No more Thai visa runs: Immigration will not let visa runners return after Aug 12

[manolothai]

400.000 baht for living expenses? We are talking about the same country?

[AYJAYDEE]

400.000 baht for living expenses? We are talking about the same country?

why would u send it back and forth every year?

[KarenBravo]

400.000 baht for living expenses? We are talking about the same country?

That's for a year.

This has been mandated by the Thai government for years.

Retirees have to show 800,000 Bt for living expenses to get the one year extension.

[manolothai]

A person have the choice to keep his money whenever he wants without explanation.

Edited July 16, 2014 by manolothai

[AYJAYDEE]

A person have the choice to keep his money whenever he wants because explanation.

fine but it will cost u big time to transfer it back and forth every year as u need to show it for every extension. their rules. obey or dont get the visa. simple

[manolothai]

A person have the choice to keep his money whenever he wants because explanation.

fine but it will cost u big time to transfer it back and forth every year as u need to show it for every extension. their rules. obey or dont get the visa. simple

yeah ok, but my first questions is still unanswered :-)

there's really no sense on this behaviour.

Edited July 16, 2014 by manolothai

[KarenBravo]

Your first question.

You want to stay as a tourist for four years.

Now not possible. Thai immigration will not consider you a tourist. You need to get the correct visa for your situation which is for a long term stay. You need a Non-Imm O for marriage, or retirement that can be extended by a year, each and every year. You will need to show 400,000 Bt, or 800,000 Bt, depending on if you choose marriage, or retirement, every time you apply for the extension.

[manolothai]

Your first question.

You want to stay as a tourist for four years.

Now not possible. Thai immigration will not consider you a tourist. You need to get the correct visa for your situation which is for a long term stay. You need a Non-Imm O for marriage, or retirement that can be extended by a year, each and every year. You will need to show 400,000 Bt, or 800,000 Bt, depending on if you choose marriage, or retirement, every time you apply for the extension.

No but at the end I will make the ED visa for the first 1 2 3 years and finally I will do the permit of stay with al the money needed...

the question is not about me, it is a general question:

if a person is a good person, does not work without permit, does not bullshit. it is a good guy, no drink, no smoke, no drugs... no speculation on their weakness... why restirct him so much?

Really all these restrictions are without any sense, because instead of it a person can send to thai 400.000 baht and start work without permit or go against any law.

I mean there is not direct correlation between the two things... so their choice to place all these restriction every year become more difficult to stay in thai, and I'm talking about become more difficult for good and honest people, not for druged or robbers... it make no sense at all... I hope I've been clear now.

Edited July 16, 2014 by manolothai

[AYJAYDEE]

Your first question.

You want to stay as a tourist for four years.

Now not possible. Thai immigration will not consider you a tourist. You need to get the correct visa for your situation which is for a long term stay. You need a Non-Imm O for marriage, or retirement that can be extended by a year, each and every year. You will need to show 400,000 Bt, or 800,000 Bt, depending on if you choose marriage, or retirement, every time you apply for the extension.

No but at the end I will make the ED visa for the first 1 2 3 years and finally I will do the permit of stay with al the money needed...

the question is not about me, it is a general question:

if a person is a good person, does not work without permit, does not do bullshit. it is a good guy, no drink, no smoke, no drugs... no speculation on their weakness... why restirct him so much?

Really all these restrictions are without any sense, because instead of it a person can send to thai 400.000 baht and start work without permit or go against any law.

I mean there is not direct correlation between the two things... so their choice to place all these restriction every year become more difficult to stay in thai, and I'm talking about become more difficult for good and honest people, not for druged or robbers... it make no sense at all... I hope I've been clear now.

that is a question only the ones that make the rules can answer

[KarenBravo]

Your first question.

You want to stay as a tourist for four years.

Now not possible. Thai immigration will not consider you a tourist. You need to get the correct visa for your situation which is for a long term stay. You need a Non-Imm O for marriage, or retirement that can be extended by a year, each and every year. You will need to show 400,000 Bt, or 800,000 Bt, depending on if you choose marriage, or retirement, every time you apply for the extension.

No but at the end I will make the ED visa for the first 1 2 3 years and finally I will do the permit of stay with al the money needed...

the question is not about me, it is a general question:

if a person is a good person, does not work without permit, does not do bullshit. it is a good guy, no drink, no smoke, no drugs... no speculation on their weakness... why restirct him so much?

Really all these restrictions are without any sense, because instead of it a person can send to thai 400.000 baht and start work without permit or go against any law.

I mean there is not direct correlation between the two things... so their choice to place all these restriction every year become more difficult to stay in thai, and I'm talking about becoem more difficult for good and honest people, not for druged or robbers... it make no sense at all... I hope I've been clear now.

Personally, and this is just my opinion, going the ED route is not a good idea. Many people are going to try and get this visa to stay long-term in Thailand. Many of those will not be sincere in wanting to learn the Thai language.

This will be the next category of visa that immigration will crack down on. Far better to go Non-Imm for marriage, or retirement.

[manolothai]

Personally, and this is just my opinion, going the ED route is not a good idea. Many people are going to try and get this visa to stay long-term in Thailand. Many of those will not be sincere in wanting to learn the Thai language.

This will be the next category of visa that immigration will crack down on. Far better to go Non-Imm for marriage, or retirement.

I agree it is more risky.

[manolothai]

Personally, and this is just my opinion, going the ED route is not a good idea. Many people are going to try and get this visa to stay long-term in Thailand. Many of those will not be sincere in wanting to learn the Thai language.

This will be the next category of visa that immigration will crack down on. Far better to go Non-Imm for marriage, or retirement.

I agree it is more risky.

Basically the only answer I can find about my thought is:

Thai (maybe not thai people, but sure thai government) does not want farang.

I think after next elections maybe some restrictions will be take out. I think it is a matter just cocerning military governement because they have farang allergy... don't know why...

Edited July 16, 2014 by manolothai

[thailiketoo]

Personally, and this is just my opinion, going the ED route is not a good idea. Many people are going to try and get this visa to stay long-term in Thailand. Many of those will not be sincere in wanting to learn the Thai language.

This will be the next category of visa that immigration will crack down on. Far better to go Non-Imm for marriage, or retirement.

I agree it is more risky.

Basically the only answer I can find about my thought is:

Thai (maybe not thai people, but sure thai government) does not want farang.

I think after next elections maybe some restrictions will be take out. I think it is a matter just cocerning military governement because they have farang allergy... don't know why...

What government?

[manolothai]

What government?

talking about the coup

[manolothai]

I've taken a look to cambodia, is unbelievable.... can have 12 months visa without headache, stay as long as you want, hotels, food and everything is a lot cheaper than thai, make a business and investments a lot easier... it seems like an heaven...

is it a scam or is it real?

Anyone know how long a Thai lady can stay in cambodia, is it easy?

Edited July 17, 2014 by manolothai

[gemguy]

We all know that the immigrations officials at the borders will eventually bend the rules.

Sooner or later it will become a routine based on slipping 500 baht to 1000 baht in your passport to get past the immigration officials.

There is just too much opportunity for the officials to make money from these changes in the immigration rules.

This is Thailand....remember?

[gemguy]

Had this confirmed to me last night by Kap Choeng Immigration for the Chong Chom Border Crossing.

We all know that the immigrations officials at the borders will eventually bend the rules.

Sooner or later it will become a routine based on slipping 500 baht to 1000 baht in your passport to get past the immigration officials.

There is just too much opportunity for the officials to make money from these changes in the immigration rules.

This is Thailand....remember?

[manolothai]

We all know that the immigrations officials at the borders will eventually bend the rules.

Sooner or later it will become a routine based on slipping 500 baht to 1000 baht in your passport to get past the immigration officials.

There is just too much opportunity for the officials to make money from these changes in the immigration rules.

This is Thailand....remember?

I didn't think about it... it is possible...

[MrWorldwide]

I've taken a look to cambodia, is unbelievable.... can have 12 months visa without headache, stay as long as you want, hotels, food and everything is a lot cheaper than thai, make a business and investments a lot easier... it seems like an heaven...

is it a scam or is it real?

Anyone know how long a Thai lady can stay in cambodia, is it easy?

Have you actually been to Cambodia or even spoken to said Thai lady re her opinion of the country or it's people ? Even those who speak Khmer are rarely keen on a country that they perceive as a backward step compared to their current situation in life. Granted, Pnomh Penh may not be representative of the rest of the country and a week there hardly makes me an expert, but I'm guessing it's a week longer than you've spent in Cambo - thrilled to hear otherwise. Check out the Cambodia forum here for feedback from people who actually live there before getting too carried away - as TheSiemReaper puts it in a recent post, the first step is to stop trying to make comparisons with Thailand as they are very different countries. You'll either accept the good with the bad or you wont - either way, I think you need to spend a few weeks there before asking the rest of us if it's a 'scam'. One thing it did for me - in similar fashion to Laos - was make me appreciate many things I had taken for granted in Thailand - even those whose sole experience of Cambodia is a visa run to the border will know what I'm referring to. You simply have to accept that it's still one of the poorest countries in the world then book that flight and let the cards fall where they may. Good luck.

[manolothai]

Have you actually been to Cambodia or even spoken to said Thai lady re her opinion of the country or it's people ? Even those who speak Khmer are rarely keen on a country that they perceive as a backward step compared to their current situation in life. Granted, Pnomh Penh may not be representative of the rest of the country and a week there hardly makes me an expert, but I'm guessing it's a week longer than you've spent in Cambo - thrilled to hear otherwise. Check out the Cambodia forum here for feedback from people who actually live there before getting too carried away - as TheSiemReaper puts it in a recent post, the first step is to stop trying to make comparisons with Thailand as they are very different countries. You'll either accept the good with the bad or you wont - either way, I think you need to spend a few weeks there before asking the rest of us if it's a 'scam'. One thing it did for me - in similar fashion to Laos - was make me appreciate many things I had taken for granted in Thailand - even those whose sole experience of Cambodia is a visa run to the border will know what I'm referring to. You simply have to accept that it's still one of the poorest countries in the world then book that flight and let the cards fall where they may. Good luck.

Never been in cambogia (except the border). But at this point I will.

I will ask to cambodia forum for more info... thanks.

Edited July 17, 2014 by manolothai

[BOS2BKK]

This strikes me as one of those "We'll know it when we see it" type scenarios. If you are scouring Thai visa trying to find the bare minimum stay across a border to re-enter...then guess what, you are one of the I/O people they don't want back.

Something tells me flip flops and a beer Chang tank top walking across the Bridge in Nong Kai will get you an I/O stamp alot faster than arriving on a Lufthansa flight from Germany. I bet the immigration desks at Swampy won't even have the I/O stamps on hand.

What's an I/O stamp? Do you mean visa exempt stamp?

Of course immigration will have this stamp. The vast majority of incoming tourists use visa exempt entry. What these legitimate tourists don't do is visa runs. They go back home and stay there for the remainder of the year after their holiday in Thailand has finished.

These are not the people immigration are targeting. The target are people that do visa runs.

Read the original article. They said "Visa runners" will receive an "In/Out" or I/O stamp in their passport to mark them as abusers of the system. If you're going to try to correct someone be right.

[LazyYogi]

I've been a tourist (or "tourist" for those of you with a time based definition of the word) in SEA (8 countries) for the last 5 years. I do not work. I use saved money from an EU country. I'm not 50 yet.

This is what I have in my current passport:

* TR visa (double entry) issued in May 2013 in Savannakhet, and used for two entries plus two extensions until November 2013, when I entered Malaysia.

* A three day visa exempt visit in Thailand in February 2014, and

* a TR visa (single entry) issued in May 2014 in Penang. It's now active and extended until August 12.

So some of my options are:

* Leave and spend my money elsewhere (which is fine for me).

* Go to Laos on holiday for a few weeks and also get a new tourist visa (and keep touring in Thailand).

* Study Thai and get an ED visa.

* Look for a job and get a work permit + non imm.

I would like to hear from you guys about my chances to do the TR in Laos alternative. Will I have trouble getting back in? How long should I stay in Laos before applying?

If you've got the money saved up to travel around for years on end without working—I envy you

And I can't imagine why you'd want to chose the option of looking for a job and getting a work permit.

The ED visa option might be good if you like staying in Thailand—you an learn a lot about the country by learning the language.

For people who do want to work, but aren't keen on English teaching, I saw that there are some companies that have found a way to legally hire staff to do outsourcing programming work. Here's one example in Chiang Mai. That might be an option for some who have been doing freelancing up until now.

[thaibeachlovers]

Looks like a lot of foreigners are either leaving or will have to get married, have a child or get a retirement visa.

condos will be selling for peanuts soon

As usual condos will stay empty for years,but still ask top price.Dont know how or why they do it,but they do.

The condos are paid for and the owners know if they start selling them cheap, the whole market will plummet. Just wait until next upturn.

It's the new and current projects that'll take the hit. Projects that have started building but are not yet fully sold. They might end up never being built to completion and people will be losing their deposits.

Once again I am boggled that any farang would buy an uncompleted anything in Thailand, given the record of Thailand. Some people must walk around with the saffron glasses on.

Wait till the western media cotton onto the fact that this is a major story, and all the stories come out about tourists with valid visas being turned away.

As usual, bureaucrats changing things without any warning, information, cohesive instructions or sense.

[KarenBravo]

The only people that were turned away that had a tourist visa weren't valid tourists. They all had a history of back-to-back visa exemption stamps, or back-to-back tourist visas.

In other words, they weren't genuine tourists.

[thailiketoo]

Once again I am boggled that any farang would buy an uncompleted anything in Thailand, given the record of Thailand. Some people must walk around with the saffron glasses on.

Wait till the western media cotton onto the fact that this is a major story, and all the stories come out about tourists with valid visas being turned away.

As usual, bureaucrats changing things without any warning, information, cohesive instructions or sense.

You get the prize. What do the Western media need to make a story? Or. Why isn't this already a major story?

[thaibeachlovers]

The only people that were turned away that had a tourist visa weren't valid tourists. They all had a history of back-to-back visa exemption stamps, or back-to-back tourist visas.

In other words, they weren't genuine tourists.

In the opinion of the I O, and none of us know.

If they contravened the law, they shouldn't have been sold a visa, and I thought it wasn't being enforced till August.

The reasonable thing to do would be to allow them in and tell them it was the last time, not be ( deleted ) about it.

[AYJAYDEE]

The only people that were turned away that had a tourist visa weren't valid tourists. They all had a history of back-to-back visa exemption stamps, or back-to-back tourist visas.

In other words, they weren't genuine tourists.

In the opinion of the I O, and none of us know.

If they contravened the law, they shouldn't have been sold a visa, and I thought it wasn't being enforced till August.

The reasonable thing to do would be to allow them in and tell them it was the last time, not be ( deleted ) about it.

what they should have done is immaterial. they did what they did and everyone better be aware of it because it will happen again

[thaibeachlovers]

The only people that were turned away that had a tourist visa weren't valid tourists. They all had a history of back-to-back visa exemption stamps, or back-to-back tourist visas.

In other words, they weren't genuine tourists.

In the opinion of the I O, and none of us know.

If they contravened the law, they shouldn't have been sold a visa, and I thought it wasn't being enforced till August.

The reasonable thing to do would be to allow them in and tell them it was the last time, not be ( deleted ) about it.

what they should have done is immaterial. they did what they did and everyone better be aware of it because it will happen again

Agreed, but they should at least follow their OWN directive and wait till August 12 to enforce the new policy. They only get away with it because no one can sue them.

[paddyjenkins]

This strikes me as one of those "We'll know it when we see it" type scenarios. If you are scouring Thai visa trying to find the bare minimum stay across a border to re-enter...then guess what, you are one of the I/O people they don't want back.

Something tells me flip flops and a beer Chang tank top walking across the Bridge in Nong Kai will get you an I/O stamp alot faster than arriving on a Lufthansa flight from Germany. I bet the immigration desks at Swampy won't even have the I/O stamps on hand.

What's an I/O stamp? Do you mean visa exempt stamp?

Of course immigration will have this stamp. The vast majority of incoming tourists use visa exempt entry. What these legitimate tourists don't do is visa runs. They go back home and stay there for the remainder of the year after their holiday in Thailand has finished.

These are not the people immigration are targeting. The target are people that do visa runs.

t are

Read the original article. They said "Visa runners" will receive an "In/Out" or I/O stamp in their passport to mark them as abusers of the system. If you're going to try to correct someone be right.

These kinds of comments are useless. A definition of "in/out" is needed, from an informed source. Does it mean same day exit and entry, does it mean a few days apart, a few weeks apart...a few months apart?

There are many people who are rich enough to be able to travel many times a year without working and certainly not working illegally for peanuts in Thailand. Just because someone has many entry stamps doesn't mean they are working illegally or abusing anything. If immigration are so concerned about illegal workers then why don't they send out investigators to pick up illegal workers, not target every single person who happens to visit Thailand multiple times per year. Talk about throwing out the baby with the bath water, this is just plain dumb.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[AYJAYDEE]

The only people that were turned away that had a tourist visa weren't valid tourists. They all had a history of back-to-back visa exemption stamps, or back-to-back tourist visas.

In other words, they weren't genuine tourists.

In the opinion of the I O, and none of us know.

If they contravened the law, they shouldn't have been sold a visa, and I thought it wasn't being enforced till August.

The reasonable thing to do would be to allow them in and tell them it was the last time, not be ( deleted ) about it.

what they should have done is immaterial. they did what they did and everyone better be aware of it because it will happen again

Agreed, but they should at least follow their OWN directive and wait till August 12 to enforce the new policy. They only get away with it because no one can sue them.

they get away with it because they are the government and can do what they please. everyone is so concerned about what they SHOULD do rather than what they can and WILL do.