bluebird729

On 1/8/2021 at 9:11 AM, GrandPapillon said:

the difficulty also resides in leaving your home country, you need to justify it at check-in

 

you can always lie, but they have the right to refuse you for boarding the plane since airlines are following certain government guidelines and have to comply to them

I'm completely open to any ideas on what to tell the 'check-in' staff at Heathrow Airport when bording plane to Thailand.

Please do give some ideas which you think may be useful  ???? 

Thank you

On 1/8/2021 at 6:41 AM, ChomDo said:

Exactly, I've been thinking the same. Of course if Thailand is where you live, then you have to get back but coming here for travelling purposes right now would be a bad idea. The restrictions on movement are pretty heavy at the moment and you can't even get a beer in a restaurant, so it's not exactly an idea holiday destination right now. 

 

And as someone mentioned it's not impossible but quite a hassle. I got my STV in November, but the process was definitely kind of frustrating. Also, at the time I was willing to do it, because I thought I'm returning to a covid-free paradise, but the "second wave" hit right at the time I was in ASQ quarantine, so now it's back to semi lockdown. If I were to do it now, I would for sure have to reconsider. 

you said Thailand is in semi lockdown.

What does that mean exactly?

Poeple can still go to supermarkets, beach, walk around, parks, restaurants (sitting at a distance), right?

or is anything different from what I said?

On 1/8/2021 at 4:47 AM, sammieuk1 said:

There is money to be made in keeping everything as difficult as possible don't play the game ????

Yes, I understand there is money to be made by the Hotels and clinics, nurses, hospitals, etc.  
But how exactly does the Thai government make money from these difficult rules ?

Please explain 

On 1/8/2021 at 3:12 AM, StevieAus said:

Very difficult to enter have an Aussie friend who has been trying to get back for months, the last figures I saw nearly 40,000 Australia’s stranded overseas

Can only enter if citizen, permanent resident or close relative etc ( unless you are well know sports person etc)

I dont understand why it would be difficulty for people to enter Thailand because I thought that EVERYONE who enters Thailand has to self isolate in a government approved centre/hotel?
So, why would anyone be rejected?   Otherwise what is the point of the mandatory self isolation in special hotels ?

On 1/8/2021 at 2:07 AM, Elkski said:

Don't forget covid test within 72 hours of travel.   And you better fly into your town you want to stay in because there maybe a lockdown.    And I imagine you better not use Airbnb for accommodations.  And is staying with a friend acceptable?

 You mean to use AirBnB as accommodation for AFTER the self isolation hotel, right ?
Just wondering why this may not be acceptable?  
Surely, once you have self isolated you are no longer a threat to the country? Why would it matter where you stay after self isolating?   As long as you can provide proof of payment for the rest of the holiday.
Or, am I missing something?

I just had a look at the things a Tourist needs to do to enter Thailand at the moment:

I cant really see how anyone would be able to do ALL of these things!

* Proof of payment of your Alternative State Quarantine Facility

* Proof of accommodation after the quarantine for the next 75 days !!

* Proof of at least 500,000 THB in a bank account PER PERSON.

     -  For a family of 4 people, this is 2 millon baht in the bank !!

* Proof of travel medical insurance

* Passport with at least 12-month validity and two blank pages

* Criminal Records Background Check

* Provide a police-approved criminal records background check.

* Fit to Fly Certificate (must be done within 72 hours of flying)

Have I covered everything, or is there more ?

6 minutes ago, daviddunham said:

it's a strictly controlled 5-star prison.

ALQ just has worse food / accomodatiin than ASQ.

Could you expand a bit on ALQ ?  What is it exactly?

I have only heard about ASQ.

7 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

You understand that leaving the hotel to go to the supermarket would, literally, contradict the definition of ‘quarantine’.

In England, we are in Tier 4 lockdown (and not allowed to leave your home except for essential things), yet the streets and shops are all pretty busy with people.

So, obviously I would like to know how the REALITY compares to the Rules.

I have lives in Thailand before and I know how flimsy all the 'so called' rules are.

Has anyone here done the Alternative State Quarantine?

Could you tell me the daily routine... and what you CAN and CANT do each day ?

Are you able to leave the hotel at all (for supermarket or anything?)

How strict was the security to make sure you can or cant leave the hotel?

How is Alternative State Quarantine different from State Quarantine ?

 *I cant find any info about the normal state quarantine.  

4 hours ago, Titan1962 said:

Not 100% sure,but I think it had something to do with the cost of renewing the license for the exchange and the tax involved. I think the exchange was owned by a foreigner and he made heaps of money. Maybe he called it a day and bought a Lambo.

Yes it was a good exchange,easy to use and navigate. But now I am used to Bitkub,it’s on par with BX. Plus they are always adding new coins. They hold a survey every now and then to see what coins customers want added to the exchange. Since I have been on there,they have added about 10. They added polkadot,cardano,Band to name a few. They have most of the top traded coins. You have to go through the normal process to join,KYC and you need a Thai bank account. But it’s straight forward and once your done it’s easy.

Best of luck.

Thanks again for all the info  ????

I actually joined up with both  BitKup and Satang and have been approved with both...  But I will go with BitKup as I have been getting good reviews about them,  ???? (including your nice review)

Bank account added.

Will start trading soon  ????

Thanks again  ????

7 hours ago, Titan1962 said:

If your looking for a crypto exchange in Thailand,I highly recommend Bitkub.

I have been using them since BX closed up shop and I have never had any problems with them.

They have plenty of crypto currencies to choose from and no issues removing them from their exchange to your hardware wallet. 
Since BX closed up shop they seem to be the go to exchange here in Thailand,their users have increased dramatically. They also have a telegram chat to assist you in any questions you may have. The platform is easy to understand and use,transferring  money is. Straight forward process,their bank is Kashikorn and transfers are instant. Other banks take a bit longer.

hope this helps.

 

Thank you  ????

By the way, have you any idea what happened to Bx?  They were good.. and then all of a sudden, they announced closure, which was a pity.

4 hours ago, Sharp said:

coins.co.th as stated I've never had problems with this crew and it's linked to my SCBbank for cash in and out with a 1% fee.  

i had a look at coins.co.th website, and I notice they only have BTC.

They dont have any other coins.

have i missed something?

BitKup  vs  Satang Pro  vs  Coins.co.th  vs  other?

Which exchange is the most reliable and has a good interface?  

Also:  which has a good selection of crypto coints to buy/sell ?

Are any of these exchanges dodgy or likely to close down?

8 hours ago, Heng said:

 There are far too many small operations that end up in the 'no longer operating' column of list of exchanges.    

Thats a very good point.

Ok, does this sound like a possible idea:  I buy the BTC with my local exchange and then transfer the BTC to my Binance account ?

This way, my money is only with the local exchange for a very short period of time. So its extremely less risky.

How does that sound?

It means I avoid the Swift fee.

I'm sure the BTC transfer fee isn't as high as swift?

41 minutes ago, Heng said:

Of course, everyone's needs are going to be different.   The Thai banking system is fine for day to day use.  I just wouldn't leave larger sums with it.   Many people are fine with doing so, myself I prefer other places.    

 

As for back and forth (between exchanges and the legacy banking system), that's generally something I avoid as well, even overseas.  Feel free to Google it (keywords along the lines of: bank closed account for crypto), but there are more than a few instances of banks just suddenly deciding not to deal with you when you are doing nothing more 'suspicious' than having many crypto related transactions.   When using crypto as a hedge against fiat, I find a periodic transfer (maybe 1 per quarter) of bank account to crypto exchange about the norm.  Not so often as the banks would care about, and also no so frequent that I would have to worry about SWIFT fees.   As for cashing out, which generally is against the whole point of having a crypto hedge, I'd avoid direct exchange to bank accounts altogether and just stick with peer to peer (bank transfer though) type transactions.    As for Thai exchanges vs. the various super liquid exchanges in the world, it's no question which are preferable.

ok, I understand.

But the annoying thing is that I have a meaningful amount of money in my Thai bank.  
If I swift it to the UK (to buy crypto with Coinbase or Binance) then i will also lose a lot on the exchange rate to the UK right now.

Do you know if there is a way to buy crypto from a large international exchange using my Thai funds (without having to send my money via my home country England). ?

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I've tried a couple of times with coinbase no luck, There was an exchange here in Thailand but it closed down had to get my C/C out rapid,

The one use now in Thailand is only for Bitcoin so far seems pretty good https://coins.co.th/

I read a review about coins.co.th   The review also said that the fees are very high.

I also notice that coins.co.th only has BitCoin.  It doesnt have any other coins. so its not very exciting.

Have you ever heard about BitKup.com  ?  Many people seem to talk about BitKup.  I have no idea if its good or not. and I dont know how it compares with coins.co.th

Yes, I also used to do crypto (about 2 years ago) with Bx.in.th  it was REALLY GOOD!  But it closed and I also had to withdraw my money suddenly.

11 minutes ago, Heng said:

The best way to trade and invest in crypto in Thailand is to keep the bulk of your liquid assets in Singapore (or any other country where the banking system isn't living in the late 80-90's) and using Binance and DEX's.   As far as the LOS is concerned, nothing is happening here other than you living a lush life.

you havent made me less confused.

Personally I think the Thai Banking system is pretty good.

At least its better than what we have in the UK !

As long as I can transfer from my bank to the crypto exchange (and back again), then what else would I need in a bank ?

Anyway,, I have a Thai Bank account. 
My money is in the Thai bank account. 
So, I want to know an exchange where I can trade (low fees).

If I traded between my thai bank and binance, then surely I would keep getting charged international swift fees.

So isnt a thai exchange my best option?

On 9/29/2020 at 9:54 AM, OneeyedJohn said:

Says it all.

 

Bragging about a Coinbase account on a public forum.

 

I am sure Coinbase could answer your question discreetly.

I dont understand why the secrecy or issue with coinbase?

is it illegal in Thailand or something? 

i have a coinbase account in the UK, but i havent touched it in 2 years... and now I plan to start trading again.  But i'm searching for a decent Thai Exchange  (coz my funds are in a Thai Bank).

Which thai exchange do you think has a large selection of different coins on offer and is also reliable.  (and not with extortionate fees) ?

A few years ago I used to trade with BX Thailand.  It was very reliable for me but then, (shortly after the crypto market crashed) it folded up and is no longer operating.

Now the market seems exciting again so I'd like to start buying coins again. But I have no idea which exchange is a good one.

I've heard about BitKub.   Is this pretty much the best one? or are there other more reliable ones?

Please can someone recommend a legitimate and good exchange?

My funds are in Krungsri bank, so hopefully its still easy to transfer money between my bank and exchange, and visa-versa ?

Also:

Several posts in Thai visa (recently) are talking like there is something secretive about coinbase.

is there some sort of problem in Thailand with coinbase or crypto?

I'm out of touch (since 2 years ago).

7 hours ago, dimitriv said:

Emirates was much more strict and limited. 

That's really weird.  I just phoned Emirates (Dubai office) and they told me that you dont need a PCR Covid test if you are flying from Bangkok to Europe. (He asked what destination countries and I told him London or Stockholm), he said both of which do not require a test.

What was your destination? Perhaps your destination required the test?

Etihad (from their website) seems to want EVERYONE flying out of Bangkok to take a test, whereas Emirates only seemed to only care what the destination is.

How is it that you thought Emirates was stricter than Etihad ?

If I am flying to Europe  (Sweden or UK), maybe direct, or maybe in transit with Emirates or Qatar, do I need to take this COVID test in a hospital/clinic before flying?  

or does the airport just do a temperature check?

Has anyone done the covid test?  how much did it cost and what did it involve ?

I also read that I need 100,000 baht of insurance if I fly ?  is that correct? or is this only for passengers who are ARRIVING into Thailand ?

Many thanks ????

8 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The maximum fine is still 20,000 baht.

But a overstay of more than 90 days results in a one year ban from entering the country. More than a year is 3 years. More than 3 years is 5 years.

Thank you.,

I also thought that nothing much had changed. But some guy I spoke to was very insistent that it had just got much stricter recently; So I wanted to check it here in ThaiVisa.

Obviously the guy was wrong.

Thank you ????

12 minutes ago, tonray said:

You are confusing 2 different things. The application for extension is mentioned as a way to stay in Thailand for another year. if one is on overstay , you will be flagged at the departure booth and either pay up or go to IDC. Depending on the length of your overstay, you may be banned for a period of time.

 

20K is the maximum fine

Ok, so there is no special form to leave Thailand.

The overstayed person just needs to go to Suvarnabhumi, Pay the 20,000 fine, and leave.

There is nothing new, and nothing has changed.

  - Is that correct ?

If someone overstays for a few years;  Is it still 20,000 baht fine at Suvarnabhumi Airport upon exiting Thailand?

 or has it changed in any way?

Someone told me that the rules for overstaying has changed.

I am not sure if they were talking about the 20,000 baht fine, or if they were talking about some other aspect of the overstay rules.

PS:  How necessary is the Application for Departure?  (attached below)

  If you try to leave Thailand without one, will you be refused exit? or do you just fill in a form at the airport?

50 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

OP. the TM30 website appears to be loading ok.

What is the problem you are having to say its broken ?

 

https://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn24online/menu.jsp

i have tried it on both my computer (3 different browsers: Firefox, Chrome and even internet explorer) and also on my android phone (chrome). and every time i get a failed link saying:  "This site can’t be reached"