WaywardWind

My Australian wife recently had to obtain a police clearance certificate from Australia to submit with her application to emigrate to the US.

You can apply for it online at https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/services/criminal-records/national-police-checks.

We had hers shipped to a relative in Adelaide, who then sent it on to us in Thailand via FedEx. The AFP will mail to Thailand but we didn't want to take a chance on having it get lost in the mail here.

Depends on the volume, but I suspect ocean shipping would be better since you say "apartment contents."

I am in the process of setting up our shipment to the USA, and have some recommendations if you want them.

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

The 1000 baht bill scam is not rare in Pattaya. I wouldn't say it's super common either, but it's worth being on guard. 

 

The way I deal with it is to call out the bill at places that are new to me, especially more tourist trap kinds of places, but if I'm known in a place especially if I know the waiter, I don't.  

 

I don't think it's really necessary to call out at places like 7-11. Those hard workers are underappreciated. 

It happened to me once in a rather well-known restaurant in Pattaya when the new 500 THB notes came out - gave 2000 for our 1200 baht meal, and got change for 1500. I know they were 1000 baht notes because I had just withdrawn them from the ATM right outside the restaurant.  No amount of discussion persuaded them to change their minds.

Pity for them - that was our first and last visit to that restaurant.

Now I put a couple of dots in one of the corners of 1000 baht notes before using them.

5 hours ago, JAFO said:

I think most of the US citizens are ashamed and embarrassed. Most would sooner have this all just go away. Btw I am a US citizen and I have decided to not vote.

 

 

I am not at all ashamed or embarrassed, and I did indeed vote....

The West Coast polls close at noon on Wednesday (Thai time), which is when the TV coverage gets serious.

Don't know if there is anything in Bangkok, but if you want to take a ride to Pattaya, Leo's Blues Cafe (at Park Beach Condo, Soi Naklua 16) is planning a party for Wednesday afternoon.

I'll be there - should be interesting!

Have a look at invadeIT in Hua Hin: http://www.invadeit.co.th/

The owner, Thomas, is extremely knowledgeable and can be trusted to give you good advice as to the best machine for your needs. Purchases are overnighted to Pattaya, and Thoma is superb on after sale service.

I have made him my sole source for computer items for five years now, and never once been disappointed.

Buy some at the duty free at the airport when you arrive - you each can buy one carton of ten packs.

We lived in Malta (Gozo) for 10 years before moving to Thailand. We (US husband and Australian wife) worked in international development and kept a flat there for the time between contracts.

We had every intention of retiring there in 2010, but Malta changed their residency requirements for non-EU citizens after joining the EU. Long story made short - the financial requirements which needed to be met were incredibly onerous, and well beyond our means, so we changed plans and retired to Thailand.

Your situation differs from ours in that you are a EU citizen, and have not formally married your non-EU citizen spouse, but I would caution you to check into the requirements for her to stay there very carefully before committing to a move.

Yes.

Here is some information as well as a form.

http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com/expats/docs/living%20will%20form.pdf

I lived for several years in Ha Noi - but I was working for an NGO and that covered the visa requirements. As far as I know, Vietnam does not currently have a retirement visa or anything equivalent. They recently loosened their tourist visa options, so perhaps they are moving in the right direction.

As far as banking, one option is to open a Bangkok Bank account, and have your Social Security ACH transferred to the BB in NYC. It will show up in your account in Thailand a couple of days later, and you could then access it through ATMs in Vietnam, or the BB office in HCMC: http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/InternationalNetwork/InternationalBranches/Asia/Pages/BranchesinVietnam.aspx

Should hire all the ex navy seals and SAS hanging around the bars in Pattaya

A reminder of the old adage: there were about 500 Navy SEALS in Vietnam, and I have met all 50,000 of them!

Thanks for that info, h90. It appears that I will have to go with track-able shipping for future orders if I want to receive them. That pisses me off when the shipping cost is more than merchandise.

If the package is coming from the US, the cheapest way to get a tracking number is to send the parcel First Class International, with the additional Registered Mail service. The Registered Service costs a little over $13 beyond the regular postage if memory serves me correctly. You get a trackable number with this service - one that Thai Post will chase if it becomes necessary.

I had a parcel from the US go missing last year - same setup: no tracking number, only the number from the US Customs sticker.

I pursued it with ThaiPost and got nowhere. At first they said it had not been received from the US; the sender got proof from USPS that it had been sent on, and even supplied the date, time, and flight number of the aircraft that carried it. ThaiPost also said that the US Customs number was useless to them.

After much back and forth, they finally said that without a tracking number, they couldn't find it and would not launch an investigation.

Checked at my local post office several times after that, no joy.

I now ensure that any incoming parcel is sent first class registered.

It was indeed a US company and started in Thailand as the contract provider to US Forces during the VietNam War era. Recombined milk in local factories provided for the many Air Bases here in Thailand. The name became well known locally and believe Thailand rights were locally purchased to take advantage of that name and locally held company has continued to be a major player here.

Ah yes, Foremost Filled Milk...out at the firebases in Vietnam, it was kept cold in gasoline powered coolers, so it smelled and tasted like gasoline...didn't matter, we drank it anyway on the rare occasions when we were back at a base camp...

If you make a payment in a foreign currency you have the option to use the Paypal exchange rate or the exchange rate of your credit card. I'm not sure if you can use the exchange rate of your bank though.

So I assume when withdrawing USD from your Paypal account in Thailand, you could use the same procedure and choose to use the exchange rate from Bangkok bank.

I just went back and checked the last recent time I did a transfer. It was for $100 which makes it easy to show the transaction.

US PayPal to Thai PayPal was for $100, and that is what showed up in my Thai PP Account. When I withdrew $100 in USD to Bangkok Bank, (I saw no option for choosing the currency to use) the exchange rate was just 32.1 THB to the USD. so I showed a deposit of 3210 THB in my BB bank account; the buy rate for USD at BB at that time was 33.44, so the PayPal exchange rate was low. Not a big deal when I am transferring only $100, but when I transfer larger amounts, it can be somewhat painful.

I think so.

I have a US PayPal inked to my US bank account, and a Thai PayPal linked to my Bangkok Bank account here. I normally just use ATMs for my cash needs, but sometimes have to top up the Bangkok Bank account to pay for purchases, etc. I simply go to my US PayPal, send money to my Thai PayPal, and then withdraw the funds from the Thai PayPal to the Bangkok Bank. The most I have ever done is $1,300, and the US PayPal fee was minimal - around $6.00.

Their exchange rate could use some work, though - it is quite low.

So you sent Thai Baht to your Thai Paypal account?

My intention is to send Euro to my Thai Paypal account, then use the exchange rate from the Thai bank to take it out.

I send USD from US PayPal to the Thai PayPal, and it shows up as USD received, and my Thai PayPal account shows the amount in both currencies; however, the amount shown in THB is a low exchange rate, and that is what winds up in my Bangkok Bank account as that is the type of account that I have there.

I don't have a USD account here in Thailand, so I don't know what would happen if I were to withdraw in USD to a Bangkok Bank foreign currency account.

I think so.

I have a US PayPal inked to my US bank account, and a Thai PayPal linked to my Bangkok Bank account here. I normally just use ATMs for my cash needs, but sometimes have to top up the Bangkok Bank account to pay for purchases, etc. I simply go to my US PayPal, send money to my Thai PayPal, and then withdraw the funds from the Thai PayPal to the Bangkok Bank. The most I have ever done is $1,300, and the US PayPal fee was minimal - around $6.00.

Their exchange rate could use some work, though - it is quite low.

We did ours the last week of March at Jomtien. Bank letter on Monday, extension on Tuesday, and re-entry permit on Wednesday when we picked up our passports. No change as of then.

A quick update.

I checked the Add Gadget website today and found a new version of the Currency Meter had been released. "Last updated 2nd April 2015"

http://addgadgets.com/

I installed it and it works.

I then installed the weather gadget and it's working again as well.

Thanks for this. I have installed the gadget and am having trouble selecting the desired currencies to watch. The website offers no information. Any advice?

Coffee Club on Pattaya-Naklua Road, just opposite the intersection with Soi 18 has great Western breakfasts.

U Store it just outside town along the 7 corridor. Reasonable and secure.

I second Pattaya U-Store. The owner, Wuth Lee runs a very tight ship. We stored our household goods there for a year when we first arrived, and it was fine. They also have free pickup and delivery in the Pattaya area.

http://www.ustoreitpattaya.com/

29th floor..if the water gets up this high I'm building an ark.....

According to the link above, he allegedly scammed millions of baht here in Pattaya (with a warrant outstanding), jumped across the border, engaged in real estate rental scams, and then got caught dealing drugs.

I think he will find the Khmer very accommodating - they likely have a room all ready for him in Prey Sar.

Silpaban sells blackbaords.

There is a store on Pattaya Klang just east of Foodland (same side) and another one on Pattaya-Naklua Road just past the Photisan Rd intersection on the left as you come from Dolphin Circle.

No idea of the price, nor if they have ones such as shown in your photo.