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Are you a US citizen, or Aus? How do you deal with the visa? I want to move to thailand for an unknown amount of time but the visa seems like more than I woul

Are you a US citizen, or Aus? How do you deal with the visa? I want to move to thailand for an unknown amount of time but the visa seems like more than I would care to deal with. Don't want to have to do visa runs and all of that.

pandler 10y ago
It's easy enough to take Thai language classes and get a student visa in Thailand, though they appear to be getting more strict with their checks to validate that you are actually learning Thai. I say that, because some people just get the student visa and never actually take the classes. You can also get a student visa (in Chiang Mai at least) for hand-to-hand combat training with the military police. You just take two lessons a week on Saturday and Sunday afternoons for two hours. http://chiangmaibuddy.com/services/chiang-mai-visa-services/12-month-hand-to-hand-combat-education-visa/ http://chiangmaibuddy.com/services/chiang-mai-visa-services/.... You're spot on though - doing visa runs all the time gets old fast.
- cpayne 10y ago
  If I were 10 years younger & without kids... Hand to hand combat with the military police on a weekend sounds awesome!!! Never understood westerners who live in Thailand (or any non-english, Asian country) but don't bother to learn the language. It's not as if you need to be fluent or even that good at it...
- apatters 10y ago
  I believe that in Bangkok the Thai language schools currently require 8 hours of study a week to qualify for a student visa, which is more than it used to be but is still incredibly lenient. In the provinces I hear the requirements are even lower. Anyone who intends to stay here for more than a year without learning at least basic Thai is shooting themselves in the foot anyway IMHO.
  - pandler 10y ago
    If I remember correctly, I think it was 6hr/week in Chiang Mai. About 40% confident about that number.
hn_user2 10y ago
I started with the visa run every 30 days. I liked the excuse to go do a weekend trip somewhere. Getting 1 year multi entry visas for business visa are pretty easy. And then your visa runs are down to once a quarter. I really enjoyed my year and a half stint in Bangkok. But. It also taught me that I value climate pretty highly when choosing my next location.
stephenr 10y ago
> I want to move to thailand for an unknown amount of time Have you visited before? Unless you're particularly adventurous I wouldn't suggest a move to Thailand without visiting first. I like living here, but its definitely not for everyone. > but the visa seems like more than I would care to deal with. You can hire a lawyer here to organise everything for you, it just depends how much you want to spend and what your situation/goal is. > Don't want to have to do visa runs and all of that Regardless of your type of visa, you will have to do something. I've lived here for close to 4 years, on a combination of business and now marriage visas, but I've only left the country twice in about 2 1/2 years. Non-tourist visas get you a longer total stay (and some give the ability to apply for a work permit to work legally) but you still need to report to immigration every 90 days (resets each time you enter the country). As I said elsewhere, reporting in Bangkok is a fucking joke, in the provinces, its pretty quick and painless.
apatters 10y ago
I have held various types of visas during my time here. One of the perks of Thailand, immigration-wise, is that while it can be a hassle (visa runs, bureaucracy, or both), there is always some way to stay here legally for as long as you want. You can get a tourist visa in your home country and then just show up. If you decide you want to stay for a long time you should start researching your options early on and developing connections with people who live here. This is true in any country--connections with locals make everything, including visas, a lot easier.

pandler 10y ago

It's easy enough to take Thai language classes and get a student visa in Thailand, though they appear to be getting more strict with their checks to validate that you are actually learning Thai. I say that, because some people just get the student visa and never actually take the classes. You can also get a student visa (in Chiang Mai at least) for hand-to-hand combat training with the military police. You just take two lessons a week on Saturday and Sunday afternoons for two hours. http://chiangmaibuddy.com/services/chiang-mai-visa-services/12-month-hand-to-hand-combat-education-visa/ http://chiangmaibuddy.com/services/chiang-mai-visa-services/.... You're spot on though - doing visa runs all the time gets old fast.

cpayne 10y ago
If I were 10 years younger & without kids... Hand to hand combat with the military police on a weekend sounds awesome!!! Never understood westerners who live in Thailand (or any non-english, Asian country) but don't bother to learn the language. It's not as if you need to be fluent or even that good at it...
apatters 10y ago
I believe that in Bangkok the Thai language schools currently require 8 hours of study a week to qualify for a student visa, which is more than it used to be but is still incredibly lenient. In the provinces I hear the requirements are even lower. Anyone who intends to stay here for more than a year without learning at least basic Thai is shooting themselves in the foot anyway IMHO.
- pandler 10y ago
  If I remember correctly, I think it was 6hr/week in Chiang Mai. About 40% confident about that number.

hn_user2 10y ago

I started with the visa run every 30 days. I liked the excuse to go do a weekend trip somewhere. Getting 1 year multi entry visas for business visa are pretty easy. And then your visa runs are down to once a quarter. I really enjoyed my year and a half stint in Bangkok. But. It also taught me that I value climate pretty highly when choosing my next location.

stephenr 10y ago

> I want to move to thailand for an unknown amount of time Have you visited before? Unless you're particularly adventurous I wouldn't suggest a move to Thailand without visiting first. I like living here, but its definitely not for everyone. > but the visa seems like more than I would care to deal with. You can hire a lawyer here to organise everything for you, it just depends how much you want to spend and what your situation/goal is. > Don't want to have to do visa runs and all of that Regardless of your type of visa, you will have to do something. I've lived here for close to 4 years, on a combination of business and now marriage visas, but I've only left the country twice in about 2 1/2 years. Non-tourist visas get you a longer total stay (and some give the ability to apply for a work permit to work legally) but you still need to report to immigration every 90 days (resets each time you enter the country). As I said elsewhere, reporting in Bangkok is a fucking joke, in the provinces, its pretty quick and painless.

apatters 10y ago

I have held various types of visas during my time here. One of the perks of Thailand, immigration-wise, is that while it can be a hassle (visa runs, bureaucracy, or both), there is always some way to stay here legally for as long as you want. You can get a tourist visa in your home country and then just show up. If you decide you want to stay for a long time you should start researching your options early on and developing connections with people who live here. This is true in any country--connections with locals make everything, including visas, a lot easier.