Finally some good news: Thailand tipped to ease 90 day reporting for foreigners

[Neeranam]

Just now, Walter Travolta said:

I rest my case

what case? 

you are talking in riddles man.

[Destiny1990]

They are searching for foreigners willing to spend 200-300k monthly its simple just increase the restaurant prices. Example: 1 Plate Kaw phad kai 6500 bht and 1 small bottle Leo beer 2500 bht etc.

[Trevor Collins]

If they genuinely want the GNP of the the country to increase and the living standards of the average Thai to improve, then start educating the children to Japanese or S. Korean levels.

 

And teach the adults to drive properly, or there'll be no children left to teach. 

[Walter Travolta]

Just now, Neeranam said:

what case? 

you are talking in riddles man.

Thailand only want foreigners money, not foreigners. Only a fool would believe otherwise. Is that comprehensible? 

[The Man Who Sold the World]

Having been a participant in Thailand’s expat community for 25+ years my expectations are tempered by past experience. 

 

Many, many, many times word has come down the pipeline of easing rules, regulations and monetary requirements for the expat population.

 

Experience shows the Thai’s are eternal optimists in describing events that they are unable to deliver. 

 

Unfortunately, any proposed easing of rules morphs into added burden on expats to maintain our legal status of remaining within Thailand. 

 

Just sayin’…

[newnative]

     Good proposals all and I hope they are passed.  I especially like the 80% foreign quota for condo ownership.  This will greatly help some owners sell their condos should they wish to sell at some point.  Now, just get it done already.  Less talk, more action.  

[newnative]

17 hours ago, Natai Beach said:

Another good idea to get more retirees. Like myself and most of the members on this forum. They cleverly got all you blokes already.

 

Also a good plan to target those who will spend over 200,000 baht per month. You need that or more to have a reasonably high standard of living here. If people have a high standard of living they enjoy life more and are less likely to walk around with a chip on their shoulder causing issues in immigration offices etc. 

 

I can’t say the 90 day report is much of a problem. Takes me about 5 minutes every 90 days to do it online. Too easy. 

     Have you tried online reporting lately?  When I go to the website it gives me 3 options to do the 90 day report:  in person, by authorizing another person, or by mail.  Doing it online isn't even mentioned.   Am I missing something?  I did my last report online but I don't see how to do it online now.  

[Dogmatix]

ML Chayotid is an anglophile and a good bloke who obviously has some idea of the complaints of foreigners regarding visas and work permits from his expat staff, although he would only have signed forms put on his desk by his secretary, rather than have to sort out problems himself.  JPM Morgan Securities Thailand is now so run down that they may not even have any expat staff left.  He hasn't rubbed shoulders with the run of the mill farang retirees in Thailand and would have no idea of their issues. He is not afraid to speak his mind but that doesn't mean the government will listen to him.

 

The number of a million potential takers of a high end scheme is obviously a complete fantasy but probably not of Chayotid's making.  They just need to look at the total numbers of foreigners, retirees, workers, elite card holders to extrapolate more realistic numbers.

 

The idea of increasing condo percentages for foreigners without voting rights is already under way independent of this.  That will probably make it impossible to resell the many projects in Phuket and elsewhere that were sold under 30 year (fake) renewable leases.  The idea of land sales to foreigners has been tried before by Thaksin under the Elite card scheme but didn't work out.  It was also tried by the Democrat party with a real amendment to the Land Code to facilitate it but didn't work out because the special government bonds foreigners had to buy to qualify were never issued.  It will also not work out this time.

 

There is a distinct risk they will make it much harder for foreigners who are not perceived as highly desirable.  

Edited April 13, 2021 by Dogmatix

[NoshowJones]

9 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Can't mail it in or use the online service ?

 

Not long ago Khon Kaen was one of the IOs who did not accept a 90 day report my mail, don't know if that is still the case. But in Colins case, the Thailand authorities are that heartless they can't just leave him alone.

[Neeranam]

37 minutes ago, Walter Travolta said:

Thailand only want foreigners money, not foreigners. Only a fool would believe otherwise. Is that comprehensible? 

I never said otherwise. 

[Enzian]

1 hour ago, Sqoop said:

 

The trouble is that when covid finally recedes I think it will be years before people have the money to visit Thailand. I dont think that the economic problems caused by covid have fully played out yet. 

IMO you are putting it mildly, very mildly.

[Neeranam]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Not long ago Khon Kaen was one of the IOs who did not accept a 90 day report my mail, don't know if that is still the case. But in Colins case, the Thailand authorities are that heartless they can't just leave him alone.

I know 3 guys in Khon Kaen that don't do their 90 day reports. Their work does it for them, or pays not to do it. 

 

[Neeranam]

90 day reporting is no big deal! 

 

Even if you don't do it, I think the fine is only 2000 baht for the year. 

If you give the Immigration police person a banana cake, they usually let you off with 1000 baht or less. 

[Puccini]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

...As I said, it would depend on their interpretation of the word "development". Otherwise they could have just said "a house valued from 10 million baht"...

It depends on the interpretation of the Thai word that has been translated as "development".

[Totster]

7 hours ago, Miami007 said:

The attraction of SE Asia for most retired couples is either the weather or the cheap cost of living (compared to Europe or USA).

 

Right, but only a brain dead idiot would want to live in the USA 

 

totster ????

 

 

 

 

 

 

[newnative]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

I would have thought most of the discussion would have been about the proposal to allow foreigners to "own land".

"In order to do this, it is proposed that foreigners will be allowed to purchase and own outright a house located on a development valued from 10 million baht, with a land size of not more than 1 Rai."
(my bolding and underlining)

Now it would depend on the actual wording of the law, but to me, what that says is that you would be able to buy a house (land) in a "development" (i.e. a housing estate) so long as the estate itself was valued at over 10 million baht and your land size was 1 Rai or less.

But that would hinge on the definition of a "development". Condos are mentioned separately so that's not what they are talking about in the passage above.

To me, it means that if, for example, the new "development" being built on Soi Khao Noi (Chokchai 9 or something I think ?) was valued at over 10 million baht, you (as a foreigner) would be able to buy a house in that development so long as the land size didn't exceed 1 Rai.

Otherwise the passage would have been worded "a house valued from 10 million baht,...." and wouldn't have mentioned "located on a development".

The significance of allowing foreigners to own up to 80% of a condo development would also be significant as well. The current rule (of no more than 49% foreign ownership) is meant to prevent foreigners from (technically) owning the land the condo project sits on, as the foreigners would (in theory) never be able to make up the majority of a condo's "board".

Changing that rule would mean foreigners could make up the majority of the board and therefore "control" the land. It would also allow them to control things like the maintenance fees and other aspects (including approving/disapproving new owners I think ?).

One has to wonder though, if these changes are aimed at a specific demographic - and I can guarantee you that it isn't "old white guys" from the West. They may be beneficiaries of such changes if they go through, but you'd better believe the gov't isn't even thinking about them at all when they do stuff like this.

I suspect that with all the money China has been pouring into the country, or is planning to in the near future, the powers that be are making changes to keep them happy.
(Remember not too long ago there was an article about a Chinese company that was planning on spending something like 4-5 billion on a new condo building to be built near Immigration in Jomtien. That's one example. Then there's the high speed train project that is supposed to link Thailand and China. The submarine deal with China. And so on and so on.)

You can bet that there are Chinese language forums similar to TV where they probably discuss a lot of the same things we do. We don't see them of course, but I can imagine that they'd discuss things like "90 Day Reports" and not being able to own land as well.

I can also imagine that it would be really hard (and awkward) for Thailand to try and pass a law that allowed one set of people to do something while excluding a different set, so some of us may get "lucky" if they do make the changes suggested in the OP.

Not going to hold my breath on it though. So much can change between now and when (if) it happens and so much can depend on the different interpretations of a single word.

Like "development". 
 

    Foreigners can already 'control' a condo board.  There is no requirement that a condo board be majority Thai.  My Thai partner heard that if the quota is increased to 80%, there would likely be a rule added that still limits foreign voting to 49%.     

    As for the land a condo project sits on, no owners actually 'own' pieces of the land.  (Hey!  You're standing on my square meter of land!  Get off!)   The land is owned by the condo project, with condo owners having a share of the project based on their condo unit's size.   Because of this, both Thai and foreign owners have the same rights and would profit equally by their percentage owned should the project ever be sold and the condominium delisted at the Land Office.  

[NoshowJones]

9 hours ago, bikerlou47 said:

Give me back my 800,00 baht!

Just go to your bank and take it out, what's stopping you? Then see an agent, sorted, and no it is not illegal.

[Ralf001]

46 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Not long ago Khon Kaen was one of the IOs who did not accept a 90 day report my mail, don't know if that is still the case. But in Colins case, the Thailand authorities are that heartless they can't just leave him alone.

so for the majority, the 90 day reporting is painless.

[Ralf001]

38 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

90 day reporting is no big deal! 

 

Even if you don't do it, I think the fine is only 2000 baht for the year. 

If you give the Immigration police person a banana cake, they usually let you off with 1000 baht or less. 

 

Think the fine is up to 5k.

[frantick]

15 minutes ago, newnative said:

Can you tell me what website you are using?  I am using:  immigration.go.th   Thanks.  

He's pulling your leg. Online reporting has been down to everyone for 55 days.

[RocketDog]

22 hours ago, bdenner said:

For crying out aloud, no matter how TW tries she can't spend the 65K I bring in a month (retirement extn. Refuse to go down the 800K path)

Been here 20 years, 3 Chanoots, 3 cars and more land than you can poke a stick at --- wot more do they want.?

 

All you have is the short answer. 

[Jeffr2]

14 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Think the fine is up to 5k.

I think the other worry is being caught past the date. Never know what they'll try to extract from you.

[lavender19]

They did this twenty years ago welcoming retirees with open arms (me being one of them) with promises of this and that. All was okay and life was good until 2016 and all the B<deleted> started. If I had my time over again the Land of Lies would be the last place I would be investing anything in. Let alone 200k a month. 

[Walter Travolta]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

I never said otherwise. 

I didnt claim you did?? ????‍♂️ you replied to me remember? You wanted the explanation, I gave it

 

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, The Man Who Sold the World said:

Unfortunately, any proposed easing of rules morphs into added burden on expats to maintain our legal status of remaining within Thailand. 

We hope not. But can't recall who said it yesterday who said with stuff like this being proposed then they would probably boost the average retirement bank deposit to be upped to 1.1 million in the bank. With every action there seems to be a negative opposite reaction here. If they did away with 90 day for all of us then it is a start, but it may only be for the retiree they want to come here and all the rest stuck.

[holy cow cm]

50 minutes ago, Totster said:

 

Right, but only a brain dead idiot would want to live in the USA 

 

totster ????

 

 

 

 

 

 

Errr Ummm. Not true. There are some wonderful places in the USA to live if you have money. And if you have enough money to have 2 places in the USA then you are living high on the hog. 

[NoshowJones]

7 hours ago, BadSpottedDog said:

Why do they keep targeting rich foreigners? People with a lot of money will not choose to live in Thailand, when there are other places far easier to live, with more luxury options.
The every day, medium income farang are Thailand's bread and butter. Make it easier for THEM. Not holding my breath though.

Nobody will get through to that unelected clown impersonating a PM, he just hasn't a clue what it would take to attract people to retire here, all he has done is chase them away.

[NoshowJones]

6 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Forget about property ownership or easing immigration law.  Just bring the Baht down 10%.  Problem solved.

Will that not affect the unelected "PMs" bank account in some way? Ask yourself why the Baht has fallen from about 55 Bt to 43Bt since he bullied his way in to power in 2014.

[NeoDinosaw]

3 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Will that not affect the unelected "PMs" bank account in some way? Ask yourself why the Baht has fallen from about 55 Bt to 43Bt since he bullied his way in to power in 2014.

 

3 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Will that not affect the unelected "PMs" bank account in some way? Ask yourself why the Baht has fallen from about 55 Bt to 43Bt since he bullied his way in to power in 2014.

I think you mean that it's the US Dollar which has been falling

 

[Neeranam]

19 minutes ago, Walter Travolta said:

I didnt claim you did?? ????‍♂️ you replied to me remember? You wanted the explanation, I gave it

 

Lol, take a look back. 

You asked who it benefits, I replied foreigners.