Chongalulu

Several months ago at the start of the new rules I  asked an IO at Korat office about the 'Domestic Transfer' designations on my Kasikorn bank statements for funds I’d transferred from abroad using an Fx company ,World First. She made it clear they didn’t care about the codes,only the sums of money coming in. This week I went in again and spoke to another officer showing him both the 10 months of statements I’d  downloaded and printed,

pointing out the domestic transfer designation along with corresponding transaction confirmation documents from the FX company. I was with the wife but he spoke good English saying ' Don’t worry,we don’t care about that,only the money coming in each month ' ,exactly as the previous officer had said. He could also see that I had been bringing in 2/3 transfers per month,each substantially more than the 65k requirement. He simply reminded me to get the standard bank letter on the day I came in to do the retirement extension (due 20 January)renewal and suggested I bring in my documents from the FX company. All very encouraging. But TIT, and I had opened a second bank account with Kasikorn into which I plan to lodge 400k this month (to fall within the 2 month requirement)as a fallback safety net to switch to a marriage visa extension . I’ve done this because there’s a lot of activity on my first account and thought a clean separate account clearly showing 400k sitting there for 2 months not clouded by lots of surrounding transactions may make things less confusing should I change to marriage extension. I could then use that money once either visa was approved to pay for some land we’re buying. 

So in summary ,my first option is to get the easier retirement extension based on monthly transfers but should at the time of application a snag occur I could come back and extend on the basis of Marriage. Perhaps Immigration knowing this would make them more likely to grant the easier (for them) Non immigrant O retirement extension.

Perhaps I’m being over cautious given the consistency of what Korat has said,but has anyone else had a similar situation (in this office particularly). Or any constructive suggestions regarding the execution of my strategy?!

17 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

800k route much easier if you can afford it.

It’s a terrible way to tie up funds as an investment. The few extra requirements switching to marriage is well worth the effort.

19 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

I sometimes wonder if the IO people ever go on training courses to establish the requirements as some of them make up the rules as they go along.

"Some" of them..? ???? 

10 hours ago, roamer said:

I must confess I am not sure what you are asking here. Norway cannot charge you in absentia for the crime that you state? It can  charge you and convict you In absentia If you have been  bailed and failed to surrender to your bail. If that is the case you are a "bail jumper" which puts a totally different complexion on the case. Norway is nothing if not thorough, you will be the subject of an arrest warrant. Maybe not this year, or even the next but it will catch up with you, how will you renew your passport for example?

 

I will tell you now what you should do. You won't do it, but I will tell you anyway. 

 

Go home.

 

This is Norway we are talking about, Anders Brevik you are not. A slap on the wrist and you come back to Thailand and join the many, many, people who have made mistakes in their life and live here with no problem.

 

There is a huge, massive, difference in practical terms between a person who has served his sentence and someone who is on an arrest warrant. In your present position you risk being arrested and deported and never being allowed here again.

 

You made one mistake, don't compound it.

You May not be giving the best advice here despite best intentions . Thai authorities,like any other do not have access to foreign countries criminal database and his crime is of a low level hardly likely to be subject of an extradition request,nor probably of any embargo on renewing his passport. His only issue arises should he return to Norway when he may be arrested. If he doesn’t intend to go back there my advice would be to keep stum and face any issues IF and when they arrive.

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

Yes I understand but nowhere near the same amount as direct income tax. That is where the real money is. So a retired expat with 100,000/mnth pension doesn't necessarily spend 100,000 a month so the tax will be less than 7,000 a month. 

 

A Thai person with a 100,000 monthly salary will pay 9,000 a month income tax plus 7% of what they spend which maybe the same as the retired expat.

 

Which is why the expat pays more at the hospital. 

How many Thais do you think earn 100k per month?! Vanishingly small.

You can knock a zero off that for the overwhelming majority of Thais that pay no income tax.

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Only if you buy an overpriced Mercedes. Taxes relating to real world spending do not equal that of indirect tax?

I don’t think you understand indirect taxes - it is on everyday spending- have you not noticed the 7% sales tax on everything including services you buy? So the more you spend the more tax you pay.

21 hours ago, SammyT said:

Just here for the angry retiree expats who don't get that many Thais pay taxes which actually go toward these hospitals. The response hasn't disappointed. Thanks team. 

Most Thais pay no direct taxes. Most taxation comes from indirect taxes which is entirely related to spending,so in that respect expats will be paying considerably more tax.

5 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

They do, using the TrueID TV app. It's worked like that for a while now and I have no reason to think it wouldn't continue. I did notice that the 7-day catch up option for the beIN Sports channels stopped within the last couple of weeks but it's still there for all the True Sports channels. 

Is there a chromecast facility too?

8 minutes ago, jonesthepost said:

There is no  6 month wait as soon as you return get an address you register  

On 6/16/2019 at 5:27 AM, Airalee said:

Great post.  It is easy for those that like to jump to conclusions (usually wrong) to view other cultures through the fog of their own and and then place judgement.  

 

When you say that just as many in the west are stupid...I would bet on more.  I’m reminded of this (paraphrased) quote...

 

“Better to be silent and thought a fool (Thailand) than to speak and remove all doubt (USA)”

 

 

Then you’d lose that bet. Google average IQ by country and then look at PISA educational tables for the reality of where Thailand stands.

Does/will  True offer the equivalent of Bein connect with catch up on demand via the Internet that I can chromecast to the tv? No interest whatsoever in their satellite offerings 

18 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

Rubbish. I have nothing but praise for True Visions being a customer for 19 years. Excellent service and value for money when considering how much it would cost to go and see one EPL match live in the UK. I presume you are one of those persons who want everything for free!!

A false equivalency. Do you compare costs of going to a live music show/festival with watching it on tv also?

Bein charged 199 baht month which I could watch on catchup the following morning and chromecast it to my big TV. At one stage it included all other European leagues as well as champions league. Dumped True immediately when this happened- dreadful rangecof programming .

The supposed actual rules are clear but the most important one is the "make it up as you go along" one used by most IOs...

10 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If you registered your marriage at a Amphoe all you need is your marriage certificate (Kor Ror 3) and a Kor Ror 2 marriage registry.

Only a foreign marriage requires what you mentioned.

I’m reverting to a marriage visa (January) after 3 years retirement and have Thai marriage certificate (was married here). I recall a document from Amphoe  when initially I did marriage extensions. Would that be a Kor Ror 2 and do I have to obtain this again (refresh) when I revert to marriage visa ?

3 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

So how about marriage visas, are they exempt too?

Mine was based initially on marriage which I subsequently  changed to an extension based on retirement and plan switching back to marriage in January due to financial changes. My original visa (based on marriage) clearly says Non immigrant O (not OA) so I don’t think the marriage vs retirement aspect is relevant,just whether it’s O or OA.

Just now, ThaiBunny said:

And you wonder why they're now saying they won't issue the income letter because they can't, in fact, verify that you haven't forged them (which is what Immigration was demanding of them)?

Where did it say that immigration's issue was based on potentially forged bank statements? ANY document,downloaded or otherwise, could be forged. The issue I understand was a general if somewhat vague immigration request to embassies to verify income and the interpretation of that by various embassies. Whilst self certification is an obvious problem BE required 3 months bank statements supporting the claim. I’ve not heard of the vast majority of other embassies still issuing letters doing much more stringent verification. 

Internet only paperless bank accounts are quite common in Europe and acceptance of documents printed from the same is widespread so your focus on those as the issue is ill founded.

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Maybe if you bank book showed the same transfers and other activity.

Good point and indeed it does. I recall a thread indicating that Kasikorn and others charge for the service...but then I understand that I will still need a bank letter verifying my account produced on the same day as my application?

5 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

Can an acceptable authority verify that you haven't forged them?

Any more than I could have forged letters/statements or correspondence  from the bank...?  It really depends on what the IO SAYS it requires I suppose... For example downloaded uk bank statements are accepted by U.K. authorities .

17 minutes ago, earlinclaifornia said:

Also have that Thai bank provide a statement of your account for the 12 months.

What about  online bank statements printed from my computer..acceptable or not?

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Slightly off topic,

Nobody in the UK wants to employ people over 40 either (men or women).

When I was just over 40, I looked around me at my office in London and realised apart from senior management, I was the oldest person they employed. At 45 I accepted redundancy, never to have a full-time job again.

 

It's the way the world is moving.

 

Probably a bit of an outdated view  now. U.K. has very low (3.9%) unemployment and a workforce shortage. Supermarket checkouts and other retail outlets are full of older 60+ operatives. There are quite strict age/sex discrimination laws too - you cannot even stipulate preferred age profile on the job advert. The increasing age demographic in most western economies mean that world is moving in the opposite direction to that you suggest. 

I changed from marriage to retirement for past 3 years. I will revert to marriage (400 k in bank) . I still have photos from from then.Any reason I couldn’t reuse them- who would know,we haven’t changed in appearance?