News Forum - Thailand, post Covid. What needs to change?

[Thaiger]

OPINION As Thailand starts to peer out from behind the Covid curtain, many expats and potential travellers are wondering if much will change after 2 years of lockdowns, closures re-openings and re-entry ‘plans’. Will we see changes in visas, property ownership, entry requirements and business laws? One of our YouTube commenters wrote in with his current ‘wish list’ (below). As the Thai government will be scrambling to attract travellers this year (along with most tourism-dependent countries), the constant narrative from senior ministers is to attract “high wealth individuals” to the Kingdom, for investment, general travel, retirement and medical tourism. But […]

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[KaptainRob]

What needs to change?  That's easy .... the Government!

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

My guess....Nothing will change!

[ace035]

Come on man, just get rid off that Day 1 & Day 5 PCR testing and quarantine, I'll guarantee that I will book my flight to Thailand ASAP.

[IanL]

My partner and I are both pensioners from the UK, and we are nearing the end of our 90 day stay this winter.  This is the second time we have done this, and we would have been here last winter were it not for Covid.  We are not seeking to work in Thailand but merely to avoid the UK winter weather.  We are more than happy, this visit particularly, to spend our general cost of living expenses in the Thai economy instead of the UK's.

This time we are here on the Special Tourist Visa - 90 days but can be extended.  2 years ago we came in on the Non-immigration O visa - 90 days and NOT extendable.  We would welcome longer stay visas - either where we request how many months or certainly 6 month ones.  We don't like the idea that we enter on a visa for 90 days on the promise that it CAN be extended once here (no certainty about that, so complications when buying return flights) and we also find that 90 days just isn't quite long enough. November through to March (4/5 months) would be ideal to avoid the very worst of the UK winter months.

So my suggestion to increase our tourist spend in Thailand is to let us lengthen our stay by offering longer stay visas - beyond the 90 days.  Six months max would suit us fine.

[Bifrost]

Nothing will change they are not doing it they prefer to let their countrymen stay poor.    and keep all for themselves and they dont allow farangs to do busines there or work we are to smart for them , simply thats it they are to low IQ .. 

[Soidog]

29 minutes ago, whitesnake said:

An' a silly little enamel badge of the Thailand flag... copying the US Presidents!!)"

I agree it’s silly. This happens a lot in Thailand. They are like a bunch of 8 year olds who see things on TV which they consider cool, and then go out and reenact it with their friends. I guess it’s the reason why immigration officers have medals and gold braid. I once asked a Thai person why there is so much paperwork and documentation associated the most simplest of activities. He replied that without it, the process doesn’t look official enough and hence the more time, documentation and pieces of paper you produce, the more official and important you appear. Like kids playing office. 

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

51 minutes ago, KaptainRob said:

What needs to change?  That's easy .... the Government!

 

I think David Bowie says it best!

Still don't know what I was waitin' for
And my time was runnin' wild
A million dead end streets and
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
How the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
There's gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
 

 

 

[Poolie]

17 minutes ago, Bifrost said:

Nothing will change they are not doing it they prefer to let their countrymen stay poor.    and keep all for themselves and they dont allow farangs to do busines there or work we are to smart for them , simply thats it they are to low IQ .. 

I think not.

[riclag]

1 and 2 would be fantastic! Possibly owning your house/ property!

The rest of the suggestions ,MEH!

Why do that, high taxes,high cost of living , a globalization conspiracy, say what !

[Thaidup]

2 hours ago, Thaiger said:

OPINION As Thailand starts to peer out from

Highlighting^the OPINION part of the thread,

If you don't like it here, my opinion is that the USA is allowing anyone to come across the southern boarder with no papers or money, then you can get a free airflight to Florida. Florida has a temperate climate no snow or ice.

[Swissguy]

It is nearlly my same wish list but also change the goverment and limited the age for Parlament of 65, they have to go retired too

[Thaidup]

            It is nearlly my same wish list but also change the goverment and limited the age for Parlament of 65, they have to go retired too                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Are you a voter here? You could run for a local government position and then if you win ask the constituents if they will support you in passing a bill into the parliament to do it.

Edited February 12, 2022 by Thaidup

[Pietro]

3. Allow foreigners to buy land and houses

This one is quite cotroversial. With current demand for property worldwide and Thailand being an attractive location, opening the property market to foreigners will cause the land and house prices to soar. The average farang joe won't be able to buy property anyway but, most importantly, the average Thai, with their purchasing power, will be in a much worse situation then they are today. Also, this would cause more aggresive urbanization of the countryside, which (this is my subjective opinionof a mere tourist in Thailand) would make this beautiful country less attractive for somebody who likes nature and tradition.

[Cabra]

There is no "post-covid" until all or most of the current covid restrictions are dropped. Multiple PRC test on arrival, quarantine, forced insurance, masking, would all need to end else it's just more of the same old same old. What I don't see ending anytime soon are vaccine certificates and PRC testing to board certain international flights. 

[LoongFred]

5 hours ago, IanL said:

My partner and I are both pensioners from the UK, and we are nearing the end of our 90 day stay this winter.  This is the second time we have done this, and we would have been here last winter were it not for Covid.  We are not seeking to work in Thailand but merely to avoid the UK winter weather.  We are more than happy, this visit particularly, to spend our general cost of living expenses in the Thai economy instead of the UK's.

This time we are here on the Special Tourist Visa - 90 days but can be extended.  2 years ago we came in on the Non-immigration O visa - 90 days and NOT extendable.  We would welcome longer stay visas - either where we request how many months or certainly 6 month ones.  We don't like the idea that we enter on a visa for 90 days on the promise that it CAN be extended once here (no certainty about that, so complications when buying return flights) and we also find that 90 days just isn't quite long enough. November through to March (4/5 months) would be ideal to avoid the very worst of the UK winter months.

So my suggestion to increase our tourist spend in Thailand is to let us lengthen our stay by offering longer stay visas - beyond the 90 days.  Six months max would suit us fine.

You could get a non o visa and  reentry permit.  That gives you one year but you could come and go. If you get this in the UK it will be a non as which requires insurance. If you  convert your tourist visa in Thailand it would be a non o and doesn’t require insurance.

[SteveM]

Good advice, but it points out the craziness of immigration rules: get you retirement visa in your home country and you will need to have insurance, or come her on tourist visa and convert to retirement, don't need insurance.  (same with the medical and police records requirement, required if you get retirement visa in your home country, but not required if you get it here (thank goodness))

[Thommo]

7 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

What needs to change?  That's easy .... the Government!

My thoughts also as a start  but wow the list is quite long 

[hondo]

thailand wants tourist to come for a couple of weeks. have fun, then go home.  can't cay that i blame them.

[Skip]

2 hours ago, hondo said:

thailand wants tourist to come for a couple of weeks. have fun, then go home.  can't cay that i blame them.

It's easier to point the finger at a small identifiable group than it is to acknowledge that there may be an inherent problem within the masses.

 

[Faz]

21 hours ago, IanL said:

This time we are here on the Special Tourist Visa - 90 days but can be extended.  2 years ago we came in on the Non-immigration O visa - 90 days and NOT extendable.  We would welcome longer stay visas - either where we request how many months or certainly 6 month ones.  We don't like the idea that we enter on a visa for 90 days on the promise that it CAN be extended once here (no certainty about that, so complications when buying return flights) and we also find that 90 days just isn't quite long enough. November through to March (4/5 months) would be ideal to avoid the very worst of the UK winter months.

So my suggestion to increase our tourist spend in Thailand is to let us lengthen our stay by offering longer stay visas - beyond the 90 days.  Six months max would suit us fine.

Hi Ian and welcome to the forum.
Open a topic in the https://thethaiger.com/talk/forum/82-visas-long-stay-extensions-re-entry-permit/ about your issue and I'll be happy to inform on your options.

[Guevara]

On 2/12/2022 at 5:26 AM, IanL said:

My partner and I are both pensioners from the UK, and we are nearing the end of our 90 day stay this winter.  This is the second time we have done this, and we would have been here last winter were it not for Covid.  We are not seeking to work in Thailand but merely to avoid the UK winter weather.  We are more than happy, this visit particularly, to spend our general cost of living expenses in the Thai economy instead of the UK's.

This time we are here on the Special Tourist Visa - 90 days but can be extended.  2 years ago we came in on the Non-immigration O visa - 90 days and NOT extendable.  We would welcome longer stay visas - either where we request how many months or certainly 6 month ones.  We don't like the idea that we enter on a visa for 90 days on the promise that it CAN be extended once here (no certainty about that, so complications when buying return flights) and we also find that 90 days just isn't quite long enough. November through to March (4/5 months) would be ideal to avoid the very worst of the UK winter months.

So my suggestion to increase our tourist spend in Thailand is to let us lengthen our stay by offering longer stay visas - beyond the 90 days.  Six months max would suit us fine.

I think you have a very valid point. It's highly unlikely you are intending to abuse it i.e. gainful employment. Sadly the Thai authorities are inflexible and everything is black or white.

[Pinetree]

2 minutes ago, Guevara said:

Sadly the Thai authorities are inflexible and everything is black or white.

Absolutely not so. The Thai government has been pragmatic and flexible, as much as caution allowed, in guiding the country through the pandemic and they have largely done a pretty good job and much better than many other countries panicking politicians, such as UK, Australia and New Zealand.  

[MrNovax]

I first arrived in Thailand in 08 and at the time the visa system wasnt welcoming but also not harsh.  Talking with a few people who arrived in the 1970s and 80's i got the impression back then the red carpet was rolled out for foreigners.  Thailand doesnt need to necessarily "change" post covid, id think it would do just fine to simply roll back the clock to the late twentieth century.  With the increase in tourism and foreign investment most of the other (economic) issues would work themselves out.  

[Jean]

It will get even more complicated. I think so.