Thailand's major overhaul of visas and entry rules has stirred up strong reactions -- mostly joy and excitement, but also confusion and even some resentment.
To clarify the new rules, the Bangkok Post's Deeper Dive vodcast posed readers' questions to Naruchai Ninnad, one of the chief architects of the new visa scheme in his role as deputy director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs at Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can watch the full interview below, watch directly on Spotify or search for "Deeper Dive Thailand" wherever you get your podcasts.
'Destination Thailand' visa
The change that's grabbed the headlines is the new five-year "Destination Thailand" visa (DTV) that allows stays of up to 180 days, extendable for up to one year. But the visa is not for everyone: visa holders must fit into one of three categories.
The first is those who get their paycheques from outside Thailand, often referred to as digital nomads or freelancers, although in fact the remote job could be permanent.
"You can have any type of work and you're working remotely here in Thailand," Mr Naruchai said.
"Most importantly, the employer is not in Thailand. And your income has to come from outside Thailand."
This must be supported by evidence, "a form of documentation, like a payslip, or a letter from your employer abroad.
"The second category of DTV-holders is a little more complex. It covers people who move to Thailand for a specific set of approved activities, including Muay Thai or other sports training, cooking classes, medical treatment, and attending seminars and music festivals.
Evidence must be provided, such as an appointment, a course receipt or an event ticket, but there is flexibility as to duration. "It depends on the course," Mr Naruchai said.
"May be two weeks, one month, it's up to the applicant." And then if you wish to extend the 189 days at immigration, you need to provide another certificate or acceptance letter or other confirmation.
Pressed on the matter, he said such documentation is required when applying for the visa and when extending the visa inside Thailand, but usually not when actually entering the country -- although, of course "like in every other country, the final decision depends on the discretion of the immigration officer.
"The third category is those with spouses or children in Thailand, for which proof of relationship is required, and in this case the visa could be used as an alternative to the category "O" spousal visa -- but although it lasts longer, it requires extension every six months and leaving the country at least once per year.
There is currently no requirement for health insurance on the visa, but for all categories, the DTV requires proof of the equivalent of at least 500,000 baht in assets. Importantly, these can be anywhere in the world -- a foreign bank account or brokerage statement would be fine, Mr Naruchai said.
However, he stressed that proof of income or assets is not enough to qualify -- the applicant must be either remote worker, undertaking an approved activity or a spouse/dependent child.
"You should apply only for the purpose of that particular visa, meaning that you should come in with the correct visa," he emphasised.
In particular, the DTV cannot be used as a substitute for the one-year retirement visa, unless the applicant fits another category.
To one reader who complained that the DTV is a much cheaper alternative to the Elite visa they had paid for, Mr Naruchai disagreed. "There are ddifferent benefits and privileges between the two visas," he said. "So you would have to choose between what will particularly benefit you the most."
Visa-free entry
In another major change, the number of countries eligible for visa-free entry has risen from 57 to 93, including China and India. The entry stamp has doubled from 30 to 60 days, and that is extendable for a further 30 days at an immigration office.
Intriguingly, while each admission always depends on the immigration officer, there is no set limit on the number of entries per year.
"The immigration office, they do not have a specified number as to how many times you can enter," Mr Naruchai told the vodcast. "You can enter as many as many times as possible within a calendar year."
Each entrant should be able to show access to at least 20,000 baht, but it is not mandatory to present a return or onward ticket.
"In general, the immigration office, they will not ask for these documents [but] you may be randomly checked if the immigration officer detects anything suspicious, or even not suspicious. If they would like to request a return ticket or accommodation, they have the right to do so.
"So my advice is to have it in hand." Unlike the DTV, the visa exemption does allow short-term "urgent" work for up to 15 days, extendable for another 15, but permission must be granted at an immigration or labour office.
Visa on arrival
The number of countries eligible for visa on arrival has risen from 19 to 31, although it is considerably less attractive than the exemption -- it costs 2,000 baht and lasts for just 15 days. Somewhat confusingly, China and a number of other countries are on both the visa exemption and visa-on-arrival lists.
Mr Naruchai explained that this is a legacy of bilateral agreements, and "when you arrive, the immigration officer will always give you the highest benefit" -- in the case of a Chinese citizen, the 60-day visa exemption.
Non-ED Plus
The final new visa introduced on July 15 was the Non-ED Plus visa ("Non" refers to "non-immigrant", not a lack of education), which entitles the 40,000 foreign students at Thai colleges and universities pursuing Bachelor's degrees or higher to stay for one year after graduation.
They can also now take jobs in their field. "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".
What hasn't changed
The other visas -- along with the subject of much expat ire, the 90-day report -- remain in place.
Despite calls for the retirement visa to be extended to five years, the one-year version remains, although the minimum health insurance requirement for this and the spousal visa have been reduced from 3 million baht to 400,000 baht.
Finally, what of the danger of foreign criminals flooding into Thailand?
Mr Naruchai said that "previously, when people applied for a visa, we looked at the blacklist 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.
"So the practice of checking out and screening arrivals into Thailand remains basically the same."
Click below to watch the full interview and the "Thailand's new visas" episode of the Bangkok Post vodcast Deeper Dive, or search for "Deeper Dive Thailand" wherever you get your podcasts.
