stoli

I think Lazada is still in its infancy and will get better with time. Ebay was like that years ago and has come a long way since then. I like the search option, "Free international shipping", on Ebay.

But what about the taxes that Thailand imposes when buying out side of Thailand. I understand that you are able to avoid these by buying from Lazada. Am I wrong? I am thinking of using them.

Try other banks first some will some won'tyou will probably need a ccertificate of residence if your area does them on a visa exempt someone there will no dought post soon.

to get a certified copy Ibelive that happens in Bangkok iIwould if you go down tthat route use an agent probably a lot quicker and a whole lot easier.

I agree that different branches of even the same bank will have different answers, (Yes or No). I would never, ever, ever, use an agent to set up my bank account, even with a gun pointed at my head.

I obtained a letter just like this and it worked just fine. They are not looking for an FBI or Interpol letter. You will be fine.

How do you just cancel the residency? What country works like this?

Good question. This can not be possible on this planet. Surely we are missing something. By residency, maybe he means he lost his apartment or home? How do you lose your country?

Great news. Hope it is true.

If you arrive on an O-A Visa, known as a Retirement Visa, you will note that it has an "enter before date" on it, which is a year from when it is issued. If you leave the country and re-enter Thailand on that day, you will have another year based on you entering Thailand on the enter by date. The original "multi-entry permits" however is only good for that first year when you used it, and not good for the 2nd year. You can easily buy re-entry permits for that 2nd year. Don't wait to try and buy one on your way back into Thailand, but purchase before you exit.

I notice there is always someone that states there is no such thing as a "retirement visa". All my 1 year "extension of stays" are marked with Retirement when I receive them. The speech police sometimes make this more confusing than it needs to be.

No offense to aronp1, but if ubonjoe told me what numbers to pick in the lottery, I would buy all I could afford. It seems his info is always correct.

I used the Thai Embassy in LA. Very efficient, and I agree that there was a falang, married to a Thai lady, that worked there. He was very helpful. Actually answered his own phone when you called. Definitely go with the O-A. Just before your year is up, leave the country for a day, come back, and get another year. Use the Visa expiration date as your guide as to when you must do this.

You do not need to go to the US every year to renew your Visa just because you have an "O-A". After your 2 years here, (almost), on the "O-A", you then just get your 1 year extensions each year at your regular Thai Immigration Office where you do your 90 day reports. They will stamp it with "Retirement". Many will tell you that it is not a "Retirement Visa", but is an extension. Six of one, half dozen of another. Works the same.

See you soon.....

The Cambodia run is probably the quickest route.

Certainly doesn't make it the best..

The drivers will usually push metal to the floor, flat out, no compromise, for the whole journey.

While I appreciate that the drivers start early in the day, and probably want to get back home to help the wife with household chores, the speed and the way they drive is enough to add years on yer..

I've done it a few times, and I will never do it again.

I've seen the pickup truck in front of us, who was being tail-gated by our driver, spin off the road with fatal consequences for the occupants.

Driver jumped straight back in and proceeded to tailgate the next vehicle in front of us.

Its a nightmare journey..

quickest but an awful journey..

I drove that route on my Yamaha MX. When one of those vans passes you, you definitely know it. Very scary.

It is obvious that the price of these products vary greatly according to where you live in Thailand. In Pattaya, 3 years ago, I priced real Viagra at pharmacies for 1800 to 2,000 baht, for a pack of four. Currently, Sidegra in Pattaya, I can find it for as low as 280 baht for a box of 4, to 400 baht. Kamagra Jelly can be found as low as 800 baht for a box of 50, but usually 1,000 baht. I always buy the Kamagra packets from vendors that I see on a daily basis for the last 4 years. Some vendors do have fake Kamagra. Buy 3 boxes of 50 and they will throw in a genuine Rolex.

Vietnam has every reason to distrust Americans, but creating a visa on arrival would be more beneficial. The length of visa is not so much the issue, as having to deal with the corrupt Vietnamese visa system.

I have been going to Vietnam for 3 years now. They have a Visa on Arrival that works pretty well. I have seen nothing corrupt about it. Are you talking about a different country, or do you assume if a VOA costs more than you want to pay, it must be corruption? Just trying to understand your comments.

If you are not trolling, listen to everyone about the need to come here and meet her first. Always remember though, that her possibility of getting a Visa to the US in virtually nil. She must pay $150 fee to the US Embassy, make an appointment for an interview, and go to the interview by herself. They do not care about anything you would have to say, and therefore are not allowed to participate. They want her to have a successful career here, (being a beer bar girl does not cut it), own a home, be married, or have children. Something that may make her come back to Thailand. You want her to live in the states forever. That is not going to happen anytime soon. Most of these girls just want you to get them into the US so that they can find someone with money and stay forever, or until the money runs out.

When a Nigerian Prince asks for your help in getting $10 million dollars into your bank account, are you one of those that says "Okay"? This is not going to turn out well.

If you have on line banking -- you should have activated the cards On Line ... Even if Pre-Paid Debit cards on line activation should have been an option.

If activated the cards can be misused if they should fall into the wrong hands... Never put any information on the outside of the envelope about the exact contents ... 'Documents' is all that should be needed. I recommend DHL ...expensive -- but it works.

What you say sounds reasonable, unless you have the wrong bank in the states. My bank, Eldorado Savings Bank in California & Nevada, makes you pick up the hew card at your branch, and use their ATM machine on site to activate your new card. This, even though I have online banking. They will not even allow you to transfer money from their bank to another. Can't wait to get back to the states and dump their ass. They will not allow you to use your Debit card for online purchases from outside the US unless you call them first, and they will allow it for a 15 minute period. Always check what you can do with your bank before you move overseas.

Not surprisingly, you are getting comments from those posters that would not know a good wine, how wine is made, what can or cannot be added, growing methods, or climate zones. As an expert in wine, I can tell you that the Shiraz from SilverLake Winery in Pattaya, (8 miles south), is an excellent wine to share with your friends at home. They also do a very nice Chenin Blanc. I would not buy their Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy!

Wow. That would be difficult to be fluent in 1.5 years. I have been in school for 1.5 years, and am pleased with the progress, and would be thrilled to be fluent in 3 years. Luckily I am on a retirement EOS, so I do not need an ED Visa. Many factors contribute to learning Thai. Now that I have a Thai lady living with me, the learning curve is much steeper. Without someone to use your Thai with, you find it much more difficult to learn.

I have seen buffet restaurants in Pattaya that only let you dine for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (I would imagine this would pertain to the Al Bundy's of the world.) I have seen buffet restaurants threaten to charge you per pound for the food left uneaten. This is clearly stated on signs in the restaurant. Each restaurant should be able to make it own rules, and you always have the option to go elsewhere. Owning a restaurant is rarely a profitable venture for anyone. They have to be sensitive to what costs them money, or fail.

I was stopped by some coppers on a deserted local road.

They asked: "pood Thai dai?"

To which I replied in a split second: "pood Thai mai dai!"

They had a laugh and let me go.

So they told you that they speak Thai, and you told them that they do not? And then the let you go?

Did I miss the punch line?

Please.

The cops asked him if he "can speak Thai". He answered " I cannot speak Thai".

Absolutely true.

The U.S. Embassy doesn't ask anyone to present any proof of income and have no desire to look at the details of someone's brokerage, investment and retirement accounts.

Anything can be forged today, and very quickly. They take your word for it when you tell them what you earn, and have you swear to it. Very easy.....

You MUST SHOW TICKET TO US TO GET STAMP

Who is us?

Penang does not ask for a ticket out of the country to get a visa.

'us' is short for USA I assume

Then it would still be an incorrect response. I can not think you would ever have to show a ticket to the USA, only for a ticket out of the country when required.

I went through this before. Doesn't really hurt, but looks like hell. 3 weeks of antibiotics. and it is taken care of. I cannot imagine milking this to get money. Fix the damn thing!. Even the government hospitals know how to cure this without a problem.

The USA embassy gets back within 3 months. The lawyer is playing them. You really don't need a lawyer, it's very simple to fill out the application and the decision is based on the interview which the lawyer can't attend. But a fool and his money are easily parted.

I have to agree with the above. It is easy to pay the US Embassy $150 to review the application. Just make an appointment. Your wife will be interviewed in less than 5 minutes, no one else is allowed into the interview but her, and then very likely she will be turned down for a Visa to the US. I tried to take a Thai lady for 3 weeks for a vacation, as I was going back to see my family anyways. She is a member of a wealthy family, graduated from the University in Bangkok, and never a working girl. She lived with her family, even though she was 27. They asked her, " Do you own a home?" "No" Do you have children". "No". "Are you married". "No". They then gave her a pre-printed slip of paper saying that she would probably not come back to Thailand, and declined her request. The paper states that you cannot challenge the findings, but you can again pay $150 to try again. Just rubbish. This story is pretty common. By the way, it was a Thai employee of the US Embassy that did the interview. jealous maybe because her family is wealthy? Who knows?

If your passport doesn't expire for some time, if you ask them they might put two new page inserts in for the $82 since they are discontinuing the service in January!

What?

My wife owns 3 investment properties in Australia 100% and not 49% (land and buildings) but I am forbidden from investing in Thailand. There should be laws that if a farang is banned in Thailand then Thais should be banned overseas. Won't happen tho as other countries welcome foreign investment no matter how small.

Different countries are in different stages of economic growth & stability. Just because Australia has more land than they know what to do with, does not mean much smaller Thailand needs to do the same. This is an agriculture country, providing jobs for so many of their citizens. It would not be wise to allow the foreigners to buy the farmlands and convert them to something else. Why sacrifice their own people for foreigners. Your wife invests in Australia for her own benefit, certainly not for the benefit of Australians, would you not agree?

Foreigner investment should be looked at later, not sooner. Let the country develop itself first to become more, without reducing their agriculture lands. Yes, the displaced farmers could find a job with your new ping pong table factory, instead of farming themselves, but I am not sure that is what is good for them as a whole. They would then need to start importing more food, at a higher cost to all the Thai people.

Someone was smart to tell you to look there. It certainly is a growing area. I love to go there on my bike from Pattaya and just tour all of the nooks and cranny's. It is growing pretty quickly, but is not out of control. I know a gentleman that 2 years ago bought 10 rai for 10 million baht, in a good location for his business. I know that prices have skyrocketed since then though. It is a very large town in square kilomets. If you do go to the Temple as one suggested, I would agree that this is close to town center. The main police station is on Hwy. 36, about 7 kilomets from there. The reason for the traffic at the Sukumvit junction is because it is a main artery for the tour buses to be able to travel straight through to Hwy. 36, and head back to Bangkok. Yes, it is very near Jomtien. It is old money in Huay Yai. They have owned their land for generations, and they will ask for whatever they feel they can get. (Don't we all?) Very family orientated, quiet town, with a lot to offer. Take a look. The other post mentioned to go down the road along the railroad tracks. This is also known on many maps as the BYPASS road.

The Huay Yai police station is on the 331, not the 36.

I should never try to respond to a post before 7am. You are very correct. I am going for more coffee now.