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I prefer to get my Non Imm OA before I get to Thailand.  I don't mind getting all the stuff in advance, and for the first year, all my money can stay in the USA.  Later I will setup the monthly income transfers.  How did you get the Medical Certificate signed off?  My local doctor is likely to laugh at it as there are no plans for testing for these things, and I suspect some of them would be pricey if even readily available. I can imagine the Syphilis being fairly straightforward as for one or two of my physicals over the years I had STD standard tests done.

1. F,5,4) LEPROSY
2. 2F,5,--)+, TUBERCULOSIS (T.B.)
3. F,5 ELEPHANTIASIS
4. F,5Y+/3(FZ DRUG ADDICTION
5. F,5]/^1/Y(,-- 3 THIRD STEP OF SYPHILIS ,

Does anybody have any experience or photos or videos of the tunnel during heavy rain?  Does it flood?  If not, where do they pump the water to? 

I just downloaded and checked one of my monthly checking account statements from Etrade.  It only contains my name, home address, and the account number.  No social, no other stuff.  Not too bad really.  I mean if one is paying and transferring monies and things, such as for monthly retirement extensions, some account information is going to be known to Thai agencies, so putting that on the COE doesn't seem too horrible.  But I will use my "holding" or buffer account, not my primary account.  I get monies from several sources and will put what I need for Thailand into that buffer account from which I will make the monthly transfers out of.  That way, in case social security hiccups, or my dividends get waylaid or whatever, the proper amount will always be available for transfer.  Don't want to cut things too close and have a transfer not go through one month, then have immigration have a fit.

On 7/13/2021 at 1:24 PM, Espanol said:

If you test positive, insurance will cover all your expenses. 

 

But if Thai government force you to quarantine in ASQ hotel, even when you test negative, insurance will not pay anything. 

yeah, the lady that was interviewed talked about that "loophole".  Even if one got past that hoop, I suspect the other fine print in most policies, about emergencies, unrest, acts of god, etc. would leave one out in the cold and the Thais reaching into your wallet.

  Things like this have the potential for money grabs.

Dual boot... hmmm.  How about running a virtual machine that hosts the different software?  I know at work he had to use some old XP applications but IT department had upgraded all the PCs to Windows 7 and then 10.  The virtual machine allowed us to still run XP.

i saw a post somewhere that it is running but at a reduced schedule, not the usual every hour or whatever it was before.

7 minutes ago, bluezircon said:

I wonder if they'd accept a saving account statement. Less damage could be done with that.

 

 

 

On second thought, I have accounts with several banks as I move around the country and some times a brick and mortar bank comes in handy.  My primary bank is Etrade but no offices.  So I have Navy Federal Credit Union and Wells Fargo.  I don't use them for much but for this situation, I think I will use my Navy Federal Credit Union checking account.  Keep their hands out of my Etrade area where I have Checking, Savings, Money Market, IRAs, Brokerage etc.

3 minutes ago, bluezircon said:

I wonder if they'd accept a saving account statement. Less damage could be done with that.

 

 

 

That literally is what I am going to give them next month when I kick off my COE stuff, assuming Pattaya and Thailand at least stabilize a bit.  My savings account has no ATM card.  No bill pay set up.  No direct deposit set up.  I keep a few thousand in there just for like next day emergency. 

If I ever need large amounts of money I have tons in my regular brokerage account I can sell stuff and get monies in two days.  And of course I keep a decent amount in my regular checking accounts for daily use as needed.  I prefer to keep my money as fully invested as possible and making me dividends and bond fund interest

New number in the USA and every place else I have ever heard of.  In some ways it can help identity theft and fraud as at some point the old passport will die off and expire.  But obviously, it can be a pain to update and change all the things you had set up using the old passport number.  Mine is good for ten years and I just got it renewed. I am 64.  I have to doubt that I will need more than one more update for 74 to 84 years.  Fingers crossed that I at least are not in pain and can put up with the frustrations of not being able to do so many of things I could do when younger.  The finances look good, and the health looks OK, so we shall see

5 minutes ago, bluezircon said:

I didn't even think about it, I just uploaded bank statement. Using a PDF editor to change Account Number may be a sensible pre-caution. I suppose there's a very slim chance of identity theft or someone setting up Direct Debit in your name.

 

Of course passport etc. is just as concerning. Just have to hope they are careful and have good online security.

I would not change anything, as technically you are now lying.  But deleting some information may be the better thing.  There are no standard bank statement formats so as long as some basic stuff is there which identifies you a little bit, which I am sure has to be there for them to check, things could be OK

2 minutes ago, bluezircon said:

I didn't even think about it, I just uploaded bank statement. Using a PDF editor to change Account Number may be a sensible pre-caution. I suppose there's a very slim chance of identity theft or someone setting up Direct Debit in your name.

 

Of course passport etc. is just as concerning. Just have to hope they are careful and have good online security.

They do not have any verifiable online security.  And as anybody who has gone to just about any immigration office probably has seen, (I have only been to the one in Jomtien), every day they were collecting literally thousands of pieces of paper copies of extension stays, other types of applications, reports, and other stuff.  Many people have posted getting back printed things from immigration where the back side of the paper had stuff from other people!

You most definitely should not give it out.  I was not aware that the COE required it. If so, well.. it is a bit of a pickle.  Maybe with a PDF file editor, you can white out some information, that is most personal identifying.  The basic account info is not horrible if that gets compromised.  One can always open a different account. 

I stand corrected.  From the Thai embassy DC in the USA website COE link

In order to obtain the COE for visa exemption scheme, Please fill information online here and upload the required documents listed below:

– Copy of passport
– Confirmed Air Ticket with proof of payment (Repatriation Flight or Semi commercial flight
– A confirmation of booking of Alternative State Quarantine (or Alternative Hospital Quarantine-AHQ for Medical Treatment and accompanying person)
– A copy of the recent bank statement. (700 USD per person / 1,500 USD per family)
– Medical insurance guaranteeing that the insurance company will cover a minimum of 100,000 USD (or equivalent in other currencies) of medical costs incurred by the applicant in Thailand, including medical costs in the event that the applicant contracts COVID-19 (The insurance must cover the whole duration of stay in Thailand)

16 minutes ago, FridgeMagnet1 said:

The study lasted 60 days, how can they find out that antibodies drop EVERY 40 days over a 60 day period?

 

the article is a total mess and doesn’t make sense. It’s just a headline 

You obviously do not understand Thai Math or the infamous saying Same Same but Different.  Similar to how an eager mother can have a baby in 3 months.

19 hours ago, Blumpie said:

50 percent of what?  I didn't think this shot did anything for you anyways.  

Now that is the appropriate question because percentages can be very misleading.  But the real question is, how many antibodies are needed, and needed for what.. prevention of serious effects, or prevention of any infection at all, and how long should or how long are antibodies normally maintained in the body for other diseases or viruses?  Are we all sitting here with billions of Anti Polio things? 

13 hours ago, NancyL said:

Yes, that's what we do -- make a copy of relevant pages, but for some transactions you need the "real" passport.  For example, at our bank it says the original passport is needed for transactions, not a copy.

 

I scan and make PDF copies of all my important documents and email it to myself to each of my different email accounts.  I put a password on the PDF file.  Weak security but will keep the average email account hacker from opening it.  This way, if I lose all paper, get robbed, hotel burns down, safe is stolen, whatever, I can most likely access all the important stuff, get to the Embassy, get home, or do whatever else I need to do to get things sorted out

On 7/11/2021 at 1:23 PM, Mickeymaus said:

This is a general problem with any vaccine. They people don't know how much protection they will have afterwards. The immune response is not the same for everyone. Most believe they are fully protected and have enough antibodies. Could be a very bad mistake for some. But hard to know if you are one of them. Does anyone check this after the vaccinations?! I don't think so... Let's hope the best.

And most did NOT get tested before getting the vaccine.  A high percentage probably had the virus already and may have their own immunity, or limited immunity ... Just don't know.  If one already had the virus, is a vaccine necessary?  Why?  What basis would one decide one way or the other?  Take a vaccine that has not gone through the normal process for development, testing and approval, and that is only approved for emergency use?  These vaccines are much much cheaper to manufacture than traditional vaccines that require growth mediums, then several other steps. This RNA stuff is something the big Drug companies would love to be able to keep making and selling going forward for COVID and other bugs

On 7/12/2021 at 1:21 AM, NancyL said:

Hubby renewed his U.S. passport from Chiang Mai using Thai Post a few weeks ago.  It was mailed to the Bangkok Embassy and his new one arrived about three weeks later.  Always seem to get faster service here in Thailand.  Good, because it can be tricky sometimes to be without a passport since the old one has to be mailed with the application.  

That is fast.  And yes, mailing in a passport while traveling or away from home is a dicey proposition.  It makes little sense why one can't keep some sort of usable or copy of a still valid passport/paper while sending in the expiring passport.

On 7/12/2021 at 1:33 AM, Neeranam said:

I disagree, as they can still get Covid and pass it to others who haven't been vaccinated.

So how do you apply your logic to the 5 Million Thais that have been vaccinated?  Should they not be allowed to move about?  Never mind the 50 Million Thais that have not been vaccinated.  Picking on the relatively few foreign travelers that come to the country is being penny wise and pound foolish

9 hours ago, MayBeNow said:

In the West you need a teachers degree in order to teach, in Thailand its the same. Do you have a teachers degree so you can tutor Thai students? If you have you could apply for a teaching job. One can not expect any country to let unqualified people teach. 

 

Reasonable fees and rates (the same) to be charged to Western immigrants/any tourist would be great and necesary. Its what i totally dislike myself. To the point of avoiding these venues. 

In the West you do not need a Teacher's degree.  You do in general need a degree and to get certified to teach by taking a few courses on the topic.  I am approved as a substitute teacher in Florida.  I have BS in engineering and MS in Math.  Tutoring, is something I have looked into.  There is literally no way to tutor on ones' own legally in Thailand because you could not get an individual work permit.  There is some possibility one could get attached to some teaching school in Thailand that offers tutorial services, and you would be their employee, but I found none that really did that.

I can't say that reading of their deaths was a surprise as I am 64 and mortality is starting to be expected at these ages.  I was surprised to see some that died a few years before of cancer and other illnesses.  Some died under bad conditions such as murder, a suicide ,or two.  Just things you don't expect growing up in the 60s and 70s and every thing was just simpler.  Most of my engineering college buddies and fraternity buddies have done well.  Some working 35 years at the same big company (Pratt and Whitney for example), some are GSA employees.  Neighborhood kids I grew up and still keep in touch with are punching out next year when they hit 65.  Each had/has a working wife or free houses from their parents so they will be able to get by.  This is all from Rhode Island, and the University of Rhode Island.  Mom, Pop, apple pie, boy scouts, era.  Half of us were Eagle scouts.  All the successful ones, had "stable" parents, no divorces, same houses growing up with no moving around.  The suicides I can't explain.  They were not my closest friends, but some that were on my High School cross country team, played on the hockey team, or went to college for a while.  casual but frequent contact growing up.

  One or two ex girlfriends seem to be doing OK.  One was a JAG in the Air Force I met while at Squadron Officer School.  She left the service after 10 years, now does some community law work.  Another is married, has two kids, bought a vacation home in New Hampshire near where we used to play.  Happy for her. 

FYI.  I mailed in my USA Passport renewal, requesting the extra page size.  It arrived at my house 6 weeks later.  All in order.  My old passport was returned in a separate envelope with holes punched in it.  All in all, an acceptable timeline.  Now waiting for Thailand to sort things out.  I had always planned to head there for my semi retirement of 6 months of each year when I got to this point of my age and finishing up work.

On 7/2/2021 at 7:58 AM, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

I looked into this a few years ago when I retired.

 

If you work is outside the US before full retirement age and the work is not covered by Social Security, it isn't a matter of how much gets deducted from the monthly check but instead whether a check gets issued or not. Such earnings are subject to the "foreign work test" and if one works, or is available for work, for more than 45 hours a month SS will suspend the check altogether.  It is an on-and-off switch instead of the phase-out formula used in the US. Apologies if you knew this, but I was not sure.

 

Social Security is supposed to be neutral in terms of total benefits over one's life expectancy, so for any months that the benefits are suspended under the foreign work test, the benefits, when they re-start, would be for a higher amount so that the expected benefit remains the same.

Basically what you wrote is correct.  I am 64 and in the exact time frame as the OP.    I would add that for those that are working and intending to get SS benefits, I point out that SS income is taxable, and most likely 85% of your SS benefits would be counted as income since the working OP by definition will have other income that no doubt gets above the minimum SS (non taxable limit).  This of course will increase your income tax for the Feds, and any state you live in that counts social security income.  Is it worth it to take SS while working?  Run the numbers on an excel spreadsheet for 1 year 2 years and 5 years.  It is easy to do.  Then figure your taxes, and see if you are content with you job income combined with your SS income are both being taxed at a higher rate.  Presumably, when you retire and NOT working, your SS income along with whatever retirement monies you use or withdraw or somehow receive, will be taxed at a lower rate.