Pepper9187

Jump to Bupa and axa website, you can get a quote from there in 5minutes.

Their "Best" insurance for TH is around 50K / year if you take outpatient medication,but you can have a basic plan around 20 - 30 K.

Aetna and Cigna, just received a quote from them, top international insurance is insane, around 3,000 EUR

Hi,

For insurances i can recommend bupa or axa thai which are well known in the TH hospitals and cheap (covers is OK for Thailand but if you have an accident in EU good luck) :

https://www.bupa.co.th/en/individuals.aspx

https://www.axa.co.th/en/

If you need something more spicy you can go for Aetna or Cigna, but it cost an arm and a leg :

https://www.aetnainternational.com/en/individuals/health-plans.html

https://www.cigna.co.th/

You can also have a look to April international, quite good :

http://en.april-international.com/global/destination/expat-insurance-thailand

In the old time they used to just "let you go" for 1 day overstay only (no fine) but time is over now !

Beware, they have super powers

You can leave from an airport and pay the 20K baht fine and return after getting a tourist visa in a nearby country. The new overstay rules do not start until March 20th.

The only problem you might have is if you are on a list for those that cannot leave the country or have been blacklisted for your conviction.

Yes, happened to someone I knew. Left the country not knowing he was blacklisted from a previous conviction and then on his return immigration arrested him. He spent a few days in IDC before he could get a flight back to his home country.

Question :

I'm wondering, is there a way to check whether you're blacklisted or not ? It there an office / agency / court to whom you can ask, like you would ask to have a copy of your criminal records, or should you go through a lawyer ?

(don't need it, just thinking)

Woupsi i misread again about the letter for the immigration

Anyway the advise is still good, to open a bank account by your name if you don't proceed as per Ubonjoe's advice, it's easiest to register at your embassy and get the certificate there instead of having to go to the immigration.

+ If you want to start things 100% clear you should register there, you'll be registered as expat living in TH, can have your passport with your TH address, obtain certificate easily and if you need to do some paperwork for Mexico (like a few months ago i had to do a power of attorney for my country), it's easier and cheaper if you are registered.

Yes you do.

To get an extension at immigration requires 8 hours a week for language studies and they check for attendance when you apply for another 90 day extension.

Interesting ;

Can it be an average over the 90 days or you must attend 8 hours every "schools" (non holidays) weeks?

Are you renting the condo from them.

Probably they will not report you as residing there because the Landlord is not reporting the income they receive for your rent to the appropriate Thai tax authorities.

By ding this they are violating Thai tax laws.

But that is not your problem, it is their problem and by failing to report the income they receive for your rental .

they can be fined

exactly that was my thought! And that may be the reason why they refused my wish to apply for the electricity under my own name. I was wondering if I could use this as a mean to pressure them to return my deposit in case things turn nasty.

Had a similar problem with the owner of my house last month.

She totally freaked out when she received a "invitation" letter from the government to talk about the house taxes, she went really mad and didn't slept for 2 days + harassed me by phone, threatening that i had to pay for her taxes (what a <deleted> JOKE) because she never had this, i quote <problem>, end of quote (!) before, i remained impassive to that crap and didn't agree.

She even tried to make a new contract to my girlfriend's name with a lower rental, because she was scared of having to report a "farang" and having to report the rental price and pay taxes.

Turns out that she "didn't entirely said the truth" to the government officer and avoided the taxes, it's a really nice way to support your country, right ?

Anyway, good luck ! they can really do much troubles if they think that for somehow they will have to report the rental and pay taxes.

Why to bother with the immigration.

If you have a 1 year visa, better register at your embassy ;

Can't tell for every embassy but for mine you can walk in anytime, register and get out with the certificate within 1hour + congratulation you will officially be registered as living in Thailand (unless than for some dark reasons you don't want them to know that ..)

No problem, i kind of knew it wasn't going to last, but i was expecting it to survive at least 10 minutes not 10 seconds, you're fast !!

I would call it official since it appears on their website.

Oh nervermind, i just saw it :

All you will need to provide
is your passport and one other official identification document – for example, a reference letter from your embassy,
your home bank or a person acceptable
to the bank.

I like the "acceptable" term, pretty wild

Yep, but being able to open an account by using a Thai as reference is really cool (never heard of that before) ;

Is that something like official or it's more like a gesture of good will, at the bank's discretion ?

Yep,

Now most of the banks will ask you a work permit / 1 year visa + certificate in order to open a bank account, but sometimes eventually you get lucky and they just don't.

I opened a Kasikorn one a few years ago in a tesco lotus on tourist visa but time changes and now they just check more often, but what ubonjoe said is interesting, didn't know you could use a Thai as "reference".

Sorry guys, dead end, i have just reached the consulate in Perth :

Dear XXXX,

Unfortunately you need to hold permanent residency in Australia to be eligible for the METV.

You are eligible for a 60 day Single Entry Tourist Visa.  This can be extended for a further 30 days at a Thai Immigration office for a fee of 1,900 Baht.
 
Kind regards,
Royal Thai Consulate, Perth Staff

Ground Floor
28-42 Ventnor Avenue
West Perth, WA 6005
Postal Address: PO BOX 848, West Perth, WA 6872
Tel: (08) 9226 2288
Email: [email protected] 
Website: http://www.thaiconsulateperth.com/

So it appears they have done a u-turn - they replied to my email on the 18th Jan saying they could issue an METV (to a Brit without aussie residence)

Well can't tell but on the application form you must clearly specify a permanent address, that's why i asked them how it worked with a tourist visa and that was their answer.

I just bought a used scooter. The owner (Thai) needed residency certificate (Blue book). I also needed residency cert to buy it. So I'd say yes, it's a requirement

Well i just sold my MSX and registered it without a certificate of residency or work permit, just gave a copy of my passport and copy of the thai driving license (normally not really needed, but the more = the better).

Maybe because there's my Thai address on my passport, but some friends also sold their bikes w/o a certificate, were you wearing flip flop and short pants + visible tattoos when you were there !?

Hum this is really weird.

Usually you don't need a certificate of residency to sell a bike / car, however and of course you always need one to BUY one.

I've done this several times, never had any issue by selling / registering to the new owner a bike without having to provide a certificate a residency ....

Something's new there or maybe the officer didn't had his lunch yet !?

Sorry guys, dead end, i have just reached the consulate in Perth :

Dear XXXX,

Unfortunately you need to hold permanent residency in Australia to be eligible for the METV.

You are eligible for a 60 day Single Entry Tourist Visa.  This can be extended for a further 30 days at a Thai Immigration office for a fee of 1,900 Baht.
 
Kind regards,
Royal Thai Consulate, Perth Staff

Ground Floor
28-42 Ventnor Avenue
West Perth, WA 6005
Postal Address: PO BOX 848, West Perth, WA 6872
Tel: (08) 9226 2288
Email: [email protected] 
Website: http://www.thaiconsulateperth.com/

[

I'm still wondering why did i get another 2 year temporary driving license because my visa was short, shouldn't they have just declined me the renewal ? (I'm happy with that, but just wondering).

I had 3 or 4 consecutive one year temporary licences because I used to only have a visa waiver stamp. If they did not renew it you would be driving on an expired licence.......

Not sure I understand why you think they should decline to renew?

I'm not sure to understand the "visa waiver stamp" part ... ?

Anyway i meant why to give a "new" 2 years temporary driving license (which by the way, makes me look like i just had the license a few months ago so that i have it for 1 year+) instead of a 5 year because my business visa was too short.

Either give 5 years, nothing, or ask me to pass the full exam again, it's what i thought, it just looks like a grey area.

If it's a UK based operation with payments into a UK bank it's a UK business no matter where you're located.

Lots of people run a business via the internet while living abroad, it's the ideal loophole for expats.

Totally incorrect "information".

Under Thai Law any "work" performed in Thailand requires a Work Permit.

Patrick

Nope. Folks on TVF need to stop repeating this misinformation.

For example, the Thai Police have investigated the digital nomads at the co-working space (shared office) called Punspace in Chiang Mai, to see if all those Farangs hammering away on keyboards all day were violating Thai law.

http://www.johnnyfd.com/2014/09/live-updates-immigration-crackdown-in.html

The Farangs weren't violating the law, and all is hunky dory there. Sitting at a laptop and selling software or games or writing or art from a Thai IP address, selling to Farang countries, is simply not considered to be working in Thailand, for legal purposes. Think about it: you are not taking baht out of Thai hands, and you are not taking jobs from Thai workers. The Royal Thai Police do have basic common sense, unlike some expats.

BTW, I live right across the soi from Punspace Tha Phae Gate location, and they are open for business, in accordance with Thai law, every damn day.

It's not a matter of some expats not having common sense.

Autanic, i believe asked a legal question, he did not asked "is it good or not good" or "will i still be able to move my arms to ships stuff abroad if i work without a work permit"

He just asked if, legally speaking, working from Thailand and generating an income (as little as it is) require a work permit.

It's not because people kill other people in a car accident, run away or find an arrangement with the gov / family that it's legal.

The law and its interpretation are flexible here, don't take particular cases for a rule.

Legally, if your living in Thailand while earning money, your working and legally require a work permit, which you likely wont get. Catch-22.

Not necessarily, the Thai authorities won't know where the painting takes place unless you tell them but the important thing is that trading takes place as a UK enterprise.

Well it's not because the local authorities don't know that you work and where you work that it's legal ...

Technically you work from Thailand and generate an income by yourself from the Thai ground, so ... you know ...

Yes I know. Sorry my reply was aimed more at Pepper9187 and reinforcing your reply but that wasn't very clear

Thank you ... aha.

Nevermind, i misread the fact that he was talking about a 5 years renewal.

Pretty weird anyway, when you renew a temporary license you need a medical certificate, but when you renew the 5 years you can be a freaking alcoholic... no p'ob'em.

Fortunately i realized a long time ago that laws and common sense around here were not the best friends.

I'm still wondering why did i get another 2 year temporary driving license because my visa was short, shouldn't they have just declined me the renewal ? (I'm happy with that, but just wondering).

Yah, as always here it seems that the rules are quite different depending on where you go and to whom you speak.

Give a call to your local land and transportation office before to avoid any bad surprises.

Yep, passport copy (front + visa page with departure card), medical certificate and certificate of residency is all you need.

Yep, you can do the residency certificate easily at your embassy but you have to be registered there.

If you're registered but if you currently own a 1 year visa, you should be able to register there fast (can't tell for the Canadian embassy but in particular but it should not be much different than from the others embassies).

For the driving license renewing you need a 1 year visa with at least 3 month of validity remaining ;

At least it's what they asked me 4 month earlier when i renewed mine, however as always it pretty much depends on "who" you're talking to at the land of transportation office (some people say they could get it with a tourist visa, but i believe what i see and not what i hear).

Just for info when i renewed mine i had less than 3 month remaining so instead of giving me a 5 years driving license they gave me another 2 years temporary driving license, which so far i had no idea that it existed.

Also, last time i had to watch a new 1-2 hours "educational video" while renewing my driving license (luckily with EN subtitles), so if you plan to get it / out of the office with your new license within 2 hours as it was possible before, maybe you should ask someone to give a call for you and grab the intel, in the office where i went the video is scheduled everyday at 1PM, which made me had to come back and basically waste the entire day doing that renewal.