Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the concept of Border Running and this new DTV Visa. I have discussed in videos in the past that I delineate, there's two different types of Running - there's Visa Running and Border Running. Visa running is when you leave Thailand, for example you go to a Thai Embassy or Consulate, you apply for a new visa, and you come back to Thailand. Border Running is when you either have some kind of Visa or you're on Visa Exemptions, you run to a border, you cross out of the country, you cross back in and upon crossing back in you get some new status, some new lawful status via the stamp given at the border checkpoint. 

Now the question posed by this video is Will "easy" Border Running be a foregone conclusion with this new DTV? And let's be clear, there's a bunch of people talking about "oh it's no problem, I've been going in and out of Thailand." Well, you've been going in and out on your initial 180 days of status on the DTV. That is not the same thing as when that initial 180-day period ends, and you have to deal with whatever happens next. As I've discussed in other videos, it's not a foregone conclusion they are going to allow extension of status on the DTV in-country. Meanwhile, I don't think it's a foregone conclusion they are going to allow people to just come and go on this and do a Border Run and effectively live on this Visa. Why do I think that? Well years of experience - 17 to be precise - living here in Thailand and dealing with Immigration on a daily basis and another eight doing these type of videos where I look at the news. Again, I've talked about stuff in the past and people have sort of said, "you are fear-mongering, you're trying to talk your own book by fear-mongering", not my purpose here. I'm just trying to let people know look things are not always what they seem with Thai Immigration. That said, let's jump in. 

I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Thailand's DTV game changer: let sleeping dogs lie for now. Quoting directly: "Inevitably, Visa Agents in Thailand have now grasped the cash potential of a DTV and offer Visa Run to the nervous, usually to Laos or Cambodia. The companies can arrange road travel and accommodation for several days and provide relevant paperwork, even offering a written bond to those who lack handily the 500,000 Baht (US$15,000) guarantee which is part of the application requirements." So how does that work? Isn't that a material misrepresentation of fact because it's part of the requirement that you have that money, and now they are going to add it in and come up with some rink-a-dink fake fugazi way of saying you have the money but it's a material misrepresentation of fact and I mean it material, because the sole reason for the DTV to be issued is supposedly it is issued to “high net worth” individuals and “digital nomads” that have lots of money for here in Thailand. It's not just the "hey whatever you can finagle so you can hang out and live in Thailand." This again is one of the reasons why I think that Thai Immigration and the Interior Ministry's silence on these matters is absolutely deafening because they see these exact same issues too and they have a mandate to enforce Thai Immigration Law. That said, quoting further: "Full agency service seems to cost between 100,000 and 150,000 Baht. Unlike the annual extension of stay based on retirement, the DTV application does not require a Thai Bank book. Indeed, some applicants may never have visited Thailand yet." 

Well hold the phone there. With regard to ongoing extension or ongoing allowing of people to just effectively live here using a Border Run, it's not a foregone conclusion what the requirements are. As I have discussed in other videos, Immigration has been silent about that, notwithstanding the hyperbole from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the end of the day we are going to know this stuff come quarter one, quarter two of 2025 and I expect it's not going to look as rosy as those at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have framed it to be. That being said, quoting further: "Most of the current question marks are about the option of a further 180 days extension at local Immigration Offices which are part of the Ministry of Interior, which to date has said not a single word about the DTV." Yeah again, to reiterate, I have discussed this in other videos. It is not a forgotten conclusion that Immigration is even going to recognize these visions for extension purposes. As I have said, the silence from the interior Ministry has been deafening. That said, quoting further: "Immigration is very reluctant to comment on these contentious issues and a phone call to the hotline brought only the response to look at the DTV official website which of course sheds no relevant light." Well, it's not going to. We're not going to see really, I don't think any practical elucidation on how any further extension or ongoing Border Runs are going to work until quarter one or quarter two of 2025.