The OP had the chance to get PR if he had wanted to earlier during his stay in Thailand.

Look at the visas most of our own countries have, and then think about Thailand, they are just the same. And just to get a tourist visa for a Thai to visit the UK is harder than getting a tourist visa for visiting Thailand in the UK.

Edited July 18, 201114 yr by beano2274

Thailand is already one of the easiest countries to obtain acesses to and for those who qualify very easy to stay long term. There are many ways around the requirements for long stay if one wants to jump thru the hoops. As with many things there are cut off points and requirements.

Edited July 18, 201114 yr by moe666

I think the main thing that grinds my gears is calling it a Retirement visa, but you have to be over 50! My point being lots of people under 50 are retired and most likely have more money than a lot of the over 50 retirees.

It is like they can get their heads around the fact that some people can be under 50 and retired.

Edited July 18, 201114 yr by AndyPooots

Sorry if I make a few mad here. Because you have money doesn't mean the world revolves around you and that laws should be made to accomadate you or people of the same situation.

Sorry, mad, happy, unapologetic, I doubt anyone cares enough about your comment to be mad and emotion doesn't factor into the topic anyway. A couple of recent posters have offered a completely logical point, that loads of people cross in and out of the country every day to receive a new visa and this happens almost automatically for most. Given the travel costs incurred, the Thai government could make more money by charging the same fee - or some similar fee - to these same perpetual visa stayers. That's pretty unassailable from a purely logical point of view. Nothing is achieved by the current system that wouldn't be achieved by a new system as posited and, on the other side of the equation, the Thai government would make more money, which is a net positive.

Of course the reality is that there's no political gain in legitimizing the current revolving door system, in fact there's only the potential for political blowback (to the politicians and to foreigners), which is why it's a non-starter. Making the unofficial practice of permanent tourism official wouldn't be popular with anyone but a bunch of non-voting expats for the most part. If governments and people operated on the basic of logic, then, yeah, this would make sense.

Your logic only works of you assume money is the solution to every "problem". It isn't.

The OP had the opportunity to go for PR, and never took it up. Bit rich to complain now that the Thai government doesn't 'recognise' his situation.