SpokaneAl

Will immigration accept Tricare medical insurance to renew the retirement visa?

At this point there is no requirement for medical insurance if one is attempting to buy an extension of stay obtained in Thailand and going forward who knows what will happen. The only visa that is an actual visa and appears to require medical insurance is the non imm o-a multi entry visa that is only bought from a Thai Embassy or Consulate in one’s home country. It looks like that requirement will start June 1, although that date appears to be a tad nebulous.

 

 

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In the US, for example, by entering some parameters, one can easily find out an approximate value of a used car, which gives the potential buyer, and seller, a starting point. I have never seen that in Thailand, which would give me pause. I see the same issue for reselling homes. Who knows what they should sell for.


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Anyhoo, enough about Starbucks, I doubt the OP gets his coffee there anyway.

Sorry, I take full responsibility. I mentioned Starbucks in passing in a post and that seemed to let loose an avalanche of retorts. We are so easily miss and re-directed.


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Coffee Club beats them hands down.A good Aussie Company with great taste and service.Starbucks is crap on both fronts and furthermore non smoking 

I would not visit if it wasn’t non smoking - that is non negotiable. I have only visited once or twice in Thailand, and they did a reasonable job. In the US with a bazillion choices, including choices of specific coffee beans, flavors, sizes, type of cup, temperature etc if you cannot get a decent coffee from Starbucks I would suggest the problem is you.

In the US, coffee is a craft industry, along with beer and wine, and if one chooses to avoid Starbucks, there are many options on virtually every corner. The coffee buyer and barista in the US take their jobs very seriously.

When in Thailand I always buy local beans, grown harvested, roasted etc in Thailand. I love the coffee I make myself every morning.

That said, most of the coffee shops in Thailand are pretty crappy with few, if any options, iced drinks that are terrible, and everyone following the same, identical recipe. No variety, creativity or options.


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$3,000 or more for a two to three bedroom apartment in most major cities.

$14-18 for a movie ticket. Another $16 for popcorn and two drinks.

$30 for a simple lunch. $100 and up for a decent dinner for two. And if you do not leave a $20 (600 baht plus) tip, you get all kinds of attitude.

$17 for a basic car wash. Plus tax.

$150 for a basic visit from a plumber, electrician, or any kind of repairman. Plus labor if anything is required.

$2,000 for the most basic body work on a car with a small dent, and touch up paint.

$175 for two bags of groceries, assuming you do not purchase anything expensive.

$400 for a round trip flight for a destination of 1,000 KM round trip! Plus baggage!

And if you have a medical emergency, without the ridiculously costly health insurance that you get in the US, you may be nearly bankrupt. 

 

Everything in the US is so overpriced these days, it boggles the mind. And despite what the lying politicians are telling us, inflation is at a runaway pace. 

 

I would agree with all of your numbers except the groceries and the rent. When in the US my wife and I can purchase two weeks worth of groceries for that price, and our haul is significantly more than two bags. As for the rent, your numbers represent big city living. We own our own homes in both countries and they are both paid off.

 

That said I didn’t see where the discussion was focused on cost comparisons between countries. Of course Thailand is cheaper, but if I have to bail on my home country and base my choice on where to live strictly on which place is cheaper, then I have truly done a poor job in my long term financial planning.

 

 

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Are tourists and married guys the biggest groups needing accident and health insurance? Motorbike or katoy accidents and wife's trying to cash in early. 

If it applies only to those with a non imm o-a multi entry visa, none of the categories you mention apply.

 

 

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ETFs usually have lower ongoing management fees than funds. Sometimes much lower. That particularly applies to index-trackers.
 
I am lazy and I have very little faith in the abilities of fund managers, so I generally just buy index-tracking ETFs.

The vast majority of our investments are in index tracking mutual funds, with management fees that close to if not equal to ETFs. If one wishes to reinvest dividends and capital gains that can be more difficult vis ETFs.


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I also think that people get confused because their extension of stay is stamped on the Visa page of their passport. 

I do nothing different than others.  I got my O/A at the consulate in NY.  Came here did my extension of stay each year for 13 years.  There is nothing special about what I did.  I transfer more than 65,000 each month got the letter of income form the Embassy and followed the rules.  Now they want me to have health insurance.  Lucky my extension is 27 July so I will do it in late June to miss the insurance this year.  But I have Tricare for Life which is 10 times better than the crap they are offering here but how do you prove to a Thai IO.  No one knows yet and it is only a month away.  I think they need to come up with another date farther out to give people time after they decide what the hell they do.  I really hate this crap, but I am staying.

 

I also have Tricare Overseas. It will be interesting to see what they will require as proof in that the Tricare website says this, “You won't receive a TRICARE wallet card, all you need is your military ID as proof of coverage.”

 

 

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If you say so i made a healthy profit on my property, bought it with low baht and now the property is valued more and the baht is higher so double win. So yea feel sorry for me.

It is only worth as much as someone will actually pay for it. Until then your gain/loss is merely on paper.


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Not a fan of paper assets.
Every year they let a monkey select stocks and than an human real expert but the monkey usually does a better job selecting the winners.

One year, no matter who or how an investment is chosen, does not success nor failure make. Basic asset allocation with no load mutual funds over several decades has worked very well for us.


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Already two condos in Hua Hin have been through the legal system and owners fined. Any rental period less than 1 month is illegal. So, it makes you a law breaker and you are disrupting the life of residents that actually live there and  you're lowering the property value of their homes by turning their building into a short time hotel. Get a real hotel room, nobody wants you moving in and out and disturbing them. You're probably not being registered at immigration (for owners do not want to pay taxes on their illegal/unreported income) which is also violating the law. You may not be bad people but you're basically telling Thailand that their laws don't apply to you, and the issue is that they do.  

Wow, so now my wife and I, who are pretty old and boring, by the way, are now breaking the law. I had no idea it was an issue until this thread showed up. We just wandered through the bazillion internet sites offering rentals, and tried to choose one that meets our short term needs, and actually is as nice as the photos, which can be a challenge. If this is such an important issue, and I can now understand from the other condo owners’ perspectives, perhaps the answer is to go after the people offering the actual short term rentals.


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3 hours ago, gunderhill said:

So how many are going to be leaving now, what exactly s a NON O -A I have a visa which just states NON O married to a  Thai (no other letters  after it) been on it for 6  years.

Perhaps someone can clarify if  it  will  apply to me?

A non imm o-a multi entry visa is obtained via a Thai Embassy or Consulate in your home country and gotten be purchased in Thailand. You have an extension of stay based on marriage.

Im bored with the internet and have resorted to reading novels again. Im currently reading a fantastic novel 'Papillon by Henri Charriere'. Based on a true story. He was sentenced to life on a penal colony in French Guiana (South America). Its hard to put this book down. 
 
Please recommend 1 book that you 'could not put down' because it was that good. After Papillon I want another one. Its good for the brain to be away from the www.
 
thanks

I read a variety of fiction and non fiction via my Kindle and always have a number of books on it waiting and ready. I scour best of lists, and am always adding books to my Amazon Wish List where I can almost instantly download another book or books.


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All those 20 baht shops in isaan,where do they buy their products from? any ideas?

I don’t know but my wife really likes them.


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My Bianchi Vertigo road bike has been on its stand for the past few months following my ceramic double hip replacement to go with my titanium knee. I dare not tempt fate any further and so I want to sell it. It lives with me in Chiang Mai, has done very few miles and is in very good nick. Comes with bike stand, large standing pump and smaller bike pump. I can't upload an image for some reason.
 

What size?


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1 hour ago, justin case said:

they have already golden salaries, golden pensions , they should be forbidden to have any links as this leads to corruption... just see all the billionaire generals in this country, more generals than in the USA

He is a senator in the WA state senate, not the US Senate - big difference in regards to salaries, pensions etc.

My advice for those considering going for an O-A visa is to allow plenty of time for the process. There are potential hold-ups on the road. The OP has discovered this.

I agree. That is why, when I apply for a non imm o-a, I do not wait to the last minute to squeeze out an extra day or so. I want time to fix - who knows what can go wrong.


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Just keep telling yourself all that military training has made you a social conversational wizard. Above the rest of the normal world that most people live. Military people that I have seen have tried to join many different groups only to find the group is not to their liking because it may not have the strict rules , or not run to their liking. Living your life telling others how this should be or that run is not the normal live of the world. Only the military world. Don't even get my going about the Thai women that refuse to date seriously a  military men due the controlling nature of a military man. May be good for money and gifts but soon get bored or tired of the control . 

A lot of generalizations and opinions here with few facts.


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