BREAKING NEWS Thailand announces huge changes to tourist visas in bid to boost tourism

[geisha]

Back to my first post above, i was told, you are not a tourist, tourists stay 2/3 weeks. So what am I ? I think I’ve heard the description “ snowbirds”. The larger percentage of people over 50, fill up the condos all over Thailand ( anyone have an idea approx?) 

This , plus a healthy bank balance allows quite an input into Thai society/ economics. Just imagine if all the foreigners renting suddenly disappeared ? The visa system needs to be completely reviewed and the difference between backpackers, families , short stay, long stay and “snowbirds” taken into consideration. Changing the rules and visas everyone Year helps no one. Just look at the huge queues at immigration offices. 

[JackThompson]

8 minutes ago, geisha said:

Back to my first post above, i was told, you are not a tourist, tourists stay 2/3 weeks. ...

So then, 14 to 21 days is the new "tourist" limit, in the minds of IOs at some entry-points.  Good to know, so those locations can be avoided.

 

12 minutes ago, geisha said:

The visa system needs to be completely reviewed and the difference between backpackers, families , short stay, long stay and “snowbirds” taken into consideration.

All they would really need to do, is follow the published-rules, as they used to.  Those rules accommodated all of the above.  There was some inconvenience to backpackers, due to the published "2x land-border visa-exempts per calendar-year" rule, and a few previous visa-exempt rules - but not insurmountable. 

[ozmeldo]

I'm certain it's been staring them in the face for better part of a year.

 

If you're a scouser living on TRs get out of the bad habit if coming back to Thailand.

 

Are you seriously going to risk entry after all the bs and drama of the last 3-5 years?

 

If Chinese numbers were to return overnight they'd screw you at the border anyway.

 

I doubt the embassies are going to be more lax.

 

Move on

 

[JackThompson]

40 minutes ago, ozmeldo said:

If you're a scouser living on TRs

Keep in mind, by Immigration's new definition, this is AKA:

• Under-50s guy who met a Thai gal, and is getting to know her before committing to marriage.
• Under-50s person with an independent-income who likes living and spending it in Thailand
• Under or over-50s person who doesn't stay all-year, but likes to snowbird here for several months per-year

... and may include many more good folks, depending on what happens with showing income for marriage and retirement based extensions in the future.

 

And don't forget the tens of thousands of Thais, whose income derives from the foreign-sourced income from those foreigners, having their businesses closed and jobs ended by "crackdown" polices.

Edited November 15, 2018 by JackThompson

[ozmeldo]

27 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Keep in mind, by Immigration's new definition, this is AKA:

• Under-50s guy who met a Thai gal, and is getting to know her before committing to marriage.
• Under-50s person with an independent-income who likes living and spending it in Thailand
• Under or over-50s person who doesn't stay all-year, but likes to snowbird here for several months per-year

... and may include many more good folks, depending on what happens with showing income for marriage and retirement based extensions in the future.

 

And don't forget the tens of thousands of Thais, whose income derives from the foreign-sourced income from those foreigners, having their businesses closed and jobs ended by "crackdown" polices.

I was one such person from 2001-2012. I would never claim to be contributing to a vast economy.

 

As things became more difficult, I met someone I cared enough about to marry. I did it to give our relationship proper standing, for her - not for my o visa.

 

I love my wife dearly, but given the new laws and enforcement, the coup AGAIN. You'd have to be an idiot to begin a serious relationship with a woman here.

 

Snowbirds, again. People thst come to Thailand are cheap, working class stiffs. Look at the lines at Suvarnabhumi and get woke. Skint European couples and a bunch of Pattaya scousers.

 

We are not important to Thailand. We are continually indirectly told this but they everyone keeps coming.

 

Thailand is totally oblivious to it's situation. It can only react. The people incapable of foresight or serious planning. The system crushes ambition. They will wake and their tourism will have vanished.

 

[pontious]

8 hours ago, sanook 1 said:

Good if someone getting a tourist visa anytime soon can report if they actually gets double entry. Lets hope the double entry tv s are here to stay again????

I would not hold your breath waiting for a report. According to the OP nothing has been changed yet. The Tourism and Sport Ministry will recommend start date, period of change blah blah blah etc and present it to the government for approval.

At the moment there is NO change.

[donim]

I am in Thailand on a non-o visa, wished the T&S gives us the right to come back after visiting neighbouring countries, without applying for a re-entry permit with fees. Just give us a re-entry and keep the non-o valid.

We are tourist too, in the city we are living we are expats but travelling we are tourist same as other Thais who travelling to the north or south they are Thai Tourist. It's called ''hollyday trip''

TOURISM AUTHORITY wake up.

[liberty9133]

Thailand is promoting two things on immigration:

Tourism and higher income retirees. It is, at the same time, eliminating low income retirees.

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

I was one such person from 2001-2012. I would never claim to be contributing to a vast economy.

If you were spending money here - you were - one part of a larger mosaic.  Everywhere you spent money, you were creating or preserving Thai businesses and jobs.

 

2 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

I love my wife dearly, but given the new laws and enforcement, the coup AGAIN. You'd have to be an idiot to begin a serious relationship with a woman here.

Yes, I would have probably said the same thing.  But I met a woman who was very different than the ones I had known when I had "given up on relationships with women" years before, and so stayed to find out if she was for real.  She was.  That's worth more than anything else I know of in this world.

 

2 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

Look at the lines at Suvarnabhumi and get woke. Skint European couples and a bunch of Pattaya scousers.

Couples, and so many beautiful Russian families.

 

And many single men - yes - almost all short-term tourists, whom immigration likes, coming to spend money on "walking street" women and partying.  For many, it will be their only intimacy for the year, thanks to the cultural destruction in the West.

 

But then there are the other expats - on various forms of stay - who are mostly not the "walking street" types at all.  Those are the folks being hit with problems from immigration.  What harm do they do?

 

2 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

We are not important to Thailand. We are continually indirectly told this but they everyone keeps coming.

We are important to Thais whose jobs/businesses depend on our spending.  That adds up to many thousands of families, whose lives matter.

 

2 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

Thailand is totally oblivious to it's situation. It can only react. The people incapable of foresight or serious planning. The system crushes ambition. They will wake and their tourism will have vanished.

I don't think they are incapable - it is just that immigration is wholly-engulfed in corruption, so its policy-decisions are designed to increase the "take" from corruption, rather than to benefit the country's citizens.

 

My passport-country has destroyed millions of our citizens livelihoods and futures with bad policies, paid for by transnational corporations - so I know the pattern when I see it.  The only differences are the people who sell-out my country's citizens get campaign-donations and gold-plated post-govt jobs, instead of brown-envelopes - and the scale of the damage in my country was far greater, because it did attacked working-people's career potential across a much wider cross-section of our economy.   But it's Traitors in Action, either way - people looking to enrich themselves, without a care for how many are harmed by their doing so.

[ericthai]

On 11/14/2018 at 11:33 AM, TaaSaparot said:

But even still, what I posted was my experience.

Understood, as i said i dont recall any changes then as it was already very easy, so can you please advise what the changes were?

[TaaSaparot]

2 hours ago, ericthai said:

Understood, as i said i dont recall any changes then as it was already very easy, so can you please advise what the changes were?

Read the thread.

[Mac98]

On 11/13/2018 at 11:52 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

More poor reporting, as usual...

 

What exactly does it mean to say you're gonna allow an "unlimited number of visa waivers per calendar year" for land border crossers/arrivals, but then also say it's only going to be for "a two-month pilot period."

 

I'm sure there's some explanation, but lord knows what it really is, based on the writing of the article.

  

It means a vote of passage would allow unlimited entries without them rewriting the bill before a vote, which would require further debate and uncertainty.

[brewsterbudgen]

Great news for Expats living in Laos who need to make regular shopping trips to Thailand.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[phuketrichard]

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Great news for Expats living in Laos who need to make regular shopping trips to Thailand.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

lot more expats living in Cambodia than Laos that will love this multiple visa exempt land crossings

[sanemax]

Update : I applied for a TV in Savankhet on the 14 th and went to the Consulate to collect it on the 15 th (yesterday) , I asked about the new visa announcement, specifically whether SETV appliers could now get DETV and the Consulate lady said that they have received no letter from BKK telling them to change anything , so, business as usual .

   She stated that the only change was that some countries can now get free SETV , but, as of yesterday afternoon , they had received no instructions from BKK to allow DETV and thus nothing has been changed

[marqus12]

30 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Update : I applied for a TV in Savankhet on the 14 th and went to the Consulate to collect it on the 15 th (yesterday) , I asked about the new visa announcement, specifically whether SETV appliers could now get DETV and the Consulate lady said that they have received no letter from BKK telling them to change anything , so, business as usual .

   She stated that the only change was that some countries can now get free SETV , but, as of yesterday afternoon , they had received no instructions from BKK to allow DETV and thus nothing has been changed

were you not one of those who 'shouted' how wonderful job BJ is doing ???

 

and you're on a tourist visa ... funny.

[visarunner]

as of today only VISA on Arrival have been given free, since yesterday.

[sanemax]

9 minutes ago, marqus12 said:

were you not one of those who 'shouted' how wonderful job BJ is doing ???

 

and you're on a tourist visa ... funny.

What is "funny" about that ?

I do understand and realise that Thailand doesnt want certain people living in Thailand long term (who have no valid reason for being here ) , although it may eventually effect me and cause myself to go and live elsewhere , I wont take it personally and will understand their reasons for doing so

[whitemouse]

On 11/14/2018 at 10:10 PM, keysersoze276 said:

Agreed.  Also announcing the "Amazing Thailand Grand Sale Passport Privileges" from Nov 15 - Jan 15, and then saying "the two month trial start date will be determined..."  Can anyone shed some light on this? 

 

"The starting period will be determined by the Tourism and Sports Ministry after its study of the proper period and details."  WHat????

 

Unfortunately no one right now can shed light on this.

They seem to say Thailand continus to be Amazing, and Grand Sale of some sort is planned. When? We don't know, all we know is arrivals from West are down, and we need to do something, maybe! 

Edited November 16, 2018 by whitemouse

[thaitero]

From site you can not link here is news title "EEC tabbed for tourism lift "

 

One sidenote from that article suggests that 2 month testperiod will be from Dec 1 to Jan 31

 

[JimmyJ]

On 11/14/2018 at 3:43 AM, hottrader77 said:

its about time , also its about time not just to look at visas BUT also to get back to 70 baht to uk pound then people will be flooding in , thats what it should be anyway with a view to going upto 80 baht to pound , they might also get alot of condos sold at same time if exchange rate is at this level which it should be !!

Its about time for money to fall out of the sky. Indeed.

[geisha]

Seems sure that with the current exchange rates there won’t be a lot of sales. How on earth do they manage the thousands of condos laying empty ?Of course, lackof a good visa for people staying longer than a month or two doesn’t help. 

[Mike Teavee]

On 11/15/2018 at 3:58 PM, Mike Teavee said:

Thanks for this, that sounds awesome, have emailed them to see if I can apply via email & use the service on my next trip (22nd November) - Will update if it all pans out.

 

Quick update, been in correspondence with TLM over email (lovely lady [email protected]) and (hopefully) all sorted, they're going to meet me off my flight on Thursday to give me my membership card & take me through immigration, then same again for the return trip the following Monday.

 

If this all pans out like it looks on paper, I owe @jackddseveral beers as I was seriously considering getting a Thai Elite visa for the fast track immigration alone (In my defence this is a 2-3 times a month rigmarole for me).

 

Sorry for being Off-Topic, I will post an update after Thursday to let anybody who's interested know how it went.

 

Back to the Topic at hand ???? 

 

[KhunFred]

Huge changes to tourist visas but no attention to the needs of those who are retired here. They need to concentrate on the problem of no "income affidavits". Retirees generate income for Thailand too.

[sanook 1]

22 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

Huge changes to tourist visas but no attention to the needs of those who are retired here. They need to concentrate on the problem of no "income affidavits". Retirees generate income for Thailand too.

Actually no change at all at the moment, seems nothing of the "breaking news" is confirmed? 

[dpspike]

On 11/14/2018 at 1:56 PM, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said the Cabinet gave the green light for the “Amazing Thailand Grand Sale Passport Privileges” from November 15 until January 15, 2019.

Apparently these changes don't include tourist visa stamp when arriving at the airport. I arrived at Don Mueang yesterday (Nov 15), and was only given a 30 day single entry stamp. Having already read this article on Thaivisa.com, I asked the immigration officer about the single-to-double entry or 30-to-60 day change, to which she simply responded "no". So maybe this is just for tourist visas obtained outside Thailand, or maybe this is only for Chinese tourists, as the junta seems more concerned about them than farangs?

[pontious]

22 minutes ago, dpspike said:

Apparently these changes don't include tourist visa stamp when arriving at the airport. I arrived at Don Mueang yesterday (Nov 15), and was only given a 30 day single entry stamp. Having already read this article on Thaivisa.com, I asked the immigration officer about the single-to-double entry or 30-to-60 day change, to which she simply responded "no". So maybe this is just for tourist visas obtained outside Thailand, or maybe this is only for Chinese tourists, as the junta seems more concerned about them than farangs?

It is clear if you read the OP carefully it is in 2 parts.

The 1st part relates to tourism 15 Nov - 15 Jan { Vat refunds etc etc}

The 2nd part is visas - the Tourism and Sport ministries will decide details, period time and I assume start date and present that to the Government for approval.

There is no change at the present time.

I suggested many posts back the OP should have said ' PLANS FOR'

[ubonjoe]

36 minutes ago, dpspike said:

Apparently these changes don't include tourist visa stamp when arriving at the airport. I arrived at Don Mueang yesterday (Nov 15), and was only given a 30 day single entry stamp. Having already read this article on Thaivisa.com, I asked the immigration officer about the single-to-double entry or 30-to-60 day change, to which she simply responded "no". So maybe this is just for tourist visas obtained outside Thailand, or maybe this is only for Chinese tourists, as the junta seems more concerned about them than farangs?

There is no changes mentioned for the 30 day visa exempt entry. It is when you apply for a single entry tourist visa you get a 2 entry visa for the same fee as a single entry tourist visa.

It only mentioned unlimited 30 day visa exempt entries at land border crossings instead of the limit of 2 per calendar year now.

[robsamui]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

There is no changes mentioned for the 30 day visa exempt entry. It is when you apply for a single entry tourist visa you get a 2 entry visa for the same fee as a single entry tourist visa.

It only mentioned unlimited 30 day visa exempt entries at land border crossings instead of the limit of 2 per calendar year now.

Please clarify - the '30 day visa exempt entry' - is this what used to be known as 'the transit stamp'?

Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, robsamui said:

Please clarify - the '30 day visa exempt entry' - is this what used to be known as 'the transit stamp'?

I have never heard of a transit stamp. A transit visa perhaps. It has been a 30 day visa exempt entry for as long as I can remember.

Of course people call them other things such a visa waiver and even a visa on arrival that only a allows a 15 day entry.