thelynxxxx

I was talking to a friend the other day and he claims that there is no way of sending mail, even just letters, to the USA from Thailand due to the C19. Is that true? Surely not. I could possibly understand parcels, but all mail?? 

Thank you all for your input on this issue. Judging from the responses, it seems the commissions do vary, which is exactly what I have experienced. And because they vary, my feeling is that it certainly isn't anything official. Therefore, Kurtf is probably quite right when he says, "If they are charging you an extra 50-100 comission, they are cheating you." That said, I haven't found any shop that doesn't tack on a surcharge over and above the numbers on the signboard. You're very fortunate with your dealer, Kurtf.

a3tsw: Thanks for the example. Very helpful.

parallaxtech: Those commissions you mentioned are truly insane!!!

Dazinoz: Thanks for sharing your Chiang Mai experience. 

8 hours ago, jvs said:

If you go to a good gold shop they will not cheat you,the prices are posted and they will and can vary

but that will get posted right away.

How often have you bought and sold gold?

I go to the same shop all the time(well not that often)

As far as I am aware, the gold prices are set on the market in Bangkok. Their buy-back price is always 100 THB less than the sell price. But I always seem to get charged a commission over and beyond the 100 THB. Is that normal?? I know when purchasing gold jewelry, there is a charge for the craftsmanship. And the charge is much less for simple baht bars. I would really like someone who buys and sells gold regularly to provide guidance on commissions. Thanks

Question 1: When you go to sell gold bar back to a gold shop, what is the typical commission that you must pay? The price I get never seems to be the price on their sign board. They always seem to tack on some other fee and, from my experience, it seems to vary from shop to shop, so I sometimes think I'm being cheated. And what about the fee when purchasing gold bars? When I bought a 5 baht bar, I was charged 100 THB/baht. When I went to buy 1 baht, she wanted THB 300 as commission. Is that about right? Another shop offered different rates.

Question 2: I've been told the commission is higher outside of Bangkok. Is this true?

I was under the impression that prices and commissions were regulated to the extent that everyone gets the same price, but I'm not sure that's true. If anyone can shed some light on this, it'd be much appreciated.

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The child of a Thai citizen is also a Thai citizen, regarless of place of birth.

When your child is born your wife simply supplies a copy of her ID card and the childs birth certificate will show 'Thai' as their nationality. Then take the birth certificate within 14 days of birth to wherever your wife is registered on the house book and have the child entered on the house book there.

When the child turns 7 they can get their first ID card, but feel assured that up to 7, the child is already a full Thai citizen.

My wife is Thai of Akha origin. She has Thai identity card and Thai passport.

If your wife is a Thai citizen then I am not aware that there is any problem.

There are many hill tribe people who do not get a Thai ID card/passport (presumably 60%), but as you state: your wife has.

What is the first digit of your wife's citizen ID as found on the iD card? (should be 1 or 3 usually).

That is nonsense. It does not matter where the child is born. As long as they have a birth certificate that shows they are Thai they can get an ID card at 7 years old now.

Thank you all for the reassurance. I thought it sounded utterly outrageous, but thought I would rely on more than just my common sense!

Khun BenQ: The first number on her card is 3.

I very much appreciate your taking the time to write.

Cheers

The following may be a very silly question, but a friend of mine and his Thai wife brought it up the other day.

My wife is Thai of Akha origin. She has Thai identity card and Thai passport. I am an American national on an Ed. visa. My wife is currently pregnant and will be giving birth in the New Year. We plan to have the baby in a hospital in Chiang Saen, Mae Sai or Chiang Rai. However, my friends told me that she should go to Bangkok to have the baby. If she doesn't, they warn that the baby will not be eligible for Thai ID card when she turns 8, or whatever age it is they issue it. Is this true? It sounds absolutely ludicrous to me, but thought I would ask, just to be sure.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Good afternoon,

I'm wondering at what point (percentage) a drink is legally considered an alcoholic beverage in Thailand. For example, in some countries, anything over 0.5% makes it a restricted alcoholic drink, requiring special permits to make and sell, as well as special labels, etc. Does Thailand have a similar limit? Any help would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

The cases mentioned above all concern arrivals at BKK airport. Can anyone report an incident whereby a foreign person on a non-immigrant Ed visa with a valid re-entry permit was denied entry at a land border after being out of the country for less than 30 days?

Incidentally, since about three weeks or so ago, the language school I am attending has started making us sign each day we attend to prove our attendance to immigration, who have been visiting the school on occasion. Pictures of us in class were also required. All good in my opinion as there are many absentee 'students' from what I can gather.

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone knows of a reputable travel agency in Chiang Rai city that can arrange a Myanmar tourist visa for me.

I know the embassy in BKK was supposed to be starting an online service in September, but I believe that will only apply to those flying into Yangon; I plan to enter at Mae Sot / Myawaddy.

Thanks.