fceligoj

Interesting what you said. TT Rate today is 33.81 while Wise Mid-market rate is 33.91. If I am correct, after whatever service fees there are on both sides, Wise yield is bit greater than SWIFT, as it has always. You do realize that the TT rate is not commensurate with the mid-market rate, yes? My current bank does not charge me any fee when I use Wise, and neither does Bangkok Bank. The only fee is Wise's. I had checked early last year that Chase now has the ability to transfer funds online (no longer having to go into a branch to accomplish) and depending on the amount transferred provides a better yield than before. I did not have a chance to work this with Chase while I was in the US in 2024, but will check it all out on the extended trip starting in Feb 2025.

No. Since they are only a corresponding branch, the really did not do it before. They are considered by the US Banking establishment as a "wholesale bank", But since at that time they had the ability to transfer by the ACH function, they provided that service. The US then changed the rules and required all international transfers to be done by a different method (more secure) and Bangkok Bank and your US bank could not process any more transfers. Using WISE or another ITF service, or your US Bank's international transfers are the only means now. Using the US Bank's means of transfer, US funds are sent and then the Thai bank does the currency exchange which means you get a terrible exchange rate plus a service charge by the Thai bank. There hve been many threads on this Forum that consider all these issues.

I just went online to check for you, and yes, the Embassy can certify a thai passport for applying for an ITIN. Check this website. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/notaries-public/notaries-public-2/

The branch of the Minsiter of Foreign Affairs location is Central World. You need an appointment and you need to do it online. They will ceritfy any official Thai document; passport, birth certificate, marriage license, etc. Just had my wife's birth certificate done as part of preparing documents for her interview and getting her immigrant visa. If you are trying to do it though the US Embassy Citizens' Services, you should call them first to see if it is possible to do, and/or asking if an IRS representative is at the Embassy. Contacting by phone is fairly difficult. A majority of times they don't answer and the call goes to an answering service, and then the call is not returned. Good luck. Did you query the Embassy website to see what kind of service they can provide, ala IRS or certifing a Thai document? Normally, it is only documents needed by an American not a Thai.

I replied to this request before as has many others. So, the information necessary is pretty adequate in detail, but no one seems to have a handle on the REAL decision being made by the ajudication officer. Remember the law governing this application process is backward from the normal 'criminal law' in the US, ala the defendent is innocent until proven guilty. It is vice versa when coming to a VISA. With VISA applications, the applicant has to prove that he/she has serious reasons for returning to Thailand, such as family he/she is respomible for, a self-sufficient job (or business), and and tyically a sponsor (and not a husband or wife) in the US. As a matter of fact, it would behoove you to travel to Thailand and be with her for the period of time of the application process. So, essemtoially you are 'out of the picture.' If you, the husband, are the sponsor, the officer immediately is concerned that the wife WILL NOT return to Thailand but stay with her husband and disappear into the country somewhere. If her business is one that she could just stop operating because it is not critical for her livelyhood (you are the husband and you can easily suprt her as you should.) Where is the family? Any critical requiremenets like children that cannot leave? older parents that she is required to maintain their living standards, provide them living expenses? This seems to be a very hard story that has to be developed to convince the ajudication officer that she has to come back to Thailand. Over and above, you don't indicate where she lives in Thailand. If Vientianne is in close distance, it might be easier getting a tourist VISA there from the US Embassy than in Bangkok.

when in Rome.... No defference here, eat Thai. I love it!

They have no real life. They don't want to be living in a democracy, but want to be like a duck and follow a deranged leader.

Same as translating a Thai document into English, but in reverse. If the translator can do it one way, shojuld be able to go in the oposite direction. I would think pretty simple.

Having a Thai wife or gf makes it very easy. They can speak to whomever, the waiter/waitress, the cook or the owner in their language. My does it a few times when it is necessary.

He won't if you vote against him and put a real patriot in the office as there should be, not some dishonest, junior authoritarian.

Here are some other information. Go read a bunch of Youtube videos. They will give you pretty good insight on what is really required and how the Adjudication Officer views the applicant. Also, the US laws written on Non-immigrant VISAs, state that the Officer initially establishes the position that the applicant is not going to return to their country. And so, the information and the explanations by the applicant need to be strong and convincing to overcome this initial Officer's position. (This is just the oppositie of our criminal laws in the US where the accused is honest until proven guilty.) This is very important. No only does she have to have her Certificate of Marriage but also have documentation that the marriage is still valid and is registered at the Amphur. The reasons about convincing the Officer have to be compelling. Is she self-sufficient? Or do you send her money to assist in her support? You need to send a letter (preferrably certified), that you will provide financial support once she is in the US. The length of the trip. If too long, then the assumption that her business is NOT critically essential for her livelyhood in Thailand. Is there immediate family living in Thailand that she has full responsibility for their support (compelling reason for returning?) She needs her business to be registered, not just saying I am in the business and proving it by deposits in her bank account.) (The Officer may assume that the money in the account is truly from you into another account then she transfers it to the account shown to the officer.) I would expect that the Officer will really question her why you are not here since you guys are married. (Since you both are married to each other, it may be very difficult to convince the Officer of her serious intent to return to Thailand. GOOD LUCK!

If your Thai wife has a very good credit 'worthy' score and has credit cards, she should be able to get you a credit card under her account as an authorized user with your name on it. Of course, the credit card has an unsecured limit of 90,000 thb. We have it a BBL.

Not if they are installed correctly.

For over 12 years, I had always elected to deposit, from foreign sources, 65K THB per month. In the last quarter of 2023, I elected to build up my bank account to 800K THB so as not to have to worrry about continuing the 65K THB per month. I completed this apporach in the first quarter of 2024. So, after March, I left my BBL bank account stay at 800K+ a bit. My retirement extension was due on the 12th of September. So, near the end of the month of August, I proceeded to gather the required documents necessary to submit my application for the extension, including my letter from the bank and the 'required' 12-month statement. The I/O took my package and inspected the bank statement. She then began tearing away the months showing the monthly total (less than 800K) until she got to the month where the balance was about 800K. The rest of the documents were periphery to that bank statement and she only cursory addressed the TM47 (of course she took my picture.) Even though the rumor out there was that an old TM 7 may have no longer been acceptable, (I had prepared a new jst in case), she gave the old one a cursory review and said nothing. Out and gone in less than 10 minutes. This happened at the Khon Kaen Immigration office.

That's good by those FBI agents after the fiascos that Trump caused in the FBI when he was president.