briley

A 5 year renewal is for five years, and then up to your date of birth. So if you get your 5 year licence the day after your birthday it runs for almost 6 years, if the day before your birthday it only runs for 5 years and 1 day.

Sorry Artisan but your blanket 'Out of date licences cannot be renewed' can't be correct as your licences must have expired, and hence be out of date, to apply for a renewal. Clear as mud?

MaiChai - Almost.

You can register at https://secure.thepensionservice.gov.uk/sta...ensionforecast/

but they then send you a number to sign on with, and the last time I registered they would only send to a UK address.

Still if someone will e-mail you the code then you're OK!

If you are not a UK resident then the UK is a very good 'offshore' base to keep your money.

First £5,000 of earnings (not counting dividends) is tax free.

All Dividends are tax free (the 10% 'tax' is notional based on the company having paid corportation tax - even if you invest from outside the UK you can't have the 10%)

Is it £8,000 of capital gains tax free each year.

And you get top tax rates, good protection etc.

lungbing - your under 65 in 2010 so the changes do effect you, but you've probably paid too much already. I look like being able to save 3 years of payments as I've been delaying payments for 1998- present!

Firstly a medical certificate is required This has been discussed before the majority had to produce a certificate.

AFAIK and according to Thai friends the licence can be decades out of date.

lungbing - this is a proposed change from 2010, but the law will be put before parliment in October and appears very likely to go through.

BUT no you still have to wait until 65 (or more) to retire!

Try

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/pensionsreform/

For more information.

For the OP I'd hold off paying the 2 years since currently you can get free credits from age 60-65 if unemployed and appear to be resident inthe UK. In addition you might end up in the UK paying a couple of years for some reason or another.

If you over pay you don't get your money back.

Can't agree with H2oDunc having had problems with medical treatment in the UK even when fully entitled to it.

But for the record everyone visiting the UK will get freee emergancy treatment.

If you are in Roamin's position and are a non-resident, and by NHS rules that is out of the UK for any reason for 6 months or more then you do NOT get treatment free. Unless you return to the UK to take up residence in which case you can get free treatment from the day you arrive back in the UK.

So the answer is you can live in Thailand and if you get a major illness return to the UK, declare you are going to stay there so you become resident again and get free NHS treatment.

I think you have answered your own question.

Whilst it is possible that the DSS (or who-ever) would continue to pay Child Benefit being unaware that you are not entitled to it you will be comitting fraud.

And that is your choice.

jbaldwin - for once I think your fears are wrong. Having read the white paper it seems it will come in immediately for everyone who has not yet retired.

If, however, you have retired by 2010 then the old rules seem to apply.

But I could be wrong ................

As an extra people might be aware that unemployed men aged 60-65 get their contributions credited for free (if in the UK). Well this will also apply to women as their retirement age increases.

This item from the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5301710.stm

Makes it look as though the new proposals for UK pensions will go through. If so then those reaching 65 after 2010 will only need 30 years of contributions to get 100% pension.

If you have paid more than 30 years, even if voluntary contributions, then tough luck as no refunds. - that's me!

Don't buy it - especially if you can get your money back

Sounds far to fishy to me

Nero 7 is not very good (my being polite) but Nero 6 is OK, so I stick with version 6

I was told, but have not tried it, even if you are not entitled to a refund for whatever reason you can get the tax for the return leg refunded as the airline only pays the tax if you fly.

Trouble with life is so many words are used without a total thought of their meanings - especially if English words are used by non-English speakers

In my opinion:

A VISA is issued to allow you to enter the country.

When you enter the immigration officer gives you PERMISSION TO STAY for a set number of days (normally 60 or 90 days).

You can go to immigration and get this length of stay EXTENDED for marriage, work, retirement or maybe other reasons.

(This extension is normally for 275 days the first time - making one year - and then future extensions are for 1 year at a time)

The 30 day "visa on arrival" is actually a visa excemption, certain nationalitys do not have to have a visa to enter Thailand and will be given 15, 30 or 90 days permission to stay by the immigration officer.

Immigration is on the road near the airport.

Behind the office is a booth (cafe) that will photocopy anything and take photos as required - cheaper elsewhere but only makes a few baht difference!

Extension is from day of expiry whenever you go - and in my experience is for 30 days regardless of how many days you ask for.

3. Up to 30 days before.

For those too infirmed I believe it is possible to renew visa's etc without going to immigration BUT only if you do so before it expires. If the visa has run out then you have to go in person even if on a bed on the back of a pickup.

Isn't there a Hongkong site where they do the same, except they are up front and say it is a subscription to their 'illegal' site?

However they also stream stuff that is subscription only in other countries such as the premiership football from the UK, Sky TV etc etc

To answer the OP's questions the funds show a code on the savings book (FTT for foreign telegraphic transfer) that immigration use to show it came from outside Thailand - it does not show nor does it have to show that it came from yourself. Thai immigration will show no interest in your US bank account - only that your Thai bank account is in your name and has money from overseas.

Mind as others say using the income letter from the US embassy is easier especially as the US embassy appears to be the easiest to get such a letter, ie no proof needed (others can correct this point).

Takes more than 8 hours - without checking isn't the night train out of Bangkok at 6pm and arrive Chiang Mai around 7am - and the daytime train about the same length of time, 13 hours?

So, lopburi3, the OP is wrong in that he does not need two lots of 800,000 baht, one for himself and one for his wife UNLESS they have both applied for retirement visas and not one for a retirement and the other for a dependents visa.

But, my wife doesn't have a retirment visa, does she?

I have a retirement visa, she has a dependents visa. Does this make a difference?

Recomend you get a non immigrant O (probably multi-entry valid for 1 year) visa from a consulate, maybe Hull?

Then when you get to Thailand get the retirement part, it is MUCH easier and cheaper.

Unlikely in Thailand since cards are not supposed to exist.

But very easy to make one with with a bit of wood and a drill - or even a small nail and some sort of hammer. Passes the time!

If you're using it completely off-road (no public access, so not the pub car pack) then there are no restrictions. Check the DVLA website?