Using A Tourist Visa Only...

[tuky]

I am an Aussie, 28 and married to a georgous Thai lady, we will have our first baby in 2 months time . I have an Azeri W/P and I work on a 6 and 2 rotation. So I return to the LOS for two weeks every six weeks, I just come back and get a 30 day tourist visa at Don Muang everytime knowing that I will not need to stay any longer. Will this eventually back fire on me? My passport is full of Thai chops, like I mean I only have two pages left (another problem). Should I look at making my stay in LOS more official? or just keep going like I am, if so do you think I should take my Thai marriage cert. with me and Bangkok Bank statements each time for arrival? I have just seen this website and it is great, although suddenly having to think about visas and so forth has got me a little jittery. There is so much I do not know. Thanks a lot to anyone who might be able to ease my fears, and thanks to this forum for introducing them .

[lopburi3]

Although it probably will not be a problem as you are staying out between visits; and imagine you can obtain page inserts for your passport at your embassy. But I would take your marriage certificate/copy of wife's ID card and note from her that you are together to a Thai Consulate and obtain a multi entry non immigrant visa which will cover you for a year at a time. With your frequent travel you will not have to worry about 90 day address reports so it will only be once a year you have to do anything. This gives you more status here. You might even consider extending this type of visa if you want to apply for residence status later. If you start with extensions prior to July next year you only have to show valid marriage and 200k baht in a Thai bank account. Yearly cost would not be much higher than multi entry visa (you would require multi re-entry permit with visa extension). But for either, the first step is getting a non immigrant visa at a consulate outside Thailand.

[MekhongKurt]

I'd say the info Lopburi wrote is spot on, with one caveat. A good friend of mine is a Police Senior Sergeant Major, and except of the past couple of years (while he's been seconded to a regular police station), he has spent his entire career in Immigration, where he is scheduled to return next year. He is not a visa officer, per se, but has made it a point to educate himself about all aspects of the Immigration Bureau and the various requirements in differing scenarios -- and has saved many a foreigner any grief arising from ignorance.

During the recent crackdown on fake visas, he brought up that I have been operating on tourist visas for a number of years, most of them 30-day visas on arrival then extended for 10 days. While they were all perfectly legal, they were, for the most part, back-to-back -- I've left on the 8:20 A.M. Thai flight to Vientian and walked back into the Don Muang terminal before noon. He warned me that the high command is beginning to notice such matters, and that while staying outside helps, he thinks it possible the senior police commanders will begin to question why people eligible for more than a plain tourist visa don't just go ahead and get one. Unfortunately for me, I have no wife, am retired, and (so far) refuse to put 800,000 baht into a bank here. Not because of here, but because it's such a pain for me to organize it out of my home country, at least with my bank there. So for myself I'll have to consider the alternatives, such as dividing my time between here and elsewhere.

But that's not *your* case, so I would urge you and your wife to sit down with a Thai visa officer and openly ask for a recommendation on the best route to go, given your circumstances. Though your situation no doubt would save you at the end of the day were you ever to be questioned about it, you well might have to go through a bit of hassle in such a scenario.

I should stress that I have no special knowledge, and am not a lawyer, just a guy who has lived here almost 10 years and happens to know a senior police NCO who tries to keep me informed. And I learn a lot on this superb web site, of course.

Good luck with your saga!

[morphic]

I wonder if the so called 'high command' understand the plight of wealthy under 50's who are too young to be eligible for a retirement visa but don't need or want to work or run a business. I am one of those lucky people, and have no recourse other than back to back tourist visa's or 30 day visa on arrivals.

But in the last year I have become increasingly tired of worrying about the crackdown, despite being 100% legal, and have had enough of rude immigration officials on my visa runs and extensions. I was even turned down in London for a visa application as the official at the consulate, in as unpleasamnt and ill mannered a way as he could muster, insisted I was working illegally or something else.

So a couple of months ago I decided enough was enough and have now given up on Thailand. Instead, I am back living in the UK, travelling from time to time, and earning astonishing, but not required, amounts of money as a consultant in my previous area of business.

Is this a loss for Thailand? Well, not a big one, as I m just one man, an not a frequenter of googo bars oir a player of golf. But I did spend quite a bit of money over there, and count my self as a well behaved, respectful, and educated person.

So, please let the 'high command' know that longstay under 50's are not all fat, lazy, perverted alcoholic hooligans and that if the powers that be aren't happy with current visa provisons, then think up a working alternative, rather than blanket criminalising everyone, or forcing everyone out.

[KevinN]

Morphic, boy did you make a good point,unlike you I am older and retired also married to a working Thai lady, and I spend quite a bit of money per month,not J.PAUL GETTY but spend a lot more than a Thai. I do not drink and raise ######,stay around home evenings and take nothing from this country,but they are making it harder to stay and keeping the future in question,maybe next time we go for a visa,they will say "nope,no more visa for you,get out",I have already invested a bit of money for cars and a new house,so what next.

At the present time I am checking about somewhere else to go where the future is a little more certain.

A Thai can come to USA on a tourist visa and buy the empire state building if they want,and we can't buy much more than a pack of cigs here. I always thought that most things were reciprocal, but I guess not.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

So, please let the 'high command' know that longstay under 50's are not all fat, lazy, perverted alcoholic hooligans and that if the powers that be aren't happy with current visa provisons, then think up a working alternative, rather than blanket criminalising everyone, or forcing everyone out.

But so many are aren't they ?

[balogne]

I have decided also to get out of the country. I have moved over to Vietnam and the situation for visas here and work is much better. The infrastructure here is not as well developed and there are fewer things to do but life is easier and more stable for me.

But I do have a Thai wife and would like to stay in Thailand because of her. The problem is the more roots I establish there the more I have to lose if they ever decide to boot me out. What I am wondering is if I try for a non-imm o and set myself to a coarse where my marriage is legal and recognized in Thailand, won't they strip my wife of her rights to own property? (we are married but it is not a registered one) Maybe just a rumour but I would like it dispelled.

[lopburi3]

But I do have a Thai wife and would like to stay in Thailand because of her. The problem is the more roots I establish there the more I have to lose if they ever decide to boot me out. What I am wondering is if I try for a non-imm o and set myself to a coarse where my marriage is legal and recognized in Thailand, won't they strip my wife of her rights to own property?

1. AFAIK nobody is thinking/talking or planning on kicking any married foreigner out of Thailand. You can even live with no source of support (try that in a western country). But you need a legal marriage. That alone will give you non immigrant O visa. If you can put money into a bank account you can extend yearly in country - if not you just have to cross border every 90 days.

2. A legal marriage will not change the ownership rights of your spouse. He or she can still have, inherit or buy property. The only change is that a paper will have to be signed that any money used to purchase property belongs to the Thai party only, and thus the foreign party has no claim to it as joint ownership marriage property. What you have heard is the old policy of not registering property because they did not have a method to exempt property from estate but that was changed some years ago. It is not a problem now.

[TizMe]

and imagine you can obtain page inserts for your passport at your embassy.

Australians cant have page inserts added to passport. You will have to get a new passport if your current one fills up.

Also note that due to terrorism and identity theft, as part of the Australian Government's response, a new and more secure passport will be released in December this year.

While the current passport remains one of the most secure in the world, new technologies are being incorporated in the new version to provide further enhancements to the security of the document. New and more secure production arrangements are also being introduced. The technology required to produce the new passports will not be available at all embassies. It will therefore be no longer possible for Australian citizens to obtain a full validity passport at some Australian Embassies at short notice.

Passports will then be produced at a regional production centre.

I'm not sure if Bangers is is one of these centres.

[tuky]

Tizme,

My W/P is contained in my old passport, it would be a problem if my agency here in Azerbaijan had to apply for it again, do you know if I can keep my old passport for the W/P and have it attached or something to new passport? I know I am fishing here but any info is better than none. I am going to the Aussie embassy on my next trip back to LOS to apply, then hopefully pick my new passport up on my following trip home (being LOS), at the same time I will apply for my new born baby's Aussie passport, which I believe I can through descent. Any thoughts?

[tuky]

One more thing guys, I can't check in on this forum too often, so I have failed to thank you all for your help, much appreciated!!!

[Indo-Siam]

tukyleith -

You are talking about an Australian entering Thailand six times a year, with six week gaps in-between, and spending a grand total of 12 weeks here each year. And you are married to a Thai.

I think that human civilization will crumble long before Thailand starts causing trouble for Australians coming here for two week stays, six times a year. At minimum, they will shut down the Tourism Authority of Thailand first.

I cannot figure out why anyone here would be advising you differently. Granted, the responses were about people doing back-to-back visa runs, and such.

Given your situation - UNTIL YOUR SITUATION CHANGES - I would not give it another thought. You will not have any problems. The only reasons you should consider going the Class O visa route are:

1) If you want to pursue residency status, and expect to change your employment situation after a couple more years - in that case, you might want to knock out the requirement that you get three consecutive one-year non-immigrant entry permits to qualify.

2) If you want to get a drivers license, or a checking account, or something else here that requires a non-im entry permit.

Good luck!

Indo-Siam

[dr_Pat_Pong]

100 per cent agree with Indo-Siam He is a tourist really, as I guess his wife would attest

[tuky]

Thanks guys, I tend to agree. Just wanted to be reassured I guess.

Dr. I guess you could call me a tourist, whilst it is not the ideal situation my wife and I talked long and hard about it and I have the opportunity now to earn a good wage and set us up for the rest of our lives, Our new baby will have a good financial foundation and a full time father after the next 5/6 years. Ofcourse Tuk will be joining me when the baby is a few months old so things aren't as bad as they sound.

It is a tricky one, what do you do? put up with a a few years a hardship to enjoy the spoils or ???

Indo-Siam, I have every intention of going the three consecutive one-year non-immigrant entry permits to qualify route, as long as things don't change I will probably start this when I have finished the work project I on now, I do not need the hassles of organising all that during my two weeks break each time, what I will need is put my feet up and play with my baby. ooHHH!!!

I am a young guy (28) and have a lot of time for things to come, take it easy and lets see what happens.

Thanks guys!

[PK2]

I have just seen this website and it is great, although suddenly having to think about visas and so forth has got me a little jittery.

I'd suggest that reading a board like this can have that affect on you. I would carry on as you are. I've been doing like you for the last 20 years without a word said. Nor should it be as it is legit.