Visa Info

[Guest A Rose By Any Other Name]

Just came across this and I think it explains all aspects of the new visa requirements simply and effectively. It was put out by Chiang Mai Expats Club... Hope it helps further clarify some sticky issues.

 

THE SITUATION AS IT STANDS REGARDING VISA

 

1. Retirement Visa extension. If you have a foreign married spouse who is a dependent they will be able to get this dependent visa. ( change of what has been happing the last couple weeks in Bangkok)

 

Example: You are 52 years old and you have a 34 year old wife who is from Germany, she can be a dependent. You only need 800,000 or a pension of 65,000 Baht per month as a couple.

 

2. Retirement visa extension: If you have children under 20. They will no longer be able to get a dependent visa based on you having an extension of stay on retirement. Immigration wants these kids to get it based on education so they go to school.

 

3. Investment Visa extension: Will no longer be available after Oct 1st for new applicants on 3 million Baht.

 

4. Investment visa extension. For existing extension of stay holders of 3 million Baht, we are now being told this will now be grandfathered in and they will be able to get the extension forever as long as they renew.

 

5. Now the news for frequent visitors: We have checked this upwards and backwards all day and it has been confirmed by a copy of the new regulation we have. If you have a visa on arrival or a Tourist Visa Exemption more than three times in six months, you cannot come into Thailand without a visa from an Embassy/Consulate. When you enter Thailand, even if you are here just 1 hour, this counts as 30 days. If you come back 6 weeks later for 2 days, this again is 30 days. If you arrive a month later for 4 days, still counts as 30 days. When you leave, you cannot enter Thailand for 3.5 months without coming back with a visa. The reason given is to force people who are supposed to have work permits to do so and pay tax.

 

Another example; you arrive for a week, this counts as 30 days, One month later 3 days and its 30 days, two months later and its for a two week period, still another 30 days. You can reenter Thailand in 6 weeks without having a visa.

 

The clock starts at zero on Oct 1st 2006, meaning everyone has a quota of three entries in the next six months. No matter how many previous entries you may have.

 

6. On extension of stay based support of a Thai national (Marriage visa), before if you applied for this extension of stay, you would get a 30 day consideration stamp. Once you return to Immigration in 30 days you would get the one year extension.

 

Now however it will be the same as an extension of stay based on business, with the norm of three 30 day consideration stamps instead of one stamp( like before). Immigration will go out and check to see if it

[bkkguy]

5. Now the news for frequent visitors: We have checked this upwards and backwards all day and it has been confirmed by a copy of the new regulation we have. If you have a visa on arrival or a Tourist Visa Exemption more than three times in six months, you cannot come into Thailand without a visa from an Embassy/Consulate. When you enter Thailand, even if you are here just 1 hour, this counts as 30 days. If you come back 6 weeks later for 2 days, this again is 30 days. If you arrive a month later for 4 days, still counts as 30 days. When you leave, you cannot enter Thailand for 3.5 months without coming back with a visa.

 

this "three times in six months" has been mentioned often, but does not seem to be what the posted regulations say:

 

Royal Thai Police

Order No. 608 / 2549

Subject: An authorization for permission to foreigners that are exempted from the Visa requirements to stay temporarily in the Kingdom of Thailand.

----------------------------------

....

3. According the Article 13 (3) of the Ministerial Regulation which stipulated the criterions, practices and conditions regarding the verification, exception and the changes in the visa requirements B.E. 2545 (2002) dated on 16th August B.E. 2545 (2002), within six months period, the holder of passport or substitutive documents which issued by any country that is approved by the Minister of the Interior, under the approval of the Cabinet, to enter to temporarily stay in Thailand for tourism purpose, shall be permitted to enter Thailand several times. Each permitted time shall not be exceeding 30 days period, and the total period shall not be exceeding 90 days from the first day that the passport holder arrived in Thailand.

 

which seems to say no limit on number of entries (or perhaps "several" was "three" in the original Thai?), the limit is on total time per stay and per 6 months - for those doing monthly border runs the difference is irrelevant but for those worried about coming in for a day and having that counted as 30 days it is significant

 

bkkguy

 

 

[Guest wowpow]

bkkguy - Yes I think you are right. The recent official sources say that you can have 2 re-entries within 90 days of the first day of arrival. So broadly it seems you can get up to three visa free entries in the 90 days from first arriving and the you cannot get any for the next three months.

 

Allowing three within 6 months as The Chaing Mai ex-pats advise would be far preferable, easier to administer, less confusing and would suit more foreigners plans - but wait and see.

 

[Gaybutton]

One aspect of all of this that is not going to change, but confuses me, is the 90-day Type "O" visa. I have never understood the logic of forcing 'visa runs' on holders of that visa. Since a holder of that visa has to do essentially the same thing a holder of the 30-day visa-free has always had to do, that is exiting the country, obtaining a new visa, and then returning, then why force holders of that visa to leave the country at all?

 

If you hold the one-year retirement visa, you don't have to leave Thailand to renew it. Why do people who hold the 90-day visa have to leave in order to renew it? Why can't that be taken care of at the Immigration Police office? All it would take is to have holders of that visa fill out the same paperwork at the Immigration Police office that they would fill out at a consulate in another country, and then check the holder's passport to see if there is any reason to deny a renewal. If there is no reason, then the holder could pay the fees and be granted a new visa at the Immigration Police office. Why force him to go over the border to do the same thing?

 

I don't get it.

[bkkguy]

So broadly it seems you can get up to three visa free entries in the 90 days from first arriving and the you cannot get any for the next three months.

 

no that is not what I said and it is not what the (more carefull) officials are saying - the limit is on the number of days (90 days in a six month period starting from the first entry stamp), no limit on the number of entry stamps - but as most people stay 30 days per entry stamp most examples talk about three entry stamps!

 

it was interesting that the offical quoted in the other thread seem to "officially" endorse the concept of staying for an extended period by using three entry stamps, a tourist visa and extension, then three entry stamps then a tourist visa and extension ad infinitum so it would seem the situation has not really changed much, just a few slightly longer and more expensive consulate trips a few times a yearin between the border runs!

 

bkkguy