SHA 2 BKK

The bank statement stuff must be new. I got my LTR in 2023. Only my Tax return in Australia, two pension payslips, purchase of my condo and Thai Health Insurance Certificate shown. Done and dusted in three weeks.

My Thai friends are horrified when I put Penang or Massaman on a couple of pieces of heavily buttered toast and scoff it down. My explanation that this is the way Stew is supposed to be consumed meets with vacant stares.

I mentioned this Brick Idea to my Thai friend who said good in theory but many drivers in Thailand carry a gun or baseball bat and they may seek retribution for losing face to a pedestrian.

We travel on this road regularly to Cha Am. Apart from the uneven road surfaces, construction traffic etc the contractors still insist on closing certain lanes on weekends or during peak traffic to move machinery - this despite promises that work would only happen during night hours and not during peak - from recollection.

I take 10mg Zolpidem most nights. I have a condition which causes me to wake 20-30 times a night if not. I Have done sleep tests and it’s not sleep apnea. The Thai Zolpidem is manufactured in India under the Brand name Zydus. As Cheryl mentioned distribution is strictly controlled. I do see a neurologist at Bangkok Hospital every two months for this prescription and other meds that help me sleep. It is quite expensive but the product is available through the hospital but most health funds won’t cover so it’s an out of pocket expense. I do buy over the counter in Hong Kong through a Pharmacist I’ve known for years. It is much cheaper and I carry my prescription with me in case I am pulled up at customs - fortunately this has never happened. Insomnia is terrible. I’ve tried everything else from total exhaustion through exercise to meditation and diet. Even Ganja! But it’s only the Zolpidem and some other medicines that allow me a decent sleep. Those who don’t suffer this affliction, like many maladies of the mind, are often quick to judge we who depend on medicine for rest. After feeling guilty for taking Zolpidem I have listened to my neurologist who tells me sleep is as important as exercise and eating so I take my medicine and sleep some. Good luck to you friend. I hope you find the land of Morpheus.

I must admit though, I got my LTR in 2022 when the old tax rules still applied. Anyone getting their LTR this year needs to make sure they remit income from previous years as I did when I first got my LTR.

And no stupid 90 day reports! Quick access through airports. Just keep earnings offshore for 12 months (I get 6% on these deposits) and bring in the following year “TAX FREE”. All the way with LTR!

Like Pib I got my LTR P at the end of 2022. However Immigration at Chamchuri Square were able to cancel my Visa (Expiring Elite) and then stamp the LTR. I don’t know if things have changed but my was a one stop and done and dusted in an hour. Sorry I can’t give further advice but maybe you can advise your current visa etc and a wiser head than mine can lend a hand. Good luck.

A lot of Ganja stores around Nana. Maybe the big fellas first time seeing Puff the Magic Dragon.

I have never been asked by Immigration about my Health Insurance and I have been in and out over a dozen times using my LTR P. I’m sorry I can’t advise you mate but really Immigration should not question your Insurance situation.

If you are going to quote me cobber don't take the half arsed approach and do it selectively - I said "Some" at the beginning of my sentence - intimating that "some" not "all" Thais are waiting for that lottery win as my old man says "they wouldn't work in an iron lung". But then that's unique and is also the case back in Oz.

Some of the Thais I know don’t want to work because they believe they will win the lottery soon and get rich the easy way. They just need another loan to get the next lot of lucky numbers.

I have told my bank (ANZ Australia) that as I have an LTR I am not required to have a TIN. So far so good. Australian Banks seem to understand that some jurisdictions don’t require a TIN. But every three months or so I get a call from one of their Due Diligence teams.

Further LTR Visa (excluding those earning a Thai income) have been advised there is no need to lodge a Tax Return and therefore no need for a TIN, but as Mike says circumstances will differ and best read the Guide.

I’m getting 6% back home in Australia. I will only bring in pre January 1 savings into Thailand when needed.