kunash

Can i open a bank account on a tourist visa?  i know a local branch of bank of bangkok where i am in isaan.  i will be staying in an apartment.  is it possible to open a bank account with an atm card? what would i need

you can do it through sykpe.com  but you have to pay for that.

just did a quick google search http://www.freesmsfrog.co.uk/

 thanks nienke, i will bookmark this page, and contact you when nearer the time to move

i do feel happier now, that i could bring my dogs with me to thailand.  i think that the time i am ready to move i may be settled in a nice home in a development site, so there will be fewer 'street' dogs around.   I am just nervous about them being attacked.  

as for my cat, she stays in the house with me.  she is not an outside cat.  she could never be re-homed. i really do not know what to do about her.  when the time is nearer ( to move ),maybe i will choose to stay, and just go to thailand on holiday.  i will have to make the decision nearer the time. not something i can do now

Hi

thanks for the replies.  Firstly I was advised not to bring the dogs here, because of the amount of street dogs.  I was told my dogs would be attacked.  If you are walking your dogs down a narrow side street, in the morning and at night, and there are wild / street dogs every few yards, would these dogs not attack your dogs? If there is a high chance they would be attacked it would be hard to take them out and they cannot be kept indoors all day. I guess it would be easy to adapt to the heat, they would just sleep all day .  Giving them up will be a hard decision and if I had to, I would try to get them adopted first, to a good home.  they are both 8 years old.  but if there is a chance i could bring them to thailand, and they would be safe here  ( from other dogs ), i will do that.

My cat will be about 15 when i am ready to leave.  She is a wild cat, and only responds to me, and is only friendly to me.  she is not, a lap cat.  when someone strange comes in the house she always hides.   if someone strange trys to let her in, from the garden, she runs away for a few hours.  when i go to thailand i have to get a neighbour to come and look after her.  even after 6 weeks of looking after her, she hides behind the bed when my neighbour is in the house, and shows no friendliness.  my neighbour could never let her out into the garden, because my cat would not come back.  if i brought my cat to thailand, she would be surrounded by children, and lots of people.  she would not like this, and would never be able to adapt.  she could never be let outside. if someone accidently left the door open - which will happen, she will run outside and will never be seen again. i just feel such a move would be too much for her.   she is very nervous, even with me. 

Hi, has anyone moved to Thailand, and had to give their beloved dogs away, or had to re-home them, so they could move? and so never see them again.  When i eventually move to Thailand i will have to re-home my dogs at a rescue centre, and will have to put my elderly cat ''down'.  she will be about 15 at the time.  it is not something i am looking forward to, and i have no relatives or friends who can look after them, so it is sadly the only option i have.  there is no way i could bring a standard poodle and a yorkie to Thailand, or is there?

has anyone had to give away or give up there much loved pets?

the micro bead neck pillows are good.  google it for your home country - maybe try amazon

I take it then, the Thai Police are not as thorough as UK police in their investigations?

Hi, has anyone made a list of important telephone numbers they can share with me please  ( surin area )

( no, not numbers from your little black book )

I am looking for utilities, emergency numbers, plumber, electrician, builder, local police, hospital, dentist,  etc etc

thanks

some people talk about shooting.  as a resident what weapons are you allowed to keep in your house to confront an unwanted intruder.

i guess a baseball bat, cs spray, but are you allowed more ''serious'' weapons??

ok, good security is needed then :

but if he attacks you, can you kill him in self defense? your word against a dead thai man's word. i guess the dead thai man would have more rights than you??

Hi, you are tucked up safely in your Thai bed, when you hear a noise in the early hours.  You get up and can see an intruder going through your possessions. He is up to no good. What are your rights in Thailand??????

can you kill him, if he attacks you?

Can you only do serious hard to him, if he attacks?

Do you scream at the top of your voice, hoping he will run away?

Do you wake your wife up, and ask her to deal with it?

( and what weapons are you allowed to keep in your house for such an incident, and also is it wise to have weapons, or have nothing?? )

maybe, if you fight him, and scare him away, he may come back later with his friends for revenge ?? )

What are your rights if you have a burglar?

(if the burglar scrapes his knee, while climbing your wall to get into your house,can he claim compensation from you joke btw ( but can happen in the UK )

i thought that generally you would go home more often, seems you do not. i guess it can be expensive going home, maybe up to 2000pounds for a visit.

it has been mentioned that any assets prior to marriage would be kept, and not split 50/50 on divorce.  i guess a prenup would also be useful if you were to inherit a large sum of money/property while married, as this may be considered 50/50 on divorce??

Hi

Once you have moved out to Thailand on a more permanent basis, how often do you go home?  I have an elderly mother in the UK, and she is the only family I have really.  I see her maybe 3 or 4 times a week, and i do her food shopping.  She does have friends but relies on me for certain things. When I move to Thailand, I will have to rent out my house, so when i do come back i will have to either stay with her or rent myself.  I do plan on coming home maybe 3 times a year for 2 weeks each time.

Hi thanks for the replies,

i personally have only ever given a few hundred baht to the grandma. that is it. the parents live a good life. the immediate family live quite well. i discussed this with my TGF, and i wont be expected to pay anything ( lol famous last words ), except give her some money each month. I agree, when you add things up, thailand can be quite expensive. in the UK i can live quite happily on 40pounds a week in food, and 15pounds petrol. utilities come out of bank on DDR so i never see them .

if i became a resident then in thailand, i would not have to get any medical cover?? if i get ill, just go to the hospital, and pay ( like thais ).

i can see that i may need up to 45k/50k a month, so i will budget for that. which is about 13000pounds. this does seem alot, but if you are living here full time, it is ok i guess.

thanks for replies

thanks, ok 25k then a month, sounds better

i forgot to add beer money

hi

I have tried searching these forums but cannot find anything, though i am sure the question has been asked many times before.

How much do you spend each month when living in Thailand?  can you please give me a breakdown.  I am mainly interested in expenses for living in a large town in Isaan, family of 4 ( 2 kids ).

 traveling (petrol), food, electric, water, internet, eating out 

on top of this i would add rent, and buying clothes when necessary and toiletries.   what other expenses are there?  i budgeted about 40k a month, this includes

travelling 1000

food 16000

electric 2000 (air con)

water 1000

eating out 5000 ( once/twice a week)

rent 5000 a month

clothes/toiletries 5000

extras 5000

am i a long way out with this or close?

thanks, i will have to make sure my TGF has them. i did not see the square piece of paper on her bike.

 you say the bike is insured.  is that the square piece of paper that is displayed on the bike?

i have just printed out a IDP application, and will send that off.

I hold a full uk bike license. How do i arrange insurance in thailand?

I am under the impression that someone who is in Thailand on a tourist visa cannot legally ride a moped / motorbike there, is this correct?

If I am caught by the police riding a motorbike in thailand, and no license, what are the fines??  can they take the bike??

( i have been taking my TGF to work on her moped, but if i will get in serious trouble due to not having a license i will stop riding her bike. i will wait until i become a resident )

thanks for the replies.

i was worried there a bit that i would have only negative replies, but it seems that some of you have gone down the pre nup route and it has worked. Some good advice thanks

it would not be practical to sign anything over to a third party or my mum, because i would have to pay capital gains tax, even if i gift it i would have to pay CGT. in any case, when my ( elderly ) mum passes away it will all come back to me, so I would be doubly walloped by the lovely british government ( death duties ).

i think the best way to go would be to contact my solicitor in UK and in thailand for advice.

you need to stae your wealth to get proper advice.

thanks, yes i will do to my solicitor

thanks for the replies.  

i was worried there a bit that i would have only negative replies, but it seems that some of you have gone down the pre nup route and it has worked.  Some good advice thanks

it would not be practical to sign anything over to a third party or my mum, because i would have to pay capital gains tax, even if i gift it i would have to pay CGT.  in any case, when my ( elderly ) mum passes away it will all come back to me, so I would be doubly walloped by the lovely british government ( death duties ). 

i think the best way to go would be to contact my solicitor in UK and in thailand for advice.