MW72

 

Well I came here to spend time on beaches and not pay Tax. Turns out I spend more time in the Mountains and riding my motorbike than seeing the beach. But there is a lot to say for Thai golf courses. I also enjoy the food.

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NOt paying any Tax sounds good.

Is it legal?

If your Canadian and work offshore and don't visit Canada for more than 90 days a year then yes.

 

I think you might be in for a bit of a shock.

"Factual Resident

A factual resident is one who maintains residential ties in Canada while living or working abroad. Residential ties are considered things such as;

a home in Canada

a spouse or common law spouse and/or children who remain in Canada

personal property, such as furniture or an automobile

social ties in Canada

As a factual resident, your income is taxed as if you never left Canada and you must report your worldwide income."

I'm from the UK so I can't say for sure what the law is in Canada but from what Scottythai says it sounds like the same rule as the UK has. I have a home in Scotland, a bank account etc, etc. I work overseas and spend less than 90 days in the UK each year so I don't have to pay tax. I am classed as ordinarily resident and submit tax returns each year declaring how much I earn and how many days I have been in the UK. Being doing this for 8 years and not paid a penny of tax. Even better the tax man refunded me tax that I paid on the interest of my savings.

Can you bring me a box of Regal (normal, not them King Size ones what are for Jessies).

Cheers.

Regal Filters. They were my favourite when was younger. I am working overseas and get duty free Regal King Size for about £15 a carton of 200. I've just quit though so I won't be smoking them again

I flew into Swampy in October 13 and had 2 cartons of 200 in my hold luggage and had no problems. Just enough for my 2 weeks off work.

I had a great day with a good friend and all of his in laws on a farm in Issan with 2 fish pools. We fished and drank beer all day, ate bananas, coconuts and mango straight from the trees built a fire to cooked the fish. One of the most relaxing and enjoyable days I've had on holiday.

When in Phrae at the gfs home a walk in the forest, swimming in the waterfalls or bathing in the hot springs. The countryside in Thailand is great for relaxing. You don't have to do the tourist thing or spend a fortune to have fun.

We always spend a couple of nights in the city at the start of the holiday. We enjoy going out for meals or going to a show but we are both country folks at heart. There's only so much of the hectic city life I can take. I must be getting old

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For Thailand, I am considered an old hag, but for other lands, I am at the perfect age, so any topic is fine for discussion.

what age is old hag for Thailand?

30 something

I better not show this to the gf. She is 34 and IMO young and beautiful. Certainly no old hag.

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For Thailand, I am considered an old hag, but for other lands, I am at the perfect age, so any topic is fine for discussion.

So what age are you? I'm 41.

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I'm 41 too.. We must be like brothers or something.

Lets form a sub forum for 41yr olds !!

This sounds like a great idea but I would be kicked out in 4 months when I turn 42

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Yes being ellected gives a government the power to rape and pillage the states coffers and hand out justice aimed at getting one man home.. OH i forgot they also make up fake G2G transactions to cover their tracks .. or even worse buy the rice cheap and resell it to the government again(also possible)

In a normal democraty the government would step down and let the corruption be investigated while those who are being investigated stay far away and usually step down during the investigation.

Guess what... this elected government does not do that.. its as democratic as Russia / North Korea / Iran

What a ridiculous post. In Russia youcan not express freely your opinion. Gays are being haunted. Iran is a medieval Moslim regime where people get hanged for nothing. N Korea you can not move around freely. Thailand is open one can express his opnions travel without restrictions. Change jobs. Chose to live the life you want. The comparison is sick and insane. Here is no regime or dictatorship. In contrary.......

Shameless hypocrites is what they are. In the U.S there is legalized corruption called lobbying. And no one is stepping down there. Spain just had a major scandal were the treasure of state has been sent to prison for corruption, and the president did not step down.

There seems to be corruption in all types of societies and governments including the western governments. It seems no matter how rich some people are tthey will always want more. I believe this to be a human fault and not down to any particular belief or political leaning.

The difference between the UK (where I am from so I can speak from experience) and a country like Thailand is the level to which corruption seeps into every level of society. Yes there are corrupt businessmen and politicians in the UK but due to our laws and a whistle blower culture there will be fewer of them and when caught out they are punished (some would say not enough). If pulled over by the police for a driving offence in the UK you will not be able to offer him money to make him forget it. If you do you will end up in a cell for the night before going to court the next day. From what I read it is common in Thailand to pay off the cops to let you go on your way. I am sure that as democracy evolves in Thailand then the level of corruption will diminish however it is a cancer which has to be fought and that starts at the top with politicians from all sides. No one should be above the law.

For Thailand, I am considered an old hag, but for other lands, I am at the perfect age, so any topic is fine for discussion.

So what age are you? I'm 41.

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You know in the American culture, it is considered rude to ask women for their age. You should be able to figure out my age based on the information I gave you.

I'm not American and that is an old fashioned idea. Is it rude in Thai culture to ask a women her age? Thais ask many questions which would be considered to be rude in other cultures. I like to think I am a modern thinking guy who believes in equality of the sexes. I'm sure some would disagree with me. I think if you wish people to disclose their age to you then you should be willing to reciprocate.

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For Thailand, I am considered an old hag, but for other lands, I am at the perfect age, so any topic is fine for discussion.

So what age are you? I'm 41.

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Thailand is a third world country, most Thai ladies behave accordingly. If you think anything different you are fooling yourself, for them farangs are there for topping up their family income, you are an ATM, how dare you speak

Crap.

+1. The describing of Thailand as a 'third world country' is a routine error on TV - can only ever be said by people who have no idea at all what a genuine 'third world country' is like.

Never a truer word spoken. I've worked in Ethiopa and Afghanistan and the folks there would think that life in Thailand was a dream.

Took these photos when I stayed in a hotel up north. I am a plumber by trade so I found this installation amusing.

The healthiest food I eat is when I'm in Thailand. It may be the fact that my gf eats really well but we always eat loads of fresh fruit and vegetables, nearly always boiled rice and loads of fresh seafood. We sometimes have stir fries but in moderation. I've never eaten so much healthy food before. Yes when we visit BKK and I'm drunk I can't resist the kebabs from the street carts but I think the amount of beer I've consumed is more damaging than the kebabs Even if your in a mall and go to MK for a meal there's loads of fresh veg and sea food and it's all boiled not fried. I spent 2 weeks up north in the countryside in November and I didn't see salt on the table once in any restaurant or home we visited and we could see the food being prepared in most places.

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In western countries you learn already in school about humanity,about to be patient,you learn how to respect other people and cultures,they teach you also to be responsible for your doing.In western countries they teach you to obey laws and orders.In western countries you have one government who is responsible for all this.In western world we have the yr 2013,Thailand is still in 17 or 1813,Thailand stands still,no development

at all.Nobody obeys laws and orders, in Thailand,every rule has an exception..

The constitution of Thailand is a joke,Could you imagine the constitution of UK would has a passage what says the queen and her family are untouchable?Could you imagine

US army would build a state in a state?Could you imagine high class and rich people

have influence on the daily life in a democratic country?Exceptions like that keep Thailand in democratic stone age.I’m not a Thaksin friend,but he tried to do the right thing,He tried to take the power away from the establishment,his reasons for that are maybe not that great,but my thinking is once the establishment and old rules are away,then the way for development is open.Thailand should get a new westernized

constitution,Thailand should ban all current politicians for future elections,but after all here is Asia and it’s there country,so they can do whatever they like to do,and maybe we as westerners should not put our noses into their business

Are you from the UK? The UK does not have a constitution and the Queen is untouchable. She could murder someone live on TV and she cannot be prosecuted. That's why all us Brits are subjects and not citizens. As for your comment on high class and rich people influencing western democracies, come on are you for real? Big businesses pour million of £, €, $ a year into lobbying and paying off politicians to get laws made that suit them and help them make even more profit. I don't want to be offensive but your comment seem very naive.

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The Thais do indeed drive on the "right" side unless they drive on the "wrong" side as is often the case!

By the way there are no 30 day tourist visas !

Just for clarification, when I say that the Thais drive on the right side I mean the correct side which is the left side and not the right side which is the wrong side. Unless of course they are driving a motorbike then anything goes. I hope I've made that clear enough

When I travel to Thailand I don't need a visa before I go. I automatically get to stay 30 days as a tourist so technically I don't have a visa.

I'm no expert on Thai politics. I just think the whole thing is damaging for the country. I don't think there is any doubt that there has been massive corruption but at the same time I am uncomfortable with the other side trying to depose a democratically elected government. I mean they are talking about doing away with democracy and having an unelected peoples council. Sounds a bit like China to me.

As far as the red side bribing the poor to vote for them, I was visiting my friend a few weeks back and his wife told me that both parties offered her 500 Baht to vote for them. She took the money from both and didn't vote.

For any proper legal advice go to Magna Carta law firm if you are in Pattaya. Extremely reliable and reputable. There are a few falangs working there and one is English and another chap called Peter is Irish.

I've never been to Pattaya. I will spend a few days in BKK before heading up north to Phrae province. If anyone knows any recommended law firms in BKK, Phrae or even Chiang Mai then these would be more suitable for me. Cheers.

Go to your nearest Thai consulate and get the most 60 day reentry's you can Mine was three of them in Canada. I think it is down to two of them now. You won't need a lawyer the consulate will walk you through it. Each 60 day can be extended 30 more days when you get here by just going into immigration and paying them I believe it is 1,900 baht. There by giving you 180 or 270 days.

Go to where you want to live and settle in for a while and make sure it is what you want. The last thing you want to do is buy some thing you can not walk away from in your early time here. Plenty of time for a lawyer if indeed you need one.

One other item that I use and has helped me to stay happy most of the time is

The Thais are not right and they are not wrong they are just different enjoy the difference.

There is one exception to that. Most of the time they drive on the wrong side of the road.

You might want to check out the immigration forum here.

I don't work in the UK. I only have a house there so I will likely just go straight from work to Thailand so the consulate is not a good option for me. It seems to me that my 30 day tourist visa is adequate for my needs just now. Another 8 years or so and I can look at a retirement visa. The other option is the marriage visa but it's a little too early for that yet. Good advice on making sure I buy in an area I like. I have been to the girlfriends family home before and I do like the area but I will likely look at renting first and take my time to get the right place to buy. It's a very rural area so renting may not be too easy but seems the best way forward to start with.

The only thing I would disagree with you on is that the Thais drive on the wrong side. It's you that's on the wrong side Another reason I love the place.

For any proper legal advice go to Magna Carta law firm if you are in Pattaya. Extremely reliable and reputable. There are a few falangs working there and one is English and another chap called Peter is Irish.

I've never been to Pattaya. I will spend a few days in BKK before heading up north to Phrae province. If anyone knows any recommended law firms in BKK, Phrae or even Chiang Mai then these would be more suitable for me. Cheers.

'Sound Advice' ....... Try Bose, Wharfdale, Harmon Kadon or the like. Plenty of up market stereo shops in BKK too.

Okay, I'll grab my hat.....

Funny you should mention that I to live in Chiang Mai and was just the other day thinking of the possibility of getting a quality one here in Chiang Mai.

I guess I best grab my hat and follow you.

To the OP hope you notice we can and do on occasion enjoy a little laugh here on TV with out being mean or hurtful.

I like a bit of humour thrown in It beats reading all the negative comments.

IMA_FARANG, thanks for the advice. I am from the UK. I can easily enter Thailand just now on a 30 day tourist visa so no issues there. My job means that I won't need more than 30 days at a time but I am just planning for the future if things work out with my Thai girlfriend. I appreciate the advice on foreigners losing their money. I have read a few sad tales in different forums which is why I want to get the best advice on how I can ensure I am covered legally if I buy property. I know 2 guys in Thailand and one is happily married with kids and a beautiful house in the country. The other one spent all his life savings on a house in his girlfriend's name and once it was finished she ditched him and now he is back in the UK working at the age of 60 and he doesn't have a penny to his name.

Well I have a Thai wife and yes she costs me money. She was working but what she was earning was not worth the inconvenience it caused, Today we do and go as we please provided the money is always there. for the most part it has been.

When I came over the second time I went to the Thai Consulate in Vancouver B C Canada and got a 60 day multiple reentry. It allowed me to enter the country 3 times. I did not have Thai Visa to explain to me that on each 60 day I could go to immigration and get it extended by 30 days. Thereby having 270 days here with only having to walk across the border and come back into Thailand twice. The one time in Mai Sai took me 10 minutes.

As has been said several times here and you seem to think differently. You can not own land in Thailand. You can own a house but you can not own the land it is on.

If you were to set up a bussiness and have at least four Thai emploies you wouldd then be able to have the company own the house. You can how ever buy and own a condo.

You talk about one friend being happy here and another being taken to the cleaners. Yes that happens a lot. But look at the people being taken to the cleaners. Most of them are lonely and willing to try thijngs they would never try at home. Many of them meet there true love in the bar she is working in and several months later are married. Do they do that at home?

Don't get me wrong there are many marriages here as any where welse in the world that are started with all the right things going for them but the people tend to drift apart. That is a world wide phenomena. Not just a Thai thing. Also there are many happy ones such as your friend and I have. Remember it is the squeaky wheel that gets the greece. Most of them are well lubricated and don't make a lot of noise about it.

Many of them involve a big age difference. As the older one ages they slow down or change their priorites and the younger one is still in the active part of their life they were in when the older one met them and he was still in his active part. soon to change directions.

As you mentioned the age difference I thought I should say that the guy I know who got taken to the cleaners was at least 30 years older than his gf. My friend who is happily married is only 6 years older than his wife. They have their ups and down like any married couple but they work at it and are generally happy. I'm 41 and my gf is 34. We've been together for 2 years now and so far so good.

My Thai wife and I just had our12th anniversary. In February we will of been together for 15 years. She is the best thing that ever happened to me.

I hope I am as lucky as you but then I doubt it was luck that kept you together. Lots of hard work and compromise.

If you read enough of these posts here after a while you start to see a trend,,,

You can say there's one born every day (you take a number, it's your turn now)

If you read enough of these posts you will read that there are many of "you" but there

are many of "us" that are now looking to leave this country for many reasons, so i would

read very closely the posts and advice on this POST because i would agree with the

majority of them, they are mostly all correct in their advice, my version after 7 years

here is that if you are not cashed up or have a steady income stream then you will be

in serious trouble in the future, Thailand will drain you financially and emotionally and

eventually you will fall into a whirlpool of insecurity, you need someone or something

to fall back on should things go wrong,,, in the western world we call it insurance but in

Thailand, is it called love.

" Thailand will drain you financially and emotionally and

eventually you will fall into a whirlpool of insecurity ..."

Hardly anyone here wants to take responsibility for his own poor decisions. Far easier to blame everything on Thailand and those sophisticated Thai women who out-smarted them.

There do seem to be quite a few farang here who have married Thai women and who are quite happy with their lives together. I wonder what the difference is between them and the incessant whiners.

I like your point of view. I know plenty of guys in the UK whose wives have taken them to the cleaners so this is not just a trait with Thai women. The bottom line is if I spend my money and lose it all then that's my call. I just want to invest carefully and get advice from the guys who have previous experience both good and bad.

Here's good advice: Don't move to Thailand because of a woman. Move to Thailand because you really love it there and want to be in Thailand and can take even the downsides because of it.

Good advice. Even if I split with the gf tomorrow I would still be looking to live in Thailand. This is a long term plan for me. I loved the place before I met the gf and I don't fancy growing old in the UK. I have spent most of my time in Thailand out in the countryside and not in the cities. It is the countryside, the food and the people I like. The gf is a major bonus also

Thanks ubonjoe & 96tehtarp, I'll check out those links and Sunbelt. Much appreciated.

IMA_FARANG, thanks for the advice. I am from the UK. I can easily enter Thailand just now on a 30 day tourist visa so no issues there. My job means that I won't need more than 30 days at a time but I am just planning for the future if things work out with my Thai girlfriend. I appreciate the advice on foreigners losing their money. I have read a few sad tales in different forums which is why I want to get the best advice on how I can ensure I am covered legally if I buy property. I know 2 guys in Thailand and one is happily married with kids and a beautiful house in the country. The other one spent all his life savings on a house in his girlfriend's name and once it was finished she ditched him and now he is back in the UK working at the age of 60 and he doesn't have a penny to his name.

Hi folks. I am a newbie to Thai Visa and I am hoping some of the more experienced UK expats can give me some sound advice. I have been to Thailand a few times in the last 3 years and I intend to go back in April next year for Songkran. Yes, I have fallen for a lovely Thai woman and I am thinking about spending more time in the country. It seems to me that it is pretty hard to obtain a Thai visa and without one, buying property and opening up bank accounts seems almost impossible depending on who you talk to. Can anyone recommend a good English speaking lawyer in Bangkok that I can visit when I go out next and get advice on visas, property ownership, setting up a company etc. etc.

Your advice on this minefield is greatly appreciated.