notrub

Well, this has attracted some comments, thank you.  My 90 day (?) 'o' visa was obtained years ago in Surathani (not from a Thai consulate in a country outside Thailand) from the immigration office there and is 100% above board and correct.  I did it all without an agent etc..  I then got my retirement visa 'upgrade' from immigration in Koh Samui, following the required several month waiting period.  Also completely above board.  (I was living in Koh Phangan and that was my local office)  I keep 1M(+)  THB on deposit in a foreign currency account BKK  (in euros) and this is used as my proof of income etc..  I have a small pension that we use to live on and withdraw funds from the foreign currency account for house building and car buying etc..  Otherwise we live on my small pension.

I do not want to waste money on health insurance as I am very happy with Thai government  hospitals and still have French national health insurance if I need to go for something major.  I would prefer to drop dead rather than go for open heart surgery, or something, anyway.

I am not sure of the married status benefits other than the lower income requirements.  I would have thought I would have more security to remain in Thailand if the government decided to restrict foreign nationals living here long term.  I am 72 and have no intention to leave Thailand.  We have a nice home and live in the village where my partner was born.  Family and friends abound.

I am Canadian so I would like my visa to be in the passport of the country of my birth.  I would like to stay here in Thailand for the duration and feel that a marriage visa will provide more security.  I did need a fresh TM6 for the original 'o' visa and this will be difficult given current travel restrictions.  That is why I was looking into having my UK 'o' visa transferred to my Canadian passport and re registering as a married person at the same time.  If it were somehow possible.  Otherwise I can extend my current 'o' visa in my UK passport without any problems.  I have all the necessary to do so.  I am not sure of the implications of telling the immigration office that I am now married and would not want to relinquish my 'o' visa.  Thanks again for your comments.

2 hours ago, Salerno said:

Never come across this situation before. Given in the normal situation of a new passport you'd have to get a letter from the British Embassy (in your case) asking for the visa to be transferred from the old to the new it'll be interesting to see how it works out in your scenario.

The UK government has nothing to do with Thai visas.  What I would like to do is transfer my current visa to a passport of a different country.  Thai immigration are happy to transfer a visa to a renewed passport of the same country.  I have done this with no drama at all.   Thanks for your interest.

Thanks Ubonjoe,  My UK (renewed) passport is only 1 year old.  I decided to renew my Canadian passport and so have a new one of those too.  I moved my original retirement visa from my old UK passport to the new one without leaving the country.  They also transferred the TM 6 that had been issued for my old UK passport as part of the process.   I will be marrying my partner this month so when I renew my retirement visa in January I will change my status to 'married' or whatever it is called.  I will have to pay a fee (I think) and will also have to pay to become a 'married' visa holder.  My current visa is a non 'o' which I think is better than a non 'o'a visa.  The officer told me that with a 'o' visa I do not have to have health insurance and with a 'o'a visa I do.  Also I think an 'o'a visa expires after 20 years and a 'o' does not.  I would like to tidy everything up at the same time and I do not want to have a visa that is not as good as the one I have now.  At 72 health insurance is prohibitively expensive and I don't want to mistakenly wind up with a visa that requires it.  Does a 'married' visa require health insurance?  I have enough money in the bank and so do not require the amount on deposit to be reduced due to marriage.

I would prefer my visa be attached to my Canadian passport as I was born there.  I am a naturalized UK citizen and who knows what the current government there might do.  It would not surprise me if they decided to revoke citizenship of all foreign nationals for some reason or another.  They have been doing some pretty crazy things there lately.  Thanks in advance for any comments.

I have dual nationality.  My current retirement visa is in my UK passport.  I have my new Canadian passport (issued in BKK).  My retirement visa is up for renewal in January.   My partner and I are about to be married.  I would like to transfer my existing retirement visa to my Canadian passport and change it to a married visa.  The immigration officer who I normally see is away until February and I think he would be easier to deal with in rearranging my visa status etc..  Can I extend my retirement visa renewal for 60 or 90 days ? (until the officer is back in the office)   All this is honest and legal and I have money in the bank for a visa.  Any comments or ideas about how I can do this easily or anything else about this will be gratefully received.  Thanks in advance.

Hello again,  Thank you again, those who commented, on the welding etc. post.  Now I am trying to find a small generator and understand that an 'inverter' type is more efficient and desirable.  The small Honda generators i have seen run to 25,000+ baht or so and I would rather find something less costly.  Have had little luck on Lazada but have seen quite a selection at Global.  I don't know how to communicate about the inverter question, however.  Generator to be used for small hand tools, maybe a sludge pump and I will try out my new little welder too.  Weight is an important consideration as it would be used on the naa and have to be brought home every night by 1 person across rough ground.  All the youtube review and information sites are limited to US equipment not generally available here.  Any comments about makes, availability and just general information will be gratefully received.     Thank you very much in advance.

Thanks very much.  On my way to the consulate in BKK this AM.  I had not realised that it is the tail end of a 4 day holiday...   expect a long slow trip with all the people returning home......

Thanks Very much.  The person who warned me had been married in BKK and thought this was a requirement.  Our local amphur is very local and the fellow who runs is is very friendly and speaks English perfectly.  I met him when he informed me that, regrettably, I could not have a yellow book for the house that I built and paid for because my partner and I were not married. The elderly father of my partner was once the head man of our village and the whole family is well known and respected.

Member T.V., I know my partner very well having lived with her in sin for about 5 years.  Having said that, I recommend anyone entering into any kind of financial arrangement with their partner (buy land, build a house etc.) learn about a usufruct contract and arrange to get one.

My lawyer is  Sebastian H. Brousseau, LLB, BSc. and I strongly recommend him. 

We are planning to get married fairly soon.  My divorce documents will be authenticated by the Canadian Embassy on Monday (I hope!)  If we marry at the offices of our local amphur (Ban Mai Chaiyaphot) is  that totally official and legal?  A friend just told me that we must got to BKK to marry officially.  Is that true?  Thanks very much.

Thanks for your comments.  Any of you who have not tried Yoga could consider it,  Not too strenuous and keeps the body limber.

Anyone aware of yoga groups and/or instruction near to Buriram city or within striking distance of there. I attended Yoga classes with AGAMA in Kho Phangan for some time and would like to continue.  I am a novice and also too lazy to do on my own just now.  Thanks in advance for any comments.

On 11/12/2020 at 3:54 PM, nauseus said:

 

Please send details of this perfectly functioning fishing agreement. Urgent. Stop. 

Will this do for a start?  Anyway it is 13 11 2020 not December yet.

Thanks for sending the info on generator/welders.  The ones shown are really too big for my needs.  Where this little house will be built is at the far end of a rice paddy so weight is a big consideration.  Future use of a generator will be at locations accessible only on foot.  When it dries up we will have a relatively short window of access by truck or tractor and when it rains again that will close.  Thanks for commenting.

Well Ubonjoe, That was pretty easy and it works!  Thank you very much.

Take care

Well Far Flung,  That is quite a collection you have.  Great stuff.  I too once had such a collection but no more....  Is that a rosewood handle on the number 7 sitting on the bench?   Pretty rare these days.  The big Makita electric hand planer looks pretty good to me but so far have resisted. 

Interesting stuff that you are up to.  Thanks for contacting me

Take care, Burton

RE Finding BKK bank transaction details of your online banking account.  Someone posted a small note explaining that there is a selection option that is a 'ghost' selection on the upper right hand of the screen.  Selecting this will give details about that account of who was paid and when (deposits too).  I have BKK bank online banking and cannot find this option and also cannot find the post where it was recently written.   Does anyone know more about this?

I rarely complain about Thailand etc. but how one of the biggest banks in the country cannot provide detailed information about customer's transaction is beyond me.  When we request a service such as the visa letter there are multiple forms filled in and stamped and passport and passbook photocopies taken and stamped etc. etc..  All for the 100 baht service fee!  The amount of paperwork and ID verification taken for the most simple operation is enormous and yet they cannot provide what I would call a 'Bank Statement'?  Give me a break folks.  

I have plenty of stories about <deleted> banks in France, UK, US and Canada too, but don't get me started.

Happy to be here in paradise.

Take care and keep safe, as they say.

I am fortunate to have money on deposit that is in excess of the 800K required.  Just the same, When my visa renewal comes up I go to the IO with my bankbooks etc. and ask if they need anything else, such as a medical examination performed within the previous 7 days, or whatever.  I arrange at my BKK bank head office in Buriram to have al letter produce with the date on it when I plan to go for my renewal, and confirms the money shown in my passbook is there even if it is in the next week ahead.  This year I am going to try to use my Thai DL and usufruct contract and apply w/o my GF going along with our/her bluebook too.  I don't see any rules that state a single man must co habit with a GF (or BF) to get a visa. 

Thanks Pogust.  Is it that 1.2mm steel just melts?  Is it that 'protecting gas' is stick welding?  I will do welding in my parking area so that should be OK.  I am a bit of a tool nut so a small generator will probably find its way to my collection of stuff.

So Far flung, Excuse me if you already know this but...   Chain sharpening correctly is essential and something that I have yet to master to my satisfaction.  When the teeth on one side become dull for any reason the cut will curve.  Also if one side is cutting less well it will put more pressure on that side of the blade causing it to wear out of true with the other.  If you see what I mean.  When that occurs no amount of good sharpening will succeed until the blade is trued up again.   For planing - have you looked at the small thickness planers available these days?  I had a Dewalt and maybe a Makita too, I forget.  They are all pretty much the same.  If you are happy with taking off a mm at a time (sometimes) they really do the job.  Not so good with wet wood, however.  The big hand planers work much better if you are not after furniture wood.  

Just googled 'log dogs' and there are lots of examples for 'holding logs in place' ideas.

I am getting very excited about another little building project to occupy myself with.

Thanks again for all the ideas and information everybody. 

Wow!  Back on the farm!  Feet look very good, better than a couple of cement blocks etc..  How does your lumber come out with your mill?  Around here they cut posts freehand  or there is a huge circular saw tool on a bed for cutting planks.  Down to about 1cm thick and pretty consistent along the length considering the tools.  Two guys set up the saw on a squared up trunk and just drag it along to cut the dimensioned lumber.  First time I have ever seen that.  I'll try to find the pics and post them If I do.  Thanks for your comments and encouragements.

I have looked a bit on the net about generators and arc welders and think that may not work out too well.  Time for a bit more armchair research I think.  Thanks for the ideas.

Thanks for the replies.  Also home made projects, great.  Just what I have in mind too.  My first project will be a pair of trestles, 'sawhorses' we call them in Canada.  Good tip about self darkening mask.  How to know if the generator is producing a pure, not choppy, sine wave?  Also, for the smaller welders, can a small generator power one?  Will the 'generator friendly' welding units have a protection built in to deal with choppy sine waves?  These are questions that I would normally put to a reputable supplier but I don't really trust the sales people here.  Very nice people but I just don't have confidence in their knowledge.  Thanks again

I want to put up a small house for the family on their naa for use when working there.  3x9 M floor area with 3x6 enclosed and a 3x3 covered open area at one end.  Simple, straight, double pitched roof about 11M long.  There is no power there although I put in some solar panels and pump down a borehole well. 

I see some small arc welders are 'generator friendly' .  I understand that inverter type welders have electronic circuitry that can be sensitive to voltage variations in the 'sine'.  (I just read that on the web and only sort of understand it)

But, if a small generator is also an inverter type then the voltage generated should be regulated too.  No?

By the way, I calculated the material cost of this small house at around 65,000 baht.  As follows:

8 - 15x15x 4M posts

all the steel for ring beams and roof structure

roof covering of metal or cement fibre panels

18- 1x2M wood panels (outside wall covering)

1 - door

6 - 1x120 windows with screens

30 - 30cmx3M precast concrete floor slabs

Add another 10 or 20,000 for extras and it will not be too costly.

Plus local labor, of course.

I am thinking to prefabricate the steel here at home, cutting and drilling holes to bolt it all together using connecting plates.

But it would be nice to be able to have a welder in site if easily done.  Also a small generator of less than 15 or 20 KG would always be handy to have around.

I have seen small welders for 1000 to 1500 baht, big drop saws at about the same and drill presses for between 2 and 5000.  I have all the other tools already.

I will probably buy a welder even if I can't use it at the farm.  Just fancy having one.

Any comments on: (please)

welding equip

drop saws

drill press

generators, small (not honda, too costly)

I was a building contractor for many years so I have a grasp of these sorts of things but would welcome any comments and/or guidance you might take the time to send along, thank you.

From your friend

notrub

I too am looking at small drill press tools.  I like the look of the OKURA YD-13P (about 2000 baht) as it is Japanese made(?) I think.  Get the largest size chuck (not 1/4") and be sure there are belts to regulate the speed.  Good luck.

My experience with BBK bank is that it depends on the branch.  I don't need a letter confirming annual deposits but the main branch in Buriram will produce a letter on the day confirming my foreign account (at head office) balance on the day.  Yes, the usual 100 baht charge applies.  I have had less happy experiences with other branches, other towns,  in the past.