Penang: Tourist Visa Rejected If Have 3 Tvisas Already...

[JR Texas]

I am also here on a tourist Visa atm. I am married but dont have the 400k on my bankaccount anymore....AM I STUPID?? how many Thaipeople do you know with more than 100k on a Bank, specially in times like that.

No, you are not stupid but you mustn't read the local press much or you wouldn't have missed the record sellout of government savings bonds a few weeks back. These were only for those older than 60 and they were snapped up within minutes by Thai senior citizens buying in tranches of 100,000 baht to 1,000,000 baht. This was a NATIONWIDE virtually instantaneous sellout, not just your Bangkok rich but the great unwashed as well.

The only real poor in Thailand are these perpetual "Tourists". I reckon the Thai Consulates should also task these punters with mandatory multiple visits to 5 or 6 famous cultural or historical places EACH & EVERY time they get a Tourist Visa which needs to be endorsed in their passport during their 60/90-day tenure. If they miss one stop, "Sorry, no new visa as you obviously aren't Tourist!" Off to Cambodia with you now (and don't let the door bang your arse as you pass through Poipet)!

Keep it up Thailand and get all these borderline illegal riff raff without a pot to piss in or criminal absconders off the Thai streets and back home where they belong.

Bit of a narrowminded retard are ya?

Must be.....the post shows no understanding of the issue.....and came out of the mouth of a parrot.....probably one posted in the immigration department.

Government officials in Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines would strongly disagree with the poster........there is no such thing as a "perpetual tourist" in those countries.

There are simply tourists who are wanted as long as they spend money and don't break any laws. The problem in Thailand is more with the crazy laws than it is with the tourists.

As stated before, if you don't have a firm, long term visa solution, you are a tourist......that includes virtually all expats who think they are on solid ground and not working or owning a business in Thailand.

The current social engineering program has done nothing and will do nothing to get out "riff raff." It will not separate criminals from the rest of the expat/tourist population.

To think it will is to live in a world of fantasy. If anything, crimes committed by "farangs" have increased dramatically since the implementation of the social engineering program.

The solution is simple: Introduce two visas, one for tourists and one for business persons (like Cambodia).

The tourist visa should be pay to stay.......unlimited stays possible w/ no leaving the country.

To get it, and to satisfy the security function of the immigration department, a security background check can be done (for those who want to stay more than one year). The bad guys are weeded out.

And for those that argue the reason for the visa changes is to catch illegal workers.........the vast majority of illegal workers are from neighboring Southeast Asian countries.......not Western countries.

Most Westerners have no desire to work in Thailand.

[Gonzo the Face]

In the US, you need a legit reason and legit reasons are very limited and many many people don't have one.

Doesn't that mean that all those people that come on tourist visas and intend to stay permanently know they are not legit? So it can come to an end any time?

Legit is a fluid concept. As long as you have any kind of legal stay in your passport here, you are as legit as you need to be! The moment you don't, you become a crim.

Sorry but I disagree.

Banks are known for having a lots of money inside.

Taking money out of the bank is legit if you have a passbook.

Taking money out of the bank is not legit if you are doing so at gunpoint.

You come in with a visa for a one reason. If its a holiday it may be a tourist visa. Once you are no longer a holiday maker or the terms of you getting that visa cannot be complied with, it is not a god given right that you get another, just because you want one.

[Jingthing]

You come in with a visa for a one reason. If its a holiday it may be a tourist visa. Once you are no longer a holiday maker or the terms of you getting that visa cannot be complied with, it is not a god given right that you get another, just because you want one.

Ya, but if you keep getting them, its all good, until it a'int.

The tourist visa should be pay to stay.......unlimited stays possible w/ no leaving the country.

We wish.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Jingthing

[Berndcnx]

You come in with a visa for a one reason. If its a holiday it may be a tourist visa. Once you are no longer a holiday maker or the terms of you getting that visa cannot be complied with, it is not a god given right that you get another, just because you want one.

... why Thailand should work in another way as we know from the most countries in the world ??

Then complain USA ! ... cause they have certain problems with mexican people, living illegal in USA !

Then complain Germany ! ... cause they send people home, when they stay longer as shown in the VISA !

Then complain Australia ! ... where you have to show, that you are independent, before you are allowed to stay !

Thailand is a paradies, if we follow the rules ! ... the rules of Thailand !

[crocodilexp]

I don't understand why people wouldn't get a class 'O' Non immigrant visa from your home country before coming here, it means that you can stay here for 15 months, you just have to leave the country every 90 days. It costs £100 which is about 5600 Baht very quick and easy to apply for.

Going home every year and a quarter is no huge problem, maybe going back every now and then is actually a good idea as it will make you grateful for the life you have here. however I'm sure there are one or two people out there who are running from various things at home

Thousands of teachers are living on Thai wages and can't afford a flight home plus expenses. You don't have to be running away from home or living some scummy drunken sex tourist lifestyle to find flights and living expenses in the West too expensive.

I know some very respectable hard working primary school teachers who don't have degrees so they are working illegally and they don't earn enough money for flights to Singapore let alone London or New York.

Not to be disrespectful, but I know a few very hard working and all around very nice Burmese and Lao nationals that are illegally in Thailand. They can barely afford to get a passport, let alone renew visas. I'm not being ironic here. Such is the world we live in.

Total cost of such a Non-O option is 11,000 baht for the paperwork/legal advice, 7,000 baht for the visa, and let's say 36,000 for the travel expenses (back home or to a nearest friendly consulate). Adds up to 54,000 baht / 15 mo. (that's 3600 baht/mo). Clearly a lot of money, but hardly out of reach for most people. There's also the hassle of a 5-day (or so) trip.

Of course, there are no guarantees Non-Os will be available next time around... so closing down of visa options should always be a cause for concern (not celebration!) even for the haughty bunch who are lucky to use other options.

Not saying that it would be bad if this was cheaper...

Edited July 23, 2009 by crocodilexp

[dr_Pat_Pong]

ITS HARD TO IMAGINE ANY OTHER COUNTRY

THAT NEEDS TOURISTS SO MUCH

BEHAVING IN SUCH A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE MANNER

Drop the caps please.

[NanLaew]

The only real poor in Thailand are these perpetual "Tourists". I reckon the Thai Consulates should also task these punters with mandatory multiple visits to 5 or 6 famous cultural or historical places EACH & EVERY time they get a Tourist Visa which needs to be endorsed in their passport during their 60/90-day tenure. If they miss one stop, "Sorry, no new visa as you obviously aren't Tourist!" Off to Cambodia with you now (and don't let the door bang your arse as you pass through Poipet)!

Keep it up Thailand and get all these borderline illegal riff raff without a pot to piss in or criminal absconders off the Thai streets and back home where they belong.

Bit of a narrowminded retard are ya?

You are too kind sir!

Let me hazard a guess here. Non-degreed "teacher" are we? Or just some another type of pseudo-tourist?

Some of the loudest braying from those that feel hard done by is from the "non-degreed teacher club".

Ummm... well, if you don't have a teaching degree I guess there's absolutely no chance of giving up your years of truck-driving or market-gardening or whatever and getting a real teaching job back home eh? Go figure.

So, where else in this world, would you WANT to toil for years as an underpaid and usually illegal alien? I mean you truly have been born to be a great teacher; it just took you a few years to realise your true calling. So why Thailand then? That's right... it's the great weather, lovely food and easy border restrictions here isn't it?

Bunch of arse.

[reallyok]

Good news for the Thai language ED visa schools.

ud think there would be a school in every province. 1 days a week for 12 months, learn the language and get 2 stay. i've been thinking about it as my plan when i return.

the problem is they're just in bkk, pattaya, chang mai? not of the places I want to live. how about i nice beach town (no pattaya is not nice).

Then try "Mind your language" school on Samui ................PERFIK !

[Gonzo the Face]

Let me try and make it simple.

The law is what the law says.

Consider if Thailand was a movie theater.

You need a ticket[ read visa ] to get in legally.

To get the ticket you must meet certain requirements.

You must have the price of the ticket.

You must meet the requirements. i.e. not have a gun in your pocket, not have a stick of dynamite under your coat, etc.

IF YOU cannot meet these requirements , you do not get into the theater.

Now you may be able to sneak past the guy at the side door, but if you get caught, you reap those benefits.

Once you are inside the theater and abide by the rules, you get to stay until your movie is over and the ticket expires.

You are not guaranteed that the ticket to the next movie will be the same price or conform to the same rules...

Simple

Who ever YOU are, the theater does not have to make special rules for you, just because you would like them too.......

If you cannot meet this theaters requirements, go to another theater whose requirements you are able to meet and whose movie you like.

[Mario2008]

The only real poor in Thailand are these perpetual "Tourists". I reckon the Thai Consulates should also task these punters with mandatory multiple visits to 5 or 6 famous cultural or historical places EACH & EVERY time they get a Tourist Visa which needs to be endorsed in their passport during their 60/90-day tenure. If they miss one stop, "Sorry, no new visa as you obviously aren't Tourist!" Off to Cambodia with you now (and don't let the door bang your arse as you pass through Poipet)!

Keep it up Thailand and get all these borderline illegal riff raff without a pot to piss in or criminal absconders off the Thai streets and back home where they belong.

Bit of a narrowminded retard are ya?

You are too kind sir!

Let me hazard a guess here. Non-degreed "teacher" are we? Or just some another type of pseudo-tourist?

Some of the loudest braying from those that feel hard done by is from the "non-degreed teacher club".

Ummm... well, if you don't have a teaching degree I guess there's absolutely no chance of giving up your years of truck-driving or market-gardening or whatever and getting a real teaching job back home eh? Go figure.

So, where else in this world, would you WANT to toil for years as an underpaid and usually illegal alien? I mean you truly have been born to be a great teacher; it just took you a few years to realise your true calling. So why Thailand then? That's right... it's the great weather, lovely food and easy border restrictions here isn't it?

Bunch of arse.

And that was the end of this.

Behave yourself you two. There is no need to get personal.

[thaimiller]

Very simple to understand and well put.

[reallyok]

Don't know where home is,

but Brisbane is easy as pie last I used it.

20 minutes flat, no issues.

Dead right there mate ! I have been to the Brisbane Thai Consul at Woolloongabba twice and the first time they were almost twisting my arm up my back trying to make me see sense and take a 12 month visa when i happened to mention that i was intending to do a basic Thai language course. I am told that the consul is an Aussie guy married to a Thai and very sympathic.

[mrbp]

I don't understand why people wouldn't get a class 'O' Non immigrant visa from your home country before coming here, it means that you can stay here for 15 months, you just have to leave the country every 90 days. It costs £100 which is about 5600 Baht very quick and easy to apply for.

Going home every year and a quarter is no huge problem, maybe going back every now and then is actually a good idea as it will make you grateful for the life you have here. however I'm sure there are one or two people out there who are running from various things at home

Thousands of teachers are living on Thai wages and can't afford a flight home plus expenses. You don't have to be running away from home or living some scummy drunken sex tourist lifestyle to find flights and living expenses in the West too expensive.

I know some very respectable hard working primary school teachers who don't have degrees so they are working illegally and they don't earn enough money for flights to Singapore let alone London or New York.

Not to be disrespectful, but I know a few very hard working and all around very nice Burmese and Lao nationals that are illegally in Thailand. They can barely afford to get a passport, let alone renew visas. I'm not being ironic here. Such is the world we live in.

Total cost of such a Non-O option is 11,000 baht for the paperwork/legal advice, 7,000 baht for the visa, and let's say 36,000 for the travel expenses (back home or to a nearest friendly consulate). Adds up to 54,000 baht / 15 mo. (that's 3600 baht/mo). Clearly a lot of money, but hardly out of reach for most people. There's also the hassle of a 5-day (or so) trip.

Of course, there are no guarantees Non-Os will be available next time around... so closing down of visa options should always be a cause for concern (not celebration!) even for the haughty bunch who are lucky to use other options.

Not saying that it would be bad if this was cheaper...

I agree about you so many lovely Burmese are fleeing persecution and they wouldn't even get the time I have had here. They are sent packing pronto. I'm not here to bemoan my status I'm just trying to point out the crappy attitudes of the wealthy expats who are busy saying that it's all easy and that people on a budget are dodgy undesirables.

54,000 baht just under three months wages. No chance

[Globalguppy]

Just got word that I'm not eligible to get my tourist visa in Penang. Is it fairly easy to do in Vientienne? I'm running out of time, I must be out of here by Monday. What other cities do 2 month tourist visas?

Appreciate any helpful replies greatly!

[fxe1200]

...

Are some of the posters writing in some language other than English??

....but we we do not have a forum for those multiple language members.

...aber wir haben kein Forum für diese mehrsprachigen Mitglieder.

...pero no tenemos un foro para aquellos miembros de lengua múltiples.

[JR Texas]

Let me try and make it simple.

The law is what the law says.

Consider if Thailand was a movie theater.

You need a ticket[ read visa ] to get in legally.

To get the ticket you must meet certain requirements.

You must have the price of the ticket.

You must meet the requirements. i.e. not have a gun in your pocket, not have a stick of dynamite under your coat, etc.

IF YOU cannot meet these requirements , you do not get into the theater.

Now you may be able to sneak past the guy at the side door, but if you get caught, you reap those benefits.

Once you are inside the theater and abide by the rules, you get to stay until your movie is over and the ticket expires.

You are not guaranteed that the ticket to the next movie will be the same price or conform to the same rules...

Simple

Who ever YOU are, the theater does not have to make special rules for you, just because you would like them too.......

If you cannot meet this theaters requirements, go to another theater whose requirements you are able to meet and whose movie you like.

Consider the possibility that the rules of admission to the "Thai theater" are so stringent and screwball that patrons are turned off by them and decide not to watch the movie.........instead, they go down the street (read, the surrounding countries) where the rules of admission make sense and are designed to maximize the probability that the patrons will pay to watch the movie and have a good time.

[reallyok]

I would for a couple of years and then spend a year in Thailand doing nothing....

Just beacase i'm not a American with 2 weeks holiday a year don't mean i'm not on a holiday.

I like riding my bicycle and sitting on the beach, living cheap and enjoying the best food in the world.

I am the same cycling,long term tourist,unemployed,eating fresh fruit,staying at guesthouses for a weekly cost of +THB700/US$35,no sex-tourism,sober and in warm healthy sunny weather.

Total annual expenses of THB130,000,including an annual airline 2 way/return ticket to farang land.

Cycling is a very fast,safe and convenient way to move around/sightsee all thai cities and towns,that is, with a reassuring rear mirror .

I like to go to a farang country,pick up a free,discarded bicycle from a pile of rubbish,pump up the tyres with air, and then take it to thailand/asia and cycle around on the bike.I put a back carrier on the back of the bike,to carry bags of fruit,and the occasional passenger.

Fa-ráng ják-grá-yaan!

Then just before I return to farang land,I donate the bicycle to a now happy and smiling thai/asian.

FRIENDLINESS:Dictionary pocketbook called 'Thai-English-Thai' by Benjawan Poomsan Becker/Paiboon Publishers,is the way to learn to speak thai and so to impress the thais at the market/talaat etc.

It is the best and only pocketbook dictionary, that gives english speakers,and thais, the sounds of the translated words,etc.

Thailand has the same amount of daily hostility and police corruption etc as farang-land.

But with added friendly,smiling thais...and daily overcharging and/or scams.

And some thais are extremely helpful and friendly.

It is too much to handle too,the daily hostility.

Can you recommend a safer friendlier asian country?I've had enough.

Try Vancouver Canada its mostly Asian..lol ....now has alias Vankong

Heyyyy!! try Auckland NZ. especially if you speak Chinese or Indian !

[Jingthing]

Thailand is a paradies,

Paradies? Freudian slip?

[NanLaew]

I agree about you so many lovely Burmese are fleeing persecution and they wouldn't even get the time I have had here. They are sent packing pronto. I'm not here to bemoan my status I'm just trying to point out the crappy attitudes of the wealthy expats who are busy saying that it's all easy and that people on a budget are dodgy undesirables.

54,000 baht just under three months wages. No chance

OK, off topic and getting away from "teacher" baiting. Regardless of what profession or trade you are working in here, would you work for a pittance in your own or any other country?

There's been a couple of posts from people who have made the effort and got themselves 'legal' with regard to the visa, gone home and got one that allows them up to 15 months (?) of hassle-free living (and working?) in Thailand. You can schedule your work around around border exits well in advance since you already know the date limits on each entry. There's absolutely no job that is worth anyone risking losing their passport or freedom, not in your homeland and certainly not in a country where the vagaries of immigration law are so well known.

[CRUNCHER]

I don't understand why people wouldn't get a class 'O' Non immigrant visa from your home country before coming here, it means that you can stay here for 15 months, you just have to leave the country every 90 days. It costs £100 which is about 5600 Baht very quick and easy to apply for.

Going home every year and a quarter is no huge problem, maybe going back every now and then is actually a good idea as it will make you grateful for the life you have here. however I'm sure there are one or two people out there who are running from various things at home

Thousands of teachers are living on Thai wages and can't afford a flight home plus expenses. You don't have to be running away from home or living some scummy drunken sex tourist lifestyle to find flights and living expenses in the West too expensive.

I know some very respectable hard working primary school teachers who don't have degrees so they are working illegally and they don't earn enough money for flights to Singapore let alone London or New York.

The sad thing is is some of the decidedly slimy time share operators are given their work permits and visas easily. No questions asked.

Those of you who think that being skint and working under the radar makes you scum and a drain on Thailand who should be sent home (with a short stay in the monkeyhouse) should think again.

If you think that those with bags of money living in gated communities and eating in high end establishments are all upstanding members of the community who should be welcomed with open arms you are wrong once again.

Some people who are living here illegally on a budget are contributing to the community and some rich farangs don't have any contact with the Thai population unless they are cleaning their condo or sex workers.

It works both ways and economic status says nothing about whether your a good person or not.

I certainly do not think these people are scum - I know one or two and they are great people. The point is though, these people are breaking the laws of Thailand. If you go to a foreign country you should follow the laws and customs of that country. If they get caught they they must accept the consequences.

You did not make this claim, but many others have and that is they are pouring in money and supporting the Thai economy. In reality they contribute little. Their income is from Thailnad ( so they are to some extent taking and pay no tax), they live just above the poverty line and without degrees or good teaching qualifications they are not exactly top drawer teachers.

Do you believe that such people are an asset to Thailand. I do not think so and if I am right why should Thailand make it easy for them to stay here?

Well I know plenty of kids with degrees who aren't up to teaching and plenty of us long in the tooth worldly wise buggers with no degree who are naturals. So in answer to your question, some teachers are an asset to Thailand some are not and that applies equally to those with degrees as to those without.

The thing is the Thai authorities know that most government school teachers only have TESOL qualifications and no degree because the government sector doesn't pay the kind of wages that most graduates expect. So the Thai authorities are aware of the situation.

They have three choices.

1.crack down on the law breakers imprison and fine us then deport us and have a paucity of native English speaking teachers in gov schools. (which a lot of the financially sorted expats posting here seem to to be rubbing their hands with glee at the idea of seeing us budget wanke_rs in a cage with thirty Burmese illegals)

2.Up the wages to attract university graduates.

3.Start issuing work permits to people with TESOL certification.

or of course carry on as we are and turn a blind eye to us criminalising us in the process.

I would completely respect their wishes if they told me that I couldn't work in Thailand because I needed a teaching degree plus a TESOL. (Although I would be a tad peeved if I was hauled off to the monkey house considering the Thai authorities, the TESOL schools and the teaching agencies all unofficially know, allow and encourage TESOL graduates to work in the public sector)

So having a degree says nothing about your ability as a teacher and even though we might not be contributing financially we are not a drain on the economy and we are involved in Thai communities in a way that many of the wealthy yacht owning gated community dwelling VIP visa crew are not.

My gripe is not with the Thai authorities who are actually very accommodating, it's with the wealthy expats posting on here saying.

"Oi budget scum get legal it's easy or piss off if you can't afford it"

I take your point on the relevance of a degree to teaching. However, if I remember correctly this was required because there were too many of a third kind i.e. useless idiots with no degree teaching. A hamfisted approach maybe, but obviously the authorities were trying to set some sort of standard. Perhaps they should have cracked down on schools who employed useless teachers instead.

This is just the way that immigration issues are often dealt with. The authorities see people copmplying with the letter of the law (sometimes not even that), but not the spirit. They then try to get compliance with the spirit. In short close loopholes. That this is often done with a clumsy knee jerk cannot be denied, but you cannot blame them for trying.

I do not think that teachers who are not legal are scum per se. Like other sections of society some are, most are not. My only complaint against them, such as it is, is that they cause tightening of regulations that in turn affects people who would not otherwise have a problem. This has never affected me, but I know people who it has.

What bugs me is the people who exploit loopholes and when those loopholes are closed vehemently run down, in insulting, derogatory and racist terms the Thai Government, the Immigration Department and the people of Thailand generally. This is unecessary, unfair and unjustified. Quite frankly I wonder why some of these people stay here, but that is their choice. If you can exploit a loophole fair enough. When it is closed find another. If you can't shut up and get out. Don't stay and insult your hosts.

To your credit you are not one of these.

[NanLaew]

No, not a teacher mate, somebody young enough to retire but not old enough to apply for retirement visa.

Bye freak

Ahhh.... pseudo-tourist. I was right.

He started it Mario !!!!

So, what's the attraction... 'mate'?

[thaigold]

Many people say if you are a single Farang male with multiple Thai tourist visas in your passport, you are not truly a tourist. I have yet to hear of a Farang family being denied a subsequent visa or extention.

[ParadiseLost]

Total cost of such a Non-O option is 11,000 baht for the paperwork/legal advice, 7,000 baht for the visa, and let's say 36,000 for the travel expenses (back home or to a nearest friendly consulate). Adds up to 54,000 baht / 15 mo. (that's 3600 baht/mo). Clearly a lot of money, but hardly out of reach for most people. There's also the hassle of a 5-day (or so) trip.

I beg to differ on the costs:

1. No need for paperwork/legal advice (unless photocopying costs are substantial)

2. Visa cost is usually 5,000 baht.

3. AirAsia BKK-KL-BKK 5,000 baht, BKK-PEN-BKK 3500 baht.

4. Can be one night stay if timed properly 1,500 baht (being extravagant).

So, as far as I see it the cost of obtaining a non-o can be in the region of 10,000 baht, or 670 baht per month (15 months). If you have a legit reason there is no hassle in getting a 12 month multiple entry - even in Penang (recent personal experience, using an agent at the Swiss Hotel, Chulia rd.)

[mrbp]

A lot of countries work hard to build a tourist industry. Thailand seems to be the opposite working extreemly hard to destroy thiers.

Cmon....! The people affected by this issue are NOT real tourists... they're long stay people who cost the country money and pay no taxes... they cost Thailand money... hey, you can't live on back to back tourist visas in most developed countries and Thailand is trying hard to develop. Time to stop complaining about our generous host country... get a real visa or move on. Easy.

Once again someone who has cash and qualifications (or both) saying it's easy.

How do you get legal when your on a budget and you don't have a degree?

Being on a budget cancels out starting a company and not having a degree means you can't teach legally or get the kind of job which comes with a permit. (Unless you fancy time share that is)

Although I agree with you that Thailand is very accommodating and that disgracefully most Thais wouldn't even get into countries like America or Britain without vast amounts in the bank and a native spouse or well to do sponsor.

I'm not one of these guys who thinks the Thai authorities are out to get us (they could make getting a work permit easier though) I'm just exasperated with all you obviously financially secure degree carrying folks who keep saying "Get legal, it's easy"

It's not unless you are financially set or well qualified.

There are plenty good people who want to be legal and pay tax but the system doesn't allow for folks on a budget or without a university education to get a permit.

Will you all please stop saying it's easy and get off your high horses.

Its not a question of being on an high horse, its a fact. I have a non-b visa which I renew every 15 months, Im not a very rich man, I am only 35 years old and I used my head and got legal using the services of a lawyer. I am a silent partner with a business in the UK and I live off that money, im not going to top end bars each night and live to my means, usually around thousand pounds a month. But i still manage to keep up to date with visas etc, I border ran for the first 2 years of being here, then they tightened the requirments, so i got off my arse and sorted a visa out and have been doing this now for 3 years. Use a lawyer, get sorted and stop blaming other people for your inability to get a visa. It is easy with a bit of EFFORT. If you look on Air Asia etc you can get a flight to KL or Singapore for around 3000thb return if you book early enough, get your visa from there. But plan ahead. Book 6 months in advance if thats what it takes, do it rather than moaning about other people who have got a visa.

No disrespect to you mate, you might not be rich but you have money. I don't.

I only have what I earn and only ever have lived from one payday to the next.

In the UK I've never earned over a 1600 pounds a month in my whole puff. That doesn't put me in the financial bracket of being a silent partner in a business or having a nest egg to pay 54,000thb on a visa etc

If you are a silent partner in a business in the UK then you are a dam_n site better off than I have ever been. Good luck to you but you don't seem to understand what I mean when I say I'm on a budget.

That's the problem with people who have earned decent money, they don't understand what really being on a budget is.

I have friends in the UK who say their skint, meaning they have only got a couple of grand in the bank, fifty pounds in the wallet and their credit card is maxed out.

When I say I'm on a budget I mean I have paid the rent and I was going to go out for a drink but the electricity bill came in and I will have to wait till next month for a night in the pub.

I earn enough to pay the rent and feed myself and I don't have any UK property, credit cards or any multi thousand pound bank balance from any businesses or cushy professional jobs held previously in the UK.

I'm the same age as you and I used to drive a fork lift truck. I saved enough dough for a flight and a TEFL course. When I say I'm on a budget I mean a budget.

Too many Westerners have forgotten what being on a budget really means.

By the way mate that's a smashing looking barker you've got there. My Staff Bruce popped his clogs a few months before I upped sticks to Thailand.

[LILLO]

This morning I was at the Thai consulate in Singapore and they confirm me that we can get as many tourist visas we want...no limits.

[Globalguppy]

First timer here to

[manuchaomk]

Some consulates don't like people traveling to Thailand a lot on tourist visa and can give a stamp in your passport saying that they will not further isue a tourist visa to you. That is the policy of the consul, not of the Thai government.

But maybe the consuls should remember who they are ultimately working for (Thai Government). Penang has always been a law unto itself.

funny: Thailand is crying because of downturn of tourist income...but in the other side they reject reissues of visas..through a ridiculous policy of consulates....hahahaha....really funny (it's INCONCEIVABLE)

This is not government policy, only of the consul in Penang.

really hard to understand....as human being born in Europe and with a Swiss oriented indocrinate: I can't believe that they work without organisation between Consul. and Govt....

...and more hard to understand is how they can't see they put more pressure on the Toursim in this wonder land.

[joker]

Every consulate makes own rules.

In Penang three years ago you got the Tourist visa stamp but also "never apply in Penang again".

There's to many "tourists" working in south of Thailand illegally.

They make problems for genuine tourist.

Genuine tourists go home. If you want to stay, you gotta' do the paperwork, me too. Bummer. Still Thailand is easier than many, if not most, other countries.

Thailand is easier?????????? Well, it used to be but not anymore but most of you have

to say and think that, to justify the sometimes disgusting treatment one gets these days.

I have left Thailand and am HAPPY to have done so and finally be treated like a normal

human being again, instead of a 2nd class citizen.

Thailand is not like it used to be and the more modern facilities it gets, the more 'choice' of

shopping malls and silly spas, the less happy the people are. I am glad I have been able to

experience the country in more friendlier times, pre- Taksin.

[flyfrog]

ps : one small step for man, one giant leap for stupidity.

Tourism down, economic depression, drop in consumption. What should we do?

I know! let's pixx off yet another spender.

Bunch of cXXXX

I agree, they want the tourist here and spend their money but they don't want to give tourist visas, something is not logic??? Or is there any logic in their thinking

Frog

[Globalguppy]

Ooops don't know what happened there.

First timer to Singapore from Phuket and needing to get at least a 2 month visa or a double entry visa back into Thailand. I've heard that you need to show proof of a flight ticket out of Thailand. Is this absolutely true?

Thanks