Andrew Dwyer

Agree that they are understaffed at times. I requested a 12 month statement 2 Mondays ago and the bank told me to return the following Monday ( yesterday ). Expecting Monday to be a busy day I returned to the bank on Friday and the statement was ready, got the bank letter at the same time. But due to some other events couldn’t get to Immigration until 1.30 pm. The place was rammed and while I was having my docs checked plus filling the other documents they spring on you at the last minute I was told to go back on Monday. Only needed to make a withdrawal and update bank book on Monday and the place was relatively empty except for an agent and 4 accompanying clients. A couple of times in the past i have turned around and returned another day as there are many foreign monks who all go on the same day.

Ayutthaya, i must add that in general the IO is good and friendly except for the strangely excessive home visits ( which seem to have ceased now ) and the request for 800 baht 1 year ago for a CofR.

As is anything related to immigration there are inconsistencies just proving the lack of formal procedures surrounding these home visits usually related to individual immigration offices and their interpretation of the rules. I have had more than my fair share of these visits over the last 9 years all for retirement. 2 x first extension visit ( OA and O ) 2 x random visits, not announced. 2 or 3 visits scheduled. They are usually very polite and quick but more recent visits ( 2022/2023 ) seemed to deviate from the norm. On the penultimate visit they asked for a witness to verify that I lived at the house, the witness ( next door neighbour ) had to sign some paper, answer a few questions and have his photo taken. On the last visit an IO was accompanied by a young trainee whose job was to take the photos, after the usual “ house number “ and “ holding the passport “ pics the IO, clearly embarrassed, requested a photo of me sitting on the bed. I opened the bedroom door, pointed at the bed and stated “ a bed “ then closed the door before they could enter or take a photo. The IO nodded his head as if in silent approval at my refusal to this invasion of privacy. I don’t show any hostility towards the visiting officers as they are simply only doing their job but at the same time make them aware that i don’t agree with the intrusion. I believe it is mainly due to the big boss at the IO deciding on a crackdown or a new boss trying to justify his existence rather than any nationwide mandate hence some have multiple visits and others have none.

Did my retirement extension today, 1 hour and 15 minutes, the 15 minutes because apparently had to do a TM30 after changing passport. All in all quite quick, but more importantly no home visit pending .

I got the standard home visit on the 1st retirement extension of my Non imm O ( changed from non imm OA ), then got a surprise visit some 6 months later and another visit 6 months after that !, 3 in a year ! This was 2022/2023 and thankfully no more since, my unfriendly hospitality paid off . Seems like they have a purge every now and then, doing my retirement extension tomorrow will see what happens .

Exactly ! Might not end up as a Charles & Diana fairytale romance ( oops, just remembered how that ended ! ) or even something from a Mills and Boon ! But romance, or lust, could blossom so I would say “ go for it !”. In the worst case scenario it might lead to a 3 minute knee trembler behind the 7-11 dumpster ….. but that’s okay also 👍

How dare you insinuate that there is no romantic attraction between a visiting tourist and a young lady out for a stroll at 4.00 am in the South East Asian equivalent of Paris !! Shame on you !

Thanks. I have no intention to use an agent but have seen plenty of them with wads of paperwork and passports in hand. Whether these are just assisting the process instead of bypassing i am not sure, there is quite a lot of Japanese working here attending immigration and I tend to think they are just getting assistance with the process/language barrier but I could be wrong. There was a Brit living nearby who stated he paid 14k direct to the IO for his retirement extension but of course he could be mistaken and was meeting an agent at the IO. Each to their own i guess. I could do the income method, not sure if my IO does combination, but money in the bank seems the easiest option for me despite the annoyance of limited interest on the funds. It is once a year and i usually get all my documents right first time so sitting around for an hour or so playing on my phone at immigration isn’t too painful.

Ayutthaya. I use the branch closest to the IO as they seem clued up on what is required at Immigration but this is the first time they have given out a “ friendly “ warning.

Just out of pure curiosity how do agents sidestep the 800k in the bank 2 months before 3 months after rule ? Is it all down to an envelope changing hands and a pre-arranged agreement between agent and IO ? I did previously think that the agent would deposit funds to get the required paperwork then debit shortly afterwards but with the 12 month statement now required ?? I picked up my 12 months statement at BKK bank yesterday and got the bank letter at the same time. The teller went to great lengths to explain the rules of keeping the right side of the 800/400k rule. An hour later ( yes an hour !!, how can it take that long to do the letter ?? ) a lady from the back appeared with the letter and repeated the necessity to keep on the right side of the financial requirements. The words “ frozen account “ were thrown in for good measure !! I thought it strange that the bank was getting involved in this as their input usually is to supply the letter and statement irrespective of movement in the account. Did wonder if they had been urged to ensure that illicit movement of funds would not be tolerated ?? Never seen this in the last 8 years using this same branch .

From that photo not only is his nationality in doubt but also his gender !! Maybe it identifies as a camel ??

If you cannot figure out CJ in Chiang Rai then it doesn’t bode well for the rest of your theories !!

Say what you like about Malc, love him or hate him, he certainly knows how to bring in the posts !! Look at all the other posters getting all het up, blood pressure medicine is gonna be in short demand at this rate. From this topic alone I nominate Malc for POTY ( but none of that gay stuff that happened in the latter years, pink tights 🤢 ). Barring that, with his dedication to the forum he should at least get a moderators job ??

The “ sleep “ mode on my Seal is resolved by pressing the external door button a few times which wakes it up, usually there is an accompanying message to turn the steering wheel for calibration but then it is all back to normal. It apparently is triggered when a door is opened for any length of time but seems to be triggered more by the bonnet or the boot and sends the car to sleep after a strangely short amount of time !! I can’t see the reason for this, unless it is protecting the 12v battery but also don’t hear about other brands doing this .

On my Seal, the BYD Navigation has one big fault ! It has a nice interface, uses the full screen in portrait or landscape, easy to bring up charging stations on a designated route ( although on a highway will show chargers on the other side of the highway, which means 2 U-turns, very annoying, so not ideal ! ) and now has a route planner. But, try to type in an address, either local or distant, and it invariably can’t find it ! It has also given me the “ you have reached your destination “ message when still 5 or 6 km away as well as once showing me i have 13 km left to drive when passing my destination !! It is okay i believe for general destinations i.e. Chiang Mai or Hua Hin where it will provide the route accurately but as yet is untrustworthy for finer navigation. In other countries the recent update added Google support for the search mode in Navigation which apparently resolved this issue but we don’t get that here . Google Maps is definitely a better choice. On Apple CarPlay it is a simplified version but still usable, although cannot use portrait option. When BYD became popular here in Thailand owners wanted to add more apps ( sideloading ) to the screen and I had someone do this service for me. Google Maps ( along with YouTube and YouTube Music, Netflix etc ) were available to me in their full versions ( i.e. not the mobile version used in CarPlay ) and life was good !! Then Réver/Byd decided to change the SIM card from Sing Tel to True and add a GBox app ( possibly due to the increase in owners sideloading apps ? ) This was okay and all my previous side loaded apps disappeared but could be replaced via GBox. Then GBox was pulled, as no license for use in vehicles, Réver/BYD offered a replacement app ( Gpack ) but I have taken my bat and ball home a little on this and sticking with the dodgy BYD Navigation or CarPlay. I could visit BYD for the gpack app or my BYD tech guy to sideload again but the impetus to stock up on apps has left me. Don’t feel the urge for YouTube or Netflix in the car anymore, just want a reliable Sat Nav and until BYD get their act together will continue with the mobile version of GM . Rant over 😀

If you are looking for something top notch then check out Fargo ( both the 1996 movie and the 2014 series ). Wonderful stories with an excellent cast !! https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116282/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802850/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Is that when your wife signs your bank book which can only be viewed with a UV (?) light ?

Never had food poisoning anywhere and I have travelled extensively. Did get hepatitis (A) after a trip to Thailand back in ‘91, probably some oysters I had, sheeting through the eye of a needle for 2 weeks !!

What are you doing tomorrow ? Without need of a poll it is quite clear what some posters on here will be doing tomorrow … and the day after …… and the day after …..

Who said romance was dead ?

Yes, renewing a few days after my birthday ( previous license expiry ) gives me 6 years ( - a few days ).

Yup, roll up to the office to get the requirements, make a booking ( if required ), go home, do the online video stuff and retain the proof ( qr code or snapshot of result ). Back to the office with the docs, do the tests, get your photo taken and pick up the license. Another 6 years of stress free driving on Thai highways and byways 😏

Have used GG for years, very flexible, one time I lost my sim ( changing it on the plane i think ? ) but luckily had a spare and managed to transfer my number over to the new sim via the app !, retaining my credit as well as my number !

You can also stream via the various streaming sites, i watched it on fmovies.