Thailand's cabinet has just approved a 10-year visa for wealthy foreigners or ethnic groups of digital workers, and the government's focus is on addressing the tourism downturn caused by Covid-19. They estimate that some of the high-quality tourists who poured into Thailand before the Covid-19 pandemic could contribute more than dozens of times as many budget tourists.
A government spokesman announced today that the Ministries of Labor and the Interior are already working on long-term visa regulations for highly skilled digital workers and wealthy expatriates to stay in Thailand for a long time. Attracting these quality tourists will boost Thailand's economy and investment, they said.
The 10-year visa is designed to attract wealthy travelers from 4 categories that have been key to government tourism work over the past few months:
- Digital Worker Family – Professionals working remotely online
- Highly skilled professionals who can use their skills (and salaries) to drive thai development
- Wealthy global citizens (government officials once predicted that these tourists would cost 1 million baht per trip)
- Wealthy pensioners – retired wealthy people who have a lot of disposable income every month
While the eligibility rules are still being worked out, they have announced some clear pricing details. The visa will be issued for a first 5 years at a cost of THB 10,000 per year, and then extended for a further 5 years. The total cost of 10 years is 100,000 baht, which is much cheaper than the current long-term visa options of the Thai Elite Visa Program, 600,000 baht for a 5-year visa, 1 million baht for a 10-year visa, and 2.4 million baht for a 20-year visa including the annual fee, which for some reason is much more expensive than buying two 10-year visas.
The remaining regulations are still being worked out, but the Ministry of Labor guarantees that foreigners who obtain this visa will be able to start working as soon as they arrive in Thailand without having to wait for their work permit application to be completed and to be granted a work permit. Once the other rules are fully established, the various government departments will issue an official announcement before the new visa can take effect.
People who wish to begin the new 10-year visa application process can submit documents and obtain a certificate of eligibility at the nearest Thai embassy or consulate, or, if they are already in Thailand, submit documents and obtain a certificate of eligibility at the Investment Commission of Thailand located in Chamchuri Square
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