Fewer Danes apply for multiple entry Thai tourist visas (METV)

[webfact]

Fewer Danes apply for multiple entry tourist visas (METV)

by Gregers Møller

 

File photo

 

The Royal Thai Embassy in Denmark issued 31 Multiple Entry Tourist Visas from January to June this year. Last year the embassy issued 59 Multiple Entry Tourist Visas during the same period.

 

The Multiple-Entry Tourist Visa is valid for 6 months from the date of application and gives the holder 60 days stay on each entry during those six months. If the holder enters the Kingdom close to the expiration day of the visa, it can be possible to stay close to 8 months in Thailand on a METV.

 

The decline of almost 50 percent goes against the general belief, that on the contrary more retired Danes would opt for the METV visa this year. It was speculated, that since the Danish Embassy in Bangkok is no longer issueing an income statement for use when applying for a retirement visa, then some people would rather apply for the METV instead of requesting the Danish pension disbursing office to issue the income letter – since this would likely draw attention to the fact, that they actually spend the majority of the year in Thailand.

 

Full story: https://scandasia.com/fewer-danes-apply-for-multiple-entry-tourist-visas-metv/

 

-- ScandAsia 2019-07-31

[Nielsk]

"some people would rather apply for the METV instead of requesting the Danish pension disbursing office to issue the income letter" Would that be able to obtain in Denmark and would that be accepted by Thai immigration.  Anybody know ?

Edited July 31, 2019 by Nielsk

[WinnieTheKhwai]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

some people would rather apply for the METV instead of requesting the Danish pension disbursing office to issue the income letter – since this would likely draw attention to the fact, that they actually spend the majority of the year in Thailand.

 

Why would that be a problem?   THis is Denmark right, not the old East German Socialist Republic?

[livingthaistyle]

2 hours ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

 

Why would that be a problem?   THis is Denmark right, not the old East German Socialist Republic?

Because you need to stay in Denmark for 185 days a year as a retiree else approx 50% of your pension is kept by the government. So I assume thaivisa assuming people are circumventing that rule - which is hasardous in these digital registration days, and if caught circumventing they loose the 50% in retrospect for up to 5 years.

[manarak]

35 minutes ago, livingthaistyle said:

Because you need to stay in Denmark for 185 days a year as a retiree else approx 50% of your pension is kept by the government.

how unfair

[Bullie]

13 minutes ago, manarak said:

how unfair

Not really. The state pension is paid by all, and if you happen to be married, or cohabiting you only receive 50 % of said pension, which makes sense because you are sharing costs with another person in Denmark.

Living abroad (remember, Denmark is a tiny country) there is no way to check for them if you shack up with someone or not, hence the reduction in advance.

 

The Netherlands (3 times more inhabitants) does do the check-up in many countries. If you are found out to have a hooker in the room at the precise day they come check up on you (always unexpectedly!!) your pension is stopped right there and then, for fraud.

How's them apples!!

Edited July 31, 2019 by Bullie

[manarak]

1 minute ago, Bullie said:

Not really. The state pension is paid by all, and if you happen to be married, or cohabiting you onl receive 50 % of said pension, which makes sense because you are sharing costs.

Living abroad (remember, Denmark is a tiny country) there is no way to check if you shack up with someone or not, hence the reduction in advance.

The Netherlands (3 times more inhabitants) does do the check-up in many countries. If you are found out to have a hooker in the room at the precise day they come check up on you (always unexpectedly!!) your pension is stopped right there and then, for fraud.

How's them apples!!

what - you can't book a hooker when a pensioner?

???

what kind of hell is this?

[stigar]

Dansih people have to pay up to 50% tax of their income.Low pension makes it worse.Im from norway,thats why its good to be a norwegian in denmark.Just holidays.My pension is about 123.000 thai bath pr month.Dasih much lower same sweden and finland.

[alex8912]

8 hours ago, Bullie said:

Not really. The state pension is paid by all, and if you happen to be married, or cohabiting you only receive 50 % of said pension, which makes sense because you are sharing costs with another person in Denmark.

Living abroad (remember, Denmark is a tiny country) there is no way to check for them if you shack up with someone or not, hence the reduction in advance.

 

The Netherlands (3 times more inhabitants) does do the check-up in many countries. If you are found out to have a hooker in the room at the precise day they come check up on you (always unexpectedly!!) your pension is stopped right there and then, for fraud.

How's them apples!!

Do the Dutch take videos of this for proof? ????

[Sydebolle]

2018 = 59 visas, 2019 = 31 visas. Compare this with the figures of upto 40 million visitors of the Tourism Authority of Thailand makes you wonder, why such an article is published in the first place. 

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, manarak said:

what - you can't book a hooker when a pensioner?

???

what kind of hell is this?

You can book one.... you just can't move her in !!!

[carabaothai]

For me, a retired man or woman cannot get a METV visa.

 

Because to obtain this visa, thai embassy asks for a certificate of employment.

 

Also written "for everybody who stay and work.. (in his country) 

 

(I don't really understand how you can work.. and have 6 months holidays ????????.. except if it is your own business) 

Edited August 1, 2019 by carabaothai

[Krataiboy]

15 hours ago, manarak said:

how unfair

That's  democratic (sic) socialism for you.

[Tropposurfer]

13 hours ago, stigar said:

Dansih people have to pay up to 50% tax of their income.Low pension makes it worse.Im from norway,thats why its good to be a norwegian in denmark.Just holidays.My pension is about 123.000 thai bath pr month.Dasih much lower same sweden and finland.

Wow $6000 AUD! Amazing!

i pay close to 30% in tax n we get less than $2000 AUD a month.

[mikecha]

For Dutch   pension stop is not realy like that

 

if u get a pension as a single person it is more 

if u live with someone and thay have a pension or income  then it goes down 300 euro +-

because u have a colective income

 

a lot of people have  a L A T relation living apart together to get around this 

dont think the goverment will stop your pension id someone stays 1 or 2 nights 

must be proved that u actualy live together permenant  

of course they check but is like everywhere if u unlucky  u get this problem

 

[thaitero]

For Finns and Thailandliving one has to be in Finland over 180 days annually if you get national  or Guarantee pension..

Most normal retired people do not receive either of these pensions only work/

entrepreneur etc based pensions and there are no restrictions at all where you live...

 

National  or Guarantee pensions are only for those who has not worked at all or very little in their active life.. (house wifes, sick people, pot heads, drunks etc.. )

Edited August 1, 2019 by thaitero

[OtinPattaya]

As an American I didn't bother applying for a METV. Applying for a SETV was hard enough. Apparently I sent a Washington D.C application to the LA consulate--why? Because it was the de-facto immigration form. For some bizarre reason they contacted my emergency contact, who had no idea what the issue was, and so it was several days before I realized there was a problem. You cannot submit a Washington visa application to the LA consulate, or vise versa. Different forms. Why, I'd love to hear any logic as to why a Thai immigration form is fatally different between the Washington consulate and the LA consulate. God forbid I'd had the audacity to apply for a METV. I'm still waiting for my SETV with 2k in non-refundable air-fare and accommodations, the sale of my business, the renting of my house, and twenty other things--not to mention that the LA consulate is now holding my passport hostage. Not being paranoid, but the experience doesn't exactly inspire confidence. 

Edited August 1, 2019 by OtinPattaya

[NanLaew]

8 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Do the Dutch take videos of this for proof? ????

And some here complain that Thai Immigration needing pictures of the marriage extension incumbents at the front gate, on the sofa and sitting on the conjugal bed as all too intrusive.

[khunPer]

16 hours ago, manarak said:

17 hours ago, livingthaistyle said:

Because you need to stay in Denmark for 185 days a year as a retiree else approx 50% of your pension is kept by the government.

how unfair

Not as simple as that.

 

All Danish government retirement pension – so-called Folkepension – is based on other income. It's based on a basic fee for all, which after tax equals to around $830 or equivalent to about 25,000 baht a month (at present low exchange rate). You need a very high other income before any deduction in the government basic pension is made.

 

Residents in Denmark can, depending of other income, obtain a supplement to compensate for expenses for a home etc. That amount can be up to double the pension before tax if single, and about 50% more if married (the spouse's income will add to the family economy); after normal tax it's about 60% percent of the basic fee when single; so if you loose that, it equals to around 37.5% only.

 

On top of the pension the government will give an "old peoples cheque" of equivalent to about $1,600 or around 48,000 baht a year after normal tax, if one's total fortune (savings) is less than equivalent to circa $13,000.

 

The supplement and "old peoples cheque", which are depending on your income and wealth, are not given if you are permanent resident outside Denmark; i.e. live (officially) more than 183 days abroad, as part of the supplement is ment to cover the high – or higher – living costs for relative low income, so it's not as unfair, as it may sound.

 

Furthermore, when checking out of Denmark – mening you cannot obtain a permanent home, and therefore don't need supplement expenses for a permanent home – you might have some tax-benefits, depending of your financial situation. If you for example have a private retirement pension as supplement, you can apply for tax-relief from the 15.3% pension gain tax. You don't pay tax from interest, including bond interest, and you don't pay tax of gains from financial investments. Some so-called "B-income", like various fees, might even be tax-free (but should be taxed in Thailand, if brought in same year as earned). Furthermore, you can apply for reduced tax on dividends down to almost a third of residential dividend tax from smaller dividend earnings; Danish tax-rates are progessive, so if you have high dividends earnings, you might be able to save some 77% in tax.

 

Most Danes will have some kind of supplement to their governmental retirement pension, even they don have made personal retirement plans, they might still have a little labor union agreed pension, or a small life-long "ATP" payout that can be compared to "Social Security"-pension, which is not deducted when living abroad, but taxed in Denmark with about 38% only, when not permanent resident. The maximum ATP is at the moment in total circa $3,500 a year before tax.

 

Danes with only the basic governmental retirement pension, and a small ATP supplement, are the ones with huge problems after the change of affidavits from the embassy, as the embassy before gave a declaration before tax, whilst transferring fund into Thailand as proof of income is after tax. So if you are extension of a non-O visa based on marriage, i.e. need 40k baht a month, your basic retirement pension together with a maximum ATP would just be little over that before tax on the old better exchange rate; i.e. some 42,000 baht a month with 5 baht for one Danish krone (DKK). Now the rate is around 4.60, and after tax the basic governmental pension plus ATP equals around 30k baht only a month.

 

I don't think a 6-moth multiple entry tourists visa (METV) for up to maximum 8-months stay, with some visa runs and eventually costs for 30-day extensions would be a solution for the lowest incomes, even if used to (in a way illegally) gain the supplement payouts, as one then need to rent a permanent home in Denmark, and probably also has expenses for a home in Thailand. The METV-situation rather mirrors that little less Danes might chose a long winter-stay in Thailand due to increase in expenses, causes among other by lower exchange rate. Furthermore, I know some Danes changed to the newer non O-A visa, even they only stay part time in Thailand, as that is more easy to handle than a METV.

 

Both 59 and 31 visas are (very) small numbers compared to a population of 5.8 million Danes, and more than 100,000 Danish annual arrivals in Thailand; in 2017 135,000 where 123,500 were registered as tourists.

????

[Vacuum]

5 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

2018 = 59 visas, 2019 = 31 visas. Compare this with the figures of upto 40 million visitors of the Tourism Authority of Thailand makes you wonder, why such an article is published in the first place. 

Blank pages are boring?