Phuket Immigration New Rules

[baabaabobo]

Rant time! I have just got off the phone with a friend who went to Phuket immigration today to extend his

Non-Imm "0" based on marriage for another year.

He was told that as of October 1st he is no longer grandfathered with the 400K in the bank rule he has used for many years and has to show a monthly income of 40K. He was also told that the marriage certificate he has been showing them for many years now needs to be registered and certified with the Ministry of the Interior or somesuch in Bangkok and that they want to see glossy photos of he and his wife together in front of their home.

He is in the same situation as myself and Geoffphuket were a while back and my point is that these new "rules" seem only to apply to Phuket as I have read that in other provinces the grandfathers are alive and well.

My friend is so pissed off with the constant goalpost moving that he has decided to leave Thailand for good. I told him to hang on until the elections after which there may be some sort of amnesty and return to the 400k rule....maybe....

His situation is like my own where we are under 50, have enough money to live here without the need to work, send our kids to private schools and buy our wives expensive property. Surely this apparently personal take on the law, which disrupts the lives of families who ask nothing more than to live here in peace, is having a negative impact on the economy.

I have worked here on and off with a work permit taxes paid etc. but do not want to be in a situation where I HAVE to work just to stay here. Has anybody had the same experience and found a way to appeal or react without getting a job or turning 50? Rant over!

[torrenova]

Buy an Elite Card

Seriously though, isn't there still a much larger investment visa ?

What about your wife working ? Could she work for you, you pay the tax on 40k and piggy back on her income ?

Work for a mate's company. He saves the tax on the salary he pays you presuming his company is large enough to be paying tax on millions of baht declared profits. His saving is more than the employers and employees tax. He could employ your wife just the same for a lesser amount.

Start a noodle stall or any other "non existant" small busines to get around this.

In the end, you are only talking about having to go out of the country every 90 days aren't you on your "O" visa so its not thad bad, though inconvenient I admit.

[baabaabobo]

Hm! Thanks torrenova,

I like the idea of paying the wife 40k but then we would be paying taxes for nothing as I doubt I could get her to actually work

but you are definitely onto something with this idea of using her as the earner - I will think about this.

I don't have to leave the country at all at the moment just do a 90 day report and have until June to decide what to do.

Hopefully the new govt. will invent a new visa for non-working, non-retired papas.

[tijnebijn]

Sorry to hear about that .

Maybe moving to another province can do the thing , make an extension over there ,

probably no option cause purchased property .

Well there is still the Non O multiple , inconvenient but aren't most of us staying like that ?

I am not counting on any rules turned back after the elections , if it does party time of course .

But in the past it showed very clearly that not one particular party favors us foreigners actually , sadly enough .

But so long there is hope , there is always chance for better .

Not that it is impossible to stay though , just inconvenient indeed .

[Hawkinschris]

Tell your friend to go to The Walen School in Bangkok, Baht 29500 1 year ''ED VISA'' & as many Thai lessons as you can chew.

Its all greavy....

[geoffphuket]

I've been posting about these new regulations in 'Phuketland' for some time now - but few believed me.

The marriage certificate hasn't been accepted as proof of marriage for over a year now, and on the last two renewals I've had to provide original copies of the marriage registration from the Amphur office - signed and stamped by the boss. (20 Baht ! ). The 400K bank deposit is as dead as the old 200K requirement- forget it.

[nullx8]

just got some news about the BKK IMM doing the same for B-Visa's as well ..

require photos and map of your office ...

PLUS Photos of the staff is working there ... (photos must be kaken in the office as well)

[Captain Chaos]

just got some news about the BKK IMM doing the same for B-Visa's as well ..

require photos and map of your office ...

PLUS Photos of the staff is working there ... (photos must be kaken in the office as well)

Hilarious - who needs corporate income tax receipts when you have Polaroids?!

if this is true, the country appears determined to find ways to step backwards into economic obscurity ... and it's a shame

[LivinLOS]

Tell your friend to go to The Walen School in Bangkok, Baht 29500 1 year ''ED VISA'' & as many Thai lessons as you can chew.

Its all greavy....

<unfounded allegation deleted> (and no 1 year extension only 90 days at a time).. If the OP is on Phuket its one hel_l of a commute !!!

Hardly 'greavy' ( LOL !!)

Edited October 8, 2007 by Maestro