration. He told me that I can get a new one there because this year I have just 1 tourist visa. He told me that they give now just 2 tourist visas per year and it doesn't matter if it's always at the same embassy or consulate. So be aware everyone!

Totally incorrect don't believe that BS.

Agent told me the same, my passport is full of tourist visas mixed with a few one year visas, I went on my own, had Triple entry from the U.S. They just want you to go in person so they can question you, but nothing was said to me. I was not ask anything, got single entry no questions ask, and uber made the trip to and from the Embassy cheap

I think the OP was shafted but ohh well nothing new Agent told me same line, they count doubles and triples as seperate Visas. I had 2 years of tourist visas, plus a few one year visas before that. Anyway next year I will get the retirement visa if I stick around but in the mean time I am one of those big bad evil forginers staying in Thailand on tourist Visas, next month back to the U.S, get the METV then I am good untill I get the retirement visa

Thanks for the tip on using Uber to get around Penang. Cheap as chips.

The Thai Embassy in London have advised that my (Lao) wife can only get a Tourist visa and not a Non Imm O. They said that she can change the Tourist visa to an O visa at Immigration in Thailand and then, presumably, be added to my Extension as my wife/dependent.

This is what they told my sister over the phone in England.

Any idea why a Non Imm O cannot be issued? And is it possible to convert a Tourist visa to an O visa in Bangkok, or be added to my Extension while holding a Tourist visa?

I can think of no reason for her not to be able to get a single entry non-o visa at the embassy. It they are willing to issue a tourist visa they certainly can do a non-o visa.

It is possible to do a change of visa status to a non immigrant visa since you have an extension based upon working or teaching. If you are using IE or an extension to emulate it you can find the requirements by clicking on change visa here. http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/base.php?page=service

Thanks. She's going to apply in person at the Embassy, with me, so I'll try to persuade them to issue a non-Imm O, but if they are adamant I'll go for the Tourist visa.

One more question, my wife wants to make a "quick trip" back to Laos, after we get back from England. Would doing this mean she has to get another visa to return to Thailand, as the Single Entry tourist or O visa issued in London will have been used? Can re-entry permits be used for single entry visas?

Yes she can get a reentry permit.

Can dividends and interest income be used to satisfy this requirement or does it have to be an actual 'pension' ?

Agent told me the same, my passport is full of tourist visas mixed with a few one year visas, I went on my own, had Triple entry from the U.S. They just want you to go in person so they can question you, but nothing was said to me. I was not ask anything, got single entry no questions ask, and uber made the trip to and from the Embassy cheap

How long ago was this?