Thaidream Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I just checked the Los Angeles Thai Consulate Web Site and they do mention the METV- but the requirements are still the same with no proof of income or other requirements that seem to be appearing in Europe. They would if I am reading correctly still issue a 2 or 3 entry Visa if requested as the price for each entry is different than the METV. There is no notice of phasing this out as of yet. The problem I see is if the Asian Thai Embassy's limit the Tourist Visa to one entry only and require the next one issued be obtained in the travelers home country. If they do this it will cause much disruption for people who are unable to get long term Visa or cannot afford the Thai Elite or cannot afford to return to their home country. In addition, those that do have funds to return every 6 months will choose not to do this as it is a long trip. There are many other more welcoming countries with progressive visa policies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KunMatt Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Not married to a Thai , not working and not over 50? Perhaps you made a good decision. I wasn't married to my wife at the time there we just married in the UK, I do work outside of Thailand and I am well under 50. What were my options? A £10,000 Thai Elite card which only last for 5 years and could be cancelled whenever they felt like it. What else? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post elviajero Posted October 18, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted October 18, 2015 These constant visa rule changes are part of the reason I left Thailand with my family this year. I didn't feel comfortable planning to raise our two kids in Thailand knowing that at any point in the next 20 years immigration could suddenly invent a new rule which didn't include me and our life in Thailand would be over. As it happened I already didn't fit into any real visa status and ended up entering Thailand on Visa Exemptions and getting extensions based on having children there, many consider this abusing the system but there was no other option for me so I did what everyone always suggests and went back to my home country with my family. Thailand is only for holidays and that's how they want it. Go there, spend all your money and go back home again. The visa rules don't constantly change. The enforcement of visa rules change due to abuse. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitsune Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm not buying any of this nonsense. The generals running the country (into the ground admittedly) know that tourism is a golden goose. Anything too drastic will kill it. This will be made abundantly clear before nonsense overhauls are brought fully into effect. Some of these nonsense criterion simply won't fly long term (figuratively speaking) I guess they can afford to be choosy now ... BKK airport traffic has just hit records high... http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism-and-transport/730268/suvarnabhumi-airport-traffic-soars-to-record-high Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KunMatt Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 These constant visa rule changes are part of the reason I left Thailand with my family this year. I didn't feel comfortable planning to raise our two kids in Thailand knowing that at any point in the next 20 years immigration could suddenly invent a new rule which didn't include me and our life in Thailand would be over. As it happened I already didn't fit into any real visa status and ended up entering Thailand on Visa Exemptions and getting extensions based on having children there, many consider this abusing the system but there was no other option for me so I did what everyone always suggests and went back to my home country with my family. Thailand is only for holidays and that's how they want it. Go there, spend all your money and go back home again. The visa rules don't constantly change. The enforcement of visa rules change due to abuse. No, you are wrong. When I first visited Thailand 6 years ago I could get a 1 year multiple entry visa just for having a Thai friend, The rules for that visa then changed every year and got more strict so that currently, I believe, you have to be married to a Thai and have a certain amount of money in a Thai bank, which is increasing every year. All they had to do was invent a rule that anyone not working in Thailand and under 50 cannot spend more than a certain amount of days in Thailand every year and that would have ruined our family life in Thailand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elviajero Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Not married to a Thai , not working and not over 50? Perhaps you made a good decision. I wasn't married to my wife at the time there we just married in the UK, I do work outside of Thailand and I am well under 50. What were my options? A £10,000 Thai Elite card which only last for 5 years and could be cancelled whenever they felt like it. What else? Non immigrant 'O' visa/extension of stay to visit your kids. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueyeshk Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 It seems this years change of rules will be much more pain in the ass. Let's see what will finally be served once it's cooked but it sounds with all the official postings on foreign embassy sites much more serious - you were warned for two years now- my bags are packed and ready to leave anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KunMatt Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Not married to a Thai , not working and not over 50? Perhaps you made a good decision. I wasn't married to my wife at the time there we just married in the UK, I do work outside of Thailand and I am well under 50. What were my options? A £10,000 Thai Elite card which only last for 5 years and could be cancelled whenever they felt like it. What else? Non immigrant 'O' visa/extension of stay to visit your kids. I wasn't married and I'm under 50 so how could I get a non-imm O? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oncearugge Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I just checked the Los Angeles Thai Consulate Web Site and they do mention the METV- but the requirements are still the same with no proof of income or other requirements that seem to be appearing in Europe. They would if I am reading correctly still issue a 2 or 3 entry Visa if requested as the price for each entry is different than the METV. There is no notice of phasing this out as of yet. The problem I see is if the Asian Thai Embassy's limit the Tourist Visa to one entry only and require the next one issued be obtained in the travelers home country. If they do this it will cause much disruption for people who are unable to get long term Visa or cannot afford the Thai Elite or cannot afford to return to their home country. In addition, those that do have funds to return every 6 months will choose not to do this as it is a long trip. There are many other more welcoming countries with progressive visa policies. That website merely publishes a press release about the METV. http://www.thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=78 The web site does not appear to have been updated with the requirement/application process to obtain a METV. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elviajero Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 These constant visa rule changes are part of the reason I left Thailand with my family this year. I didn't feel comfortable planning to raise our two kids in Thailand knowing that at any point in the next 20 years immigration could suddenly invent a new rule which didn't include me and our life in Thailand would be over. As it happened I already didn't fit into any real visa status and ended up entering Thailand on Visa Exemptions and getting extensions based on having children there, many consider this abusing the system but there was no other option for me so I did what everyone always suggests and went back to my home country with my family. Thailand is only for holidays and that's how they want it. Go there, spend all your money and go back home again. The visa rules don't constantly change. The enforcement of visa rules change due to abuse. No, you are wrong. When I first visited Thailand 6 years ago I could get a 1 year multiple entry visa just for having a Thai friend, The rules for that visa then changed every year and got more strict so that currently, I believe, you have to be married to a Thai and have a certain amount of money in a Thai bank, which is increasing every year. All they had to do was invent a rule that anyone not working in Thailand and under 50 cannot spend more than a certain amount of days in Thailand every year and that would have ruined our family life in Thailand. You're right about the non 'O' visa but little else. Non 'O' criteria does change from time to time and vary between embassies/consulates. But you said "constantly" which is not the case. IMO as a parent of a Thai you are in the safest group of foreigners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elviajero Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Not married to a Thai , not working and not over 50? Perhaps you made a good decision. I wasn't married to my wife at the time there we just married in the UK, I do work outside of Thailand and I am well under 50. What were my options? A £10,000 Thai Elite card which only last for 5 years and could be cancelled whenever they felt like it. What else? Non immigrant 'O' visa/extension of stay to visit your kids. I wasn't married and I'm under 50 so how could I get a non-imm O? You can get a non 'O' as the parent of a Thai. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KunMatt Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 These constant visa rule changes are part of the reason I left Thailand with my family this year. I didn't feel comfortable planning to raise our two kids in Thailand knowing that at any point in the next 20 years immigration could suddenly invent a new rule which didn't include me and our life in Thailand would be over. As it happened I already didn't fit into any real visa status and ended up entering Thailand on Visa Exemptions and getting extensions based on having children there, many consider this abusing the system but there was no other option for me so I did what everyone always suggests and went back to my home country with my family. Thailand is only for holidays and that's how they want it. Go there, spend all your money and go back home again. The visa rules don't constantly change. The enforcement of visa rules change due to abuse. No, you are wrong. When I first visited Thailand 6 years ago I could get a 1 year multiple entry visa just for having a Thai friend, The rules for that visa then changed every year and got more strict so that currently, I believe, you have to be married to a Thai and have a certain amount of money in a Thai bank, which is increasing every year. All they had to do was invent a rule that anyone not working in Thailand and under 50 cannot spend more than a certain amount of days in Thailand every year and that would have ruined our family life in Thailand. You're right about the non 'O' visa but little else. Non 'O' criteria does change from time to time and vary between embassies/consulates. But you said "constantly" which is not the case. IMO as a parent of a Thai you are in the safest group of foreigners. It went from being able to get the 1 year Non-O just by knowing a Thai person and then changed every single year to what it is now. I haven't even checked the latest rule but I'm guessing it's that you have to be married to a Thai and have more money in a Thai bank than before. I already didn't fit into any visa category so how exactly was I safe? I could only enter on visa exemptions and get extensions. At any point they could have denied my entry into Thailand for coming too many times on exemptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post swampdonkey Posted October 18, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted October 18, 2015 It seems this years change of rules will be much more pain in the ass. Let's see what will finally be served once it's cooked but it sounds with all the official postings on foreign embassy sites much more serious - you were warned for two years now- my bags are packed and ready to leave anyway. These changes are being made because so many were abusing the system 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitsune Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 These constant visa rule changes are part of the reason I left Thailand with my family this year. I didn't feel comfortable planning to raise our two kids in Thailand knowing that at any point in the next 20 years immigration could suddenly invent a new rule which didn't include me and our life in Thailand would be over. As it happened I already didn't fit into any real visa status and ended up entering Thailand on Visa Exemptions and getting extensions based on having children there, many consider this abusing the system but there was no other option for me so I did what everyone always suggests and went back to my home country with my family. Thailand is only for holidays and that's how they want it. Go there, spend all your money and go back home again. The visa rules don't constantly change. The enforcement of visa rules change due to abuse. No, you are wrong. When I first visited Thailand 6 years ago I could get a 1 year multiple entry visa just for having a Thai friend, The rules for that visa then changed every year and got more strict so that currently, I believe, you have to be married to a Thai and have a certain amount of money in a Thai bank, which is increasing every year. All they had to do was invent a rule that anyone not working in Thailand and under 50 cannot spend more than a certain amount of days in Thailand every year and that would have ruined our family life in Thailand. You're right about the non 'O' visa but little else. Non 'O' criteria does change from time to time and vary between embassies/consulates. But you said "constantly" which is not the case. IMO as a parent of a Thai you are in the safest group of foreigners. Not really as the money requirement is new and can be raised anytime.Or you have to border run every 3 months. Also it only lasts up to when the child is grown up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KunMatt Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Not married to a Thai , not working and not over 50? Perhaps you made a good decision. I wasn't married to my wife at the time there we just married in the UK, I do work outside of Thailand and I am well under 50. What were my options? A £10,000 Thai Elite card which only last for 5 years and could be cancelled whenever they felt like it. What else? Non immigrant 'O' visa/extension of stay to visit your kids. I wasn't married and I'm under 50 so how could I get a non-imm O? You can get a non 'O' as the parent of a Thai. I just checked and yes you are right. Currently you can get a non O for visiting a Thai child but that is another recent change and will be changed again in the future like it constantly is every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitsune Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 (edited) I just checked and yes you are right. Currently you can get a non O for visiting a Thai child but that is another recent change and will be changed again in the future like it constantly is every year. Yes you can and you need money in the bank or have to leave the country every 3 months But then what happens when the child has grown up? Back to square one. Edited October 18, 2015 by Kitsune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksam Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 (edited) What would be a sensible guess at number of people living in Thailand ongoing using tourist visas. Any ballpark guesses. Edited October 18, 2015 by jacksam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KunMatt Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 (edited) I just checked and yes you are right. Currently you can get a non O for visiting a Thai child but that is another recent change and will be changed again in the future like it constantly is every year. Yes you can and you need money in the bank or have to leave the country every 3 months But then what happens when the child has grown up? Back to square one. When the child has grown up presumably most people would be over 50 and could get a different visa then. Having the money in the bank wasn't the issue for me, it was the ever changing criteria and instability of our life in Thailand because of it. Edited October 18, 2015 by KunMatt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post stoneyboy Posted October 18, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted October 18, 2015 The biggest issue regarding visas for Thailand is the lack of consistency from immigration offices within the kingdom and embassies and consulates within the region. If you can satisfy the visa requirements for your personnel situation it's usually straightforward enough. That said IMO the whole system especially for those who have Thai children and spouses is draconian and poses many issues for some people,one has to question the reasons for this given that foreigners have no recourse to health care,social security or the likelihood of working and earning enough money to maintain a standard of living that is only viable by working away from the family home. I appreciate that the country doesn't need the burden of ageing foreigners overwhelming the health system and the like but the shear lack of compassion that is shown to those that have Thai family and spouses is simply quite repulsive. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post elviajero Posted October 18, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted October 18, 2015 The visa rules don't constantly change. The enforcement of visa rules change due to abuse. No, you are wrong. When I first visited Thailand 6 years ago I could get a 1 year multiple entry visa just for having a Thai friend, The rules for that visa then changed every year and got more strict so that currently, I believe, you have to be married to a Thai and have a certain amount of money in a Thai bank, which is increasing every year. All they had to do was invent a rule that anyone not working in Thailand and under 50 cannot spend more than a certain amount of days in Thailand every year and that would have ruined our family life in Thailand. You're right about the non 'O' visa but little else. Non 'O' criteria does change from time to time and vary between embassies/consulates. But you said "constantly" which is not the case. IMO as a parent of a Thai you are in the safest group of foreigners. It went from being able to get the 1 year Non-O just by knowing a Thai person and then changed every single year to what it is now. I haven't even checked the latest rule but I'm guessing it's that you have to be married to a Thai and have more money in a Thai bank than before. I already didn't fit into any visa category so how exactly was I safe? I could only enter on visa exemptions and get extensions. At any point they could have denied my entry into Thailand for coming too many times on exemptions. If married it's still 400k for an extension of stay. You can get a 1 year non 'O' multi entry visa without any financial proof. You did fit in to a non 'O' visa category. I don't know how far back non 'O' visas and extensions have been available to parents, but I'm sure it's a lot longer than 6 years. A knowledge of the visa system of the foreign country you're living in is essential. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KunMatt Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 If married it's still 400k for an extension of stay. You can get a 1 year non 'O' multi entry visa without any financial proof. You did fit in to a non 'O' visa category. I don't know how far back non 'O' visas and extensions have been available to parents, but I'm sure it's a lot longer than 6 years. A knowledge of the visa system of the foreign country you're living in is essential. The Thai consulates in the UK would not issue a Non-Imm O based on having a Thai child, I checked with them every time I needed a visa. It was for having a Thai wife only. Based on my situation they would only grant me a multiple entry tourist visas which is what I always got whenever we came back to the UK for a holiday. When that expired I would enter again on exemptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattaya46 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 The generals running the country (into the ground admittedly) know that tourism is a golden goose. Anything too drastic will kill it. The average stay of a "Tourist" is something like 12 days (don't remember exact value) Tourists staying more than 90 days must not be that many, and big part of them are probably not counted as "real tourists", so METV and no more 2-entry 3-entry shouldn't impact tourism much 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueyeshk Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 (edited) What would be a sensible guess at number of people living in Thailand ongoing using tourist visas. Any ballpark guesses. 1 millionhttp://www.burning-bison.com/expats.htm Edited October 18, 2015 by blueyeshk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattaya46 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 When I first visited Thailand 6 years ago I could get a 1 year multiple entry visa just for having a Thai friend, The rules for that visa then changed every year and got more strict // This were not change of "Thai rules", but change of rules at some specific Embassies or Consulates, like Hull who was giving non-O to anyone who want (who paid ) during years... Places who always followed Thai rules have had very few or small changes in these last years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquorice Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 If married it's still 400k for an extension of stay. You can get a 1 year non 'O' multi entry visa without any financial proof. You did fit in to a non 'O' visa category. I don't know how far back non 'O' visas and extensions have been available to parents, but I'm sure it's a lot longer than 6 years. A knowledge of the visa system of the foreign country you're living in is essential. The Thai consulates in the UK would not issue a Non-Imm O based on having a Thai child, I checked with them every time I needed a visa. It was for having a Thai wife only. Based on my situation they would only grant me a multiple entry tourist visas which is what I always got whenever we came back to the UK for a holiday. When that expired I would enter again on exemptions. Liverpool and Birmingham Consulates were issuing single Non Imm O for visiting a family member. Liverpool issued me a single Non Imm O 2 years ago and I don't have any family or dependants in Thailand. Yes it depends on your situation and circumstances, but something tells me you either weren't supplying the correct evidence or information to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enufsaid Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 They really want to cut back on tourists , what about those going on somewhere else then coming back that way, or the young kids who decide on the spur of the moment they'll head back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckBee Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 You can't blame the users of tourist visas as blame really lies on the embassy/consulates & for issuing & immigration for allowing people in wit back to back tourist visas. Better precise rules & better enforcement was needed & still is needed or any new system will be much same as past in reality ... The amount of expats who stayed long term on tourists was huge, just look at some of the companies who ran 7days a week with couches for in-outs at the borders, these people while not huge spenders in general still added a lot of revenue into the country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattaya46 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 They really want to cut back on tourists , what about those going on somewhere else then coming back that way, or the young kids who decide on the spur of the moment they'll head back They will still have the visa exemption, allowing 30+30 more days when coming back in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Khun Robert Posted October 18, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted October 18, 2015 And on it goes, complain complain. Thai Immigration keeps on changing the rules to keep the tourists out. I have no money in the bank, I do not work but I like to stay in your country without any income and support my family. You have to give me a visa because I know a person in your country. Well where in the world this works out. Okay, except you are a refugee of war. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KunMatt Posted October 18, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted October 18, 2015 And on it goes, complain complain. Thai Immigration keeps on changing the rules to keep the tourists out. I have no money in the bank, I do not work but I like to stay in your country without any income and support my family. You have to give me a visa because I know a person in your country. Well where in the world this works out. Okay, except you are a refugee of war. Who are you talking to? Not one person so far in this thread has said anything that you quoted. You just couldn't wait to jump in and express your prejudices against your countrymen. Says a real lot about you, mate. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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