TK3351

I have used my BKK Bank account for about 15 years now to transfer in salaries from overseas, never had a problem. USD comes in and is converted to THB immediately.

I have 3 credit cards with them, had to deposit an amount equivalent to the credit limit, in another account though.

I did Basic OGUK with Dr Vatana in Bamrungrad. It costs around 3500THB. Took a couple hours max, mostly waiting. Does not include EKG, Xray or Blood tests. Just blood pressure, eye, ear, urine and reflexes. Seems like if you can stand up you pass. I will need to get a fuller medical myself one day to be satisfied, but this gets me the cert cheaply enough.

Well, I was dumb enough to go to Samitivej Sukhumvit for the OGUK today. They started doing tests according to their "OGUK package". Came out to 23 different things, HIV, different kind of drugs, Alcohol, Xray etc etc. 13400 baht total. AVOID THIS HOSPITAL AT ALL COSTS, go to Bumrungrad!

I'm sure gonna have a talk with the DR there on Tue and explain to him the 3500 baht OGUK at Bumrungrad.

I think your missing my point. Elite visa is also convenient for those who can afford it, for people who don't want to do border runs or fly overseas to obtain a visa which includes paying for flights and hotels while your doing it and long staying in Thailand if I don't chooses to continue working offshore. With all the travelling I do, the less time I spend in an airport the happier I am. Express through customs, limousine/ fancy taxi service to my apartment all work well for me. The cost of the elite visa although quite pricey and not ideal for alot of people, the cost is no issue for me. Your opinion obviously suits your situation.

I have the same 5 year visa and can highly recommend it. I should have gotten it earlier.

There is a condo project in Pattaya where you get a 5 or 20 year Elite visa together with the condo purchase, that\s a really good deal for those who plan to live in Pattaya.

Had a bit of an issue today when arriving from a weekend trip to HKG.

I arrived with Emirates and got the fast track card as usual. Woman started scratching her head and called in supervisor, who explained to me that I have "too many" in and out's without a visa, so system was "locked". But "no problem". Then supervisor explained that I should get a visa next time....type O, 3 month or something...

I have worked the last 5 years offshore overseas on a 28/28 rota, which is more like 25 days in TH and 31 days away. Never ever had an issue before, always got the 30 day stamp on arrival.

There is no way I can apply for a visa to Thailand in Angola where my rig is.

The thing is, I came home from the rig 10 days ago to BKK, then last Friday I went to HongKong for a wedding and arrived back here 2 hours ago. In 3 days, I plan to go to Scandinavia to see relatives, Immigration might trip again if I arrive in 10 days from now without a visa again.

Anyhow, she gave me the 30 day stamp today without any comments or anything in the passport.

Any suggestions on how to best solve this??

Thanks.

your story shows ;

you work in Angola on a platform,

But you live practically in Thailand !

Where to you pay tax ?

Usually you have to do it where you live too !

Do you pay any tax here ? no,

and you are not coming for tourism,

but u use all infrastructures for which all Thai and we farongs living here, also pay,

But U use them all without anny penny to pay !

So I think to avoid you entrance with correct Visa is correct !!

our story shows ;

you work in Angola on a platform,

But you live practically in Thailand !

Where to you pay tax ?Thailand (every time he buys something) As long as he chooses to not take the discount price !!

And the country he works in and possibly his country of nationality as well!!

Usually you have to do it where you live too !

Do you pay any tax here ? no,WRONG!!!!! EVERY Thai business has to submit their VAT revenue EVERY month

and you are not coming for tourism, No he is entering on a permit to stay (Visa exempt) for 30 days. Which he is quite entitled to do

but u use all infrastructures for which all Thai and we farongs living here, also pay, You are joking right? The Thai tax system is probably the most abused I have ever seen!!!

But U use them all without anny penny to pay ! BELIEVE me when I say, he is paying every day he stays here.....

So I think to avoid you entrance with correct Visa is correct !! You seem VERY jaded, had a bad experience here have we?

Trust me when I say this EVERY Farang that resides her on any sort of permanent basis has paid, one way or another!! I don´t see why you are fixated on the tax view (unless you are Thai), but if he is not working here in Thailand, and chooses to spend the sort of money that a reasonably well off man would and should be encouraged to spend his money here. After all the country benefits from all of the VAT that he pays, as well as all of the other benefits he (financially) brings with him.

Ok what I did was that I got myself the Thailand Elite visa. 500k THB. So all good now...

Here is my advise, and it goes for anybody who wakes up and want to have a career in O/G.

Put up your profile on LinkedIn. Connect with recruiters and companies you like to work with. Connect with people in your field in the industry.

Sooner or later you will get an offer, when it was booming they were attacking me on a daily basis. Now its the other way around as we all know...

And as the old bats said earlier, its really good to get started in UK or Europe, before heading Intl.

Cheers and good luck.

T

I've been in and out on 28/28 since early 2007. Never had a problem BUT I've always had a Non Imm O visa based on marriage.

My advice, if you are British, would be to get a second passport next time you are back in the UK. Then if it all went tits up you could alternate passports each trip in.

Or do the decent thing and marry that sweet young thing and get a Non Imm O visa, that gets you stamped in for three months!

Not British but Finnish. I have a second PP that I use for entry + visa to Angola. I don't feel safe in trying to outsmart them my flipping passports, might backfire on me.

As said earlier in the thread, they would know the person carries multiple PP's.

Most overseas workers who are choosing to live in Thailand probably can easily afford the 5 year Thailand Elite visa for 500K baht.

I highly recommend it. For the petroleum workers, the cost is almost certainly less than one rotation's earnings.

I sent in the application today. Takes about 2 days to get cleared by immigration, then payment, then another 10-14 days for "Elite" to complete it.

It's a bit less yes than a monthly pay, 100k per year is not that much anyway.

Had a bit of an issue today when arriving from a weekend trip to HKG.

I arrived with Emirates and got the fast track card as usual. Woman started scratching her head and called in supervisor, who explained to me that I have "too many" in and out's without a visa, so system was "locked". But "no problem". Then supervisor explained that I should get a visa next time....type O, 3 month or something...

I have worked the last 5 years offshore overseas on a 28/28 rota, which is more like 25 days in TH and 31 days away. Never ever had an issue before, always got the 30 day stamp on arrival.

There is no way I can apply for a visa to Thailand in Angola where my rig is.

The thing is, I came home from the rig 10 days ago to BKK, then last Friday I went to HongKong for a wedding and arrived back here 2 hours ago. In 3 days, I plan to go to Scandinavia to see relatives, Immigration might trip again if I arrive in 10 days from now without a visa again.

Anyhow, she gave me the 30 day stamp today without any comments or anything in the passport.

Any suggestions on how to best solve this??

Thanks.

your story shows ;

you work in Angola on a platform,

But you live practically in Thailand !

Where to you pay tax ?

Usually you have to do it where you live too !

Do you pay any tax here ? no,

and you are not coming for tourism,

but u use all infrastructures for which all Thai and we farongs living here, also pay,

But U use them all without anny penny to pay !

So I think to avoid you entrance with correct Visa is correct !!

What the heck are you smoking?? Do you even know the tax rules in TH?? I do pay tax in Angola yes, and since I am not in the Kingdom over 180 days per year, I don't have to pay tax here.

Years ago when I worked 10 weeks on/off, I went to the tax department to clear this out and start paying tax, they basically threw me out since I didn't work in TH and wasn't spending over 180 days there.

I spend millions of baht in Thailand every year, I think I have all the right in the world to be there a few months per year.

Had a bit of an issue today when arriving from a weekend trip to HKG.

I arrived with Emirates and got the fast track card as usual. Woman started scratching her head and called in supervisor, who explained to me that I have "too many" in and out's without a visa, so system was "locked". But "no problem". Then supervisor explained that I should get a visa next time....type O, 3 month or something...

I have worked the last 5 years offshore overseas on a 28/28 rota, which is more like 25 days in TH and 31 days away. Never ever had an issue before, always got the 30 day stamp on arrival.

There is no way I can apply for a visa to Thailand in Angola where my rig is.

The thing is, I came home from the rig 10 days ago to BKK, then last Friday I went to HongKong for a wedding and arrived back here 2 hours ago. In 3 days, I plan to go to Scandinavia to see relatives, Immigration might trip again if I arrive in 10 days from now without a visa again.

Anyhow, she gave me the 30 day stamp today without any comments or anything in the passport.

Any suggestions on how to best solve this??

Thanks.