Phuket Immigration in the dark over new ‘10-year’ visa

[snoop1130]

Phuket Immigration in the dark over new ‘10-year’ visa

The Phuket News

 

Foreigners wait outside Phuket Immigration. Photo: The Phuket News / file

 

PHUKET:-- An officer at Phuket Immigration today confirmed that the new 10-year “long-stay” visa for foreigners aged 50 or older announced by Cabinet this week will come into effect next Thursday (Dec 1), but said that the Phuket office had so far received no official notice about the requirements.

 

Although the initial query from The Phuket News this afternoon (Nov 25) was received with confusion, the call was finally handed over to one official who agreed to give comment, but declined to be named.

 

“It is true that the Cabinet has approved this new visa and has also temporarily waived for three months the fees for single-entry tourist visas for certain countries (see story here),” the officer said.

 

“Both will take effect on December 1, but our office has yet to receive any official notice (about these), so I cannot give any more details on this,” he added.

 

Col Apisit Chaiyanuwat, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, announced that the new 10-year visa had been approved following the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (Nov 22).

 

The visa will be valid initially for five years and could be renewed for another five, he said.

 

Full Story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-immigration-in-the-dark-over-new-10-year-visa-60012.php#htL1zUUxPdoFhELI.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2016-11-25

[Good Lord]

Time for many folks to marry I guess...until they crack down on that!

[carstenp]

Properly have been answered before. But has they being talking about the 1 year extension, like the most of us get down here Non 0 + 1 Year extension as many call retirement visa.

 

I was thinking about the old 2* 60 days TV suddenly become 1 Time only (60+ 30 days Extension), after implantation of the new 6 month TV

[Wilsonandson]

No details but will be enforced in 5 days time.

 

Madness!

[LivinginKata]

This was no surprise to me that Phuket Immigration would not know anything. Far too soon for 'instruction' to filter down the slow chain. And anyway it's only 5 years to start with. 

[BlindMagician]

No really? There's confusion? Gosh, that's a surprise.

[Familyaffairs]

Most surprising, given the usually incredibly informative government agencies. Ahummmmm....

[helloagain]

14 hours ago, Wilsonandson said:

No details but will be enforced in 5 days time.

 

Madness!

Yes you cant make it up. Left hand not know what the right hand do. We all know what the right hand is doing ?

[tontraveller]

14 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

This was no surprise to me that Phuket Immigration would not know anything. Far too soon for 'instruction' to filter down the slow chain. And anyway it's only 5 years to start with. 

and 10,000 baht each 5 years...

[Old Croc]

2 minutes ago, tontraveller said:

and 10,000 baht each 5 years...

Currently 1900 per year = 9500 for 5 years.. 

Same, same, but one trip to Immigration instead of 4. 

[hawker9000]

At some point in the dim dark foggy past I think Phuket must've declared independence, and we all just missed it...

 

[Estrada]

7 minutes ago, tontraveller said:

and 10,000 baht each 5 years...

This 5 year visa was aimed at boosting medical tourism. You need B3Million in bank untouched for 1 year and then you have to prove that you have spent at least 50% on medical bills, accommodation, houses etc. You also need to take out medical insurance basic cover for B100,000 at B8-11,000/year depending on age up to 70 year of age. There would probably need to be a yearly medical prior to each renewal which could cost up to B17,000/year.

 

It would seem that this is just another variation of the Elite Visa Scheme and would not replace the normal 1 year permission to stay.

[maoro2013]

15 hours ago, Good Lord said:

Time for many folks to marry I guess...until they crack down on that!

Is this visa just for retirement? I don't see that written anywhere, but someone said the same thing to me yesterday.

 

If this does phase out the one year extension process, I can see a mass exodus of foreigners. Who wants to tie up 3,000,000 baht for the sake of not doing an annual extension, seems crazy to me. Actually most foreigners I know could not put 3,000,000 in a bank account.

 

What about people like me who are on yearly extensions and are married here for years?

 

It sounds like the whole thing is an illogical mess.

[andersonat]

8 minutes ago, Estrada said:

" ...  and then you have to prove that you have spent at least 50% on medical bills, accommodation, houses etc."

 

 

Estrada  -  can you please confirm your source for this part of your post. I find it quite worrying.

 

 

[Old Croc]

10 minutes ago, Estrada said:

This 5 year visa was aimed at boosting medical tourism. You need B3Million in bank untouched for 1 year and then you have to prove that you have spent at least 50% on medical bills, accommodation, houses etc. You also need to take out medical insurance basic cover for B100,000 at B8-11,000/year depending on age up to 70 year of age. There would probably need to be a yearly medical prior to each renewal which could cost up to B17,000/year.

 

It would seem that this is just another variation of the Elite Visa Scheme and would not replace the normal 1 year permission to stay.

Are you suggesting you would have to pass a medical to get insurance, and then only until age 70?

They've linked this visa to medical tourism, but it seems you need to be fit enough to pass the Insurance company medicals to be able to apply.

Catch 22?

[JustNo]

32 minutes ago, Estrada said:

This 5 year visa was aimed at boosting medical tourism. You need B3Million in bank untouched for 1 year and then you have to prove that you have spent at least 50% on medical bills, accommodation, houses etc. You also need to take out medical insurance basic cover for B100,000 at B8-11,000/year depending on age up to 70 year of age. There would probably need to be a yearly medical prior to each renewal which could cost up to B17,000/year.

 

It would seem that this is just another variation of the Elite Visa Scheme and would not replace the normal 1 year permission to stay.

You say 'would not replace the normal 1 year permission to stay' but that is not clear at all. In fact, in the original notification about this a few days ago, it suggested that it was going to be replacing the 1 year of stay, and that you would need to meet all of the requirements. 

[bbbbooboo]

1 hour ago, helloagain said:

Yes you cant make it up. Left hand not know what the right hand do. We all know what the right hand is doing ?

Hmmm...I doubt that the left hand knows what the left hand does.TIT

[alanrchase]

8 minutes ago, JustNo said:

You say 'would not replace the normal 1 year permission to stay' but that is not clear at all. In fact, in the original notification about this a few days ago, it suggested that it was going to be replacing the 1 year of stay, and that you would need to meet all of the requirements. 

 

The original notification used the term "visa". 10 year visa replacing the 1 year long term visa. "Extension of stay" was never mentioned. The current long stay visa for those over 50 is the 1 year Non Immigrant OA. Costs 5,000 baht, financial requirements same as a retirement extension of stay, medical required. Someone in authority really needs to clarify what is being replaced. I can meet the financial requirements if it is replacing the extension of stay, unfortunately if it replaces it on 1 Dec I will not have time to put the financial requirements in place.

[madmitch]

30 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Are you suggesting you would have to pass a medical to get insurance, and then only until age 70?

They've linked this visa to medical tourism, but it seems you need to be fit enough to pass the Insurance company medicals to be able to apply.

Catch 22?

It appears to me that Estrada is just sharing his own interpretation with the rest of us as most of what he says has not been reported elsewhere, unless he would like to show us a link otherwise.

 

The surprising aspect is the need for out-patient insurance. I can understand the reason for in-patient insurance but surely anyone with THB3m in the bank or earns 100k per month can afford to pay up to $1000 on medical bills. OPD can also be very expensive, which is why many people with health insurance don't buy it.

[Sparkles]

Well its a bonus for the Gov and banks to get a sudden influx of funds into the system.That is probably the real reason for their "generosity"

[Sparkles]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

Currently 1900 per year = 9500 for 5 years.. 

Same, same, but one trip to Immigration instead of 4. 

90 day reporting still applies of course.  

[twizzian]

Initially for 5 years.

Does that mean you only need 1.5 million in the bank?

[Briggsy]

Having been here for 19 years, I have seen this modus operandi of government before, and not just in relation to immigration rules.

 

Ministers are informed of a need for a sector of the economy or problem needing to be solved. Thailand is very top-down in management style. Minister gets some proposals through cabinet BEFORE they have been properly thought through.

 

Relevant departments are then ordered to put into effect the changes but there is no infrastructure. Civil servants on the ground have no process notes, no training, nobody to refer to. There are unintended consequences because it was not worked out in advance. The public is greatly inconvenienced. Government officers take out their frustration on members of the public implying they are stupid or criminal for not following the brand new regulations.

 

Eventually all the mayhem is passed back up the chain and a workable system is cobbled together in the first 12 months with luck.

 

With regards to this new visa (??) we are not in the initial 'complete ignorance' stage. Planning occurs AFTER the launch in contrast to other countries.

[Roel]

I am surprised. Official requirements? Since when do they need these?

[LivinginKata]

28 minutes ago, twizzian said:

Initially for 5 years.

Does that mean you only need 1.5 million in the bank?

 

The way I read it  - 3 million baht (in bank for one year) for 5 year extension, with option for another 5 years at the end of the initial 5 years. But it's not all very clear.

 

Quality health insurance is required, no idea what 'quality' means. Never heard about money has to be spent on medical expenses. I think the poster made that up.  It will be fine for 50 year olds to obtain 'quality' health insurance, but for those over 60 it will be difficult to impossible to sign up for  health care insurance.  

[Jingthing]

 
The way I read it  - 3 million baht (in bank for one year) for 5 year extension, with option for another 5 years at the end of the initial 5 years. But it's not all very clear.
 
Quality health insurance is required, no idea what 'quality' means. Never heard about money has to be spent on medical expenses. I think the poster made that up.  It will be fine for 50 year olds to obtain 'quality' health insurance, but for those over 60 it will be difficult to impossible to sign up for  health care insurance.  

He didn't make it up.

[LivinginKata]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

He didn't make it up.

 

Link please ...

 

Edit :  I suppose it might be buried in this topic 

But it's now 68 pages long .... in 4 days, so a lot of interest 

Edited November 26, 2016 by LivinginKata

[wealthychef]

1 hour ago, hawker9000 said:

At some point in the dim dark foggy past I think Phuket must've declared independence, and we all just missed it...

 

 

They declared independence but are still waiting for permission to secede. 

[wealthychef]

2 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Link please ...

 

Edit :  I suppose it might be buried in this topic 

But it's now 68 pages long .... in 4 days, so a lot of interest 

 

Or it might just be sitting in plain view in the article you didn't read.  :-)  

[wealthychef]

Just now, wealthychef said:

 

Or it might just be sitting in plain view in the article you didn't read.  :-)  

 

Sorry for the snark.  Here is the best link I've found so far.  http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-immigration-in-the-dark-over-new-10-year-visa-60012.php#dV5K2sKd4dYFkFRC.97  It does not have an original source, but at least names the Thai official that spoke these words which are spinning evyerone up.