Visa News

[Jun]

The reality is that certain people had passports full of consecutive Thai entry and exit stamps. Pages and pages, with nothing else.
They were going to a certain land border and if I understood correctly, paying tea money for the VIP service.
That border crossing is currently closed.

Yet people who average about 2 entry stamps per year and average less than 100 days per year here can be questioned at airports.

Or a SE Asian was denied entry an an airport. He entered at a land border 2 days later, after paying 200 baht in tea money.

I presume they're maintaining enough ambiguity to allow the system to be milked for tea money. Stopping illegal activity is the last thing on their mind.

[Gaybutton]

I presume they're maintaining enough ambiguity to allow the system to be milked for tea money. Stopping illegal activity is the last thing on their mind.

It would come as no surprise to me if that is the reality. Tea money seems to take precedence over anything that can make it available to those who have their hands out.

Of course, the example in your post shows that this sort of corruption can sometimes work to a person's advantage. If it weren't for tea money, the person you mention might not have been able to enter Thailand at all. 200 baht is a small price to pay when parting with some tea money worked in his favor.

I also don't mind paying it on the rare occasions when I have been stopped for some sort of real or trumped-up traffic violation. Pay the tea money and be on my way. I have never been asked to pay more than 400 baht. I'm not sure how much Earl Grey that buys . . .

Do the powers-that-be truly believe they have even the possibility of stopping it, or even slightly curtailing it?

Something I've wondered about, but we have never discussed - when people seeking the retirement visa can't get it without going to a visa agent - has that ever failed?

[Gaybutton]

The idea that buying a condo for 3-million baht - the equivalent of around US $95,000 is being criticized as being too low. ( see Bangkok Post https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ts-pile-up)

That is a matter of opinion, but these types of plans seem to ignore ageing farang who have already lived in Thailand for decades and at an elderly age prefer to rent rather than buy.

[ilz]

Since many weeks we have repeatedly heard about a project to shorten the visa-exemption period from 60 days to 30 days, which was announces by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

If we are to believe a topic in Pattaya Mail, the 60 days period could be maintained for the 57 countries which had access to the former visa-free system ; so the reduction would apply only to the about 35 nations which had been added to the list some time ago. The proposal is made by the Ministru of Sports and Tourism.

We can expect some hard debate between both Ministers but this last proposal would be good news for tourists who are able to spend more than one month in Thailand without having to worry about visa extension.

Curiously enough, no mention of this proposal in Asean Now (ex thaivisa) forum.

Pattaya Mail May 3rd

[Jun]

Since many weeks we have repeatedly heard about a project to shorten the visa-exemption period from 60 days to 30 days, which was announces by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Have they actually implemented anything yet ?

Arguably it would be slightly foolish to do so when tourist numbers are already down due to Donald Trump's foreign policy decisions in the Middle East. Of course, we still can't rule out changes !

[BKKDreamer]

I remember when Russian citizens were given a 90 day visa-exemption for the period of 1 Nov 2023 through 30 Apr 2024. I was envious in that period.

Will Russia be on the 60 day or 30 day list going forward?