Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

I have been living in Thailand for the last 10 years. I am single, under 50, work on my own, and i have used up all of my Education Visa options for the last 7 years (two languages already) I want to continue living here in Thailand but i dont know how i can without a good visa option. With the new restrictions on ED visa, not married to a Thai, no company or actual work here, what would be my best option for a visa? Perhaps others are in the same situation, so an active discussion may be really helpful.

Thank You

There are countless discussions on this subject, and is has been analyzed until exhaustion.

Your only choices are either to fit into a category eligible for 1 year extensions of stay, or pay 500K Bt for 5 years TE card, or stay on double entry tourist visa from Laos, possibly on triple entry from Bali or your home country.

I recommend a next time you avoid mentioning your "employment" situation to avoid being told that you're working illegally and get the thread off-topic.

Edited March 3, 201511 yr by paz

Thanks very much for the help. I realize it's been covered to some extent however the new restrictions, I thought maybe there might also be some new choices. My income is generated from outside the country as I know working here is illegal. Thanks again.

get a tourist visa, buy a TE or start a company and get a non-B

or try another asian country

i hear Bali is nice

Can't you study 3rd language on a new ED visa? What's the actual limit on the number of years on an ED visa?

Living in Thailand for 10 years, earning money but not paying tax.

My income is generated from outside the country as I know working here is illegal. Thanks again.

Reading the comments, now you see what I meant? There is people here that eaten alive by envy and bitterness.

My income is generated from outside the country as I know working here is illegal. Thanks again.

Reading the comments, now you see what I meant? There is people here that eaten alive by envy and bitterness.

Ahh yes, i see what you mean now. Always going to be haters. FYI: I pay plenty of taxes and have done my part for the local Thai economy over the years. I spend money here, not make it here.

Tourist Visa are still a option.

Single from Malaysia, Double from Laos, Triple from Bali or Home country.

Other Embassies issue Single or Double depending on their policies.

Enjoy your stay

Tourist Visa are still a option.

Single from Malaysia, Double from Laos, Triple from Bali or Home country.

Other Embassies issue Single or Double depending on their policies.

Enjoy your stay

Thanks very much. Its good to know thats still an option, even after so long.

After a few back-to-back tourist visas, be prepared to dispel a possible suspicion on the part of a Thai consulate that you are working illegally in Thailand by showing evidence that you cover your cost of living in Thailand with money remitted to Thailand from abroad, for example:

1. Your Thai bank's credit advice or credit receipt for each incoming remittance over the past 12 months. Your bank will print this out on request.
   
2. Your Thai savings account book showing withdrawals from your account over the past 12 months to cover your living expenses.

P.S. And never say you are working in Thailand. You are applying for a tourist visa to travel to Thailand for the purpose of tourism, and that, and nothing else, is what you will doing in Thailand as far as anybody is concerned.

One unhelpful and off-topic post has been removed from this thread.

What makes you think ed visa is not an option? Ive been on ed visa 7 years studying thai. Just got a new ed visa then extension. didnt have an issue. whoever told u you cant do it is lying to you.

My income is generated from outside the country as I know working here is illegal. Thanks again.

Reading the comments, now you see what I meant? There is people here that eaten alive by envy and bitterness.

Didn't take long 555.

After a few back-to-back tourist visas, be prepared to dispel a possible suspicion on the part of a Thai consulate that you are working illegally in Thailand by showing evidence that you cover your cost of living in Thailand with money remitted to Thailand from abroad, for example:

1. Your Thai bank's credit advice or credit receipt for each incoming remittance over the past 12 months. Your bank will print this out on request.

2. Your Thai savings account book showing withdrawals from your account over the past 12 months to cover your living expenses.

P.S. And never say you are working in Thailand. You are applying for a tourist visa to travel to Thailand for the purpose of tourism, and that, and nothing else, is what you will doing in Thailand as far as anybody is concerned.

I do not use a Thai bank or work here, I generate income outside Thailand from my investments and use an ATM card for expenses here. However, I can show the Thai ATM withdrawals on my Stateside bank.

What makes you think ed visa is not an option? Ive been on ed visa 7 years studying thai. Just got a new ed visa then extension. didnt have an issue. whoever told u you cant do it is lying to you.

Actually a few schools have told me that English and Thai are really the only ones that they are allowing to use Visas, as well as everything i have read recently, it just seems to be a huge problem now, with the continued restrictions (I do realize these rules & regulations are changing weekly and it all depends on who you ask.) As a native english speaker, with 3 years of Thai and 3 Years of Russian , I want a stable option and not a 'hope I get the visa extension'. Something i can count on year in, and year out. Thank you for your input

My income is generated from outside the country as I know working here is illegal. Thanks again.

Reading the comments, now you see what I meant? There is people here that eaten alive by envy and bitterness.

Ahh yes, i see what you mean now. Always going to be haters. FYI: I pay plenty of taxes and have done my part for the local Thai economy over the years. I spend money here, not make it here.

This is one of the things that will keep this a third world country, typical Thai mentality. Geniune people suffer because Thailand wants to make sure no one is coming in to the country to work illegally, and quite rightly so, but they do not have the mentality to enforce rules that could prevent illegal workers coming in, and allow genuine people like the OP to contribute to their economy.

As long as you speak thai and at a recognised school you will always get an extension. Dont know what the big worry is

As long as you speak thai and at a recognised school you will always get an extension. Dont know what the big worry is

You might be exactly right. Last year no problem with Russian at all, although immigration did call the owner of my house to make sure i was living there. LOL

If you are genuinely learning Thai then there is no reason why you can’t get another ED visa. If you’re already fluent and can read and write then just switch to tourist visas.

It’s a bit of a pain, but each entry can by keep you here for 3 months with an extension, so a double entry visa gives you about 6 months. You should be good for at least 3 tourist visas before questions are asked which will give you about 18 months. if you get a new passport along the way or use two passports you could probably extend that to 2 or 3 years.

Edited March 4, 201511 yr by ubonjoe
Changed to default font

Troll and unhelpful posts and replies to them have been removed.

When will you be 50? If soon I would just go with tourist visas. If not go with the elite visa.

Thanks very much for the help. I realize it's been covered to some extent however the new restrictions, I thought maybe there might also be some new choices. My income is generated from outside the country as I know working here is illegal. Thanks again.

You clearly understand that working here is illegal (without a permit), but you seem to be under the impression that “work on your own” is ok. It’s not. If you carry out an activity in Thailand that could be defined as work you need a work permit, and it doesn’t matter that your income is generated abroad.

So it’s important that you never disclose to the authorities that you work in Thailand. You’re a tourist or studying.

The authorities are very unlikely to cause you any grief if your work isn’t Thailand related, but if they did decide to investigate you could be deported or worse. There are some on this forum that don’t want to accept this reality, but it's important you know the full facts, and don’t continue thinking your rationale makes your work legal.

so one can get a ED visa to learn English in thailand ? not troll question, if so, i will pass immigration if they want to test me ... not native, but been speaking english for the last 30 years

so i go and speak with a french accent, or with a east-european kind of English ?

As long as you speak thai and at a recognised school you will always get an extension. Dont know what the big worry is

The worry is that is has now a 50 - 60K cost, with visits to immigration every 90 days, and a visa run every year. Not attractive.

Studying a language different than Thai is even more expensive.

Edited March 4, 201511 yr by paz

Can you open a small business? A coffee stand or something? And let a Thai run it for you?

Can you open a small business? A coffee stand or something? And let a Thai run it for you?

How would that help?

Thai Elite Card, see web.

Can you open a small business? A coffee stand or something? And let a Thai run it for you?

How would that help?

It would help because then he would be eligible for a non-B visa... duh.

Can you open a small business? A coffee stand or something? And let a Thai run it for you?

How would that help?

It would help because then he would be eligible for a non-B visa... duh.

That would not allow him to get a non-b visa at any place nearby and it might even be the same back in his home country.