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IF you are 100% sure on this, then please cite the source / link / article where it says these requirements.
Btw. If you intersted in this thai visa forum is a good source of informationkangarunner wrote: ↑October 6th, 2020, 9:54 pmIF you are 100% sure on this, then please cite the source / link / article where it says these requirements.
You cannot find any official source as Phuket is NOT open to foreign tourists in general.kangarunner wrote: ↑October 6th, 2020, 9:53 pmThere's a lot of news articles saying that Phuket is open to foreign tourists. But I cannot find the official source from any Thai government site.
Can you post links to thaivisa thread bout requirements now octoberGali wrote: ↑October 6th, 2020, 10:02 pmBtw. If you intersted in this thai visa forum is a good source of informationkangarunner wrote: ↑October 6th, 2020, 9:54 pmIF you are 100% sure on this, then please cite the source / link / article where it says these requirements.
Sorry Spence I am quite busy with other stuff. The thread is huge btw.Spencer wrote: ↑October 9th, 2020, 9:15 pmCan you post links to thaivisa thread bout requirements now octoberGali wrote: ↑October 6th, 2020, 10:02 pmBtw. If you intersted in this thai visa forum is a good source of informationkangarunner wrote: ↑October 6th, 2020, 9:54 pmIF you are 100% sure on this, then please cite the source / link / article where it says these requirements.
Pattaya wives demand a price to file British husbands’ marriage visa
November 19, 2020
Farang-Thai marriages aren’t always a success story.
In a sign that some Thai-farang marriages are breaking down, several Brits are having trouble persuading their wives to hand over or even produce the paperwork necessary for them to obtain a one-year extension of stay based on marriage. For example, the documentation requires the production of the Thai wife’s ID card, the original marriage certificate and confirmation from Thai neighbours that the couple are living together in harmony. But what happens if the wife refuses to cooperate?
In one case, which led to a near shouting match near the immigration complex carpark in Jomtien, the Thai wife demanded her British spouse hand over 50,000 baht or she would refuse to confirm to officials that the marriage was still alive. In another case, which was sent to a lawyer for an attempted compromise, the wife said she had hidden the original marriage certificate and would only produce it if the family car was put into her sole name.
For some, marriage is a prison sentence.
Immigration officials say that the easiest one year extension of stay to obtain is for retirement and is available to foreigners aged over 50 whether they are married or single. However, it requires a lump sum or annual income totaling at least 800,000 baht, whereas – for married men only – the floor limit drops dramatically to 400,000 baht if the marriage extension route is chosen. It is this attraction of “need less money” that has led many foreign men to renew their one year extensions via the much more complicated “marriage visa” route rather than the much simpler retirement option.
62-year old Richard, from Somerset, said, “I married a Thai nine years ago and we have always visited the immigration bureau jointly to provide all the documents required as well as my bank book showing 400,000 baht. However, our marriage has been falling apart of late and my wife is now demanding a cash payment for her cooperation. She says that, otherwise, I should apply for the retirement option but she knows I do not have the 800,000 baht. My only other recourse is to go back to England and the wife says she couldn’t care less.”
A lawyer at V2B International Law Services said, “Sadly, a growing number of long-term marriages of this sort seem to be in trouble. The British husband has often been suffering a declining income year after year, perhaps because of the deterioration of the value of the pound or due to loss of capital over the years, which has led to marital discontent. Another factor is that Thai wives are now picking up on the fact that they will not receive any state pension if their British husband dies unless they already have a national insurance number which very few do.”
V2B says the problem is not confined to Brits, but most of the cases so far have involved them. “Lots of Brits came to retire in Thailand 20 years ago and some are now sometimes finding Pattaya is no longer a cheap living option for their white-haired years. British pensions have declined in absolute terms and the rising cost of living here, plus medical insurance and hospital charges, have clearly created mayhem in some marriages.”
Although no formal figures are issued in Thailand, many sources believe that the cost of living here has at least doubled in the last 20 years.
Unpopular Thailand Pass entry rules may end
The Thai tourism ministry has indicated that Thailand may simplify the rules of entry as early as July 1. This is the provisional date when Bangkok authorities may reclassify the coronavirus pandemic as an epidemic. The principal advantage would be to end pre-authorization for vacationers and enable them to fly to Thailand armed only with their documents: passport, airticket and a negative pre-flight RT-PCR test result.
Tourist Authority governor Yuthasak Supasorn said that surging oil prices and the invasion of Ukraine had dented earlier predictions that international tourism was about to surge, thus indicating the need for immigration liberalization for short-stay tourists. At present, they must register in advance via the government website, obtain medical insurance, show a pre-flight PCR negative test and book a hotel on arrival for a temporary quarantine of several hours pending a second health check.
Some neighboring countries are already introducing simplified entry procedures. The Philippines require a pre-flight PCR test, but the government website insists only on “self monitoring” for a week after arrival. Cambodia does require an ATK test, taken at the airport on arrival, but claims the process takes only 20 minutes. Malaysia is set to introduce visas on arrival from April 1, with evidence of a pre-flight PCR test and “an ATK test taken within 24 hours of arrival”, although the precise bureaucracy is not clear.
Vietnam and Laos are both reviewing their tourist entry procedures, but joining a tour group is the main loophole at present for those wishing to visit. Thailand’s land borders with all neighboring countries remain closed for foreign tourists for now, although there are reports of some crossings at Cambodian and Laos entry points. The opening of Thai border posts is believed to be under review to coincide with a projected July 1 liberalization. Insisting on health tests at Thai land frontiers would be a gigantic problem because of the numbers involved.
Thailand is also considering abolition of the mandatory Covid insurance of at least US$20,000, downgraded from US$50,000 last month. Although the Philippines still insists on insurance worth at least US$35,000, the Cambodian government website shows no compulsory cover for tourists (although some are required to have a bond worth US$2,000 in case they catch the disease) and there is no mention of mandatory insurance in the latest Malaysian announcements of intent.
Travel agents say that pre-registration on government websites is the biggest drawback to a tourist revival in Thailand. But the long-distance market is being badly hit by the deteriorating international political situation. The Thai authorities will likely concentrate on short-haul visitors, especially from India, with travel bubbles already on the cards. However, the collapse of Thailand Pass (if it happens) will be welcomed by long-haul fans of Thailand from Britain, mainland Europe, Australia and beyond. Thailand is hoping to reach a 626 billion baht inflow this year from international tourists. Without significant immigration letups, that simply can’t happen.