New Special Tourist Visa: A drop in the ocean compared to 2019 as many retirees feel abandoned

[bodga]

3 hours ago, mlkik said:

As someone who has a non o retirement extention and visited my elderly Mother in the UK early March I have not been allowed to return.

The Thai government rules are that I must have 800 000 Thai baht in my Thai bank account. I have about 1 000 000 .

I bought a new car in May 2018 and I had a bungalow built on my other halfs Fathers land. I have to pay the bills as her beauty salon does not generate enough income to pay for 1st class car insurance and air con electric bills.

I expected wrongly that people on retirement extentions would be allowed to register for repat flights in the near future. 

Some people have said that this new tourist visa will be ideal for people like myself. I dissagree as I have an extention that is valid for another 4 months and a re entry permit. Why should I have to change this and apply for a tourist visa ?

I am prepared to pay for the ASQ and get my covid test within 72 hours of my flight and have an insurance policy that is ready to go but am not considered worthy of return to a place which I wrongly thought was my home.

As someone else mentioned people thinking of retiring in Thailand think very carefully !

 

I  had a  flight  booked for May 31st but  couldnt  go due to   Air  France  cancelling it I  was due back in the Uk June 1st to August 16th and then back to  Thailand, thankfully  I never  went , in the meantime my Mother who is very healthy but elderly took a  fall  last week and broke her  hip, shes  92 and just had plates and pins  put in, i f  I  go  back to the UK I wont get back in easily  to Thailand so for  now she  is  in hospital but being well taken care of and we can skype daily. Hope to get back early  next year but wont bother if they keep the rules on insurance , tests, quarantine etc So can be with my Mother and help her  but unable to get back here easily for my Wife.

[Brunolem]

8 minutes ago, curious297 said:

 

Curious wrote:
 

"Immigration know I have lived here for almost 20 years. Myself and immigration have a full history of my yearly visas, work permit renewals, 90 day re-entry visa stamps etc, yet I am still just a tourist."

 

I mentioned at least 4 times my Non B Visa

 

Non-Immigrant B Visa (Employment)

Foreigners who intend to work in Thailand should apply for an initial 90-Day Non-Immigrant B visa from their home country under employment category. ... 90-day reporting to any Thai Immigration Office is required to the visa holder under this category.

 

Please pay attention in class, thank you ????

Master, I am not sure I grasp all the subtleties of your situation.

 

As far as my limited understanding allows me, you go on visa runs to avoid 90 day reporting, even though you have a work permit that dispenses you of said reporting.

 

Then, you need a multiple non B because you want to enter and leave Thailand as you wish, even though you can do that with the work permit and a re-entry stamp in your passport.

 

Just can't get what is your exact situation...

[spidermike007]

The authorities are lame, cowardly and timid. ALL tourists from ANY nation should be allowed. A covid letter and an expensive quarantine. I pay for my 14 day prison sentence. That is it. 

 

And in terms of the treatment of expats we can't feel abandoned. The army always despised us. Much of the nation benefits from the billions we bring in, and the average of 100,000 baht a month we spend here. Even the rural folks benefit. Alot of the nicer houses in the poorer farming areas were built with money from expats. Alot of trucks, cars and income is from expats. Countless business employing many. To say it is insignificant, is a blatant misunderstanding of Thai economics. Thousands of hotels, restaurants, countless airlines and many tour companies, also benefit. This hapless administration needs to develop some courage and initiative. They can't hide from the world forever. Extreme timidity from supposedly tough men is an amusing thing to witness. However, the pain they are inflicting on millions is not
 

[micmichd]

3 minutes ago, bodga said:

I  had a  flight  booked for May 31st but  couldnt  go due to   Air  France  cancelling it I  was due back in the Uk June 1st to August 16th and then back to  Thailand, thankfully  I never  went , in the meantime my Mother who is very healthy but elderly took a  fall  last week and broke her  hip, shes  92 and just had plates and pins  put in, i f  I  go  back to the UK I wont get back in easily  to Thailand so for  now she  is  in hospital but being well taken care of and we can skype daily. Hope to get back early  next year but wont bother if they keep the rules on insurance , tests, quarantine etc So can be with my Mother and help her  but unable to get back here easily for my Wife.

Sometimes I'm glad I'm an orphan in Germany and cut all bridges to Germany. So I can live as a pensioner on a retirement visa with my Thai family.  

And, to be honest, they're not even dependent on me here in the Eastern Economic Corridor aka Chonburi aka Pattaya Dark Side. 

[kiwikeith]

6 hours ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Finally, simple math's that explains that they are either ignorant, stupid or have this as a plan as the numbers are literally a drop in the ocean.

 

There seems to be some very delusional people at the TAT who just can't see that there plans are ridiculous and will in now way help the economy or tourists in general.

 

Ah well another barn pot initiative.  Waiting for the next one... coming soon no doubt.

My maths can't calculate how many airlines will beg to get in on this, boy, what a life line for them. Let me see.   300 per week dived by 30 Airlines, that's 10 passengers a week each, should have thought of this myself. 

[redwood1]

2 minutes ago, CapeTown said:

A lot of thought and consultation has evidently gone into the STV. This seems the best Thailand can manage for the moment.

 

Thailand is not doing the best they can do......But they are doing 100% what they want to do.....

 

TAT may not be they brightest bulbs in the room but even they know 1200 tourist a month will be of almost zero help to the economy...

 

Countries like Mexico have no testing, no quarantine, no insurance requirements, etc... Nothing required to enter...........And they seem to be doing just fine....

 

Its very very simple......If Thailand wanted tourist they would make it easy for tourist....Thailand is making it very hard for tourist so they don't want tourist...

 

Bing-Bang-Bong End of story.....

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The TAT and the tourism ministry have been hyping up their STV (Special Tourist Visa) as a way to kickstart the Thai economy but in reality it is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the same time last year.

300 a week to kick-start the economy.... Thailand is in safe hands?

[Brunolem]

2 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Much of the nation benefits from the billions we bring in, and the average of 100,000 baht a month we spend here.

Sources?

 

100,000 baht a month on average???

[smudger1951]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I have not found it difficult to retire here, been on a retirement visa for 7 years now.

The big mistake many retirees make is to sink all their assets into Thailand. I've always operated on the principle 80% of my assets stay in Australia.

My only non-liquid assets here are a secondhand car and secondhand scooter. No big loss. My funds in several banks would be withdrawn lickety-split, and converted to currencies which are not printing more money, or gold. I could do that in the 7 days the authorities give if they are kicking someone out.

I'm sure my contribution is appreciated and valued by my Thai GF and her family. The Thai ruling class and their opinions are irrelevant to me, it's only the regulations I have to watch out for.

I'd agree that so far, retirees who have been caught outside Thailand have been treated badly. It's not as if they are in an age group that is reckless with coronavirus, unless they are Trump supporters.

What kind of country is it you only invest 20% of your assets for fear of losing it. I'm sure your thai gf and family appreciated what you did for them yesterday. Today what you can give me falang ?

[tomazbodner]

Something is becoming quite clear from the series of articles, including the OP... It used to be "Good guys in, bad guys out" but now it's turning to "Rich guys in, poor guys out"...

[flyfrog]

And what about the stranded tourists here? They all have to leave on the 26th? Why don't they get any extension 90 days?? Can make some extra money with that no?

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Dart12 said:

It's never wise to buy a single family home, anywhere in the world, these days.  You are much better off buying multiple unit cashflowing properties and simply renting your current "home" space.
 

Those multiple unit cashflowing properties are not looking too flash in Thailand. My former landlord's apartment in Chiang Mai has been empty since I left it in February, and another two apartments he has in the same condo have had no tenants for years.

In Australia, if you own the roof over your head and get the age pension, you're OK. A pensioner that has to rent is stuffed.

[Mattd]

17 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

As far as my limited understanding allows me, you go on visa runs to avoid 90 day reporting, even though you have a work permit that dispenses you of said reporting.

 

Then, you need a multiple non B because you want to enter and leave Thailand as you wish, even though you can do that with the work permit and a re-entry stamp in your passport.

A work permit and EOS based on work doesn't stop the 90 day reports, although you can allocate a staff member to do those, no bother.

 

I must admit, I have no idea why anybody would get a non-B when it is easier to extend based on work, normally this is done when immigration won't issue an extension, due to missing documentation, salary not enough etc. ME non-b visas are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain and I would not be surprised if they abolish them altogether in the not so distant future, with the aim of making people get an EOS.

[Lacessit]

11 minutes ago, smudger1951 said:

What kind of country is it you only invest 20% of your assets for fear of losing it. I'm sure your thai gf and family appreciated what you did for them yesterday. Today what you can give me falang ?

 It's the kind of country where your tenure is only one year maximum, at the whim of an Immigration officer. So I'd be stupid to be putting more in.

My arrangements with my Thai GF are my business, none of yours.

[Donga]

Yes they have to make a start.

What better way than going back to safe countries, bubble approach? There are already many countries in the region, including big markets like Japan, Australia and South Korea where the chances of someone boarding a plane with Covid would be 1 in 10,000.. even before you apply tests 3 days out and upon arrival.

With existing distancing and face masks, the chances would be around one in a million. Bring 'em in!

Sooner or later other countries in the region will see this and Thailand will be left flat footed with their pitiful approach.

Edited September 16, 2020 by Donga

[tomauasia]

No need to rave on..This is the wrong government to start a economy and create a gate of friendship. Complete disaster 

[DiDiChok]

I puzzle about why nobody has suggested that all these "schemes" are in fact simply a way of getting not a better deck hair, but a different deck chair on the Titanic?  Everyone is searching strenuously for the best set of rules to live by in Thailand, and that is laudable but pointless.  What makes Thailand so attractive is that there are lots of rules to choose from that can be implemented in a myriad of ways and what worked yesterday almost certainly has no chance of working today.

 

When I first arrived to stay, I tried to make lists of how to get certain things done.  I soon gave that up and started "surfing the flow" as I call it.  I suppose that there must be someone somewhere who understands the Thai psyche and the rules of "face" and "Greng jai" but I've been happy ever since I gave up trying.  The Thai motto seems to be "Live for today" combined with the Buddhist "All life is suffering".  But they can never be accused of not being inventive when trying to find a solution agreeable to everyone for a problem and that's fine by me.  It's "Up to you" then to use the tools you're given to achieve a personal solution that's acceptable to you.

[Brunolem]

34 minutes ago, flyfrog said:

And what about the stranded tourists here? They all have to leave on the 26th? Why don't they get any extension 90 days?? 

Don't all these stranded tourists need to work for a living?

[Trujillo]

So...again for us old, retired folks...why can a student return to Thailand but a retiree can't? Please tell me the logic again. 

[smart2305]

6 hours ago, chrisandsu said:

I really don’t know what people expect ? Personally I don’t want borders opened in my home country especially from places that have very high covid rates . Thailand will be opened for high season they are far to greedy to pass up that cash cow trust me . 

I totally agree and expect borders to open by november. They will introduce some kind of testing at arrival, like in some eu countries.  No Quarantine for me.

[smudger1951]

34 minutes ago, Lokie said:

Best advice I ever got years ago from an old Expat was...

Never buy anything your not prepared to leave behind, keep a suit case packed, this is a country that cycles through military coups every ten yrs or so, No need to buy anything large as is so cheap enough to rent - If does go Pear shaped pick that suitcase up and just get on a plane out of here...

 

Cheers Eddy (from Wigan) 13 years later and all holds true

Lokie, I got the same advice many years ago and abided by it.

And now you can't just get on a plane out of there or get in.

I'm seriously wondering where this country is headed next year with a failed tourist sector and exports must be depressed. Thai people are being ignored and they are very dignified but that can't last. I'm thinking through various scenarios. Keep that suitcase packed.

[olfu]

...new special tourist visa?

Stop dreaming. Thailand ruling class want manage flow of people and it started from Pattaya some 5 years ago when suddenly Walking Street became talk of local city hall.

Lets be fair--not everybody want communistic Laos or Cambodia with 3000$ deposit--yes, we want some kind of freedom for our money.

And, yes, no matter where we go we always tourists and government regulate us not opposite way.

[P100]

6 hours ago, Berti said:

 

Why wealthy? The visa costs 2.000.- Baht.

2 weeks quarantine at exp. hotels?

Airline restrictions to support bankrupt ThaiAir at crazy ticket price? Lots of expensive covid tests?

Overpriced rippoff Thai insurance for covid, 1300 USD per person? Despite having comprehensjve packages already.

Money deposited to prove funds for 9 months.

Did I forget something? Your return to Thailand with 2 persons will easily amout to 10K USD before you even started to have holidays.

Thailand is focused on ripping off a handful of must-returning foreigners with no choice but to feed the government.

Edited September 16, 2020 by P100

[JCP108]

6 hours ago, Enzian said:

I'll probably be able to renew my retirement status this December, but if at some point next year I'm faced with the choice of staying in-country indefinitely or leaving and staying out indefinitely or forever, I'll crack and leave. 

This is what I've decide to do. I've got a few more months before my annual renewal for my retirement visa. I'm leaving day after tomorrow and do not have a plan to come back. I knew Thailand was no Shangrila when I moved here. But, before the recent <deleted> happened, I thought the slow, steady increasingly anti-farang policies would proceed in ways that I could manage or eventually avoid by moving. The pandemic has caused that to lurch ahead and I no longer want to keep assets here. I also need to not be stuck here. There are some family obligations back in the U.S. that require me to have some ability to travel back and forth. The increasing/wacky/hard to predict hurdles of getting back in have caused me to think I'm better off at the present time just moving back to the U.S. If things get more stable here and doable for my needs, I might reconsider. Otherwise, will be investigating other options. 

 

So long, and thanks for all the somtam.

Edited September 16, 2020 by JCP108

[connda]

2 hours ago, Ratcher said:

 Same old drivel has been spouted by many on this forum every other day about how bad Westerners are treated here. If you don't like it vote with your feet. 

Another sage newbie with a couple of hundred posts telling those with a decade or more living experience in the LOS that "if you don't like it then don't let the door hit ya in the behind."  Sadly,  that sort of overused, worn-out cliche increasingly emanates from TV members who are not generally active on the forum and who seem to have just shown up to give the wasp nest a good whack or two. 
For what purpose?  Yeah well, there ya go.....

[allane]

If the author of the OP had written the last sentence first, he wouldn't have needed to write the rest of the article.  

Edited September 16, 2020 by allane
x

[Nout]

6 hours ago, Berti said:

 

Why wealthy? The visa costs 2.000.- Baht.

Precisely

[davidmann]

7 hours ago, Berti said:

There are many tourism workers but they are still a minority.

The majority is still in panic when it comes to Corona.

 

We have to acknowledge that they are building up a quarantine industry to let in foreigners, but somehow I get the feeling they want to get rid of retirees.

 

YES

[Nout]

The usual Thai bashers and haters are running true to form with negativity and ignorance. This is just the start of a scheme and it does not preclude its expansion. Nor does it preclude actions to facilitate the entry of retirees,  nor does it preclude the entry of elite visa holders. This new scheme is a great  positive step in the right direction.

[Nout]

1 minute ago, davidmann said:

YES

Nonsense. They don't think about them.