Thailand set to approve Special Tourist Visa for digital nomads

[connda]

7 hours ago, khunpa said:

Now wait for the conditions…

The absolute pain in the behind to obtain a work permit will be the show stopper.

[wasabi]

Thailand = Blockbuster video. Something everyone liked until the rules became onerous and a better option (Netflix) stole their thunder. All along the way Blockbuster had numerous chances to stop the rising Netflix but their arrogance and ignorance made any hope of salvation come too late. 

 

Thailand has had a Golden Goose with digital nomads. There are small cottage industries that cater to them, particularly in Chiang Mai, but even with this new visa there still is no viable solution to truly attract them in mass which is needed now more than ever. Thai immigration just DOESN'T GET IT. Meanwhile other countries have digital nomad visas with multi-year - hassle free - options available. Why Nickel, dime and generally hassle these people when they bring talent and plenty of money which is spent in Thailand. Even taxing them isn't a good idea given how much money they would bring in if left to their own devices. Anyone seen a functioning Thai website lately? Why not invite tech talent into Thailand to stop such silliness? What do they gain by all of these half measures other than retaining their xenophobic comfort and pride? Well as they say TiT This is Thailand.

 

 

 

 

[Chris.B]

"One of the groups included in the survey comprised workers who travel to different locations, using mobile devices to perform their jobs remotely at coffee shops or public libraries."

 

I can't see how anyone can work efficiently sitting in a coffee shop. Talk about stereo-typing! As for public libraries, does Thailand have them? ????

[tonray]

With this news,  can the NON-BP (BegPackers) visa be far off? 

[CartagenaWarlock]

7 hours ago, BestB said:

I am assuming to be eligible for this visa, one would have to prove he/she really is a digital nomad, otherwise everyone will be getting one. Only conditions i can see would be able to show funds in the bank and some kind of proof of being a DN

My friend stays  for 6 months in Thailand and it will be a perfect visa for him and others like him. Pre covid, he used to get an O-A (he is above 50) every two years but there is no need for that with this visa. Also, people under 50 now have a legitimate visa they can use for long term stay without border hopping. 

[dinsdale]

Any negative blogs and bye bye visa.

[CartagenaWarlock]

6 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Sex tourists and clubbers are the big spenders

Exactly. 

[CartagenaWarlock]

18 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

"One of the groups included in the survey comprised workers who travel to different locations, using mobile devices to perform their jobs remotely at coffee shops or public libraries."

 

I can't see how anyone can work efficiently sitting in a coffee shop. Talk about stereo-typing! As for public libraries, does Thailand have them?

Blame should go to digital nomads who have popularized the concept of working in beaches and coffee shops to sell their courses. 

[mjakob007]

9 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

digital nomads by approving a Special Tourist Visa (STV) that allows foreigners to stay for 90 days

if Digital Nomads, why give STV?

why not a Nomad visa!

[garyk]

I am going to put on my dick tracy hat with a press pass on the brim. Walk into immigration with my camera rolling and talking about wonderful Thailand.  

 

[scorecard]

Just now, gearbox said:

Why an outcry...they work in Thailand in local jobs or have local companies and need to pay the local taxes.

With the digital nomads they need to rely on goods and services consumed, not tax collected, otherwise the digital nomads being "nomads" can go "nomading" somewhere else...the others with work permits or local companies can't easily do this, nobody misses shooting a sitting duck.

There's also a case to say those working in Thailand should pay local taxes.

[scorecard]

Just now, garyk said:

I am going to put on my dick tracy hat with a press pass on the brim. Walk into immigration with my camera rolling and talking about wonderful Thailand.  

 

?

[scorecard]

Just now, Chris.B said:

"One of the groups included in the survey comprised workers who travel to different locations, using mobile devices to perform their jobs remotely at coffee shops or public libraries."

 

I can't see how anyone can work efficiently sitting in a coffee shop. Talk about stereo-typing! As for public libraries, does Thailand have them? ????

"...work efficiently sitting in a coffee shop...

 

It's been done.

[BangkokReady]

15 minutes ago, scorecard said:

?

He will pose as a travel blogger, which he is suggesting is a style of digital nomad, in order to take advantage of the "nomad visa".

[Chris.B]

29 minutes ago, scorecard said:

There's also a case to say those working in Thailand should pay local taxes.

It's not where you work, it is where your income comes from! This is where you should pay taxes. Unfortunately the big internet companies don't seem to agree with that!  ????

[tingtongfarang]

11 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

He will pose as a travel blogger, which he is suggesting is a style of digital nomad, in order to take advantage of the "nomad visa".

I still cant understand what advantage a nomad visa would have

[jackdd]

10 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The spokesperson said the government is working to accommodate the increasing numbers of digital nomads by approving a Special Tourist Visa (STV) that allows foreigners to stay for 90 days.

This visa exists since a year or so. Where is the news?

[LikeItHot]

Wait until they find out digital nomad means Only Fans creator.

[Karma80]

12 minutes ago, jackdd said:

This visa exists since a year or so. Where is the news?

Yup. Just a marketing rehash announcement.

 

Nobody is going to bother changing labour and tax laws for transient farangs coming to Thailand for a max of 9 months. Nothing stopped "Digital Nomads" from accessing the STV as is.

My hope is that this rubbish doesn't stop a push to longer-term 10-year visa options for remote-based workers and be truly competitive with the other global options - Dubai, Caymans, Malta etc. 

[garyk]

I can just see it now, a 70-80 year old walking into immigration with his agent getting the digital nomad visa.

[The Hammer2021]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

"...work efficiently sitting in a coffee shop...

 

It's been done.

The Harry Potter media empire was created in a cafe

[The Hammer2021]

13 minutes ago, garyk said:

I can just see it now, a 70-80 year old walking into immigration with his agent getting the digital nomad visa.

Why not?

[jackdd]

14 minutes ago, garyk said:

I can just see it now, a 70-80 year old walking into immigration with his agent getting the digital nomad visa.

Can only bei applied for in the Home country

[freedomnow]

Well it won't be 50k a year with no conditions.

It will have endless hoops to jump through making it toothless for

a large percentage of people who would pay for it.

 

Elite at 50k and then immi. get that money vs all the contortions

foreigners go through to stay in Thailand for a year at a time under age 50 who don't want to work for a Thai biz...and it boils down to around 50-60k a year.

 

[khunpa]

Thailands biggest problem when launching new stuff like this is corruption and laws being interpreted differently based on where you are located in Thailand.

 

The only way they can make this work, is to make it extremely simple to understand for everyone (Government Officers and Nomads), If not, anyone applying for this will be risking problems.

 

Since making it simple, will never happen then this is just another idea with no real outcome.

 

Its a shame really, because they could be making good money from attracting digital nomads and encouraging them to stay as long as possible.

 

 

[happydreamer]

11 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Buy 1 billion baht in government bonds, paying 0.001% a year interest, 1 million dollars in health insurance (covering black death, smallpox, ebola, elephantiasis, and leprosy), with payouts at the discretion of the insuring company (owned by uncle of Immigration chief's wife), and a work permit based on yearly income of a billion baht and IRS records for the past 50 years.

And 2 small photos of yourself on a white background

[happydreamer]

Here's the rub...technically if you are in Thailand over 180 consecutive days and you're working a job that makes money from elsewhere....you're subject to paying Thai Tax.

[tomster]

11 hours ago, malibukid said:

the Thai government should look after its people and crumbling infrastructure and not pass it on to us.

Crumbling infrastructure...? Where? Thailand is investing heavily in infrastructure. 

[Stargeezr]

Was there a mention of how much this visa will cost?

  I am glad that there is a 90 day visa available, as I had to

be asking for a work visa in order to get a 90 day visa in the past,

only a 60 day tourist visa, or I would have to apply for a 1 year visa

which was very expensive.

  Is this considered a step toward modernizing?

 

[Gilligan In Drag]

Well, they'll probably just slam the golden goose's tits they forgot to milk in the barn door they left hanging wide open long enough to let the man they gave a fish that they didn't teach to catch his own fish and who rode  their prized magic purple cow into the eternal covid no tourist sunset is what i always say about immigration and the TAT and all of their other fine messes they've gotten themselves and us into this time. Well, thats what I always say anyway. Did I already say that? Well, I said I always say that didn't I.

 

On the other hand they could just grow a pair and admit to themselves they actually need to have something that they are able to offer and properly offer it if they want tourism to surge and perhaps may i suggest legalize drugs and alcohol (letting Boon Rawd and company control the beer and other booze you can drink at a semi affordable price is hardly legalized alcohol) and prostitution and say to the world "Hey the partanzio is on my babies! My babies! Come heah! Come on babies!" As it stands the whole thing is a cavalcade of bed wetters afraid of pandemics and dreaming of technology industry hubs and ideas about digital doormats or whatever the guy said. It really always boils down to, like it was said earlier in the thread, "they doan wanya round yoo furinners," but they don't want to cause a scene so the whole shaggy dog story drags on and on hubs and no pubs and no boobs and enterpronoors and visas for only the rich.