Part-Time long termers - share your experiences

[Peter Denis]

18 minutes ago, wasabi said:

I want to be in Thailand 6-9 months a year so I thought METV was perfect for me and my wife. However using METV's; and passing the 5 month mark we started getting increasingly thorough interrogations upon reentry to Thailand by immigration and threats of not being allowed entry. I was saddened by this because we thought we found a low cost way to fit our part-time Thai lifestyle. We found short term rentals via Airbnb and contacts while in Thailand. As long as you stay at least 30 days Airbnb is legal BTW.

 

After going back to the USA my wife and I debated what to do and settled on getting Thailand Elite visas. (We are both under 50) I would have loved to keep doing recurring 9 month METVs since it is obviously way cheaper, but it became clear this was not a stable way for us to stay here. The cost of the TE visa was steep but if we keep this up for a few years it will pay for itself. I am also glad to not have to sweat coming in and out of the country anymore.

Yes, in your case being under 50 years of age and wanting to stay longer than 6 months a year in Thailand, the EliteVisa is the only 'relaxed' option available.

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

On an METV (MultipleEntry TouristVisa) you can stay almost 9 months in Thailand, when doing a border-run just before your 6 month Visa validity date expires, then being stamped in again for a 60-day permission to stay which can be extended with 30 days.

Obviously you cannot use METVs continuously, because when doing so you would be staying longer than the unofficial 180 days a year in Thailand, and would be considered 'not a genuine tourist' by thai border-immigration.  Using 2 METVs with some months in your home-country in between would not be a problem.  But when staying longer than 180 days a year, from the 3rd one on you might be questioned on entry and in worst case even denied entry.  So inc case of staying longer than 6 months a year in Thailand applying for a Non Imm O - retirement Visa and subsequent 1-year extensions is the cheapest/easiest way of staying long-term legit in Thailand.

 

Yes, but OP asked for up to 50/50 between Thailand and home-country – and as you say yourself, more than 180 days become a problem. But your suggestion might have interest for other readers...????

Edited May 24, 2020 by khunPer

[Hanuman2547]

I worked in Bangkok for many years and then left for my home country almost 20 years ago.  At the time I thought that I would someday return to retire in Thailand.  The more time I spent out of the country the urge to retire there became less and less.  I have been to Thailand many times in the intervening years, sometimes for a month at a time.  Now I'm down to just thinking about visiting Thailand for 4-5 months a year over the northern winter.  When that day comes I was thinking about getting a 90 day non-immigrant visa and then either another 90 day non-immigrant visa 90 or if that is not allowed a 60 day visa.  Like I said earlier, I don't intend to stay six months in Thailand.  I don't really want to go through all the paperwork for a retirement visa when I don't plan on staying in the country over six months in a year. 

[hotandsticky]

3 minutes ago, Hanuman2547 said:

I worked in Bangkok for many years and then left for my home country almost 20 years ago.  At the time I thought that I would someday return to retire in Thailand.  The more time I spent out of the country the urge to retire there became less and less.  I have been to Thailand many times in the intervening years, sometimes for a month at a time.  Now I'm down to just thinking about visiting Thailand for 4-5 months a year over the northern winter.  When that day comes I was thinking about getting a 90 day non-immigrant visa and then either another 90 day non-immigrant visa 90 or if that is not allowed a 60 day visa.  Like I said earlier, I don't intend to stay six months in Thailand.  I don't really want to go through all the paperwork for a retirement visa when I don't plan on staying in the country over six months in a year. 

 

 

Actually, the paperwork for a retirement is not that much greater than for a Non-Imm O visa. In practical terms it is better now that multiple entry ) visas are not available in your home country. It is a more a question of whether you want to keep required funds in a Thai bank account. Your plans suggest that a single re-entry permit would suffice so you save 2,800 Baht vs a multiple.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/23/2020 at 11:10 AM, Pilotman said:

unless you have permanent residency, or citizenship, we are all 'part timers'. It's the nature of the visa and extension of stay system here. So the answer to your question from various posters here, if they even bother to answer,  will be 'every personal circumstance that you can think of'.   

Given you speak the truth I was surprised that 2 posters disagreed with your post.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/23/2020 at 11:55 AM, BritManToo said:

I'd rather stay in Cambodia, only my baggage keeps me here.

I can't imagine why anyone without a house/women/kids is wanting to come here, it ain't that great anymore.

I could name 3 countries that are more convenient, and easier to stay in ........ or were before COVID.

 

I invested years of my life in LOS, learned enough of the language to get by, understood how live without attracting the wrong sort of attention, learned how to enjoy my life there to the best of my ability. I just can't imagine having to start from scratch in a another completely different country.

 

When I discovered LOS many decades ago I stopped traveling to different countries as it had everything I needed. That didn't change. LOS did change- some women got fat, some ugly women in gogos and the "music" became horrible, immigration became tiresome. However, it was still good enough to be happy living there, though I did give up gogos.

[GinBoy2]

I lived in Thailand for just over 10 years until we decided to move back to the US. 

 

Our son had decided he wasn't coming back to Thailand after he graduated college in Chicago, so it was game over.

 

Now we still have a house in Thailand, and I must admit I like it better than when we lived there full time.

I speak fluent Thai & Lao, so it wasn't that I didn't understand what was going around, but maybe it was because I could understand that in the last few years there I became increasingly frustrated with the place.

 

Now when we go back, I'm just a regular tourist, no visa, 90 day reports, endless copies of my passport. And to be honest a couple of months in the Kingdom and I'm pretty happy, sort of feels like when I first went to Thailand, and it's just a great vacation.

 

Then we get on a plane and return to the real world!