Thailand is definitely one of the most visited nations in the world as it welcomes millions of international visitors from different countries and continents. However, if you are trying to immigrate to this country, you may be wondering whether it is easy or difficult to move to this country. So, in this post, we will help you to know if immigrating to Thailand is difficult or not.
Well, it can be hard to specifically say whether immigrating to Thailand is difficult or easy. This is because the situation of each immigrant differs. After all, getting a visa to Thailand depends on whether you have the requirements or not. If you have the right documents, you can easily immigrate to Thailand. Otherwise, it will be difficult for anyone to immigrate to this Southeast Asian country.
Having noted this, the criteria for getting a visa to immigrate to Thailand depend entirely on the kind of visa you want to get. So, you need to find out the type of visa that suits your particular need and start getting the required documents to process the visa to immigrate to Thailand. Below, we will shed more light on the types of visas to Thailand so that you can know whether it is difficult to immigrate to Thailand or not.
What are the types of visas for immigrating to Thailand?
If you are interested in immigrating to Thailand, your first concern should be getting a suitable type of visa to the country. According to Immiguides.com, the most commonly used visas for traveling to Thailand are:
- a tourist visa – this option is only valid for 60 days
- a non-immigrant visa – this is only valid for 90 days
These two visas are issued by a Thai Embassy outside of this Southeast Asian country. It is noteworthy that a visitor can submit an application to Thai immigration for an extension of their stay. Nevertheless, these two visa options are not meant for a long stay in Thailand. Hence, you will get a short-term extension of a maximum of 30 days. After this, you have to leave the country or apply for a visa for a longer stay.
If you are looking for a longer stay in Thailand, you should consider the following visa options – business, education, marriage, or retirement visa.
- Business visa
A business visa is one of the commonest types of visa to immigrate to Thailand. But you must be either employed or sponsored by a Thai company before you can get this visa. With this particular visa, you can live in Thailand for as long as 90 days for a single entry. However, for multiple entries, the visa is valid for 1 year,
The eligibility criteria for getting this visa include for a visa include no criminal record and an excellent academic background. In addition, if you have a good business plan, you can get this visa without being employed or sponsored by a Thai company.
- Education visa
People that want to study in Thailand can also use the opportunity to immigrate there. The student visa allows a student to stay in Thailand for as many as 90 days for a single entry or a whole year for many entries. The eligibility documents for a student visa include a letter of admission from the school and evidence of financial capability to take care of living expenses and tuition throughout the stay. These documents must be submitted before and after playing for the visa.
It is noteworthy that you are restricted to only doing part-time work if you are in Thailand with a student visa.
- Work visa
If you intend to immigrate to Thailand to start working full-time, a work visa is undoubtedly your best option. This visa is available for immigrants already employed by a Thai company or who have a viable business in Thailand. However, it should be noted that you cannot apply for this visa from outside of Thailand; hence, you must have first traveled to the country before submitting an application for a work visa.
- Retirement visa
To apply for a retirement visa, you must be older than 50 years of age. Like other visa options, this visa allows a student to stay in Thailand for as many as 90 days for a single entry or a whole year for many entries. This means that you will have to continue renewing the visa for as long as you want to stay in the country. Also, you need to have at least 800,000 THB in a Thai bank or make a minimum of 65,000 THB every month.
- Marriage visa
In terms of requirements, a marriage visa is quite similar to a retirement visa. However, the major difference lies in the fact you need to get married to a Thai citizen to obtain the visa. You need to show a copy of your marriage certificate as well as evidence of the relationship between you and your partner (who serves as the sponsor) to get this visa.
How difficult is it to get a visa to immigrate to Thailand?
Now, this is the crux of the matter. Getting a Thai visa is the most important factor that determines how easy or difficult it will be to immigrate to Thailand. Generally, getting a tourist or non-immigrant visa to Thailand is quite easy for people from most countries around the world. This is because this Southeast Asian country is focused on enticing lots of tourists.
However, when it comes to getting an immigrant visa, it is a different situation. Many of the requirements for the visas are not easy for many would-be immigrants to get. Besides, you can even have the requirements and still be denied a visa.
Overstaying your visa
Basically, you must have a valid visa to stay in the country at any particular time. So, you must never overstay your visa. According to gov.uk, Thailand has severe penalties for overstay. You are required to pay 500 THB (over 15 USD) daily for up to 20,000 THB (over 600 USD). In addition to the fine, you may be jailed for some periods or deported and banned from returning to Thailand for several years.
Conclusion
Immigrating to Thailand can be quite difficult in many instances because the eligibility criteria may not be easy to get. However, if you have the requirements and follow the right steps to apply for immigrant visas, you can immigrate to Thailand without much hassle.
