What are the latest rumors about Thailand's long-stay visa requirements?

@Oliver *******

The question being asked though is regarding re-entry or extension once your soft power course or treatment is over. What happens if the Immigration Officer wants to see proof you are still eligible ie ongoing enrollment or treatment?

there is a muai Thai acadamy muaythaifever which does it for 30k and fitfac which has dedicated DTV page now, and dtvvisathailand (not sure if I can post the link so do google search) they will even return your money Full Refund if DTV visa is rejected not including the DTV visa fee for embassy but their charges.

yeah, because they are jealous as they are on expensive visa, I been coming to Thailand for over 2.5 decades, never ever I imagined that expats from west would be as jealous as others, they are creating unnecessary trouble as Bangkok post is owned by expats, its a foreign news outlet, I got the DTV visa, just go to Jakarta which is the easiest now, do it before eVisa takes over, just create a profile using chatGPT detailing your work 4-5 pages, get 500k Bank account statement , submit certificate etc, give as much paper as you could or you can get Muay Thai course for around 30k THB and you would get it, DO NOT WATCH tiktok, youtube, news for DTV, your BRAIN cells will go down with confusion. Do the old school way. Youtube is the WORST when it comes to anything Thailand. good luck

Even youtube videos are annoying, you click to find out: “How do I get the DTV” and they always do the same thing. Just read out what is on the embassy’s website and give almost no actual advice. So have hired a VA full time to sift through all of it for me. Then am just adding filters so I can search it.

@Sky ****

I think it's more about bringing more expats into the tax base (similar to how many self-employed Thais were tricked into the system through the various Covid-related handout schemes)

@Sky ****

also wanting more tax residents for over 180 days in same calendar year once they decide about the tax on overseas remittances

@Sky ****

That is a leap. 200k empty units in Bangkok - are you expecting 200k DTV's?

@David *******

I’m not sure how when you fly out and back again the officer will care about conditions of visa acceptance, they never ask if you still have 800k in the bank for retirement visa. You have valid visa, stamp and enjoy your stay

@David *******

Are you sure that was the Minister for Immigration? If it was with the Canadian bloke "Retired working for you" it was NOT immigration - it was MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

@Elías *******

If you read the full quote it states the Immigration Officer has discretion and final say on entry too. I place in evidence the previous cases with the Ed Visa :-)

@Lyle ********

yeah. But they didn't say you need to do it every time if you fly in.... so it's just a once off

There is allready being made moves in that direction, some get another visa ie. medical, if that visa covers the period they need to be in Thailand.

Some embassies also look at the duration of the soft power activity used as ground for the visa

@Lyle ********

There has been speculation that would be the case but many poured scorn on the idea. The initial DTV is a MFA Visa - extensions and re-entry are down to the Royal Thai Immigration Police - two very different entities. Anyway - as of now it is all speculation and guesswork - We will know in due time.

@Paulie *******

Yep 👍 simply do a BORDER BOUNCE... forget going to local Thai Immigration office for an extension.

@Greg *******

I figured the same thing. I know some people that got it on soft power Muay Thai but gyms are helping people get that left and right. Better to do it on workcation so you don’t HAVE a to be proving you’re doing something…. You’re working online anyways

@Greg *******

but once a 5-year visa is affixed in your passport with an expiry date, that's it. They won't revoke it.

@Greg *******

a bit absurd though to expect people to have 5 years of ongoing medical treatment for example, and not clearly state that prior. But I know

@Curtis *****

tis a fair point.

My case - my single doctors appointment from BIH, led to 1.5million baht in medical fees. Every penny well spent. Thats just in the first 8 weeks of being here. My recovery from surgeries, add about 35k per appt.

Maybe I’m the outlier. someone actually going thru with the treatment. But BIH was busy.

Not sure what more could have been provided by BIH though, til they met me, I was just some dude on email.

But they’ve given me my life back now and I can recover in a warmer climate.

@Curtis *****

why is it stupid? Foreign people can't work and literally just spend money.

@Curtis *****

Philippines allows people to stay without any such nonsense appointments for 3 years straight.

@Curtis *****

for sure, no one wants Thailand to be bombarded with misfits who are faking their application or visa for 5 years. There’s enough of that during high season

@Curtis *****

I have spoken to well educated professional Thai's and that was their comment too. Said OK - give us the same visa for the UK in a reciprocal agreement. They also thought a minimum spend/income to the country per month/year should be a requirement too