Staying in Thailand as a young man in 2022
If you're a young person, staying in Thailand for periods of a year or more, is not easy. Read further to see what options you have if you're less than 50 years old.
Back in the halcyon days, before the age of Covid, Thailand was filled with young people that did endless border runs and ended up staying in Thailand for years and years at a time.
But those days are over.
And not because of Thailand. But because, generally speaking, its neighbors (Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar) were closed and in many of those cases are still closed.
So what is a young person to do now.
What are the options if you are not yet ready to retire and want to stay in Thailand for longer periods of time?
Elite Visa
This is the "ballers" option. For roughly $18,000 USD you get a 5 year visa to Thailand and you can stay as long as you want, and come and go as you like. This is the best option with the least stress if you have 18K USD burning a hole in your pockets.
STV Visa
If you don't have 18K sitting unused in your bank account, the next best thing is the STV visa. But this only lasts for 9 months, and you must leave Thailand once the visa expires. There is also no telling if the government will renew the STV visa next year.
New "Nomad VIsa"
Under planning (and already approved) is the new 10 year Nomad visa. You do have to have a Masters degree and at least 40,000 USD in annual income. But you also need to invest about 250K USD in Thailand -- example with bonds, real estate etc. Regulations are not yet completed for this visa. We expect that it may be ready sometime in the coming months.
Get a Job or Start a Business
You can also get a job or start a business in Thailand. And if you're earning 80,000 THB per month for about 3 years, then you can even apply for permanent residency.
Marriage
As a young man or woman, you can marry a Thai spouse. However men do need to financially support their Thai wives, foreign women do not have to show any financial requirements at all. You renew your visa every year.
"90 Day" Tourist Visa
This is really a 60 day tourist visa which can be extended for an additional 30 days to give you 90 days in Thailand. 3 Months is a pretty good time to spend in Thailand considering the limitations. We help customers get these visas almost every day.
In the end, the government here is still fairly conservative and does not want younger people running around thailand that are not working or going to school.
We may not like it, it is what it is.
If you want help with any of these types of visas, or just want to discuss your case, please email us.