Crackdown on back-to-back Tourist visa applications
Thai news recently reported a new crackdown on back-to-back Tourist visa applications under the form of an extended screening of visa applicants.
The information is available here and a detailed explanation of what could happen here.
If this is confirmed this will make life much harder for all foreigners living (and working) in Thailand without a work permit. A situation that the Thai authorities have so far accepted if not encouraged.
To be continued…
Better to be a tourist in Thailand, than an expat!
Now Thailand is offering the Tourist Visa for free. Double entry. With such a Visa, one can stay in Thailand for 6 months! (2 months + 1 month extension, visa run, 2 months + 1 month extension). Renewable indefinitely until march 2010 (the tourist visa will be free until then).
Applying for a non-immigrant Business visa (non B visa) will cost you 120 euros for one year, and you will still have to go on visa run every 3 months!
Chose the best for you! 
New Visa Rules – 2009
VISA – New Rules 2009 (source LePetitJournal and Law Solutions)
Transit Visa (or visa exemption): renewable indefinitely
The exemption of Visa (which allows people from 41 countries to stay in Thailand without any visa for a limited period of time) is now renewable indefinitely. The 90day rule, established in October 2006 (no more than 90 days in the Kingdom and then 90 days abroad) has been cancelled. However, people entering the country by land will be granted 30 days the first time but then only 15 days each time (see New Visa Run rules).
Non-B Visa (Work): now possible even if the company is losing money on the fiscal year
Since 2006, a company requesting a Non-Immigrant B Visa had to prove that it was making money, ie: profit. This was on top of the usual requirements of 2 million baht capital and 4 Thai employees for 1 foreign employee. Now, even a company losing money may obtain a non-B Visa for a foreigner. This is now decided on a case by case basis.
Investment Visa: restarted
The Investment Visa (IB or IM), granted to foreigners investing a certain amount in the country, had been canceled in October 2006. It is now back on the “menu”, except that the minimum amount used to be THB 3 millions and it is now THB 10 millions!
Retirement Visa: easier conditions
The Retirement Visa (O) is available for all foreigners aged 50+ and who can prove a yearly income of THB 800,000 (or a monthly income of THB 65,000). The problem was the money deposit that had to be made a very long time in advance. The money deposit used to be requested 3 months before the Visa application. This has been reduced to 60 days.
Wedding Visa: restarted
The Wedding Visa is granted to a foreigner married with a Thai national. The rule to obtain this Visa has been changed back to how it was before 2006: One need to register the wedding in Thailand and put a minimum deposit of THB 400,000 on a bank account in Thailand OR prove a minimum monthly income of THB 40,000.
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More information about Visas on the Visa and Immigration page.
New Visa Run rule
This has been confirmed. There is a new 15day rule for Visa Run. This is for people traveling in Thailand without a Visa, and not to be mixed with Visa on Arrival or Tourist Visa.
What’s new?
If you come to Thailand without a Visa, you are allowed to stay in the country for a maximum of 30 days. This did not change. However, if you want to extend your stay, then you need to know the news: if you go for a Visa Run by bus or by car to the Malaysian, Cambodian, Laotian or Burmese border, you will come back with a 15day extension (or even 14 days in Burma), instead of the former 30day extension. However if you go out of the country by plane and come back by plane, then you will get the usual 30day extension.
Don’t ask me why. I guess they need to get more airport tax payers.
No change for the Tourist Visa.
Tourist Visa
A Tourist Visa is not a requirement for visiting Thailand, however it will allow you to stay in Thailand longer than the usual 30 days. The length and the renewal capability depend on the country and the embassy, but nowadays, it seems that the longer you can get is 2 months renewable once. 2 x 2 months.
When the first 2 months are over, you need to go out of the country and come back again (Visa Run). Then you got another 2 months. However you can also go to the immigration bureau and get a visa extension for 1 month before using the second 2month period. As of today this will cost you 1900 baht.
This means that with a 2 x 2 month Tourist Visa, one can stay in Thailand 2 months + 1 month + 2 months + 1 month = 6 months. And there is no limitation with Tourist Visas like there is the 90 day limitation when you don’t have a visa.
Basically, if you get a Tourist Visa every 6 months, you can stay in Thailand… for ever! This is what a lot of foreigners do. Especially now that the Visa Run option is reconsidered.
You need to get your Tourist Visa (single entry or double entry) outside of Thailand and prior to visiting the country.
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More information about Visas on the Visa and Immigration page.
Visa Exemption
“Passport holders from 40 countries (including USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and most West European Countries) and 1 special administrative region (Hong Kong) are not required to obtain a Visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes. When they enter the country they will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of 30 days maximum (stamp on the passport)”.
This is not a Tourist Visa and this is not a Visa on Arrival (see the separate posts for these subjects).
Once the 30 days are over, you have to leave the country. If you want to stay in Thailand, you need to leave the country and to re-enter for another 30 days (Visa Run).
Since end of 2006, “foreigners who enter the Kingdom under the Tourist Visa Exemption category may re-enter and stay in Thailand for a cumulative duration of stay of maximum 90 days within every 6-month period from the date of first entry”.
This means that within 6 months you can enter the country three times maximum. And then you’ll have to wait for the 6-month period to end before being able to re-enter the country.
Also this policy doesn’t seem to be really enforced yet, there are some cases of people having problems re-entering the country after 3 periods of 30 days. Usually in this case, the Thai authorities let you enter again, but with a very short period like 7 days, just to give you enough time to pick up your stuff if you left something in the country and to arrange to leave the country.
A Tourist Visa allows you to stay longer in the country. See the Tourist Visa page.
OVER STAY
Once your 30-day period is over, you have to leave the country. If you stay in Thailand after the 30-day period is over, you are in over stay. There is a fine of THB 500 per day of over stay once you eventually leave the country. This is if you go by yourself to the airport or to the border. If you are caught in the country while in over stay, you may go to jail for a couple days before being deported from Thailand.
The advice here is really to avoid over stay as much as possible.
Here is the comprehensive list of the countries which benefit from Visa Exemption.
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More information about Visas on the Visa and Immigration page.
