cliveshep

So I did my usual and tried to book an appointment for my annual extension visa based on marriage to a Thai girl. To my surprise there were no slots available for the entire month to 16th March. Every one booked. The booking period is a month or 28 days or whatever, and the day I logged in was day one. That was a bit disconcerting but my beloved is one smart cookie - she told me to sit up late until after midnight when the month moves up one day which would be vacant as the availability would only be a minute or so old. So I did and sure enough the slot moved up one day a minute or so after midnight, and the last day had no bookings whatsoever and I was able to snag the time I wanted. So finally yesterday I was able to go in with my wife, we had to fill in 4 extra forms and sign them - no idea what they were for, my wife did the filling in of hers and mine, I just said "yes dear" and signed where she told me. The expiry date is 5th April but as that is a Saturday they instructed to go on the 8th April for the stamp, a Tuesday. Got so say Mondays are crazy traffic driving in, we don't live that far away but still took 2 hours almost. Appointment 11.00am, we were out by 12.00.

At 2000 baht a time does he think he has a bargain? I presume they do fine him as I've heard happens to others.?

I've been here for a number of years now, but up until last year was unaware of a system in place to book an appointment so for many years suffered the excruciatingly slow hang around and wait process. Last year we heard about the booking appointment process, what a difference that made. So now we are booking an appointment.

Oh do come on you guys - it was written in humour as far as complaining is concerned, I think I made the point fairly that it is much preferred to going to CM or wasting effort, petrol and postage money driving to post all the photocopies needed. And Dr Jack - if you read the advice given by the Immigration Bureau it is responsible for getting previous refusals necessitating travelling in to CM. The link was on another 90 day thread, already 74 pages long if I remember correctly. And you are correct, when I asked for advice on that thread what I got was also wrong or contradictory. It was the I.O who gave me the only correct advice not withstanding what CM have said in the on-line document they posted. When I pointed out their own publication said something totally different she got a bit shirty but she was right for all that.

CM Immigration's so-called 90-day is an incorrect scam if you apply online. You have a window of on-line application, which is BETWEEN 15 days BEFORE expiry TO 7 days BEFORE expiry - so only a 7 day window. Outside of that window and your on-line application will be rejected - ask me how I know this? So let's say you apply for the renewal 15 days before expiry, your receipt and acceptance when it comes back will be dated 90 days from the date of application, so now your so-called 90 days is reduced to 75 days as you have lost 15 days of your old report time span. It gets better................................. So the next time you need to apply, again it must be in that 7 day window so if you apply 15 days before expiry once again the clock resets from that application date. So your 90 days is now again reduced to 75 days. So you lose a minimum of 7 days each time. So really they ought to call it a 75 day report assuming you apply 15 days before expiry but might be an 82 day report dependant on which day of each applicable window you apply. So far they do not charge for this because if they did it would be fraudulent. Tricky lot aren't they? Still, it doesn't matter really as one way or another you need to keep re-applying and as it costs nothing it's mai pen rai - right? And on-line still beats postal or having to trek in to that awful place and spend a whole day just hanging about. Talking of which - my appointment for extension renewal is next Monday - doesn't the year go quickly!? Must go, got to prepare my decimated rainforest 25 or more pages of necessary documentation in duplicate as CM demand. Don't know why they want 2 sets of almost the same stuff they get every year especially as the toilets now got automatic bum-sprays installed. Hey ho! Life, as they say, is not a bowl of cherries.

I got the same question but clearly as it is now March and you still haven't got an answer they are all asleep or hibernating. I'm going to 'phone them on Monday and ask as official advice says only GBP £ sterling is acceptable but I don't have a UK card any more and they don't accept cash I could get from a Bureau de Change. Google says they do accept Thai bank cards but I think better to phone and ask!

Thanks for that. Just looked on Google and no cash accepted BUT, and here is the crazy bit, contrary to what it appears to mean on the UK help pages apparently VFS take the payment in the local currency in Bkk. I'll phone the buggers on Monday and ask. It is stupid all the contradictory information from these government websites. Naturally I have a Thai debit card so if google is right they'll accept that - or not! As sooner or later every British Expat is going to have to deal with this I'll post the answer. But as so many have already renewed there surely one of them can explain how they paid?

Later in September or October I'll be paying for a British passport renewal at VFS Global in Bangkok. I'll be doing it in person. Guidance says they only accept payment in pounds sterling. My UK ban k debit card expires in June, they'll send a new one to my UK address where my daughter lives. She won't be coming here until November to bring it with her. Certainly not going to send it by courier as it would get "lost" on the way. The UK bank gave me loads of heartache once before so I do not want to involve them. My question is as VFS Global want payment in pounds sterling can I for simplicity just go to a Bureau de Change, change baht to sterling and pay in cash?

Logically, giving money to your immediate family with no demands or requirements can be nothing but gifts. Doing so to complete strangers can only be a tax evasion scam. So I think your idea is a fallacy.

My wife is only 41 so does that mean I cannot use her 60k? Well, I guess I can transfer 60k to her directly from the UK. As for gift rules, surely a monthly payment via WISE to a SIL is a gift, it is hardly payment for work, i.e. from a job so as said SIL is not married to me and not my responsibility then any money sent to her has to be a gift doesn't it?

Thank you so much. Right now I'm about thb14,000 over the threshold so the gift thing will pull the numbers down. You have no idea what a relief your answers are and I'm so thankful to you. Defo won't be filing any Thai tax return, one less chore.

Wow, does that mean I got 560,000 I can bring in tax free? Given my small pension if so that would cover it completely.

Sorry, old age plus a lot going on right now. Guess I missed it. No offence intended.

Can someone please help me out here? So many posts but cannot recall seeing anything definitive about actual allowances. I'm a retired Brit on a state pension, not large and much of it goes to support my wife's two spinster sisters. Given we are all struggling on one meagre UK basic pension and given the way the exchange rate has hit us badly I really want to know what allowances would be mine, and what the sisters. Thinking to transfer the pension in 3 sums, one to me, one to my wife (who is the one who spends it anyway as she is in charge of bills) and one to my sil. Thinking is if it is transferred from the UK to 3 people instead of just me the fees might cost a little more with WISE but all 3 would have allowances to set against the money. We just cannot afford to lose any more to uncontrolled bills. Trump has screwed the exchange rate it seems. So - what at age 79 would be the total amount I could transfer to my account before incurring a tax liability? Ditto my wife and ditto her sister. Some good and sound correct advice would enable me to split the pension sensibly whereas if I transferred it all to me as I have been doing and then disbursed it I could be into a world of grief perhaps?

She is 41 and does not work. Attempts to get a job fail because she is over 35 and Thai is an ageist society. Never mind she is fluent in English and has a UNI degree in Business Administration she is too old. So the idea was to work from home, she has heard of others making a living that way and given I am 38yrs older than her (we've been married for 14yrs and are still in love for those nay-sayers out there) she will need to support herself whenever I die. Sure she is beautiful still with great looks and figure and is smart and loyal but she has a poor opinion of Thai men and has heard bad things about Westerners so has discounted re-marriage. That is why if short term trading can work she would like to do it.