........

(07-11-2015 05:29 AM)JamesRodri Wrote:  

(07-11-2015 04:00 AM)Afarang Wrote:  Hey BB,

It's 20,000 baht. Be sure to have it in cash and not on your card. I've heard 2nd hand stories that they don't care if it's in your bank on your credit card (Thai logic).

Is this for real? Never ever heard of this rule. Has anyone actually been quizzed about this?

Reports have come up on Thai Visa about people being questioned on more than one occasion to show 20k baht, usually on the visa run from Malaysia to Thailand via minivan.

As BB said, it's hardly ever enforced though.

I'm in China now and am thinking of going to Thailand for a couple weeks at the beginning of February. I've never been and after reading this thread I'm at a loss for what the correct visa procedure is. Some people are saying you need an onward ticket only if you don't have a visa, while others maintain that even with no visa you can still go with a one way ticket and get the stamp at the airport upon arrival.

Normally I'd just bite the bullet and get the visa beforehand, but being in China it seems like I'm fucked. Here are the tourist visa requirements posted by the Thai Consulate in Shanghai, for both Chinese citizens and foreign citizens with a Chinese residence permit.

Quote:Single Entry
Documents Required
1.Passport or travel documents with validity of not less than 6
months and its copy

2.One visa applicationform completely filled out

3.One recent photograph of the applicant (2 inches)

4.Fully paid, confirmed roundtrip air ticket and its copy

5.Guarantee Letter (in English or Thai) from the applicant’s local
guarantor, indicating the applicant’s name, purpose and period of the
stay in Thailand and guaranteeing that the applicant will come back to
China as scheduled.

Yeah, fuck that. I'm not going to go through the trouble of booking a roundtrip ticket AND getting a freakin' "invitation letter," that's complete bollocks. I've got an American passport, but according to the visa guidelines, if you live in China they basically force you to jump through the same exact hoops as they would a Chinese citizen, regardless of your actual nationality. Has anyone traveled from China to Thai recently and can confirm whether they actually follow these guidelines?

No one is going to ask for a return ticket unless you look like a drug dealer.

I've never been asked for anything flying from China to Thailand and I've done it probably 20 times or so.

Still though, roundtrip tickets are cheaper than one way tickets unless you fly AirAsia (which isn't really cheaper most of the time)

^^^
US citizen concurring here. I've been to Thailand a few times and I've never been asked for a return ticket - even when I was coming from Burma.

If you're in Thailand working on a freelance business (say web development) that doesn't fall within category A or B in this link:

http://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/work...ailand.php

Do you still need a work permit and a non-immigrant B visa?

(04-04-2016 09:50 AM)CleanSlate Wrote:  If you're in Thailand working on a freelance business (say web development) that doesn't fall within category A or B in this link:

http://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/work...ailand.php

Do you still need a work permit and a non-immigrant B visa?

99.99% of those in Thailand making a living online don't have work permits. It's a grey area and as far as I know, unless you have Thai clients (and as long as you are 100% online) you shouldn't really worry.

(01-29-2016 04:23 AM)262 Wrote:  ^^^
US citizen concurring here. I've been to Thailand a few times and I've never been asked for a return ticket - even when I was coming from Burma.

Interesting. I have been asked for an onward ticket (by the airline) prior to every flight to Thailand and for tourist visa applications (by the Thai consulate). This was all in 2015 or 2016.

That said, a Japanese friend of mine told the airline he was getting a bus to Cambodia and they accepted it without making him show proof.

Bushido, like a lot of things Thailand related, it depends on which consulate or embassy you go to, which immigration checkpoint you enter in, or even what you look like and which immigration officer or consular staff member that serves you. What actually works best for me when dealing with any government office here is suiting up and shaving. If I am suited up, half the time the security or a government official will actually approach me as soon as I enter the office with no need to queue. Airlines are a different story and If I am not mistaken the policy can vary from airline to airline.

Gentlemen,

I plan on staying in bangkok possibly for two months. At the end of the first month I am thinking of going to Cambodia for a few days for sightseeing. Will I get another 30 day stamp when I come back to Thailand? I looked online and found out I would but just trying to make sure.

Yes, if the current info on your profile is correct and you arrive on a U.S passport. 30 day visa exempt entry by air or land borders.

http://www.thaivisaservice.com/visa-rules

"Tourist arriving via an international airport will usually be given a 30 day visa exempt stamp, however travelers using OUT/IN method to extend stay might be questioned after 4-6 visa exempt entries. There is no specific period given and there is no rule on how many visa exempt will be issued for one person. An old rule “90days in a 180days period” has been canceled many years ago."

What do they mean by "questioned"? If you work remotely does that mean that you should "pass" the "questioning"?

Does it help if you every 30 days travel back to your home country for maybe a week, instead of flying to another country in Asia?

^^ It's difficult to answer those questions because, as others mentioned above, in Thailand "it all depends". Going home for a while and therefore taking a longer, more expensive flight shows some evidence of means. Who knows if that counts for anything in their minds, but I suspect that it does.

Air Asia seem to often ask for proof of onward travel and/or make you sign a special form. They also told a buddy travelling from Thailand to Cambodia that he could be fined "50,000" baht by Cambodian immigration for having a passport of less than 6 months validity. Needless to say, I prefer flying with other airlines if possible.

As a random footnote, whenever questioned by any immigration authority in the world (a rare occurence) I always tell them that I have a girlfriend I am visiting. That avoids the whole illegal work suspicion (in say, Japan) from multiple entries and provides a solid reason to be visiting. Just make sure you have her phone number ready of course.

(07-24-2016 06:08 PM)Cheetah Wrote:  http://www.thaivisaservice.com/visa-rules

"Tourist arriving via an international airport will usually be given a 30 day visa exempt stamp, however travelers using OUT/IN method to extend stay might be questioned after 4-6 visa exempt entries. There is no specific period given and there is no rule on how many visa exempt will be issued for one person. An old rule “90days in a 180days period” has been canceled many years ago."

What do they mean by "questioned"? If you work remotely does that mean that you should "pass" the "questioning"?

Does it help if you every 30 days travel back to your home country for maybe a week, instead of flying to another country in Asia?

If you're working remotely, I would probably avoid telling them that (by law you are not allowed to engage in any sort of work within Thailand without a work permit), although they usually don't care about 'location independent work'.

A couple of passports that may garner extra scrutiny are Russian and Korean, but if you are from another first world country, just tell them what Bushido said, 'visiting gf' or tell them you LOVE everything about Thailand (even if it's not true) and would rather be here than in your home country that's too cold, too boring or too whatever.

If looking for a strategy to stay long term, visa exempt entries is not the best one IMHO.

I've always been a huge fan of the Thailand Elite visa. Pay 500,000 baht (around USD $16,000) and you just bought peace of mind for the next 5 years. No questioning, priority entry. That was one of my best moves here.

(07-26-2016 04:00 AM)Rawmeo Wrote:  I've always been a huge fan of the Thailand Elite visa. Pay 500,000 baht (around USD $16,000) and you just bought peace of mind for the next 5 years. No questioning, priority entry. That was one of my best moves here.

Do you ever post about anything other than how much money you have? This must be the 100th post of your where you mention how much cash you spend in Thailand.

(07-26-2016 04:00 AM)Rawmeo Wrote:  I've always been a huge fan of the Thailand Elite visa. Pay 500,000 baht (around USD $16,000) and you just bought peace of mind for the next 5 years. No questioning, priority entry. That was one of my best moves here.

Does this have a specific visa code? Or is it some kind of roundabout scheme that utilizes existing visa types?

(07-26-2016 04:00 AM)Rawmeo Wrote:  I've always been a huge fan of the Thailand Elite visa. Pay 500,000 baht (around USD $16,000) and you just bought peace of mind for the next 5 years. No questioning, priority entry. That was one of my best moves here.

That's definitely an interesting option. Just a question, do you have to report to an Immigration office every 90 days (the 90 Day Reporting) like for other long-stay visas ?

(07-26-2016 05:25 AM)wings Wrote:  

(07-26-2016 04:00 AM)Rawmeo Wrote:  I've always been a huge fan of the Thailand Elite visa. Pay 500,000 baht (around USD $16,000) and you just bought peace of mind for the next 5 years. No questioning, priority entry. That was one of my best moves here.

Do you ever post about anything other than how much money you have? This must be the 100th post of your where you mention how much cash you spend in Thailand.

As a newbie, you're in no position to tell older members how to act here. I'm giving information, and you are free to take it or leave it. I'm discussing here a visa option that might interest some people who live here, for a visa that comes to under $10 a day for peace of mind. Rather than hating, why don't you post some useful information or knowledge you might have?

You technically have to report every 90 days, but if you live in Bangkok, they send someone to do it for you at the immigration office. The entry stamp is valid for 1 year rather than 60 / 90 days, and you can enter and exit without any limitation on the number of times. I got some friends who use tourist visas, and they start to get questioned after 3 or 4 consecutive entries. Again, that depends on the immigration agent's mood that day.

I'm not sure what "visa code" means, but it's called "privilege entry" visa, also known as "Thailand Elite", which is valid for 5 years and grants 1 year entry stamps. However, it doesn't allow you to work, but Thailand Elite concierge services can assist you in obtaining a work permit, and a few other services like bank account opening, driver's license, etc.

Except the guys lucky enough to have PR (permanent residency) everyone else, on 1 yr visas or extensions has to report to immigration or leave the country every 90 days.

Thailand Elite isn't actually a bad deal if you don't mind putting up the 500K baht upfront; works out to less than U.S $3K a year.

Rawmeo can chime in on his experience but I understand if you live in BK they offer a concierge service and do the 90 day reports for you. With the 5 yr plan you also get free limousine service from Suvarnabhumi - guess they assume any guy with Thai Elite isn't flying into DMK. There is also a 20 yr plan for 2 million baht that works like a golf membership (can sell it to someone else during it's life span) and throws in free spa treatments, and golfing.

Rawmeo will know exactly what happens, but I have been told when you fly into BKK or Phuket the staff meets you at the gate and whisks you through immigration, first class service at the airport and all your interactions with immigration.


Edit - I didn't see your post Rawmeo, until after I posted mine.

Staying on the theme of visas for guys with money or money to invest (don't really need that much), there is the 'Investor Visa'. Need to invest 10 million baht - buy a new condo (I believe resales don't qualify), a CD in a Thai bank, maybe other options as well, not sure about all the details.

This visa, it's not really a visa, but a 1yr extension, just needs to be extended every year and as long as you hold on to your initial investment there shouldn't be any problems doing that. I understand it doesn't matter if the value of the condo goes up or down and with this one you can also get a dependent visa if lets say you want to bring your EE LTR down to sun on the beach when things get cold in the Ukraine.

The 'investor visa' is almost certainly guaranteed to be more of a pain to get all the paperwork together before approval compared to the 'Elite Visa'. There will also be more reams of paperwork every year during extension time as well.

Permanent Residence is my goal, but it takes several years and is extremely complicated to get.

What you said is true - however I'm not sure about Phuket, but in Bangkok, they whisk you through everything. They pick you up right at the aircraft disembarkment dock, put you in a golf cart, and walks you though immigration. Total time from airplane to airport exit takes around 4-5 minutes, and I'm not kidding.

About the Investment visa, I've heard about it, but never actually got deep into it, so my knowledge is very limited on that.

What exactly does this visa provide other than priority immigration?

Most business airfares provide priority lane passes for BKK, although only Thai F class will provide the golf cart service. I've even been offered them when flying Cathay in economy as an economy class flyer with elite status.

Quote:I got some friends who use tourist visas, and they start to get questioned after 3 or 4 consecutive entries.

You mean visa waivers?

Did your friends have any problem to gain entry after being questioned?

Especially visa waivers, but it also happens with tourist visas. Immigration officers start saying that you're not a real tourist. Even if you have a valid tourist visa in your passport, after 4 times, you can start to get questioned. A friend had to argue a bit to be able to enter, and how he's afraid of his next visa run.