Thailand 1 year or longer, 29 year old American, not working, options?

[TheVagabond]

Hi all, so I'll be 29 here this Friday. I plan to head to Thailand for 12-18 months. Maybe more, maybe less. I have searched the forum for hours and it's great (thanks!).

I will not be working. I will live off savings. I can live off savings for a long time and that's no issue. So... since I won't be working, no work visa.

I assess my options to be:

1. Education visa, and actually study. This will allow me to stay for at least a few years I gather (but with 90 day reports etc).

2. Tourist visa (sounds like triple entry of 3 X 60 days each with 90 day extension). Sounds like this is not best option for 1 year plus timeline as back to back to back tourist visas may get me red stamped?

Thoughts:

1. I want to bounce around within Thailand for sure to multiple locations and see the beauty of the country then settle somewhere I like. I don't know how much that complicates things.

2. I do want to study Thai, but I don't want to "have to" study Thai in order to live there.

3. I most definitely want to do everything legally.

4. If only I could get a retirement visa at age 29 this would be perfect... but I guess not?

Questions

1. If I want to go on a tourist visa, check things out, then make a long term plan, can I just do the 3X entry tourist visa then later decide on getting an Education visa?

2. Following on to Question 1, from which countries can I get a 1 year education visa? (I see some neighboring countries are now limited to 90 days?)

3. Is there some other third option for long term residency, that is non-retirement (age 50+) and non-working, and non-education?

Thanks!

[Issangeorge]

Your best bet is the tourist Visa. As long as you don't overstay I don't think you will have any problems. If you return to your home country every year or so, you could probably continue until you retire at age 50. You might also want to check out Laos, Cambodia, and in a couple of years Myanmar. Thus you won't be in Thailand continuously and this seems to make the Thai Embassies in the area happy. One more point, it is probably better to go to a different Thai Consulat each time you apply for a new Visa.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited July 2, 2013 by Issangeorge

[Mario2008]

1. Yes. (tourist visa is 60 days per entry and each entry can be extended by 30 days, not 90 days).

2. In Asia you will not get a 1 year educaiton visa, outside Asia maybe but also difficult. You will be expected to extend your stay with paperwork from the school.

3. Get marreid to a Thai national or invest 10 million baht in Thailand.

[monty]

Sounds like the triple entry tourist visa will be the best way to start out.

This will give you a little over 8 months of stay with relatively little hassle.

This way you can do your traveling around, and maybe towards the end of that period you'll find a place to kind of settle down.

Then you could either go the education way, locally you'll get a single entry 90 day edu visa, but this you can extend every 90 days without leaving the country (with supporting paperwork from your school confirming you attending the classes).

You could also get a new tourist visa locally in one of the neighboring countries, currently a double entry (good for almost 6 months) is freely available at Savanakhet in Laos, but no guarantees it will be so in 8 months.

Single entries will most likely always be available.

Another possibility would be a multiple entry non-immigrant B visa, but for this you will need either a company back home vouching for you that you will go on a long prospecting trip looking for business opportunities in Thailand, or you need a Thai company inviting you over.

This visa gives you a full year of unlimited entries into Thailand, with each entry lasting a maximum stay of 90 days. Time the last entry righ and you are good for almost 15 months.

Check the website and inquire by phone or e-mail to your local Thai consulate/embassy on what exactly is required to get that visa. Requirements can differ between different consulates/embassies.

[TheVagabond]

Your best bet is the tourist Visa. As long as you don't overstay I don't think you will have any problems. If you return to your home country every year or so, you could probably continue until you retire at age 50. You might also want to check out Laos, Cambodia, and in a couple of years Myanmar. Thus you won't be in Thailand continuously and this seems to make the Thai Embassies in the area happy. One more point, it is probably better to go to a different Thai Consulat each time you apply for a new Visa. Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thank you! This makes sense. I guess this back to back tourist visa is where I am "fuzzy" because I don't want to do anything wrong, there doesn't appear to be anything illegal about it, but there is a vague notion about unhappiness and unfavorableness to being a perpetual tourist. I'm OK with grey areas, but just want to be clear on "do's" and "don'ts".... also don't want to have my stuff in Thailand and not be allowed to return to it!

1. Yes. (tourist visa is 60 days per entry and each entry can be extended by 30 days, not 90 days).

2. In Asia you will not get a 1 year educaiton visa, outside Asia maybe but also difficult. You will be expected to extend your stay with paperwork from the school.

3. Get marreid to a Thai national or invest 10 million baht in Thailand.

Thank you! I mis-typed the 90 day part, I meant 30 day extension to the 60 days to total 90 days per stay. I guess I can't edit my original post until I have more then 1 post under my belt?

[monty]

You can edit your posts for a limited time only (30 minutes I think).

[SteveReilly]

Tourist visa a few times which should cover your first year here then education visa to study thai

[TheVagabond]

Sounds like the triple entry tourist visa will be the best way to start out.

This will give you a little over 8 months of stay with relatively little hassle.

This way you can do your traveling around, and maybe towards the end of that period you'll find a place to kind of settle down.

Then you could either go the education way, locally you'll get a single entry 90 day edu visa, but this you can extend every 90 days without leaving the country (with supporting paperwork from your school confirming you attending the classes).

You could also get a new tourist visa locally in one of the neighboring countries, currently a double entry (good for almost 6 months) is freely available at Savanakhet in Laos, but no guarantees it will be so in 8 months.

Single entries will most likely always be available.

Another possibility would be a multiple entry non-immigrant B visa, but for this you will need either a company back home vouching for you that you will go on a long prospecting trip looking for business opportunities in Thailand, or you need a Thai company inviting you over.

This visa gives you a full year of unlimited entries into Thailand, with each entry lasting a maximum stay of 90 days. Time the last entry righ and you are good for almost 15 months.

Check the website and inquire by phone or e-mail to your local Thai consulate/embassy on what exactly is required to get that visa. Requirements can differ between different consulates/embassies.

Thanks Monty, great advice!

[ubonjoe]

A three entry can give you almost 9 months of stay by getting 30 day extensions of each entry and leaving and re-entering just before the visa expires (use before date) to use the 3rd entry. Be sure you don't get visa to early because the 6 months the visa will be valid for starts on day of issue.

Then you could get the 2 entry tourist visa in Laos giving you another 6 months for a total of almost 15 months. At the moment it appears Vientiane has a limit of 3 back to back visas.

Edited July 2, 2013 by ubonjoe

[RogueLeader]

Your best bet is the tourist Visa. As long as you don't overstay I don't think you will have any problems. If you return to your home country every year or so, you could probably continue until you retire at age 50. You might also want to check out Laos, Cambodia, and in a couple of years Myanmar. Thus you won't be in Thailand continuously and this seems to make the Thai Embassies in the area happy. One more point, it is probably better to go to a different Thai Consulat each time you apply for a new Visa. Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I'd advise anyone spending that long in SE Asia to visit Myanmar now before the Bamar, Shan and Karen develop tourist-induced cynicism as has happened in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

[Stokakrishna]

Tourist visa is th ebest. Can get double entry visa. 60 days = 30 days extension, and then leave thailand for a day and come back with same visa and get another 60 days and then extend it for another 30 days tha will be 6 months visa. then go to different embassy in different country.

or student visa. many "schools" provide Thai language courses which you could take on your own pace... or if you pay enough you don;lt even have to study, but get the students visa

[Asianrider]

if you want to spend a lot time in Thailand, doing the ED visa and learning some thai language might prove very handy !!

[Adryan]

Sorry but this is all BULLSHIT about a ED Visa!

Yes you can get a ED Visa...just go to School...but i promise you...you never will be happy with a ED Visa.

Marriage Visa is possible...but do you really wanna married?

I send you and private Mail here...read it and send me a reaply.

Its easy to stay legal in Thailand but not everbody know it! And this couple of people he know it, they never give you a Info.

So read my Message and think about it.

Greedings

[monty]

Be careful with advice given by people not willing to share it publicly!

There are a fair bit of shaky if not outright illegal visa services out there, when getting caught out you can land into heaps of trouble.

If in doubt, just post here and you'll get proper advice!

[neronimo]

if you want to be free to explore Thailand

get a treble entry tourist visa in your home country before you come,

3 x 60 day + a possible 3 x 30 day extensions = total of 9 months

when that's finished, pop over to Laos for a double entry 2 x 60 day + a possible 2 x 30 day extensions,

don't worry, you can get up to 4/5 back to back tourist visas in Laos before they start to moan...

an ED visa will tie you to one place, not good when you are 29!

bring lots of money, Thailand can be expensive when you are out and about all day having fun!

good luck!

[DonaldBattles]

You will be OK if you can keep your nong in your pants and not piss your money away in the bars or buying imported food.

[Nobelcat]

As someone who did this myself (age 31), the answer will end up with the country you hold a passport for and where in Thailand you plan to stay.

As a US citizen with "foreign sourced income" but not from Thailand, an Educational visa was really the only option. This has to do with the US's "Foreign Earned Income Exclusion" (if you're from the US, look it up). I found a wonderful school where you were given a personal teacher. If you had time for class, you went to class. If you didn't have time for class, you sent the teacher a text message and postponed the class. You simply had to do 30 hours of class every 3 months. This gets you a 1 year visa and the school will take care of the extensions. I personally went for a 1 year multi-entry visa, and I just need to do a boarder run every 90 days. I did the multi-entry so that I could explore Asia and not need to pay the 1,900 baht for a reentry permit (as well as the hassle for that). Multi-entry is really the way to go, but I'm also less than 4 hours away from an immigration checkpoint (I live in Chiang Mai).

If you're not from the United States, then getting a tripple entry visa makes the most sense. You may also find, like me, that the 30 day extension for 1,900 baht ($60) isn't worth it when a single 60 day entry is only 1,200 baht ($40). But if your plan is simply to get all your extensions from near-by destinations, then yes, they will or might block you from renewing them all the time. I would visit the US for 1 week every 4 months and just got my renewals there (normally just got myself double entry for a total of 120 days).

So tourist visa makes the most sense. At least try it first and see if it's as hard as you think it might be. It's not. But if you have specific tax reasons issues that come up with being legally a "tourist" in another country (as can happen if the USA decides to define you as a tourist) rather than being a student, then go the other route and get a 1 year student visa. The only other benefit for the multi-entry student visa is that I can visit other countries with my friends anytime I want to and I don't need to worry about burning though visa stamps.

[HidyHo]

What about Thailand Elite card? This can be a valid option if one can afford it.

[Billy The Kid]

To TheVagabond.. Can i ask you curious question, How much are you planning to budget during your stay in Thailand ? Thanks in advance. I stayed in Thailand for 3 months in 2010, spend only 4,000 euro and had a agreat time, bear in mind that i do not drink at all or have any thai girlfriend. Good luck on your trip, would love to hear after you expired the trip.

[stoli]

Your best bet is the tourist Visa. As long as you don't overstay I don't think you will have any problems. If you return to your home country every year or so, you could probably continue until you retire at age 50. You might also want to check out Laos, Cambodia, and in a couple of years Myanmar. Thus you won't be in Thailand continuously and this seems to make the Thai Embassies in the area happy. One more point, it is probably better to go to a different Thai Consulat each time you apply for a new Visa. Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I'd advise anyone spending that long in SE Asia to visit Myanmar now before the Bamar, Shan and Karen develop tourist-induced cynicism as has happened in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

I have just spoken to a gentleman that just came back from Myanmar. His opinion was to wait one year. They only take "perfect" US currency, (no folds at all). they do not take credit cards, and they have no ATM's. They say they will have them next year. Since it is mainly business people going there right now for business opportunities, it is very expensive. I am waiting anxiously to go there, but want to wait until they are ready for tourists.

[Nobelcat]

Billy The Kid, I've spent 10 months in Thailand (Chiang Mai) and other than airplane tickets have spent about 450 euro ($550) per month all inclusive. So 3 months really should be more like 1,500 euro plus airfare. That includes transportation, a few beers per week at bars, a few beers per week at home, a few meals at expensive restaurants, mostly meals at local places, rent on a 2 bedroom house, utilities (A/C is 1,000 baht alone) including my mobile phone, and everything related to my required visa runs and visa renewals. Only thing it doesn't include are credit card charges and the only thing I charge to my credit card is airfare.

The majority of my expenses are on my 6,000 baht per month rental (42% of the budget) and dining out (about 25%). The rest (32%?) includes dining at home, visas, transportation, bars & other entertainment, massages. Chiang Mai though is dirt cheap mostly because you have very little to spend your money on.

[Billy The Kid]

Billy The Kid, I've spent 10 months in Thailand (Chiang Mai) and other than airplane tickets have spent about 450 euro ($550) per month all inclusive. So 3 months really should be more like 1,500 euro plus airfare. That includes transportation, a few beers per week at bars, a few beers per week at home, a few meals at expensive restaurants, mostly meals at local places, rent on a 2 bedroom house, utilities (A/C is 1,000 baht alone) including my mobile phone, and everything related to my required visa runs and visa renewals. Only thing it doesn't include are credit card charges and the only thing I charge to my credit card is airfare.

The majority of my expenses are on my 6,000 baht per month rental (42% of the budget) and dining out (about 25%). The rest (32%?) includes dining at home, visas, transportation, bars & other entertainment, massages. Chiang Mai though is dirt cheap mostly because you have very little to spend your money on.

Thanks for sharing your experience. But you lives in a two bedroom house ? How much a month for that? Great to know you spend only €450 a month but it is the house rent that puzzles me ? Ok without a rent to live €450 a month !! Know what i mean ? I owned the condo in Pattaya and spend €3000 for three month. Chang Mai must be cheaper then !!! Thanks again.

[Nobelcat]

Billy The Kid, I've spent 10 months in Thailand (Chiang Mai) and other than airplane tickets have spent about 450 euro ($550) per month all inclusive. So 3 months really should be more like 1,500 euro plus airfare. That includes transportation, a few beers per week at bars, a few beers per week at home, a few meals at expensive restaurants, mostly meals at local places, rent on a 2 bedroom house, utilities (A/C is 1,000 baht alone) including my mobile phone, and everything related to my required visa runs and visa renewals. Only thing it doesn't include are credit card charges and the only thing I charge to my credit card is airfare.

The majority of my expenses are on my 6,000 baht per month rental (42% of the budget) and dining out (about 25%). The rest (32%?) includes dining at home, visas, transportation, bars & other entertainment, massages. Chiang Mai though is dirt cheap mostly because you have very little to spend your money on.

Thanks for sharing your experience. But you lives in a two bedroom house ? How much a month for that? Great to know you spend only €450 a month but it is the house rent that puzzles me ? Ok without a rent to live €450 a month !! Know what i mean ? I owned the condo in Pattaya and spend €3000 for three month. Chang Mai must be cheaper then !!! Thanks again.

Chiang Mai is impossibly cheap. You can be in the middle of the city, staying at a hotel, for 5,000 baht per month including all your utilities, wifi, air conditioning, etc. I had another hotel offer me their place, which was a bedroom plus a tiny office area, for 7,000 baht. For me, I have a dog so I wanted to be outside the city a bit to get a very small yard for him. 6,000 baht per month, for just the house, isn't unusual. Then you have utilities, for me about another 1,000 baht per month for electric and water. What I have found is that condo living is, for whatever reason, insanely expensive when compared to standalone house rental. The cheapest condo I've found in Chiang Mai, which isn't even anywhere near the center of the city, was 20,000 baht per month for a two bedroom rather small place. One of the benefits of being here for more than a few months is that you can learn of places that you wouldn't have been able to find if you were looking for a place to stay quickly (though I found my place two weeks into my Thailand visit).

[stickylies]

I tried to get a retirement visa when I was 36 or so. I didn't get it but I easily got a 1 year NON-Immigrant O multiple entry (all fully officially via consulate, no tea-money involved, no begging or kneeling involved). This visa allowed me to stay 15 months (visa run each 3 months) and get drivers licence. Ask your local consulate/embassy if they can give this to u. if you have the funds they will consider it if you can give them a proper reason why u need it (be creative i'd say).

edit:

this visa costed 150 euro

3 free pieces of advice:

1/ learn some of the language BEFORE coming over. u will not regret it

2/ stay away from bars and other waste-of-money-and-energy-things, unless of course u're that kinda guy

3/ don't believe everything written on TV

Edited July 2, 2013 by stickylies

[belg]

you could always marry a local

looool

but that might cost you half your savings, after you spend the other half with her first

555

[RogueLeader]

Your best bet is the tourist Visa. As long as you don't overstay I don't think you will have any problems. If you return to your home country every year or so, you could probably continue until you retire at age 50. You might also want to check out Laos, Cambodia, and in a couple of years Myanmar. Thus you won't be in Thailand continuously and this seems to make the Thai Embassies in the area happy. One more point, it is probably better to go to a different Thai Consulat each time you apply for a new Visa. Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I'd advise anyone spending that long in SE Asia to visit Myanmar now before the Bamar, Shan and Karen develop tourist-induced cynicism as has happened in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

I have just spoken to a gentleman that just came back from Myanmar. His opinion was to wait one year. They only take "perfect" US currency, (no folds at all). they do not take credit cards, and they have no ATM's. They say they will have them next year. Since it is mainly business people going there right now for business opportunities, it is very expensive. I am waiting anxiously to go there, but want to wait until they are ready for tourists.

It really isn't expensive. I went there twice in 2010 and spent less there than I did almost anywhere else in SE Asia (the exception was Vietnam). Changing money really isn't a hassle and carrying your currency there with you is a minor inconvenience.

The adventurous will go now to see a country that's changed only very slowly in the last 2-300 years. I'm glad I went when I did.

[tfbpa]

Most easiest way is the Non Immigrant Business visa.

Just go to any website of a Thai law office and they will happily supply you with all the documents, send it to your home by registered mail and get a one year (or actually 15 months) Non-Immigrant B visa at your local Thai consulate.

This is also what I did 5 years ago and all I needed to do was pay 10 or 12.000 THB with no hassle from my side at all. However you do need to leave the country every 90 days, but especially the first year this is excellent as you most likely want to visit neighboring countries anyway.

[IsaanUSA]

Good advice in this thread.

Have you been to Thailand before? Have you been to the neighboring countries before? Cambodia has a very easy visa policy. Vietnam is fun and crazy cheap.

If you're set on Thailand, then I would probably do the 60+30 day tourist visa, then go spend a few weeks in Cambodia. 60+30 day tourist visa in Thailand, then go spend a month in South Vietnam, etc.

[TheVagabond]

Be sure you don't get visa to early because the 6 months the visa will be valid for starts on day of issue.

Thanks ubonjoe; so by this part here, are you saying that in the U.S. I get a tourist visa on "X" date (call it 1 Sept.) then it is good for 6 months starting that date, and I need to make my final re-entry before 6 months from the date of issue (i.e. Sept 1st)? Thanks!

[TheVagabond]

Your best bet is the tourist Visa. As long as you don't overstay I don't think you will have any problems. If you return to your home country every year or so, you could probably continue until you retire at age 50. You might also want to check out Laos, Cambodia, and in a couple of years Myanmar. Thus you won't be in Thailand continuously and this seems to make the Thai Embassies in the area happy. One more point, it is probably better to go to a different Thai Consulat each time you apply for a new Visa. Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I'd advise anyone spending that long in SE Asia to visit Myanmar now before the Bamar, Shan and Karen develop tourist-induced cynicism as has happened in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

I have just spoken to a gentleman that just came back from Myanmar. His opinion was to wait one year. They only take "perfect" US currency, (no folds at all). they do not take credit cards, and they have no ATM's. They say they will have them next year. Since it is mainly business people going there right now for business opportunities, it is very expensive. I am waiting anxiously to go there, but want to wait until they are ready for tourists.

It really isn't expensive. I went there twice in 2010 and spent less there than I did almost anywhere else in SE Asia (the exception was Vietnam). Changing money really isn't a hassle and carrying your currency there with you is a minor inconvenience.

The adventurous will go now to see a country that's changed only very slowly in the last 2-300 years. I'm glad I went when I did.

RogueLeader - Thanks! I definitely have to say I am highly interested and have done a good bit of research on Myanmar. A historic opportunity to experience things as they are today, I agree. Thanks for reenforcing that for me. I'm still thinking Thailand (Chiang Mai) as a stable base from which to take several long-ish trips into Myanmar. So, that may be top choice for visa runs and I can make them last a good length of time.