DTV visa extension

[NorthernRyland]

9 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

I think you got your wires crossed 😮 

I know someone who got one of the first DTV's issued (just after they started handing them out) and he's been in and out of the country over a dozen times on it since his first entry.. Each entry got him a new 180 day entry stamp and he wasn't asked anything by the officer at passport control. 

 

Yes but it's not even been 6 months since it was issued. What remains to be seen is what happens when you get past the 12 month mark.

[DrJack54]

25 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

What remains to be seen is what happens when you get past the 12 month mark.

The "soft power" options are a joke.

I can deal with the online remote work. 

Not so much 5 yr visa to lean to make Pad Thai or mess around in a gym.

Will be interesting to see how agents in Thailand assisting with DTV in places such a as Savannakhet will change when eVisa starts 2025

[NorthernRyland]

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

The "soft power" options are a joke.

I can deal with the online remote work. 

Not so much 5 yr visa to lean to make Pad Thai or mess around in a gym.

Will be interesting to see how agents in Thailand assisting with DTV in places such a as Savannakhet will change when eVisa starts 2025

It makes more sense when you consider there was no official agreement between the departments. Immigration may think it's a joke too but no one ever asked them. What they did totally turned the whole immigration system upside down and they did this unilaterally (a person mentioned one guy signed off on it)  but that's not the same as going through parliament or something.

 

My brother has basically given up on running a business in Thailand is trying to sell now. One of the primary reason is the hassle he goes through every year and apparently he has to pay bribes just it through do extra documents requested etc... That's how immigration normally is so what you say about soft power makes no sense they would tolerate this.

[ericthai]

5 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

Yes - Thai's jobs lost / businesses closed when immigration blocked their repeat-customers from staying here with "crackdowns" against "coming too often" / "staying too long" - which isn't even a legal-reason to deny-entry..  

I dont know why your friends place closed up as Thailand as been strict on staying in Thailand long term on a tourist visa and visa exempt since the early 2000's, so no new crackdowns on that. 

 

really I dont believe that many people got denied or stop coming to Thailand to be able to close down businesses. 

You do know Thailand has had 30+ million visitors this year. Are you sure Covid wasn't the issue for lack of customers?

 

lastly immigration is doing their jobs. They always say that you need to stay in Thailand on the proper visa. Trying to live in Thailand full time on tourist visa is not the correct visa and is going to be an issue at some point. Yes, immigration can legally deny anyone, a visa doesn't guarantee entry.  

 

[Scouse123]

14 hours ago, Rob Browder said:

That's not "abuse."  The purpose is to bring in longer-staying people, who have at least 500K savings, which weeds-out poor people, who have close-to-zero savings.

 

Anyone caught begging, stealing, working-illegally, etc should be deported and banned for-cause. The type of visa they used to enter is irrelevant.  

 

The 500K funds step reduces the likelihood of that sort of behavior, vs tourist-type entries. Some will undoubtedly financially-wreck themselves with the Thai version of "The stripper really likes me" delusion, and similar - the same as do some retirees, tourists, etc.

 

 

So you are saying a 5-year visa for a two-week cookery course, or a few fillings with a clean and polish at a dentist, is the ' spirit ' of which this visa was created or intended?

 

I differ in my thinking.

 

The retirement extension based on "O" VISA and money in the bank method, ensures you must have 800K for two months before, and three months after the granting of the visa.

 

It can never fall below 400K in the bank outside these months.

 

I don't see any such rule for the 500K on the DTV visa, bearing in mind this money is supposed to be a guarantee they can sustain themselves, particularly on soft power visas, where they don't have provable income.

 

Proof remains to be seen on how this visa is viewed by the authorities down the line.