djeetyet

6 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Thanks so much! Where did you get this image from if I may ask? I looked all over. URL please.

I know this is very late, but can someone confirm that immigration offices are open tomorrow, May 1st? I know it's Labor Day and it's a bank holiday. But the other day I was at my local immigration office and was told to pick up my visa on May 1st. I double checked with them, asking wasn't that a holiday, and they said that they would definitely be open. However I am doubting if this is true. Does anybody know for a fact that local immigration offices are going to be open, or closed, on May 1st, 2024. I live an hours drive away from the office! Thank you.

My Skype account is funded and I use it regularly to call other 1-800 numbers with no problem. I have called after 8:00 p.m. Thailand time and still received the "only automated systems are available" message. I can't figure out why I am not getting through.

How can I call the IRS 1-800 toll-free from Thailand? I am using Skype on a PC. I know that I am supposed to call during "local time" hours, but how does that translate time wise for us living here in Thailand? I called at 6, 7, and 8 pm Thai time, but keep getting that they're closed and only automated services are available. 

I have the "267-941-1000 Monday through Friday from 6am to 8pm Eastern time" info, but it's NOT toll free.

Thanks

44 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

Btw, doesn't Schwab reimburse ATM fees? Why did you need cash advance in the first place?

Yes Schwab reimburses, but I find the cash advance most convenient and can get large sums of money rather than withdrawing many many times from the ATM machine

44 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

I believe they stopped doing cash advance on debit cards. So maybe they told you the truth.

Yes, it is a debit card. Do you have a link to this information?

2 hours ago, treetops said:

Did they even try the card or just wave you away with that excuse?

Yes, I believe they actually tried the card.

2 hours ago, TheAppletons said:

Have you tried using the card in an ATM to make a withdrawal?  If that works, then it's employee error.

 

(Since Schwab refunds 100% of all ATM fees, I'm wondering why you bother with the "cash advance" route when you can just withdraw from the ATM free of charge.  Your money, your choice, of course.)

I did not try the ATM machine as I like to withdraw one large amount rather than many smaller ATM machine withdrawals

Went to Bangkok Bank to use my Schwab debit card for a Cash Advance only to be told that my card no longer worked in their system. I have used this card before with no hassles. Has anyone else encountered this problem and is there a fix for it? 

If there has been a previous thread regarding this topic please leave a link. I searched and could not find one.

5 minutes ago, seajae said:

E-express M-mail S-service is now worse than thai post and the express part is absolute BS, also the last time we used them 2 boxes were badly damaged,  they can no longer be regarded as a safe, trusted, fast delivery service

Any suggested alternative?

19 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

We were advised in March that EMS will not send to US PO box address anymore due to non delivery/late delivery issues (as of sometime last year).  Alternative was a Thailand Post option (almost as expensive).  But expect IRS has heavy workload currently and that all will be OK with time.

Thank you for this response. You state "EMS will not send to US PO box address anymore" - but the envelope has already been sent and arrived at "Inward Office of Exchange (United States) International - USJFKA". It just hasn't moved since.

And, do you have more information on the "Alternative was a Thailand Post option (almost as expensive)" - name in Thai, etc?

I sent my 1040 and enclosed check to the IRS via EMS registered mail (not the 2-day mail) on March 20th. It arrived April 02 at the "Arrival at Inward Office of Exchange (United States) International - USJFKA" - and since then, NOTHING. The check has not cleared my bank. Anybody else have their registered mail stuck there? What happened?

<Not sure if this is the right forum or not - please move if necessary. Thanks>

1 hour ago, Tom100 said:

Pay.gov works best with Micosoft browser. Recently it did not work with Google Chrome

I believe you posted on my previous post about Thailand not being listed as a country. How did you resolve that?

When paying your passport renewal fee online it seems some links to Pay.Gov do NOT list Thailand as a country option. I just used:

https://www.pay.gov/public/form/entry/104/1156527186/

and it worked, listing Thailand, along with virtually all other countries.

On 1/6/2024 at 10:28 AM, Tom100 said:

The current Embassy instructions are not accurate and do not work,. The $130.00 payment cannot be made online from Thailand on Pay.gov. Thailand is NOT OFFERED as a choice for online payment.

https://www.pay.gov/public/form/entry/101/790155895/

Online payment is now required -- but online payment is not accepted from Thailand. What to do now? 

PS What may have worked in the past is not working now.

I encountered same problem. Use this URL:

https://www.pay.gov/public/form/entry/104/1156527186/

It worked for me on Jan 14, 2024.

44 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

Old Passport
- TWO DS 82 Passport renewal forms      one form  completed/signed
- ONE copy of Passport front page, i.e. bio page      no copies
- 2 passport sized photos
- Printed receipt of the Passport fee that comes via email
- Printed receipt of the "return envelope" fee that is also sent via email
- The printed BKK Embassy Passport renewal "Checklist" form - DS82    nope

new passport is really high tech    :-)
 

Thanks for your clarifications. Noted only one DS 82 needed.

On the Checklist page it states: Checklist must be completed and included in the package 
Current passport book and/or passport card (if applicable) Required, NO EXCEPTIONS
& one clear photocopy of bio-data page (my emphasis)
<<https://th.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/checklist-DS82-by-mail-online-payment_-passport-card-included-1080.pdf>> 

Is this information incorrect? The checklist does NOT need to be included in the package, nor a copy of the passport "Bio" page? Thanks.

Time to renew my American passport. Last time done at Pattaya outreach and so simple - but, times have changed. I'm trying to see if I've got the new process right. So, yeah, I'm trying to summarize the 9-step process outlined here:
<<https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/instructions-for-ds-82-processing-by-mail-and-online-fee-payment-for-u-s-citizens-residing-in-thailand/>>

I read lots of the previous Aseannow threads - thanks to all!

Seems like here's the deal. 

- Pay the U$130 passport fee online via US.pay.gov
- The return envelope is done through the Thailand Post Courier Pass Back online services and paid online, too 

<<https://www.thailandpostmart.com/product/1013460000929/Courier-Pass-Back-envelope/>> 

Then send to US BKK embassy via EMS or Courier service:
- Old Passport
- TWO DS 82 Passport renewal forms
- ONE copy of Passport front page, i.e. bio page
- 2 passport sized photos
- Printed receipt of the Passport fee that comes via email
- Printed receipt of the "return envelope" fee that is also sent via email
- The printed BKK Embassy Passport renewal "Checklist" form - DS82

Have I got this right? Am I forgetting anything?

On 9/29/2023 at 11:03 AM, Olmate said:

Today? May I ask the rate? ATM  normal fee is 220bht  for non bank ATM

Sorry for the slow response but the transaction took a few days to clear, probably because it was on a weekend. I withdrew 10,000B on Friday morning Sept 29th around 9 a.m. from the ATM machine in front of BKK bank. It cleared 10/02/2023. Here's what showed up in my transaction history:
 
10,000B ATM Withdrawal BANGKOK BANK: -$279.93. 
SCHWAB ATM REBATE ATM SURCHARGE WAIVED: $6.03 (credit) 
So, $279.33 - $6.03 = $273.30
10,000B/273.30 = 1U$ : 36.59B

I think a decent exchange rate. So, this worked fine, but not really efficient for transferring large sums. I am still waiting for the "Cash Advance" machine to be repaired...

1 hour ago, gamb00ler said:

Charles Schwab and CapitalOne and some credit unions offer cards with out that fee.

I have a Schwab account. I haven't seen a fee when I get a cash advance, but maybe it's "baked into" the exchange rate. I just used the Schwab debit card at BKK Bank's ATM machine even though it said there was a whopping 220B fee (!) - I did it anyway just as an experiment to see how the exchange rate worked out and if the fee was waived by Schwab, or not. 

17 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

I can't give a positive response to your query.  I can only say that I've asked at SCB, Kasikorn and Land and House banks.  None of them were able/willing to do a cash advance.

So it sounds like Bangkok Bank is pretty much the only bank that offers this service? I really like this method of transferring money to my Thai account - it's so quick and easy.

For the past 3 years I've been using the debit card/cash advance system at Bangkok Bank, where I have an account, to transfer money from my American banks to Thailand. My Bangkok Bank's cash advance machine is broken and there are no other branches nearby. I am not sure when it will be fixed and I would like to take advantage of the present favorable exchange rates. Has anyone used a bank where they do NOT have a bank account to receive a debit card/cash advance? Which Thai Bank? TIA

Hey everyone. OP here. Went to the Chanthaburi Passport office with my 13-yr-old son and his mother (we're not married). After filling out the application form these are the documents they requested:
1. Applicant's Thai birth certificate (we had the original)
2. Applicant's Thai ID card
3. Father's (my) passport
4. Mother's Thai ID card
5. Mother's housebook with her name and my son's name

1,040B for a 5-year passport. Should be mailed in about a week's time. No mention of any type of Por Kor 14. Pretty simple process and certainly **a lot** less paperwork than making a non-immigrant "o" visa!!

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

take all the documentation you have ....  At least you’ll get a specific answer. 

Yeah, I'm thinking along the same lines. Go with the docs and ID we have....

1 minute ago, Neeranam said:

Where did you read this?

http://www.korat-legal.com/articles/passport.html

No, not at all.