bronzedude

Does anyone believe what the TAT puts out as statistics? Let move on to real news-if that's possible.

Is there really such a thing as a spousal visa? Back in 2019 I tried to have my wife of one year (legally marriage with a certificate from the amphur) apply for a "tourist visa". We when through the whole application process spent the fee ($170) and made an appointment. At the time, only tourist visa application appointments were in the morning from about 8am to 10:30am. We live in Pattaya and because of avoiding morning traffic went the day before and booked a hotel that was a 25 minute walk to the US embassy (try getting a taxi at 10am in Bangkok). My wife had a 10:15 interview scheduled. She went in the embassy alone (I wasn't permitted to accompany her). She had her passport with several international entry/exit stamps showing tourism (Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, and the Maldives). She had a folder notebook of about 30 pages that showed letters from US friends that came to visit and met her that welcomed her to visit. She had bank statements with over 1 million baht in savings. US tax return showing her ITIN number. She also had a personal statement that mentioned that she had an 11 year son that showed she a strong reason to return. She was outside within 20 minutes. The interviewer didn't look at the folder and only asked her 3 or 4 simple questions: Why do you want to go to the US? Where will you go? How will you support yourself. Of course the answer were a simple as the questions. Visit my husband's family and friends. Hawaii, California, and Nevada. My husband is paying for everything and I have a credit card. The interviewer simply said "I'm sorry but you don't met the requirements to go to the US." He gave her a piece of paper that had some kind of immigration code and she had to leave. This year I asked her if she wanted to try for a tourist visa again and she said that she didn't want to go through the hassle and expense. Instead we went back to the Maldives for a week and booked an all inclusive over the water jacuzzi villa. It was actually cheaper than going to the US for 2 weeks (air, hotels, shopping, dining etc). I think it's better that she doesn't go to the US. She doesn't care for western food and the people are not as nice a the average Thai person. Plus I think seeing all the homeless people will make her sick. Let me know if there's such a thing as a "Spousal visa" first time I've ever heard of that. Thanks.

Soi 6 in Pratamnak about 1/3 of the way from the top has a day spa with hot and cold pool, steam room, and sauna. Also swimming pool, restaurant and area with a pool table. Last time I was there was about 9 months ago and I think the fee was less than 300 baht. Can't remember if the hot pool was a jacuzzi.

I stopped using Lazada. For some reason they gave me a different account number, meaning I had 2 different accounts with them. I call and they said they would look into it. Nothing happened for a month. I called back and asked to delete all my accounts and then inform them that I would create a new account once all old accounts were deleted. A month after I deleted the accounts, I tried to create a new account, but could not since my email was still on file with them. So I started using Shopee and found it easier to work with. I don't know if items are cheaper, but they seem to be good value. So, with Lazada you get hassles and with Shopee you get hassle free. It's a no brainer which is better.

Last year I went to Chonburi immigration for my yearly extension using the 800,000 baht method. After completing all the requirements, I was told that an IO would need to come to verify my residence. I was simply handed a paper with the name of an IO officer and a phone number.This was the first time when doing this kind extension that they were coming to verify my residence. For a few years I did a marriage extension and went to the process of having to add photos of my residence and such. I had changed to the 800,000 method to avoid all the extra paperwork and simply things. I asked when the officer would come and the reply was that the IO officer would call me. A couple of days later the IO officer was at my condo residence asking to see me. It was mid morning and my phone was off. The security guard knock on my door and told me that immigration was downstairs. I went down and the IO officer was irate that I didn't answer my phone. Good thing I was home and didn't go out to the store or something. So, they do not call and schedule a time to verify residence. They just show up when whenever they please. I was actually irate myself but didn't show it. Just played dumb and said "sorry". TIT. Just another example of immigration hassles we expats have to grin and bear. I guess immigration doesn't do the logical thing and text me with a date and approximate time in advance. Just saying.

Get rid of all bank notes. Only use coins. Make 1000, 500, 100, and 20 baht coins. No need for a 50 baht coin. I can hardly wait to carry around 10 kilos of cash. Yay!

This is the funniest article and comments I've ever read here. Great comments!

And how does this affect the average consumer? More importantly, how does affect the average expat consumer? Doesn't look like this has much effect. I'm hoping it affects the exchange rate and the baht weakens- a lot. By the way, has anyone noticed that the bank tellers have become less attractive over the past 5 years?

Right On! Spot On! "of the same caliber" is a perfect description! Then again for a man of 50+ years the list "of the same caliber" ladies get smaller and smaller as the years increase to the point of zero.

He should sue the Scottish government agency that allowed him to board the plane in Scotland. He should sue the airlines for allowing him to fly through to Phuket. Otherwise, this story is totally BS. Anyone who has flown internationally knows that immigration at every stop checks passports for validity. Passport numbers are submitted by the airlines to the government at checkin and that should have triggered an alarm. He should have never been checked in at the airport in Scotland. Something is not Kosher when the airline, the immigration officials in Scotland and Doha let him through to his flight to Phuket. How in the world did the Thai immigration officials have the red light when all the others did not? This sounds like a fake news story.

Lazada customer service sucks. I've given up shopping with Lazada and have gone over to Shopee. Shopee always take of photo of the delivery. Although, Shopee does not seem to have a customer service number to speak with someone. Any items over 1000 baht I pay COD. In 2 years only return a couple of items and those transactions when smoothly.

These shops must be in remote areas of Issan near the Cambodian border because I haven't seen one closed shop during my regular MB rides through Jomtien and Pattaya. I don't smoke it myself, I'm like Ringo in the "NO NO" song. But I'm waiting to meet that babe from Columbia with what is the best in all the land. What I don't understand is the babe from Majorca had a bag of Cocaine- what's up with that? Shouldn't it have been the Columbian with the Cocaine? Anyway, This supposed clean up of pot shops just seems to be another way to get brown envelopes. No wonder the helmet traffic stops are currently non-existent. Just a month or 2 ago there was supposed to be a crackdown on helmet-less MB riders. From my perspective it was a 3 day crackdown-if that. Things like this go the way of the Dodo bird, something that doesn't fly and is dead anyway.

Imagine the paperwork mountain.

A few years ago, I was informed that the US and Thailand have a tax treaty. Meaning that if a US person files a US tax return, they don't owe any income tax in Thailand. I remember when the banks were offering fairly high interest rates on short term savings instruments that a tax was levied against the earned interest. Since Thailand and the US had the tax treaty, if the income from these instruments was claimed on the US tax return, then the person could make a claim (with a Thai tax number) and be reimbursed the tax that was levied. It's been several years since I went through this process of applying for a reimbursement since the interest rate banks were offering on short term instruments was less than I could get on my savings accounts in the US. As a retiree, I think that pensions and social security are not consider as earned income. So it will be interesting to see how the tax treaty affects this new tax development.

Trump is going to jail. Put that in your Putin and smoke it. Russian draft dodgers are all over Thailand and probably a lot of other countries as well.