New Visa Rules

[Prajak]

Well, here they are :

The so called retirement visa.

This allows foreigners aged 50 and over to extend a non-immigrant visa for up to 12 months from the date of the last entry into Thailand. It requires either 800,000 baht in a Thai bank or a combination of cash in the bank and proof of pension paid in the home country. A letter from the respective embassy is required for proof of pension. From now on, the immigration officer will need to see proof that the 800,000 baht has been there for three months prior to the visa being issued. This is to stop the practice of moving money into a bank account, and promptly out again, once the visa is granted.

What does this mean for a guy who brings in 201.000 baht per q. from abroad, who has no deposit account, and lives out of this money ? I do understand that it's not allowed to bring in 800,000 and bring it back into the "home country" after the visa has been issued. But what about those guys who live out of this money ?

Prajak

[chownah]

Prajak wrote: "But what about those guys who live out of this money ?".

I guess they are out of luck and need just a bit more capital before they can move to Thailand on a retirement basis.

Chownah

P.S. I didn't make the rules.

Chownah

[Limbo]

Thanks Prajak for visiting us again

And thanks for your reaction too Chownah.

Hundreds if not thousands of members are discussing the same topic at

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...&s=&f=1

And they didn't come much further either.

I presume the new three months regulation concerns only those who use their bankbook and their bankbook alone to show that they have enough financial means to comply with the requirements.

The person who brings in 201.000 each quarter probably has to prove that he is able to bring in this amount every three months.

If the 800 k are income from capital it would be similar to a pension, but what if somebody would use his savings?

Sending a copy of a foreign bank account?

"Look, I have ten million Baht on my account, that would do for a couple of years, won't it?"

Dear prajak, the gentlemen at the immigration office at Nong Khai or Udon must have known you now for many years. The trend visible within the new rules, to decentralise the decision making, should be to your advantage.

At least I 'help you to hope'.

Good luck with it!

Limbo

[ray23]

Prajak for what it is worth, the last bit of this came from a news reported in in Pattaya a review of the immgration site shows no changes, nor does the Ministry of Foriegn affairs. Nor have I been able to verify the changes anywhere else. Now maybe the changes haven't been put in yet, or maybe it was the reporter interputations. In any event it will take some time before the we know for show. But until the codes are ammended there is no law.

It would be impossible to know tht at this juncture everything is just to recent. My appraoch it this time is to monitor it .

It's funny I'm married but can not qualify for the marriage visa a it is now being presented but I can qaulity for thr the single one.

Like eveything else here I think we have to wait and see what really comes from this if anything.

[Prajak]

I'll ask the Imm guys at the end of October when I am due for my 90 days stamp. I live in Nongkhai (some say Nongers, some say Nongdie due to 12 dead farang in the past 4 years

-alcohol !-) just 3 km from the Imm office and the bridge. I'll report about this later.

Prajak.

[Ajarn]

I got this as an email a few days ago.

(And, don't worry if you are living off the money. The thing theu are interested in has to do with what you've signed..What it means to me is that they have A LOT of room here for them to work with. Sure, there will be some 'reasoning' of theirs, which may or may not work in your favor. )

What began as a restriction on the number of 30 day visas on arrival has turned out to be a

major reshuffling of immigration regulations, most of which were framed as far back as 1979.

The new rules apply to short term and long term tourists and farang residents and cover yearly

extensions of various types, investment visas and even work permits.

The fact that it was announced on September 24 that the national immigration bureau chief

lieutenant general Suwit Thamrongsrisakul has been transferred to an inactive post is not

thought to have any bearing on visa matters. None the less, Pattaya Today stresses that the

changes described below were accurate as of September 26, when we went to press, with an

anticipated implementation date of October 1.

“Living” in Thailand on 30 day visas.

As previously announced, it will no longer be possible to “live” in Thailand simply by

traveling to the border of a neighboring country and receiving indefinitely the 30 day visa on

arrival.

In future, foreigners will only be able to “live” in Thailand on visas on arrival only for up

to 90 days (three months) in any 180 (six months) day period. Effectively, this means three

consecutive runs to the border post (30+30+30) are the limit. The most commonly used border

posts for Pattaya based visa runners are Aranyaprathet, Pong Nam Ron and Pailin in Cambodia.

Foreigners wishing to go on “living” in Thailand for the next three months would need to obtain

a prior tourist visa at a Thai consulate or embassy in another country – not at a border post.

The most likely destination for the budget traveler is Penang where the Thai consul general is

currently awarding single entry tourist visas. These used to be valid for a stay of up to 60

days but from October 1 they are valid for a stay of 90 days. They cannot be extended.

The presumption is that, after that 90 days has elapsed using the Penang visa, foreigners would

then be free to take visa runs to the Cambodian border for a further three months (30+30+30)

before needing to return again to Penang or wherever

Foreigners traveling to Penang are advised to go and return by air. Some travelers have

experienced difficulties on the Thai side of the Malaysian border when trying to return by

train, even with a new visa.

The immigration bureau has confirmed that there is no limit to the number of 30 day visas on

arrival for an individual, provided that he or she is “living” not in Thailand for longer than

90 days in any block of 180 days.

The logic behind the new rules about visas on arrival is to discourage their use as a kind of

cheap residence permit.

Extensions to 30 day visas.

In an important new ruling, the former 15 day extension of a 30 day visa on arrival at Thai

immigration offices has been changed to 7 days only. You may also have a 7 days stamp placed in

your passport if the immigration authority refuses your application for a retirement or married

man’s visa or if you are deemed to have made too many visa runs to the Cambodian border. If you

get such a stamp, you must quit Thailand within one week or risk arrest for overstay.

Abolition of investment visa.

This visa allowed foreigners to reside in Thai for a year provided they placed 3 million baht

in a Thai bank or in bonds. It was often used by foreigners under 50 who did not yet qualify in

age for a retirement visa but wished to be based in Thailand. The understanding is that

existing applications and renewals will be accepted, but that no new applications can be made

from the beginning of October 2006.

Retirement visa.

This allows foreigners aged 50 and over to extend a non-immigrant visa for up to 12 months from

the date of the last entry into Thailand. It requires either 800,000 baht in a Thai bank or a

combination of cash in the bank and proof of pension paid in the home country. A letter from

the respective embassy is required for proof of pension. From now on, the immigration officer

will need to see proof that the 800,000 baht has been there for three months prior to the visa

being issued. This is to stop the practice of moving money into a bank account, and promptly

out again, once the visa is granted.

The old regulation, however, that you must produce an annual medical certificate for this visa

has been withdrawn.

Marriage visa.

This allows the foreign, legal spouse of a Thai national to extend a non-immigrant visa for up

to 12 months from the date of the last entry into Thailand. The minimum cash in a Thai bank is

400,000 baht. As with the retirement variant, checks will be made in future to ensure that the

cash is not simply put in a bank and then removed. This visa is issued in Bangkok only and,

during the waiting period, checks can be made by immigration police at your bank to see if

there has been a big cash withdrawal! If the funds have disappeared, you may be ordered to

leave Thailand in 7 days. Local immigration officers will also visit your home to verify that

you really do live together as man and wife.

Work permit regulations.

We are advised that work permits with the term “Consultant” in the title will not be accepted

in future. It is felt the term is too vague and potentially condones work related activity

contrary to the alien labour act. Obviously, work permit holders need to consult their lawyers

about the detail.

Those applying for work permits for the first time will first require a non-immigrant business

(type “B”) visa from a Thai consulate or embassy abroad. This will only be granted if the

applicant has a Wp3 work permit receipt form from the Labour Office, photocopy of all limited

company registration papers, all official paperwork showing company stamp, invitation letter

from the limited company advising on your potential role and stating salary, photocopy of your

passport, two passport size photos.

Multiple entry visas.

Many Thai consulates in the Pacific rim, specifically Penang, have now issued statements that

they will issue only single entry visas in future. This ruling is irrespective of type.

However, if foreigners choose to return to the country of their passport (say Europe, USA,

Australia) they may find that multiple entry visas, both tourist and non-immigrant, are still

being awarded. The reasoning seems to be that if you need a double, triple or multiple entry

visa, then go back to your own country.

Please Note:

The above information came from the Pattaya Mail and is checked by Alan Hall’s lawyers, who in

turn checked it with Immigration. We do advice you to contact Immigration yourself concerning

your own situation and/or check with a lawyer. While every effort has been made to ensure that

the information contained herein is correct, CEC cannot be held responsible for any errors that

may occur. The views of the contributors may not necessarily reflect the view of CEC. Views and

opinions expressed herein may change with changes in regulations and should not be used in

isolation.

--

[Prajak]

To Ajarn

You wrote "It requires ...a combination of cash in the bank and proof of pension paid in the home country. A letter from the respective embassy is required for proof of pension."

Well, those may be the rules, but the Imm in Nongkhai also demands proof that 800,000 has been brought in from abroad. So, if you don't have a 800,000 deposit but bring money in, say every q., it MUST be at least 800,000 b. That is not according to your message and to the law.

The letter from the Embassy; they gave it back to me. "You can use that next year..." That's new ! But I'll ask them about it next year, one month before applying for next visa.

Prajak