Thai tourism: Multiple-entry visas welcomed, with caveats

[Jim walker]

targeting key markets, especially China and India the high rollers some who spend almost 100 Baht per day while living the high life in Thailand and staying about 20 to a room same as the amount of straws they get when ordering a beer.

[speedtripler]

This is confusing. As I understand it, the visa is valid for 6 months but the tourist must go over the border every two months?Is that correct?

Yes. The visa will be valid for 6 months and the maximum stay at any one time is 60 days. Not that much different to other countries. That is the way I read it anyway.

I don't think this visa is going to generate the numbers the Government expect. Poorly thought out given the 5000 baht fee and the fact that a visa run will have to be completed every 60 days. Becomes pretty expensive when you count all the costs involved. 5000 baht plus a visa run every 60 days. Ouch!

Still cheaper than paying a language school, setting up a company,and a bargain compared to operational costs of a Thai wife/family

[Time Traveller]

What kind of jobs do these tourists have that they can go on holiday for 6 months?

My guess is the no-job kind of tourist. Has Thailand tourism changed it's target market?

Edited August 7, 2015 by Time Traveller

[Basil B]

Better, if they made anyone who spends more than 183 days a year in the kingdom file tax returns...

And explain where their income comes from.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Basil B

[grantbkk]

Why not give you an indefinite stay visa if you own a condo or are married to a local? It would cost them nothing and can like any visa always be revoked if you commit a serious enough crime.

Only when pigs fly will there be an Indefinite Stay Visa. Marry a Thai and be allowed to stay forever will require a much higher standard. It is all about the money. Money for the government and attempting to control poor foreigners from squatting with the natives.

[gandalf12]

Why not give you an indefinite stay visa if you own a condo or are married to a local? It would cost them nothing and can like any visa always be revoked if you commit a serious enough crime.

Only when pigs fly will there be an Indefinite Stay Visa. Marry a Thai and be allowed to stay forever will require a much higher standard. It is all about the money. Money for the government and attempting to control poor foreigners from squatting with the natives.

Totally agree but it would be a good gesture that would only benefit Thailand

[gandalf12]

Better, if they made anyone who spends more than 183 days a year in the kingdom file tax returns...

And explain where their income comes from.

Dont know what you are drinking but I would lay off it if I was you. It is obviously affecting your mind. Start that and they will want to know how much you have in the bank and that going to happen.

[Jimlove]

Great idea to target tourists that are even more poor than them self (India) and hardly could afford the planeticket or will they come by bus maybe ...., just so amazing innovative thinking

[cumgranosalum]

It next to useless, a triple tourist is just as good if intending spend majority of time in thailand & want minimal exits & almost half the price.

Not if iy allows multiple re-entries

[cumgranosalum]

Can someone clarify?

The current situation for UK/aussie passports is that you can "stack" two or even 3 visas......each one expires when you leave Thailand regardless of how ong you have been in the kingdom

So.....I take it that the new visa would

1 - Apply to UK /Aussie citizens?

2 - allow multiple re-entry on ONE visa, doing away with the need to "stack visas" and allow thw holder to come and go at will for the duration of the visa?

So am I right in assuming that no-one actually knows the answer to this?

[tajtom]

Do these so called top brass not listen to there own people out on the street

1 : no one want China or Indians.............. The Thai people dislike them and there dirty and do spend a cracker

As for the Visa its another extension scam. More baht please

[BuckBee]

It next to useless, a triple tourist is just as good if intending spend majority of time in thailand & want minimal exits & almost half the price.

Not if iy allows multiple re-entries

well it should do hence why called a multiple entry tourist visa, don't really see multiple entry being that useful to many & for those who want spend maximum time in thailand then triple tourist is much the same & half the price.

[englishoak]

If its not a 180 day without leaving its not a 6 month visa, multiple entry on 30 or 60 or even 90 days required leaving to return is NOT a 6 month visa... its a multiple entry visa and weve had that for decades and only had it stopped last year..

We shall see with the detail but I dont see many tourists paying 5000b to leave the country 3x and pay for all that travel on top just to come back again and repeat... naa thats for people living and working in Thailand....

Tourists wont waste their money on a visa they dont need, even backpackers wont bother since they may as well get a single for free, extend that a few times then just travel on to other countries and get another free one when they finally get back to Thailand.

Im betting this is going to be no more than the old multiple visa rebadged as a long term tourist visa... it just wont be used by many tourists thats all

Edited August 7, 2015 by englishoak

[Dumbastheycome]

Oh bluddy hull! which way I wobble head now?

[SiSePuede419]

Most tourists get tired of temples, waterfalls and caves long before 2 months.

Teachers, Thai language students, Bar/Guesthouse owners and Poontang mongers need extended stays.

Because it takes longer than 60 days to clean out their bank accounts

555

Edited August 7, 2015 by SiSePuede419

[Markphuket]

If its not a 180 day without leaving its not a 6 month visa, multiple entry on 30 or 60 or even 90 days required leaving to return is NOT a 6 month visa... its a multiple entry visa and weve had that for decades and only had it stopped last year..

We shall see with the detail but I dont see many tourists paying 5000b to leave the country 3x and pay for all that travel on top just to come back again and repeat... naa thats for people living and working in Thailand....

Tourists wont waste their money on a visa they dont need, even backpackers wont bother since they may as well get a single for free, extend that a few times then just travel on to other countries and get another free one when they finally get back to Thailand.

Im betting this is going to be no more than the old multiple visa rebadged as a long term tourist visa... it just wont be used by many tourists thats all

Yup, what you wrote is exactly how i end up seeing this new visa actually being and people will be sticking with visa on arrival or double or triple tourist visa which are cheaper

[Colabamumbai]

For the past year the present government seems to be wiping its ass with its right hand not its left, in regards to pretty well everything.

[cumgranosalum]

It next to useless, a triple tourist is just as good if intending spend majority of time in thailand & want minimal exits & almost half the price.

Not if iy allows multiple re-entries

well it should do hence why called a multiple entry tourist visa, don't really see multiple entry being that useful to many & for those who want spend maximum time in thailand then triple tourist is much the same & half the price.

I think that is wishful thinking - it would be a multiple RE_ENTRY visa if can come and go.

THe Stacked tourist visas allow multiple entries - they just expire one-by-one on exit.

[kiwikeith]

Will give the mafia more time to make arrangements for kickbacks to chinese tour organisers, maybe we will see chinese girls on sukhomvit rd soon.

[cumgranosalum]

It next to useless, a triple tourist is just as good if intending spend majority of time in thailand & want minimal exits & almost half the price.

Not if iy allows multiple re-entries

well it should do hence why called a multiple entry tourist visa, don't really see multiple entry being that useful to many & for those who want spend maximum time in thailand then triple tourist is much the same & half the price.

I think that is wishful thinking - it would be a multiple RE_ENTRY visa if can come and go.

THe Stacked tourist visas allow multiple entries - they just expire one-by-one on exit.

OK - multiple re-entries over a 6 month period would make sense.

The back bone of tourism in Thailand is the mass package holidayers from Eastern Europe and China etc....they don't need any fancy visas.....BUT.....if they want the Euro-travellers to return...Aussies, Europeans and evenAmericans then the visa would be helpful.

These people may spend less per day than the mass-packagers but they will spend constantly for up to 6 months in the region.

If Thailand wants to be the tourism hub of the region (and we all know how they like hubs) then they need to issue visas accordingly

Edited August 9, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[SABloke]

Instead of trying to prevent groups from working allow longer term residents, married, educators, whomever (design the criteria of new citizens you want), to apply for citizenship and dedicate their energy to Thailand full time.

The usual whine about a "flood" is specious. You just make the criteria for the people you want.

There is no need to worry about taking jobs from locals. This is a decision based on the loyalty and ethics of the person offering the job, not the worker. Worry about creating jobs that reflect evolved values.

Long term residents aren't prevented from applying for citizenship

[sammygood]

well, if thais would be smart

they would offer a long term visa with a work permit, for let's say ... 5000 baht per month ?