Visa Run Rate Hike

[Joel Barlow]

Burmese officials at Tachilek now require $10 US or B500 to stamp you in and out. You are also photographed (at the Myanmar office)! Overstay remains B500/day, etc.

I wonder if they raised the price at Mae Sot, which was B500 when it was B250 at Tachilek.

Before the April elections, there was gvernmental discussion of limiting 30 day visa on entry to 4 or 6 times per year... Under the "caretaker government" no new policy initiatives are to be instituted (!?!) so this had not been implimented, but could be after the next election.

Tried to find concise details about all this today - failed.

www.police.go.th immigration link leads to nothing

www.immigration.go.th does have info, but in bureaucratize

I've been led to understand that if one opts for the retirement visa (over 50 yrs of age), one must have B800,000 permanently, untouchably, in a Thai bank account...

guess you get it back when you die

[chownah]

I don't know about them limiting 30 day visas but when I do is forgo the visa and just get an entry card.....there is a list of countries whose citizens are not required to get visas...they are mostly the economically successful countries like European countries and the US etc.......so if you don't get a visa then any limit on visas is no problem.

Edited August 14, 2006 by chownah

[erg]

Limbo..... move to visa topics please

[In the Rai!]

Burmese officials at Tachilek now require $10 US or B500 to stamp you in and out. You are also photographed (at the Myanmar office)! Overstay remains B500/day, etc.

I wonder if they raised the price at Mae Sot, which was B500 when it was B250 at Tachilek.

Before the April elections, there was gvernmental discussion of limiting 30 day visa on entry to 4 or 6 times per year... Under the "caretaker government" no new policy initiatives are to be instituted (!?!) so this had not been implimented, but could be after the next election.

Tried to find concise details about all this today - failed.

www.police.go.th immigration link leads to nothing

www.immigration.go.th does have info, but in bureaucratize

I've been led to understand that if one opts for the retirement visa (over 50 yrs of age), one must have B800,000 permanently, untouchably, in a Thai bank account...

guess you get it back when you die

Joel,

Wow B800,000 is this regardless of whether or not you have your own home or Thai wife. You (you and your wife) could own your house outright (meaning no money owed to a financial institution) and you still need to have the B800,000 left in the bank..

They certainly dont miss you do they!

In The Rai!

[Limbo]

Limbo..... move to visa topics please

The information about the rate hike has been mentioned already days ago in the special forum about Thai Visa, Residency and Work Permits.

All (...) information about visa can be found on that forum, also about the financial requirements.

As the rate hike is of more importance for Thaivisa members living here in the north of Thailand, as they probably choose the bordercrossing at Maesai/Tachilek for their visaruns, I found it appropriate to leave the topic in this local forum.

Limbo

[mumbojumbo]

I've been led to understand that if one opts for the retirement visa (over 50 yrs of age), one must have B800,000 permanently, untouchably, in a Thai bank account...

guess you get it back when you die

Joel,

Wow B800,000 is this regardless of whether or not you have your own home or Thai wife. You (you and your wife) could own your house outright (meaning no money owed to a financial institution) and you still need to have the B800,000 left in the bank..

They certainly dont miss you do they!

In The Rai!

Rai,

You can have a 10 mBt. house paid for, a 1mbt vehicle paid for, but you still need 800,000 bt. in bank when you apply or show you have 65k coming in to a thai bank monthly. The 800,000 can be touched during the year, as long as it is replenished by your next year extension time. A within 2 day of verification of amount letter from your bank is required, which costs 200 bt from most banks.

[soap]

Rai,

You can have a 10 mBt. house paid for, a 1mbt vehicle paid for, but you still need 800,000 bt. in bank when you apply or show you have 65k coming in to a thai bank monthly. The 800,000 can be touched during the year, as long as it is replenished by your next year extension time. A within 2 day of verification of amount letter from your bank is required, which costs 200 bt from most banks.

hello mumbo

lets face it mate if you have a 10mbt house paid for, and a 1 mbt vehicle paid for, and you dont have 800,000bt in the bank thats spare cash. i would say you dont trust the wife and divorce is written all over you.

i have had a marriage one year visa for over 14 years now,never had any problems with getting the visa just brought the paperwork up to mae sai and as long as everything as been in order within 6 weeks i have my one year visa , and i must stress excellent service from the mae sai immigration office.

rules our rules no matter were you go in the world, and one of the main reasons i have lived here for the past 15 years is to get away from the beaurocucy in bulk (excuse the spelling) that excists in the uk

[mumbojumbo]

hello mumbo

lets face it mate if you have a 10mbt house paid for, and a 1 mbt vehicle paid for, and you dont have 800,000bt in the bank thats spare cash. i would say you dont trust the wife and divorce is written all over you.

i have had a marriage one year visa for over 14 years now,never had any problems with getting the visa just brought the paperwork up to mae sai and as long as everything as been in order within 6 weeks i have my one year visa , and i must stress excellent service from the mae sai immigration office.

rules our rules no matter were you go in the world, and one of the main reasons i have lived here for the past 15 years is to get away from the beaurocucy in bulk (excuse the spelling) that excists in the uk

hello soap

The hypothetical 10m and 1m was to show assets don't count, and has nothing to do with wife trust and divorce. Besides, many people would like to keep this 800,000 spare cash in an overseas bank, where they can get better interest

[soap]

[

hello soap

The hypothetical 10m and 1m was to show assets don't count, and has nothing to do with wife trust and divorce. Besides, many people would like to keep this 800,000 spare cash in an overseas bank, where they can get better interest

hello mumbo

you did not say it was hypothetical, i am sure that there must be plenty of expats living in thailand with land/house/vehicle to the value of 11mb,when you consider that you can sell the likes of a dog kennel in london for over 200grand, and i am sure there must be plenty of people getting a better interest rate in a thai bank than they would be from a euro interest paying account

[In the Rai!]

Mumbo,

Thanks for the info. It is helpful. I knew the 10mb was just an example.

I wish I was in that position. I do have one more question though. You said that if you had a regular salary of 65,000bt coming in every Month than that would surfice. Is that correct!

Rai

[lopburi3]

The requirement for over age 50 extension of stay for retirement is 800k in a Thai bank account, pension of 65k per month as confirmed by your Embassy, or a combination of the two. If you have the pension there is no set amount that has to be in your bank account (although 44k has been required of at least one poster) and there is no requirement to transfer each month. If you use the 800k it only needs to be in the bank when you apply for the extension of stay - you are expected to live on it and replenish when needed - it does not have to be 800k on deposit for the year.

The process is easy complete in one visit. You provide passport with a non immigrant visa entry (if you entered on a 60 day tourist visa and have 21 days remaining it can be converted) and copies, a medical that you do not have the handful of diseases from a medical doctor (costs 50 baht to about 300 baht depending on source), the letter from your Embassy if using pension and the letter from bank providing the amount on deposit along with copies of bank passbook. Cost is 1,900 baht and you fill out a TM.7 form which can be downloaded and 4x6cm current photo attached. Upcountry two copies of everything may be required but not sure on that. You immediately receive the extension of stay. After this you do have to report your address each 90 days when in Thailand on a form TM.47 and to exit Thailand will require a re-entry permit (available from any immigration office for 1,000 baht single or 3,800 baht for unlimited entries) to keep your extension of stay alive.

[mumbojumbo]

Mumbo,

Thanks for the info. It is helpful. I knew the 10mb was just an example.

I wish I was in that position. I do have one more question though. You said that if you had a regular salary of 65,000bt coming in every Month than that would surfice. Is that correct!

Rai

I think that is the number, but the pension, or other should be coming here. There is another verification system if deposited elsewhere, but heard it is a paper nightmare. Check with immigration or i think the info is on this forum somewhere. P.S. Wish i had the 10m and1m.

P.S 2 Missed the previous post which expains it very good. Thanks Lop.

Edited August 16, 2006 by mumbojumbo

[In the Rai!]

Thanks again Mumbo and Lop

In The Rai!

[thomas3940]

Letter from the bank? I heard someone got 5 letters at the same time with no dates! I believe there is a fee for such service?

[lopburi3]

You will need a letter of your account balance current within the week and it should agree with the last entry on your passbook. This can be obtained at your bank branch and can either be signed by them or obtained from there HQ. There is a 200 baht charge for this service. The original has to be submitted to immigration each year.

[Maui John]

I don't know about them limiting 30 day visas but when I do is forgo the visa and just get an entry card.....there is a list of countries whose citizens are not required to get visas...they are mostly the economically successful countries like European countries and the US etc.......so if you don't get a visa then any limit on visas is no problem.

But you still get stamped thus there is a record in your passport of how many times you have entered on the tourist exemption. I think this what the original poster was refering to when he mistakenly called it a "30 day visa". Isn't it an issue of semantics?

[chownah]

I don't know about them limiting 30 day visas but when I do is forgo the visa and just get an entry card.....there is a list of countries whose citizens are not required to get visas...they are mostly the economically successful countries like European countries and the US etc.......so if you don't get a visa then any limit on visas is no problem.

But you still get stamped thus there is a record in your passport of how many times you have entered on the tourist exemption. I think this what the original poster was refering to when he mistakenly called it a "30 day visa". Isn't it an issue of semantics?

Actually, I think it is not a matter of semantics. I have heard that there is a limit for the number of tourist visas one can have consecutively but I have been living in Thailand for about 5 years now and I have only had one or two tourist visas during that time.....all the other times I have gone to the border every 30 days and entered with no visa. As far as I can tell there is a difference between entering with a visa and entering with no visa.....when they tighten up on the visas it does not apply to those who enter without one....as far as I can tell.

[Chiang Rai Guy]

What exactly do you mean you entered Thailand with "no" visa, chownah? Everyone must have a visa to enter the kingdom. Unless you have a particular type of business, marriage visa, etc. with a re-entry permit. Even then, though, they still stamp you into the country.

Edited August 22, 2006 by Chiang Rai Guy

[In the Rai!]

Yes must have gotten a visa Chownah,

That stamp that goes onto your passport from immigration is a visa that they give on arrival, (or are you saying that dont stamp your passport at all?) I was under the impression that that was the tourist visa.

Are you sure you are not confusing it with the re entry visa (permit)?

In The Rai!

[cm das]

As I read the sign at the border in Mae Sai, the 30 day stamp is a Transit Visa, not a Tourist Visa.

[Limbo]

As I read the sign at the border in Mae Sai, the 30 day stamp is a Transit Visa, not a Tourist Visa.

There is a lot of confusion about these things.

Maybe a visit to

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?act=SF&f=1

might do the trick

Limbo

[chownah]

Go to any Thai embassy (or look at their website) and you will find a list of country whose citizens may enter Thailand for a maximum of 30 days without a visa. A transit visa is something else entirely. The stamp in your passport is not a visa(a visa takes up an entire page)....and even the card which they staple in your passport is not a visa.

Chownah

P.S. I went out to the Thai Embassy web site to here:

http://www.thaiembdc.org/index.htm

and found this:

Nationals of the following countries may enter Thailand without a visa in accordance with Ministry of Interior's regulation for a maximum stay of 30 days for purpose of Tourism only:-

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRIA

BAHRAIN

BELGIUM

BRAZIL

BRUNEI

CANADA

DENMARK

FINLAND

FRANCE

GERMANY

GREECE (Helenic Republic)

HONG KONG

INDONESIA

ICELAND

IRELAND

ISRAEL

ITALY

JAPAN

KOREA, Rep. of

KUWAIT

LUXEMBOURG

MALAYSIA

NETHERLANDS

NEW ZEALAND

NORWAY

OMAN

PERU

PHILIPPINES

PORTUGAL

QATAR

SINGAPORE

SOUTH AFRICA

SPAIN

SWEDEN

SWITZERLAND

TURKEY

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

VIETNAM

The key words here are "WITHOUT A VISA"

Chownah

[goski]

Yes, the 30 days that people from different countries get when entering the kingdom is not a visa. A tourist visa on the other hand is the ususally 60 days that you have to apply for and they also stick it in your passport.

Very different thing. Haven't seen any people with 30 days getting that piece of paper saying "The Kingdom of Thailand" in their passports?