bananafarang

I am a USA citizen with retirement extension visa in Thailand. My wife recently arrived with three month Non O visa and need to convert it to piggy back on my visa. We were married in China and have Chinese marriage license. Where can I get them certified so we can apply to convert her visa to piggy back on my visa.

We had our Chinese marriage license translated and certified in China and that's how she got her 3 month Non O visa. Unfortunately she didn't make copy of the documents before handing it over to Thai embassy in Beijing. They told her she didn't need them. Not sure if this is problem or not.

We currently reside in Chiang Rai

Thanks in advance

I find that if I buy from Makro, I drink more at home. So I stopped buying and just run down the stairs for couple of bottles if I have inkling for some alcohol buzz.

Anybody know where to buy flaxseed in Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai?

Before everybody jump up and down hollering "murder", why didn't the cop park someplace safe, like parking lot, instead of highway. Did he have emergency blinkers on? Anybody who ever drove on highway at night knows that car parked on a shoulder in the middle of the night without blinkers is asking for trouble. I am not saying she is not free of guilt but she seems genuinely remorseful about it. Let's get the facts out before throwing the first stone.

Thanks Mac, I will check the site out.

You can start your reading here: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/immigrant_visas.html

Then spend some time going through this fine www site: www.visajourney.com

A couple of Qs:

-- How long have you been here in Thailand, and on what type of Thai visa?

-- Is your wife also here in Thailand?

Mac

I have been in Thailand for three years on retirement extension. My wife is currently in China applying for Non - O visa. She came here on tourist visa but immigration would not transfer her travel visa to ride on mine.

I have a Chinese wife who I married in April this year in China. I have not yet registered with USA embassy. I have been living in China for 10 years before I moved to Thailand. I would like to apply for visa for her so we can move to USA. I do not have a job or any assets in USA other than my IRA (Individual Retirement Annuity) account. Has anybody experienced applying for visa in similar situation? I would appreciate it if you can share your experience about the process of applying for spouse visa.

Thanks in advance.

I need to go on Vitamin C therapy and need to take at least 10 g of vitamin C a day. Anyone know where I can buy/order them.

I am confused. Is it 4.7 million or 1.3 million?

Is Mae Mo still open?

Can a Chinese passport with ED visa get an 2 month extension?

yes

yes

i have used my Bangkok bank atm

i have used my thai license to rent a car and showed it once when i was stopped in CA.( he thought it was fake but..... ) LOL

I am told Phuket will issue us a IDP if u have a 5 year thai license,'takes less than 30 minutes

I have never seen any reason to get one.

I have 5 year Thai license but unfortunately I am not in Phuket. The bureaucracy here in Chiang Rai is still going strong. I will just take my chances and drive carefully

Thanks guys for the input. After reviewing some brokers, I am planning to open with KT Zimico. Any advice regarding this broker?

Thanks

I'm not familiar with KT Zmico (sp.). What made you plump for them?

Incidentally, Krung Thai bank is one of the more bureaucratic bank in the Kingdom, and at times a pain to deal with. I'm not sure I'd be rushing to deal with an associated brokerage, even though the relationship only dates back to 2009.

For one, I don't have to visit the office in person to apply. Also they seemed to have very good software for online trading..

Thanks guys for the input. After reviewing some brokers, I am planning to open with KT Zimico. Any advice regarding this broker?

Thanks

I will be flying to USA for couple of weeks. I have two questions regarding the trip.

Question 1: Can I use Bangkok Bank ATM debit card to withdraw cash in USA? I was able to use this in other Asian Countries but never in USA.

Question 2: Can I use Thai License to drive in USA. Specifically in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. I tried to get an international license at transportation dept but they told me I had to go through the whole process of obtaining resident permit from Immigration which takes couple of weeks. I am making an emergency trip and don't have the time.

Thanks in advance.

I want to open a stock account in Thailand. I am not Thai and not married to Thai. Any suggestions and info would be appreciated.

Before I arrived in Thailand, I was looking to apply for retirement visa from outside of Thailand. The process was bit of headache, mostly because I needed to open a bank in Thailand which meant traveling to Thailand and flying back to apply for the Retirement visa. After I found about the Retirement extension upon arrival, I decided to go this route. However, I am still confused as to what is the main difference between the two. It seems Extension is much easier route.

Thanks 

My son is 33.

I found a hospital in Bangkok. http://www.bangkokdentalimplant.com/dental-implant-cases.htm

Just got an email response. They seem to treat many foreigners on medical vacation. According to them, it takes two 10 day visit spanning about 2 month.

I will look into it more deeply. Meanwhile, thanks to all who provided some useful info.

My son needs an tooth implant but cost is very high in USA. It would be much cheaper in Thailand but problem is time. I did some research and found One day implant or Immediate Implant where implant is done within a week. Usually two visits. There is hospital in Bangkok who does this but can't find anything in Chiang Mai. Anyone know of any place in Chiang Mai?

I am looking for a modest motel/residence for one month in Chiang Mai. I do need parking and internet access. Can anybody recommend a place? the price range from 3000 to 6000 baht.

Thanks

Again, as a widow of an American veteran, she can get medical expenses here reimbursed.  You have to pay up front, and it takes months to get reimbursed, but they cover up to 70% or so of most procedures.  Not sure about meds.

This sounds like something she can definitely utilize in the future. Do you have any more information? How can she find out the eligibility and what is the process of application?

I obviously don't know any of the specifics; however, attempting to find out a bit more about her preference to not rely on the daughter-in-law does not make sense on the surface.

Perhaps you can explore whether her thinking is rational on this topic since her life here for the next several months would be much easier if she could rely on a local Thai woman.

I will be the first to say I do not know the specific circumstances.

One last question: Did the son have no farang friends? Has no one from his "group" stepped up to help their mates mom?

I agree the best scenario is for her to stay with her daughter in law for a while. It is also hard to believe that she does not have any family and friends that could help her. Also it seems her son made no connection with his other side of his heritage here. I am not sure of other farangs. So far nobody has "stepped up" to help. I have been here couple years and I have never met him or heard of him. 

I forgot the mention that she is Chiang Rai. 

Hello everyone.

Thanks for all the advice and offer of support. I have been out of town few days and unable to respond. 

It seems that we (My friend and I) need to approach this matter in short and long term and I would appreciate any information regarding questions presented below. 

Short Term: Extend her visa stay at least 3 to 6 month and find a place to stay for her. 

Short term:

We need to extend her visa. Since the crackdown on border run, I see only two options.

- Fly over to Malaysia and apply for 3 month tourist visa. This creates a problem of traveling which she is not capable of doing alone. 

- Apply for retirement extension. She does not have enough funds of 800k  or 65k a month requirement. But I believe she can get 3 month Non visa when she applies for the extension. This would buy her time.  Any info about this would be appreciated. Another option is to get income statement from Embassy. I don't think she need proof of income for this. Just sworn statement. Hopefully immigration will accept the certificate of income without the proof. 

- Find a place to stay while she is in Thailand. She doesn't not want to stay with her daughter in law for reasons I am not clear. I have looked into some sites that posters have offered. I would like to find a place in Chiang Mai. Any info will be appreciated.  This most likely be a short term stay of 2 to 6 month. 

Long term:

- Get a flight ticket back to States. My friend is trying to locate the fund ($10k) she wired to her son. Her daughter in law is not aware of the transfer. Locating the fund would be crucial for her coming expense. 

- Find a person or agency who can receive her at the airport and help her transition to permanent home. This would require finding a short stay and evaluating her medical and financial status to choose the right option for her. This presents the greatest challenge and any help/info would be highly appreciated.  My friend called one of her friend in California but she refused to get involved. I have also called her brother in Korea and he has his own problem to deal with (his wife is in intensive care with brain hemorrhage). I have called president of Korean Community Association of Sacramento for help (Elderly lady is Korean American). He will present this to his community for support and help. I am to call him again tonight. 

Today, I will be meeting my friend and the lady. I will try to get more detailed personal information, specially her medical condition.  So far I have very limited information about her.Only that she was married to Vietnam veteran and her combined income from her deceased husband's pension and her SSA is $1800. 

Thank you again for your support. 

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I don't understand how she can have no friends or acquaintances back home.

This doesn't sound right...no friends of the deceased husband? No church?

Ofcourse, I am not saying she is not truthful...but hopefully there is someone she can trust.

Unfortunately, with no honest person to look out for her back in the US, she runs such a high risk of being victimized for what savings she has left.

If her son had been here 10 years and moved his mother over with the intention of her remaining here then she must be on what type of visa?

Perhaps NeverSure has some understanding of processing times for assisted living and the California Assistance Program but I would expect it takes some time to get coordinated. Personally, I think she would be best off remaining in her sons home for the next 1-2 months while she gets a better handle on her grief and her circumstance minus the one person she was going to rely on. During this time, she can be near her son's memory and belongings to help her grief.
As someone pointed out, she can compensate the wife for her hospitality and hopefully you will be kind enough to look in on her.

Seems like holding tight for the time being here would be much cheaper than a hotel in California and give her time to get over shock.

I am kind of surprised you only have a few posts and to be hit with such an unlikely event like this.
What made you think to post on TV?

I am also perplexed as to why she has nobody for support in the states. She may not remember. She arrived on 30 entry visa. I suspect her son had not thought through regarding visa. 

I turned to TV in desperation. Hoping someone would provide useful information since I am totally lost as to course of action.