Mexican Expat Visa Experience for Thailand

[tamaique]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post on thaivisa. This conversation seems to have extended to cover MANY topics, so I'll try to separate things clearly to make for an easier read. I'll have more to report by the end of January but here are things as they stand for me and my family:

TOURIST VISA

Firstly, being a Mexican citizen I was never able to get 30 days on arrival visas, so I always had to apply for a visa at a Thai embassy (I've had experience in Nepal, Cambodia, Malaysia, Mexico). At first I'd get a single entry visa (on one hand because I didn't know if I wanted to stay long in Thailand and on the other hand I wasn't even aware that one could get a double or triple entry). However, on single, double, and triple I used to get 60 days and was able to extend by 30 days at 1900 baht here in Bangkok. I really didn't mind doing this since I was trying out the country and wanted to explore neighboring countries anyway (and 60 or 90 days made it quite nice)

Since the change in imigration laws in October I've been getting 30 days instead of 60 (still able to

extend for 30 more days at 1900 baht). The last time I crossed the border back to Thailand (Malaysia) I received a photocopy entitled "Facts on Permission to stay in Thailand." I don't know if anyone has posted that here already, I'll try to post both sides of this photocopy at the end of this message.

WORK VISA

On account of the immigration law changes, the fact that no one seemed to know exactly how it would affect me (including professionals), the fact that I would only get 30 days on the visa, the fact that I could no longer get a double or triple entry visa, and the fact that I wanted to work in Thailand, I decided to setup a company, hire myself and my (farang) gf, and change our status to Non-Immigrant visas.

The overall setup expenses for this will probably come in at around 100k (trying to factor in travel, setup, etc.). I have heard this can be done much cheaper, but I've found a law firm that I trust and they have so far taken care of everything for me (except for signing and getting a few necessary documents).

We will need to travel to KL sometime this month (I've been told it's the best city to get a Non-I visa) and I'll post my findings as we move along. We will need to make a visa run every 90 days (even though we'll have a work permit). From my understanding it's possible to stay for 1 year provided we hired 4 thais for every farang working in the company (something we're not planning on doing just yet).

Once the company has been setup there will be a recurring yearly fee to keep the Thai majority owned company (15K per year). I will be the director, and we will have control of the company. Taxes need to be filed every month (3K per month), and I believe a more extensive filing 2 times per year (maybe 10 or 15K each time). We will have to receive salaries (which will be drawn from our own money until we manage to make the company profitable), which means we'll need to pay some monthly taxes on already taxed money brought in from abroad . Regardless, I still think it's quite a breeze and an easy and cheap enough setup to live in a country that's not my own.

RETIREMENT VISA

I convinced my parents to move to Thailand before the October changes and the ease of trying the country out on tourist visas was one of the factors that convinced them. Since the changes they have decided to apply for retirement visas. The whole process from what we heard seems to be quite straightforward. They need to have 21 days left on a tourist visa to change it to a retirement visa. They've decided against depositing 800K in a Thai bank account (especially now that the government seems to be so keen on devaluating the Baht...and I really hope they succeed ), so they've contacted our embassy to draft a letter certifying they have the required monthly income (65k Baht/mo. minimum). I'm sure it would be quite easy to file for retirement visas on their own (perhaps with the help of a Thai person), but for the fees involved they've decided to go with the same law firm that is handling our other matters.

As I said, more to be posted on Work Permits and Retirement Visas when we're done with this process.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regarding Complaints on Thai Immigration Laws:

"Thailand makes it unfairly difficult to immigrate"

MOST countries that I know make it very difficult for people to immigrate, especially for those of us hailing from THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES. As Thailand falls under that category, it is extremely difficult for Thais to immigrate to most countries.

USA EXAMPLE: From personal experience, I studied an undergraduate degree in the USA and lived there for 4 years on a student visa.

1) It was MUCH $$$$$$$$$$$$ more expensive to do that than to immigrate to Thailand. Once I graduated, I was automatically given the chance to apply for a 12 month work visa, which started running the day I graduated independently of whether I applied for it or not.

2) I was not legally considered as a "resident" while I was living there as a student (so all that time meant nothing if I wanted to stay in the country after I graduated).

3) My student visa expired within days of graduation.

4) I need to apply for a tourist visa to the USA in the same way as any other Mexican (which believe me, is VERY complicated). CONCLUSION: After I'd lived all of my adult life in the USA as a "Legal Alien" (ALIEN being the important term here), I was unable to return to visit my friends, my university, attend friends' weddings, etc. without a tourist visa which takes months to get and where you are basically taken into a concentration camp style warehouse in Mexico city, stripped of your belt, mobile phone and most of your dignity, asked to bring ALL financial information (bank statements, property ownership, car ownership, etc. etc.), interrogated over a bullet proof glass window with stereo speakers so loud that any of the other 3 or 4 thousand persons in the warehouse can hear about ALL your most personal details.

OK, so the USA is not my country (even if at one point it seemed so in my heart). Am I bitter? NO. I just decided not to stay there.

MEXICO EXAMPLE: My family immigrated to Mexico during the Spanish civil war. Some of my relatives spent 40+ years in the country without being granted permanent residence or citizenship (in spite of multiple attempts, contributions to society, hiring hundreds of Mexican citizens, etc.).

Foreigners in Mexico cannot own beach front property (They need to set things up through a special trust fund in Mexico that would make me more than a bit nervous).

Up to around 20 years ago, foreigners in Mexico could not own a majority in any business. Etc. Etc.

Opening a business for a Mexican citizen in Mexico is much more complex and expensive than doing so in Thailand as a foreigner.

"Thailand makes a difference between rich and poor foreigners"

Who doesn't? Try to immigrate to any country with several million dollars to invest and you'll be granted permanent residence right away. A few years ago I know the amount was 1 million dollars to do so in Canada. No country wants to accept poor foreigners. That's understandable I think. Some countries have easier immigration laws than Thailand, but the cost of living in those countries and setting up a business, etc. are WAY HIGHER.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, I suppose this is long enough already. In the end I have no problem with people raising issues as long as they can see the light side of it.

If the airport in Thailand charges 700 instead of 500 Baht, will it seriously make a difference in your life (same regarding visa and travel expenses)? I think it would be MUCH more expensive still to live in your own country.

So, if you're unwilling or unable to remedy your immigration situation: cope with visa charges and visa runs, smile about it all, think of it as a game, instead of doing a "visa run" take a short "visa vacation" every 60 or 90 days, go to a beach, etc...

Cheers,

T

Visa_Permission.pdf

[tamaique]

This was originally a response in the "Enormous Shakeup Of Visa And Immigration Rules" conversation and that's the reason it covers so many topics

[tamaique]

Oh yeah...a word of warning for those getting double or triple entry visas in your home country (that is if they are still being issued). My parents got a triple entry in Mexico in August. I never bothered to look at it carefully When we got to the Thai immigration at Malaysian border in December (time for all of us to use the third entry permit on the visas), the immigration officer denied entry to my parents.

It turns out their triple entry visa had been issued with a 3 month validity (the "enter before" date) and had expired in November. My girlfriend and I had a triple entry tourist visa issued in Penang in August and the validity was 6 months. I tried to explain to immigration officers that it must be a mistake from the Thai embassy in Mexico, but they laughed and told me to go to Penang and get a new visa for po mea

We had to walk back to Malaysia and explain to the officers that we didn't REALLY want to leave malaysia just yet. They laughed, pondered, looked serious, laughed again and finally cancelled out our exit stamps. We had planned on touring Thai beaches in the south and ended up spending a few days in Langkawi and then headed to Penang instead. I would have rather toured in Thailand, but such is life.

Edited January 6, 2007 by tamaique