A "Writers and Artists" Visa - just a suggestion

[Craig krup]

The Thais like having foreign visitors if they bring in hard currency and don't work in the country. You can argue about the economic sense of worrying about whether people work, but they aren't going to change their minds. There's a long history of writers and artists looking for a "clean, well-lighted place" to work. Hemingway went to France, as did Hume.

Writers and artists are interesting from the point of view of the Thai government because, i) what they do doesn't compete with what the locals do, ii) they often have modest but steady hard currency earnings and iii) they tend to consume service sector goods provided by the locals, like rented accommodation, meals and drinks.

So could the Thais offer such a visa? It wouldn't take an awful lot to turn Chiang Mai into Paris circa 1930. You'd need some rules. They'd have to show a monthly income from artistic activity or passive investments of (say) $700 a month, buy health insurance, undertake not to sell goods locally or work in a local trade on pain of imprisonment and/or deportation....but it could work.

There would be some "abuse", but it might not matter. The West is full of retired cops and soldiers on small pensions who are well under 50, so it could turn into a de facto early retirement visa, but so long as people didn't work locally that might not matter. What do you think? [it's a slack Saturday - I'm free associating ]

[fey]

Sounds great. It's not all about the money though or there would simple be no age limit on the retirement visa for starters.

Last i heard cm was getting very developed and "shiny" and not in tune with the bohemian vibe your thinking about.

[FritsSikkink]

The Thais like having foreign visitors if they bring in hard currency and don't work in the country. You can argue about the economic sense of worrying about whether people work, but they aren't going to change their minds. There's a long history of writers and artists looking for a "clean, well-lighted place" to work. Hemingway went to France, as did Hume.

Writers and artists are interesting from the point of view of the Thai government because, i) what they do doesn't compete with what the locals do, ii) they often have modest but steady hard currency earnings and iii) they tend to consume service sector goods provided by the locals, like rented accommodation, meals and drinks.

So could the Thais offer such a visa? It wouldn't take an awful lot to turn Chiang Mai into Paris circa 1930. You'd need some rules. They'd have to show a monthly income from artistic activity or passive investments of (say) $700 a month, buy health insurance, undertake not to sell goods locally or work in a local trade on pain of imprisonment and/or deportation....but it could work.

There would be some "abuse", but it might not matter. The West is full of retired cops and soldiers on small pensions who are well under 50, so it could turn into a de facto early retirement visa, but so long as people didn't work locally that might not matter. What do you think? [it's a slack Saturday - I'm free associating ]

700 dollars a month would really help the economy

[stoneyboy]

I think you paint the perfect picture in your opening post.

[Soutpeel]

They do offer an "artists" visa

[mogandave]

Special people need special visas?

What qualifies as an "artist"?

Do they not have artists in Thailand?

How is it the foreign artists would not be competing?

[mesquite]

They do offer an "artists" visa

This post says it all.

[ubonjoe]

A writer can get a visa (non-m) and extension of stay if they are working with a newspaper, magazine and etc.

Artist would have to defined a bit to say what is is possible as far as visas and extensions are concerned.

[Myran]

There are plenty of people who can stay in Thailand while bringing in money from outside and not competing with Thais for jobs. Why should an extremely vague group such as "artists" get special treatment?

[JLCrab]

From a publisher's rejection letter to Ernest Hemingway for The Sun Also Rises:

"If I may be frank, Mr. Hemingway — you certainly are in your prose — I found your efforts to be both tedious and offensive. You really are a man’s man, aren’t you? I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you had penned this entire story locked up at the club, ink in one hand, brandy in the other."

But these days anybody can be self-published so anybody who would want that visa could just self-publish and say that he is a published author.

Edited September 20, 2015 by JLCrab

[fireplay]

From a publisher's rejection letter to Ernest Hemingway for The Sun Also Rises:

"If I may be frank, Mr. Hemingway — you certainly are in your prose — I found your efforts to be both tedious and offensive. You really are a man’s man, aren’t you? I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that you had penned this entire story locked up at the club, ink in one hand, brandy in the other."

But these days anybody can be self-published so anybody who would want that visa could just self-publish and say that he is a published author.

Sounds like finally we have a legit workaround!

[timmyp]

Japan offers something like this. It falls under the "Cultural" visa heading. I never had it, but I have met people that did. Potters, painters, textiles, welding... I never met someone using it for writing in Japan, I haven't a clue if writing is allow for such a visa there.

<removed>

But I am on your side here. The artists I met in Japan on a similar visa were putting out good work, though the cost of living there doesn't really allow one to sit around as it would here.

Edited September 20, 2015 by ubonjoe
off topic and inflamatory comment removed

[b4n9]

a friend of mine, he is an actor (not the famous one), the last time he was working with some bangkok producer he got the visa NON-IMMIG-B (aplied abroad) with a work permit (it was applied in thailand), I'm pretty sure about that, because we did our visa together that time (years ago) in the thai embassy in Taiwan. But he got a `offering job` letter from his producer in thailand. Actually so many model/actors in thailand apply for the same visa for the same reasons.

right or wrong?who cares, since they have a valid visa and work permit. no ones is going to check it anymore.