What are the limitations of using back-to-back Thai tourist visas and are there options for long-term stay if you are under 50?

Hi Tod Daniels,

I hope you are doing well, happy new year to you! My name is Stefan and I have a question about Thai visa that I hope you or the group members here can give me some advice with:

As I have understand it, up until now, it has basically been possible to stay longer periods of time (maybe years?) in Thailand on a 60 days (+ later on 30 days extension) back-to-back tourist visa that you on expiration "prolong" by applying for a new 60 days tourist visa by for example doing a visa-run to Laos (Vientiane) to get a new 60 days (+ later on 30 days extension) visa and then repeat.

Now I am reading in various Thai visa-forums that Thai authorities are increasing their crackdowns on this systematic use of these 90-days back-to-back tourist visa to stay long time in Thailand, basically limiting it to maximum allowing two (2) 60+30 days back-to-back tourist visas per year per person (I don't know if this is correct or not but that is what I have read => please correct me if I'm wrong).

After that, they will basically deny you entrance back to Thailand after having used these two times 60+30 days back-to-back tourist visas => I assume that this will be a problem for a person using this method as a (so far) valid way to stay longer time in Thailand.

So my 1st question is: is above correct and true?

To widening the reasoning about different Thailand visas a bit more, as I have understand it, you can obtain visas valid for longer stay (non-immigrant visas) in Thailand by for example qualifying for:

Business – Non-Immigrant Visa “B”

Retirement – Non-Immigrant Visa “O-A”

Education – Non-Immigrant Visa “ED”

Marriage – Non-Immigrant Visa “O”

If you purchase a Thailand Elite-visa.

If you as a person do not qualify for any of the above, but you have a regular income from abroad (outside of Thailand), that proves that you have the funding needed to be staying long time in Thailand, can you then qualify for a non-immigrant visa that permits you to stay longer time in Thailand?

For what I understand there is no "middle ground" here, e.g. either you are a short term tourist, a regular retiree (over 50 years old by Thai definitions it seems) or you work and are employed by a company in Thailand (or start your own company in Thailand). If a person who is < 50 years old wants to live of income from abroad (outside of Thailand), there is no other visa that the person can qualify for that would allow the person to stay a longer time in Thailand than the 60+30 days tourist visa? Or is there? Because obviosly the 60+30 days toursit vis is not the correct choice here.

The thing here is that I totally understand that Thai authorities would like to prevent long term "miss-usage" of 60+30 days back-to-back tourist visa for obtaining long term stay since then they cannot make you pay tax in Thailand, which is a reasonable thing to do if you live there permanently. But to qualify for paying tax in Thailand (also on "global income" from another country) you first need to be a resident in Thailand, and that you will of course not become on a tourist visa, that you become on a working visa or a regular retiree visa.

So to me it appears very strange that there is no "middle ground" here, e.g that there is no permanent long time stay visa that a person can qualify for if the person has a regular income from abroad. Because if there was such an alternative visa that gave you a resident status in Thailand, then Thailand authorities could legally rightfully make you pay tax in Thailand from your global income from abroad and they would then get some income in return from you staying there long time, e.g. you then contribute with your part as a tax-payer for living there.

So my question then is: is above correct or am I missing something here? You really need to be older than 50 years to have a shot at this?

Thanks in advance.