gk10012001

yes but I read that you can only do that if you arrive using an online evisa. If you arrive and get the visa on arrival, you can not get the retirement extension.

hmmm. boy that sounds easy. Does it really work that way?

yeah. been going there since 2004. 15 trips. you just convinced me on what to do. Non Imm O, monthly transfers, extension reason retirement. Has some inconveniences but less risk to me. Being retired I can spend a few hours at immigration now and then, or paying some to an agent to help me process things. Sabai dee

I have to say it is refreshing to hear from real "boots on the ground" as they say giving real world advice. Good members

short to intermediate bond funds that keep replacing older bonds with newer bonds that payer higher interest rates. Not necessarily an inflation hedge, but more of an interest rate hedge. Bite the bullet on other stuff. Pool resources. One of the things I don't see much of in Thailand or Pattaya is people having house mates. Over the years I have shared houses in the USA (just one other person) and it worked out great. Saved me a ton. was easy in easy out as I started and finished contract work in those areas for half a year or more. Furnished mostly already. No need to move things around or store things. Rent a 2 bedroom condo and one good expat roomie. Of course if you want your thai GF live in, well, that's a different situation

Just as a point of reference. Here in the USA, I work in the defense industry. Over 40 years I have been in the active Air Force, then worked for most of the big companies such as Boeing, Lockheed, Northrop, General Dynamics, not to mention several small firms. The last few years every large company has stopped offering pension plans. Sure they give you some more vacation days, and slightly increase their matching 401 k contributions, but no pension. So many employees get tired and just don't see the reason to stay on. The turnover rates these days are huge. turnover always existed, but not like today's numbers. with no pension carrot on a stick to strive for, staying long term is so much less attractive. Now for Thailand, looking ahead to the future sadly seems to be not a big thing in the Thai mentality, so I am not sure that even having some sort of longevity bonus or "pension" would even work, but you never know. A few lunches and treats here and there are NOT going to pique their interest to stay. Mai Sanook or not fun pops up in the Thai mentality pretty quick.

any ways, at mhy age, I would not do the 20 years, bargain though it may be as a visa

The only bad news I ever heard was COVID. You could not get into the country. So many people had visas that expired or had years of use used up. I have been going since 2004 and seen my share of coups, airport shut downs, curfews, etc. And Im pretty sure some more things are in the cards for the future given the length of the current junta term. Some changes will happen

yeah. I always raise an eyebrow when sending bucks

I thought of that too. There is an intermediate visa called the Family that believe it or not an individual can get. 800k baht for 10 years, versus. 600k baht for 5 years. Knowing Thailand as I do, not sure I would trust something 20 years out, or that I will live that long! 6 I am willing to pay for convenience so in a few months when this gig wraps up, I may go for one of them. I am guaranteed to get called back next year when the lab is actually built and running because I did this job before on a different submarine version and few people have my experience. So a 6 month holiday with no worries i looking very likely, then come back to the states for 6 months, dosh up some more, put more monies into the ROTH IRA, keep the brain active one more year before I throw away my engineering skills. It's good to have options. I have not been to Pats since June 2019. Miss it so much. Trip 16 since 2004 is really getting close. Now Taiwan apparently has opened up the Taipei airport to transit passengers so that opens up a lot of flights

No. I wasn't asking about any sort of run around. I just get leary about giving out information. And then of course when approved, where does one actually send the money to? That would be interesting to know in advance.

yes. I am aware of the visa. Been contemplating it for years. I was just about to buy it in a few years ago but between COVID, the visa price increase, and a ridiculously high paying contract job I got, I kept working. Now that I got medicare all started and sorted out, and plenty of cash and income, and getting tired and bored with test engineering, I am about to head out on Trip 16k to Thailand for a long stay. May just start with the usual visa exempt on arrival, get a 30 day extension and check things out, see if I can line up a good long stay condo, etc. Good to have options. I just like the idea of arriving and being able to exit and entry at any time with no issues and stay for a long time. And they say they will handle the 90 day reports which is fine with me. Granted those often can be relatively easy, it is the times when the system objects, documents don't load, mail gets lost, etc. when you want some agent involved over there to fix things.

Wait a while. The Thai Baht to USD exchange rate seems to be getting better every week. Now over 36 baht to 1 USD.

Do these "agent" sites tack on an sort of fee or do they get commission or whatever from somewhere?

ah. OK. Thanks

Thanks. Interesting. I was thinking the following was the official place because this hyper link is on the Thaiembaccy DC org site https://www.thailandelite.com/

Do arriving tourists still have to register or sign into this app or any others either before traveling or upon arrival at the airport or their hotel later?

I tried searching the forums because I know some people have posted what the official Elite Visa website is, but did not find a result. I search the internet and a few sites show up. Each website starts asking for an account setup and personal information. So I doubt they are all really official sites. One clearly looks like some sort of agent interface middle man thingy.

so this is an example of a hater.

I recently befriended a fellow contract engineer here at work. he does software, I do system test on the project. He lived in Thailand for 9 years. He blew through all his money. he made a few bucks on line, bought and sold two condos to string things along. But now at age 56 he has nothing. I mean absolutely nothing. He is not bitter though. A bit mad at himself for sure. he gave it a go and missed the mark. He is lucky he did not burn out totally and become too much of an alcoholic and can still function and make money back home in the USA. He does not make too much, but certainly can save now. Just a caution to try and strike a balance with things.

Me thinks many complain because can't afford to spend long stays in Thailand, either due to financial constraints, family, or whatever reasons

oh. OK. Thanks.

OMG. I thought I could get a Tourist visa in advance as the OP was trying. Before it was easy, get 60 days visa before leaving home, then later extend for another 30 while in Thailand. That's all I needed. Now, I'm afraid to even start the darn process! Thanks for the posts and updates. I will sweat this out a few more months and see if things get smoother before about Dec 1 when I hope to get back to the LOS for trip number 16.6 I may just go the visa exempt on arrival and extend for 30 days and be done with it, but I was hoping for an easy 80 to 90 day stay

Anybody use Zelle yet for their visa monthly income retirement transfers to Thailand? Are deposits/transfers encoded properly, i.e. as foreign? Fees or exchange rate oddities if any?

The Full retirement age is really a meaningless number. the bottom line is, every year you wait after first eligible at 62, your benefit increases by about 7 %. Any other names are meaningless. the one thing that starting after full retirement age does mean, is if you start working while collecting benefits, they no longer reduce your benefit while working. Other than that, call any year whatever you want.