glamont002

To clear up the confusion. Medpark has 2 registrations. On 16 July I registered with them for AZ and the earliest available date was 7 August which I selected and promptly got an email confirmation.

Medpark was apparently allocated a portion of the USA donated Pfizer by the Foreign Ministry for foreigners over age 60 (only available from 10 August forward). Registration opened via the thailandintervac.com site on 2 August. I signed up and was able to select Pfizer (other options were AZ and Sinovac). Earliest date was 11 August at 21:00 hour). I selected that and got immediate email confirm also saying “Prefers Pfizer-BioNTech”. Since time was after curfew, they even sent a statement in Thai to show the police.

I cancelled my 7 August appointment so as not to take a slot that would go unused.

Today I got another email from them

With the recent announcement on the continuation of curfew hours, we realized that everyone may want a bit more flexibility to be able to get home a little earlier. Because of this, we’ve moved your appointment up so it is earlier in the day. And to give you flexibility, you can choose to get vaccinated at Medpark any day from 10 - 12 August, 2021 at any time between 08:00 to 19:00 hrs.

The upshot ids if you registered before 2 August you had no choice but it was AZ. If after that you could select Pfizer.

Go to Thailandintervac.com as it seems there are still open options including Bumrungrad.

Bangkok Hospital no appointment needed. 950 THB

I have a USD account at Bangkok Bank (easy to open if you already have a Baht account there). I have my US bank transfer dollars to the BB account. BB charges nothing for that (i.e. transfer $5k and $5k appears in the account). Then when needed I simply transfer from USD to the Baht account. No fees again and get that days FX rate and BB always seems to have the best FX rates. Also I am lucky that Etrade my US bank charges nothing for the outbound transfer  as not all US banks do that. In summary get dollars here with no fees.

Ubonjoe

The link to the requirements you posted seem to only apply to someone with tourist visa (1.1) or someone visa exempt for say 30 day (1.2). If you have a current non O-A can you change to non O here in Thailand?  Or do you have to leave and come back on 30 day exempt and then apply for non O?

Thai Income Tax Issue

In the past if you got an embassy letter saying you had at least 65k Baht in say pension income you were OK for the extension. No actual requirement that the 65k needed to be shown as coming into Thailand each month.

New rule must show the deposit in Thai bank each month and get bank letter to certify.

Thai personal tax law is a bit peculiar. Foreign income is only subject to Thai income tax if it is remitted into Thailand in the same year it is earned (the the applies to both Thai citizens and expats). The easy way around the tax was to be able to say the monet brought in say in 2018 was actually earned in 2017, thus not taxable. Since money is fungible there would really have been no way for the Revenus Department to challenge such an assertion (other than if you were getting a direct deposit each month from your oversees pension to your Thai account). Many people had there pension deposited in their oversees account and brought it in as needed. But now the pension (or at 65k a month) will need to go direct to your Thai bank account. Can no longer argue it was actually earned in prior year.

I wonder how long it will take for the Thai Revenue Department to catch on to this? The Revenue Department, if they were smart, could coordinate with the Immigration Department to to get the retails and amounts of your monthly income sent into Thailand.

Could be some nasty surprises ahead if they get smart.......  Another reason to go with the 800k on deposit method!

Hua Hin requires translated passport which then must be then stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok which then must be notarized at the US Embassy. Also translated names of mother and father (but not stamped). A royal pain the butt. The crazy thing is when you get the "pink card" it is all in Thai. While a Thai ID is in both English and Thai.

Income earned offshore --for both a Thai citizen and a foreigner resident in Thailand-- is only taxable in Thailand if the income is brought into Thailand in the year earned. Quite a loop hole. So if you have a pension paid into an offshore account, capital gains, interest, dividends earned in an offshore account they are not taxable here if not remitted into Thailand in the year earned. It is a totally stupid rule (TIT) because money is fungible so how do you prove (more importantly how would the Revenue Department prove) what income is brought in and from what year. Uninforcable and they do not even try. Wealthy Thais exploit this rule and use investment accounts in tax havens like Hong Kong to avoid paying tax anywhere. BTW-- I am a tax partner here with an international accounting firm and not one of the arm chair idiots who comment on thigs they know nothing about......

Or could it be Nepal is just another country worried about Thai air safety?

Good April Fools one. But not quite as good as last year --switching to drive on right side of the road.

There are no commercial flights to Hua Hin from anywhere. Only charter flights.

Last week was the inaugural Thailand Golf Classic at Black Mountain. An excellent event to promote Hua Hin. Many top golfers from the European and Asian tours attended. Most stayed in town at the Intercontinental Hotel and where taken by van or shuttle to the course. How was their experience (as well as the experience of the many visitors who came to watch?

Well I am sure they enjoyed the ride. They were driven through town and then turned off the bypass road and past the Hua Hin Dog Shelter. The road leading to the dog shelter was somewhat fixed last year when His Majesty the King paid a visit. Past the shelter the fun begins. Rounding the bend past the big temple they experienced the one of the worst rutted roads in all of Thailand. Pot holes big enough to swallow a small car. Then they turned left onto the road to Black Mountain. I am sure they were travelling slowly due to the numerous potholes so they were able to take in a wonderful view of the litter and rubbish strewn roadside. But they were probably bouncing around so much that maybe they could not take in all the scenery…… I’m sure a few tooth fillings were jarred lose on the ride.

Does anyone think the town leaders were embarrassed by this? Not a chance!

Hua Hin has some of the worst roads of any major tourist destination in Thailand. How mush money was wasted on the repaving and rerouting of Phetkasem road through town? Making U-turn lanes and then ripping them up and two weeks later to start again with a new design. Then yet again. It took months for them to paint the white lines showing the traffic what lanes to use (not that most Thai drivers follow line anyway). Within weeks the white lines turned back due to the poor quality of the asphalt, which contained too much tar and blacked the lines. Now they are all but impossible to see. Total chaos on the road. Seems each day some imbecile puts out traffic cones at different place along the road and at the U-turns, so each day is a new adventure.

Are any of the town leaders embarrassed or concerned by this? Mai Pen Rai.

Lastly a dig at Black Mountain. While all in all the tournament was enjoyable once you survived the trip there, there were some fiascos that Black Mountain needs to address next year (assuming any one comes back). First how about a big sign directly visitors to the off site parking by the water park? Most everyone turned into Black Mountain only to be told to turn around and go back out to the parking. Next the total havoc and chaos at the end on Sunday when the pick up point for the shuttle vans to the parking was totally jammed with no one capable of directing traffic and cars, vans and busses parked to as to make it unmanuverable. Most visitors were forced to walk to the parking lot. Even many Thais who probably had their first experience of walking more than 20 meters…….

I fin it amazin how bad da spellin is on many poats on the Thai Visa web sait. Their ar many imbasiles out ther. Mabe Thai Visa could ad a spel chek feture?

Amazing Thailand Strikes Again -- Total Insanity!!!

It was reported in the Bangkok Post 2 weeks ago that the governor of PKK province had ordered a "clean up" of illegal beach chairs and other facilities on Hua Hin beaches. I did not take it seriously. Well it has begun.

I live in HH and go to the beach at Khao Takiab 2 times a week. I always go to the same spot, a family restaurant run by a very nice Thai lady. They have chairs and umbrellas for 50 Baht. Yesterday everything was gone. She told ne the "army" had come and told all of the establishments (about 10 of them) that all of their chairs, umbrellas, etc. had to be removed permantly by August 13. She decided to do it sooner. The owner of the very small place next to her told me that right after the Queens birthday weekend she had to even dismantle her little resturant because it was technically on the beach.

So by the middle of next week there will be no place to get a chair. It is low season now, but come high season when there are literally hundreds of tourists who have been used to being able to rent a chair and umbrella will find they have to sit in the sand. They don't want to sit in the sand. Are they going to come back or will their next holiday be to a place that is more tourist friendly?

This will be economically a disaster for the many dozens of Thais who earn their livings from providing services on the beach. These are working class Thais and not "mafia" types like in Phuket and Pattaya. What are these poeple going to do now?

I asked if this stupidity could be appealed to the HH mayor and was told he can do nothing. It is the army decision and nothing can be done.

Complete and utter insanity. Destroy the tourist industry in Hua Hin and put Thais out of honest work. Amazing Thailand!

I am a member at Majestic and the course is in good shape. Palm Hills (which I do think is a nice course) has a promotion until end of June--1.300 for greens fee, caddy and cart all in. I would also suggest Royal Hua Hin which is the oldest course in Thailand. A bit rough around the edges, but quite beautiful with many old graceful trees (and no water....). Royal has discounted greens fee of 800 on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Banyon is beautiful but expensive and quite difficult. Enjoy.

I live in HH and I got caught up in this stupidity. The way they set the one way streets was causing people to go in circles. Total chaos. It worked perfectly fine before they messed it up. If it ain't broke, don't fix it seems lost on the imiciles down here. The traffic police here are morons. Even before this latest blunder, they routinely block off turns on to the main drag. So if you want to go south you must go north first and then all north bound traffic is backed up because half the cars are now trying to make a U turn to head back south...... When the idiot in the police box takes control of the traffic lights, watch out, it backs up traffic in all directions. I often think its a game the cops in box play to see how many cars they can get backed up before changing the light to green. Then they turn it red in 20 seconds.

Have you ever noticed how gracefully and easy Thai people can get out of their shoes when entering a house? Most times it is because they never put their foot all the way in the shoe-- be it flip flops, Croks, etc. Look at you will see half the folks have about 2-3 cm of their heel hanging over the end of the shoe. You see many Thais with shoes that have heels backs and they step them down and use them like slip on shoes. Quite uncomfortable I am sure but its simply so they can get them off easy. The questions is why don't they just buy slip on shoes in the first place? But TIT....