The foreign community is a bit stirred up by the recent announcement of new and tougher rules for visa-free entry into Thailand. The rules are supposed by be implemented from October 2006 onwards. A quick review of the Immigration Bureau website does not reveal any relevant information about this issue, but it has already been widely reported in the local press and on various webboards.
Who will be affected by the new rules. Well, they are mostly the citizens of 41 countries who benefit from visa-free entry into Thailand. A visa free entry allows visitors to stay for 30 consecutive days. The visitors affected mostly come from Western and other 'developed' countries.
The new regulations limit the number of consecutive visa-free entries into the country. Only three (3) consecutive entries will be allowed for a total stay of 90 days. After that, entry into Thailand will be declined, and foreigners who want to come back will have to wait outside the country for at least 90 days.
For years it has been the habbit of quite a large contingent of foreigners to do eternal border runs every 30 days to exit and reentry Thailand. According to the starting paragraph of an article in the Nation dd. 16 September 2006, "The days of foreign visitors doing endless 'border runs' in order to live - and often work - in Thailand, are over, the Immigration Police announced yesterday."
In many cases long-term visitors have chosen the option of renewing their visa-free entry repeatedly, because it is the easiest one. Little paper work is involved and no questions are asked, although we can only imagine the boredom of repeated trips abroad, sometimes overland to Cambodia. It seems generally accepted that quite a few foreigners are working in Thailand illegally this way. We also know about the large contingent of 'sexual addicts' who enjoy the mindless live of visiting bars, drinking, sleeping and wandering around town. Then, of course, there are a number of long-term residents who simply retired early in a country they preferred above other countries.
As far as it is possible to find out, it is still possible to appy for a tourist visa at an embassy abroad, after your three visa-free trips to Thailand. People who work in Thailand illegally, can go the legal way (although we would suggest to ease the rules to get a work permit). People with emotional attachments can get married. Both a working permit and being married will make it easy to apply for visa that allow a long-term stay.
Another easy way for those above 50 years of age, is to get a 'retirement' visa. Obtaining this is a piece of cake, but you will need 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account, or show evidence of receiving 65,000 baht or more a month into the country. The main obstacle that we observed regarding this option, is that a lot of foreigners staying long-term in the country are not really committed and also risk averse. Although the amount of 800,000 baht (somewhat more than 20,000 US $) is not staggering, and you can use the funds (you never loose any money), a lot of older people are just reluctant to use the option of a retirement visa.
The most affected will be a number of young people, who somehow are financially independent (and/or lead a relatively inexpensive live), and simply like to stay in Thailand. Some of these people have made some investments in the country. Quite a few people have bought condominiums and cars. It seems a bit unfair to try to get these people out of the country, after they made substantial financial commitments. We do not know, but possibly it is advisable for people who are affected this way to seek legal advice regarding long-term stay. In any case, there still is the possibility for this group of people to obtain a so-called non-immigrant visa. We particularly recommend (since they are staying long time) to study the Thai language. Studying the language will allow you to get an 'education' visa. There certainly have been abuses here too : people have enlisted in schools, but never bothered to follow any courses. So, when you seek out a school, make sure the school in question can help you in obtaining an education visa.
A final note : Webboards and forums are very busy regarding this issue. Most of the comments seem to indicate that some foreigners who stay here long-term, basically think that they own the country. The new measures certainly are a nuisance for some, and a real difficulty for a few long-term visitors to Thailand. However, they are quite understandable and not unreasonable. Even with these measures, Thailand remains easily 'accessible' for most.
Related : 90 days reporting when staying in Thailand with a long term visa | A visit to the Department of Immigration | About Thai Visas
