jeffandgop

RIP Ubon Joe.........

4 years ago I changed from Retirement to Marriage as the basis for my annual extension of stay because of the Outpatient insurance requirement- I have had for the last 10 years Inpatient coverage in excess of 3M THB. Also, the insurance requirement dictated you had to purchase from a limited select group of insurance providers and their policies that seemingly were developed because of the new immigration insurance regulation.

My Q now is whether my current 3M+ THB Health insurance policy, not originally purchased for the retirement extension of stay regulation, would be acceptable today should I wish to convert back to retirement for my annual extension of stay......

36 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

There are several posts similar to this one.....(I did not link whole thread) .....

 

 

chesterubi1

 68

Posted November 16, 2020

"I went to Chiang Mai Immigration today and can confirm that you can use a Joint Bank Account, for applying for a 1 year extension based on Marriage, as long as you have at least double the normally required funds. I went to the bank and got the necessary documents and have submitted my application without issue....,"

 

As for your other point that is incorrect.

You can have a signatory on your bank account and there signature appears only under ultra blue light.

It's not a joint account. 

 

Note the OP was referring to a joint account for an extension based on retirement, not marriage. That's what I was responding to.

Second, you refer to what CM IMM accepted in 2020.

The very latest written instructions I received from CM IMM last month related to applying for an EOS based on marriage clearly states:

Nothing allows for a joint account with twice the funds, but that could be possible; I'd recommend anyone trying this method first verify with their local IMM.

11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Which is very true.

 

However the OP has a live in girlfriend. 

In Oz it's referred to as defacto and has legal status.

In Thailand means little. 

Persons not related to the decedent by marriage does not render that person not entitled to the wishes of the decedent as expressed in the will.  Now if the decedent has children, former wives, etc; the will could be challenged. But if unchallenged, Thai law accepts the designation of the girlfriend to inherit per the terms of the will.

1 hour ago, Paradise Pete said:

Executing the will using a lawyer costs money, perhaps 100k. If your only asset is the bank account that's a big percentage.

To clarify our understanding of your meaning above, I offer the following.

To execute a will means to have one prepared- whether by a lawyer or self.  In other topics on this forum related to the preparation of wills by lawyers, 100K is not a sum seen- it may be 15-20K.

If you are referring to administering a will that a court has determined requires probate, then a 100K lawyer fee could be a cost; I don't know. But not all wills require probate; that will depend the value of an estate, and the complexities of assets- bank accounts, real estate, investments, etc.  If the principal asset is a bank account, and the will designates the partner as the sole beneficiary, and there are no other heirs who may make a claim, probate may not be required by the court. And I would go so far as to contend if a lawyer's fee of 100K represents a big percentage of that bank account which is the decedent's sole asset, then the court would not require probate- again, especially if there is a will and the decedent did not die intestate.

In closing, my wife and I have wills drawn up.  Under Thai law, spouses are automatically the prime beneficiary even without a will; if children, they too by Thai law have entitlements. In any event, we have no children. I fully expect when either of us passes, the other as Executor will be able to administer the will without probate based on the type and value of our assets.

9 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

According to chap you quoted you wasted money on lawyer and will.

Just take letter to bank and all sorted....????????

Not a waste. Valid wills in Thailand include those prepared by a lawyer. It also includes- and is said to ease the process in settling the estate- to taking a will, whether prepared by a lawyer or not, and having it registered at the Amphur.

16 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

This is a question for your particular immigration office.

 

Some may accept joint account with double the money in bank for extension marriage.

 

Some might for retirement.

Personally doubt many/if any would allow that. 

 

OP, if by "other half" you mean wife....then be aware that it's possible to have her as a signatory on your account.

In that situation she has access to the account but immigration are unaware of that. 

 

No. It cannot be a joint account; only in the name of the retiree. Another person can be recorded in the bank account as a Beneficiary. If another person has signature authority, then it is a joint account visible to Immigration.

5 hours ago, novacova said:

I’ve never been asked for a house book or lease agreement for anything at the cm dlt, CoR is all. Maybe an oversight on their part or an issue with another office.

As I wrote, a house book or lease agreement is documentation for the CoR request to Immigration (not a requirement for a DL)

On 2/1/2023 at 5:20 AM, novacova said:

Your CoR is for Pattaya, do you plan on reporting your new residence to immigration when you move to CM? I could be mistaken though I’m pretty sure you’ll have to do this for your license and vehicle registration as well. It’s been awhile since I’ve read the regulations but I think it’s a week or two to change the vehicle registrations and license when you move/change addresses

Based on my experience, you do not need to change your vehicle registration. I purchased my car in BKK and 2 years later moved to CM where I drove and renewed the registration for the next 7 years w/o an issue. You do not need to change the license plate when moving to a different province.

You don't need to change your DL until it's expiring and you need a new one- then that's when you update your address with a CoR to obtain the new DL.  To obtain the CoR you need to bring your passport, TM30, copy of your lease agreement, and the application form. (If you don't have a lease, you bring the owner of the dwelling you live at to attest that you reside at said address)

17 hours ago, Joseph98765 said:

How much in advance you con go to renew the driving license? 1month? 2?

6 months

The law requires that you maintain the balances cited for the periods required. Nothing in the law requires you to return to IMM to submit proof. Only at your annual EOS do you need to show these balances from the last 12 months.....

Approval. 11 weeks b4 the FBU scheduled the call, which they missed. A full 12 weeks b4 the FBU finished their minuscule tasks and sent the file back to Baltimore. Then 5 more weeks for them to do whatever little they do

On 3/18/2023 at 8:37 AM, jeffandgop said:

UPDATE.

The SSA's UPS courier package arrived yesterday.  The xxx's in their email identifying the tracking number was no more than the SSA NOT providing a trackable number. Why on earth after my repeated requests to return our documents with a tracking number they would "mask" the number is ridiculous, incompetent, or was with purposeful intent....

 

I want to stress for those that do not want to send original docs but would send Embassy-notarized copies, be mindful that some embassies require appointments which availability may be AFTER the date the SSA specifies in their email to you requesting those documents......that will then require the originals to be sent.

FINAL UPDATE.  After applying a full 17 weeks ago, my wife finally received her benefit award notice....

On 3/18/2023 at 4:08 PM, jeffandgop said:

For my wife's spousal benefit 15 weeks and counting 

FINALLY.  Received benefit award notice a full 17 weeks after applying online...terrible service.........

22 hours ago, glegolo18 said:

I am still curious if you need health insurance when you have a Non Imm O-A and applying for extension based on marriage?????   Retirement is sorted above, no need there I note.....

NO.  Only on the basis of retirement.  NOT marriage.  That is why 4 years ago I switched my extension of stay from retirement to marriage.

SCG advertises a home air filtration system under the product series name of "Active Air Quality".
Dust Free Houses is another company marketing home air filtration systems.

Both claim that their systems filter the air of harmful dust levels before entering the interior and use positive pressure to keep "bad air" out.

Both use various filters, including HEPA, to keep the interior environment clean.

Does anyone use home air filtration systems; and/or have specific experience with either the SCG or Dust Free Houses products and can relate their performance and quality?

Thank you.

On 3/28/2023 at 11:29 AM, dingdongrb said:

Submitting online application to getting a phone appointment notification - approx. 13 weeks

11 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

Not really.

 

You posted:

 

"So we sent them an inquiry using their web portal on Feb 6. Another week goes by and then we get an email scheduling a telephone interview for the following week Feb 16."

 

That was less than 10 business day after sending the FBU inquiry. For me more than 20 business days had passed and my first FBU inquiry wasn't responded to so I sent another one. Approx. 1 week after sending them the second one is when I finally got a reply.

 

Me: 2 inquiries and nearly 30 business days elapsed.

You: 1 inquiry and less than 10 business days elapsed.

 

....or did I miss something?

Yes. This is our similar experience. It took 12 weeks after submitting the online application to have the phone interview and only because after 10 weeks without any response our submittal thru their web portal got us that scheduled interview for 2 weeks later. Which they missed. The commonality is the significant length of time this process has been taking and the FBU in Manila has not been transparent on their responses and actions concerning my wife’s application. 
We are now at week 16 since applying and still waiting for SSA’s acceptance 

Same as I experienced as I wrote above on Mar 15

On 3/20/2023 at 9:50 AM, Menken said:

How does your wife get spousal benefits with you breathing? Curious.

Because it's a "Spousal Benefit", not a "Survivor Benefit". Her benefit amount is based on her own social security benefit, or a percentage of mine; whichever is greater.  Look it up on the SSA website......

You can direct email to the FBU at [email protected]; but that may still not get a response any different than thru the Manila website.

If you have a my Social Security account, that will show your application status and no one in Manila will probably have anything else to offer....

Good Luck.

We've been waiting for the SSA to approve my wife's benefit start up application since the first week of December.....

For my wife's spousal benefit 15 weeks and counting 

On 3/16/2023 at 4:11 PM, jeffandgop said:

UPDATE. 

Yesterday morning I sent this email message back to Manila FBU.

"The failure to attend to the timely return of our documents is not acceptable. But for our continuous follow up inquiring as to the whereabouts of my passport and marriage certificate who knows if they would ever be returned? These need to be sent by courier without any further delay AND I insist that your office monitor that these documents are sent AND we are provided all of the shipping details.  I don’t want to be in a position of having to send anymore emails asking where these are and not receiving any acknowledgement or information."

 

This morning they replied.

"Good morning,   Upon checking, there has been delays with mailing out of documents due to the volume received this last month.  Your documents were mailed back by our admin yesterday via UPS courier. The tracking number is 1Z 8X9 xxx-xx-xxxx 5983.   ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
We have transferred your application to our central office in Baltimore, MD for processing.  After going through a final quality review, applications are generally processed within 2 to 3 months.  Our central office will mail you an official notice once they finish processing your application. Please note that variations in international postal systems may delay the receipt of your notice. "

 

I assume the xxx in their email are to be replaced with the beneficiary's SSN.  I tried doing that with and without dashes and/or spaces....UPS did not recognize the tracking number......

UPDATE.

The SSA's UPS courier package arrived yesterday.  The xxx's in their email identifying the tracking number was no more than the SSA NOT providing a trackable number. Why on earth after my repeated requests to return our documents with a tracking number they would "mask" the number is ridiculous, incompetent, or was with purposeful intent....

I want to stress for those that do not want to send original docs but would send Embassy-notarized copies, be mindful that some embassies require appointments which availability may be AFTER the date the SSA specifies in their email to you requesting those documents......that will then require the originals to be sent.

On 3/15/2023 at 8:05 AM, jeffandgop said:

 

On Dec 4, 2022, my wife applied to initiate her benefits.  The online application was received with a response that the process normally takes "2-4 weeks". The application was assigned to the Manila FBU within 24 hours.

2 weeks go by, then 4 weeks, then 8 weeks, then 10 weeks and not any response or action undertaken by the Manila FBU whatsoever. So we sent them an inquiry using their web portal on Feb 6. Another week goes by and then we get an email scheduling a telephone interview for the following week Feb 16.  At the appointed time on the appointed date she did not receive the expected call.  I tried to call them- this being a Thursday during their "telephone office hours", and no one answered.  I wrote them an email the very same day asking why they haven't called; and later that day they did call and completed the telephone interview.  However, they informed her that her US Passport and Marriage Certificate needed to be sent to the Manila FBU by Mar 16 to complete their processing. So their very next day, Friday Feb 17, we couriered the passport & marriage certificate which arrived at the Embassy on Tuesday Feb 21. We requested that when returning these to give us the courier info and tracking number.

On Wed Mar 1, the Manila FBU sent an email that our docs were "scheduled to be sent back" on Friday Mar 3.  The following week we received nothing- no documents, no tracking info.  I sent an email to the Manila FBU on Mar 10 asking for information on where their courier package was- no acknowledgement.  Again on Mar 13 I sent an email request and on Mar 14 Manila FBU answered "Upon checking, there has been a delay on mailing out of original documents. Your documents are still in our office and will be due for mailing out this week or next."  

"Upon checking" means no one was paying attention to return our documents as "scheduled" for Mar 3, and only our follow ups triggered their action to find that our documents had not been handled as promised. Their advice that our documents "will be due for mailing out this week or next" is not viewed by us as much of a commitment on their part.  I've emailed back that their performance has been unacceptable. The passport is a most critical document that needs to be in the hands of the owner and as soon as the SSA's business purpose was satisfied it should have been returned expeditiously. To wait possible 3 full weeks (or more) for its' return, after they were finished with it, is ridiculous.

So as of today it's been more than 16 weeks since my wife applied for her benefits and she still does not have her Benefits approval.

 

Manila FBU.  Seriously deficient in their performance and meeting their commitments.

 

(And I am still awaiting Manila's FBU answer to my inquiry I sent last December as to whether I was potentially having my benefit suspended even tho I have submitted the Form 7162 twice last year.)

UPDATE. 

Yesterday morning I sent this email message back to Manila FBU.

"The failure to attend to the timely return of our documents is not acceptable. But for our continuous follow up inquiring as to the whereabouts of my passport and marriage certificate who knows if they would ever be returned? These need to be sent by courier without any further delay AND I insist that your office monitor that these documents are sent AND we are provided all of the shipping details.  I don’t want to be in a position of having to send anymore emails asking where these are and not receiving any acknowledgement or information."

This morning they replied.

"Good morning,   Upon checking, there has been delays with mailing out of documents due to the volume received this last month.  Your documents were mailed back by our admin yesterday via UPS courier. The tracking number is 1Z 8X9 xxx-xx-xxxx 5983.   ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
We have transferred your application to our central office in Baltimore, MD for processing.  After going through a final quality review, applications are generally processed within 2 to 3 months.  Our central office will mail you an official notice once they finish processing your application. Please note that variations in international postal systems may delay the receipt of your notice. "

I assume the xxx in their email are to be replaced with the beneficiary's SSN.  I tried doing that with and without dashes and/or spaces....UPS did not recognize the tracking number......

On 3/15/2023 at 12:34 PM, racyrick said:

If you received your March SSA payment, then you should be good to go as they said that payments would be suspended starting March this year instead of the usual February if they did not receive your 7162 form.

True, but the point I was making was their lack of effort to determine if I might be cut off and given a chance to remedy the problem before I was cutoff. Last year I I received the 7162 at my home in Thailand and as I was later in the U.S. I mailed it from a USPO back to Wilkes Barre in late August yet still got that 2nd Notice in Nov. I mailed that from Thailand to Wilkes Barre in Dec and tracked it to their receipt.  Without a reply to my inquiries asking if I was still at risk, this just leaves people like me twisting in the wind waiting for months to find out if your not going to receive your benefit or not. If they are making their big announcements to assist you AFTER you got cutoff, wouldn't it be better for them to assist you BEFORE it happens?

15 hours ago, gamb00ler said:

Update:

On a recent call to the SSA hotline, the representative was trying to set up a phone appointment for me with the Manila FBU.  We were disconnected before she finished scheduling it.

 

Just now I received an SMS on my Google Voice number.  SSA had posted a message to mySSA inbox with the details of the phone appointment with FBU Manila.  April 3 @ 2:30.... they didn't say if it is Manila time or Thailand time.

When Manila FBU sent email to us for the phone appt they specified it as being Philippines time- most likely same for you.....