Thailand transforms visa: doors open to tourists and digital nomads
Covid has long put the tourism sector of many countries on hold, generating economic disasters of [...]
Thailand
Covid has long put the tourism sector of many countries on hold, generating economic disasters of unbelievable proportions. Thailand has not yet been able to recover to pre-pandemic levels, so there is reasoning to try to attract as many foreign travelers as possible. This is where the policy of guaranteed visa overstays for those countries on a specific list comes in. This includes Italy, which makes this news particularly interesting for those who are planning their next trip. Beware, however, the timeframe is unfortunately limited.
Thailand: visa time changes
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Thailand winks at its tourists. The visa issued for foreign travelers now stipulates a 45-day stay compared to the previous 30 days allowed. An effort to be able to change the current situation by improving the numbers in that area. The economic suffering is not yet over, and here is that from October 1 fifteen days of possible vacation will be added thanks to the usual visa for entry into Thailand. Nothing will change from the bureaucratic point of view.
As mentioned, however, the time to take advantage of this "offer" is limited: it will be possible until March 31, 2023. The government's idea is to be able to get back on the right track by then, recovering from the closures and restrictions caused by Covid-19.
Thailand introduces golden visa
The swimming pool at the Marriott the Surawongse in Bangkok
Excellent, but not unique, news of the increase in visa stay time for entry into Thailand. It will increase from the current 30 days to 45, without the need to add paperwork to those already in place. The other big news, however, is even more interesting. It is the golden visa, as it is now called in the tourism industry, considering its special features. It covers long-term stays and applications are accepted from September 1, 2022.
This is definitely an interesting move from a tourism perspective, considering how it goes to wink at a relatively small and particularly wealthy segment of travelers.
A chance is offered to have unrestricted access for several years, provided certain restrictions are met. The maximum guaranteed time is 10 years, with a variety of opportunities to enter and leave the country without any problems. Applicants will also be allowed to work in the territory, bringing with them up to a maximum of four employees.
Let's look specifically at the standards to be met and the division into categories. Read carefully if you are, for example, digital nomads looking for a haven in which to conduct your business.
Be aware, however, that a fee of as much as 1,500 euros is required to be paid initially. Below are all the details on the three types of travelers required.
Wealthy tourists: must boast assets of at least €1 million, be able to demonstrate annual income of about €80,000 over the past two years, and must commit to investing an amount of just over €400,000 in Thai government bonds or, alternatively, property in the country or foreign direct investment.
Wealthy retirees: must be 50 years of age or older, with annual pension or stable income. The latter must be about 80 thousand euros annually. Should this figure not be met, one may alternatively invest about 250 thousand euros in Thailand, provided that one has no income of less than about 35 thousand euros.
Digital nomads: must be able to demonstrate income of about 80 thousand euros annually in the last two years. If this figure is not met and does not fall below 35 thousand euros annually, it is essential that at least a master's degree has been earned. It is important to have active collaboration with large international companies on your side. Simply put, you are not looking for the small freelancer, but rather an employee of a publicly traded company or one with a turnover approaching 150 million euros in the last three years. To make matters worse, he or she must have been employed in this field for at least five years.
