Mover1

Can you get a trailer for a moped, rather than a sidecar? Do these things exist in Thailand?

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I ended up bringing cash back from the UK as i had to pop home for other stuff to sort out anyway, so i never did find out the best way to transfer money here! What with exchange rates changing all the time and banks not being clear on their charges, i just couldn't work out the most cost effective way. I really think the pound will go back up soon, so it doesn't make any sense changing up a load of uk cash right now, i'll do it as needed and hopefully benefit from any increase.

Has anyone got an answer to the best way to transfer money here though, or is it like asking how long is a piece of string because people use different banks, etc..?

Christ why does everything have to involve a bribe? Haha. Yeah i'd like to have a good teacher, but no recommendations so far. Would be good to hear some, or one even.

Hey muzmurray, how many 90 day extensions are allowed? I assumed it was up to 12 months but are you saying it's unlimited or something?

Hi, I'm looking at learning Thai and also getting a 12 month Ed Visa in the process. I really want to learn the language though, not just get the visa.

A friend of mine did (or is still doing) a course at a school in Rawai, but after he signed up they started charging him 5000 baht every 3 months so that his course wouldn't be 'looked into' by immigration. He also said the teachers are crap and he's leant next to nothing.

Can anyone recommend a good place in Rawai or Nai Harn where I could learn the language and get an Ed Visa please?

Cheers

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Thanks for the replies ClutchClark and kickstart, much appreciated. I did some searching on Google and youtube, but nothing i found is similar to the holes made in my coconuts. There's a black headed caterpillar that ruins coconuts, and a rhinoceros beetle but neither looks like the cause. I'm hoping it's a rodent and will try tying plates around the trees as suggested. The coconut trees are really small, so a rat could easily climb up. Funny thing is there's also a mango tree but that hasn't been touched, it's about twice the height of the coconut trees so maybe rats can't climb it. 

I'm about to move into a new house with a couple of coconut trees, but I've noticed all the coconuts have holes in them. Are these holes caused by an insect or something, and if so, how do I stop it happening?

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Wow, this seems like such a complicated issue after reading your replies topt & Pib - thanks for taking the time to write them in detail. 

I think i'll try all the options transferring £1000 at a time and see which works out the cheapest & least hassle, then report back with the findings. 

Thanks for all the replies and advice so far 

Hi Oxx, i'm from the UK but been in and around Thailand since March this year, and won't be going back for at least 5 years. This is what's making things complicated, as i don't whether i'm classed as a UK or Thai resident where investing is concerned..?

Thanks for all the answers here everyone, thats really helpful. It leads me to another question:

I have an account with Kasikorn Bank here in Thailand, so whats the most i can receive on money transferred there compared to xendpay or transferwise? The Kasikorn exchange rate is: http://www.kasikornbank.com/EN/RatesAndFees/ForeignExchange/Pages/ForeignExchange.aspx but can anyone tell me which rate applies if an amount is paid directly into my account with them from my bank in England  - Either Lloyds, Barclays, or from a Halifax credit card http://www.halifax.co.uk/creditcards/landing/cards/clarity-card-all/?so=MSE_Halifax_Clarity_1&WT.mc_id=MSE_Halifax_Clarity_1&WT.tsrc=MSE) 

I'm just trying to get an exact figure on say £1000 or £10,000 as an example.

Cheers,

Mover1

Hi,

Does anyone here invest in Vanguard index funds and bonds? I'm trying to find the best way to invest in Vanguard while in Thailand but i'm not getting much help from them. 

Cheers,

Mover1

Hi,

Can anyone tell me the best way to transfer money from my account in the UK into my account in Thailand please?

Thanks!

Thanks for the quick replies DUS and ubonjoe, very helpful!

Cheers

My 6 month METV runs out on 21/09/16, so if i get a flight back into Thailand on 20/09/16 does that mean i get another 60 days?

On 6 August 2016 at 6:16 PM, elviajero said:

You won't get any METV's from Penang unless you a Malaysian or are resident there.

1. You can enter as often as you want. You have to leave (border hop) every 12 months or apply for an extension of stay. Yes you need to report if you stay longer than 90 days.
2. You don't need to get a new passport now. If you get a new passport in the future any valid visa would stay in the old passport, and you would use the two passports until the visa expires.
3. There are no other charges. The 1,900 is only payable if you apply for an extension of stay.

Thanks elviajero, much appreciated

Sorry to be dumb but can i ask a few questions about the 5 year TE please, i'm in two minds about getting one or trying to get a 12 METV from Penang (if still possible!):

1. On the 5 year TE i can go out and back in as many times as i like in the 5 year period, but i still have to 'report' to immigration every 90 days after re-entry, is that correct?

2. I currently have 5 years and 3 months left on my UK passport. Would i be best to renew my UK passport now and then apply for the 5 year TE, or won't it make any difference? Current passport has 13 blank pages. Is the TE visa automatically put into a new passport if the old one runs out or has to be renewed?

3. The cost is 500,000 THB (£10,900 at todays rate) but is there anything extra to pay like a hidden annual charge or anything? I saw the 1900 THB cost for something, but don't really understand what its for.

Cheers,

Mover1

Thanks for all the replies about this. I'm not extending just yet so I'm guessing this won't come up. I was in Phuket when I was told about this, just for clarification

Hi, I've been told by a few people that when entering Thailand recently they were asked to provide their bank account details on a new form, anyone else heard of this? It seems like a rumour without any real experiences behind it, just wondered if anyone can shed light on it or whether it's crap...?

Does anyone know what is required in terms of hotel bookings and flight tickets when applying for the METV?

I have a booked ticket to thailand and also can show ticket going out of Thailand before the first 60 days will be up. I also have hotel reservations booked for this period of time.

Will this be enough? Or do they require every flight ticket for the proposed 6 month duration going in and out of Thailand as well as hotel bookings for the whole time?

Personally I dont like to plan that far in advance!

I got a METV from the London Embassy in March without any hassle. I had proof of onward travel within 60 days (Flight to Penang) and proof of first months stay at hotel in Phuket. The girl at the counter made me get the full address of the hotel, all i had put was the name. So in my experience the answer is no, you don't need to show the whole 6 months duration, at least thats the case at the London embassy.

Hope this info helps, and good luck!

Did you do the letter from employer etc?

I'm self employed so took latest tax return which was fine, also took 6 months bank statements

Does anyone know what is required in terms of hotel bookings and flight tickets when applying for the METV?

I have a booked ticket to thailand and also can show ticket going out of Thailand before the first 60 days will be up. I also have hotel reservations booked for this period of time.

Will this be enough? Or do they require every flight ticket for the proposed 6 month duration going in and out of Thailand as well as hotel bookings for the whole time?

Personally I dont like to plan that far in advance!

I got a METV from the London Embassy in March without any hassle. I had proof of onward travel within 60 days (Flight to Penang) and proof of first months stay at hotel in Phuket. The girl at the counter made me get the full address of the hotel, all i had put was the name. So in my experience the answer is no, you don't need to show the whole 6 months duration, at least thats the case at the London embassy.

Hope this info helps, and good luck!

I need to send some letters to the UK from Phuket, does anyone know if i can use Fedex or DHL to guarantee them getting there?

Thank you Unbonjoe, good to know i can get it on arival and do it the same day.

i am however still wondering if i can do this border crossing and getting a new stamp without obtaining a useless visa for a neighbouring country. any ideas?

thanks !

This question has been asked many times. If using a land border anywhere, there is absolutely no way of avoiding entry and exit stamps (with a visa if that is a prerequisite) from the neighboring country. If traveling in and out by air, you might get away with a turn around in the remote airport without passing through immigration, but even this is not strictly permitted.

Apologies if i'm asking a silly question, but i'll be going to Penang from Phuket in May and going back to Phuket in June. I'll have a METV from March when entering Phuket from the UK.

As far as i'm aware as a UK national we get 3 months entry to Malaysia without needing a visa, are you saying i'll need to get a visa if entering Penang from Phuket?

Thanks for all the replies and info, it's a great help.

Seems like using any wifi is fine then, as long as my banks (Barclays) encryption is good. I don't intend to use a public computer for any of this, and i think i've found a way around the need to print anything so i should be set.

The comment about getting a thai sim card is interesting though. I'm currently with EE in the UK and will be keeping the same number while i'm in Thailand, I can make calls using wifi with EE but i'm not sure if it's free yet, they're saying there could be a local network charge added so i won't know until i've made a few calls with it. I'm getting my iPhone 6 unlocked with EE before i go, so i can put in a thai sim card if needed. Is there any thai networks that people recommend, and is 4G available yet?

I'm moving to Thailand and SE Asia this year, and this forum hasn't put me off (yet! haha). I've only been on here a few months and can see a lot of negative stuff, but it happens on every forum regardless of what that forum is about.

I don't intend to sit on the same bar stool for weeks on end and pickle my brain, which is where a lot of the negative stuff seems to flow from. Same as when i go up the pub here in the UK, it's full of us blokes moaning about something or other, but it's what we do best isn't it? Ha.

I really can't wait to explore the country, get drunk if i feel like it, go to some girly bars when i feel like it, go diving if i feel like it, go to Vietnam, Cambodia or somewhere else on a whim, and generally have a good time and make friends along the way. If something eventually changes my mind it wouldn't be because of this forum, this place is a very useful resource for me as i can learn things from all you guys who've been living in Thailand for years. Cheers!

Hi,

I don't know if this has been asked before but i'd like some advice on the most secure way to do online banking in Thailand, using my laptop. Is the wifi at hotels or coffee shops ok to use for this, or is there a more secure way?

I will also need to print off and sign some important documents when i stay there from April. As i'll be staying at hotels for the most part, where's the easiest (and most secure) place to get things printed off and sent back to the UK?

Thanks for any advice you can give me

Hi WillJohn,

I'll be doing the same soon, my thoughts after talking to others are:

Your ISA account should be fine. To be sure I'm requesting hard copy statements from my own bank (Barclays) as the statements are all online, they said it's fine as it's for a visa application and won't charge me anything for 6 months worth of statements. Takes about 5 working days to arrive once requested.

I'll be taking a copy of my last years accounts and tax return. I'm assuming the company reg document applies to Ltd Companies only.

Others i've spoken to have taken proof of a flight out of Thailand within the first 60 days, even though this isn't mentioned on the embassy website. Most do a return flight booking, but I managed to find direct flights from Phuket to Penang for £50 return, so booked a one way from UK then to Penang.

I'll just say i'm going travelling if asked by officials, because it's the truth. I won't be working at all, but any tips from others on this would be helpful.

Good luck tomorrow, could you report back once you've been please mate?