wml22

I wish that was an option but I'm not old enough to qualify for the retirement visa. I should have clarified that in the first post.

To make sure I understand, that means there are two circumstances for activating the 1-year extension: 1) I buy in Jan. 2022. I leave Thailand to visit folks in the U.S. on June 1st and return on July 1st. When I land at the airport, I am given a 1 year extension stamp at the airport (cost: 1,900 baht) and my new expiration is July 2023. Perk of this activation method, of entry into Thailand, is that I don't have to go to the immigration office. 2) That means to not overstay, if I don't travel again, I must go to immigration in June 2023 and manually apply at immigration for the 1 year extension (cost: 1,900 baht) and my new expiration is July 2024. So I'm actually paying 1,900 baht every time that I come into Thailand, but each of those instances extends the visa out +12 months. It means though that if I exit and re-enter Thailand 10 times in one year, I pay 19,000 baht for what is effectively just a 1-year extension, because I'm paying for the extension every time I enter?

When you pay 1,900 to extend an elite visa each year, is it an unlimited multi-entry extension (e.g. I'm free to go back to the U.S. and come back into Thailand every month if I want, theoretically)? Because I think for the marriage visa extension to be multi-entry, it's 3,800 or 5,000 baht or something like that and maybe it's not unlimited exits and entries? With the elite visa being 1 year, extended every year, what are you actually purchasing when you buy the 20 year package? Are you purchasing a guarantee that they will grant 19 annual extensions without having to pay any additional fees aside from the 1,900 baht?

What a big misunderstanding on my part. So I guess the freedom from 90 day reporting and not having to keep 400,000 baht tied up in the bank are the main benefits for someone who is married to a Thai anyway. Along with freedom from the risks that the marriage visa extension requirements could become inflated. But it sounds like if the government for reasons of corruption wants to turn Sinovac or Sinopharm boosters into an ongoing cash cow for bribes from the CCP, for example, to keep ordering more of them every year, then it's likely that having an elite visa wouldn't spare me from being forced to get the booster every year in order to get the extension when I pay the 1900 baht. (That may sound like tinfoil hat thinking but there's almost nothing I wouldn't put past this government at this point.) I doubt I'd be able to get exempted for having an autoimmune disease (not like they care if they kill me IMO).

Hello all, I was already going to make a thread asking for help weighing these alternatives, but then also saw a recent post by a member with an autoimmune disease who expressed concern that their marriage visa renewal might require additional vaccinations. I have an autoimmune disease and already got the J&J vaccine before coming to Thailand (because it was required for the COE), and had a negative reaction to it. I understand that currently, vaccine booster requirements aren't being considered for visa eligibility, but I do fear that if I stay on a marriage visa, maybe someday I'll be told that I can't get an annual extension without taking something like Sinovac which could be seriously damaging to me because of my preexisting health problems. So I have the following questions about 20 Year Elite visa vs. marriage visa + annual extensions (I apologize that most or all of this information is probably available already by searching the forums, but I want to make sure I don't misunderstand anything and that the current rules haven't changed after old posts may have recorded the answers during previous times): 1) For the 20 Year Elite visa, it has to be renewed every five years, but the renewals are all pre-paid (without additional fees or costs at time of renewal), correct? Meaning that when you buy a 20 Year Elite Visa, it's not giving you 20 years as one visa, but it's giving you 5 years plus three five year extensions that have been prepaid. So if I understand correctly, that means that if vaccination booster requirements are eventually imposed for getting visa extensions or renewals, and if I had bought my 20 Year Elite visa in January 2022, then I would not be spared from subjection to the booster requirement until January of 2042. Rather, I would be facing the booster requirement at the time of needing the first of the three 5 year extensions, in January 2027. Is this correct? 2) If I buy a 20 Year Elite visa for 1 million baht, do I have to pay any additional extension or renewal fees during the next 20 years, or will the 1 million baht actually be my all-in, total cost for the 20 year period? 3) What is the cost analysis of how much more or less expensive the 20 Year Elite visa is compared with getting 20 one-year annual extensions of a marriage visa? 4) I currently have 600,000 baht in a Thai bank account in case I was going to go the marriage visa route. But if I want to buy a 20 Year Elite Visa instead, can I pay 500,000 baht from my Thai bank account and 500,000 baht from my U.S. bank account, and would that be accepted without causing other problems (e.g. to make sure, are there any minimum Thai bank balance requirements for maintaining the elite visa, as there are for maintaining the marriage visa)? 5) My fiancee and me do not plan to have children, so the prospect of permanent residence through marriage requires that we stay married for five years before applying instead of three years (the time required if we had children). I have read how difficult it is to actually get permanent residence granted. I am inferring that even meeting the five year requirement, my chances of approval would be poor without having had Thai children with my partner. Should permanent residence eligibility even be a realistic consideration when deliberating between choosing the 20 Year Elite visa or the marriage visa route? 6) I know this is speculation, but maybe some well-reasoned and educated guesses would be helpful to read, so I'll ask: do you think there's a greater risk that the government in the future will renege on the promise of 20 Year validity after purchasing the 20 Year Elite visa (e.g. if they cancel the elite visas 10 years from now, then they effectively will have stolen 500,000 baht from me, or half of the purchase value), or do you think there's a greater risk, comparatively, that the marriage visa requirements will become more onerous and exclusive (e.g. maybe they could raise the minimum bank balance requirement from 400,000 baht to 2 million baht, or maybe they could change the 90 day reporting to become 45 day reporting, etc.)? 7) Are there any other angles that I should consider for making this decision, that I've neglected to ask about in questions 1-6? Thanks so much for any insight that the community may have to share. This forum has been unbelievably helpful to me in getting through the COE process and making it this far in preparing for a life here long-term. I'm very interested to hear your opinions about this dilemma.

Based on what you're saying, I probably don't need to worry about the ethernet cable as a surge source. It's not millions of baht of scientific equipment. I've also now been able to test the connectivity over wifi and it's actually decent enough that I think using the ethernet cable directly plugged into the computers is unnecessary. My understanding from other replies in this thread is that I should get a UPS installed.

Thanks. I could take photos of it this week since I'm almost moved in. But I think in any case I need to hire reliable help, e.g. to install a UPS as has been recommended in this thread. Regarding the internet, I think it's a fiber connection from the wall jack, but the cable that goes from the wall jack to the modem is probably a coaxial line. I get about 300 Mbps download speed if that helps give an idea about what it is.

Do you know of a good, reliable and adequately skilled electrician in Bangkok if needed to install the UPS, or can I install the UPS myself? I think I should probably use help to do it. Thanks for your input and suggestion.

But there's risk reduction in using WiFi instead of non-surge-protected LAN cable, and using surge protectors on the wall outlets that the computer hardware is plugged into, right? That's what I mean I'd consider doing as an alternative to trying to mess with installing a ground wire into the condo living room in order to be able to use the surge protector that's designed to protect the LAN wall jack.

Thanks for your knowledgeable reply. Our condo unit is on the second floor of the building. Do you have a sense about how rare it would be for a surge to occur through the ethernet cable in a place like Bangkok and for that to travel through the modem and continue into my computer hardware? In other words, if the first thing connected to the ethernet wall jack is the True WiFi modem, if a surge occurs then is there a good chance it would just fry the modem without continuing through the line to fry my computer hardware, or would it probably fry everything that is downstream connected to the same ethernet cable? I wanted to have a direct LAN cable connecting my computer and the modem because that would produce a faster ethernet connection but maybe I should use only WiFi so that the only things that must be surge protected, in order to protect my hardware, are the wall power outlets.

Thanks. I found an interesting Amazon review: Do they mean that they inserted the ground wire into the circular third hole of a wall outet (while nothing is plugged into the other two holes)? Does anyone know if that's an effective way to ground this device that is a surge protector for ethernet cable connections (https://www.apc.com/shop/th/en/products/APC-ProtectNet-standalone-surge-protector-for-10-100-1000-Base-T-Ethernet-lines/P-PNET1GB)?

PS: The ethernet line surge protection device from APC that I found shows in the manual that it still needs to be grounded in order to work, but how would I do that in a condo unit? https://download.schneider-electric.com/files?p_File_Name=EALN-7CMKBZ_R2_EN.pdf&p_Doc_Ref=SPD_EALN-7CMKBZ_EN&p_enDocType=User+guide What it says is: For the case of the ethernet line in the condo living room, does this fall under the category of "a two-wire non-grounded system" that therefore will allow me to omit step 8 of connecting the ground wire to ground? Or does this mean that there's no way to actually use this ethernet line surge protector inside a condo unit correctly, since the condo living room doesn't have any access to ground directly?

Thanks, that is very helpful. I'll buy it. Since I'm totally ignorant in this area, can you clarify: 1) Which indicator lights "should" be on (versus which ones should be off) to indicate that the outlet the device is plugged into is properly grounded? 2) Would this be a safe assumption: if the wall outlets that are all nearby the wall port for ethernet cable (for internet) are properly grounded, then the ethernet cable line is also properly grounded? (Or should I buy something like a wall-prong to ethernet jack adapter for the purpose of being able to plug this device into the ethernet port in the wall, assuming such an adapter exists?)

Hi all, I and am about to start living in a condo owned by my fiancee's family, built in 2010 and located near Punnawithi BTS. I have some extremely expensive electronics and computers that will need to be used in the condo. Having moved here from a country that always has properly grounded electricity systems and wall outlets, and not having any expertise in that area, I don't know how to test if the outlets are properly grounded (not just the power outlets, but the wall ethernet jack also concerns me since a LAN cable will be connected to one of my devices). It's my understanding that buying surge protectors (I hear the APC brand is good here, since I can't find any good Belkin surge protectors in stock anywhere I'm going to use APC ones) will be useless if the wall outlets aren't properly grounded anyway. How can I test the outlets in the condo, is it possible to determine with certainty that the grounding was done correctly, using affordable tools or the services of an affordable and competent electrician that anyone can recommend?

Article link - does this make any sense?

Thanks for all the helpful answers. Can anyone kindly tell me if they know whether an additional form, other than the TM7, is required when applying for the 30 day extension? I am inferring from the replies that if I apply for the 60 day extension I'll just be wasting 1,900 baht and then have to pay another 1,900 to apply for the 30 day extension instead. And only after I've used the 30 day extension, then I can try applying for the 60 day extension.

I want to stay in Thailand longer for tourism purposes due to the inability to freely travel the region yet, but I initially entered on a Visa Exempt entry (I'm American) with a return flight booked because without having proof of a return flight, I would not have been allowed to board the plane to come to Thailand. The Covid-19 60 Day Extension application form has four checkboxes that can be marked as the reason for the extension: 1) I am not permitted to enter the destination country or the pandemic situation of Covid-19 is still ongoing. 2) The embassy/consulate is unable to issue the letter of confirmation and request for a temporary stay. 3) No return flight or airline available. 4) Others ______________________________________ Since I can take my return flight to the US but prefer not to, I was thinking of checking the box for "Others" and writing: "Unable to freely travel ASEAN for Thailand tourist entry." Would marking "Others" and writing that as the reason be a mistake? Basically, I am trying to suggest that the reason is that I can't just re-enter Thailand for continued tourism without having to quarantine again, and am thinking that may be considered an acceptable reason to stay here longer. Has anyone in my same situation (who already has a return flight booked) applied for the Covid extension? What should I mark as the reason then? Many thanks if anyone can offer insight about the best way to approach getting the extension given my circumstances.

As far as I could tell, the airline would not have permitted me to leave Phuket without showing the Sandbox completion certificate. So I wanted to update that info into this thread in case anyone else is in a similar situation. Interesting that it's not apparently a general requirement. Maybe because I'm on a visa exempt entry, I was subjected to that requirement. If I'd already changed to a longer term visa then it wouldn't have been required I'd think.

So actually, when leaving the Phuket Sandbox to Bangkok (or anywhere else I'd assume) it's required to display to the airline a certificate from the hotel that affirms having completed the required 14 nights of quarantine in Phuket. The hotel actually forgot to give it to me when I checked out and then called me after I'd been on the road for ten minutes, so the driver had to backtrack to the hotel so I could receive that certificate.

Thanks, I haven't been able to get the airline support number (Thai Smile) to answer the phone (tried website, app, booking email numbers). They're obviously understaffed because of Covid economic impact. I think it's likely there won't be any requirements and I can just board since I'm going to Bangkok. Appreciate your reply.

For domestic airplane travel can I just get on the plane normally without any extra red tape or document/certificate requirements?

Interesting. I am currently in the US and the USD/THB chart doesn't load for me either. Thanks for reporting that you're able to use ToS without a VPN, glad to know! As far as I can determine after hearing more about this topic, TD Ameritrade doesn't geofence access in a restricted country unless that country is an OFAC restricted county. I was told that "it is only OFAC restricted counties where you can’t and if an IP address from an OFAC restricted country is detected, the account will be immediately restricted" - these are countries that are singled out by the US government for political reasons such as Iran, North Korea, etc. So it would seem that TD Ameritrade probably won't geofence TOS to reject Thai IP addresses as long as Thailand isn't an OFAC restricted country, but one's US account could be suspended if trying to update the account profile with a Thai address, Thai bank account, and/or maybe a Thai phone number (?). The issue seems to be that they don't want you using TOS within Thailand because they don't want anyone using it inside Thailand who is a tax resident of Thailand. From my further research it also seems that opening an account with TD Ameritrade Singapore while a resident of Thailand would require having a Thai tax ID, so unless you had a work permit, it would be impossible to do that.

I've founds some threads which mentioned TD Ameritrade not allowing trading while in Thailand, but it's not clear what is or isn't possible. To explain the context of my question: Unlike Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia, Thailand is unfortunately on the "restricted countries list" for TD Ameritrade. (I understand that TD Ameritrade Singapore offers accounts to residents of Thailand but it's a different platform in some ways.) I am a US citizen with a US-based Ameritrade account who plans to be in Thailand for some length of time. I haven't been able to figure out an answer to these questions: When people are saying they can't use ThinkOrSwim in Thailand with a US-based account: Does that just mean that TD Ameritrade in the US (not TD Ameritrade Singapore) refuses to open or maintain accounts that have Thai home addresses or Thai bank accounts linked to them? Or does it mean that the ThinkOrSwim desktop application is geofenced to prevent logging in from a Thai IP address? If the ThinkOrSwim desktop application is not geofenced to prevent logging in from a Thai IP address, would doing so later create the risk that TD Ameritrade will shut down your account? Has anyone ever heard of this happening? It seems absolutely crazy to me that an American tourist on vacation in Thailand, for example, cannot check their stock portfolio during the vacation, or that logging in to do so (if the ThinkOrSwim app isn't geofenced) might result in suspension or forced closure of their Ameritrade account. It's been impossible to find out clear answers to these questions and I'd be really grateful if anyone here knows the answers to some of these questions from experience.

???? Nice troll post. I brainstormed with her siblings before purchasing to make sure that I got something culturally suitable, but turns out that for the upper-middle class around the Bangkok metro area, the style for engagement rings is very Western anyway.

What I'm hearing is that if I have 3 pill bottles in a carry-on then they'll likely be ignored. I would keep the prescription and doctor's note on me just in case but I would not invite trouble by declaring the bottles, on the premise that they don't need to be declared if they're all an under 3 month supply of the respective substances which are all legal in Thailand. Declaring the three bottles sounds like just asking for trouble if the likelihood is that the three bottles would be ignored when the carry-on is scanned in the xray machine. Or what would be smarter is to take at least one of the bottles (the LDN) out of the carry-on when the plane lands and keep it in my coat pocket since I'm hearing that doesn't get x-rayed. These are not illegal substances and frankly it seems to me like the main reason for these ridiculous customs rules is to enable the officials to seize / steal goods and resell them for personal profit afterwards.