Michael Hare

I only use SCB at three branches here in Ubon Ratchathani. When I got my pink ID card, a teller at my main branch just got on the computer and changed my ID to the pink card at the other two branches. Works well. I had encountered a problem with my passport ID when I lost one of my ATM cards and went to get a new ATM after getting a lost card report from the police station. This particular bank account was opened over 20 years ago under an old passport. The bank did not accept my new passport as ID as the number was different. They wanted to see my old expired passport. I told them that was gone. Finally the teller called the manger over who knew me and he said the new passport was okay this time, but in the future whenever I had a new passport I should take it into the bank to show them so they could put it into their system. I am so pleased that the ID card can be used now.

Once I got my pink ID card about 12 years ago, I replaced the passport number on all my Bank accounts with the ID card number. Made sense, as the ID card number is for life, and the passport number, in my case, only lasts for 5 years. My ID card number (which is the same on my house registration and driver's licence) is used for tax purposes. I don't have social security.

I definitely will continue to wear a mask out in public. I haven't had the flu or even a cold since mask wearing came in. I think hospitals may get more overburdened with covid cases in the next few months.

No one told me anything. I think I am the only caucasian living in Ubon who has PR. All the other PR holders are older Vietnamese and Chinese. Perhaps there are a few Filipinos.

Agree with you there Arkady. Fees will go up soon. I lived in Thailand from 1974-1980. I got married in 1979 and my wife and I returned to NZ at the end of 1980. She automatically got PR by being married to me, a Kiwi. I think that there may have been a short interview at one point. After 14 years in NZ we decided to return to Ubon in 1994 with our 6 year son (he already had dual nationality). We weren't sure how long we would start. When it appeared that we would be here for years, I decided it would be best to get PR. I thought it would be like NZ, a simple straight forward process. I had no idea of the amount of paper work that would be involved. I just took it one step at a time and I got my PR.

I remember the whole situation with Purachai very clearly as it was at that time that the cost of the category I was applying for PR under, went up from 25,000 baht to 96,000. Being a Kiwi, I was particularly upset to know that Purachai got NZ PR and could buy a house in NZ. What a hypercritic. His family did very well with NZ education. One son has a high profile position in Bangkok. A daughter was in venture capital in NZ and has now gone into exploring BitCoin. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/blackbird-ventures-principal-tip-piumsomboon-quits-to-pursue-bitcoin-opportunities/NRAGA33T7VHCMQUHOOYNBY7NV4/

When I applied some of my documents were not quite in order. They needed signatures on all the tax forms and photos of me standing in front of our house with my son and daughter. They rang me up from Soi Suan Plu and told me what additional documents they needed. Maybe they were kind to me having to all the way down from Ubon.

It seems very difficult to get PR these days. Back in 2002 when I first applied, I did everything myself. I was applying under the cheapest category available to me, which was based on being married to a Thai and with a dependent child. I live in Ubon Ratchathani and I flew down to Bangkok and went to Soi Suan Plu four times. The first to apply, the second for my wife to be interviewed, the third for the Thai language tests and the fourth and last time to get my PR and pay the money. The whole process was straight forward and took two and half years. My wife only went once, the second time.

Seven years ago, I sold my house and moved to a new house 200 metres further up the road. My new house registration is at this new house. My pink ID card has this new address. I have now been into the police station twice in that time period to get the 5 year extension. I told them about my new address. They didn't seem interested. Still in the same area they said.

Strange. My unused re-entry permit is now three years old. What is the charge to get it stamped as used? I think it will be another 2-3 years before I decide to leave Thailand. By that time the permit will be out of date by over 5 years.

I join any departure line that has the shortest queue.

Yes, the normal stamps in each book. Pay the money and get a proper receipt. I have been doing this nearly every year since I got PR in 2002. But after covid came, I have not traveled outside of Thailand since January 2019. No need for reentry visas if one is not leaving the country.

Yes, I paid in cash. I have always paid in cash for a multiple reentry visa. I think it was 1,900 baht for the stamp in the blue PR book and 3,800 baht for the stamp in the passport. Total of 5,700 baht. Been that rate for many years. At the moment I have no plans to leave Thailand and so it may be a few more years before I get another reentry visa.

The last time, three years ago, when I got a reentry visa at Ubon Immigration there were no forms to fill out. The staff just took my PR books and passport and typed all the information into their computer. They called out and asked when I was flying overseas and I just picked out a date and a country off the top of my head. I did have to give them two photos.

For the driver's licence, you just need pink ID and tabien baan, like Thai citizens. However, bring your red book, just in case. This is definitely true, but it is often not easy, because many officials at the transport department have no understanding of PR.

I would recommend Crystal in Ubon. The owner of Crystal was a tailor at Manhatten Tailors in the old party of Ubon city. I first went there in 1980. It used to be popular with the Amercian service men stationed here. The tailor left Manhatten and set up his own shop on Chayangkun Road. I have had two suits made there and all my trousers. They have a wide selection of cloth. Crystal tailor shop is a few meters down the road from a Esso Service station (corner of chayangkun and suriyart roads) and is next to the Big Wing Honda motorbike center. 74, ร้าน คริสตัล 76 Chayangkun Rd, Mueang Ubon Ratchathani District, Ubon Ratchathani 34000

For Work Permits the number of Thai staff are never checked. You only need your Thai PR documents to renew the work permit. No need to show your passport. If you own the company, then you can get a work permit for two years. However, the work permit office here in Ubon Ratchathani, insists on seeing the company financial records before renewing the work permit. I get our accountancy firm to do this as it is quite complicated. It is also very annoying.

Just take your red book and some photos of your face. That is all I have ever needed. What do you mean by passing the 5 years as a PR a few weeks ago? If you are past the due date you could be in trouble.

I live right in Ubon Ratchathani city. We have just built an outside storage shed, 4 m x 4.5 m, behind our house. No permission was needed.

Ubon passport office has always been excellent. My wife's passport has expired but she is not getting one, because we don't know where to travel to with all these covid restrictions!

Worked well for me. Only took about 5 minutes.

Hello Elwood. I go to a dentist at Kilo Soon. Run by a mother and her daughter. The daughter speaks good English. I am in the process of getting four implants done. A long process. The clinic is at the Kilo Soon intersection on Chanyangkun Road. Coming uo from river it is on the left hand-side. Called Ubon ENT & Dental Clinic. 11 Chayangkun Road.

Good to know this. I will not argue with you. I have no such special 13-digit vaccination number. The only data my wife and I have on our certificates are our names, the vaccine name, the dates of the first dose and second dose and the signatures of the nurses who administered the shots.

Good on you in getting the vaccination ID number. My wife and I have had our two shots and received our certificates with the dates of the shots and the signatures of the nurses. Nowhere is there a vaccination number or any number of any kind. The only number I viewed was on the SMS notification that came to me on my telephone. This was a 6 digit registration number and not a vaccination number. But not to worry. The piece of paper is fine.