Access Multiple Countries With 1 Permit.
Europe and Latin America hog the expat spotlight. But Asia is catching up quickly… and is poised to copy one of the most attractive aspects of living in Europe.
Several countries in Southeast Asia offer Golden Visas, digital nomad permits, and retirement visas. Thailand has long had a 10-year residency visa. Malaysia and Indonesia have recently started to fish for highly qualified technical immigrants and high net worth individuals with attractive visa options.
But unlike in Europe, going from country to country in Southeast Asia still requires the full rigamarole of visa applications, waiting periods, border controls, and the rest. Once you’re in Europe’s Schengen Area (29 countries), you can travel across borders without even having to show your passport—there are no border checks if you’re driving from Spain to France and on to Italy, for example. And a residence permit for any EU country gives you special access to the rest of the EU.
By contrast, someone living in Thailand, for example, can’t just pop over to Cambodia or Malaysia for the weekend. Investors who want to explore opportunities in more than one country have to get multiple visas even for a trip of three or four days.
Recently, however, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin proposed that his country, along with Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, introduce a multi-country visa. The details are sketchy, but the idea is to reduce the hassles foreigners face traveling within the region. Doing so could increase the attractiveness of long-term residency as well as boost tourism.
Thavisin also proposes to increase the standard period for tourist visas to 90 days. Currently, some countries in the region issue 30- or 60-day visas only.
The Thai proposal doesn’t go as far as the European Union or other multi-country arrangements like South America’s Mercosur, which allow legal residents the right to travel, settle, and work anywhere within the region. But it’s a step in the right direction.
Personally, I would love to see this proposal succeed… but it might take a while.
Myanmar is a military dictatorship in the middle of a civil war. Vietnam’s quasi-Communist government traditionally exerts tight control over society, including its borders. Cambodia and Laos are becoming tourist favorites, but infrastructure for a program like this is still undeveloped. And the exclusion of Singapore from the proposal is perplexing, given that it is one of the world’s great expat havens.
But other factors are pushing the region toward closer integration. China under premier Xi Jinping has become far less attractive for foreign investors and manufacturers. Vietnam and Malaysia have already begun to benefit from the flight of manufacturers from mainland China. More open borders could boost foreign investment big time.
Some parts of Southeast Asia have long had substantial numbers of Westerners. Cities like Chiang Mai in Thailand and Penang in Malaysia consistently rank among the top global expat destinations. But the majority of recent applicants for long-term residency have come from China, Japan, South Korea, and other countries in the region.
If the Thai proposal is accepted, that could change quickly—as Westerners embrace opportunity in one of the world’s most colorful and interesting regions…
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