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@all Thanks for your responses! I am aware of the google wallet and use it. The main benefit of the google wallet is to use virtual cards and not have to give out cc data, even if you use a physical card in the google wallet. Main problem with google wallet remains that a lot of shops (legit massage places for example) do not accept any kind of credit card or charge 3% extra. Sometimes not even 7/11 worked with my google wallet 2 years ago. Will try moreta

Are there currently any E-wallets for foreigners without a thai bank account that can be topped up with wise or other cc without bad exchange rate or other commisions to use prompt pay? Thanks!

I should have mentioned I am currently not in Thailand. Is there a front desk in VT that rents out condos? IMHO they are not renting out in all of the VTs themself but I could be wrong . On the internet at least I could not find any offical offerings. Royal Cliff garden condos also look nice but me but no "official" renting out Imho. Thanks!

I am looking for a one month "test" rental in one of the view Talays or similiar big appartment blocks with 30-50 sm2 . I like it quiet so a high rise with plus a decent sized pool 25M plus for lap swimming. Any good website where I can filter for short term rentals? AirBnb is way overpriced IMHO for what is on offer. Best would be to get a rental contract direct from the company that owns the building or several condos if that exists. I am under the impression a lot of the ads are just to get your adress. Thanks!

IMHO Thailand does not care to tax the German state penions under any visa. Caveat: As long as you do not bring it into the country.

No obligation per se to file in Germany under any Visa as long as you do not have an abode in GER or have German income, however the definition changes as any non foreign income should/could be taxed in Germany like for example capital gains on German shares. It could get very messy and unclear in those cases, however in most cases once you officially declare your departure, the German IRS no longer harasses you. In most cases however you get a questionnaire you must fill out where you are living what are you doing there what are your foreign holdings etc. This being Germany you have to report that you leave the country to the state.

Yes I would also be concerned about showing above 1 M USD wealth or 80K USD income to BOI. I am even more concerned about checking in a hotel and the staff will see my LTR visa so he must be rich. The Thai GF/wife/husband as well will see he is much richer then claimed if she is savy.

Not only require them to file but to pay taxes on their not "foreign income" it gets really messy (definition wise) and complicated. However usually nothing comes off it. I was answering a post of how the LTR could be a "bad" visa tax visa. Those problems would not arise in case of a "normal" visa like O or OA. Other countries may have similar laws if income is exempted under a special arrangement like the LTR visa.

The LTR visa COULD backfire for Germans as German income tax code stipulates that any special treatment (tax exemption) COULD lead to Germany having additional rights to tax some income in Germany. Still a great visa!

Yes multi millions in USD. I know some people that keep a very low profile and live here in Thailand with several millions in the bank. I am not sure how many though, sure as hell there a 1000 times more pattaya expats that live on a shoestring (no offense to those).

I would not like to live in a big city like SG. Malaysia has very limited villa options IMHO, not sure about Panama though. TH is a nice country to live in,even for filthy rich people 😉

I do not agree. My international brokerage account pays way higher interest then my German savings account. So Grumpy is right that for most people 100K in a tradional account that is accepted by BOI loses a lot of interest vs for example a 5 years US bond investment with 3.8%. Regular German account pays 1 to 2% max!

Divorce rates are always way higher in relationships that include people from different cultures. So the risk of divorce is pretty high but as always it is just a statistic.

Cycling in Hua Hin felt safer in Hua Hin then in Germany or Europe in general. Cycling in Banglamung (Pattaya province) backroads was OK but I only had one MTB route . The main roads are pretty dangerous in Banglamung.

Thanks for your post! Correct I switched back to German public system (gesetzlich versichert)just before turning 55. After 55 it becomes very difficult to switch from private insurance to the public system. The public system is worse then the private system when you do want an urgent appointment but then you can always pay the bills yourself. Private insurance is about 500€ per month when being 55 and goes up to 900€ when 85 plus. Public system cost is about 100-300€ depending on your earnings.

I think the main reason for sticking to writeen communication is that Thais are "afraid" to talk in English and potentially lose face. So for them it is easier to communicate in written english, especially with the help of AI and spell checks. I also much prefer written communication.

Same for me! In Hua Hin in the "best" hospital the x-rays are very very old and therefore espose you to high radiation. They recommended a CT and I declined after seeing the x-ray which was not even digital. In case I get sick I get back to Germany where all of my health care is "free" and no limits exist. The only problem would arise if I had a stroke and could not move back myself, however some of my relatives would then get me back to Germany and I would "only" have to pay the transport and hospital in TH for 4 weeks. Transport part can be insured as well. However it really sucks that I have to deposit 100K for the LTR and lose the investment opportunities.

Thank you for your post! Sorry to hear that your relatives passed away quite early! In that case maybe a 10 year visa is not that bad as you do not have to go through the ordeal of reapplying for another visa every year when being in bad health at over 80. Just my 2 cents. All the best!

If it is a "slow" disease there is ample time to return to your home country (with low cost or free health care), that was my point for the route to be self insured. Like Trouble and Grumpy pointed out accident insurance is great to have if you are self insured. To be honest I have no idea how to get a good health insurance if you are 80 or 90 plus and live in Thailand. I think for those folks self insurance via LTR is the only sensible option with the free backup of home health insurance. Mind you there are a lot of healthy 85 plus folks!

Fully agree, for most people health insurance should be a good investment! Some people like myself have the option to go back to their homecountry in case of a severe health crisis like cancer, stroke etc. So if you have a "dormant" health insurace at home and can cover like 50K USD for 3 weeks in a thai hospital, self insurance can be a good option. If you leave Germany and have been covered with state health insurance (gesetzlich versichert) you can come back any time and resume your health insurace without having to pay anything for the time out of country. So if push comes to shove you always have the option of being covered. It can be very difficult to get any health insurance once you are 80plus so for those folks self insurance could be a very good option as long as you have a backup option back home.

Thanks for your post! It was not a problem at all to receive the foreign insurance Certificate from my insurance company. They are used to filling in the form on a daily basis and the form was send to me the same day to me via Email. I would recommed beforehand to make sure the company understands this requirement. No problems on the consulate side either as I think the majority of Germans use this company (H.M. not sure if allowed to post its name here) .

Correct, foreign health insurance is only allowed while on the OA visa not for an extension of stay. IMHO it is possible to obtain back to back OA visa by returning to you home country after 2 years . I only pointed out that foreign health insurace is possible with OA in an response to someone claiming all health insurance has to be thai. One of the main benefits of OA is that in fact it can be used as a 2 year visa when leaving after 360 days and returning the next day .

Correct some accounts like the ones you are mentioned are exempt.

FATCA/CRS stipulates that ALL foreign bank information (gross receipts, account holder name etc) gets send to Thailand authorities once you are a legal resident (180 days plus) in Thailand and reported this fact to your bank (legal obligation and contractual obligation to the bank). So not much help that BoI sees only a part of your bank information. There are very few countries that are not participating in CRS like north Korea, laos, myanmar, Philippines for example but you do not want to hold substantial money in those banking systems.

Thanks for your post! FYI Type OA Visa is possible with a foreign health insurance as stated on the website of Frankfurt consulate. I have obtained an OA visa in the past with unlimited foreign health insurance for the price of 69 Euros per month! The thai health insurace is not much help to my understanding as it is capped.