Letseng

11 hours ago, KarlS said:

PP has always been known as 'difficult' and it sounds as though they have decided to ramp their requirements. IMO you should abandon attempts to secure a Thia visa in Cambodia and seek, as others have suggested, a visa from an Embassy in a different country. 

Not only PP asks for it. Some Thai consulates in European countries do too.

12 hours ago, pr9spk said:

There are plenty of other countries in the world, it's just unlucky that you are trying to get into one which is going all-out to deter Western visitors. If I could re-wind my life a few years, knowing what I know now, I would never have gone to Thailand.

Is there barbed wire round Thailand?

8 hours ago, johnwf1963 said:

In Bangkok i would suggest, Bangkok Bank head office in Sathorn, for FCD or THB account have your future wife open account at head office beforehand. See their website for more detail. Get off at Chong Nongsi BTS, back track the train route round the corner a few hundred metres, you will see head office to your right. Go in to the left side of the substantial glass frontage , down the left corridor to the application desks, towards the back.

 

If anywhere else, you could try a Krungsi main branch, for a FCD account in Euros(etc), again with your wife to be, and again useful if they know her already (wouldn't bother trying Krungsi for a THB account)

Bangkok Bank Headoffice is on Silom Rd and not on Sathorn.

I have not yet had a positive experience with them at headoffice. Helpful they are not. All depends on whether you are "the flavor of the day".  

3 hours ago, Rod the Sod said:

Actually it gets even better than that.

 

I have no earned income coming into Thailand so I am not liable to complete a tax return nor register for tax. But I do....

 

Why? Firstly, I can reclaim the withholding tax on my 800k Time Deposit (currently worth TB1,800p.a.). Secondly I feel that I have done everything I can to make my presence known to the authorities with nothing to hide, but thirdly, and most importantly, I can get Tax Residence letters from Thailand which I use to reclaim withholding tax on dividend income from Switzerland (currently worth circa TB100k p.a.).

 

The Tax man did look at me rather strange when I volunteered to complete previous years tax returns and pay the late lodgement penalty even though I had no tax to pay, but he did see my logic in doing it to get the Residency Letters.

 

Hope it helps someone out there....RtS

Tks for your informative post.

I have got as far as getting a tax no. (Pathumwan office). My pension has been arriving in Thailand monthly for some years. 

While I had the good intention to declare my income, the obstacle is how do I go about it. I cannot read Thai nor do I speak enough to deal with tax issues. The tax residency letter would be very useful to reclaim withholding tax back home.

I do spend more than 183 days in Thailand.

Are there tax advisors one can get to deal with the Thai side?

Tks for any help you can give.

4 hours ago, elgenon said:

Good to hear they speak English. Years ago I had a difficult time buying a train (excellent trains) ticket to Bangkok. No one spoke English at the beautiful station in QL and there were no signs in English directing me to line I needed to be in to buy the ticket. Also, when I got off at the border to change to a Thai train, no one spoke English in the ticket booth.

Made for a very interesting trip.

 

It's different now?

No.

21 hours ago, YogaVeg said:

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope things go smoothly for you.

 

If it were me I would consider Malaysia, given the excellent cheap health care and ease of travel around and from Thailand. 

You can go easily by rail with cheap sleeper berths if an hour or two flight wouldn't work for you (depending on where you are in Thailand).

 

The air seems to be significantly cleaner much of the year in Malaysia than it is in a lot of Thailand (from what I've heard) and medical services and mass transit are more advanced plus they speak the Queen's English.

 

If the Op can't afford to stay in Thailand, he won't be able to afford Malaysia. Bureaucracy for Mm2h is way more difficult and time consuming than a retirement ext. in Thailand or a 90 day report.

Plus he needs medical insurance.

Cheap and excellent healthcare in Malaysia? Go and try it.

Grass is not greener ....

15 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The money can be in any bank. It only has to be in the bank on the date you apply.

Tks ubonjoe

On 2/25/2019 at 11:55 AM, ubonjoe said:

Penang has been doing them for some time now if you can show 800k baht in a bank or proof of 65 baht income along with proof of retirement.

Tks. Yes we can meet this. Does this  amount need to be "seasoned"? I guess it needs to be in our Thai acc.

In our home country we can show the amount (equivalent of 200.000 Thb) to be in any bank a/c no matter where in the world plus proof we are retired and that we are residents.

Penang will be more convenient than flying home.

I have had a non-imm O multientry for years. However, I always went back to Europe to get it. Can one apply for this in Penang?

It is not based on marriage. 

I usually have to show 200.000 Thb and proof of being OAP.

18 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

The way he was treated was not abnormal for many interactions where a farang requires Thai assistance.  Suckit up ...  get the required docs and photos...or try your luck at the airport...

I have no personal experience but perhaps this would be a way to do it: Bumrungrad has some Saturdays an immi official for ext. due to illness of tourist. I understand one can use the service as non-Bum patient. Appointment is needed and can be made at the hospital business centre 10th fl.  

Perhaps a member with pers. experience can give his comment.

On 2/10/2019 at 1:23 PM, Caldera said:

Germany has a procedure that allows you to keep your German citizenship. I'd daresay that the requirements to do so are easily met by most Germans who might wish to acquire Thai citizenship.

You are allowed dual citizenship if your 2nd one is from EU. Otherwise you need permission or loose German one.

On 2/18/2019 at 10:25 AM, asiamaster said:

A FCD (foreign currency account) with 25.000 Euro is not accepted. Sell the Euro and put it on a fixed deposit in a local bank. And get some kind of proof that you already had it in Thailand -albeit in foreign currency.

 

I understood that fixed deposit isn't acceptable.

1 hour ago, ivor bigun said:

Got a new pasdport when i was in uk,just showed old and new at immigration no problem

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Thanks for replying. I have 90 day stay until 2 May but will return 31 July.

10 years ago I went through the process at C.W. Took me a day to get a few squiggles entered in the new p.p. 

Please does anyone know if I can just show old p.port with non-imm Metv and new passport at immigration?

Old p.port got "punched" by the embassy when I collected the new one.

I have this letter from the embassy about new p.port. After a car accident I get about on crutches. It is tough to go to C.W. to find my way round.

Could an agent do this on my behalf or could I use Suan Plu?

Thanks

2 hours ago, bangkokequity said:

Perfect!  Thank you!  This is not an issue for me, but I do fear a lot of "top up / stamp & go" folks are in for a very nasty surprise in 2020.

Why?

3 hours ago, Shiver said:

As for quick access to cash, I would factor whether I had health insurance or wanted to take my chances.  I always did the latter, but after a couple of broken bones I got insurance for 20K baht per year (available to Europeans, or any country where they have something like the NHS in case they have to Medivac you home, which keeps the premiums way down for the big ticket issues.

Could you elaborate on this insurance pls?

Never heard of such a scheme.

Sounds too good to be real. And I don't know of any country in Europe where they have NHS like healthcare you can just access when needed and without residence status in the country.

Just buy some real detergent and don't buy the local stuff. There is "Pure" and "Tide" from US, Persil, Perwoll as well as stuff from Oz and Japan. 

Our landlord supplies the liquid local stuff to ensure machines don't get caked up by cheap soap powder. However, the "USA", has a very strong scent and clothes don't get clean but bleach out instead. Don't  leave it to dry inside over days. Smells like wet dog once it's dry.

On 12/23/2018 at 9:05 PM, glegolo said:

I cant really put it any other way than I did. If you cant grasp the meaning or agree to what I am saying then it is certainly your own loss...

 

Anyhow for me, we started at age 10 (1961) in school to learn english... Soon after that I became teenager plus Beatles and the popculture hit Scandinavia and it became "kosher" to learn and speak english, This language as being the comon communication between the western countries.

 

Since then english became even more frekvent around the world and as I said if everybody learn english, that is to take one step forward to comon understanding. If you do not agree, then I feel very sorry for you...

 

glegolo

Do foreigners who move to Sweden not have to learn Swedish? Does Swedish immigration/bureaucracy all speak English? 

They do not.

How about learning Thai when living in Thailand?

Happy New Year

On 12/4/2018 at 4:07 PM, mike324 said:

I have read on forums people buying diamond rings, and they use DHL and Fedex for shipping it. Its safe and fast.

Do you believe everything you read on a forum? Read the small print and you will know that neither DHL nor Fedex accept responsibility. They are no safer than Ems.

On 10/26/2018 at 10:48 PM, adammike said:

Not so much BFS was 920 last time I booked and a taxi from the rank cost 1500,Bangkokairport vip charge 2500 for fast track and a car to pattaya, of course you can do it very cheaply with the bell bus or the jomtien bus and no fast track.I am seriously considering using them but I need reassuring that the fast track is not jammed with Chinese.

I doubt it will be jammed with Chinese unless they all fly premium.

A lot more irritating than Chinese are mothers with unruly kids and a wheelchair pax accompanied by the tribe from the subcontinent who abuse the system. 

On 10/22/2018 at 10:11 PM, ukrules said:

 

There's more than one company, apparently this one is still operational. The above company is not BFS.

 

And they charge quite a bit more than BFS used to charge. Best to fly business and not having to worry.

23 minutes ago, ukrules said:

What makes you think this ?

3 hours ago, lemonwaterjoe said:

seems like that service is suspended and now only available for 1st/business class traveler

 

Yes, only for premium travellers now. Apparently a limo service as well as Expedia still offer fast track. Costs quite a bit more than with BFS in the past.

5 hours ago, stud858 said:

I hate to be a stickler, but I'm very interested to know what the outcome is.

I've got a feeling the school will win out. Those who have the most money and perceived power hold the upper hand.Please keep us updated and best of luck.

A friend's daughter one a case in labour court against one of the big private hospitals. It was no quick process.

On 31/03/2018 at 12:36 PM, ubonjoe said:

Perhaps for those that can use fast track immigration desks.

Only for those with permanent residency after they register to use them.

Not sure if it working yet but there were plans for Singaporeans and those from Hong Kong to use them.

 

Still not working for Singaporeans. They gave my friend fasttrack instead.