Penang To Impose Stricter Rules When Issuing Tourist Visas

[zeusbheld]

%^&*#$@! 'em. I'm in a similar situation as you. My work is over the Internet for an American company and doesn't involve Thailand or Thais whatsoever (except using TOT for Internet). I'm not making money in Thailand and I'm not taking work from anyone. On the other hand, I inject more money into the Thai economy than I would if they forced me to move elsewhere. I have no plans on putting down roots either so am not interested in setting up companies, etc. I'd rather move to The Philippines, Cambodia or somewhere else that appreciates my money.

Come, come, now. Don't be like that! You could always teach English for 28K per month. They are quite happy to let you do that! Or marry a "rich " Thai lady and use her 35K per month income as the basis of your visa application.

Aloha,

Rex

Sorry, I guess the part "I'm not making any money in Thailand" could sound like I need money. I meant, my work is in the US and that is where my money is made/earned. No money exchanges hands in Thailand except what I get out of the ATM.

I'm guessing the rules are aimed at persons such as yourself. Do you happen to be living in Thailand more that 183 days per year? If yes, then you are a tax resident. Are you paying income tax on the monies that you bring into Thailand? Do you have a work permit for undertaking that work (even though your clients are elsewhere).

as is usually the case with these sorts of threads, it has degenerated quickly from facts and practical information into the back-and-forth between the "thailand doesn't love me anymore" crowd and the "their country, their rules, *my* visa's sorted, screw you" crowd. a lot of tedious posts with little informational or entertianment value, thanks all.

by the way, if i'm not mistaken he said that the IRS in the US withholds taxes (and REFUNDS them coz he doesn't live in the US). therefore, thailand IS NOT ENTITLED TO COLLECT INCOME TAX FROM HIM ANYWAY.

there are things people in his situation could do, and i've heard tell that one can get a 'work permit exemption' or something similar and thus a visa that way.

there's the elite thing, etc etc.

not to put words in his mouth but what *i* came away with from his posts was that a) he can basically live anywhere he wants on earth, or even keep moving from one country to the next, as long as he has an internet connection, and for HIS purposes, Thailand wasn't so special that it's worth putting up with all the hassle to get a proper visa. therefore, he's leaving.

so remind me again, when he's already said he's leaving, why all you "their country, their rules, lump it or leave" harpies are still on his case? he ALREADY SAID HE IS LEAVING. DUH.

[koheesti]

check out Guam just a short flight east. It's an American territory

So does that mean we don't get fingerprinted on arrival???

Don't worry, the fingerprinting done by the good ol' USA is electronic. Totally quick and painless. Now, that body cavity search is a different story...

[derek11]

I just came from Singapore - the rules are like there there now so make sure you have your airline information! For some reason, they also wanted to know your profession back home but I still got the visa even without all the documentation. Just make sure you have the airline information if you goto Singapore for the tourist visa.

[koheesti]

%^&*#$@! 'em. I'm in a similar situation as you. My work is over the Internet for an American company and doesn't involve Thailand or Thais whatsoever (except using TOT for Internet). I'm not making money in Thailand and I'm not taking work from anyone. On the other hand, I inject more money into the Thai economy than I would if they forced me to move elsewhere. I have no plans on putting down roots either so am not interested in setting up companies, etc. I'd rather move to The Philippines, Cambodia or somewhere else that appreciates my money.

Come, come, now. Don't be like that! You could always teach English for 28K per month. They are quite happy to let you do that! Or marry a "rich " Thai lady and use her 35K per month income as the basis of your visa application.

Aloha,

Rex

Sorry, I guess the part "I'm not making any money in Thailand" could sound like I need money. I meant, my work is in the US and that is where my money is made/earned. No money exchanges hands in Thailand except what I get out of the ATM.

I'm guessing the rules are aimed at persons such as yourself. Do you happen to be living in Thailand more that 183 days per year? If yes, then you are a tax resident. Are you paying income tax on the monies that you bring into Thailand? Do you have a work permit for undertaking that work (even though your clients are elsewhere).

as is usually the case with these sorts of threads, it has degenerated quickly from facts and practical information into the back-and-forth between the "thailand doesn't love me anymore" crowd and the "their country, their rules, *my* visa's sorted, screw you" crowd. a lot of tedious posts with little informational or entertianment value, thanks all.

by the way, if i'm not mistaken he said that the IRS in the US withholds taxes (and REFUNDS them coz he doesn't live in the US). therefore, thailand IS NOT ENTITLED TO COLLECT INCOME TAX FROM HIM ANYWAY.

there are things people in his situation could do, and i've heard tell that one can get a 'work permit exemption' or something similar and thus a visa that way.

there's the elite thing, etc etc.

not to put words in his mouth but what *i* came away with from his posts was that a) he can basically live anywhere he wants on earth, or even keep moving from one country to the next, as long as he has an internet connection, and for HIS purposes, Thailand wasn't so special that it's worth putting up with all the hassle to get a proper visa. therefore, he's leaving.

so remind me again, when he's already said he's leaving, why all you "their country, their rules, lump it or leave" harpies are still on his case? he ALREADY SAID HE IS LEAVING. DUH.

You have me mixed up with JIP. Very similar situations except he has already decided to leave and makes more money than I do. I like it here on Samui just fine. I am willing to get a visa above the Tourist Visa level if possible but being in my early 40's and unwilling to marry just for visa purposes I'll probably have to settle for the Tourist Visa for the time being. There's a lot in SE Asia I haven't seen yet so if my hand is forced I can always go check them out. It's easy to move about when you avoid large purchases and don't collect a lot of things.

[sayitaintso]

There's a lot in SE Asia I haven't seen yet so if my hand is forced I can always go check them out. It's easy to move about when you avoid large purchases and don't collect a lot of things.

this sentiment is going to be echoed repeatedly over the course of the next few years for many people contemplating a visit to thailand. considering the thai discussion which favored an increase in work permit application fees to 300k baht i think that the

number of people visiting thailand will stay roughly the same but the number of people who choose thailand for mid to long term

stays and their associated purchases will fall faster than the thais can possibly imagine.

i get the feeling that buying land/house here in thailand is very similar to having gone long in the u.s. stock market in september 1929.

we will be hearing the bar girls begging 200 baht for short time soon enough.

maybe these are not such bad changes after all

[JIP]

Well like I said: I was spending 100% of the millions of baht I earned every year (including all the tax money I got back from the IRS) in Thailand. Now I'm not. If that is what makes the Thai government happy, more power to them.

If moving is no problem for you, then what were the " millions of baht " being spent on? Just curious.

Heh. On visa runs.

Actually: I enjoy traveling around Southeast Asia, dining out at expensive restaurants in Pattaya, living in a nice house (rented), taking care of the GF's family, and just living the high life.

[jonniebkk]

we will be hearing the bar girls begging 200 baht for short time soon enough.

maybe these are not such bad changes after all

I was out and about with a friend last night in Pattaya for the first time in months (I usually go into hibernation for high-season) and was totally surprised that the whole are around 2nd road sois 1-3 were DEAD. This was around 9 pm...prime time for these bars. Maybe it is happening already

The daytime stores, activities, and evening restos may be doing fine on all the "quality" tourists LOS now attracts but seems that many of the nite-time business and their employees may be hurting big time.

[luumak]

many of you have posted notions of ... oh well, penang has tightened we will just have to use other methods/options. penang has always been the most liberal and considered consulate/embassy of last resort in the region. my hunch is that lao will dry up quickly as well. scurrying to other emb/cons in the region is now a gamble at best. time for you to get a game plan friend/s.

pattaya is dead for another reason (i have never seen a 'high season' like this as well... the word is out - pattaya is a very violent place. people with money do not need go to pattaya. methanphetamine (sp)TOTALLY out of control = local population totally out of control. unfriendly/thieving/mercenary bar girls -well past prime, bar mafias, motothugs, street thieves and a corrupt, venal police force that would not help you if you staggered into a station dripping in blood. i have a strong suspicion that pattaya has rubbed too many punters (and their friends as they talk) the wrong way and theyre done with it. for myself. i have my ticket in hand and will return 'home' for a few months. thailand and pattaya will no longer remain a base - im done with it. i cannot believe how agressive the local thai men have become and how sour the bar girls are.]

Edited February 1, 2008 by luumak

[marshbags]

I think you're perfectly right.

And, by the way, it shows that this apparently new regulation misses the point.

If they really wanted to stop the "perpetual tourist" syndrome... it would be enough to say : no more than 2 tourist visas per year. Period.

And actually, this what they said during the "big visa shakeup" october 2006 : "more than 6 months in Thailand, you're not a tourist anymore".

It's a basic rule in many countries.

And they came up with very complex calculations schemes (creating on ThaiVisa probably thousands of messages).

Of course, it would require a little bit of serious work from themselves : for instance a central database with all the tourist visas given around by every consulate.

The point is : as usual they come short. They show apparently a will, an aim, along with some technical solutions. And then , few months later, the whole package crashes into the wall.

So : people are going to use the trick of the "refundable" air ticket.

And then, Penang will have to find something else to cover their own flaws.

It's a cycle.

It's a typical thai cycle.

if they want an airticket for international destination.............

where is the problem???? compare to all shit before ( visa canncelation of investmentvisa and and and)

airticket no problem................

go to a good agency, buy a onewayticket from gulfair or whatever,,pay 15 or 20k,,ghet an iata ticket no electronic ticket

when you come back from your visatrip give it for refund cost 500-1.500 depend on agency

It seems to me a lot of the people effected by the enforcing of the Int.Ticket along with the usual moaners who always find a reason to complain, are their own worst enemies.

Already ways of getting round the new rule are being posted.

A Typical Result and yet more self inflicted pain to be added as a consequence, me thinks.

All you do in the long term is provide a legitimate reason for Immigration to then introducing yet another rule which could, incidently, then be even more restricting than this one.

Down the years most of the new regulations have come about because of this sort of abuse relating to Immigration laws on visa,s ect. and typical " Jack the Lad " approaches on ways to short circuit the rules and regulations.

Go legit, accept the rules for what they are and if you cannot meet the requirements Legally do what you would be required to do in most countries...

Move to somewhere that will accomodate your particular circumstances

All this sort of attitude does long term is have a " shoot yourself in the foot effect " and consequently gives negativity to all visa applicants, including those of us who legally apply within the laws, even when they differ from area to area, i might add, by the way.

Stop treating them as fools and abide legally by the rules, for FuF sake.

marshbags

P.S.

The Mods on this forum work their socks off to assist everyone to work within the laws and provide us with the best possible advice on our individual situations.

It seems to me that certain members are intent on undermining all the unselfish work they do on our behalfs.

Let,s play the game fairly and do our best to assist them to work within the regulatiions, legally, of course.

Edited February 1, 2008 by marshbags

[tiger50]

will it also in time be a problem obtaining a one year multi visa, i fly to uk once a year to renew stay between two weeks and one month, and come back to thailand, so i am also a long stay tourist year by year...what's the difference?

doesn't anyone have an idea about my question? surely this is the same thing as visiting maylasia and continous renewal of multi visa will stop to.

[samran]

P.S.

The Mods on this forum work their socks off to assist everyone to work within the laws and provide us with the best possible advice on our individual situations.

It seems to me that certain members are intent on undermining all the unselfish work they do on our behalfs.

Let,s play the game fairly and do our best to assist them to work within the regulatiions, legally, of course.

last I looked, this was Thaivisa.com, and not Thaiillegalimmigrant.com or Thaiskirtaroundvisa.com

Don't quite understand why people equate good immigration systems with easy ones.

We can only really help you on the concrete things. To let you know what you might really be up against, versus what you'd like to be up against (visa, tax wise) is always better than not knowing.

[Jingthing]

many of you have posted notions of ... oh well, penang has tightened we will just have to use other methods/options. penang has always been the most liberal and considered consulate/embassy of last resort in the region. my hunch is that lao will dry up quickly as well. scurrying to other emb/cons in the region is now a gamble at best. time for you to get a game plan friend/s.

pattaya is dead for another reason (i have never seen a 'high season' like this as well... the word is out - pattaya is a very violent place. people with money do not need go to pattaya. methanphetamine (sp)TOTALLY out of control = local population totally out of control. unfriendly/thieving/mercenary bar girls -well past prime, bar mafias, motothugs, street thieves and a corrupt, venal police force that would not help you if you staggered into a station dripping in blood. i have a strong suspicion that pattaya has rubbed too many punters (and their friends as they talk) the wrong way and theyre done with it. for myself. i have my ticket in hand and will return 'home' for a few months. thailand and pattaya will no longer remain a base - im done with it. i cannot believe how agressive the local thai men have become and how sour the bar girls are.]

Can we set up a separate forum for Pattaya bashing? Please not the Pattaya forum, but its own special place for the special people obsessed with this activity.

Being from the US, I find what crime and violence that does exist here to be very mild compared to most big US cities. The way you picture it is comical, but twisted.

[thailoneus]

I'll be waiting for the rest of you to show up.

Not me mate , I,ve got a taste of Cambodia ......... and it tastes pretty dam good

I have been planning on retirement in Thiland so much that its very disppointing to read all your mail. Could Madcow and Callipposhots provide some info about Cambodia and the Phills please?

If you are planning a retirement in Thailand these jokers shouldn't be allowed to put you off. I'm here retired and have no problems with the rules. I read this site and tremble at the knees a little each time Visa renewal time comes around but never a problem. Meet the criteria, keep your head down and enjoy your retirement.

Thanks GMAC. Love your attitude. I won't change my plans just on these posts.

[wowpow]

Is there any way to pressure the new Thai Government through Embassies and/or Tourist Authority Thailand to simplify and regularize the Visa rules?

Consulates and Embassies and local Immigration Office all seem to operate by their own rules and introduce new regulations at a whim. Even in one office you can find that different officers will apply rules differently. Pattaya, Phuket and Penang seem to have a particular history of introducing and/or threatening to introduce new rules which either never get applied or sometimes are applied for a while and very occasionally last. One only has to look at this forum and others such as Lonely Planet Thorntree to see the massive confusion and distress caused by the current situation. There must be thousands who decide to holiday elsewhere when they enter the quagmire of varied and changing requirements.

Air fares from the West are soaring and currencies falling in relation to the Baht. The new Government is expecting much increased revenue from Tourism and could well be expected to back changes?

[Maestro]

Can we set up a separate forum for Pattaya bashing?

I was just thinking that if I were to remove all posts in this thread that are off topic, ie not directly related to the implementation of by the Thai consulate in Penang of the requirement of an onward airline ticket to a destination outside the region, there would probably be only a couple of dozen posts left. However, this would be a lot o f work and instead I post below something that is back on topic, from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA):

2. TOURIST VISA

1. REQUIREMENT

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for tourism purposes .

2. DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

- Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months

- Visa application form completely filled out

- Recent( 4 x 6 cm.) photograph of the applicant

- Evidence of travel from Thailand (air ticket paid in full)

- Evidence of adequate finance (10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family)

- Consular officers reserve the rights to request additional documents as deemed necessary

The Penang requirement goes beyond the MFA requirement in that it requires a travel destination to a country that is not near Thailand.

The MFA requirement is strange in that is specifies travel out of Thailand by air.

--

Maestro

[NanLaew]

..... they'll simply raise the bar on the goalposts, again.

Just a wee note, they can either RAISE the bar (as in the high-jump or pole-vault) OR they can MOVE the goalposts. It's impossible to raise the bar (crossbar) on goalposts without having taller uprights.

Please keep the semantics correct! And that goes for those of you who like to (ab)use the term 'the handwriting's on the wall. It's 'the writing's on the wall', no hand or anything else.

Thanks for your attention.

[rimbung]

<< I work for "my American company on the internet" and "pump" several million baht (sic) into Thailand every year. >>

So -- given your apparent willingness to proceed on the presumtion the post at the head of this page is other than the projection of a fantasy and/or idle gossip -- Pump" a lousy few Thousand Baht into -- and present to the Consul when applying for your Thailand Tourist Visa -- a First Class ticket home.

I with you on this Brian.

The American guy who started this thread needs to understand what a tourist visa is.

Just imagine a Thai or Brit trying to do business in the USA on a tourist visa! Surprisingly I have met quite a North American few long stayers here in Thailand, all from places like Florida and the nicer bits of the USA, who are just here for economic reasons. Anyone working here in Thailand on a tourist visa is an illegal just as much as a Mexican would be in the USA. The rules are simple. If you want to be a tourist you are welcome. If you want to work then get a work visa. Retired get a visa for that purpose. Me..well I've been happily married to a Thai for a decade and spend four-five months in the Kingdom every year on my non immigrant 'O' visa.

The rest we spend in Europe where I make a nice living and pay my taxes.

I see Rexall claims to be from Hawiai. Perhaps he can let us know what attracts him to Thailand if it is not the fact that living here is dirt cheap compared to places like that.

Anyone who has ever encountered the low life that you get employed as immigration officers in the USA will appreciate just how easy immigration is here in Thailand.

My advice to those who are not playing the rules in this country is to get legal or get out.

[JonnieB]

Just imagine a Thai or Brit trying to do business in the USA on a tourist visa!

Yes...there are hundreds of thousands (millions?) of "tourists" from around the world who come/came to the USA (and the UK and Europe) and then stayed on and worked and established businesses illegally. I think at one time in the 1960s-70s, half of Ireland was living and working illegally in the USA (and nothing was ever done to stop/catch them.

Happens everyday all around the world.

[JonnieB]

pattaya is dead for another reason (i have never seen a 'high season' like this as well... the word is out - pattaya is a very violent place. people with money do not need go to pattaya. methanphetamine (sp)TOTALLY out of control = local population totally out of control. unfriendly/thieving/mercenary bar girls -well past prime, bar mafias, motothugs, street thieves and a corrupt, venal police force that would not help you if you staggered into a station dripping in blood. i have a strong suspicion that pattaya has rubbed too many punters (and their friends as they talk) the wrong way and theyre done with it...

I think this is certainly part of the reason for the low numbers of punters in Patters this high season. I think you do exaggerate somewhat (I live here full-time but don't get out to the bars much) and don't feel any less safe than before. But the local and international reports of violence in Thailand (not just against punters but the smattering of high-profile cases against "regular" tourists surely give some pause. This, combined with the strong baht, recession fears in the West, high airfare prices and generally rising prices in Thailand, and the visa hassles, have likely caused many to give other destinations in the area a try.

It may be that they have discovered that Thailand in not the be and end all of a punter's holiday. Many of these folks may not return, and others may only return sporadically rather than regularly every European winter.

[NanLaew]

cause it is the law here if you are here for more than half the year.

http://www.rd.go.th/publish/6045.0.html

1. Taxable Person

Taxpayers are classified into "resident" and "non-resident". "Resident" means any person residing in Thailand for a period or periods aggregating more than 180 days in any tax (calendar) year. A resident of Thailand is liable to pay tax on income from sources in Thailand on a cash basis, regardless where the money is paid, as well as on the portion of income from foreign sources that is brought into Thailand. A non-resident is, however, subject to tax only on income from sources in Thailand.

meaning, if you live in Thailand, earn money offshore and it stays offshore, it is untaxable. You bring it into Thailand though, then the revenue department wants their share (and fairly so seeing you are living here and using public infrastructure, subsidised electricity, water, roads etc etc etc).

Thanks for that clarification on who is taxable.

However, that opens another argument wherein if any government is going to tax me, I would like to have a say in how that tax is spent. For that to be meaningful, I would need residence status and/or the right to vote.

Witness the 2 times I transferred to the US office of my then US employer(s) under the US L1** visa scheme. I was federally taxed at source on income and although I was not married, had any children there, owned property or a car, I was locally taxed for schools, roads, etc..

If Thailand ever starts enforcing tax collection under their current perception of what a "resident" or "non-resident" is, I will be packing up my circus and moving on again.

** Note the LI is NOT a 'green card', it is for temporary inter-company transfers among other types and is non-transferable i.e. you can only work for the company sponsoring the L1 visa.

[supbangkok]

Why is it all the "independently wealthy" are complaining about having to show an airline ticket?

Business and First Class tickets are all refundable and can be changed...just get online and book.

It's not that hard.

[tamsin]

The. Reason. They. Keep. Tightening. The Rules. On Tourist Visas. Is that they are very well aware that those who have been using the visa run system for months/years, are, in their view, those who are, in their eyes, doing nothing productive here except continuing to sully Thailand's deserved and brought upon themselves reputation as the PREMIER sex tourist destination In The Worl' (sic), and they want you to either (a) marry, and show you can support a Thai family and discontinue taking advantage of aforementioned reputation, OR, set up a bona fide business showing you can support Thai employees, OR, in light of the not so long ago requirement that all non Thai retirees are able to fund themselves independently, the proof of 800k for each said retiree couple, subsequently dropped in light of said retiree couple finding difficulties in coming up with twice the amount (1,600,000), to be deposited and held for three months in a Thai baht bank account, earning no interest; take your rancid old dicks elsewhere.

YES, the Thais care about your money, BUT, they are embarrassed about their reputation, and in their Thai Way are doing their level best to, alas, belatedly, reinvent it

Now. All you sad old farts, for indeed you are old, if any young guys here come here on the jolly, it's only for a week or so these days. And then they get bored and get a life.

[ovenman]

..... they'll simply raise the bar on the goalposts, again.

Just a wee note, they can either RAISE the bar (as in the high-jump or pole-vault) OR they can MOVE the goalposts. It's impossible to raise the bar (crossbar) on goalposts without having taller uprights.

Please keep the semantics correct! And that goes for those of you who like to (ab)use the term 'the handwriting's on the wall. It's 'the writing's on the wall', no hand or anything else.

Thanks for your attention.

I wrote that phrase exactly how I wanted it read. But thanks for the lesson on the proper use of clichéd metaphors.

[NanLaew]

.... You have to pay taxes somewhere.

Really? Why?

[Ricardo]

The. Reason. They. Keep. Tightening. The Rules. On Tourist Visas. Is that they are very well aware that those who have been using the visa run system for months/years, are, in their view, those who are, in their eyes, doing nothing productive here except continuing to sully Thailand's deserved and brought upon themselves reputation as the PREMIER sex tourist destination In The Worl' (sic), and they want you to either (a) marry, and show you can support a Thai family and discontinue taking advantage of aforementioned reputation, OR, set up a bona fide business showing you can support Thai employees, OR, in light of the not so long ago requirement that all non Thai retirees are able to fund themselves independently, the proof of 800k for each said retiree couple, subsequently dropped in light of said retiree couple finding difficulties in coming up with twice the amount (1,600,000), to be deposited and held for three months in a Thai baht bank account, earning no interest; take your rancid old dicks elsewhere.

YES, the Thais care about your money, BUT, they are embarrassed about their reputation, and in their Thai Way are doing their level best to, alas, belatedly, reinvent it

Now. All you sad old farts, for indeed you are old, if any young guys here come here on the jolly, it's only for a week or so these days. And then they get bored and get a life.

Are these new medical-requirements, for obtaining a visa in Penang, as I fear that some of us may not qualify ?

What, pray, are the equivalent requirements for female applicants ?

[Maigo6]

Now. All you sad old farts, for indeed you are old, if any young guys here come here on the jolly, it's only for a week or so these days. And then they get bored and get a life.

LOL

[NanLaew]

This has been a good thread without too much ranting by the Thai bashers and their opposites. I think one poster made a relevant observation in saying it wasn't about being 'anti-farang' but driven by the need to garner tax revenue.

When I first lived here over 20 years ago, they used to proudly publish the Top-Ten list of tax payers in the Kingdom... maybe they still do. I recall thinking it laughable that most of these were the farang managers or CEO's of foreign multinationals like Caterpillar and Coca-Cola. The Bangkok Bank was at that time the biggest in the country and one of the biggest in the region. I found it hard to believe that not one of the family that owned and held the majority of seats on the board of that bank were among the top ten. After living here a while, I could understand why.

So, who is easier to track down and tax? The relatively high-profile farang face with no rights (but obviously not short of a few quid) and an immigration paper trail? Or Lek (or Noi or Somporn), who is but one in a sea of about 60 million smiling brown faces?

[Joensen]

so what's next ?

they really don't want farang here spending their money ...

first they ask to leave the country for a STUPID re-entry stamp out/in the country... totally pointless/useless

do illegal working people, and I do not speak about poor Lao or Burma people, care about rules like this ?

it will not stop people working illegaly, just annoy people who do it by the book

flying home is a 24 hours trip just going there ... find the thai embassy overthere (no car, as useless and sold overthere)

getting some stamps and paying 6000 baht for it, waiting off course a few days as giving a sticker is muchhhhhhhh work, oh yeah

and then heading back overhere .... why bother so much trouble you may ask, right...

happens that my wife is thai, children have gotten thai nationality...

so what do they expect, that I leave my children behind ???

I lot of crap to annoy farang spending their money in the thai economy ...

Are they (Thai) so enourms jealous that some farang can come here without working, even not being retired ?

I got an internet business back home ... provides more money that an average Thai family man earns to support his family, but its just not enough for immigration... As my country charges extremely high taxes on everything ...

Foreigners in Thailand, its time to unite and fight against these stupid immigration laws

Guess the admin here will just delete my post ...

I can not see your problem you can get a vise in Thailand if you are married and have children too, soo what is your problem or bo you not know he rules or do you not want a longterm visa or what is your problem

[jstumbo]

so what's next ?

they really don't want farang here spending their money ...

first they ask to leave the country for a STUPID re-entry stamp out/in the country... totally pointless/useless

do illegal working people, and I do not speak about poor Lao or Burma people, care about rules like this ?

it will not stop people working illegaly, just annoy people who do it by the book

flying home is a 24 hours trip just going there ... find the thai embassy overthere (no car, as useless and sold overthere)

getting some stamps and paying 6000 baht for it, waiting off course a few days as giving a sticker is muchhhhhhhh work, oh yeah

and then heading back overhere .... why bother so much trouble you may ask, right...

happens that my wife is thai, children have gotten thai nationality...

so what do they expect, that I leave my children behind ???

I lot of crap to annoy farang spending their money in the thai economy ...

Are they (Thai) so enourms jealous that some farang can come here without working, even not being retired ?

I got an internet business back home ... provides more money that an average Thai family man earns to support his family, but its just not enough for immigration... As my country charges extremely high taxes on everything ...

Foreigners in Thailand, its time to unite and fight against these stupid immigration laws

Guess the admin here will just delete my post ...

I can not see your problem you can get a vise in Thailand if you are married and have children too, soo what is your problem or bo you not know he rules or do you not want a longterm visa or what is your problem

I agree, you should be getting Non Immigrant O visas instead of Tourist Visas. You might not be able to extend them for a year in Thailand, but you should be able to get 90 day Non O visas from local embassies/consulates.

[Dupont]

The. Reason. They. Keep. Tightening. The Rules. On Tourist Visas. Is that they are very well aware that those who have been using the visa run system for months/years, are, in their view, those who are, in their eyes, doing nothing productive here except continuing to sully Thailand's deserved and brought upon themselves reputation as the PREMIER sex tourist destination In The Worl' (sic), and they want you to either (a) marry, and show you can support a Thai family and discontinue taking advantage of aforementioned reputation, OR, set up a bona fide business showing you can support Thai employees, OR, in light of the not so long ago requirement that all non Thai retirees are able to fund themselves independently, the proof of 800k for each said retiree couple, subsequently dropped in light of said retiree couple finding difficulties in coming up with twice the amount (1,600,000), to be deposited and held for three months in a Thai baht bank account, earning no interest; take your rancid old dicks elsewhere.

YES, the Thais care about your money, BUT, they are embarrassed about their reputation, and in their Thai Way are doing their level best to, alas, belatedly, reinvent it

Now. All you sad old farts, for indeed you are old, if any young guys here come here on the jolly, it's only for a week or so these days. And then they get bored and get a life.

Well as this bitter rant hasn't been removed, we better counter it.

First, a quick question. What is an intelegent person like yourself doing living and moaning in a country that you obviously despise so much? You have upped sticks to live in the worlds premier sex tourism resort as you call it. Can you really not find somewhere more suitable amongst the many nations of the world?

Bitter, un-loved, ugly (with no duckling chances), unable to learn, suffering culture shock and delusions. All good reasons to come on here and have a rant.

Nice one love and a great reminder why the west is no longer an option for any straight thinking person.

Whatever the current PC thinking is, people are not going to set up businesses here unless they have a good reason to be here... ususally a female one. Smart and even not so smart money is going to go to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Then.. Thailand can really enjoy its reputation as people fly in for short breaks to enjoy what you think you can stamp out.

Basically, men and women have always been and always will be attracted to attractive (whether physically or financially) partners. Its been true for millions of years and will be true long after the likes of you and your dysfuncional genes have vanished from the pool. To imagine that (perceived) intelligence and having a career and boring all and sundry with your exploits is going to make you more attractive than any Thai farmers daughter is the height of fanciful thinking.

Visa rules need tightening as they have been abused by many tax dodging, jack the lad types for years. It has gotten way out of hand and needed doing.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Dupont