dkwebb59

If you sign up for BUPA by age 60, they will insure you for the rest of your life.

 

If you sign up by age 65, they will only insure you up to age 70

As I write this the exchange rate is:  Thailand - 31.831   USA - 32.04.

 

The exchange rate in the USA has been higher than Thailand for at lease the past 3 years.

 

When I go into a Thai Bank for a Cash advance on my Debit card I always tell them I want baht (example: 40,000 baht).  That way, they put the baht into my saving account immediately and then send the information electronically to my bank in the USA.  Then my bank in the US does the conversion to determine how much to charge my account.  Then I get the exchange rate in the USA

 

If, for example, I go into a Thai bank for cash advance and say I want $1300 worth of Thai Baht, they do the conversion rate immediately to determine how much to put into my Thai savings account.  Then I get the exchange rate in Thailand.

Regarding the rule to carry our Passport with us at all times. I assume this is to make sure I'm not on over stay. My Passport is good for 10 years. If I have to carry it at all times, it probably wouldn't even last 5 years. Plus it would be easier to get lost. I have a suggestion: Below the Immigration Visa stamp, in our Passport, insert a block. In this block, the Immigration officer would write our name. Then we could just carry a copy of the Passport picture page and a copy of the page with the Visa stamp (which would have our name written in by the Immigration officer). This way, we would only have to carry 2 small pieces of paper with us. Personally, I would rather take the possible chance of having to pay a 2000 baht fine rather than take the greater chance of loosing the Passport (or stolen) and then have to go thru all the hassle of replacing my Passport.

When does this policy take effect? Is this an actual new policy or just the experience of one farang who decided to post it here? I have spent the past hour researching the internet and Immigration websites. I can find no information anywhere other than this website.

I have a friend who is wheelchair bound. Each year I go to Immigration to renew his Visa for him. In addition to the regular procedure, there are 3 additional steps to follow: i have never had a problem and the disabled person did not have to go to Immigration. Of course everything goes faster if you use their online queue and make an appointment.

Renew visa for disabled person:

If you are going to Immigration to renew a VISA for someone who is disabled
and cannot go themselves, there are three (3) additional steps:

1. You need a letter from the disabled person's Doctor (Addressed to
immigration) stating why he cannot go to Immigration himself.

2. You need a photo of Passport holder showing why he/she cannot go to
Immigration. Example: Photo of him sitting in a wheel chair

3. I went to Immigration today (10 July 2013) to renew Visa for disabled
person. The Immigration Officer has a worksheet (in Thai) that they use. It
has to be signed in 2 places. In past years they let me sign it. Now, I had to
bring it back to the disabled person and have him sign it. Had to return to
Immigration the next day to complete renewing Visa. Did not need to get a
number. I got Immigration Officer's attention and she took care of me right
away.