As the holidays arrival in Europe and America, many Europeans, Britons, Americans, Canadians, and Australians begin to ponder the prospect of a holiday in the Kingdom of Thailand. Long term immigration and visa issues are a major concern for many prospective long term tourists.
THAILAND 2011
Thailand has become well known worldwide for its many attractions. Many attractions can all over the country, offering visitors interesting knowledge of Thai culture to be found uniquely.
For instance, there are numerous Buddhist temples that the tourist can visit to learn about the national religion co Thailand. In Bangkok, the capital city of the country, there are many important temples. One of the most important temples is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, where a Buddhist image made from a large Emerald is kept. The Temple of Dawn is also in Bangkok on the bank of the chao Phraya River. These are only two of the many important Buddhist Temples in the Bangkok area. There are many more throughout the country.
However, much like Shangri-La there seem to be more impediments to returning to this paradise. Most notable among these obstacles is the plethora of contentious visa regulations being promulgated from the ordinance drafting engine that is Thai Immigration. To add confusion to complexity, many of the regional Consulates and Embassies are running things agreeing to their own rules in a similar manner to the way a local chieftain runs his own fiefdom.
Holidays In Thailand 2011
The rules get more complicated, but the game continues. Hopefully this will provide some insight for those looking to stay in the Kingdom for a long (or short) period of time.
Thailand Visa Exemption Stamps
First and leading on the minds of short term travelers is the issue of Thailand visa exemptions. The visa exemption stamp is the 30 day stamp given to most tourists arriving at the Airport. Currently Thai Immigration is giving 30 day exemption stamps at the airport to whatever keeping a passport from a country on the exemption list (Us, Uk, Ca, most Eu, Au, Nz, etc). Technically, these stamps are supposed to given an infinite amount of times, provided the entrant is all the time arrival straight through the airport. That being said, I have heard reports that this is not the case and more than about 3 entrances will get your passport heavily scrutinized (they can all the time turn you away as well).
Currently, at land borders, entrants seeking visa exemption stamps are only given 15 days of legal presence. This is leading to note because local immigration requires at least 21 days of status to process a visa extension or conversion. Therefore, the immigration officers have effectively barred long term status to those entering Thailand via a land border without a proper visa. If you are looking to stay long term, do not go about it this way.
Thailand tourist Visas: Free If You Can Get One
After the less than spectacular tourist numbers last year, the Thai government announced a fee waiver for all tourist visas sought abroad. This led to something of a backlash from Consulates overseas as the workload increased and the resources decreased. However, the plan seems to have had some inevitable effects as there has supposedly been an increase in tourist visa applications (possibly due to the fact that visa exemptions are now harder to come by).
Even though first-time tourist visa applications are being reluctantly approved, later applications for the same type are being critically reviewed. The Royal Thai Consulate in Penang, the on-again off-again visa run destination for most farangs in Thailand has made the policy that they will not issue many tourist visas. This seems to be the prevailing attitude throughout the region, with some exceptions. As a consequence, those wishing to remain for a longer period than 3 months might be wise to seek out a non-immigrant visa rather than using exemptions or tourist visas.
The Rise of the Non-Immigrant Visa
It appears that non-immigrant visa applications are on the rise. Although tourist visas technically are classified as non-immigrant, for these purposes we are talking about B visas, O visas, and seclusion visas. O visas are all the time popular with those staying in Thailand long term as they allow for 90 days per entry. Should one regain a 1 year many entry visa, then it could be utilized 4 times for a period of stay amounting to 90 days per entry. The firm visa is also popular for those who may be looking at making their vacation more full time by attempting to gain employment and applying for a work permit. Acquiring a Thai firm visa can be a difficult task, particularly if one does not have firm sponsorship, but it is a extremely flexible visa from legal standpoint. Finally the seclusion visa: exquisite for those over 50 who can prove financial resources to cover their living expenses. The only major downside to this one is the fact that employment is prohibited, but in normal it is much easier to regain than some other categories. Those curious in inherent employment should look at the firm visa.
In my opinion, the non-immigrant visa categories will come to be more popular as the border run is slowly phased out, but then again this time next year we could be talking about how no such visas get issued anymore. Acquiring long term Thai immigration status in the Kingdom of Thailand can be difficult. Therefore, one should plan accordingly if still at home because: prior planning prevents police detention.
Thailand Visa modernize
