Govt approves 10 year visas for foreigners over 50

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, elviajero said:

So how do you think a new 10 year visa for over 50's will affect 1 year extensions of stay? There is no mention in any report to suggest this is replacing extensions of stay.

I never said I knew. Did you think I did? 

[cyberfarang]

My main point of concern is the health insurance part.

 

The OP states that a health insurance policy must be for a minimum of $10000 coverage. But many insurance companies won`t even insure the over 60s and those that do, insist on them taking out policies for a minimum coverage of $28000 for the over 60s, meaning there are no $10000 coverage options for some of us, the premiums which will increase each year as we get older.  I don`t like the sound of this.

 

But as usual with these reports, much of this is very unclear and leaves it up to guess work, a lot of it down to interpretation of what it all means,  including I bet that many are going into a panic over this.

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Unless he has insider info there is no way he can be definite about anything based on that article.

Maybe Joe's commuter has blown a fuse due to the amount of PM's he is getting asking for advice and clarification.

[Jingthing]

Just now, louse1953 said:

Maybe Joe's commuter has blown a fuse due to the amount of PM's he is getting asking for advice and clarification.

It's not as if this is an URGENT matter for anyone yet. But writing is on the wall. Or is it? 

[dick dasterdly]

11 minutes ago, anotheruser said:

Also weren't they awhile back suggesting they wanted proof of travellers insurance just to enter Thailand? I am not saying that is feasible but it does seem that they are beginning to want EVERY person here to have some type of mandatory insurance. 

 

Not exactly sure what to make of this article but I am beginning to see the writing on the wall.

Many have been seeing 'the writing on the wall' for a long time - hence the threads about an exit plan and the like .

 

I'd HATE to leave, as I love where I live (perfect for the dogs and myself) and doubt it could be replicated elsewhere.

[Jingthing]

Yeah, you get spoiled here. 

[tukkytuktuk]

If your over 50 and not on retirement visa game over. We all knew this was coming. The end of the road for cheap Charlie.

[ozmeldo]

Speaking of Malaysia...if I weren't married to a Thai I'd be there already.

 

Ringgit is in the toilet. Imagine costs are same as Thailand.

 

 

Oh Thailand.. surely you jest.

 

 

As for the comment about the "elite". Wealthy people don't get that way by wasting money.

 

This visa was designed for geezers but will be used by a new chunk of grifters with more money than sense. The Elite card comes quickly to mind. Exactly same ridiculous criteria.

 

It will go nowhere.

[Spellforce]

7 minutes ago, scavenger said:

article...https://www.khaosod.co.th/economics/news_110696

"After that [=the 3-million-bath deposit] only 50% mqy be withdrawn, and to be use in Thailand only. "
 

Thank you for the original Thai link !

 

- Nowhere there are talking about a REPLACEMENT

- " The criteria considered by foreigners aged 50 years and over who apply for a visa at the Consulate-General of Thailand temporarily abroad. "

 

THIS IS NOT THE KIND A VISA THAN YOU CAN OBTAIN IN THAILAND !

 

The 1 year VISA for people > 50 yo is not concerned !!

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, tukkytuktuk said:

If your over 50 and not on retirement visa game over. We all knew this was coming. The end of the road for cheap Charlie.

This is about people over 50 on retirement status! 

[oldsailor35]

4 hours ago, JustNo said:

Why don't some of you old farts with your knickers in a twist study the Thai language for a few years, at a cost of around 20k baht and you will actually be able to talk to those bar girls in their native language... maybe 

Oh dear !  Yet another "barstool bombadier"  who's life is obviously built around Bar girls and beer !

[dick dasterdly]

16 minutes ago, anotheruser said:

 

so you expect the Thai government to finance some sort of health scheme for foreigners because you didn't buy insurance before you had pre-existing conditions? That is pure lunacy.

No.  I think it would be a good idea for the Thai government to provide a health scheme for 'expats' based on the historical cost.

 

As I mentioned, most (all?) of us pay for private treatment as the last thing we want is public health care.

 

Edit - and, for the record, I paid for private health care for more than 20 years (which covered all of my pre-existing conditions), but circumstances resulted in my missing 2 months of cover..... which then resulted in BUPA Int. almost doubling the cost - whilst also excluding all pre-existing conditions....

Edited November 22, 2016 by dick dasterdly

[anotheruser]

13 minutes ago, JamieM said:

I have yet to meet these elite you speak of that earn $3000 a month without working in Thailand? 

 

There are a few around but you won't bump into them here or on the visa forums because they simply don't care, they don't have to. 

[Spellforce]

Confirmed by my thai wife:

 

" โดยมีหลักเกณฑ์พิจารณาจากชาวต่างชาติที่มีอายุ 50 ปีขึ้นไป ที่ยื่นขอวีซ่าประเทศอยู่ชั่วคราวจากสถานกงสุลใหญ่ไทยในต่างประเทศ "

=

the criteria considered by foreigners aged 50 years and over who apply for a visa at the Consulate-General of Thailand temporarily abroad

 

VISA done in Paris, London, New York... not the 1 year VISA > 50 yo applied in BKK, Pattaya etc..

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, free123 said:

3000000 for ten years = 300000 one year about 25000 a month and this is an amount I spend in a week when in bkk....come on if u cant cone up w. 25000 a month what do u want here...when i apply for the one y. they asked me to show 20000 EUROS that is 800000 Bhat a year that is roughly 67000 bhat a month so under the new rule it will be 25000 a month....so it gets cheaper  .... 

 

if someone is married and have kids here if i would be government i would ask a fluent level of thai languagge AND the proove of a job that pays 100000 bhat a month ( the falang work in thailand ) or a oversee pension that pays same ...than i give visa forever .... no speak thai at university level go home to learn it....see u in a year at the home embassy...where u make test before u enter

I rekon you should apply for an Ed visa...........in English.

[Spellforce]

The Bangkok Post and khaosodenglish didn't correctly translated the orginal article, what a waste of time !

[dick dasterdly]

17 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

I'm doing an initial visit to Namibia.  I don't know squat about how open they are to farang residing there. Indeed, I was planning to just hike around the deserts for 2 weeks, but now I'll ask some q's and get a feel for the place.  Would probably be better for my hay fever/sinuses, than smoggy Thailand.  Probably less noisy also.

Keep us informed.

 

Not sure where, possibly the Home forum?

[tukkytuktuk]

Report every 90 days for the rest of your natural life. Sickening.

[ozmeldo]

IMO this is another flavor of nonO available only in country.

 

The marriage and especially geezer visas will not be phazed out.

 

It's just a "bonus" bc, you know, Thai govt is good like that.

[dick dasterdly]

18 minutes ago, cheechee said:

Its for elite . Not for English Teachers!   Lots of responsible people make well over $3,000 a month.

Oh good.  Somebody else has joined this forum to tell us that anyone meeting the current requirements (but unable to meet the possible new requirements) is not a responsible person .

[anotheruser]

11 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

My main point of concern is the health insurance part.

 

The OP states that a health insurance policy must be for a minimum of $10000 coverage. But many insurance companies won`t even insure the over 60s and those that do, insist on them taking out policies for a minimum coverage of $28000 for the over 60s, meaning there are no $10000 coverage options for some of us, the premiums which will increase each year as we get older.  I don`t like the sound of this.

 

But as usual with these reports, much of this is very unclear and leaves it up to guess work, a lot of it down to interpretation of what it all means,  including I bet that many are going into a panic over this.

 

Yes, insurance is exactly the issue. How many older guys living with health problems that are uninsured are living in Thailand. We know there are quite a few. There has been a wave of people coming here for 20 years and many are getting up in the years.

 

Consider that the British embassy reports more British subjects die in Thailand than any other country year after year. There will be a crisis coming in the next decade or so if people in their 60s and 70s are allowed to remain with out insurance or savings.

 

It is actually kinder to force them to go home than it is to allow them to stay in some ways. Many Europeans can access health coverage back home as can people from other western countries. 

 

Just because many of these people have decided for themselves to hell with it and they will die here, it doesn't give them the right to. 

 

How many foreigners are here uninsured and above 60? That would be an interesting question to have answered. If Thailand lets them stay and when the end comes near allows them to die with no help it is a PR nightmare for the country. 

 

Thailand can't afford to help either. 

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, dick dasterdly said:

Quite apart from the possible issues raised in this thread - you only need to report to Immigration once a year?

 

Please tell us your secret to avoid 90 day reports.

Send a proxy,email or snail mail.Technically reporting but not see the inside of IO.

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

 

Car for me.. Car for the wife.. Collection of big bikes.. Western food.. Gardeners and pool cleaners.. International travel..

 

Yeah.. No way to get that down under 100 really... And thats not even counting bar life and whooping it up..

Surely you only need 1 pool cleaner,that would get you under 100k.Any more and you would be just showing off.

[oldsailor35]

4 hours ago, chiang mai said:

 

Effectively the same thing.

Except that if you have O-A  you can get an extension of 12 mths after the first 12 months  just for the Bht 1000  entry visa and a trip outside Thailand

[anotheruser]

13 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

No.  I think it would be a good idea for the Thai government to provide a health scheme for 'expats' based on the historical cost.

 

As I mentioned, most (all?) of us pay for private treatment as the last thing we want is public health care.

 

Edit - and, for the record, I paid for private health care for more than 20 years (which covered all of my pre-existing conditions), but circumstances resulted in my missing 2 months of cover..... which then resulted in BUPA Int. almost doubling the cost - whilst also excluding all pre-existing conditions....

 

What makes you think the Thai government could actually pull this off? I think world hunger should be ended tomorrow. Get my drift? Thailand can hardly cope with the health care of their own citizens.

[scavenger]

11 minutes ago, Spellforce said:

Confirmed by my thai wife:

 

" โดยมีหลักเกณฑ์พิจารณาจากชาวต่างชาติที่มีอายุ 50 ปีขึ้นไป ที่ยื่นขอวีซ่าประเทศอยู่ชั่วคราวจากสถานกงสุลใหญ่ไทยในต่างประเทศ "

=

the criteria considered by foreigners aged 50 years and over who apply for a visa at the Consulate-General of Thailand temporarily abroad

 

VISA done in Paris, London, New York... not the 1 year VISA > 50 yo applied in BKK, Pattaya etc..

Indeed, the Thai article seems to suggest an additional option rather than a "replacement." It also says there are 14 countries for whose citizens it will be available to (Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Finland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, USA, UK, Japan, Canada -- the fourteenth country isn't specified...) Also, the wording seems to imply that it will be available for a maximum of ten years (twice five years.) 

 

With 50% of the deposit to remain in the account, and the money to be used within Thailand only, I would not recommend this visa as a sound financial strategy. 

Edited November 22, 2016 by scavenger

[dick dasterdly]

16 minutes ago, tukkytuktuk said:

If your over 50 and not on retirement visa game over. We all knew this was coming. The end of the road for cheap Charlie.

What are you talking about?  The whole point of this new 'scheme' is aimed at those on a retirement 'visa'/extension.

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, anotheruser said:

 

Yeah they always said if you are under 50 you should be able to be rich enough to afford the Elite visa. I do have a TE visa and now I think I can say if you don't have the money for the newest requirements you should go make more to the over 50 crowd.

 

Now all they have to do is ban guys over 50 from getting married like Cambodia did. Sorry if it sounds spiteful but there wasn't much sympathy when the shoe was on the other foot.

 

Who needs to marry them when you can just fornicate,no ageism there,is there.

[JamieM]

9 minutes ago, anotheruser said:

 

There are a few around but you won't bump into them here or on the visa forums because they simply don't care, they don't have to. 

Agreed I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of people who act like they have way more money than they actually do here. Third world millionaires I call them if they had the money the act like they have they would be on the back of a yacht in Monaco :D 

[oldsailor35]

4 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

 

 

The OA is a visa class given with a few more restrictions than the easier to obtain visa O or extension based on retirement. 

 

Its a 1 year visa, with a 1 year permission of stay, so can be stretched to 1 day short of 2 years with careful use. 

 

Not really a big deal, but useful if your emabssy hands them out easily (they used to much more than they do lately). 

I have an O-A visa and after 1 year, have just been to KL and back , getting another 12 months  Bht 1000.