Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Hello,

I'm 23 from the UK and I'd like to emigrate to Thailand. I have a BSc in Computer Science, no debt, and approximately £12,000 in savings. I currently work as a freelance web designer.

The visa situation however does kind of confuse me. Are there any routes for me to be able to get into the country long term whilst working as a freelancer?

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Hey Johnny

Every year Thailand is becoming increasingly harder to stay here and many expats under 50 years old are looking at alternatives and therefore it is fast losing it's appeal. Tourist visas have got real tight, check out the Thai Embassy in the UK and you will see what I mean. Nearby countries will not only issue 60 days entry for a pre-purchased visa and you can extend that by 30 days within Thailand, giving a total of 90 days and then repeat the process but if you keep using the same embassy they will restrict you to only 2 visa purchases and that's it. If you want to stay here long term then securing a job with a work permit is essential. Student visa I think lasts for one year and Thailand has got tight on these too. Other options very are limited and being under 50 is a hindrance for long term prospects. Visas are far less restrictive for Cambodia and perhaps using that as your base and traveling back and forth may be the only reasonable solution or even the Philippines of which are both worthy countries.

Good luck!

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

I'm afraid this advice is a little out of date Tralvelingtrader, you can now get 6-month multiple entry visa for Thailand:-

http://britishexpats.com/forum/thail.../#post11759248

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Two questions:

1. This is a (presumably) a tourist visa. The OP wants to work when in Thailand. Is that allowed on a tourist visa or do people just do it anyway?
2. What happens at the end of the six months? Would the OP need to do a visa run, and would the authorities not ask questions as to why he/she wished to stay in Thailand as a long-term tourist?

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Well, of course you're not supposed to work on a tourist visa but at the end of 6 months you can renew for 60 days and after that for another 30 days giving 9 months in total before having to leave.

The catch is that you have to apply for the visa in the country where you can prove permanent residence (not Thailand obviously). For digital nomads this is probably all they want or need.

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Many thanks IVV for this information. This new visa sounds like a welcome improvement on the previous situation.

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Thanks IVV, I found out the new rules at the border yesterday. The setback with these new rules in part is due to the fact that this new 6 month visa can only be obtained in your country of residence, forcing the applicant back to their country, under the old rules this could be avoided. Also the new rules dictate that to get this visa the applicant needs to provide bank statements showing £5000 and an employers letter, while the former for those with £5000 is just a formality, the latter will cause pain to those wanting such as digital nomads to remain here for extended periods. The self employed will need to provide additional documentation as noted in the text below which I have pasted from a Thai consulate in the UK. A step forward in one regard but also a step back in another.

Multi Entry Tourist Visa - This visa allows multiple entries into Thailand with a maximum stay of 60 days on each entry and is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. Applicants are required to submit the following documents for consideration:

Requirements for a Multiple Entry Tourist Visa are as follows.

1. A completed application form with 2 identical professionally printed photographs (45 mm high x 35 mm wide)

2. A current passport with validity of over 6 months beyond the date of application

3. Proof of resident status in the UK or Ireland (Passport or UK/Ireland residence card) along with a photocopy

4. Original bank statement showing a balance of at least £5,000 for a minimum of 6 months or a print0out with official stamp of the bank.

5.A letter from the applicants employer (in the UK and addressed to the Royal Thai Consulate/Embassy). If you are self-employed, your self assessment and a company registration document are required.

6. A photocopy of applicants return ticket home

7. A photocopy of the hotel reservation confirmation in Thailand.

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

And interestingly, no mention of retirees. Is this an oversight or deliberate?

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Retirees come under Non-Immigrant O hence no mention but it is likely that some rules will affect retirees to some degree and for anyone in that category it would be safe to check it out.

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

That's true if they live in Thailand but I was thinking of a retiree tourist who would like to benefit from the 6-month multiple-entry tourist visa.

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Good point but prior to the last change a tourist could get a triple entry from their country of origin allowing 9 months here whereas the new multiple entry can effectively allow a tourist up to 9 months but is a lot more difficult to obtain. It would not surprise me if it were easier to actually get a Non O. It would seem each time they change the rules the visas durations become less. Just a handful of years back it was easy to obtain a 12 month visa allowing up to 15 months here, well at least for the tourists.

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

You can buy a multiple-entry stamp along with the Non-Immi "O" 12 month visa. At least, that's how it was when we did it in 2007, 2008. Fairly easy visa to get but you do have to report to Immigration every 90 days. Also, still got hassle at the airport as airport staff cannot always add up dates Amazing Thailand.

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

If you want to go full fancy-pants, you can always join Thai Visa Elite, although I don't know anyone personally who has used this service yet and, again, it's not a working visa.

Re: Wanting to emigrate to Thailand
 

Yeah the Elite program for the second time, the first one flunked a number of years back and I wonder what happened to those that bought into it in terms of their visa rights and what they actually purchased. Knowing Thailand as I do then it would be of no surprise if the members got caught with their pants down!