soisanuk

As mentioned, the need for the International Driving Permit (IDP) is dependent upon the requirements of the country where you plan to drive except in the USA - there it is dependent upon each State's requirements - it has been some time ago, but when I checked on what Texas requires, as I recall, they do require an IDP and guess what, they accept that only if you are under the certain age - 70 as I recall. As to getting an IDP if you are in Pattaya, you will need to go to Chonburi DLT to obtain one - as mentioned, your Thai license will need to be a 5 year one. Banglamung DLT which is where those in Pattaya obtain their Thai driving license, will not issue an IDP. You can find more information on how to get one at Chonburi from the Pattaya City Expats Club website - go to www.pcec.club - move your cursor to hover over the "Living in Thailand" topic, from the drop down menu, hover over "Driving/Vehicles" for another drop down menu - click on the "International Driving Permit" for the information.

It is my understanding that getting the 60 day Covid extension is not automatic, but at the discretion of the Immigration Officer -- of course, worth the try, since if it is not granted, you can still do the border run - so you may not want to wait to the last minute to apply for a Covid extension. Also, remember that you can enter Visa Exempt at a land border on twice during a year.

It is a two step process - first you apply at Thai Immigration for the Non-Immigrant O Visa which needs to be done at least 15 days before your permission to stay ends or 21 depending on the Immigration Office used. Once issued, it gives you a 90 day permission to stay. After 60 days, you then apply for a one year extension of stay based on retirement. You mention having 12 month deposit in Kasikorn bank -- unfortunately, to do the first step you will need the full 800k in a Thai bank OR an embassy letter attesting to the pension income - the US Embassy no longer issues such letters, so showing you deposited the required 65k per month will not qualify to get the Visa. However, it can be used when applying for the one year extension.

Although Re-Entry Permits are not renewed, a new one has to be applied for when the old one expires, which is also the date your Permission to Stay expires. The Re-Entry Permit, whether single or multiple, can be applied for at anytime before a planned trip out of Thailand at a Thai Immigration Office or at the airport before departing.

Prior to SSA including Thailand in the countries eligible for International Direct Deposit (IDD), the only way to get funds deposited direct was the Bangkok Bank Program which did require a separate account, no debit card, and a trip to a Bank branch to withdraw or transfer funds. As mentioned, this changed a couple of years ago with the advent of IDD for Thailand. With IDD you can designate your bank in Thailand, it does not have to be Bangkok Bank, and your SS payment will be sent to your Thai bank for deposit - there are no restrictions on that account. Another way to get SS payments is to use Wise transfer service. You create a Wise Account which will have a US Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) Number which you use to designate the Wise bank and your Wise bank account number for SS to direct deposit your monthly payment in US dollars. After it is deposited, you can log in to Wise and have all or a portion transferred to your Thai Bank account in baht (exchange rate is about the same as would be used by the Thai bank if the transfer was in US$). There are some nominal fees involved. I don't use this method, but a friend of mine has used this method for several years now with no problem. I have my SS payment as well as monthly pension deposited in my USA bank account and use Wise to transfer the funds I need to my Bangkok Bank account. Also, since I use the monthly income method for my retirement extensions, I select the "living in Thailand" reason in the drop down menu to note the purpose of the transfer (it is the last item on the list) so that it gets sent to Bangkok Bank rather than one of their other partner banks -- this ensures it shows up with the code "FTT" denoting it came from outside of Thailand rather than a domestic transfer from a partner bank (usually Kasikorn). A caveat - Wise will limit the transfer to no more than 50,000 baht unless it is to one of 3 specific Thai banks (as I recall) which is due to Thai rules. Bangkok Bank is one of the 3 where this limit does not apply.

I agree that dealing with Pattaya Immigration is usually easy and quick - depending of course on how many are the queue. For my annual extensions, I am usually anywhere from first to sixth in the queue. The time I was sixth, I was still in and out within 30 minutes - but if using Pattaya Immigration, you do have to go back the next day to pick up the passport. The key of course is having all your documents in order. I also find the fees are reasonable. Although many westerners complain about Thai Immigration, maybe they should compare the hassle and cost that those dealing with their home country's immigration offices to our experiences with Thai Immigration. Some of my friends in USA that had to deal with US Immigration offices faced long lines, lots of paperwork, and high fees. In my previous employment, I had cause to visit Federal Buildings in different major cities -- I noted that for many, there were often block long lines waiting outside the Federal building to get in the door to where the US Immigration office was located.

You don't need an agent unless you would rather pay one then go to Immigration yourself. As mentioned, you can get the Re-Entry Permit at the airport - just be sure to allow a little additional time. As to single vs multiple Re-Entry Permits, they both will expire on the date your current extension of stay until date. The fee is 1,000 baht for single and 3,800 baht for multiple. Which to get depends on your travel plans. If you plan for as many as 3 trips, you may want go ahead and pay the extra 800 baht for a multiple as it is only one stamp taking up space in your passport instead of 3 stamps.

My first 2 doses was AstraZeneca vaccine (first at Bang Sue in Bangkok & second at Sports Stadium in Pattaya). I have since had 2 boosters. The first was Pfizer, also provided free by the Thai Government. For the second booster I wanted Moderna which I obtained at Jomtien Hospital in Pattaya (part of the BDMS (Bangkok Hospital) group. The price was the same as charged by Bangkok Hospital Pattaya - 1,200 baht - done on a walk in basis. I had heard both 6 month and 5 month as being the interval between the Pfizer and Moderna - but upon inquiry prior to going there, Jomtien Hospital said I could get the Moderna vaccine so long as 4 months had elapsed since the Pfizer. I had no side effects from the initial AZ vaccines and only a sore arm at the injection site for a few days with the Pfizer and Moderna doses. In all cases my Mor Prom record was updated within a day or two of getting the dose.

The validity period for the Visa as mentioned is 6 months from date of issue. However, your permission to stay in Thailand be 60 days from the date of entry which can be extended for another 30 days at Thai Immigration. If you depart and return to Thailand prior to the expiration date of the "Visa", you again receive 60 days which can again be extended. For example, if your METV "Visa" expires on October 15, 2022 and you enter Thailand on October 14, 2022, your permission to stay stamp will be until October 12, 2022 and extended for an additional 30 days until January 12, 2023.

Back when Chase introduced their Global Transfer, I did a comparison using it vs using Wise. Although Chase's fee was only US$5 (all transfers) to Wise's cost of around US$15+ for about US$2,000, Chase converts the dollars to baht before the transfer. Their fee may be low, but their exchange rate is in essence a hidden fee due to their exchange rate resulting in less baht actually being received when compared to Wise. When I did my comparison for a transfer on the same date, Wise even after their higher fee would have deposited the 1,600 more baht in my Bangkok Bank account.

As mentioned, the O-A visa cannot be obtained in other than your country of residence. However, as also mentioned you can accomplish your desire to retire in Thailand by obtaining the "O" category visa in Thailand which will grant you a 90 day permission to stay from the date it is issued by Thai Immigration. You wait for 60 days then you apply for a one year extension for the purpose of retirement. A big advantage to obtaining the "O" Visa in Thailand over the "O-A" obtained in your country of residence is there is no health insurance requirement to obtain the "O" Visa or extend your stay. If you obtain the "O-A" there is a requirement for you to have the equivalent of US$100,000 health cover to obtain it (from Thai Embassy/Consulate, the policy can be non-Thai - however, to extend your stay in Thailand, Thai Immigration currently requires holders of "O-A" Visas to show proof of health insurance from a Thai company -- this could change as there has been some news articles about this happening in October this year, but there is no assurance that it will).

Correct for Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration. There is really no need to pay an agent to do it for you, although that of course is up to an individual's preference. So long as you have the required documents, obtaining a renewal of a retirement extensions is fairly easy - for myself, it has never taken more than 25 minutes including the time i was #6 in the queue. The Pattaya City Expats Club provides a checklist for documents needed at Pattaya Immigration - go to their website (www.pcec.club) and hover your mouse over the "Thai Immigration" topic to see another drop down menu - then hover it over "Extending Your Stay" and click on "Checklists" to go to the page with the information on documents required.

Although having proof of onward travel within the initial 30 days of a "Visa Exempt" entry is a requirement for entry, it is seldom if ever checked by Thai Immigration. The above is correct - many airlines will deny boarding if you can't show a ticket for onward travel within 30 days of your arrival because their computer system shows it is required for entry into Thailand unless you have a "Visa" (Tourist, Non-Immigrant, etc.). They don't know that Thai Immigration doesn't enforce this requirement. As far as they know, you could be denied entry and the airline would be on the hook for putting you on another flight (their cost) and possibly get a fine. Many facing this situation just buy a cheap throw away ticket to a neighboring country so they can show evidence of onward travel while others buy a refundable ticket they can later cancel.

Free government provided vaccine doses including boosters are available until 31 July at Royal Garden shopping mall, 1st floor - from 11:00-15:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday . You can choose the type of vaccine you wish to inject, Phizer, Astrazeneca, Sinopharm, or Covovax.

Marcos in Jomtien - https://www.marcospattaya.com/

A good question as each Immigration Office has their own requirements. Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration does not require you to attach photo to TM.7 - they do it for you (I usually get my photo next door just before going in to do my extension without attaching it). Further, they require only one photo for retirement extensions.

That it may, BUT each Immigration Office has their own requirements which may differ as to what type of document they may accept. To get more accurate information, it helps if the poster states which Immigration Office they will be using which may result in a response from someone who has used that particular Office for the same purpose(s).

Dependents of those granted extensions for retirement, education, etc. need to obtain a Non-Immigrant Visa from a Thai Embassy or Consulate outside of Thailand.

After successfully using it the first time - 2 day interim from application "success" to receiving the 2nd part of the form showing approval and date of next appointment. Prior to that due date, I received an email reminding me it was due. I logged in, completed the information, but this time it was only about 2 hours from submitting it and receiving the receipt (approval and next due date).

I also use a Skype US number to receive text messages from my bank and others. I pay an annual subscription - from email confirmation for latest renewal: It is also convenient for my family & friends in USA to call me - when I call them or my banks, etc., caller ID displays my Skype USA Number (a small fee for other than 1 800 calls). I someone calls me or texts me, it goes to my iPhone (Skype app).

Correct -- they don't keep any database or other system to record who should and who did report 90 days after their extension to show the 800k had remained in the bank.

Thai Immigration Office for Pattaya on Jomtien Soi 5 will issue the residence certificate on the day you apply. If not busy, you can wait for about 30 minutes to get it. If they are busy, they may ask you to come back later in the day or the next day if you apply in late afternoon - as I recall they are issued at Desk 9. You will need to complete the application, provide 2 photos (they keep one and attach the other to the Certificate). Note, the application form will ask what it is for -- if you check driving license for both car and motorcycle, they will INSIST on you getting a separate certificate for each even though Banglamung Land Transport Office will accept one original and one photocopy if you are applying for both licenses. Photos can be obtained next door to the Immigration Office before you enter. It has been a while since I got one there, but as I recall the fee was 300 baht - it may have risen to 500 baht - the fee is for each certificate issued.

If you have all the documents needed, at Jomtien Immigration Office, it is very straight forward and takes only a few minutes depending on the number of people ahead of you in the queue. The Pattaya City Expats Club has 2 checklists available for the documents needed for Retirement extension; one for 800k in bank, one for using 65k monthly income. If using monthly income, Jomtien Immigration will want either a letter from your Embassy verifying your monthly income if your Embassy still provides them - if not, then they will want an additional letter from your bank listing all foreign deposits to your bank account for the preceding 12 months. If using the 800k in the bank, as mentioned they will accept photocopies of your bank book provided it has been regularly updated (have original with you in case they wish to see it - it was very nice of them to make the copies for you, but probably wouldn't have happened had they been busy). However, if it has not been updated and includes "consolidated entries), they will require certified bank statements for the preceding 12 months. The check lists can be found by going to the PCEC's website (www.pcec.club), in the topics shown across the top, hover your mouse over "Thai Immigration", at the bottom of the drop down menu will be "Checklists - Extension of Stay" - click on it to bring up the page.

The Pattaya City Expats Club has a page on their website showing what documents are needed including a medical certificate and how to view the online video which is required to be done beforehand by the Banglamung Department of Land Transport Office which issues Thai driving licenses for Pattaya area. It also includes information on obtaining a Certificate of Residence from the Thai Immigration Office on Jomtien Soi 5 which is accepted in lieu of any document from the US Embassy. Go to their website at www.pcec.club - across the top, you will see a list of topics. Hover your mouse over "Living in Thailand" - a drop down menu will display "Driving Vehicles" - hover over that topic and another drop down menu will show "Thai Driving License" - click on it to get the information mentioned above.

A Thai insurance company will most likely exclude previous conditions or any revealed by a physical check up (if they require one) from cover -- in some cases it may be a specified period of years while for others it the previous conditions will never be covered. Depending on the condition, this can cover a host of "related" problems. For example, a friend of mine was told they would exclude all heart related problems because he disclosed he was taking a statin drug to lower his cholesterol and was told they would exclude all heart related problems.