red stamp - advise please

[Tony125]

4 hours ago, genericptr said:

I don't get this, who can afford to pay their employee to not work for 6 months? In the jobs I had if a person left for 6 months we'd be screwed and have to replace them within a week (then that guy would have be to fired and find a new job when the other guy came back).

Obviously your American,

 

[rwill]

get the 6 month multiple entry visa if you qualify

[NorthernRyland]

11 minutes ago, Tony125 said:

Obviously your American,

 

Yeah that's right and I don't let my team and colleagues down when they need me. Is that what you guys do in your country or are you a government employee feeding off taxpayers?

[scubascuba3]

Yeah that's right and I don't let my team and colleagues down when they need me. Is that what you guys do in your country or are you a government employee feeding off taxpayers?

America has always been backward when it comes to holiday, you can't take money with you, have more time off

[Tony125]

2 minutes ago, genericptr said:

Yeah that's right and I don't let my team and colleagues down when they need me. Is that what you guys do in your country or are you a government employee feeding off taxpayers?

Ha ha well for your information I was born and raised in US but have been visiting Thailand for 17 years  and living here for 4 now. It's just that I am aware that in Europe they have a much more liberal leave policy than the US. Google it and you will see that the US has the least leave policy for vacations or family/maternity leave of any of the industrial nations. As far as letting a team or colleagues down  "no one is indispensable "

[nasanews]

Well your only chance is to get an elite visa if you can otherwise you can kiss Thailand goodbye.

[JackThompson]

9 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

And if it seems fishy to you, then there's certainly at least a possibility that it's going to seem so to an IO as well.

It would seem some IOs, and many others have no idea that one can make a good living from offshore businesses thanks to "The Internet" - so a brick-mortar "job" one has to attend at a proscribed location and specific hours is no longer relevant to the pertinent question, which is:

"Does this person have the resources to spend time in Thailand without taking a job illegally?"

 

Then there is the fact that he could have (or have had) a good-paying brick-and-mortar job - likely given he is German - saved his money while doing that job, and is here, now, spending from the proceeds.

 

7 hours ago, jacko45k said:

If you can afford to travel around like this without working, and wish to do so, I would have thought the elite visa would be the best option.

There is a wide-gap between "afford to live well in Thailand" and "afford to buy an Elite Visa."  Those who can afford to spend capital outright for an Elite Visa could also afford to move 10M Baht to Thai investments, and have a perpetually-extendable "investment visa."  For people in that income/savings category, this choice comes down to commitment-time vs ROI - and good arguments can be made either way on a case-by-case basis.

 

But most of us who stay here most of the days in a year (married, retired, or longer-term tourists) cannot afford, or ever hope to be able to afford, the Elite or Investment visa offerings.  Regardless, we live well, and contribute far more to the Thai economy from our foreign-sourced incomes, as a group, than the handful who can afford those options.

[JackThompson]

4 hours ago, genericptr said:

I don't get this, who can afford to pay their employee to not work for 6 months? In the jobs I had if a person left for 6 months we'd be screwed and have to replace them within a week (then that guy would have be to fired and find a new job when the other guy came back).

That sounds like a modern USA business model - maximizing profit for shareholders, to generate good "quarterly reports" for investor-consumption, at the expense of any redundancy in the workforce.  One reason for this dynamic, is that folks used to buy stock in a company to hold long-term - not so much nowadays.  But this labor-model has applied consistently in places which have always had a large labor-supply surplus - which is the primary determinant of working-folks quality-of-life.  Given an unlimited pool of "global" labor, "chew 'em up" and "spit 'em out when they are burned-up," is a workable business-model - even for skilled fields.

 

When I was in Germany some decades back, everyone got a month paid-leave (usually called "holiday" in English) after their first year of service.  That included jobs down to "cashier at a market."  A German friend of mine worked on/off for one company - taking months off at a time to pursue his personal interests.  The perspective was, at the time, that a job was something to support your life - not something to "live for" - and that greater employee life-satisfaction created the best long-term results for the company. 

 

I don't know if that sort of flexibility persists in Germany, today.  It is certain to be gone when/if the "new arrivals" get skills-training.  It all comes down to supply and demand, really - as to the "value" of the lives of working-folks in a particular skill-area.

 

1 hour ago, genericptr said:

Yeah that's right and I don't let my team and colleagues down when they need me. Is that what you guys do in your country or are you a government employee feeding off taxpayers?

I am also from the USA - but I am not "proud" that most of us are being run-ragged.  Having "no backup" for one's job-position, and thus no considerable downtime from work, is not a badge of honor. 

 

I don't envy the "nanny-state" (high-tax) aspects of most Euro-nations - but I am old enough to remember when Private Enterprise provided American Citizens with paid-vacations, good benefit-packages, and private-pensions - because "labor" had high-demand and relative low-supply.  See immigration numbers, outsourcing due to losing our import-tariffs, and guest-workers to the "why" of our decline.  It is sad to see Europe following in our "open border" footsteps - such that their "good life" will also be wiped out.

[NorthernRyland]

Profits aside I just don't see how many business can succeed with employees leaving for months a year. We have deadlines for clients, customers that expect product from us and if we're short help we need to hire more people to meet demand (or scale back the business). I never had a job from construction to programming where it was feasible in the business for guys to just be gone like that. Maybe if you sold ice cream you could take off the winters. :)

 

The west is indeed failing and in many countries our populations are being replaced by 3rd world immigrants in a vain effort to support these welfares states that give months off every year. Europe's current state is still an experiment imo and shouldn't be considered permanent (same goes for the US pensions, SS etc...).

[matador007]

Hi,
 
Short details:
 
-from germany
-23 years old
-current passport has:
1 visa exempt entry
2x SETV from Vientianne
1x SETV from Bali
1x SETV from Penang (this one got the red stamp remark saying: "Remark: The holder of this passport travels to Thailand under a tourist visa several times which may result in the refusal of a visa in the future")
-There are also a couple of old SETVs from various countries in my old passport. (not sure if that matters)
 
First of all the most important thing, I dont work in thailand and have no intention to work here.
I just want to continue to travel around thailand because I love the country. 
Reason I dont get a elite visa is because the 5 year period is too long for me. I would like to stay here for a while but I dont want to commit to something that expensive when its possible that I just change my mind and want to travel further to other countries.
 
So what are my options for staying here longer ?
 
Im very grateful for your thoughts and help guys 
 
 
 

Get a METV visa in your home country.
Gives you 6-9 months in 60-90 day stays.
SE visas for border hoppers.

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, Tony125 said:

Ha ha well for your information I was born and raised in US but have been visiting Thailand for 17 years  and living here for 4 now. It's just that I am aware that in Europe they have a much more liberal leave policy than the US. Google it and you will see that the US has the least leave policy for vacations or family/maternity leave of any of the industrial nations. As far as letting a team or colleagues down  "no one is indispensable "

Yes they do. Is it sustainable? Time will tell. I hope your enjoy your new life in Thailand!

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, genericptr said:

Profits aside I just don't see how many business can succeed with employees leaving for months a year.

Those taking long sabbaticals will invariably discuss it with management well in advance, and it will be planned for. Often, what happens is that it is combined with a change in responsibilities of the person taking the sabbatical .Before going, he helps train whoever will take over his old responsibilities while he is gone. On his return, he fits into a new role. Responsible employees time their sabbaticals to minimize  inconvenience to the business as a whole.

 

In fact, rather than creating a situation where the company is under risk, it fosters an environment where there is usually someone available to cover in the event of truly unexpected employee absences, as having multiple people able to do tasks is normal.

[Max SP]

Hello everybody,

I had similar issues while travelling around S-E Asia last year and had two red stamps on my former French passport because I stupidly overstayed twice in Thailand for a couple of days. I then  went to immigration office in Bangkok, paid the fine with a wai and a smile; long story short : no problem at all, they even seemed happy to get these extra bahts.

Now -after more than a year out of the country, I'm back here looking for a job and things are going pretty well, I will definitely get a work permit + visa with the help of a language school - poor salary but hey, I'm not here to make loads of money, just to live another experience in this amazing country.

As I didn't secure a job yet and can't be 100% sure until it's approved...etc. My questions are :

- I've entered Thailand this year with a British Passport (I have dual citizenship FR/UK) : will Immigration be able to find out that I was previously here with a French Passport ? Or am I a totally "new" person in their system ? I had never travelled here with the UK one before and need to extend on 10/11/17 for one more month (that would give me another 30 days to find a nice job...)

- When you get a contract with a school that provides Visa and WP, does it take long to get the proper legal 1 year visa ? Or is it a short process as soon as they sign you in ?

- Would you recommend  to get out of the country on 09/11/17 and do a visa run or to make the extension at the Bangkok Immgration Office ?

 

THANKS in advance for your advices :) Krop khun krap.
Chok dee krap

[NorthernRyland]

48 minutes ago, Max SP said:

Hello everybody,

I had similar issues while travelling around S-E Asia last year and had two red stamps on my former French passport because I stupidly overstayed twice in Thailand for a couple of days. I then  went to immigration office in Bangkok, paid the fine with a wai and a smile; long story short : no problem at all, they even seemed happy to get these extra bahts.

Now -after more than a year out of the country, I'm back here looking for a job and things are going pretty well, I will definitely get a work permit + visa with the help of a language school - poor salary but hey, I'm not here to make loads of money, just to live another experience in this amazing country.

As I didn't secure a job yet and can't be 100% sure until it's approved...etc. My questions are :

- I've entered Thailand this year with a British Passport (I have dual citizenship FR/UK) : will Immigration be able to find out that I was previously here with a French Passport ? Or am I a totally "new" person in their system ? I had never travelled here with the UK one before and need to extend on 10/11/17 for one more month (that would give me another 30 days to find a nice job...)

- When you get a contract with a school that provides Visa and WP, does it take long to get the proper legal 1 year visa ? Or is it a short process as soon as they sign you in ?

- Would you recommend  to get out of the country on 09/11/17 and do a visa run or to make the extension at the Bangkok Immgration Office ?

 

THANKS in advance for your advices :) Krop khun krap.
Chok dee krap

Start a new thread so it's not buried here where no one will see it.

[Max SP]

Yep I just did, thanks

[NorthernRyland]

16 minutes ago, Mansinthe said:

Paid vaccation is 27+ per year.

In my case i have 32 days. 

 

I know in America its a different matter.. not much of paid vaccation. Health care is expensive.. peoples mind is set to “need to be useful to the company.. no matter what i cant dissapoint anyone ...“

yeah it's the Puritan work ethic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic) from days of old. There's still very much the idea that there's virtue in work even if it's just for the sake of work itself.

 

That's pretty generous but if everyone is on board and well fed at the end of the year then there's no problem.

[sanemax]

28 minutes ago, Mansinthe said:

I know in America its a different matter.. not much of paid vaccation. Health care is expensive.. peoples mind is set to “need to be useful to the company.. no matter what i cant dissapoint anyone ...“

 

People call a boss thats way above them.by the first name but once they reach not a certain level of sales or whatever they are fired and replaced. And everyone gets shamed in front of big crowds.. “oh Jeff you did great this year.. but jane over there just did perfect.. everyone applaud jane ...“

 

 

 

What are you trying to say ?

Its rather incoherent.

[Nemesis7]

My advice to you is like most of the others who advice you to enroll in a study program and get an ED visa. Can you imagine doing these games in your own home land in germany?

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, Nemesis7 said:

My advice to you is like most of the others who advice you to enroll in a study program and get an ED visa.

The ED-Visa route often allows buying into the brown-envelope system through a school (for the 90-day extensions), which buys a certain sort of security - though that only works for keeping the local office fat and happy - not lawless checkpoints (Bangkok airports) who resent and hassle the ED visa holders as much or more than those entering on Tourist visas.  So, it's a good plan if not planning to do any traveling in the region.

 

2 hours ago, Nemesis7 said:

Can you imagine doing these games in your own home land in germany?

I would guess the German locals only wish that self-funded, generally-well-behaved visitors, visiting to spend their own money into the economy, was the "immigration problem" they must deal with. 

 

Consider, what percentage of German families are 100% reliant on foreign-sourced income from tourists?  What social safety net do they have?  Now ask the same questions regarding Thailand.  Given that, most Thais are delighted he is here spending Euros into Thailand.  My advice is to help those Thais, by avoiding or compensating for the "games" being played on him by lawless immigration checkpoints.  If he has a Tourist Visa plus the 20K baht, and is not taking a job illegally while here, returning to Thailand is 100% legal and above-board.

[hawker9000]

8 hours ago, Mansinthe said:

The company i work for usually has multiple people that are able to do a job. So if a team requires 3 people to do 100% of the workload there is usually a 4th and 5th person in that department that is able to replace someone even on short notice (sick.. accidents whatever). Skilled people will keept in the company no matter if there is work for them or not. (Skilled people mechanics for example. Not Your average Joe that carries object X to place Y)

 

Paid vaccation is 27+ per year.

In my case i have 32 days. 

 

I know in America its a different matter.. not much of paid vaccation. Health care is expensive.. peoples mind is set to “need to be useful to the company.. no matter what i cant dissapoint anyone ...“

 

People call a boss thats way above them.by the first name but once they reach not a certain level of sales or whatever they are fired and replaced. And everyone gets shamed in front of big crowds.. “oh Jeff you did great this year.. but jane over there just did perfect.. everyone applaud jane ...“

 

At least that's what i was told by a few americans that ended up with burnout or alcohism.

 

So far i have only seen 2 (young) Americans while in asia. Everyone else between 20 ~ 35 has been mostly from EU. 

 

Sorry for offtopic . 

 

Yes, I had 30 days paid vacation a year as well.  Plus paid holidays.   But we didn't have a lot of "employee redundancy".  We could request unpaid time off according to the employee guidance, but I never saw anybody do it.  Anybody going to be gone for six months or more would've required a new hire to replace them.  And we weren't exactly entry-level; most of us could well afford extended vacations if we so chose.

 

And I don't understand how anyone pays into Social Security in the states if they're not working or receiving compensation unless they file a completely fraudulent tax return declaring self-employment income and then paying the self-employment tax (which includes SS) on that.   Most people would consider doing that ridiculous in the first place since you're just creating a tax liability that doesn't actually exist.   From irs.gov, "You cannot make voluntary social security payments if no taxes are due."

 

 

[fullofmax]

On 3.11.2017 at 3:24 PM, genericptr said:

Did you return home for any amount of time between all those tourist visas? 4 tourist visas +1  visa exempt is honestly pretty excessive in todays climate.

No. The last time I was "home" was when I got my current passport which was issued christmas 2015.

 

Reason I travel so long is just that germany in my opinion "sucks" in the words of a poster in this thread here. I really love thailand and would like to stay here for 1-2 years more until I know where Ill head next.

I didnt want to open that topic originally but now Im gonna say it anyways: I dont see whats the problem staying in thailand the way I do. I spent in a month here what most thais earn in a year and Im happy about it. Dont feel very welcome when I get red stamped and I dont abuse the tourist visa system for sure. I use it exactly how its intented to use.

 

However I will probably get a new passport issued here in thailand and then go for 1 or 2 more SETVs and then I will get an ED visa and learn thai. 

 

[Charlesed]

On 05/11/2017 at 7:34 PM, fullofmax said:

No. The last time I was "home" was when I got my current passport which was issued christmas 2015.

 

Reason I travel so long is just that germany in my opinion "sucks" in the words of a poster in this thread here. I really love thailand and would like to stay here for 1-2 years more until I know where Ill head next.

I didnt want to open that topic originally but now Im gonna say it anyways: I dont see whats the problem staying in thailand the way I do. I spent in a month here what most thais earn in a year and Im happy about it. Dont feel very welcome when I get red stamped and I dont abuse the tourist visa system for sure. I use it exactly how its intented to use.

 

However I will probably get a new passport issued here in thailand and then go for 1 or 2 more SETVs and then I will get an ED visa and learn thai. 

 

Are you sure that you can get a new passport in Bangkok on a Tourist visa? 

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, Charlesed said:

Are you sure that you can get a new passport in Bangkok on a Tourist visa? 

Provided enough time on "permission of stay" to get it processed, it is not a problem - I've done it.  He could even do an extension using the "old" passport, while waiting for the new one.

[Aerosolist]

On 3.11.2017 at 1:26 PM, Suradit69 said:

The information would be available to immigration officers even if he is carrying a new passport, but embassies would not have that past record. If he uses an embassy he's used before, they might have records of visas he's obtained specifically from them.

I can not confirm this. I had the same issue, with a new passport the problem was solved. Im pretty sure that the only value they enter in their system, is the passport nr. Before i had a new passport and tried to enter with a tourist visa, they took me to the „small office“ and asked silly questions, i saw what the officer saw and did in her OS, and she didnt have the Infos from my 1st passport. (Im on the 3rd passport now)

If she had that info she would never let me in, cause i had some weird stuff in it, like 4 months extension on tourist visa (issued by an office in pattaya,  for 10k baht. Which doesnt exist anymore now)

 

so the solution for your problem is to just get a new passport. :) so simple and somehow very ridiculous it is ?

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, Aerosolist said:

Before i had a new passport and tried to enter with a tourist visa, they took me to the „small office“ and asked silly questions, i saw what the officer saw and did in her OS, and she didnt have the Infos from my 1st passport.

I had a similar experience with Thai Immigration (leaving via the Poipet crossing), and they had information from my previous passport which was discussed (big printout of everything).  This began with asking me if I had used a previous passport in Thailand - I assume to see if I would lie about this (I didn't).

 

But agree on the utility of a new passport for getting new Tourist Visas from consulates; that's all it takes to end the "red-stamp" problem.

Edited May 1, 2018 by JackThompson

[jenny2017]

I just want to continue to travel around thailand because I love the country. 

 

   OP, you are German, 23, have been in Thailand for quite a while, so what should the Immigration officers think about you?

 

    I hope that you don't travel on any social welfare money. 

Edited May 1, 2018 by jenny2017