1 Year Visa For A Family Of 4 - Advice Needed

[axster]

Greetings to All!

This is the first post for me, so it will probably be an extensive one - I apologise in advance.

Some background:

We are a family of 4, myself, my partner (unmarried - so far) and we have two children aged 2 years and 6 months. I am German, my partner Belarusian (visa requirements are the same as for Russians, I gather) and our children carry my name and have dual nationality (German/Belarusian).

We are looking to get away from Europe for a while and spend some quality family time on Koh Samui.

I spent a lot of time in Thailand in my early 20's - sad to say almost 20 years ago... Also our daughter was conceived on Koh Samui in 2009, so is practically half Thai and it would be nice for her to return to her "roots"

An opportunity has arisen for a cheaply rented villa on Koh Samui with a one year contract and we are tempted. I spent some time researching visa options and haven't really gotten very far. Most laws are ambiguous at best and requirements vary.

So options (please pick holes, where I have made mistakes and/or offer suggestions):

1. Tourist visa:
   
   1. 
      
   2. This seems to be the least hassle in terms of paper work, but will require visa runs.
      
   3. Although I wouldn't mind them by myself, taking 2 young kids on visa runs is a logistical nightmare...
      
   4. There are added complications: myself and out children (as Germans) can obtain a 60 day visa with a 30 day extension (90 day visa run), whereas my partner (as a Belarusian) can only obtain a 30 day visa with a 30 day extension. Since neither of us fancy doing a 12 hour visa run by ourselves with two small kids, I would probably have to forego my visa extension and we would do a 60 day visa run instead of 90.
      Questions:
      
   5. I read that since 2006 tourist visa requirements require a 90 stay outside of Thailand after each 90 day stay, but that it's rarely enforced. What is the current situation on that (I wouldn't want to sign a year lease on a property only to find out that I can't return for 90 days...)? What is the situation for nationals who only qualify for 30+30 days, do they have to spend 60 days outside of Thailand in that case?
      
   6. I read that there are no fines for overstaying children under 15. There could be an option where one parent looks after the kids, while the other goes on their visa run and our children simply overstay. I already feel that this approach could lead down a dangerous path, but for the sake of argument: what could happen if both parents have valid visas, but the children do not (if police find out while in Thailand)? How valid an approach is it to ignore those visa requirements for children?
      
   7. Lastly: is there any give in visa regulations, when you travel as a family? Since three of us qualify for 60+30 days and only one parent is on 30+30 days, is there ANY chance of negotiation with the immigration office, so we can do a visa run together every 90 days?
      

[*]Student visa:

1. I am always up for learning something new and my research seems to indicate that, providing one signs up to a Thai government approved course, the visa is a fairly simple affair. Although my preference would be for a cooking course on Koh Samui (suggestions welcome here), I wouldn't mind signing up to a language course either.
   Questions:
   
2. If I were to sign up to a course, what about my dependents?
   
3. Could my partner (note: we are not married) and children be "tagged" onto the visa?
   
4. What are the requirements and potential issues?
   

[*]Business visa

1. This is by no means a frivolous consideration. Although the primary motivation for the move is to watch my kids play on the beach, while daddy answers a few emails on his ipad with a cold beer by his side - nice picture - I am in business and have run a successful web-development outsourcing company in Eastern Europe for the last 6 years. I have been considering setting up a branch office in SE Asia for some time and I will certainly look into it. Whether I do this in Thailand or another SE Asian country remains to be seen.
   Questions:
   
2. Would the ability to show a track record in IT outsourcing ( which is also a huge market in Thailand) be sufficient to obtain a business visa or would it be significantly easier if I showed connections to Thai companies?
   
3. As under 2.2 above: What about my dependents? Can I bring my family to Thailand under a business visa and would they still have to do visa runs or not?
   

If you got this far, thanks for taking the time to read and I welcome any comments!

[Mario2008]

There is no 90 day in a 6 month period rule anymore.

An ED-visa can have dependends, the requirement for you would be that the school and course are offcially recognised and you study at least 4 hours a week.

A business visa would be possible to explore business oppertunities in Thailand, but might require the help of a lawfirm such as Sunbelt. This would be a multiple non-B, requiring exiting every 90 days.

Note that for children under 15 years of age there is no overstay fine.

[lopburi3]

But he is not married so has no dependent wife.

[Gone]

True that. Him not being married to her makes her just another tourist and she is on her own as far as visas go.

Many people want to come to Thailand and just kick back on the beach with a cold beer and their children at their side for a year however the government has made this very hard as you are not really contributing anything except the money you spend while you are here and in your circumstance of not being married makes it difficult for your gf to stay for 1 year as well.

Not to seem grimm or anything but Cambodia might be a better option for you as you pay $25.00 for a Business visa when you land at the airport and there are some very beautiful and cheap beaches there to live on for a year.

[axster]

There is no 90 day in a 6 month period rule anymore.

An ED-visa can have dependends, the requirement for you would be that the school and course are offcially recognised and you study at least 4 hours a week.

A business visa would be possible to explore business oppertunities in Thailand, but might require the help of a lawfirm such as Sunbelt. This would be a multiple non-B, requiring exiting every 90 days.

Note that for children under 15 years of age there is no overstay fine.

Thanks for your reply, Mario. The Ed and business visa are (at this time) only interesting to me if they don't include visa runs and I can include my children. Although I will be exploring business opportunities, I don't really need a business visa until I actually engage in business - and I presume that can be done later.

With regard to the non-B business visa, would my children have to exit with me every 90 days (i.e. does that rule apply to my dependents as well as myself)?

With regard to chldren overstaying: would you then consider it a viable option for me and my partner to go on alternate visa runs, while our kids simply overstay?

To be honest, it's probably stretching Thai immigration rules more than i am comfortable with, but if there are possibilities that allow me to avoid putting my kids through the ordeal of a visa run, I will investigate them....

Thanks for your help

[Mario2008]

As said, Thai immirgation does not fine children for overstay. But it is always best to stay legal.

As Lopburi pointed out, you are not married so your partner cannot be a dependent of you. Your children can be. With an Ed-visa, yu and your children would not have to leave the country every 90 days. Instead, as long as you study, you would get 90 days from immigration and pay 1,900 baht for you and 1,900 baht per child. Your partner would need to go and study herself and get her own visa and extension every 90 days.