The Best Way To Stay Long Time W/o Work Permit ?

[manutoo]

Hello,

I'm a 27 years old french guy.

I'm a video game creator, and I started to sell my games on Internet.

URL removed by admin, no URL's allowed

So far, I'm earning about 400€ / month (almost 20'000b), and I think it should raise to 800€ / month within a year.

It's not enough to live in France, but it's far enough to live in Thailand for me (my living standard is really not high, I don't need too much except xDsl )

So I'm thinking about going to live in Thailand.

But there's no tourist VISA for long time, only 2+1 months; I guess I can't get a work permit as I won't be employed by any company, and I read on this forum that immigrent VISA cost 190'000b, which is a way to expensive for me ! (before, it seems it was 50'000b, and I could have afforded this to be able to live in Thailand)

At 1st, I thought using Bkk travel agencies, that "magically" make my passport exit and enter again in Thailand every month, but one of the 1st thing I found on the french ambassy website is :

"Feedbacks to the Ambassy said that offices specialized in prolongation of visas have made false visas, exposing their customer to peculiar sanctions".

Even more, I read on this forum that Thai gov is thinking about forbid exit and immediate re-enter in Thailand in a near future...

So is there any way left to me to live in Thailand without go to jail when I'll want to leave the country, or on a basic passport check by the local police ?

Thanks for your help !

ManuTOO

Edited July 9, 2004 by george

[Yohan]

Depends where you stay in Thailand, but there are plenty of people, who take the 30 days visafree and who are crossing into Malaysia or Cambodia every month for some minutes....(visa-run)

There are others, who do not mind to stay for some days in Malaysia, and apply for a Thai tourist visa in Penang = 60+30 days.....

I know also some people, who like both, they rent a room in Thailand for a while, and then again for a while in Malaysia (Malaysia will give you 3 months....)

Otherwise in your case, I do not see any better choice for a long-term visa, except you manage to get a job in Thailand, or studies or something like that....

One point more: Avoid troubles with the immigration - do not stay illegal in Thailand, but organize your trips to the borders in advance. Keep your passport valid and with some empty pages. NEVER overstay, but leave Thailand and come back within some minutes as a principle....You have to go yourself to the border!

[sas_cars]

Yeah,this is very DANGEROUS if you give away your passport to someone to send it across border and come back.If u get caught,you will be in very hostile circumstances.You better get a double or triple tourist visa from france,u get (60+30)x2 (in case u get double entry)or (60+30)x3 days (triple entry ),If u manage to get a triple entry tourist visa,It will give you around 9 months of stay in thailand.i.e. you just have to cross border and come back after every 90days.And once all your entries expire,you can always have a visa trip to Penang.and come back stay again .

[manutoo]

On the french ambassy website, they don't talk about the possibily of getting multiple-entry visas. But they did in the past, so I assumed it was not possible anymore.

But if it's possible, then it'll help me for sure, I can take 2 or 3 days every 90 days to validate the visa ...

Is it hard to get a triple-entry visa ..?

I'm planning to live in Bkk at 1st. Maybe later I'll move to Pattaya if I can find a quiet district there, and a not too expensive xDsl connection.

So the trip to Hat Yai would be long, but still possible. (I already did once in the past)

The frontier will Cambodia is closed ?

Where is Penang ? North of Malaysia ?

Long time ago, I read that Thai gov was planning to forbid people to get tourism Visa from Thai ambassies which are not in their country of residence : ie, a french person like me couldn't get a visa from Thai ambassy in Malaysia.

It was not applicated ?

I can't live alternatively in Malaysia and Thailand, it wouldn't be good for my work ...

Thanks for ur help !

[Yohan]

1- please make a search on this forum and you will find most of your questions already answered or commented by many members.

2- the border to Cambodia is open at several border-points.

3- the border to Laos is also open and Vientiane has a Thai Embassy

4- Penang (Pulau Pinang, Georgetown) is the big island on the WestCoast in Northern Malaysia, there is a Thai Consulat there.

5- As far as I know, only retirement visas, if the foreigner wants to apply abroad, have to be done at the Thai Embassy in the country of his nationality.

6- I have no experience with multiple entry visas, maybe somebody else has more information.

[frenchFARANGbkk]

1- please make a search on this forum and you will find most of your questions already answered or commented by many members.

2- the border to Cambodia is open at several border-points.

3- the border to Laos is also open and Vientiane has a Thai Embassy

4- Penang (Pulau Pinang, Georgetown) is the big island on the WestCoast in Northern Malaysia, there is a Thai Consulat there.

5- As far as I know, only retirement visas, if the foreigner wants to apply abroad, have to be done at the Thai Embassy in the country of his nationality.

6- I have no experience with multiple entry visas, maybe somebody else has more information.

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7- French embassy is a bunch of the biggest &lt;deleted&gt; you could ever meet

[dr_Pat_Pong]

1- please make a search on this forum and you will find most of your questions already answered or commented by many members.

2- the border to Cambodia is open at several border-points.

3- the border to Laos is also open and Vientiane has a Thai Embassy

4- Penang (Pulau Pinang, Georgetown) is the big island on the WestCoast in Northern Malaysia, there is a Thai Consulat there.

5- As far as I know, only retirement visas, if the foreigner wants to apply abroad, have to be done at the Thai Embassy in the country of his nationality.

6- I have no experience with multiple entry visas, maybe somebody else has more information.

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7- French embassy is a bunch of the biggest &lt;deleted&gt; you could ever meet

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[simcity]

7- French embassy is a bunch of the biggest &lt;deleted&gt; you could ever meet

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i am dual french / australia , i get generally 3*3 month visa from australia ( the last 8 years ) , 2 years ago from the thai embassy in paris i could not get more of 2*2 month visa and it took me a lot of talking . i saw some people loosing the deposit , with no refund policy for some reject application .

for any help do not go there ........

[bkk_mike]

There is another option. It's fairly cheap initially, but can work out quite expensive over time.

Marry a Thai.

[LivinLOS]

I have to question your facts Mike.. I am not sure that its even cheap initially..

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I have to question your facts Mike.. I am not sure that its even cheap initially..

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