lumphini07

hi u just moved from uk to bkk, and i used seven seas, ( sevenseasworldwide.com/) they were brilliant, first of all i made a mistake thinking the air option was cheap because i got confused with a minimum weight so i ended up calling them and changing it over to ship just a few days before i was due to fly out, they emailed me a new paperwork pack and i posted (snail mail ) it back to them and they were so helpful.

i only sent tools and books and dvds and not much else, and by the time the ship arrived i had already been in bkk 9 weeks and on my non-imm,, and they didnt charge me any duty at all.....

first thing i would say is always , always choose door to door, you always have a better chance of getting away with duty i did research on this and theres alot of people from these forums say the same.

way befroe the stuff arrived i had a good idea i wasnt going to pay duty on the dvds and books and if the hand tools deffinatly looked well used then not on them either, my wife dug me out the customs official web page that lists everything n the world almost litterally lol, and what percentage to pay duty on it or if no duty at all

if your wife cant find this info i can get the link for you just let me know..

good luck

ok i found it i just googled autobacs 10250 and up it came , thanks for your help gippy i'm going to check it out now.

http://www.farangfriendly.com/Company/Autobacs-65454.aspx

http://www.autobacs.co.th/

that looks perfect, i want to find a store but on the contact us page i cant copy the address into google maps because its an unmapped jpeg, the middle address is same area code as me 10250 so must be around suan luang, can u send me the google map link please gippy if you are able to find its location

hi,

does anyone know the thailand / bkk equivalent of halfords and charlie browns in the uk,, general car accesory shops to the car like home pro is to the diy enthusiast.

im after vinyl paint for the dashboard and door panels, leather dye for seats, axle stands, ramps, bulbs, wiper blades. ........

and also can someone tell me where to get those cute stich toon seat covers too, its a gift for a friend but i cant find them either

help help help lol

Hi lop, thanks for getting back to me earlier i was in a rush and got your reply on the mobile but couldnt get back to you.

went to immigration Bureau , got in the queue for an hour and abit and only problem was i took my bank book and not a statement but the officer let me run down to kasikarn just down the stairs and get that sorted, and they deffinatly do ask for photos of you and the family outside the family home, they accepted our photo which was just of the pair of us outside the family home, so i am now the proud owner of a 90 day non imm 'o', and they said i have to apply for the non imm support thai wife before the last 30 days of this visa, so sometime in the forst 60 days an anytime after the money has reached 2 months which will be around the 30day mark.

i know you know all this lop thankyou and everyone who has helped me, i'm just want to post something that will help people on this journey in the coming months, I like thinking of this thread helping people in the future and its not over yet I will keep posted until the very end of this ordeal LOL... and no doubt i will be asking more questions

p.s. LOP, everytime i search and browse this forum your name is there replying and helping people

I cant thank you and the others enough.

As said first step is a non immigrant visa entry. You can do that at Immigration as a change or go to a Consulate to obtain using marriage certificate/copy of wife id and home register. Only after having that non immigrant entry can you extend your stay.

i thought i can not apply for non imm until the 400k has reached its 2 months procurment, i was under impression to extend tourist visa 30 days this would allow 400k to reach its 2 months then i can go and apply for my non o and annaul extensions for supporting thai wife.

should i be going to immigration and asking for a non imm now?

Do you already have a non immigrant visa entry? If not you must obtain that first for 2,000 baht and then the TM.7 extension of stay for "Thai wife" application would be submitted during the last 30 days of stay with proof of money in account 2 months. You request extension for 365 days and reason is Thai wife.

Hi Lop again, thanks for getting back to me, i am still on my tourist visa, just got married, going for the extension.

question about TM7 APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY STAY IN THE KINGDOM

reasons for extensions:

am i stating here that i want to to continue to tour the kindgom or am i stating i want to support my thai wife at this point, the money in the bank is a few weeks away from being in there for 2 months

i'm now married at this point

thanks in advance

Affirmation translation and certification update

ok turns out that if you want a company to take your translation to the ministry of foreign affairs it will take tem a few days to a week and having done it myself now i see why. so my fiancee decided to translate it herself and e set of at 7am, 10km and 2 hours later we arrived at 9am paid a bit extra for express, wait an hour handed in the translation, waited another hour and got called up to be shown 4 highlighted words with the words above the officer wanted highlighted, so i took it to the book store next to 7/11 at the bottom f the escalator thinking its simple re-write and change the 4 words to the ones the officer asked for. the shop charged 400 baht took 2 hours and when i got back to the shop at 2pm to pick it up they were asking me how to pronounce certain words to finish it of, which i thought was odd since i just wanted it copied and edited for officer requests, anyway, i took it away and just knew i was starting again and very grumpy, even though aparently a professional translator works this way.

I called my fiancee and she rushed to my aid and took me into the supervsiors room and borrowed a computer and printer and did the painfully obvious thing of rewriting the checked copy with the corrections the officer requested and we were back out the supervisor room and handing it into the officer.

a few hours later we were called up and received our certified translation - a long day!

thing to know here is there is a set of double doors on the left as u sit looking at the counter, you can just go in this room and talk to officers, have things checked ask questions, use the computers..

OH AND YES I HAD MY AFFIRMATION ON USB STICK, I ACTUALLY HAD MY LAPTOP WITH ME TOO BUT ONLY NEEED THE STICK AND FILE,, VERY GOOD ADVICE IF U GET SOMEONE TO TRANSLATE FOR YOU ASK FOR A WORD DOC COPY ON A MEMORY STICK.

a question about the money?,, Maprao suggests putting the required 40,000bht into a thai account and leaving the rest in my uk account, is there a specific reason for this, is there a reason why I wouldnt transfer all of it to thailand ?

I hate ATm charges per withdrawl lol

1) you may have to Travel outside of Thailand and it is good idea to have some money /credit card stashed to make some purchases in "local" currency. I know that with my debit card if I make purchase from non-USD merchant, I must pay 1% foreign transaction fee. Plus, you never know when or why you may need to go back home.

2) Good chance that you will go to a central or Big C/Tesco in Bkk? There should be an AEON atm somewhere inside. Best exchange rate and you can pull out up to 40,000 baht per transaction with NO 150 baht atm fee.

3) You can use Bangkok Banks ACH/EFT feature. It's usually cheaper to send direct to thailand for smaller amounts and takes 2-4 business days. I understand that Kasikorn bank may also have this feature?

4) the advice of setting up internet banking from home banks BEFORE you come here is excellent. Having a overseas-friendly bank helps tremendously.

An non-ED visa may be your best bet. Whenever possible, go for some type of non-imm visa vs tourist visa.

sorry 4evermaat i missed your post, thankyou very much for your advice and knowledge

AFFIRMATION UPDATE,

ok so i was outside just messaging the mrs that i will be out of contact as im about to go in to the embassey and they take ur phone away at security and another brit farang comes out and says to his thai gf "ok i got it affirmed lets go and get it translated", this was at 9:30, which i thought odd as you have to go back and get it at collection time in the afternoon but it sounded promising and sure enough i got inside the consular building and handed my baht and my affirmation over and the lady behind the counter said if i dont mind taking a seat for 30 mins then I can wait for it and don't have to go wondering around for a few hours and getting thought security again. Sure enough 30 mins later i got called up we both did the signing and she did some stamping and i was in and out within 45 mins.

for UKPA (Authority) I put IPS which was correct even though it is probably obvious now as it is on your passport, and since I am unemployed for a while, for earnings i just put ....

f) I am an Electrician/Electronic Engineer by profession and I have £xx,xxx in the bank with which to support my Thai wife.

Can't really help with translation and with the certification and authorisation of the affirmation yet as my wonderful lady knows of a company who do it all in a day for a few hundred baht they translate it and go of and get it certified and give it back to u all done but i will post the info as soon as I get it out of her with the cricket bat, no with hugs i meant hugs ...

yeh i am sure its IPS now, but theres no harm in taken a copy of each option, I will post what happens,,,,

thanks for all your replies and helpfulness everyone,, not long now and I will be helping people on here not just asking asking asking

Suspect it should read the location where passport issued. UKPA I would suspect means the U.K. Passport Authority location that issued the passport should be placed there. Suspect passports that were issued by Embassies have there location as issuing and that would be what you would enter.

everyone or at least everyone as far as im aware or if not 95% of people in the uk do everything by post, applying for passport etc, its one central place / office i am not aware of diferent authorities or offices for different parts of the UK...

im failry sure im right it says on the passport Authority then IPS below it, i was just curious to make sure, as i really need to get it right first time due to my schedule and my fiancee getting time of work, maybe someone from uk who has done it already recently can help, or i could make a copy of both options and let them decide at the embassy which one they want

ah ha lol

ty for your time lopburi3, have a great week cheers

** I#m confident its IPS now

hi, me again, a quick check with regards the first line in my affirmation,,

the first line goes like this :-

I Joe William Bloggs holder of British passport No 00000000 issued at UKPA on

01/01/2001 expiring on 01/01/2010 do solemnly and sincerely affirm that:

passport number abviously, and Im quite sure that the UKPA part should read IPS since

it says IPS under authority on my passport and this is the abbreviation for the IDENTITY AND PASSPRT SERVICE,,,

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips/

have I understood this correct? UKPA or IPS?

:rolleyes:Thanks spoon thats great info and even now I still find it strangely reassuring

to hear accounts of others who have already been down the path I am on

I'm not panicing honest gov lmao

Wolf are you saying my employment prohibited on the visa means I can't get a Wp at the moment?

again thanks to everyone

thankyou everyone, im in prawet but i think i will goto klong tom, just googled it and i can go by river and get of at Ratchawongse pier which sonds much more fun the popping into seacon square AGAIN!!,, and its not far from oh my cod, i still havnt been there yet

Thanks for all the replies....

p.s. i'm a great believer in cheap tools,, snap-on!! been there done that waste of money for someone like me.

hi,,

I need to start a basic tool box just simple stuff, makita battery drill, spanners, screw drivers, alan keys, torx bits,

pliers, wire cutters and a little socket set does anyone know of a really cheap place, something like the sunday market back in uk

not looking for quality just the basic......

any info appreciated GOOGLE FAILED

kind regards

That you should read as working prohibited without a work permit. You can just apply for a work permit when you find work. For volunteer work you will also need a work permit.

THANKYOU MARIO

thanks guys,,,

i didnt need to ask steve answered it in the 2nd post on page one,, although thats was alot of stuff ago LOL DOH!

thankyou guys for all the help, living in thailand will be easy with my wonderful woman and Thaivisa.com

my visa says employment prohibited, does this mean i should not bother looking and does the same rule apply for the voluntary sector ?

Hi LB

thanks for replying do you mind giving me more info ,,, 60 day extension on my tourist visa? based on the fact we are married ?

Ok so i'm in bkk on my tourist visa following Maestro's steps

it took me a week to get someone to give me a bank account

got turned down hundreds of times, in the end Kasikorn gave me

one, it was a branch out of town a little in pravet and this time I

took my fiancee (thai national) and she had to give a copy of her

I.D. card and sign it and basically they made her referee me alot,

and the letter from my uk bank confirming my change of address

helped too.

so I'm just curious after reading that the seasoning time for the 400,000

is 2 months for first applicatin and 3 for the susequent years...

so its taken me 2 weeks to get the account and get the money in it

but its done now finally and I beleive we should be married and

making the application at least a week before the end of the 60 day t/visa

which gives my 400,000 just 39 days seasoning....

has anyone had a similar situation and immigration didnt mind ? or they did ?

Thanks WeeGB, i did check with the bank (halifax this saturday just gone and they did tell me its fine to give them my thai address and that was basically all that was required, had internet banking for many years so thats all good, i got to go back next weekend I i will ask about their situation on the swift transfers.

That's interesting, I had a current account, and a credit card, with HBOS before I moved to Thailand, I called them and asked about sending my new card to Thailand as I had no UK address, they told me that it was a condition of having an account with them that I maintained a UK address, they then promptly closed my accounts. They do have an International division however.

If you do manage to open an account with them you can transfer funds online, think it used to cost about £9.50 per transaction.

yes i was suprised too, but my question was simple and the lady at the help desk was clear and replied quickly and concisely, it was just an enquiry i am going back to the bank this weekend to set everything up ready for me to leave at the end of june, i will post how it went this time, lol,

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whats the deal with the price of 2nd hand cars OMG!!!

Hi Lumphini,

I'm in a similar position to you regarding the visa.

I was going to get a non-imm o but they moved the goalposts on me

I'm heading out to Thailand in a couple of weeks to get married, Hull consulate told me "ok next time you can get a non-imm if you show the marriage cert but this time you can only get a tourist visa" Seeing as I live in London, I went to the Thai embassy rather than post my passport to Hull. I put 'tourism' as the reason for the visit, can't remember what I put for employment but I doubt they're able or willing to check.

So, if I were you, I'd put 'tourism' as that's the reason they want for that visa as for employment status, I don't think it matters much but I'd out 'employed' if I were you (can't remember where on the form it asks that to be honest).

As you rightly said, what you actually do, apart from employment in Thailand of course is, as they say 'up to you'!

Interested in what you said about Halifax as they're my bank too! Did they say you can make transfers while you're in Thailand? I think I read that their current accounts are for UK residents but I'll be happy to discover that I'll be able to transfer my salary to a Thai bank when it arrives, hate those ATM fees and the daily withdrawal limits!

hi biff

i will do that i will actually be emplyed still at time of applying and its only a tourist visa after all, i asked the halifax if i needed to be residing in uk to have the account with them, they said no i simply give them my adress abroad and its as simple as that, if they need to send paper they r happy to do it apparently, and i didnt go into detail but transfering 10k was no problem they just needed my thai bank account details after i got there and set one up, i am going back this weekend ,to ask more questions, about the swift transfer and more detail about the transfer process

i will post my questions i put to them and the answers i get, if you want me to ask anything on your behalf reply me here or message me , i dont mind doing that.

have a good week

Hi Lumphini07, I'd advise sorting out your banking before you come here for any length of time, as someone else said, internet banking is a must.

I use Nationwide in the Uk, you can transfer large sums of money from the Uk to Thailand for 25 pounds a time, using the "SWIFT" transfer system.

Probably worth looking on Thaivisa banking section for other Banks fees etc. Don't forget at most banks here you're charged 150 baht a withdrawal, plus UK bank fees, worth thinking about with a base capital of 40000 pounds, you'll want to pay as little to the banks a s possible to preserve your capital. Good luck, hope everything works out for you.

Edit ; Just noticed other post regarding British banks require UK address, Nationwide don't for one, I am registered with them using my permanent Thai address, though I did originally open account when I lived in England. Please check other UK banks for their home address requirements, as a lot of Uk banks won't send credit / debit cards to Thailand , they cite security concerns as the basis for this. Again have a read through ThaiVisa banking section for advice,

FORGET GOOGLE - THAIVISA IS YOUR FRIEND !! lol

Good Luck

Thanks WeeGB, i did check with the bank (halifax0 this saturday just gone and they did tell me its fine to give them my thai address and that was basically all that was required, had internet banking for many years so thats all good, i got to go back next weekend I i will ask about their situation on the swift transfers.

stay safe

hi everyone, me again lol,

ok so i got my visa app pack from hull !

for non-imm 'o' application the only choices are

married to thai - certificate

visiting relatives - birth cert etc

living in thailand - house deeds

volunteer work - charity letter ( could make happen )

pensioner -

non of which seem to fit me , except volunteer as a fairly easy route

so is my best option choice to go on a tourist visa (double)?

in which case what would be my purpose of visit? simply tourism right?

does the fact i will be leaving my job a month before leaving for bkk, making me put unemployed

on the visa app form matter at all

it states that on a tourist visa i shouldnt be doing anything other than just that but obviously

it legit if u just happen to get married while on holiday lol!

thanks in advance everyone