Big Thailand visa changes from June 1

[Maestro]

5 hours ago, Pattaya57 said:

It appears you can also apply for a VoA online before travel (need to scan QR code in link)

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?p=9254

 

 

Good additional information. With the big increase in the number of countries qualifying, this will be even more useful.

[Maestro]

32 minutes ago, humbug said:

Is this delay/cancellation confirmed?

 

It seems a lot of wasted messages and replies to a visa that will never happen, or just a continued delay, seemed a weird visa, 180 days in a 5 year period, then one more time

 

 

 

Some announcements have indicated that not all changes will be made immediately. VOA and visa-exemption apparently on 1 June 2024, some others on 1 September, some at the start of next year or even later,

[Maestro]

23 minutes ago, Startmeup said:

 

something doesn’t add up here. This will torpedo the elite visa program. Must be more details to come. 

 

More details will surely come, step by step, as individual parts of the announced changes are being implemented gradually, most likely in the form of publication in the Royal Gazette. Patience is required on our part.

[Phillip9]

51 minutes ago, Maestro said:

believe the DTV is not intended for "nomads" (travellers) in general but for "digital nomads,

I know.  As I stated earlier, I am a digital nomad.

[VBF]

4 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

I believe the DTV is not intended for "nomads" (travellers) in general but for "digital nomads, ie foreigners who travel to Thailand in order to work from Thailand "digitally", ie remotely with electronic devices.

But would you not agree, that ignoring the (il)legality, digital nomads aren't likely to bother about visas because unless they're spectacularly stupid, no-one's going to know they're working rather than holidaying?

I'm not advocating this behaviour just suggesting that this is the most likely situation.

[jacob29]

34 minutes ago, VBF said:

But would you not agree, that ignoring the (il)legality, digital nomads aren't likely to bother about visas because unless they're spectacularly stupid, no-one's going to know they're working rather than holidaying?

I'm not advocating this behaviour just suggesting that this is the most likely situation.

Not stupid if you want to stay 180 days a year, as you almost certainly will get heat from immigration doing that for long enough.

 

Tax implications at 180 days apply whether you're working or not, so that's not a consideration either (never mind the fact a digital nomad is usually paying tax somewhere already, so it's not like much changes beyond the brackets if that's Thailand).

[jacob29]

10 hours ago, Maitdjai said:

If you buy this Visa, you're booked, nailed, and on the radar, as a “potentially” working DN in the IO, and also of the IRS system.

It's 180 days per year, not 180 days within 5 years. It's the extension that appears to be once for lifetime of visa.

 

As for being on the radar, you already are if you're here for six months or more a year. How they will act on this information is unknown. I guess this visa could make enforcement easier if they begin to collect additional relevant information as part of the application process, and it will be somewhat obvious if that's the case. I doubt their enforcement will vary much from how other countries do things (I couldn't tell you how EU countries manage enforcement, but presumably they do somehow).

[Maestro]

25 minutes ago, jacob29 said:

It's 180 days per year, not 180 days within 5 years. It's the extension that appears to be once for lifetime of visa...

 

Specifically for the DTV, there is this other topic:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1328520-5-year-multiple-entry-dtv-visa-destination-thailand-from-2024-xx-xx/

 

[shdmn]

double post

Edited May 31 by shdmn
double post, please delete.

[shdmn]

double post

Edited May 31 by shdmn
double post, please delete.

[shdmn]

Will regular tourists and retirees be able to get that new 180day visa?  What if we want to leave the country and come back in?  I am guessing that is not a multi-entry and therefore not cost-effective for that?

[lamyai3]

10 hours ago, Maitdjai said:

No business in Thailand, or with Thai companies, but still “work”, even if it's remotely.
= grey-zone, because you're physically in Thailand, and so you're working in/from Thailand.
Otherwise, this visa would be obsolete, beside the revenue, what I mentioned.

I guess "grey-zone" as it's the area that immigration have always admitted they have no interest in or capacity for policing. 

[Lorry]

5 hours ago, jacob29 said:

It's 180 days per year, not 180 days within 5 years

Who says that?

It would make sense,  but I have only read

- that it's 180 days multiple entry (on the website of a Thai embassy), which would mean everybody who owns a laptop could live here (which is the stated aim of the visa) for 5 1/2 years with visa runs every 180 days.

- or that you can only stay 180 days once, extendable to 360 days, within 5 years.

Where do you get the "per year" from?

Edited May 31 by Lorry

[Phillip9]

8 minutes ago, Lorry said:

Who says that?

It would make sense,  but I have only read

- that it's 180 days multiple entry (on the website of a Thai embassy), which would mean everybody who owns a laptop could live here

 

That's how every current multiple entry visa works.  Nothing released officially states or even suggests this visa will be any different, so why would you think this one would be different?

 

 

 

[jacob29]

9 minutes ago, Lorry said:

Who says that?

It would make sense,  but I have only read

- that it's 180 days multiple entry (on the website of a Thai embassy), which would mean everybody who owns a laptop could live here (which is the stated aim of the visa) for 5 1/2 years with visa runs every 180 days.

- or that you can only stay 180 days once, extendable to 360 days, within 5 years.

Where do you get the "per year" from?

I should have said 'per entry' instead of 'per year'. I was drawing information from various sources (such as dtv.in.th), however they're just providing their interpretation of the same immigration image we see - which states 5 years multiple entry without clarifying much else.

 

Logically it can't mean extend to 360 days within 5 years, as you can't legally stay more than 180 days in the first instance. It also seems wildly unlikely 5 year visa means you can wait 5 years to use your 180 days, no other visa type works like this. So with multiple entry on the official announcement, seems to necessarily imply more than 180 days (excluding that extension).

[frankstraube]

10 hours ago, Phillip9 said:

I know.  As I stated earlier, I am a digital nomad.

Everybody is digital if they have a computer, and nomad if they change place from time to time...curious to know how people will qualify for this kind of visa... 

[Phillip9]

3 minutes ago, frankstraube said:

Everybody is digital if they have a computer, and nomad if they change place from time to time...curious to know how people will qualify for this kind of visa... 

 

Most other countries that have digital nomad visas would require some type of documentation of your income, such as a tax returns (which if you are self employed as is common shows your business name and description) and / or bank statements showing deposits.  Its really not hard to prove you are a legitimate digital nomad.

[Lorry]

30 minutes ago, Phillip9 said:

, so why would you think this one would be different?

 

Because I find it hard to believe that all of a sudden,  50% of the world's population  are entitled to reside in Thailand. That would really be a big change of mind.

 

19 minutes ago, Phillip9 said:

Its really not hard to prove you are a legitimate digital nomad.

Very difficult to prove.

And anyway,  what is a "legitimate digital nomad"? I know quite a few who are nothing else than backpackers with a laptop. 

 

I agree with you that some way of filtering out "legitimate digital nomads " (whatever that may be) would reduce that 50% of the world population to a  manageable number. 

It would then be the visa to legalize the Russians here. Maybe that's the whole point. 

 

[Phillip9]

1 hour ago, Lorry said:

Because I find it hard to believe that all of a sudden,  50% of the world's population  are entitled to reside in Thailand.

 

I think its likely that they will put so many ridiculous requirements on this visa as they did with the LTR visa, that almost nobody will actually qualify for it.

[Mike Teavee]

3 hours ago, Phillip9 said:

 

That's how every current multiple entry visa works.  Nothing released officially states or even suggests this visa will be any different, so why would you think this one would be different?

 

If it worked like existing multi re-entry visas then you could:-

1. Enter Thailand
2. Day 179 leave Thailand do a border bounce 
3. Day 179 re-enter Thailand
4. Day 358 leave Thailand do a border bounce
5. Day 358 re-enter Thailand
6. Keep repeating until the day before the 5 years expires, do a border bounce & get another 180 days so the Visa would be good for approx. 5.5 years.

Honestly cannot see this being how it works as you've just killed off the Thailand Elite 5 year visa (the other perks are worth nowhere near 900K).

 

I would think that it would be more like a a Single Use Visa with multiple re-entries during the span of the permission to stay. I.E.

1. Enter Thailand get 180 days
2. Day 30, Take a 3 day trip out of Thailand, come back & be stamped in for 147 days (180 - 30 days already in country - 3 days away)
3. 60 days later take another 3 day trip, come back & be stamped in for 84 days (Total of 90 days in Thailand - 6 days outside) 
4. 30 days later take another 3 day trip, come back & be stamped in for 51 days
5. 30 days later take another 3 day trip, come back & be stamped in for 21 days

... Extend (once) & repeat...

 

Which effectively means you'd be getting a new visa every year & doing an extension every 6 months, not great but feels better than what <50s singles need to do today. 

  

[shdmn]

13 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

If it worked like existing multi re-entry visas then you could:-

1. Enter Thailand
2. Day 179 leave Thailand do a border bounce 
3. Day 179 re-enter Thailand
4. Day 358 leave Thailand do a border bounce
5. Day 358 re-enter Thailand
6. Keep repeating until the day before the 5 years expires, do a border bounce & get another 180 days so the Visa would be good for approx. 5.5 years.

Honestly cannot see this being how it works as you've just killed off the Thailand Elite 5 year visa (the other perks are worth nowhere near 900K).

 

I would think that it would be more like a a Single Use Visa with multiple re-entries during the span of the permission to stay. I.E.

1. Enter Thailand get 180 days
2. Day 30, Take a 3 day trip out of Thailand, come back & be stamped in for 147 days (180 - 30 days already in country - 3 days away)
3. 60 days later take another 3 day trip, come back & be stamped in for 84 days (Total of 90 days in Thailand - 6 days outside) 
4. 30 days later take another 3 day trip, come back & be stamped in for 51 days
5. 30 days later take another 3 day trip, come back & be stamped in for 21 days

... Extend (once) & repeat...

 

Which effectively means you'd be getting a new visa every year & doing an extension every 6 months, not great but feels better than what <50s singles need to do today. 

  

If it is done like a multi-entry e-visa, you would have to show airport immigration your visa printout, which would have the expiry date(s) on it.  As long as the visa is still valid they would stamp you in for 180 days each time.  It's still not clear to me how the payments every 180 days would work.  You would most likely need to go into immigration to do that so you would need to make sure you are in the country before the expiry of each 180-day period.

Edited May 31 by shdmn

[humbug]

15 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

Some announcements have indicated that not all changes will be made immediately. VOA and visa-exemption apparently on 1 June 2024, some others on 1 September, some at the start of next year or even later,

The person's post was inferring to the 5 year nomad, cooking visa being delayed to June 25, so I wanted to know where that info came from

[humbug]

15 hours ago, Startmeup said:

 

something doesn’t add up here. This will torpedo the elite visa program. Must be more details to come. 

It won't just kill elite and ltr, but every visa like retirement, marriage, investment visas, permanant residents, education visas, eec special visas, boi visas, who the hell

would want the hassles of the other visas, when you can get a 5 year visa so easily for cooking, muay thai, nomads

 

I mean why only hate on Elite, when every long term visa class would be affected

 

June 1st now, lets see

[JimTripper]

1 hour ago, shdmn said:

If it is done like a multi-entry e-visa, you would have to show airport immigration your visa printout, which would have the expiry date(s) on it.  As long as the visa is still valid they would stamp you in for 180 days each time.  It's still not clear to me how the payments every 180 days would work.  You would most likely need to go into immigration to do that so you would need to make sure you are in the country before the expiry of each 180-day period.

37 minutes ago, humbug said:

It won't just kill elite and ltr, but every visa like retirement, marriage, investment visas, permanant residents, education visas, eec special visas, boi visas, who the hell

would want the hassles of the other visas, when you can get a 5 year visa so easily for cooking, muay thai, nomads

 

I mean why only hate on Elite, when every long term visa class would be affected

 

June 1st now, lets see

 

It's only good for 6 months a year though. It says the full year extension can only be used once. I don't think just bouncing in and out will work for more time.

Edited June 1 by JimTripper

[humbug]

2 hours ago, JimTripper said:

 

It's only good for 6 months a year though. It says the full year extension can only be used once. I don't think just bouncing in and out will work for more time.

I can't even see it being used once a year for 5 years, all it says so far, maybe I am wrong on my interpretation but it says one 180 days and one more extension of 180 days, either way, some people will be shocked on here, they already programmed their minds, to think its a multi-entry 180 extension for 5 years

 

Can't see the millitary side of the government and huge influence in the beaurcracy of the country, allowing such an easy 5 year visa to obtain for cooking and nomads, when foreigners have been treated like threats to the country for the last 10 years

 

But have to see, if they delay this cooking/nomad visa announcement, it means it will never affect the other visas

 

If they do announce today or shortly, maybe they might just run with it

Edited June 1 by humbug

[zzzzz]

no mention of 90 day reports as ANYONE on ANY visa/extension needs do one after staying more than 90 days
which means a tm30 report as well
 

[JimTripper]

19 minutes ago, humbug said:

I can't even see it being used once a year for 5 years, all it says so far, maybe I am wrong on my interpretation but it says one 180 days and one more extension of 180 days, either way, some people will be shocked on here, they already programmed their minds, to think its a multi-entry 180 extension for 5 years

 

Can't see the millitary side of the government and huge influence in the beaurcracy of the country, allowing such an easy 5 year visa to obtain for cooking and nomads, when foreigners have been treated like threats to the country for the last 10 years

 

But have to see, if they delay this cooking/nomad visa announcement, it means it will never affect the other visas

 

If they do announce today or shortly, maybe they might just run with it

Should be worded as "a stay that lasts up to...", not "stays that last up to..."

 

"can now be issued five-year visas for stays that last up to 180 days, which can be extended for another 180 days"

Edited June 1 by JimTripper

[jaideedave]

On 5/29/2024 at 11:09 PM, JoeyMac said:

 

 

Fully agree. 

 

This has effectively opened the door to free for all. Those cheering because they don't have to file some paperwork, or go to immigration to get an extension will be the first to start complaining when the whole landscape changes as (their target) they hit 80 millions visitors (which is nearly 3 times as much as now) in 2027. 

 

This is not good news. 

 

Long term visitors are going to drag your rents up for a start. The rest ... well just think about how destructive it's going to be in regards of your experience. It's not going to be pleasant. 

Jo,I tend to agree with you on this point.Flooding the LOS with tourists from any old country could radically change the landscape for retirees like myself. During Covid in Pattaya you could actually drive to places without traffic being plugged up. However it put a lot of small businesses down. I'm living in "Heavens waiting room"  and it will get real busy but will take time. 

[Phillip9]

26 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

no mention of 90 day reports as ANYONE on ANY visa/extension needs do one after staying more than 90 days

 

Completely false, and yelling it doesn't make it true.  LTR visa holders are not required to do 90 day reports.

[ChaiyaTH]

I asked yesterday at immigration and they said they are not instructed or updated for anything; it is just news so far. So all this is not even sure yet.

Edited June 1 by ChaiyaTH