spambot

· I am going to enter Thailand next on a visa exempt – And hence this will give me 30 days

· I am then going to convert it to a non Immi – And gives me 90 days

· I will then convert non Immi to a Retirement visa when greater than 2 months left on the non Immi

Question:

1. Do I need to show the 800k in my Thai bank when at the point I convert from visa exempt to non immi?

2. Or is it just required to show the 800K (seeded for 2 months) when I convert to Retirement Visa

3. I have previously had a retirement visa and usually my seeding time (after first application) is 3 months – Since I have broken the retirement cycle (entering with a visa exempt) – Does this mean the seeding will revert to 2 months as I expect - Or will because I have had a retirement visa before mean that I require 3 months?

The promotional advertising image above has been used to sell the idea to Brits - What Thailand ideally represents.

It shows an attractive female in a bikini with (presumable) her companion a male on a beach, both of similar age as the victims

This has been issued by Tourismthailand.co.uk (which resolves to and owned by url) www.tourismthailand.org/uk - which is the The official site of Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Why would the TOT promote the idea to young females in Bikinis from Britain to come to Thai beaches?

You can not ask something from someone and then when you get it from them - Blame them for doing it.

Ahhh - Good to get this info.

Now I know what I had.....

7 days ago - Then one night I kept rubbing my eyes and I thought that I had something under my eyelid that was causing a slight itching.

I woke up next morning with the same irritation but a little more severe at 5am.

Since I still thought that I had something in my eye I tried to wash it out with clean water, but since I could not remove it and when I looked in the mirror - one eye was blood red.

The next two days were uncomfortable, but not intolerable.

However I was pleased on the fourth day that the itching pain was subsiding and the red was now light pink.

I could feel something still for a further two days, but nothing more than a slightly uncomfortable sensation in my eye.

All in all - Not really a big deal - It was more about wondering what was causing this eye blemish and the uncertainty of not knowing was going on that caused the biggest pain.

So if anyone who is reading this and finds themselves in the same situation - Really you are not going to lose your sight or suffer unimaginable pain. Its only slightly uncomfortable and you will not appear at your visual best - that's all.

The media has done their job - creating anxiety through the art of story telling.

But know that if (by slight chance) it happens to you - it really is not a big deal and in truth you will have probably suffered more pain from a hangover the next day after a good night out.

When you do the conversion it gives you a 90 day non immigrant visa entry and then 60 days after that you will do the extension.

The money only has to be in the bank on the date you apply for the conversion there is no seasoning needed. When you apply for the extension you need the money to be in the bank for 60 days.

You could get a single entry non-o visa while you are in Vietnam.

Thanks UbonJoe - Great response (as always).

How do you know all this stuff? Have you been through some kind of professional training or just learned along the way?

My current retirement extension will finish on the 9^th Dec 2014.

• I intend to let this expire and I will leave for Vietnam on 1^st Dec 2014 and I wills stay in Vietnam for an unspecified period.
• I will then latter return to Thailand after Vietnam.

• Before returning I will transfer the funding (800k) required into my Thai Bank account.
• When returning to Thailand I will get a Visa exempt at the airport - Or possibly I will get single tourist visa (60 days) in Saigon (HMC) – This depends upon the answer to the question I have posed below.

• Once back in Thailand I will then apply to convert the Visa exempt (or tourist visa) to Non-O and then I will also will apply for an Extension based upon retirement.

Questions:

I have read conflicting information can someone give me a heads up?

1. Is there a time stipulation on when the application for extension on a tourist Visa (If I take this option) can be made? – I am not sure, but I think that this application must be made at 15 days (or greater) before the visa expiration date?
2. If however the application is being made using a Visa exempt is this same time stipulation exactly the same i.e 15 days or greater than the end date of Visa exempt date?
3. Since this will now be a new application for retirement extension – Will the money in bank seeding time be 2 months as a new application (rather than the 3 months needed on an existing extension)?

 

What are the possibility of obtaining a 7 or 14 or 30 day extension to my current retirement visa ...

 

 

You can't extend a visa. Presumably you no longer have a valid visa, but an extension of stay based on retirement.

 

 

Q1. Apply for an extension of stay at the end of your current extension. Without the proper documents it will be denied and you get 7 days to leave the country.

 

Q2. At the end of the 7 days apply for a 1 year extension of stay as usual with all required documents. You get a 1 year extension of stay.

 

 

 

Note that if you have financial problems, you can always make use of the combo option of money in the bank plus yearly income totaling 800,000. No seasoning of money is required in that case.

 

I imagine that 7 days to leave the country would still cost him Baht 1900 and would only be granted if he went in to apply for the annual extension with very little time left.

 

If he went in 30 days before, for example, they wouldn't give him a 7 day extension since he had more than that time on his existing extension.

 

And, if he went in say 3 days before the extension expired, wouldn't they just tell him to get whatever he needed and come back tomorrow if it was something he claimed he forgot at home?

 

Not saying he couldn't manage it, but he's not leaving himself much leeway in case they refuse the 7 day extension or they tell him to start over with a new visa if he does get the 7 days (which is really not an extension but an extension denied)?

 

 

 

 

Yup - You make some good points - And yes It is an extension of stay based on retirement. My apologies I was sloppy with the wording

The dates are tight and you are right difficult operationally to play out in front of the immigration officer - Might even create a tension that generated a visibility that was unhealthy.

I have rethought the situation and leaving the country early and returning with Tourist or Visa exempt and then applying for conversion and then for an extension (see my response above) might work better.

- Good call you made here on the details of managing this and I like that.

Q1. Apply for an extension of stay at the end of your current extension. Without the proper documents it will be denied and you get 7 days to leave the country.

 

Q2. At the end of the 7 days apply for a 1 year extension of stay as usual with all required documents. You get a 1 year extension of stay.

 

 

 

Note that if you have financial problems, you can always make use of the combo option of money in the bank plus yearly income totaling 800,000. No seasoning of money is required in that case.

Hi Mario - Good info

Long story short - If I end up transferring funds from my UK deposit vehicle early it means a very sizable loss - I need 6 days to stop the loss.

Actually you open a new thought - Since I was planning on immediately after my extension going to Vietnam for 6 weeks. I could bring that forward and if I was to actually leave Thailand a few days prior to  my last date of current extension - I could then return with a tourist visa or a visa exempt. Then once back with either visa (exempt or tourist) - I could then apply to convert to Retirement - Then apply for an extension.

- Can you confirm that there is nothing I have missed here and this should work.

- Can you also confirm my figures? Since obviously there is no point creating an elaborate plan without hitting my objective which is to transition to retirement extension at much lower cost (compared with loss on early transfer out of UK):

Costs for conversion = 1900 Baht - Extension = 1900 Baht - Total = 3,800.

If these are right (or loosely near) - I can then save a lot of money by doing it this way.

Thanks in advance

You can only get 7 additional days. I am not sure how that would help.

Thanks Ubonjoe

I am glad you were online to catch this. I was hoping that you would reply - Since your info is always rock solid.

7 Days if fine.

Q1.- What do I need to do to get the 7 days?

Q2. -  Then when I arrive 7 days latter with my 12 month extension (Bangkok) what do I need to do differently?

Thanks

What are the possibility of obtaining a 7 or 14 or 30 day extension to my current retirement visa (rather than extending by the normal 12 months as I normally do).

And then at the end of this shorter extension I will (confusingly) extend this by a normal 12 months extension retirement period- Hence I do not want to do any short extension period if this then prohibits the 12 moth extension

I understand what is required for the extension 12 months and the conditions since I regularly do this.

The bottom line is that even though It does sound like a crazy move - I do have a good reason to get the few week extension prior to the 12 moths extension - I look forward to clear intelligent answers. 

This -- U-Style Hotel -- is the hotel we looked at, and toured the rooms, near the airport. But we didn't stay there ourselves, because we already had a reservation elsewhere.

 

It seemed like a nice place, just a couple years old, and modern style rooms. One downside was they have a karaoke bar downstairs, and it was clear the music could be heard into the upstairs rooms at night.

 

http://ustylehotel.com/
 

U Style Hotel is a boutique and budget hotel in Sakon Nakhon Province, opposite to Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University(Gate 1).We offer clean, cozy and friendly accommodation.

Location info:
2 minutes walk to the local market
7 minutes by car to Sakon Nakhon Airport.
13 minutes by car to Robinson Department Store.

 

 

There's also a big older hotel on the opposite corner of the main intersection there alongside the Rajabhat University. From what my wife tells me, the hotel is run by the university as a training ground for the students there.  But when we checked there, they told us all their rooms were pairs of single beds only -- no double or larger beds in the hotel, they claimed.

 

Brilliant couple of response post  - You contributed in a big way on both posts sharing solid information - Like this a lot.

Post-note: I was originally aiming to stay at the Majestic since they provide a hotel shuttle from the airport - But now looking at the Hotel near the airport - This is a great addition and looks more promising.

Big Thanks

Spambot, you mentioned comfort kit.

 

Does that come with food and drinks?

 

I'm still grouchy about AirAsia not having "free food/drinks". While I stare at other people eat.

Hi JacChang - The meal is a separate purchase to the comfort kit - The comfort kit is simply a back cushion and blow up neck rest pillow - Hence I gave no detail of what this contained - since for a 1hr flight seemed a bit of an over kill - But if still interested in this it was priced at 250 Baht.

I know what you are saying about the food thing - I used to buy the meals - After not pre-ordering one - simply because I kind of felt left out, but also on occasion became frustrated that I had done so - being in the wrong seat and being and served near the last - As you wait expectantly wondering when it might arrive and then finally getting the meal - Only to then hear "please fasten seat belts we are about to land" announcement.

Its sometimes I feel it is better to be in control of the process - Maybe a 7/11 purchase of stuff to eat before the flight - Also this give you a head start on the others who have ordered the in-flight meal who are waiting for their drop, eyeing the trolley many aisle seats away.

- In truth for me a 1 hr flight - Its all about reducing the boredom (or possibly sometimes the stress) between sitting down in the seat at the start and then getting out the aircraft at the end of the flight.

Thanks RichCor

Brilliant full and detailed response - Good work - Appreciate the time and effort given - Allows me to move forward with this info.

Got it install and working - Thanks for the heads up - Great program to access world media

I was thinking of booking this until i thought what the hell is there to do in Nakon Sakhon. Don't fancy a hot dog.

Yup - I know I was half in that same frame of mind - But since i have never been to that particular place before - And its so ridiculously cheap and easy getting there I probably will not go there again  - I purposely booked late in day flight and I am only staying 2 nights - I come back on third day - And hence only 2 days really being there - For me at this price its just a reconnaissance run to see at first sight - Have a few beers and see the local bar scene - see what is actually the vibe - Look at the possibilities of coming back - Its a very low cost to do a quick look and possibly do nothing, but I really do not have any real heavy committed here - I see it as more like a day out - not like a long trip (Like if I was going by train) -So the education i will be coming back with becomes bigger than the need to be enchanted by Nakon Sakhon per say.

Looking at http://www.totiptv.com/Product/Channel/ByType.aspx#ancPlayerNews i want to pay and get view - MSNBC HD - (It is listed under "NEWS") as Choice L

I am assuming that I can I view this on PC? - But how do I buy this? - is this a pre pay card from 7/11? - If so what is the the card tariff type I need to select?

Thanks in advance

Looks like I jumped the gun and presumed that the App was supplier of the broadcast content and it only acts as a remote control app.

The PC app it what accesses the broadcast content which is downloadable at http://xbmc.org/

- Anyone reading this latter and wanting the same - watch YouTube overview video

- Thanks goes to joncl - For his callout

There is always XBMC and it is free ..

Good call - just installed on Android this minute - Looks like it needs to use a proxy server - Any recommendations for good sources - That are serving you well?

Currently I rent my condo and I am dependent upon my building's central main dish for quality and access to the channel which is not good (outage is most of time) - I can not install my own service dish because this is specifically prevented as a condition in my contract

Any inside knowledge or creative Thoughts anyone?

Sakon Nakhon is a great place it's the dog meat for human consumption center of Thailand. You can buy doggie leather gloves even dog skin coats and then dine on prime pooch.

 

If you are "fed up" 555 of soi dogs this is the place to go! Happy Hunting.

Ha - Your reply made me laugh!

Thanks for giving a light hearted view of Sakon Nakhon.

- Appreciated.

The process for checking UK degrees is available online https://www.hedd.ac.uk/

If wishing to do this outside of this service most universities have their own an online system for former students to provide their details of course etc and then the University will forward the validation onward to the school or third party management address.

I do not know if this is widespread in Europe / US

However if it was - Then it would be relatively easy for Thai authorities (If they know that this service exists) - To then make it the responsibility of the individual teachers to apply and provide an independent verification process that can be validated, standardized and check-able - To a centralized Government office and not through an intermediary, which is currently the school itself

"Suarez "will be travelling to Barcelona next week for a medical" - I bet his dental records are shown to be excellent!

Yesterday here in Banglamphu there were huge influx of police on bikes each carrying 20/30 wheel clamps per bike - Moving in on vehicles that had grown used to parking anywhere - Mostly Taxi's - Actions being used and not simply words talked.

Ooops - The post went off prematurely - I meant to expand a little more....

YES that is correct. These issue around being a non resident in UK and (strangely) being non resident in UK for Tax is where the problem can sometimes become complex. Wile being non resident for tax does not explicitly cover fixing the level of pensions - it is the important consideration - There are a lot of other issues that are also involved. For example if you still retain access to housing in UK etc. The benefit of the extra years need to be claimed - not given as a right. - But if you do want to claim it can be complex. Having said that indexing of pension over 3 years is not going to make a significant impact. However what might make a significant impact is when and if you need to be getting back into the indexing scheme for UK pensions and to catch up..