Been gone awhile, considering coming back - need a little help

[Peter Denis]

12 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Where does the OP come from? It seems like he's not officially working. If he's from the US or Europe and applies for a METV, he needs proof of employment from his employer.

This is from the Thai Embassy in London: 

"A letter from the applicant's employer (in the UK and addressed to the Royal Thai Embassy).
If you are self-employed, your self-assessment and a company registration document are required."

 

From the Thai Consulate in LA:

"A letter proof of employment ( **we don’t accept pay stubs**)"

 

The requirement about employment is the same in almost every country in Europe. In Australia it's not required (for some strange reason).

The METV is not designed for a long term stay in Thailand, that's why the proof of employment exist.

If not working or maybe the employer refuses to issue the letter to the embassy, the METV obtained in a home country is not an option if you want to stay ~8 months in Thailand. 

HI Max69xl,

As usual different countries have different requirements.

E.g. when applying for an METV at the thai embassy/consulates in Belgium, there is no need to be employed.

The requirements state > If you are unemployed: a proof of income (document from unemployment benefit, pension or copy of your latest bank statement, etc.).

I think this is logical as it proves you have recurring funds which can be of any source (employed or not) and on top of that there is of course the requirement to show a minimum of 6.000 Euro on your bank account(s).

 

 

 

[yokat]

Considering the following:

- You are under 50

- You don't plan to work for a local company

- you don't plan to attend a school

 

The options that I am aware of:

- Elite visa: The most reliable option for you, the cheapest one goes for 500,000THB and is valid for 5 years. It's not as easy as it sounds, the application process takes 1 to 4 months according to their website.

- Tourist visa: Unreliable but some still manage to stay here on those

- Business visa: most complicated and probably expensive of your options, establish a business here.

- "Work" visa: some umbrella companies will offer you a work permit and visa for a share of your freelancing income. This is expensive and I would not consider it reliable, the most popular of those stopped doing it recently.

- "Marriage" visa: If you are married with a thai and have 400k in a thai bank you can stay here as much as you want and get 1 year extensions based on marriage. Don't do it for a visa.

[Max69xl]

2 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

HI Max69xl,

As usual different countries have different requirements.

E.g. when applying for an METV at the thai embassy/consulates in Belgium, there is no need to be employed.

The requirements state > If you are unemployed: a proof of income (document from unemployment benefit, pension or copy of your latest bank statement, etc.).

I think this is logical as it proves you have recurring funds which can be of any source (employed or not) and on top of that there is of course the requirement to show a minimum of 6.000 Euro on your bank account(s).

 

 

 

Does the OP come from Belgium? Of course requirements differ between countries. But check for example the UK,Germany, Netherlands,Sweden,the US and several other countries, and you'll see that proof of employment is required. Like I said, the METV is not designed for long term stay in Thailand. 

[rabang]

You can be self employed and just need to produce some sort document for it. That's what I did anyway and it wasn't too complicated. Different countries obviously have different requirements and I can't speak for all of them. I believe they are just more interested in the financial aspect so you must be able to show you have the funds to comfortably sustain yourself for six months.

[DrJack54]

7 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Does the OP come from Belgium? Of course requirements differ between countries. But check for example the UK,Germany, Netherlands,Sweden,the US and several other countries, and you'll see that proof of employment is required. Like I said, the METV is not designed for long term stay in Thailand. 

The metv enables 6 month stay. Yes can be used to stay 9 months. The alternatives to employment has been discussed many times esp when the metv was introduced.

There are easy ways around it as many many people do not work for anyone.

 

[tinca tinca]

health insurance is a minefield here, you should know this.

I have had many quotes.....dearest being 131k baht and one 79k

am dealing with AXA at the moment.....also age is a problem regarding price for a policy....

[CartagenaWarlock]

On 2/3/2020 at 6:48 AM, possum1931 said:

Even if I was a billionaire, I would not apply for an Elite Visa. 500.000 Baht down the drain, nothing back in return after 5 years.

"Even if". That is the main thing. Once you have a billion BHT, you would know what you would do. If you have a billion BHT, are you going to travel economy class, or drive a Toyota corolla, or rent  a one room hole for 10K? If so, you definitely won't get elite.

I'm not a billinoire but I have 100 mil. I bought a 20 year elite just for the convenience. No need for Immigration visit, TM30, 90-day reporting, an other non-sense. I feel money wll spent. After all, why you earn money if not able to spend it for convenience? Convenience and luxury is no calculated based on ROI.

[B0nkers]

On 2/3/2020 at 1:21 AM, EricTh said:

You can't work online as freelancer while on a long-term tourist visa. It is illegal even if 'many' do it in Thailand as you claim.

 

If it is a short-term tourist visa on one month, I don't think it's a problem but to work illegally on long-term border-run/visa-run is definitately illegal.

Chiang Mai is absolutely FULL of people doing just this and they are definitely not hiding it. This is i why I asked. They even hold large conventions for people living their on tourist visa's and working online, Thailand is also full of YouTubers doing the same thing.