bigginhill

I have had accounts with Bangkok Bank for 20 yrs odd, but I have been out of the country for a while. I am currently abroad, and locked out of my accounts. Luckily, it seems the direct debits are going through, as I get a text message when the payment is made, but I can't access the account in any way to pay other bills. They (Bangkok Bank) insist I have to go in to the branch for a photo verification. I proposed that I could go in to the London Branch in person for the photo, but was told it was not an option, as it is a commercial branch only. However, to make transactions, the London Branch accepts a certified copy of a passport (https://www.bangkokbank.com/-/media/files/personal/other-services/transferrring-intothailand/identityverification.pdf). I proposed this option, but it was also denied. I don't see why this is ok as a verification for the London Branch, but not for Thailand. So, basically, it seems that not only do I have to wait till I get back to Thailand to reactivate the account, but, as I understand from a YT video, I will also have to have a long-term visa. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZq4c0J5miE) before they will activate it. 

Is it possible for a Thai company to employ a foreigner to work abroad as an employee (not self employed), and that does not enter/work in Thailand, therefore does  not need a visa nor work permit?

On 5/20/2019 at 4:39 AM, Sheryl said:

Yes once covered by SS for 13 months you can continue the health cover for life. You have to arrange within 6 months of stopping work. Can do at any SS office but some may refuse or wrongly say you can't, necessitating a call to the head office. See post above.

 

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

Sheryl I had read that the minimum 13 months working period had to start before 60 yrs of age, to be able to confirm the 438 Baht SS, but I believe I also read about a couple of years ago that this age had been moved to 65. Do you know if this is true?  Thanks

On 5/16/2021 at 10:41 AM, Tapster said:

@ubonjoe

 

Thank you.

 

In short, you think they should cut their losses and leave the country?

 

But, the son cannot fly. What can they do about that? The posts here about taking a camel back to Blighty are funny but not helpful.

 

Even if they left the country, they could not re-enter because of being blacklisted.

 

They have nowhere to live in the UK, and the son can't fly out of Thailand. I think that's enough to make them stay here; at least the immigration boss has said they can leave whenever they like. They just have to keep their heads down and their noses clean.

 

Is there nothing else they can do? Is there no appeal to a higher immigration authority?

 The word or the immigration boss I presume is not in writing (just as the words of the officer before him) i would not take that as being able to stay around indefinitively without being proactive to resolve the issue. 

The longer this goes on without addressing a solution the worse it gets and the bigger the risks. 

There is an emergency embassy number, i would try that, also an agent, basically anyone who will listen.  Charities? And keep a record of all that has been attempted to resolve it. Good luck

10 hours ago, Shackleton123 said:

 

Our rent is 30,000 per month, I'd love to find a suitable place to rent for less. But she is 34, years old and so is sixteen years from retirement age. As was so astutely pointed out here is all expats are visitors only, and at the mercy of the Immigration Service.  I do see what people are saying about buying, and I tend to agree. When I croak, she would have to sell, and that could take eons.

 

Or she could live here for part of the year and spend the rest elsewhere, maybe Vietnam, or her home country 

22 hours ago, gearbox said:

Airasia branded CC with Bangkok Bank. Had to deposit the equivalent of the credit limit as a term deposit. I wanted some of the Airasia perks,  which are of little or no use in the current environment.

Thanks.

On 4/25/2021 at 3:04 PM, gearbox said:

Apparently it is legal to get Thai Driving licence if you stay in the country more than 30 days, and tourist visa is OK:

 

https://itsbetterinthailand.com/how-to-get-a-driving-licence-in-thailand/

 

Previous thread about Certificate of Residence with tourist visa:

 

 

As mentioned, the most difficult part would be to get a certificate of residence,  and this could be hit and miss, as there are a number of immigration offices and seems that each one (and each IO within them)  interprets the law their own way. I would say it is the same with the Dept of Land Transportation - I have a full Australian NSW car licence, and on paper it would have been more or less formality to get a Thai one....however I had to do the whole lot, sit the computer test and do the driving test too. Other people with overseas DL had to do much less. Go figure.

 

With the bank account the usual routine is to go to the branches and ask, until you find more friendly or experienced staff. It may help a lot if you have a Thai wife or gf who banks in any of these branches. I was here before on O-A visa and every branch I visited knocked me back, until I got my gf with me, so I have now 2 bank accounts and even a Thai credit card.

 

May I ask which bank did you get the credit card ? And would that be the prepaid one?

47 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Don't wish to be picky...fact is a lease does not 'renew' itself.

When lease ends the two options are to either renew lease or move to month to month arrangement. Many landlords would insist on renewal of lease. My condo does and it's similar arrangement to my rentals in Oz.

My bad, I have only experienced one type of contract.

It depends on the the type of lease, either fixed term or automatic  renewal. 

I have never produced a lease at CW for the retirement visa. 

Also a lease normally renews itself automatically, unless one half terminates their side.

9 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You can apply for a extension of stay up to 30 days early or 45 days at some offices.

 

At CW I have renewed even earlier, as I had to leave earlier for an operation and they move the following years expiry date to an earlier date. 

Applying 30/45 days earlier you retain the 12 month expiry date, applying 60 days earlier the expiry date changes and you get, for example, 11 months instead of 12. 

I explained my reasons for having to leave, signed a form. They say no if they think you are asking for 12 months from the previous expiry date but if they understand you are asking for 12 months from when you apply it doesn't seem to be a problem.

Anyway I would check beforehand. 

12 minutes ago, LukKrueng said:

If it actually happened to you (that you got 10 years+9 months) I can't argue with that fact, however it makes no sense as maximum validity is 10 years from the date issued. It doesn't matter why you issue a new passport and how long a validity it still has - to replace a lost or damaged one, to replace one with no or not enough blank pages for visas or whatever - the new passport has a validity of 10 years (some countries less, never seen one with more) 

I confirm that when my last passport was issued it had the residual months included; 29.01.18 till 29.08.28. Whether this has changed since 2018 I do not know. 

As to the OP personally I would compile the the papet work proving that you applied 3 months ago for the passport, copies of emails to the embassy, a time line including the date of the visit to immingration and what was said. And copies of hospital documents. 

I would want to show that everything that was possible was done to get the passport.

On 12/31/2020 at 7:43 AM, AlexRich said:

My understanding was that, for income sourced overseas, you would only be liable to tax on income that you brought into Thailand during the same tax year.

 

If your earnings are paid into a bank in the UK then you are liable for UK tax. For example, I could live in Thailand but rent a number of houses in the UK. That UK sourced rent would still be subject to UK tax. 
 

I’m wondering if you set up a bank account in a foreign jurisdiction that doesn’t apply tax, and hold the funds until the next tax year, you might be able to legally avoid Thai tax? 

I agree, if it's paid to a UK account then, you would presume that you are self employed in the UK. 

It would be helpful to know what address is put on the invoice, that would be telling as to where you are declaring yourself self employed.

The bank account should be in the same country and the tax declaration also.

As far as I know, it isn't possible to declare yourself self employed (initialy) in a country that you are not living in. After setting up the paper work no one would know where you move on to, but at the start you would have to have an address in that country.

Also an invoice with very little fiscal/official information works in the UK but, just as an example, in Italy you could never issue one without a personal fiscal code, and a registered address. And the banks are linked to the Italian tax office so if you received payments they would know and you would be libel in Italy.

The link below, under exemptions, confirms the need for registration of the owner at the address for the exemption

https://www.mahanakornpartners.com/overview-of-the-thailand-land-and-building-tax-act-b-e-2562/

1 hour ago, BangkokAlan said:

This year owners had to pay property tax in Thailand for units they own and should have received the notice which showed the government valuation. For my unit even though i may have paid 3m the governments assessment was 20-30% below this on all my units. You can get an assessment from local tax office where your condo is based. Alternatively when you bought it you had to transfer funds from overseas and required a document from the bank called Tor Tor 3 to be able to transfer the property into your name. This shows that you transferred money into Thailand for the purpose of buying property and shows the amount in original currency, the exchange rate and Thai baht equivalent value.

 

Perhaps the TT3 could be used, alternatively get a property tax assessment from your tax office a property agent may help you get this for a small fee. 

I have read  that there are exemptions for properties valued less than 10m, and residential properties. 

Tax exemptions

Property owners can be exempted from the land and building tax if they fall under the following categories:

• Agricultural land worth up to 50 million baht (US$1.5 million);
• Land or building used for residential purposes and is worth up to 50 million baht (US$1.5 million) (the owner’s name should be on the deed of the property);
• The building is used for residential purposes and is worth up to 10 million baht (US$318,000) (the owner’s name should be on the deed of the property); and
• Individual owners of agricultural properties – they will be exempt from land and property tax for the tax period 2020-2023.

https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/thailands-new-land-building-tax-act/#:~:text=In March 2019%2C the Thai,pay land and building tax.

Does anyone have different info? 

Thanks

16 hours ago, timendres said:

Do you get a tax bill for the condo? If so, then it would seem that the tax bill would state the valuation that the tax is based on. Barring that, I assume your original purchase price was lower than the 3M you look to demonstrate?

Is tax due only on when receiving income from rentals?

7 hours ago, RichCor said:

 

I think bigginhill was offering a suggestion to the thread OP (author).

 

Yea, if it were me I think I'd be continuously trying to renew the 1-yr extension, even if it only gave you 7 days, to preserve the ability to renew the 1-yr extension for the one year once the OP receives their new passport   ...accepting any other type of extension may prevent renewal ...but given the current covid-19 circumstances, who really knows what Immigration may or may not be willing to do for long-term permission.

Exactly what I meant! Thank you.

Maybe I have got this wrong and maybe it's a contorted solution but..

Do extension from 25th to 3rd Dicember

I have done retirement extensions for less than an year. Immigration wants to know why and makes you fill in a form saying that you are asking for that date. 

New passport arrives during this time.

Re do extension when new passport arrives. 

Immigration benefits from double fees for more or less the same time frame (give a week or so)

I would go and explain. Or ask a agent if they could do the first step, and you do the second. 

Good luck

Should it be necessary, I have read of companies that sell just the flight bookings, just the booking not the flight. They are used apparently for who needs an itinerary for a visa. 

I've googled a couple of names, getitinerary.com and flightreservationforvisa.com. but  there are more. They seem inexpensive, maybe wise to keep in in your pocket and pull out in case of necessity. 

Good luck

5 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

After all that bashing I did not want to post this , but just 4 u :

Yes  you can apply for this in the country . if you already got a non - O Visa , immigration will change that to O-X .

Post # 36 gives the correct info . Even on a tourist Visa , you should be able to get the O-X  at Immigration .

Ubonjoe was wrong .

But you need to have the 3m already for a year in a fixed account before you can apply for the O-X .

 

 

Thanks and did they tell you if the sum needs to be maintained in full for the entire 5yrs? 

If the answer is that it can be accessed, how much and when can you access it?

Also, when the following 5yr extension is applied for what sum needs to be on the account?

Edit ; the link https://www.legal.co.th/resources/visa-immigration-law/thailand-immigration-law/o-x-visa-long-term-retirement-thailand/ says that 1.5m in the second year, do you have confirmation of this?

Thanks

16 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Would be interesting to know how many foreigners are trapped outside Thailand and can't come back to their 'great investments' due to the closed borders.

And if a renter is trapped outside Thailand? The rent has to be paid on their place anyway. 

You always have to have a roof over your head, with ownership eventually it's paid for, instead who rents will always have to pay the rent. 

Pro and cons, a renter can walk away. Or for others security is priceless.

An owner more often than not, over a period of time, can make a profit if they sell (or through increase in value or the difference in the exchange rate).

Each to their own.

I personally want to know that in my old age I have a roof over my head.

4 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Thais usually see things black and white so I would not think they care wether a Italian is from the north or south, just that you are Italian. 

Found this ;

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thais-clarify-quarantine-orders-for-visitors-from-high-risk-areas

Seems to say the quarantine is advised, not enforced. 

Hi, anyone have any first hand knowledge of arrivals from Italy (not the north corona virus hit areas) 

This link was as of the 6th march https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/03/06/world/asia/06reuters-health-coronavirus-thailand.html

You would have your temperature measured and allowed in, no quarantine, if not coming from the Italian red zone.

As of today, 

http://www.viaggiaresicuri.it/country/THA    says passengers from Italy must auto quarantine at home or in hotel, and especially those from the red zone areas ( north of Italy) have to fill in a form so they may be contacted. 

The first part sounds like all italians but this last bit about those from the north having to fill in contact form, which if every Italian had to auto quarantine they would have these details. This makes me wonder if Italians from the south are exempt from the quarantine. 

Anyone know anything for sure?

Thanks ( and yes I know that things can change) 

On 8/22/2019 at 5:26 AM, triffid said:

i shall be leaving 3-4 months before current extension date, so prior extension is not possible.

 

what is setv?

 

i am willing to get the 30-day airport visa and go to immigration for conversion to retirement etc if that's would pose no problems or uncertainty.

I would go in 3 or 4 months before you leave, tell them that you have an urgent family problem and if the cannot renew your extensio  so far in advance, keeling tje same expiry date, that you would be happy to accept a renewal from the date of request for 12 months. It would bring forward your annual renewal date, I don.t know if that would be a problem for you. 

I have found that as long as you are not asking effectively for more than 12 months they don t mind doing this. 

7 hours ago, 007 RED said:

If he has been transported from Phuket up to IDC in Bangkok, then the moment he was booked into IDC his mobile phone will have been taken away.  It will be returned when he eventually boards his flight out of the Kingdom.  So for now he can only communicate with the outside world via payphones which are available within IDC.

 

His first, and highest, priority will be to arrange, and pay, for a flight back to his home country - it is extremely unlikely that Immigration will allow him to fly to anywhere else e.g. a neighbouring country.

 

As @mtls2005 has indicated above, there are no direct flights from Bangkok to Athens and this will necessitate the IDC assigned 'travel agent' negotiating with two (or more) airlines to accept the OP for transportation.

 

Hopefully he will provide some feedback when he get back home.

007 RED, if you cannot access your phone on IDC, how does it work? Can you only phone telephone numbers you know by heart, or can you access your phone to copy the number down? If you need a lawyer can you access the internet to search for a lawyer? 

Or are you entirely dependent on remembering the number of a person that is clever enough to find you all the help you need? 

Same with money, if you have money on an online account but you cannot transfer that to the jail account?

All depends on your memory of telephone numbers? And that the person you call answers you seeing an unknown thai telephone number. 

Who would you call at 1am with little battery when you,ve fell off a cliff?..https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3971370/amp/Man-clung-branch-two-hours-falling-80ft-cliff-managed-call-friends-help-SECONDS-phone-ran-battery.html

9 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Depends on the office you go to. Most would probably want to see originals. The main thing most offices will want is an official translation of your name.

It,s on the back of the certificate I believe. 

So if I got a translation of my name I should make sure it,s the same one they put on certificate.