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Holiday in Thailand could end for expats


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About as good a job of summing up the situation, in a balanced and unemotional manner, as I've seen.  And with all the different threads and posts on this topic since this all started back in April, that's definitely an accomplishment.  

 

Thanks.

 

 

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Where is the magical line that separates the good tourist contributing to the Thai economy and the criminal abusing the system?


Magical line is at 4 weeks in any 1 year (for US citizens).
After that you're not a tourist.

How much leave does an employed person working in a normal job, get in your home country?
(If you answer 6 weeks, then that should set the magical line for your countrymen)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_statutory_minimum_employment_leave_by_country

 

 

So a Brit working one month on and one month off in his own Country will fall foul of the new rules ?

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So a Brit working one month on and one month off in his own Country will fall foul of the new rules ?

 

No. A problem can only occur if an immigration official does not understand the new rule correctly or deliberately chooses not to implement it correctly, ie through incompetence or abuse of authority.

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So a Brit working one month on and one month off in his own Country will fall foul of the new rules ?

 
No. A problem can only occur if an immigration official does not understand the new rule correctly or deliberately chooses not to implement it correctly, ie through incompetence or abuse of authority.


If I were the immigration official, I would consider the worker to be attempting to live in Thailand while working in another country (in this case the UK). As he does not have the correct VISA to be living in Thailand, I would refuse him entry.
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So a Brit working one month on and one month off in his own Country will fall foul of the new rules ?

 
No. A problem can only occur if an immigration official does not understand the new rule correctly or deliberately chooses not to implement it correctly, ie through incompetence or abuse of authority.

 


If I were the immigration official, I would consider the worker to be attempting to live in Thailand while working in another country (in this case the UK). As he does not have the correct VISA to be living in Thailand, I would refuse him entry.

 

 

If I were the immigration official and saw someone entering the country on the passport of another country, I would consider them a visitor to my country. If the visitor wasn't flagged by the computer system, I would grant them entry. Unless otherwise directed.

 

Therein lies the problem. As above, two different views on the same subject from the sidelines. While the individual immigration official is allowed to make the call of their own back, there will always be doubt.

 

If the purpose of the visa exempt stamp is directed towards visitors, then how is it being abused if the visitor doesn't overstay their 30 days exemption?

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So a Brit working one month on and one month off in his own Country will fall foul of the new rules ?

 
No. A problem can only occur if an immigration official does not understand the new rule correctly or deliberately chooses not to implement it correctly, ie through incompetence or abuse of authority.

 


If I were the immigration official, I would consider the worker to be attempting to live in Thailand while working in another country (in this case the UK). As he does not have the correct VISA to be living in Thailand, I would refuse him entry.

 

 

Think you're missing the point. Not everyone works on an employed status and as such many guys take many months off because unlike many are not obessed with wealth and quite happily will holiday 6 months of the year
 

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So a Brit working one month on and one month off in his own Country will fall foul of the new rules ?

 
No. A problem can only occur if an immigration official does not understand the new rule correctly or deliberately chooses not to implement it correctly, ie through incompetence or abuse of authority.
If I were the immigration official, I would consider the worker to be attempting to live in Thailand while working in another country (in this case the UK). As he does not have the correct VISA to be living in Thailand, I would refuse him entry.

I doubt you'd pass the IQ test to be an immigration officer in the first place....which is really saying something


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand
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Where is the magical line that separates the good tourist contributing to the Thai economy and the criminal abusing the system?


Magical line is at 4 weeks in any 1 year (for US citizens).
After that you're not a tourist.

How much leave does an employed person working in a normal job, get in your home country?
(If you answer 6 weeks, then that should set the magical line for your countrymen)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_statutory_minimum_employment_leave_by_country

 

 

Hong Kongians vacations LOL really suck, 7 days per year! in Chile the usual was 15 days in the (Military Kingdom of Pinochet)  still my parents were abusers of the vacation system, we had vacations in valleys or near beaches to Santiago for 2-3 months. good times :)

 

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Look I obey Thai laws I have the correct visa a retirement visa I report as ordered every 90 days I fly in and out as I please. No problem. But you got these guys running boiler rooms drug selling operations, credit card scams, atm scams, and God knows what else. Paying bribes to officials to do as they please. I hope this get rid of that scum. It is no benefit to Thailand. But the new rule of reporting within 24 hours should be repealed. I do travel within the country and spend money but that will slow down or stop all together cause I hate going in to immigration for a short trip or visit. A waste of time for me.

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The problem with rotation work is that it varies greatly on the cycles, some highly intensive jobs will have more frequent cycles than others, and depending on location, some will be unbalanced, ie, either more time on location or more time off. Not every cycle is based on 28/28, and IMHO, it is the rotation workers who have more than 30 days off that are going to suffer through the visa exempt crack-down. Anything over 37 days (30 day exemption + 7 days extension), then people will need to think about the future situation.

 

As for using the visa exemption out of context, here is a personal example.

 

Although this is going back a few years, while I was working in Hong Kong we were working on a 8 day patrol cycle, 8 days at sea and 8 days alongside, with periodic breaks for maintenance periods. On the 8 days off, if we didn't have duties we could within reason do what we wanted. So at that time, with no duties to hinder me, I was spending more time in Thailand than I was in Hong Kong. Each entry on a visa exemption with never a word said.

 

I was not abusing the system but using the system as it was meant to be used, not back-to-back but frequent visitor. This was for almost 3 years. I can't see why it would be viewed any differently today, especially for rotation workers that will be in country for 30 days or less.

 

IMHO, maybe people are thinking too much about this.

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The problem with rotation work is that it varies greatly on the cycles, some highly intensive jobs will have more frequent cycles than others, and depending on location, some will be unbalanced, ie, either more time on location or more time off. Not every cycle is based on 28/28, and IMHO, it is the rotation workers who have more than 30 days off that are going to suffer through the visa exempt crack-down. Anything over 37 days (30 day exemption + 7 days extension), then people will need to think about the future situation.
 
As for using the visa exemption out of context, here is a personal example.
 
Although this is going back a few years, while I was working in Hong Kong we were working on a 8 day patrol cycle, 8 days at sea and 8 days alongside, with periodic breaks for maintenance periods. On the 8 days off, if we didn't have duties we could within reason do what we wanted. So at that time, with no duties to hinder me, I was spending more time in Thailand than I was in Hong Kong. Each entry on a visa exemption with never a word said.
 
I was not abusing the system but using the system as it was meant to be used, not back-to-back but frequent visitor. This was for almost 3 years. I can't see why it would be viewed any differently today, especially for rotation workers that will be in country for 30 days or less.
 
IMHO, maybe people are thinking too much about this.


i guess we will start finding out in 6 days time
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So a Brit working one month on and one month off in his own Country will fall foul of the new rules ?

 

No. A problem can only occur if an immigration official does not understand the new rule correctly or deliberately chooses not to implement it correctly, ie through incompetence or abuse of authority.

 

 

Or to put it another way:

 

...A problem can occur unless the immigration officer fully understands the new rules correctly and chooses to implement them correctly, i.e., not through incompetence or abuse of authority.

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He had to cancel plans for a $6,000 medical operation and switch to a hospital in Singapore.
 
Bullshit.
For a medical visitor, it would be easy to apply for a visa in his homecountry.
I just got a 6 months visa, just for the reason of traveling and visiting friends in Thailand.
Visa issued in Thai consulate in Antwerp Belgium


If you were panning a medical procedure, you might think twice about arranging it in a country that may deny you entry. If Thailand is potentially, like some kind of lottery, going to bar entry and mess people about based on too many past visits, even if not back to back, then arranging that procedure in a more trustworthy country makes perfect sense to me. Why assume it's BS? Just think for a few moments, it makes sense.

As for arranging to apply for a special visa, who wants to go to that trouble, if before a 30 day stamp was all that was necessary. And by the way, what is this special 6 month visiting friends and traveling visa you mention...sounds like dream you had last night...WAKE UP...BACK TO REALITY!


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

 

 

I thought a medical visa could be applied for? I certainly wouldn't want to come to Thailand on a visa waiver for a medical procedure not knowing how long it will take for me to recover and being treated as any other tourist. I'm sure you can get some kind of medical visa, probably a non-imm B single entry 90 day visa for that purpose. Some gulf nationals get 90 days if they present the documents the hospital has given them on entry. So any medical tourist should think carefully about getting the right visa. They may only be coming for cosmetic surgery that takes less than a week all-in-all but having a proper visa issued provides peace of mind and is consistent with the purpose of entry. A 30 day stamp does NOT cover all purposes of entry just because they may be less than 30 days. I would still get a medical visa for a 4 day stay even if I could have entered using a 30 day stamp.
 

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The problem with rotation work is that it varies greatly on the cycles, some highly intensive jobs will have more frequent cycles than others, and depending on location, some will be unbalanced, ie, either more time on location or more time off. Not every cycle is based on 28/28, and IMHO, it is the rotation workers who have more than 30 days off that are going to suffer through the visa exempt crack-down. Anything over 37 days (30 day exemption + 7 days extension), then people will need to think about the future situation.
 
As for using the visa exemption out of context, here is a personal example.
 
Although this is going back a few years, while I was working in Hong Kong we were working on a 8 day patrol cycle, 8 days at sea and 8 days alongside, with periodic breaks for maintenance periods. On the 8 days off, if we didn't have duties we could within reason do what we wanted. So at that time, with no duties to hinder me, I was spending more time in Thailand than I was in Hong Kong. Each entry on a visa exemption with never a word said.
 
I was not abusing the system but using the system as it was meant to be used, not back-to-back but frequent visitor. This was for almost 3 years. I can't see why it would be viewed any differently today, especially for rotation workers that will be in country for 30 days or less.
 
IMHO, maybe people are thinking too much about this.


i guess we will start finding out in 6 days time

 

 

Not quite - enforcement started back in May. In 6 days time they are supposed to become stringent at the airports too, but by all accounts they already have. There won't be any differences between now and then because enforcement has already begun.

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The title of the article should read "Holiday in Thailand could end for expats who VIOLATE Visa laws" clap2.gif   I say more power to the government in enforcing its visa laws, those expats who do not abide by them should be kicked out of the country thumbsup.gif  I just wish that the U.S. had leadership that would enforce our visa/immigration laws whistling.gif

 

The people who will be hit the most (excluding people who want to work illegally) are those younger people with a moderate income which is not enough to support them without working in their home country but who can live comfortably on the same income in Thailand.  I reckon for example that you could lead a comfortable basic life on the equivilent of £10,000 pa -  sure accommodation would be B&B standard, no car and simple life without luxuries - though many would count the beaches and weather as a major luxury!  To do the same in the UK for example would cost you double that with bad weather to go with it.  People like this are not undesirable - just not materialistic.  However with that kind of income (which could be earned for example by letting your property in the UK) you would not be able to satisfy any of the requirements to obtain a visa to live legally in Thailand unless you get married (then you would need a lot more money anyway!!)

 

Surely it would be much better to have a resident visa - renewable annually for about 10,000Bht that placed only the following conditions

1) Accommodation in Thailand as a registered address

2) No rescourse to any form of public funding or support

3) No right to take paid employment though I dont see why voluntary work or study should be excluded (in fact these could be encouraged)

4) No criminal activity - including begging

 

It is a shame that there are fewer and fewer places in the world where you can enjoy a simple basic life to get away from the stress of modern life in the west

 

 

That's why the retirees here are actually so happy, if you ask me.  Years ago when they came here, they felt 'in charge, entitled'...the 'great white man'.  Then, younger more attractive people started coming, and...voila, the old men didn't carry as much authority around with them.  Their baht couldn't make the difference when compared to the same baht from younger, more interesting (more attractive) people.  So the cry is 'riff raff', 'illegitimate', etc.  Maybe some day the old days will come back, huh?  Maybe the beautiful girls will like sitting next to old geezers again.  Uh huh.
 

 

sir

 

That is the most pathetic post i have EVER read on thaivisa, very pompous

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Anything over 37 days (30 day exemption + 7 days extension), then people will need to think about the future situation.


One piece of positive news out of all this is that they're upping the extension period to 30 days (from end of August I believe) so you can stay up to 60 days on a Visa Exempt stamp.
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Anything over 37 days (30 day exemption + 7 days extension), then people will need to think about the future situation.


One piece of positive news out of all this is that they're upping the extension period to 30 days (from end of August I believe) so you can stay up to 60 days on a Visa Exempt stamp.

 

 

Lol.  Yeah, assuming you get your 30-day stamp entering in the first place...    'Just have to wonder what differing requirements will be imposed by the various immigration offices around the country on those applying for these 30d extensions.   How many will wander out from the immigration offices with dazed looks on their faces and something OTHER than what they were expecting in their passports?   No matter.  Whatever it is, it will have "always been the law", right?

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If you know from the outset that you plan to stay in Thailand longer than 30 days you should get a tourist visa.

 

I think the problem will rear its ugly head at Check Ins whereby they have read of the extensions and have tickets for longer than 30 days and they'll encounter a world of issues at the Airline Counters.

I had problems as far back as 2004 with Emirates over basically the same issue

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No gambling allowed in Yhailand, but I bet, Bangkok will drop to number 3-5 next year.

Reason: all visa runners, who entry on tourist visas, up to 12 time a year, they will simply dissapear.

 

Next, actually a lot bigger problem:

When spread, and I will help (!), the new passport rule, will scare millions away. Yes millions!

Simply think you like to visit Thailand, maybe for the first time. And you get the information, you (and your whole family) can face 2 years in jail, not bringing your passport to the beach, shopping in Bangkok or in the late night party

 

I bet ;-)

If this law rules, forget about tourists! Maybe a drop 20-30%! 

Anyone of the junta reading this, think this over ;-)

 

And another 30% for the rule "no more than 6 months every 2 years"

If you have long winter holidays , because you have money to spend, you are unwelcomed in Thailand.

They don't want genuine tourists to come back or spend too much money, they want last minute tourists in an all-in 800 euros package, and never come back to Thailand.

If you have 20-30K euros to spend in 4-5 months winter holidays, you should pick another country, in Thailand they don't want you.

The only country in this planet where you are unwelcomed to come back as tourist. 

 

 

Oh my!! Max, please do me a favour and provide a link to that. The no more than 6 months in two years.

 

As you are adding 30% to the millions that will not come because of a passport ruling that has been returned to its normal state by Bkk immigration, I'm assuming that you are in the know about your 30% reduction in tourism numbers about people not being allowed in Thailand for more than 6 months in a two year period?

 

This no more than 6 months in 2 years is bullshit right? Not actually true.... is it...

 

 

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Myanmar and Laos illegals can work easy for 3000 or 4000 per month many of them cleaning, cooking or worst (yellow powder unable to speak thai or english)
 

And everyone teaching extreme sports, languages etc Thailand will be very very unattractive to live with all the visa mess, why they not ban prostitution instead?

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