10 Year Visa PLUS no 90 day reporting.

[fforest1]

4 hours ago, Lovethailandelite said:

Because they have already made mention to it. Along with doing away with 90 day reporting at some stage.
''Proposed changes include abolishing 90-day reports and introducing 10-year visas for foreign retirees, Surachate said. A data link between the immigration and Thailand’s consular affairs around the world was recently established. Experts will also be consulted to see what restricted professions should be open to foreigners''.


http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2019/01/16/superstar-cop-big-joke-on-his-rise-and-plans-for-expats-visas/

Experts will also be consulted to see what restricted professions should be open to foreigners''.

 

I got my somtam cart ready to go....

[fforest1]

1 hour ago, Pattaya46 said:

I remember the same kind of comments when the Elite Visa appeared...

and there are now thousands of people using it. 

Yea well before 2012 under 50s could do unlimited visa runs to Laos and get double tourist visas....For years on end...

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, farangx said:

The O-X is a long term visa, whereas the retirement based on extensions is not a visa but a short term stay of 1 year.

 

While you might 'hopefully' die and leave the 800,000 in a bank that no-one else can get to until it becomes an inactive account and it all 'goes somewhere'

Just sayin'

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, onera1961 said:

6 hours ago, elviajero said:

Unless they change the law even a "10 year visa holder" will have to make 90 day reports.

For smart visa holders, no 90-day reporting is required. 

That’s not correct.

 

They have to report their address like everyone else if they stay longer than 90 days. They are not exempt.

 

Then, in addition, every year they have to visit immigration to reconfirm their status (qualification for the visa).

Edited January 26, 2019 by elviajero

[elviajero]

3 hours ago, farangx said:

The O-X is a long term visa, whereas the retirement based on extensions is not a visa but a short term stay of 1 year.

 

You’re conflating visa validity with length of permission to stay.

 

A 1 year extension of stay is considered a long term stay.

[farangx]

16 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Then, in addition, every year they have to visit immigration to reconfirm their status (qualification for the visa).

These would be the checks on bank balance and medical insurance requirements, according to the website.

 

[farangx]

21 minutes ago, elviajero said:

You’re conflating visa validity with length of permission to stay.

 

A 1 year extension of stay is considered a long term stay.

I would consider 5 years or longer to be long term stay and 2~3 years would be medium term.  Hence the extension of 1 year is short term.

 

Edited January 26, 2019 by farangx

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, farangx said:

I would consider 5 years or longer to be long term stay and 2~3 years would be medium term.  Hence the extension of 1 year is short term.

From the MFA website;

”Non-Immigrant Visa  “O-A” (Long Stay)”

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html

 

A stay of 1 year or more is considered (advertised) as a long stay.

[Thaidream]

There is no Thai Visa except the Immigrant (Residence) Visa that allows more than a 1 year extension of stay. The OXis valid for 5 years at a time but the holdere needs to report to Thai Immigration eveery year to reconfirm the requirements.

 

Thailand would need to change the Immigration Act of 1979 to allow any extension past 1 year at a time. It is the same for 90  day reports and requirements. To change the Immigration act will need Thai cabinet approval and the consent of the National Assembly.  I'm not  holding my breath.

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

There is no Thai Visa except the Immigrant (Residence) Visa that allows more than a 1 year extension of stay. The OXis valid for 5 years at a time but the holdere needs to report to Thai Immigration eveery year to reconfirm the requirements.

 

Thailand would need to change the Immigration Act of 1979 to allow any extension past 1 year at a time. It is the same for 90  day reports and requirements. To change the Immigration act will need Thai cabinet approval and the consent of the National Assembly.  I'm not  holding my breath.

No they wouldn’t.

 

A stay of any length is possible under the current law if the reason for the permission to stay falls under investment promotion.

[Mike Teavee]

7 hours ago, onera1961 said:

70K USD one can live any place in the world, I guess. I lived in Zurich with 5K USD/month. And Zurich is one of the most expensive place on earth. 

Live in Singapore & spend an average (excluding twice monthly trips overseas which are paid for from UK income) of around $5,900 USD (s$8,000) per month, so $70,000 USD does give you a pretty nice lifestyle in what is one of the world's most expensive places to live.

 

Just a shame the poster got his math(s) wrong & 3M THB is approx $100,000 USD which at 7% is $7,000 USD pa.

 

Also use the 800K in the bank method to support my Non-O & if this does become available as an in-country extension with reasonable (International) Health Care cover being accepted then I'd go for it.

 

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, Pib said:

According to the Thai Embassy Washington D.C. website a person could actually convert to a O-X 10 year Visa from within Thailand...see partial quote below.

That is not correct. Immigration will not do them. Same nonsense you will find on some websites saying the same thing for a OA visa.

[impulse]

9 hours ago, Pib said:

In my opinion it's the current "Thai medical insurance coverage" requirement that makes the O-X Visa option unattractive/out of reach for the great majority...just a non-starter for the majority especially if over 65 when Thai medical insurance usually starts costing A LOT and may not be renewable after around age 65-70 or getting sick.

 

More than the other requirements, it's the probability of being left out in the cold when your Thai insurance company drops you because you get sick and become a liability.  Nothing like the prospect of losing your home and hearth at the very time you need it the most. 

 

Then you have to go back to the home country and try to get insurance for a pre-existing condition.  Good luck with that for many countries after an extended absence from the tax rolls and national health plan.

 

[AAArdvark]

Personally, If I wanted to stay for 10 years, I would give them ฿800,000 for an Elite rather than ฿3,000,000 unusable in a Thai bank for an O-X.

[Pattaya46]

10 hours ago, JackThompson said:

10 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

I remember the same kind of comments when the Elite Visa appeared...

and there are now thousands of people using it. 

How many thousands, at last count?

I remember Thailand Elite celebrating 5'000 members early 2018.

 

Edit: from this website :

Quote

As of the end of September 2017, 4,877 investors joined the program. Out of them, 1,021 people got visas in the last fiscal year. The amount of funds received due to the program existence for the previous fiscal year correspond to 663,000,000 Baht (about 20,000,000 USD), which is 64% higher than the amount recorded in the same period of 2016 (403,000,000 Baht).

 

[onera1961]

9 hours ago, elviajero said:

They have to report their address like everyone else if they stay longer than 90 days.

No 90-day required for smart visa. Please check their requirements. Smart visa also does not require work permit.

https://www.interactivethailand.com/thailand-smart-visa-4-year-application/

 

I met an Indian on a smart T visa and he does not report 90-day. Yes, they have to go every year. But his company (lawyers in KPMG Consulting) takes care of it. He does not see any immigration officials. No requirement for reentry permit also. Spouse can work without work permit. And he likes to frequent Thermae ????

Edited January 27, 2019 by onera1961

[Pib]

 

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

That is not correct. Immigration will not do them. Same nonsense you will find on some websites saying the same thing for a OA visa.

 

It may indeed be incorrect and may be nonsense, but that indeed what's on the official Thai Embassy website in Washington D.C. as quoted from their website below defining the requirements for an O-X visa.

 

https://thaiembdc.org/non-immigrant-visa-category-o-x-long-stay/

Quote

– Foreigners who enter Thailand with other type of Visa/Visa Exemption may contact the Immigration Bureau and apply for Non-O-X visa.

 

[onera1961]

23 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

I remember Thailand Elite celebrating 5'000 members early 2018.

It is a good option for people 30/40 years old who have money and wanted to spend unlimited time in Thailand without the hassle of SETV or METV. I guess it mostly attracts westerners. Not sure if it will attract Japanese or Singaporean. 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

It may indeed be incorrect and may be nonsense, but that indeed what's on the official Thai Embassy website in Washington D.C. as quoted from their website below defining the requirements for an O-X visa.

It is certainly not correct since immigration will not do one. Many people have asked about it and were told no or they had no clue about the visa even existing. 

[Pib]

Have no doubt as This Is Thailand.

[farangx]

10 hours ago, elviajero said:

From the MFA website;

”Non-Immigrant Visa  “O-A” (Long Stay)”

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html

 

A stay of 1 year or more is considered (advertised) as a long stay.

I am aware of that. Calling that long stay (not long term stay) adds a nice ring to it when it is in fact short term stay.

 

[JackThompson]

4 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

I remember Thailand Elite celebrating 5'000 members early 2018.

 

Edit: from this website :

Quote

As of the end of September 2017, 4,877 investors joined the program. Out of them, 1,021 people got visas in the last fiscal year. The amount of funds received due to the program existence for the previous fiscal year correspond to 663,000,000 Baht (about 20,000,000 USD), which is 64% higher than the amount recorded in the same period of 2016 (403,000,000 Baht).

  

Thanks for the info. 

Now, if we could just find out what % of that money was spent how/where (schools, hospitals, etc).

 

Then, what was the corresponding loss of foreign-sourced spending, due to money diverted from those expats purchasing elite-visas, which would have otherwise been spent in the nation's marketplace. 

Next, factor in how many billion baht the "crackdowns" on under-50s have cost the country.  This policy shift was likely, at least in part, an attempt to coerce people who love Thailand to purchase this overpriced visa.  The vast majority of which refused, so now spend their money in Cambodia, Vietnam, The PI, and other countries who welcome them (like Thailand used to).

[KhunFred]

17 hours ago, KiChakayan said:

 

Regarding the 90 days report, anyone with a modern brain would see that there are much less cumbersome and expensive ways to track the whereabouts of foreigners, or even citizens...

Tracking the whereabouts of foreigners has never really had that much to do with 90-day reporting. It is a "jobs program" to justify inflated staffing levels. This goes on all over the world.

[elviajero]

5 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

16 hours ago, JackThompson said:

16 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

I remember the same kind of comments when the Elite Visa appeared...

and there are now thousands of people using it. 

How many thousands, at last count?

I remember Thailand Elite celebrating 5'000 members early 2018.

 

Edit: from this website :

Quote

As of the end of September 2017, 4,877 investors joined the program. Out of them, 1,021 people got visas in the last fiscal year. The amount of funds received due to the program existence for the previous fiscal year correspond to 663,000,000 Baht (about 20,000,000 USD), which is 64% higher than the amount recorded in the same period of 2016 (403,000,000 Baht).

I can’t find the source that I got the following from, but there was a report last year claiming;

• “Total members, as of 31/July/2018 are 6,192.”
• “Top 10 resident countries of members: China, UK, Japan, US, France, Austraila, Bangladesh, Russia, Germany, and Switzerland.”

There was a big bump in applications and income when they revamped the scheme. 

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, KhunFred said:

Tracking the whereabouts of foreigners has never really had that much to do with 90-day reporting. It is a "jobs program" to justify inflated staffing levels. This goes on all over the world.

It has ONLY ever been about tracking foreigners. Immigration officers dislike it as much as we do. I doubt it creates many, if any, extra jobs; just extra work.

[elviajero]

6 hours ago, onera1961 said:

No 90-day required for smart visa. Please check their requirements. Smart visa also does not require work permit.

https://www.interactivethailand.com/thailand-smart-visa-4-year-application/

 

I met an Indian on a smart T visa and he does not report 90-day. Yes, they have to go every year. But his company (lawyers in KPMG Consulting) takes care of it. He does not see any immigration officials. No requirement for reentry permit also. Spouse can work without work permit. And he likes to frequent Thermae ????

I’m aware of the requirements as I looked into it for my own business. The source you quote is an unofficial third party website, here is the official BOI information. https://www.boi.go.th/upload/BOI-brochure 2018-smart visa-EN-20180125_97687_87299.pdf

 

A 90 day report exemption for the scheme was never formally sanctioned. It would appear that the BOI/One Stop are just not enforcing the law. Same but different!

[Mike Teavee]

21 hours ago, elviajero said:

I’m aware of the requirements as I looked into it for my own business. The source you quote is an unofficial third party website, here is the official BOI information. https://www.boi.go.th/upload/BOI-brochure 2018-smart visa-EN-20180125_97687_87299.pdf

 

A 90 day report exemption for the scheme was never formally sanctioned. It would appear that the BOI/One Stop are just not enforcing the law. Same but different!

Found a similar official BOI doc https://www.boi.go.th/upload/content/BOI-brochure 2018-smart visa-EN-20180125_97687.pdf  which also says you only need to report your address if you stay in Thailand for longer than 12 months plus this one also has "6. Access to a fast-track service at international airports in Thailand (where available)." as one of the privileges, does anybody know if BOI Smart Visa holders can use Fasttrack immigration & is this the same as the Diplomatic/APEC line? 

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Mike Teavee

[overherebc]

On 1/27/2019 at 12:28 AM, overherebc said:

While you might 'hopefully' die and leave the 800,000 in a bank that no-one else can get to until it becomes an inactive account and it all 'goes somewhere'

Just sayin'

@Benroon

If someone who is in their later years is retired here, no relatives or friends back home, no wife here etc sticks 800,000 in the bank and he has the only atm card to get to the money and then dies of a heart attack or stroke while on a weekend away somewhere his passport is the only means of ID. The embassy is informed and can't find any living relatives anywhere they are not going to contact all the banks in Thailand to find out if he has any money anywhere so his money will sit there untouched until it's classed as an inactive account.

Question.

What happens to it?

[Rally123]

Currently you do NOT have to do a 90 day report. Anyone can do it for you as long as they have your passport. Can't understand the fuss.

 

On 1/27/2019 at 2:07 PM, KhunFred said:

Tracking the whereabouts of foreigners has never really had that much to do with 90-day reporting. It is a "jobs program" to justify inflated staffing levels.

I've been saying that for years. They want boots through the door. Hence why offices won't allow 'report online' or 'postal reports'.

[farangx]

48 minutes ago, overherebc said:

@Benroon

If someone who is in their later years is retired here, no relatives or friends back home, no wife here etc sticks 800,000 in the bank and he has the only atm card to get to the money and then dies of a heart attack or stroke while on a weekend away somewhere his passport is the only means of ID. The embassy is informed and can't find any living relatives anywhere they are not going to contact all the banks in Thailand to find out if he has any money anywhere so his money will sit there untouched until it's classed as an inactive account.

Question.

What happens to it?

If you are dead, you are dead and you stay dead.  That 800K is no longer a concern of yours.