elef Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 I know some guys who already moved their thai families to Cambodia, they go to BKK about 2 weeks each month for business and pleasure and - of course - have mia nois installed in their BKK homes. No problems with visa, no problems with jealous wife, cheaper land and houses - yes, just advantages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiledCowboy Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 SD, it's not a "visa-free" entry into Thailand, but an automatic Visa on Arrival grant (for the purposes of Tourism only), for those passport holders from those qualifying countries on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 No it's not legally a visa on arrival (a such exists for some countries and cost 1,000 baht) ÃÂt's a visa exempt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiledCowboy Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Who is permitted to enter Thailand without a visa??? And don't say diplomats are... When you enter from your own country carrying a passport from one of those countries on that list, Thailand grants you a ** day stay (some coutries only qualify for 15 days, some for 30 days etc) for the purpose of tourism...if you want an extended Tourism stay before you arrive in Thailand, then you apply for this visa before your entry into LOS, in your home country...for a normal visit for me from Australia/NZ it's a 30 day visa on arrival (no application required and granted at the point of entry into Thailand) or 90 days by application and the payment of fees if obtained at the home-country embassy. That newspaper article is incorrect insomuch as stating "visa-free" entry...the firt part mentions "visa on arrival" and then it stuffs up later by refering to VOA as "visa-free". You can't do a visa run renewal when you supposedly didn't enter the country with one as "visa-free would suggest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simie Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Mekong, as you said this same thing happened a few years ago and loads of people started panicing then, but not much came of it. The only thing they really clamped down on was the people not doing the visa run at all themselves but sending their passports for a walk without them. That was just before i got my non-imm visa and i did a lot of runs myself on tourist visa and 30 day stamps. I usually flew down to Singapore for a couple nights and immigration never blinked an eye everytime i came back. I think they are more interested in hassling the sort of guys who do a daytrip by road and turn up at the border looking like they hav'nt got 50 satang to their name. Simie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simie Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Chuckwoww, one thing that puzzled me about Stickmans article was when he said that if this went ahead with the toursit visas and 30 day stamps then guys on non-imm visas doing 90 day runs would be next. Can't quite see why myself as thats the whole point of a non-imm visa is that its not a tourist visa or 30 day stamp. And he then went on to say that guys should get a one year married visa. Well a one year married visa is a non-imm 0 with a one year extention and your supposed to have a Thai wife or dependant or similar situation anyway to get one so whats the difference? Simie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_numbers Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 SoiledCowboy you are wrong. It is not a VISA when they just stamp you in for 28 days, but a visa free exemption. You don't fill out a VISA number on your arrival card because "you don't have a visa" VISA on arrival is what happens in Jakarta and what SD was describing for 15 days and a fee that a number of African and Middle Eastern countries must complete in Thailand. The arrival VISA or tourist VISA applied for allow actual status not just a gratis visit for tourism to certain countries Thailand is neighborly with... It has nothing to do with being a diplomat and was and created to bolster tourism. The new restricition should not bite that hard for guys here for less than three months from most of those countries who can get a proper tourist VISA from a consulate overseas before arrival, which lasts 60 days and is renewal for another 30 (if i remember correctly). I haven't been on VISA runs or tourist VISA in along time so I'm not the best person memory wise. I had the non VISA thing explained to me by the Thai Consular in New York like four or five years ago. Will be a short pitched crackdown I'd guess on the 30 day VISA run people to Poipet types primarily is what I've heard from people who know about this and work in Immigration. Best, the_numbers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 I just had a look at Stick and he certainly sums it up well including the options available. I'm a "visa run" guy, it's a piece of cake to me I drive to the border myself and am home in a couple of hours heavily laden with cheap booze and pirate DVD's. My best alternative would be the marriage one, I'm in a long term relationship with a lady who owns my house so what's to lose? Something that suprises me here is the incredible resentment that people like me get from some of the "legit" visa guys. I got a two hour rant from a big bar owner on Samui a few years ago about guys who set their girlfriends up in small bars and work in their home countries spending 6 months of the year here on the "visa run" system. Real dog in the manger stuff. I mean, Thailands about turning a blind eye to petty legislation by people who are jai yen. I'm pretty friendly with some of the local officials so I can't see any problems, just a pain in the arse and a lot of paper work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Interesting as the most number of days extention the immigration guys will offer now is 15 days, not 30, however according to the article this means someone like my mum visiting can stay 2 x 30 days extra without having to do a cambo visa run after 15 days past initial 30. DOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 Who is permitted to enter Thailand without a visa??? And don't say diplomats are...When you enter from your own country carrying a passport from one of those countries on that list, Thailand grants you a ** day stay (some coutries only qualify for 15 days, some for 30 days etc) for the purpose of tourism Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand (same link as above) TOURIST VISA EXEMPTION - According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements dated 1 October B.E. 2545 (2002), 20 December B.E. 2545 (2002) ,18 October B.E. 2547 (2004) and 6 May B.E. 2548 (2005) , passport holders from 40 countries and Hong Kong SAR do not require a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes and will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for 30 days. - Please note that Tourist Visa Exemption does not apply to foreigners holding Travel Document for Aliens issued by these 40 countries. - Foreigners entering Thailand under Tourist Visa Exemption must possess means of living expenses at the amount of 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family accordingly. --------- VISA ON ARRIVAL - According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements, passport holders from 20 countries may apply for visas at the immigration checkpoints for the purpose of tourism for the period of not exceeding 15 days. - The applicant must possess means of living expenses at the amount of 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family accordingly. - The applicant must present full paid ticket which is usable within 15 days since the date of entry - Visa on arrival is provided at 23 designated international checkpoints and applicants should submit the application form duly filled out and to which his/her recent photograph (2 ½ inches) is attached. The application fee is 1,000 Baht. - Visitors who enter the Kingdom with Visa on Arrival generally cannot file an application for extension of stay except in special cases such as illness which prevents them from travelling, etc. They can submit an application at the Office of Immigration Bureau , Immigration Division 1, Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120. Tel. 02 287-3127 or 02 287-3101-10 ext. 2264-5 or at website http://www.immigration.go.th List of 20 countries is as follows : 1. Bhutan : Kingdom of Bhutan 2. China : Peopleâ??s Republic of China (including Taiwan) 3. Cyprus : Republic of Cyprus 4. Czech : Czech Republic 5. Estonia : Republic of Estonia 6. Hungary : Republic of Hungary 7. India : Republic of India 8. Kazakhstan : Republic of Kazakhstan 9. Latvia : Republic of Latvia 10. Liechtenstein : Principality of Liechtenstein 11. Lithuania : Republic of Lithuania 12. Maldives : Republic of Maldives 13. Mauritius : Republic of Mauritius 14. Oman : Sultanate of Oman 15. Poland : Republic of Poland 16. Russian Federation 17. Saudi Arabia : Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 18. Slovakia : Slovak Republic 19. Slovenia : Republic of Slovenia 20. Ukraine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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