Penang Halts Issuance Of Double-entry Tourist Visas

[atcallan]

I don't believe Mr. Karr was visa runner or working illegally.

Quite a RANT there, atcallan!

Mr Karr, had not been working long enough to have a proper visa. He had worked at a number of schools in BK, but thay had all got rid of him after a short period.......

yes he was still on a tourist visa.

i was out interviewing the teachers at his old school................. so i know.

[thaihome]

I think the official figure for tourism is 14 percent of the economy.

However, that is the TIP of the iceberg.

Imagine Isaan without the flows of farang money.

Lets get real here, the amount of HARD CURRENCY brought into Thailand via the sex and love trade is indeed very substantial.

Actually the official number is about 10% with unofficial numbers going to 15%.

I am not arguing that as you put the "sex and love trade is indeed very substantial", but you have to understand when compard to the overall economy, it is very insubstantial.

I think this whole thing is going to be a real drag for a number of people, but it is not a major Thailand economic issue.

TH

Edited September 15, 2006 by thaihome

[jdinasia]

Wow !

Another inflammatory first post from someone that hasn't thought it out!

errrrrrrrrrr......... which part exactly has not been thought out ?

I work in the media, and have interviewed several thai officials about this matter this week.......

let me guess, you must be one of those english teachers i was talking about.

Nope, not an Eng teacher But your post was entirely just poorly considered drivel

But nice to see someone that works in the "media" that can't make the quote function work!

Just for the record; isn't journalism one of those professions that you don't have to be paid to scale? Weren't the 2 examples you gave both "legal"? What does interviewing Thai "officials" have to do with this?

I talked to several Thai "officials" too! They have no idea exactly what is going on yet! But we are all happy to have a new troll on board

edit---- by the way a "tourist visa"? You talked to teachers and "know"?

Edited September 15, 2006 by jdinasia

[paulmw]

Wow !

Another inflammatory first post from someone that hasn't thought it out!

errrrrrrrrrr......... which part exactly has not been thought out ?

I work in the media, and have interviewed several thai officials about this matter this week.......

let me guess, you must be one of those english teachers i was talking about.

From an English teacher in the provinces lets try & be a bit more constructive as this concerns a great many people.

On seeing your post your grammar needs to be reveiwed.

Paul

[drummer]

Well well.......... it is all getting interesting. isn't it .............

Personally I think it is a good thing......... and it won't affect tourism revenue. Any tourist with money will have a short time off from work when they can come to Thailand.........nothing like 90 days !!!..........

Summer vacations? Year sabbaticals? I came out because I needed a change. I wanted to get as far away from the States as I could for a while. And you can bet that I'm still working from my savings, except for when I've had a work permitted job. Its just not worth picking up random jobs here - they pay crap!

I know people who have been here years............30 day visa again and again.........no tax paid. And most of them are dead beats.......so it will be good for Thailand to get rid of them.

If you are taking a moral standpoint, I can't argue with you. If you are arguing from any kind of economical point of view, you are simply misinformed.

They give the rest of us (legal farangs) a bad name

Not to sound jaded, but they are not the cause for farang's bad name in Thailand. You often see news reports of farang in Thailand with a horror movie soundtrack behind it. This has absolutely nothing to do with work permits. Thailand is your adopted home, eh? You should understand this already. Its not decent for a good girl to go out ith a farang. This has nothing to do with Work Permits or paying Taxes either. Nor does this have to do with visa runs or wannabee mafia types!

I:m not really complauining about Thailabnd per se - the sentiment is widespread in space and time and culture, but why call it something other than what it is?

Edited September 15, 2006 by drummer

[atcallan]

Wow !

Another inflammatory first post from someone that hasn't thought it out!

errrrrrrrrrr......... which part exactly has not been thought out ?

I work in the media, and have interviewed several thai officials about this matter this week.......

let me guess, you must be one of those english teachers i was talking about.

Nope, not an Eng teacher But your post was entirely just poorly considered drivel

But nice to see someone that works in the "media" that can't make the quote function work!

Just for the record; isn't journalism one of those professions that you don't have to be paid to scale? Weren't the 2 examples you gave both "legal"? What does interviewing Thai "officials" have to do with this?

I talked to several Thai "officials" too! They have no idea exactly what is going on yet! But we are all happy to have a new troll on board

edit---- by the way a "tourist visa"? You talked to teachers and "know"?

Of the two examples i gave, (ie; mr karr and one legged german)......... niether were legal.

BTW ......I think i've been to your bar.......... its the one in kamala with all the ugly girls isn't it ?

[simcity]

To my knowledge, the Non-Imm O visas are issued prusent to various lets call them sub-catagories (as the name implies, they are "other" visas for situations that don't fall neatly into one of the other visa classes (B or T). The situations include being a student, a monk, studying to be a monk, marrying a thai national, being a missionary, etc, however, I don't recall any of the "other" situations qualifying for this visa being someone not-yet 50, financially self-supporting from non-thai sources and wishing to reside in thailand. If I am wrong in this, I would love for someone to corect me. If anyone out there as applied for a non-imm O visa on the basis of basically the cretirea of the "retirement" extension but not yet being 50 years old it would be great news. However, I have never run into any such mention.

I am on a O visa , under 50, single !

i have a good consulate, off course a strong financial position, i think help me to get it !

but one has to realize not all consulate are the same , shop around !

I am not sure how hard it is to get it somewhere else!

first two years in thailand i have a NON B visa / the next 4 years i was on a 3*3 entries / now 3 years on a O visa !

i did change consulate

[pascharay]

i ran into a mate of mine yesterday and asked him waht kind of visa he had.

"An OS visa."

being unfamilar with this desingation I asked him from a little clarification.

"Overstay of 17 months." he smiled weakly like why bother with visa runs when you only have to pay 20k at the airport.

There are plenty of reasons, but I let him be happy in his world.

[FarangYaayYaaw]

To my knowledge, the Non-Imm O visas are issued prusent to various lets call them sub-catagories (as the name implies, they are "other" visas for situations that don't fall neatly into one of the other visa classes (B or T). The situations include being a student, a monk, studying to be a monk, marrying a thai national, being a missionary, etc, however, I don't recall any of the "other" situations qualifying for this visa being someone not-yet 50, financially self-supporting from non-thai sources and wishing to reside in thailand. If I am wrong in this, I would love for someone to corect me. If anyone out there as applied for a non-imm O visa on the basis of basically the cretirea of the "retirement" extension but not yet being 50 years old it would be great news. However, I have never run into any such mention.

Just today I went to a consulate in the US to get a double entry tourist visa for $50. The women noticed all the Thai stamps in my passport and asked if it might not be more convenient for me to get an "O" multiple entry visa for $125. I said 'sure' and she just changed the box I checked, took the cash, and gave me the visa. Cool.

[drummer]

I think the official figure for tourism is 14 percent of the economy.

However, that is the TIP of the iceberg.

Imagine Isaan without the flows of farang money.

Lets get real here, the amount of HARD CURRENCY brought into Thailand via the sex and love trade is indeed very substantial.

Actually the official number is about 10% with unofficial numbers going to 15%.

I am not arguing that as you put the "sex and love trade is indeed very substantial", but you have to understand when compard to the overall economy, it is very insubstantial.

I think this whole thing is going to be a real drag for a number of people, but it is not a major Thailand economic issue.

TH

And farangs only account for 3% of the biz.... Of course, Thai men generally don't keep many bar girls in Som Tam with steady cash deposits like many farang do...

[pschef]

Just today I went to a consulate in the US to get a double entry tourist visa for $50. The women noticed all the Thai stamps in my passport and asked if it might not be more convenient for me to get an "O" multiple entry visa for $125. I said 'sure' and she just changed the box I checked, took the cash, and gave me the visa. Cool.

Great post, best one Ine seen so far. very positive.

Edited September 15, 2006 by george

[opebo]

I think the official figure for tourism is 14 percent of the economy.

However, that is the TIP of the iceberg.

Imagine Isaan without the flows of farang money.

Lets get real here, the amount of HARD CURRENCY brought into Thailand via the sex and love trade is indeed very substantial.

Actually the official number is about 10% with unofficial numbers going to 15%.

I am not arguing that as you put the "sex and love trade is indeed very substantial", but you have to understand when compard to the overall economy, it is very insubstantial.

I think this whole thing is going to be a real drag for a number of people, but it is not a major Thailand economic issue.

TH

10-15% of the economy is enormously substantial. Even the loss of an industry that provided 1 or 2 percent of the economy would have quite a destructive effect on Thailand.

Of course the pain would tend to be focused, as it always is, among the poor, particularly as it would eliminate the only option poor women have to 'get ahead' in Thailand.

As in any economic downturn the owning class will be largely unaffected.

[PuaSai]

Why does it appear to be such a hardship for anyone who is under 50 and has some omney in the bank to simply get a 12 month multi entry Non Imm O visa which require nothing more than completing a couple of forms, apassport photo and a few thousand baht. Messing around with 30 day visas never made any sense at all to people in this situation.

I am new to all this and have a question. How does one get a 12 month multi entry Non Imm O visa? I have met a Thai woman I intend to marry her and have been supporting her. What is the process for this visa? Do you have to get it outside of Thailand or can you get it in Bangkok? I am working outside of Thailand right now in the big sand pit called Iraq. Any help would be greatly appreciated because as you all can understad, reviewing all this is overwhelming me...

Thank you for your help, ideas, etc...

[realthaideal]

Just today I went to a consulate in the US to get a double entry tourist visa for $50. The women noticed all the Thai stamps in my passport and asked if it might not be more convenient for me to get an "O" multiple entry visa for $125. I said 'sure' and she just changed the box I checked, took the cash, and gave me the visa. Cool.

And just where is this smart, Helpful consulate ? I want to know. But I don't want to spell it out too clear for Thai Imm snoops who might want to clamp down. Something like Aloha State or Golden Gates would do fine. Let's keep it cryptic and fun. But clear. And get some real info we can use if we do have to head back to our home countries for full visas. Thanks !

[jdinasia]

helping a troll <re: atcallan>... just aint worth it ..... post deleted

Edited September 15, 2006 by jdinasia

[Mooch_Zarathustra]

I've got a passport-full of two month tourist visas from Singapore. I've got a trip to Japan coming up. Does anyone have experience of applying for tourist visas there? I checked the website of the Embassy in Tokyo and Consulate in Osaka and it seems a bit severe - requirement for documents even for a tourist visa: 'Company employee must prepare company work certificate (Business card is not acceptable)' Does anyone have first hand experience? Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, I couldn't find anything. Thanks.

[banbrum]

Hull - could be part of a ship... but really it the short name for the UK city of Kingston-upon-Hull, and is often described by many Brits as place you LEAVE and not GO TO... a

It's a port on the North East, and hidden away on a new industrial estate, and hidden again within the offices of a Shipping Company you'll find, by asking, because any sign is hard to spot, that the front desk doubles up as The Royal Thai Consulate. No Thai nationals there, and you need to make an appontment, presumably so as to remember to prop the Consulate nameboard up near the main reception desk.

[Michel Chantraine]

helping a troll <re: atcallan>... just aint worth it ..... post deleted

Il y a des francais sur ce forum?

[dsfbrit]

a couple of things.

First the sunbelt said that they wil be checking into "sham" marriages. so do u want take the chance ? If so

If you try and set up a Thai company they will catch you as they are invesgating ALL thai companies that have an Farang in them. That is what worries the property developers here in Phuket. Since they started this investigating very very few homes have sold cause no longer can u set up a thai companies with nomines to be able to buy a home OR get a Type B visa

My suggestion.

Get a really tight prenup. get married at the Amphur.

get your marriage paper translated into english and certified

Get Divorced

The 2 officies do not comunicate

You will always have your marriage paper to present to the embassy in Singapore where you can EASILY get a 1 year multiple Type "O" visa.

IF you try and get the 1 year extension IN Thailand they will have ask your "wife" to come in.

BUT they will never ask to see her if your applying for a multi type "O" outside thailand.

Leave thailand every 3 months as required and come back. After your one year is up go back to Singapore or wherever and get a new 1 year mutiple entry.

Then your home free until you turn 50 then get your one year extension as a retirement visa

It is not rocket science.

Apparently, for the under 50 cashed-up single guy, the options are two: (1) Get married. This is probably the cheapest and least pain in the butt option (as long as your chosen is low-maintenance). As I have lived here 5+ years, the nitelife scene is really deminimus to my reasons for staying here so maybe I will finally have to bite the bullet. Far more important is the generally friendly people (jing-jing), the low cost of living, and fairly good infrustructure and health care. (2) The other option I guess as some people have mentioned is to form a legit company and do some kind of small business or consulting or something and along with that get a WP. However, many report that this is very much a pain in the arse process, expensive, and maybe in the end you may not get a 1-year renewal visa extension anyway. Seems sorta high-risk option.

Question: If one does the marriage thing and it goes tits-up at some point, would your 1-year extension based on that marriage be non-renewable when it expires? I would assume so and one would be unable to obtain another 1-year extension of a non-imm visa based on marriage until and unless one got remarried!!!

Can anyone think of any other options I have missed?

[miayai]

I`ve been doing visa runs every month for 2 years now and my next visa runs out next month when I`ll be 8 months pregnant. My partner is Thai and we had discussed marriage but were going to leave it until a few years later but now it looks like we`ll be going to Bangkok next week to get married. Is there any way around this though because I don`t feel ready to get married yet but it looks like there really is no choice.. or do they make exceptions for pregnant farang women who can't fly?

[Big Dogster]

Why does it appear to be such a hardship for anyone who is under 50 and has some omney in the bank to simply get a 12 month multi entry Non Imm O visa which require nothing more than completing a couple of forms, apassport photo and a few thousand baht. Messing around with 30 day visas never made any sense at all to people in this situation.

Hey hey, onlooker says everyone can get a 12 month non-immi multi entry visa, Yee Haa! Time to party, this guy has saved our day

[Capealava]

Penang halts issuance of double-entry tourist visas

PHUKET: -- The Royal Thai Consulate in neighboring Penang, Malaysia, has stopped issuing double-entry tourist visas for Thailand. The only tourist visa currently available there is a 60-day single-entry one.

An official at the consulate this afternoon told the Gazette that Consul Pramote Pramoonsab had issued an order to cease issuance of double-entry tourist visas.

Other visa categories are unaffected by the order, the official added.

The Royal Thai Consulate in Kota Bharu and the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur are, for the time being, still issuing double-entry tourist visas.

Fareeda Chewae of the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur warned that this may change in the near future, however.

The Gazette contacted the consulates following the news that from October 1 Thai Immigration willlimit to three the number of visas on arrival it s officers will issue at Immigration checkpoints in Thailand.

To cope with the new policy, many long-stay “tourists” who currently do ‘visa runs’ every month are looking for alternative ways to spend more than three months with their families or friends in Thailand. As a possible short term solution to the problem, some foreigners had been contemplating short trips to Penang where they would obtain multiple-entry tourist visas that would not go against their limit of three visas “on arrival [in Thailand]”.

The chiefs of all Immigration offices will meet in Bangkok tomorrow to discuss the details of the new Immigration policy, after which they will make a much-awaited statement.

While intended as a crackdown measure on foreigners working illegally in the county, the policy has created widespread concern across broad segments of the foreign community in Phuket, particularly among the large numbers who do not work and have no interest in working.

Perceived correctly or incorrectly as a move to discourage foreigners from spending much time here, the new policy has alarmed local residents, both Thai and foreign, about the future of Thailand’s all-important tourism and property development industries.

--Phuket Gazette 2006-09-14

Are multiple entry visa such as from Thai consulate in USA affected. I come every year to Thailand and stay 5 to 8 months on Tourist visa obtained in USA. I have gotten up to 4 entries. I am assuming this new ruling only effects the 30 day arrival visa people> Is that correct.

[Big Dogster]

JonnieB, think you have hit the nail on the head there, could not agree more. Enforcing existing laws is the way to go. I don't think Thailand can afford to loose its income from tourism, and tightening up regulations in a country whose main income is tourism (unofficial figures) is not a smart move. Those working illigally will mostly be English teachers, and the income and reliability of work in this trade is hardly going to make anyone rich? PS: I am not an English teacher.

Bingo pal, if it's illegal workers they are so concerned about then hire a boatload of checkers to go around to all places where this is believed to be going on and check it out. When they come upon the illegal worker, give him a grace period to get his situation in order or face consequences. How hard is this?

[Big Dogster]

I got an "O" 1-year multiple re-entry visa at the Thai consulate in Boston, Massachusetts in the USA. I also could have got the same visa at the Thai consulate in Atlanta, Georgia, USA (I didn't because of logistical reasons). It cost $125 dollars and was done in 5 minutes. I hope to do the same at a nearby consulate (Perhaps Laos, Cambodia, etc.). I am under 50. I hope this helps answer some questions and it seems easier than making border runs and trying to re-up tourist visas.

I can guarantee you will not be getting another Non O at a nearby embassy consulate, I'm talking a guarantee. Do you know how many people have tried with endless financial resources? No, I didn't think you knew. You don't fitinto a category, you are not eligible for that visa. You got lucky as the Hull dudes have. Sorry Charlie

[Roobar]

I`ve been doing visa runs every month for 2 years now and my next visa runs out next month when I`ll be 8 months pregnant. My partner is Thai and we had discussed marriage but were going to leave it until a few years later but now it looks like we`ll be going to Bangkok next week to get married. Is there any way around this though because I don`t feel ready to get married yet but it looks like there really is no choice.. or do they make exceptions for pregnant farang women who can't fly?

I was told you could extend your visa at Suanplu when you are over 26 weeks pregnant. They are not able to put an overstayed woman who is pregnant in jail, because there is no overstay penalty for the kid under certain age. Edited September 15, 2006 by Roobar

[Big Dogster]

Where is the HUGE UPROAR from Thai landlords, owners of hotels,longstay bungalows, visa run companies, etc?!? This is going to mean an INCREDIBLE LOSS of business for them and the Thai economy in general. They just must not be publicizing this to the general Thai public (Bangkok Post is English only) and most landlords I know barely speak it. Farrang out there, please start spreading the word to your Thai friends, especially those in the rental and tourism industries... only through their complaints and uproar is there any chance that the government will realize the MASSIVE MISTAKE they are making with this non-sense.

Does the Thai government actually think they are going to make more in taxes on work permits and marriage visas then the BILLIONS OF BAHT their economy will loose if the farrang population stops spending at least 50% their money here? Also, the reason many foreigner laborers are here is because THAI companies are illegally hiring these people for agriculture, construction, and other undesirable menial tasks that most Thais don't want to do, and certainly not for the extremely low wages they pay. Removing the low cost labor force will only serve to drive up labor costs, and thus retail prices for basic commodities, which will increase core inflation -- something Thailand cannot afford. If they really wanted to address the problem they should crack down on these companies which are hiring illegal workers.

I also whole-heartedly agree with the person who said before that the requirements of the retirement visa (800K Baht) are sufficient to ensure non-working, financially stable, and desirable status WITHOUT THE NEED TO BE OVER 50 YEARS OLD. Why does it matter how old one is? If you have that much money in Thailand, why would you need to work anyway?

No axe to grind here - really - but 800k baht in the bank account proves very little. Last year I was short of about 100k for the 400k married visa amount. The friendly immigration officer suggested I borrow the money until I got my visa - 'thats whats the others do and then they pay it back straight away' she explained. So quite simply 'wealthy' 40 year old has no cash, borrows it for a month and go goes back to working illegally. Its a mess indeed.

Common sense tells me that Immi will be looking long and hard at people on Marriage visas as a great many of them are illegal workers

[Big Dogster]

.........Don't forget SAFE SEX as Cambodia has rising HIV problems.

If you think Thailand Government is unstable and corrupt Cambodia is a long way from stability.

Still it can be fun....there was a book about living in Phenom Penh as a journalist forget the name (Ganja, Guns and Girls????)

BUT IT IS NOT CONDOS AND SHOPPING MALLS, MULTIPLEXES etc.

That book you refer to on PP is "Off the Rail in PP", written by Amit Gilboa and is totally outdated. It was about life there in the 1990s and does not apply today. In fact, it was that book that was credited for cleaning up the place of the craziness going on in that book. Cambo is a decent place to consider and there is no visa instablity there at all

[Big Dogster]

I think the official figure for tourism is 14 percent of the economy.

However, that is the TIP of the iceberg.

Imagine Isaan without the flows of farang money.

Lets get real here, the amount of HARD CURRENCY brought into Thailand via the sex and love trade is indeed very substantial.

Actually the official number is about 10% with unofficial numbers going to 15%.

I am not arguing that as you put the "sex and love trade is indeed very substantial", but you have to understand when compard to the overall economy, it is very insubstantial.

I think this whole thing is going to be a real drag for a number of people, but it is not a major Thailand economic issue.

TH

Been reading your posts on this issue for a week now and clearly you are utterly clueless on the matter. If I were you, I'd stick to the basket weaving section of the forum

[phuketrichard]

2 years ago... wow, I got a multiple 1 year tourist visa form the emabccy in dc 12 years ago as well.

This is a really joke. All one can do is wait until Oct first and see what they do. Even then I am sure that the border with cambodia will not do what the one in northern thailand will do and the one on the Malaysian border will be diferent again.

In my opinion it just opens immigartion, ( once again ) to accepting bribes