Visa runs. Forever?

[pattaya127]

Do you think that in the near future, they will start cracking down on illegal residents (legal tourist) making visa runs every 3 months, for the purpose of living undeterminedly in LOS?

What are the possibilities that one day, they tell you "ok, last one"(can't ask for another 12 months, for ex.) and put it in the computer?

they are evidently working at diminishing the number of unwealthy residents with the latest hikes, and made no doubt they love tourists but dislike "LOS-loafing" and other undesired guests.

[robaus]

Could be another example of blinkered Thai bureaucracy. In the tourism industry in Australia (and I think worldwide), backpackers were once despised as cheap charlie travellers, until it was discovered even their cheap charlie spending habits mounted up over the average period of the 3-4 months they stayed travelling around a country, and was in fact more than the two week package holiday maker.

Could be that the same phenomenon holds for LOS loafers compared with two week wonders. TIT. Remember this visa fee hike is going to affect the backpacker trade as well as retirees.

You won't catch me paying for visa extensions at such extortionate rates. I quite enjoy my visa runs to Koh Kong and Sihanoukville for a fortnight... I even save money on them! Far cheaper than staying in Pattaya for a couple of weeks::

I take your point re no more visas .. period. We are always at the mercy of a foreign government. But surely they'd realise that they would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater!

[think_too_mut]

>In the tourism industry in Australia (and I think worldwide), backpackers were once despised as cheap charlie travellers, until it was discovered even their cheap charlie spending habits mounted up over the average period of the 3-4 months they stayed travelling around a country, and was in fact more than the two week package holiday maker.

 

 

If we are talking the same data, backpackers on "working holiday" visa are what you are referring to.

 

Oz govt gives 150K such (the figure could be different now)visas a year, knowing the backpackers will spend 4KA$ of their own money, 6KA$ of the money they earned and some tax they had to pay. It's about 6K+ US$ per head.

 

That's about 1 billion US$ per year monetarilly and an unknown value in great memories and fondness of a distant beautiful country. That bit brings crops later, when they start working in their own countries.

 

If only one out of 1000 former backpackers brings/does/opens some business with Oz, that's 150 ventures each year that might have been missed on.

 

A strikind difference is - they are young people at the beginning of their professional lives.

 

Most LOS visa applicants are not execatly that but, business wise can do a lot with their experience and connections - if Thailand wanted them to.

 

[whosyourdaddy]

I agree. I lived in Australia inbetween my degrees. I had a great time. 12 years later and I am now investing my hard earned dollars in the austalian stock market.

[luckyfarang]

I don't understand why more people don't apply for the 1 year non-immigrant (retirement) visa.

 

I know at least one farang who has been retired for several years in Thailand who qualifies for the retirement visa, but continues to do visa runs.

 

Requirements:

 

age 50

must show 800,000B in assets or 65,000B in monthly income

or

bring in 3,000,000B

or

buy a condo from a registered project for at least 3,000,000B

 

Seems like a lot of people are doing visa runs for nothing and paying for extensions.

 

Cost for 1 yr non-immigrant $40 type O-A, recently raised to 5000B as of August 2003

 

Pricey, but it eliminates the cost of Visa runs, and you can report quarterly to immigration by mail.

 

http://www.thai-la.net/non-a-o.htm

[lopburi3]

Cost for 1 yr non-immigrant $40 type O-A, recently raised to 5000B as of August 2003

 

Pricey, but it eliminates the cost of Visa runs, and you can report quarterly to immigration by mail.

---

You do not need a visa once you are here on retirement (only needed once). What you need is an extension of stay, which will be 1,900 baht and if you plan travel re entry permit.

 

You can not report address by mail if you live in Bangkok AFAIK.

 

Those assists must be transferred into a bank account here in Thailand.

[Guest]

>>>I don't understand why more people don't apply for the 1 year non-immigrant (retirement) visa.<<<

 

 

because there are a lot of people who do not have enough money to qualify for that. if one lives a simple lifestyle somewhere at the outskirts one can have a comfortable live for less than thirty thousand baht a month. well, but will have to do visa runs.

 

[redwood13]

"must show 800,000B in assets or 65,000B in monthly income............Cost for 1 yr non-immigrant $40 type O-A, recently raised to 5000B as of August 2003"

 

The official I and others have spoken to at the Suan Plu Immigration office in Bangkok will NOT authorize a retirement visa on the basis of monthly income. He wants to see 800,000 baht in a Thai bank (US$20,000 in my case).

 

I failed in an attempt to get an O-A from the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles and so has everyone else I've talked to who's attempted it. They are very uncooperative.

 

-redwood