Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Thai Visas. Yeah there's, I have to be honest, the prospective Expat community looking to come to Thailand I think sometimes really looks a gift horse in the mouth very much, I mean in the sense that a lot of demands and a lot of presumptions on what a country needs to be doing to accommodate somebody who quite honestly in my opinion should feel like a guest in that country. It is not on a given country to just accommodate the every whim of everybody coming into a given country. I have noticed that many again prospective expats and long-term expats and look I get it, I have dealt with Immigration myself, it is not fun and when you especially when you deal with persnickety, nitpickety little things that happen at Thai Immigration: you know "oh you didn't show up on this date,  but we'll go ahead and do it." I get it, I do really get it. But for people coming in new, and this whole, these countries are sort of in competition for the Nomad Dollar or something. Well whoop-dee-doo, you know. I mean I don't think especially in the case of Thailand it really needs to bend over backwards that way to accommodate people just because supposedly they bring such a major benefit to the country, I will just be honest. I am an advocate for people that want to come here, I want to be clear on that. I am not trying to be cantankerous and curmudgeony about Expats but honestly man, honestly, Thailand is one of the most reasonably priced places to get set up permanently, bar none. I mean when you really look at the cost of getting going in Thailand, be it a Retirement Visa, be it a Business Visa with a corporate setup behind it, name me another country where you get the benefits that can be granted to you in Thailand; name me another country where you have got the package deal that you can get in Thailand. I don't think it's out there quite honestly and this isn't hyperbole or anything, I have looked around. And there is a reason I chose to come live in Thailand too. It is the best place I can find to live quite honestly bar none again, and I am not going to blow sunshine and smoke forever but truly to come, I mean the Retirement Visa scheme here in Thailand is one of the most reasonably priced Retirement Visa schemes on the planet again bar none you know, bar none. 

In any event, I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Both the Cambodian and the Thai 10-year golden visas have fallen flat. Quoting directly: "Thailand too, has no shortage of annually renewable visas. Indeed a 10 year O/X option was introduced (without success) as early as 2017. But the main competitor is the Elite Visa which grants a multiple entry stay of 5 years for 600,000 Baht (less than US$ Dollars 20,000) with various other options for up to 20 years. Although the Elite Visa does not offer income tax concessions and does not carry a Digital Work Permit and has been far and away the best long-term seller in recent years." Yeah, there is Thailand Elite which is quite in my opinion all things considered, pretty affordable. Meanwhile if you are over 50, the Retirement Visa option again is optimal so there are multiple options out there, again Business Visas, O Marriage Visas if you are married to a Thai, that may be an option again, that is very affordable, the financial requirements associated with that are truncated compared to virtually any other Visa category. 

So the thing to take away from this video, there are a lot of options with regard to Thai Immigration status, and again I don't think it's fair to Thailand when foreigners sort of look at things and say "oh they can do this better, they can do that better." Well I urge you to go find a country as good, as nice, with the infrastructure and all the benefits associated with living in Thailand that has a Visa scheme that is as, I won't say lax but is as, again I won't say easy either, but is as reasonably priced and is as straightforward as the options available here in Thailand.