Thailand Expats

landofsmiles · #1 06-10-2006, 19:53

Talk to 3 different people and I get 3 different answers.

Anyone know for sure what the new rules are?...or can answer these queries...

If I go to KL every 3 months can I get 4 60day visas over the course of a year which can be extended here 30days...or is the new restriction to just 3 a year so you have to stay outside Thailand 3 months of the year?

If I'm on a 60day visa while here and want to go off for a few days to Singapore say, that nullifies my visa doesn't it so I have to get another one?

What is the new limit on 30day stamps per year you can get on arrival without a visa?...and are they going to count back over the past 12 months and take into account how many you've already had?

Nicke · #2 06-10-2006, 20:33

I dont think its clear yet, we have to see how they will enforce it first.

Its not new as Penang consulate for years had a sign stated that they only issued 3 consecutive visas, if it is enforced or not and how they decide "consecutive", I have no idea.

But 1 tourist visa + extension, then a 30 days tourist visa and then repeat should work? Or maybe have two 30 days visas in between.

I understand it is many questions in the air now, but we should hear more reports soon I guess.

ToTheBeach · #3 07-10-2006, 14:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by landofsmiles

If I go to KL every 3 months can I get 4 60day visas over the course of a year which can be extended here 30days...or is the new restriction to just 3 a year so you have to stay outside Thailand 3 months of the year?

No changes at al to regulations concerning tourist visa. New regulations only affect the visa exempt entries which are now limited to 90 days per 6 months. There is no official restriction on the amount of tourist visas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by landofsmiles

If I'm on a 60day visa while here and want to go off for a few days to Singapore say, that nullifies my visa doesn't it so I have to get another one?

If it is a single entry visa it expires it will expire the first time you use it and will allow you to stay in Thailand until the date of your entry stamp. By leaving the country this will thus expire on that time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by landofsmiles

What is the new limit on 30day stamps per year you can get on arrival without a visa?...and are they going to count back over the past 12 months and take into account how many you've already had?

The limit is 90 days within 6 months allowed on visa exempt status. The 'clock' started on October 1 and previous entries are not counted towards the 90 days in the present 6 months.

LivinLOS · #4 07-10-2006, 17:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToTheBeach

No changes at al to regulations concerning tourist visa. New regulations only affect the visa exempt entries which are now limited to 90 days per 6 months. There is no official restriction on the amount of tourist visas.

Not true for most local SE Asian consuls who now only issue 1 entry (with KL issueing 2) down from triple entries..

Vientiane stamping passports with a 'may be denied entry in future' while giving a single entry and verbally telling people no more tourist visa's at all via them due to what they see as too many 30 day stamps.

Once again left hand and right hand dont seem to know what each other are doing.

ToTheBeach · #5 07-10-2006, 18:04

You are correct with the observations from neighbouring countries. But, I was merely giving the 'official' regulations.

Individual consulates and/or embassies making indeed the rules up as they go... Left hand, right hand... I agree.

Mr Lucky · #6 08-10-2006, 19:44

Anyone tried to renew a non-O marriage visa yet? I heard a rumor (only a rumor) that they were no longer accepting 400,000 in the bank. That you must have 40,000/mo income regardless.

richie22 · #7 09-10-2006, 00:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Lucky

Anyone tried to renew a non-O marriage visa yet? I heard a rumor (only a rumor) that they were no longer accepting 400,000 in the bank. That you must have 40,000/mo income regardless.

According to Sunbelt Asia if you applied for the visa before Oct 1st you have the option of 400k in the bank or a combination of income and money in bank.
All new applicants have to have an income of 40k a month.400k in the bank no longer applies.As I say this is a quote from Sunbeltasia.I think it's best to go ask the immigration in person.I was trying to find out about applying for a retirement visa,asked a few people different answers so I went to see them.Anyone applying for a retirement visa after Oct 1st has to show proof of 800k in a Thai bank account 3 months prior to the application.
I hear Alan at the Hull consulate (UK) has even stopped issuing 1year imm O visa's only giving 90 day visa's.Thing's must be getting bad

Crustasian · #8 10-10-2006, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by richie22

I was trying to find out about applying for a retirement visa,asked a few people different answers so I went to see them.Anyone applying for a retirement visa after Oct 1st has to show proof of 800k in a Thai bank account 3 months prior to the application.

I was told that if you have a monthly income of 60,000 Baht per month coming in as a pension then the required 800,000 is waived.They will also accept a variation of smaller pension and lump sum to balance it.

Again check with immigration office.

richone · #9 11-10-2006, 10:42

QUOTEI was told that if you have a monthly income of 60,000 Baht per month coming in as a pension then the required 800,000 is waived.They will also accept a variation of smaller pension and lump sum to balance it. END QUOTE

The official requirement is 65K a month pension/income, OR 800K in a Thai bank a/c , though sometimes they try and mix them by insisting that you have to have 12 x 65K (i.e 800K) transferred in over the year. That is not however the official requirement. It's either or. There is also a third option, which is a mix of the two above.

Re the marriage visa, the new requirements require 40K pm income, but if you had previously been granted Non IMM "O" visas on the basis of you being married to a Thai, then you can still take advantage of the 400K baht held in a Thai bank a/c criteria.

A useful point of reference is:

http://www.lawyer.th.com/National_Po...r_Oct_2006.pdf

7.21 relates to retirement visas
7.17 for those married to thais - and note point 6

Mr Lucky · #10 11-10-2006, 10:58

Thanks for the input, guys. It looks as though my 400k in the bank will work for my marriage non-O renewal, since I got it last year. Though I wonder about the requirement of having had 400k in the bank for 3 months. Wish they would have told me 3 months ago!

Anyway, with immigration it's very much case-by-case, I think. So if we smile sweetly and bring ice cream it should go OK.

I suspect though, by next year I'll have to be showing 40k (or more) per month income and money in the bank won't mean squat, so I might set up a payment schedule for myself from an offshore account....

K2 · #11 11-10-2006, 11:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by richone

Re the marriage visa, the new requirements require 40K pm income, but if you had previously been granted Non IMM "O" visas on the basis of you being married to a Thai, then you can still take advantage of the 400K baht held in a Thai bank a/c criteria.

A useful point of reference is:

http://www.lawyer.th.com/National_Po...r_Oct_2006.pdf

7.21 relates to retirement visas
7.17 for those married to thais - and note point 6

For those marrried to Thai - then applicants after 1st Oct 2006 will have to show income of 40k/month and no need for the 400k in bank.

For those with 400k who have held extension prior to 1st Oct 2006 will still be allowed to show the 400k in the bank as before - BUT the new ruling is that this money must be shown to be held in the bank 3 MONTHS prior to applying for the 1 year visa extension.

Mr Lucky · #12 11-10-2006, 18:32

Now I'm thinking, since the wife and I will be moving to the US for a while at the end of the year, I might scrub the Non-O renewal idea.

It might be simpler to just get a new 90-day Non-O visa in Singapore, so I don't have to worry about transferring money to a Thai bank again.

Though I wonder if that would raise eyebrows at the Thai embassy in Singapore.

landofsmiles · #13 12-10-2006, 15:40

Can we expect to hear do you think in say 6 months time, of people who haven't been aware of the new rules or have miscalculated, arriving back here without a visa expecting to get a 30day stamp on arrival, being told, "sorry, you cannot enter, you have had too many already".

Will they really enforce it and turn you around at the airport even though all your gear may be here and send you out the country?

Nicke · #14 12-10-2006, 17:01

Geir come back from a visa run yesterday. He got the normal stamp but with an additional stamp inside it with the number "1".

Did you get a number in your stamp Dodger? Also S1mon and Faulty who arrived recently, please check your stamps and report.

I would like to hear more about this.

LivinLOS · #15 12-10-2006, 17:55

We wont really know how this starts to shake out until the 90 days are past Oct 1st.. But the one thing that seems glaringly obvious is they dont have much of a plan about how to execute this either.

So theres a 1 stamp.. I thought this was definately confirmed to be about counting days not stamps.. So then if he is out of the country early is there another 1 or is it a 2.. The whole thing is so unclear and badly handled in a PR and implementation sense.

richone · #16 12-10-2006, 19:05

Yes, they did say that it would be based on actual days (i.e. 90 days) so if someone leaves after only 15 days and then returns again, they are going to need to keep track of the cumulative number of days, not the number of VOA's.

Perhaps they should be writing 30 in the circle, when you leave.

stevem · #17 12-10-2006, 19:13

If your exiting and re-entering via airports or computerised locations, keeping track of these details will be easy for them.

LivinLOS · #18 12-10-2006, 19:31

Yeah but only 15 of the 55 border points are networked.. So any system that doesnt track ALL entries is going to fail..

And I hold 2 passports... so then what ??

stevem · #19 13-10-2006, 07:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

Yeah but only 15 of the 55 border points are networked.. So any system that doesnt track ALL entries is going to fail..

And I hold 2 passports... so then what ??

Of course theres lots of holes in the system, and as usual not a lot of thought has gone into it. Not real different to alot of other new and ingenius schemes introduced by other governments around the world.

Simbo · #20 17-10-2006, 16:21

I came back in on a double, going for extension next week- will post if any probs. In theory I OK until Feb now but watch this space.

landofsmiles · #21 17-10-2006, 18:01

Until Feb? How do you work that out? Did you get more than a 60day?

LivinLOS · #22 17-10-2006, 19:31

double = 2x 60 days (that hopefully can both be extended for 30 days also)..

MajorTom · #23 26-10-2006, 18:16

I got back from Cambodia yesterday and was given a 90 day stamp in immigration at the new airport in bkk.

I had no tourist visa or anything, they just gave me the regular stamp with 90days..

I am aware that some countries has this agreement with Thailand but Norway never had. Besides, Yahooka was in the immigration counter next to me, also with a Norwegian passport and was given the regular 30 days.

I did not notice until later so i never got the chance to ask why.

LivinLOS · #24 26-10-2006, 18:25

Well thats a big mistake.. Lucky for you..

Tho would me me nervous.. I had heard of something like this were imm official made the screwup and they gave the guy overstay bill on his departure.. Said that they didnt care about the stamp he stayed longer than he 'should' have..

Tho its in there now.. Enjoy and fingers crossed.