johnjohn2

3 minutes ago, bangsaenguy said:

I recall people using Bangkok Bank, New York as a Thai bank. How does this work?

You can get direct deposit to BKK Bank, NY. Details and paperwork avail on their web site. A bit involved to discuss it here. Web site is pretty detailed. You can also SWIFT Transfer money from your bank to BKK Bank through the NY branch for a very small fee. But after April 2019 the transfers have to be ACHI. 

32 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

We've had recent reports that Thai Imm  in some locations know nothing about what we have been talking about for almost a week or more- does anyone  really think every IO will get the word.

I called my local immigration office and they had no idea. They do now. If enough people go in and ask some questions they will start making calls. The sooner the better. When they call to BKK they can get more guidance.

The guy from Khon Kaen who said Immigration took his US bank statements was lying. I just called Khon Kaen immigration and was told basically what we already know. They didnt know about the US stopping the letters as well. When asked about showing monthly income she said since we are the only two countries the main center probably doesn't care. And to have the money in the bank two months prior.

1 minute ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Yes you are correct. Here i n Khon Kaen they make you jump through hoops to get a Marriage Visa. 

In  Savannakhet, they only require your marriage certificate, house book and your wife's ID card.. No income required.

This guy who said about printed bank statements is from Khon Kaen

Just now, bkkcanuck8 said:

I can write an authentic looking bank app with imaginary balances... 

Yea but if it works for him hope it works for me and everyone else.

When I told him i didnt believe him he said this:

"We’re living in the 21th century. Most of us have Banking apps on our smartphones. If the Thai government really wants to implement Thai 4.0. The Thai immigration income requirement can verified by a few clicks of a button."

Great. Im up in July for extension.

Its all about what you get. Just browsing I noticed that I could buy a 1tb M.2 drive on Amazon for $100 cheaper than I could here in Thailand. This is with import tax and shipping.

Also with items that cannot be found in Thailand many people are willing to pay an inflated price for some things they want. End of Day BritMan its your choice.. but dont hit on Amazon out right.

Some items are pretty extreme. Others cheaper.

I emailed the embassy in BKk. Got the generic reply back but notice the last sentence. 

Thank you for your email. The US Embassy’s current income affidavit policies can be found on our website:https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/notaries-public/. We are currently evaluating options regarding the future provision of this document.

PETDCAT how did you show your proof of income? Seasoned deposit or monthly income?

If you want to know shipping cost, duty fees etc just look at an item you want on the Amazon site. It tells you. It also tells you estimate of how long it will take. Then you can make your own choice.

My last order they used UPS but previous order was FEDEX.

Very good point on the warranty TallGuy. One which was a factor in my decision to buy my monitor as well. In my case the warranty is covered as well as support locally for service.

For high end items I think this should be something everyone should weigh in and consider before they make a purchase.

I saw this thread yesterday and right after I emailed 3BB asking about the new router and how do I get one. A few hours later they replied that a tech would call to set up an appointment. They came today with the new router. Didnt charge me anything. I have to say the new router is much better than the black one. My range and speed is significantly better. The thing is pretty large. 

This topic has been posted numerous times and obviously what everyone agrees on is that it depends on what you want to do. But also where you are going. I live here full time now past few years but previously traveled to Thailand twice a year for about 30 days each time for about 10 years. The average I would spend during a 30 day visit was around $3000 USD. This was to Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya. I wasnt hitting every go go I came across but I did eat in the mall restaurants etc. and did not pick the most expensive hotels but rather mid range hotels.  I was able to go about and have a pretty decent time off the money I had. If you are on the low end and want to save some pennies then I would suggest at least $1000 a month. This should suffice for basic accommodations and food.  Also for money covering transportation to and fro the tourist destinations you want to visit. I dont think survival was what he was asking about. As of course much less would be needed. I would purchase travel insurance to cover the duration of your visit prior to your departure. You can get some very good hotel deals off the internet. But make sure to do some checking first. There are some really bad places to rent that are very cheap but in the areas you might want to stay. Make sure you read the hotel reviews or ask someone who knows about the place first. I would also just have some extra money saved separately from what you plan to spend while there. In case of emergency, or for some reason you might have to get back earlier than expected or whatever else might come up. This is Thailand. Alot of unexpected things come up.  Your looking for an apartment not a hotel. So I assume you already know the area you want to stay. Alot of hotels offer pretty good monthly rates as well. Not sure how long your staying. More than a month I would look for an apartment as well. Personally I wouldn't think about it for $500/month. But again as everyone says it depends on the person and what you expect to do and how you want to live while here. 

Im in Khon Kaen and had the same question before. You still have to do your report on time. Regardless if you are waiting on the extension or not. 

You wont regret it. I had True ADSL before. Horrible speeds and disconnects. Im on 3bb fibre now and its was a dramatic difference. Download speeds are great and have not had any issues for about a year and a half now. 

I have been ordering from Lazada, E Bay, Ali Express and so far have not had any issues. I now always go for shipping with tracking though. 

Most of the orders I put in from China are fairly quick. I have had one or two orders that took up to a month though. Both those were with standard shipping and no tracking.

Recently had a package from Hong Kong that only took 7 days to get here and that was over the new year. (EMS- which you can track there and here)  

I ordered some stuff from New Egg and the VAT etc was included when I purchased. No issues getting here. Havent tried Amazon yet. Dont know if they include VAT in price or not? 

Ive had a handful of things sent through regular postal from the US and havent gotton any of those. So now whenever someone sends something to me I tell them FEDEX. But always have to pay some ridiculous price whenever I get it. But at least it always comes in. 

Once I received an email and phone call from Thai Customs asking me for a photo copy of my passport. Cant remember what it was (a little while ago). I cant remember exactly what the issue was right now.  I sent copy and then they released my item and it got to me. 

I got mine in one day. Get the medical paper, go in and do the eye test.