What is the best long-term visa option for Kiwis wanting to stay in Thailand periodically without high costs?

Ralph *******

You work in software development and are concerned about the cost of $400 a year? Unbelievable.

16 hours ago

Jordan *****

@Ralph ******

you can easily get a rejection on an application that would be approved when applying from a country like Vietnam, so I understand why some people are reluctant to spend that kind of money when the approval system is so arbitrary.

11 hours ago

Joanne *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Ralph ******

oh right. Yes that would be all good. Except we really don’t know if we will want to keep going back beyond 2026. Our family circumstances keep changing so that’s a lot of coin for what just two entries. 🤷‍♀️

June ***********

then stay home

David *******

if you cannot predict or plan your family circumstances how do you expect strangers in the internet to do this for you 😂😂😂

Kay ********

@David ******

11 hours ago

Reply to

Kay ********

Joanne *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Ralph ******

$4000 not $400

Ralph *******

You said $2000. And that’s over 5 years so $400 a year.

Reply to

Ralph *******

Shawn ********

So because the DTV is too expensive your lost and confused 🤔….

16 hours ago

Joanne *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Shawn *******

because we might only use in 2026 for 2 X 60 day stays. After that, who knows.

David *******

for goodness sake if you don’t even know your plans how do you expect anyone to give you reasonable advice. You have been given sound advice here but you keep knocking it back. You are over complicating the whole issue.

Shawn ********

then you don’t need a visa at all, you get 60 days per visit with 39 day extension.. twice a year

Reply to

Shawn ********

Gary **********

Just get a tourist visa for 60/ 90 days ...that's cheap enough

Joanne *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Gary *********

might be the best suggestion here.

Reply to

Joanne *********

Alain *******

I don't get it. You say both visa are the same price. So why don't you take the most convenient one ? You said yourself that you don't want to keep reapplying, so the answer is obvious: DTV

Joanne *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Alain ******

except that it is not likely we will keep doing this long term. 2026 yes. Beyond that…who knows so 4,000NZD is a lot to pay for 2 x 60 day stays which have been exempt up until now. And may still be but cannot be guaranteed. 😫🤷‍♀️

Reply to

Joanne *********

Bonnie *******

We are from America and facing the same problems. We don't want to tie up our money in a retirement visa. We don't want to pay the entry fee to come back in. We just want to come 2 or 3 times a year and stay for a few weeks.

Bill *********

Getting the retirement Visa and "tie up money" is just the cost of the privilege of being long-term in Thailand with no issues. If you really want to be here then that becomes trivial in the whole scheme of things. You can get your money back if you discontinue coming to Thailand.

10 hours ago

David ********

then what’s the problem. Americans get visa exemption for 60 days with option to extend for an additional 30 which if you’re only staying a few weeks no need t extend.

If you’re leaving and coming back a couple of months later, not doing border hops then you don’t need a visa at all!

Bonnie *******

@David *******

unless they start saying we can only come in twice or saying we should get a real visa or some other rule that they come up with

David *******

if you keep playing ‘unless they …’ game in your mind you will never do anything. You may not even live until next week for all you know.

Doug *******

You wrote: “We just want to come 2 or 3 times a year and stay for a few weeks.”

That makes you tourists. So no problem with just getting your 60 days for two visits. Likely no problem with a third visit either but other people here can answer that better than I can.

Micah ********

@Doug ******

They'd likely have no issue with a 3rd entry since they aren't maxing the first 2 stays, but certainly applying for a tourist visa after getting the 2 exempt entries would be an easier and cheaper solution for that.

16 hours ago

Reply to

Micah ********

Lynnette *******

It's not too complex for anyone to answer if you say what it is you are wanting to achieve and do. Seems you are uncertain and say you don't know what to do. If you want flexibility to visit for several months every year then DTV might suit. The retirement also gives you enough months in the year to come and go.

Lynnette *******

You're making it harder than necessary. Leave NZ and go to another country for a few weeks and apply from there for DTV or the Non-O retirement visa: which gives you time to enter and open bank account to deposit required funds. Then apply for an extension of 12 months for 1,900 tbt. You can leave and return with a reentry permit in that period. If you never want to return after the 12 month and don't want to extend it again, then don't.

18 hours ago

Joanne *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Lynnette ******

it makes no difference where you apply. You still pay the visa fee for your passport country. No exception.

Dan *******

Have you seen the METV . Just learned about it last month. It’s for 6 months with reentries. Does that work for you. Cost is nominal .

5 hours ago

John *******

- incorrect, if you are in Vietnam, you apply through the Thai embassy in Vietnam and you pay the fee that the Thai embassy in Vietnam has, regardless if your passport says NZ, Vietnam or UK

Joanne *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@John ******

that would amazing if that is correct because we occasionally visit Vietnam too. But no one has been able to confirm that is the case.

Denise *********

I can confirm it is the case. I'm a kiwi, NZ passport, applied for DTV in HCMC. Paid Vietnamese embassy price.

7 hours ago

John *******

Join the DTV Facebook page. Or you can even play around with the e-visa website, see what happens if you click that you are physically located in Hanoi.

12 hours ago

Reply to

John *******

Lynnette *******

it does make a difference where you apply. The fee in NZ is extremely high. It is way less elsewhere. If you want a free entry because you don't want to pay anything, then you'll have to do the exempt entry with no visa. You've had good advice from Brandon too. Decide what you want to do, how often you want to visit, and choose one of the options.

Reply to

Lynnette *******

Vonder *****

Hi am kiwi also stumped up the 2k yes expensive but freedom to come and go for 5 yrs,400 per year is cheaper than retirement costs as agents needed more with the way immigration is changing rules all the time.

18 hours ago

Joanne *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Vonder ****

keen except we don’t know beyond 2026 if we will want to keep going back. And our next trip is departing 20th Jan and not enough time to park the cash requirement for 90 days.

Olav *********