persimmon

I`ve been in the UK for 18 months now , won`t be back in Thailand until Nov. KTB don`t have any way of contacting me . Do I need to worry my account could be closed ? Sent some money from the UK a few months ago and checked via ATM and it seemed ok .

Would be ok if there were no neighbours within 100 m. otherwise too noisy - no sound insulation at all .

I was last there 20 yrs ago and it was quite crowded with young hippy types , probably the same sort who frequent KSR and the full moon parties . Not my scene so won`t be going back . Nice countryside though with hot springs nearby - free 20 yrs ago now Bt 500 to get in 👎

I have a SIPP in the UK and was hoping to pass it on IHT free , but that`s not possible now thanks to RR and the recent budget . Presently , any withdrawals are taxed at source ( usually 20 % ) . If I move to Thailand and become non UK resident for tax , can I claim back these deductions ? I also have dividend income , not sure if I need to pay UK tax on these or not .

Not an expert , but reading all the replies , a summary might be ... # no tax on gifts , 20 m Bt to wife or kids ( must be legally married ) or 10 m Bt anyone else , per year . note - to avoid confusion at the tax office , better to transfer directly to the beneficiary , rather than to your own account , then the recipient .

Look at her in that pic - miserable as sin - you`d think she would look a bit more cheerful getting £ 170 k a year for basically sod all .

Not claiming to be an expert here , but I think the divorce laws are different in the UK and Thailand . In the UK , all assets are taken into consideration , whilst in TH , assets accumulated before marriage are not considered . in any divorce settlement.

Maybe her solicitor has taken the case on a " no win , no fee basis " ? Can`t see how she even has a leg to stand on though - no written proofs or contracts , and a " common law wife " has no meaning in English law . Besides , she got the house , what more does she want ?

Life in rural Thailand - sounds idyllic , but there are a few downsides ... # setting up home with a new wife / gf often involves buying land or building a house , fine , until the relationship founders , then all that investment is lost . # health insurance / medical costs # poor air quality in many areas # many Thais don`t actually like foreigners

Rule # 1 when in Thailand - never get into a fight with a local . Obviously the drunken Russian has never watched Thai boxing .

Inheritance tax ( IHT ) is probably the major factor here . Is it fair that some people just take from the system and contribute little if anything , whilst others pay many millions in tax ? There should be a cap on the amount anybody has to pay in tax over their lifetime , maybe based on the average salary .

They all want something , or else why would they be looking for a foreign partner ? Maybe the trick is to find one with realistic expectations , not one who wants a new 20 mill baht house and new Merc just because someone in the next village got that . That`s the problem though - choosing a partner who`s just there for the $£ s - however much you give them , they always want more .

Is there a way to freeze the physical Wise card when it`s not being used so it can`t be hacked and money stolen . Or , is there a way of keeping money in a separate part of Wise and transferring into the active account when needed ?

I need a way to access the net whilst moving around in Thailand , reasonable size to carry about and inexpensive , just for emails , bank accounts and general light web browsing . Samsung tablet is about the same price as a cheap 14 " laptop , then there`s the Chromebooks . A tablet would be the easiest to carry , but is it just a bigger version of a Samsung phone ? If so I might as well use my phone and save the £ . So ,which would be best ? Thanks .

Well done , not much fun being in the UK at the moment , freezing temperatures and high electric and gas prices .

OK thanks ...what about the bus from the border into town ?. There is a money exchange counter in the basement at Central , Udon ...I suppose I could get a few thou / million ? kip to see me ok for a couple of days .

Maybe it`s best to be prepared for all eventualities if a border bounce is needed - ask at departure if you can come back in on the same day and be prepared to spend a couple of days in Vientienne if not. By the way , can you pay for buses , food etc . in Baht or do you have to carry the local Lao currency ( is it Kip ? ) .

Maybe the answer to the bank account problem is just to rely on having a Wise account ?, unless they decide to follow the others and restrict access to UK residents only .

Trouble with some of these out-of-the-way places is , what would you do all day ? OK if you have a Thai GF / wife and nice house where you can relax , but if stuck in a small hotel with no pool ....? There`s nowhere to walk and no beach to sit on . Best idea would be to just travel around from place to place , although many of these small towns look the same .

That`s what worries me about a permanent move to Thailand - it would mean leaving all my pastimes and hobbies behind and trying to find new ones . Just sitting on a bar stool and drinking beer all day - well maybe it`s ok for some , but I think I would get bored of that fairly quickly .

Some of these charity bosses are on 6 figure salaries . No way that I would ever give to one of those .

It`s possible - live under a bridge and sit on the pavement / sidewalk with a begging bowl . Or busking in Pattaya ( until the police arrest you ).

I`m thinking about getting a Wise card . Tried to apply online but they want me to send a pic of my PP or drivers license . Is this really needed or am I being scammed ?

Happened to me a few years ago - girl on the check-in counter asked why my return flight date was longer than my TR visa allowed . I had to argue with her for a while . She finally called a supervisor over who allowed me to check in . Neither of them seemed to know much about how the system worked in Thailand , yet they were trying to stop me boarding WTF !

The Grace Hotel on Suk 3 used to be a major meeting place for these types of people . I remember walking past there on my way home when I was approached by a dodgy looking character who said something like " Hey mister , I make business with dollars , you interested , do you have a mobile number " . I politely declined his offer .