Are The Visa Requirements Here For Us Expats

[alexandria]

I know this thread may not be really Thai Related ( mod’s please remove / move if you think so ) but ive been reading

The Visa section for some years now and get the general feeling that the Thai visa requirements are or seem to be

Getting more daunting and perplexing for Expats who only want to stay longer in Thailand weather retired, living with

Their Thai Partners, setting up a business or just want to live here.

I am from the UK and ive only lived in one another country (Spain) before coming to live here with my Thai

Wife, I am just now wondering if other Expats living in other country’s are finding their visa application

Situation any easier compared to Thailand, may be some feed back from forum members who may be living in other

Countries or who have lived in other countries may shed some light on my question …

Are the Visa requirements for us Expats here in Thailand really that bad ….. Compared to other countries..?

Thanks ....

[darkstar1943]

I know this thread may not be really Thai Related ( mod’s please remove / move if you think so ) but ive been reading

The Visa section for some years now and get the general feeling that the Thai visa requirements are or seem to be

Getting more daunting and perplexing for Expats who only want to stay longer in Thailand weather retired, living with

Their Thai Partners, setting up a business or just want to live here.

I am from the UK and ive only lived in one another country (Spain) before coming to live here with my Thai

Wife, I am just now wondering if other Expats living in other country’s are finding their visa application

Situation any easier compared to Thailand, may be some feed back from forum members who may be living in other

Countries or who have lived in other countries may shed some light on my question …

Are the Visa requirements for us Expats here in Thailand really that bad ….. Compared to other countries..?

Thanks ....

In SE Asia, Malaysia give 3 months on arrival for FREE! Just cross the border to Singapore or Thailand and come back and get another 3 moths FREE. Cambodia charges US $20 and then the same amount to extend for each month indefinitely. Laos and Vietnam are $$$.

Don't know about other countries.

Cheers :D

[PeaceBlondie]

I think here we're discussing long term stays for expatriates. It's Thai-related, I think. I'm American, and I think Thailand is less demanding in certain ways, but the bureaucracy may be even worse. I found it virtually impossible to work legally here, even in a profession designed for foreigners.

In a perfect world of perfectly reciprocal treaties, all countries ought to be the same, but that's impossible. Thailand was not built primarily on immigrants, and is inimical to some of its neighbors.

The only country I lived in longterm was Mexico, under special circumstances, and Mexico still seems generally more receptive to Caucasian immigrants, home ownership within the interior, long term visas, etc., than Thailand is.

[beechguy]

Can't say about the surrounding asian countries, but the Middle East and the African countries I have dealt with, seem to be far more difficult and the inconsistancies and corruption even worse.

Edited July 28, 2007 by beechguy

[gzu88bv]

I think here we're discussing long term stays for expatriates. It's Thai-related, I think. I'm American, and I think Thailand is less demanding in certain ways, but the bureaucracy may be even worse. I found it virtually impossible to work legally here, even in a profession designed for foreigners.

I firmly believe that Thailand has less demanding rules, but their rules just have to be observed.

And before you really understand the Thai immigration business, you really have to go through a learning curve. In my opinion Thailand offers many possibilities to legally stay in the country.

Then it also depends what your country of origin is. I myself as a Swiss lived in Spain before and had no difficulties there. And some 30 years and more of extensive travel to countries in Africa and the Eastern block did not scare off that quickly.

[chicagogato]

I know this thread may not be really Thai Related ( mod’s please remove / move if you think so ) but ive been reading

The Visa section for some years now and get the general feeling that the Thai visa requirements are or seem to be

Getting more daunting and perplexing for Expats who only want to stay longer in Thailand weather retired, living with

Their Thai Partners, setting up a business or just want to live here.

I am from the UK and ive only lived in one another country (Spain) before coming to live here with my Thai

Wife, I am just now wondering if other Expats living in other country’s are finding their visa application

Situation any easier compared to Thailand, may be some feed back from forum members who may be living in other

Countries or who have lived in other countries may shed some light on my question …

Are the Visa requirements for us Expats here in Thailand really that bad ….. Compared to other countries..?

Thanks ....

In SE Asia, Malaysia give 3 months on arrival for FREE! Just cross the border to Singapore or Thailand and come back and get another 3 moths FREE. Cambodia charges US $20 and then the same amount to extend for each month indefinitely. Laos and Vietnam are $$$.

Don't know about other countries.

Cheers :D

Cambodia charges $20 for a regular tourist visa, which can't be extended. It's $25 for a business visa which can be extended.

[samran]

easier in some ways, harder in others.

I think people moving here though have generally never lived on too many other places (or are used to living in places like the EU where all EU nationals move about easily), and are thus shocked to find that moving to another country usually involves lots of paperwork and bureacracy. People are also shocked to find out that within the immigration policy framework exists a number of criteria aimed at targeting certain types of migrant, and excluding others. It seems strange to them that this is the case, but from my experience, it is entirely normal.

As an Australian/Thai who has jumped through the hoops to live in the UK (and there are a lot of them....and yes, the goal posts do change pretty regularly), to me it is same same, but different. I've also got a sister who lives in France (another non EU citizen) and from what she tells me, it ain't easy or straight forward for her either.