how is it that you might sign a long term lease of say six months or a year and yet have to cross the border on visa runs every three months? is it guaranteed that you will get back into the country? do you leave all your possessions in your apartment even though you are doing a visa run into another country with no absolute right of return?

or do you just sign up to a three month lease and then take all your belongings with you on some cumbersome visa run?

having no such experience, i'm having trouble picturing how this might work. please explain. thank you.

how is it that you might sign a long term lease of say six months or a year and yet have to cross the border on visa runs every three months? is it guaranteed that you will get back into the country? do you leave all your possessions in your apartment even though you are doing a visa run into another country with no absolute right of return?

or do you just sign up to a three month lease and then take all your belongings with you on some cumbersome visa run?

having no such experience, i'm having trouble picturing how this might work. please explain. thank you.

JR Texas: This is a big problem for condo owners that want to rent them out.......nobody in their right mind will sign a long term contract given the visa crap that has been going on....particularly over the last year but certainly since 2001.

how is it that you might sign a long term lease of say six months or a year and yet have to cross the border on visa runs every three months? is it guaranteed that you will get back into the country?

No, there is no such guarantee.

You refer to visa run. As long as you have a visa, you are allowed to travel to Thailand. Unless you have done something to make you persona non grata in Thailand, arriving with a visa you will be admitted into the country for a period depending on the type of your visa.

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Maestro

It depends what visa you are holding, inside Thailand. If you have a one year mutliple entry O or B visa that hasn't been extended for retirement or work, you make a daytime run in and out of the kingdom, 99.9% certain that you'll return. I did that for two years.

You can also make the point that even an annually renewed visa never lasts over 366 days, and you're forever at the mercy of the immigration law and its officers to be moving the goalposts.

so suppose i have a retirement visa (i am 50 this year) which i believe gives me a year. is that a year 3 months at a time? do i have to do 4 runs during the year?

and again, what do you do with all your things when you do a visa run? are you able to keep the same apartment? please help me understand how this works. it sounds very complicated.

so suppose i have a retirement visa (i am 50 this year) which i believe gives me a year. is that a year 3 months at a time? do i have to do 4 runs during the year?

and again, what do you do with all your things when you do a visa run? are you able to keep the same apartment? please help me understand how this works. it sounds very complicated.

There is no such thing as a retirement Visa.

If you have a multi entry non immigrant O visa based on retirement you will have to exit the country and re enter every 3 months. There should not be any problems on re entering.

If you then extend that visa for a year you will not have to do the 3 month border runs.

This can be extended in Thailand every year and you never have to leave the country.

To get the yearly extension you will need 800,000 Baht in the bank or a pension of 65,000 Baht a month.

I think you are worrying over nothing. If you have a proper visa you will be ok.

how is it that you might sign a long term lease of say six months or a year and yet have to cross the border on visa runs every three months? is it guaranteed that you will get back into the country? do you leave all your possessions in your apartment even though you are doing a visa run into another country with no absolute right of return?

or do you just sign up to a three month lease and then take all your belongings with you on some cumbersome visa run?

having no such experience, i'm having trouble picturing how this might work. please explain. thank you.

Your concerns are valid for anyone living in Thailand on a tourist visa. There's no guarantee of being given another one on a visa run.

I'm in the situation myself where I rent an apartment. Last year before the new visa regulations came into effect I signed a 6 months lease. I'm lucky in that I've been in my apartment for over a year so my landlord is happy to keep me on a month-by-month arrangement, being fully aware of my visa situation.

Regarding the problem of not getting back into Thailand from a visa run to collect my stuff - it's a calculated risk. I would not go on a visa run if I wasn't quite sure I would succeed in getting one.

I keep a close eye (reading this forum everyday) on what is happening at various consulates/embassies and borders and plan my visa runs accordingly.

thank you all. i'm feeling much better now.