Andrew Dwyer

1 hour ago, Jerzy Swirski said:

I get a yearly visit now for my extension based on retirement.  I live in northern Thailand.

The reason they bring a "photographer" with them is most likely because they need a picture of the visiting officer with the alien.

These visits must be very time consuming for the Imm office.

I doubt these visits are anything sinister just a way to prove they are over worked and need more staff.

 

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.

32 minutes ago, LarryLEB said:

Which Immigration office, please, Andrew?

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.

19 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

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 .

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 .

5 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Why not? You described her as funny and entertaining. Who knows where it's going to on a rainy day in Pattaya.❤️

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 👍

5 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

Those who use an agent in such a manner will tell you it's at the discretion of the Immigration official to circumvent the requirements, however try that without a brown envelope and suddenly rules are rules.

 

There are the options of using the monthly overseas transfer income method, the combination method, or still the Embassy Income letter where available.

Although Immigration state the 'retirement' option being available for those 50+, most don't receive state pensions until age 65+, even private pensions may not be available to draw down on until 55+, so for many aged between 50 - 65, the only option is 800K in a Thai bank account, or an agent.

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.

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Where? 

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 .

1 hour ago, motdaeng said:

i've been driving the byd sealion 7 awd for a few months now. it's a great travel suv that’s also fun to drive, still loving it!

 

but can someone explain how one of the world’s biggest car manufacturers fails to fix obvious software issues, even though features like this have been standard in competing brands for years? things like camp mode, dog mode, sentry mode, a useful energy consumption display for trip a/trip b, or a proper readout for electric secondary consumers, etc. 

 

when my car goes into "sleep mode", i can no longer connect to it with the byd app, neither via wifi nor bluetooth, even when i'm standing right next to the car. my byd dealer spent over an hour trying to fix the issue. according to a facebook user, it's a known software and possibly hardware problem, but byd thailand doesn't offer any solution ... 

 

why hasn’t byd addressed some of these issues by now? it seems they still need to learn that the customer should be king. too bad, on this point, byd gets a thumbs down from me!

 

note: most other car brands also have unsolved issues, so byd isn’t alone in that ...

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 .

13 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

 

my daughter uses apple carplay, and i use android auto. for our "simple needs", both systems work quite ok, though there is still room for improvement in the software ...

 

for navigation, i rely on google maps through android auto. i've been using google maps for years. i only tried the byd navigation briefly, so i can't say much about it, but i wasn’t impressed (filter / couldn't find hotels / user friendly etc). in my opinion, the byd navigation system still needs improvements before it could be a real alternative for me ...

 

on my last road trip (around 2,800 km), i used google maps the whole time, including to find charging stations. it worked without any problems ... 

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 😀

24 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

I've kept my main account in only my name, but I have made arrangements with the bank that allow my wife to withdraw funds from it. So, in the case of my death or a debilitating illness, she can do that. 

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

On 6/18/2025 at 10:27 AM, Harrisfan said:

Thai treatment of seafood is leaving it out in the hot sun or having curries sitting around for days. I've had food poisoning in the west 3 times. In Thailand a dozen times.

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 …..

28 minutes ago, steve187 said:

6 years if licence has expired, 5 years from next birthday, not aimed at you

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

4 minutes ago, steve187 said:

take the online test 1st save the QR code, drive the the office ( some offices have to make an appointment) do eye sight test, jobs done

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 !

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

You cannot download BBC programs. You can only live stream via their iPlayer. You'll need a good VPN of course.

 

However, I notice that someone has found an alternative source for you, so I'll bow out. Enjoy.

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