Thailand unveils new visa rules, sparks mixed reactions

 

Thailand’s major overhaul of visas and entry rules has sparked a variety of reactions, ranging from joy and excitement to confusion and some resentment.

To clarify the new rules, the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Consular Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Naruchai Ninnad, addressed readers’ questions in the Bangkok Post’s Deeper Dive vodcast.

The standout change is the new five-year Destination Thailand visa (DTV), which allows stays of up to 180 days, extendable for up to one year. However, the visa is not for everyone and requires holders to fit into one of three categories.

The first category includes digital nomads or freelancers who receive their paycheques from outside Thailand, said Naruchai.

“You can have any type of work and you’re working remotely here in Thailand. Most importantly, the employer is not in Thailand. And your income has to come from outside Thailand. Evidence such as a payslip or a letter from the employer abroad is required.”

The second category covers individuals moving to Thailand for specific activities like Muay Thai training, cooking classes, medical treatment, and attending seminars and music festivals. Applicants need to provide evidence such as an appointment, a course receipt, or an event ticket, said Naruchai.

“It depends on the course. It may be two weeks or one month, it’s up to the applicant. Extensions beyond the initial 189 days require additional documentation.”

Category O spousal visa

The third category includes those with spouses or children in Thailand, requiring proof of relationship. This visa could serve as an alternative to the category O spousal visa but needs an extension every six months and necessitates leaving the country at least once per year.

The DTV does not require health insurance but mandates proof of at least 500,000 baht in assets, which can be held anywhere in the world. Naruchai emphasised that proof of income or assets is not enough to qualify. The applicant must be either a remote worker, undertaking an approved activity, or a spouse/dependent child.

Naruchai also clarified that the DTV cannot replace the one-year retirement visa unless the applicant fits another category. Addressing a complaint that the DTV is a cheaper alternative to the Elite visa.

“There are different benefits and privileges between the two visas. So you would have to choose what will particularly benefit you the most.”

In another significant change, the number of countries eligible for visa-free entry has increased from 57 to 93, including China and India. The entry stamp has been extended from 30 to 60 days, with a further 30-day extension available at an immigration office.

Naruchai explained that the immigration office does not have a specified number of entries per year.

“You can enter as many times as possible within a calendar year. Entrants must show access to at least 20,000 baht but are not required to present a return or onward ticket unless specifically asked by an immigration officer.”

Visa on arrival

The number of countries eligible for a visa on arrival has also risen, from 19 to 31, although this option is less attractive due to its cost of 2,000 baht and a validity of only 15 days. Naruchai clarified that the highest benefit will always be given by the immigration officer, citing the example of Chinese citizens who would receive a 60-day visa exemption instead of a visa on arrival.

The final new visa, introduced on July 15, is the Non-ED Plus visa for the 40,000 foreign students at Thai colleges and universities pursuing Bachelor’s degrees or higher. This visa allows them to stay for one year after graduation and take jobs in their field.

Naruchai mentioned that if you are here previously under the ED visa and you fulfil the requirements of the ED Plus, it will automatically upgrade into the ED Plus, meaning you will not need to have a re-entry permit.

Despite these changes, other visas and the contentious 90-day report remain in place. Although calls to extend the retirement visa to five years were not met, the health insurance requirement for this and the spousal visa has been reduced from 3 million baht to 400,000 baht.

Addressing concerns about foreign criminals, Naruchai assured that security measures are still in place.

“When people applied for a visa, we looked at the blocklist system. Now, we may not have that pre-screening for the 97 countries, but when they arrive in Thailand, they have to undergo security screening using the same database.”

Recent cases of foreign criminals in Thailand have highlighted issues with corrupt immigration officials. Nevertheless, stringent regulations and screenings aim to maintain security without overly burdening law-abiding expats.

For more details, the full interview and Thailand’s new visas episode of the Bangkok Post vodcast Deeper Dive can be found on Spotify or other podcast platforms, reported Bangkok Post.

Source: The Thaiger

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Thailand - New work permit rules make for an uncertain May Day for migrant workers

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WORKING IN Thailand is becoming harder and more expensive for unskilled migrant workers from neighboring countries after the government imposed tougher policies addressing illegal |immigration.

Residing in the Kingdom for more than 12 years, 28-year-old Ei Dhan Dar from Myamar has already adapted to Thai society and can speak the language |fluently.

But despite her integration into society, she said she felt increasingly uncertain about her future in Thailand, since tough new regulations to register for work permits were issued, which entail a difficult and expensive process.

“Recently, I had to spend nearly Bt10,000 for the work permit registration fee and other related costs just to make my status legal, but I only earn Bt300 salary per day. It’s like we work hard to pay Thai bureaucrats and we are getting poorer in Thailand,” she said.

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“As I’ve lived in this country for a long time, I now feel that I have a bond with Thailand and I always hope that one day I can live comfortably in this country, but now I am not sure about this dream.”

Ei Dhan Dar is just one among hundreds of thousand migrant workers who have struggled to legalise their work status.

Labour Rights Promotion Network Foundation coordinator Surachai Mintun said his organisation had received many calls for help from migrant workers across the country, who had problems with the recent migrant worker registration, including some who were facing deportation.

“There are so many workers having problems with the registration because the regulation is unclear, specifies too short a period to register for a work permit, and lacks information for applicants,” Surachai said.

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According to the rule implemented this year, migrant workers who hold temporary pink identification cards have to register certificates of identity to get a passport and Thai visa, and then they have to register for a work permit within 15 days. If they fail to register within that period, their status will be illegal and they will be |subject to deportation.

The government cancelled its recognition of the temporary pink identification cards for migrant workers nationwide on March 31, requiring migrant workers to hold valid visas and work permits. There were an estimated 1.3 million migrant workers holding the temporary pink identification cards.

As a result of the rule, Surachai said migrant workers faced two major issues. First, many workers were unable to register for the work permit in time for various reasons, so even if they were |legally registered with authorities and holding a Thai visa, they |suddenly risked arrest and faced deportation.

The second problem is the cost of registration. Although the official cost was only Bt910, Surachai said, many workers had to employ an agent because the entire process was complicated and slow, which could cost as much as Bt10,000.

“It is very hard for workers to register by themselves because many of them cannot communicate in Thai and have limited knowledge about the bureaucratic procedures, so registering through an agent is the easiest way, but there is an extra financial burden,” he said.

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The tough new regulations are justified as an effort to tackle human trafficking and illegal migrant workers by the Labour Ministry.

Labour Ministry deputy permanent secretary Varanon Peetiwan has said the government wants to control the entire migrant labour system, meaning that all migrant workers should be brought to Thailand under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) system only.

Sakultara Bhupornwiwat, owner of a Samut Songkram squid processing factory, said she would like the government to reconsider the policy, because the MOU system was unreliable and unsuitable in practice.

“If I want to import workers via the MOU system, I have to pay a large amount of money first before the agent will recruit workers for me and there is no guarantee that I’ll get the workers. The business cannot rely on that,” Sakultara said.

“Moreover, the workers in the MOU system have to pay more than Bt10,000 in their home countries just to apply to work in Thailand. They cannot afford such an expensive fee. If they could pay that amount of money, why would they want to work in unskilled jobs in Thailand in the first place?”

She said that if the situation remained unchanged under the new policy, there would be a serious shortage of workers in the near future, which would harm not only her business but the country’s economy as a whole.

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Source - TheNation