
Shackleton123
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Posts posted by Shackleton123
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Well Ireland is still in the EU, and so have freedom of movement. I have an EU passport as an Irish National. When we arrived in the UK the UK was also in the EU, which meant any EU Citizen was free to live and work in the UK, and bring his dependants no matter what their Nationality, and vice versa of course. This Treaty of Rome free movement thing is for workers going anywhere in the EU with their families, except of course their own country. Hence I couldn't take her to live in Ireland, but could in the UK, or Germany, Italy, France etc. I would need a Visa to live in Kiribati with all that entails, might as well stay here (It's much more developed) We could of course go anywhere in the EU (so long as we were self sufficient) with no Visas required. In the end we chose to build here on leased land owned by a friend, and get my Visa Agent to arrange my wife's Visa, post my being brown bread.
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On 4/30/2021 at 4:10 PM, GinBoy2 said:
This is more curiosity than anything.
But, if you are an Irish citizen why would you say 'except Ireland of course'
Now I know there are some complex issues with people holding Irish and UK passports while never having lived in Ireland, God knows I hold a US & Mexican passport, but I've never lived in Mexico, but wouldn't good backup plan be to move to Ireland, just in case.
I sense a move back to Kiribati isn't an option, so what are the options?
Thai elite, some form of immigration gymnastics, she's got a long way to go before she could do a retirement extension, so you have some difficult decisions.
You have no children, so family support is something else to consider.
I always know that should I depart this mortal coil ahead of my wife, our son, and my daughters, even my ex wife actually, would always be there to support her.
Where do you have family who could be there for her? Is there a support structure in Thailand, which might make those immigration gymnastics worthwhile?
Sorry that's probably more questions than answers, but many things to consider.
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I chose to build. I have an old school friend who is married to a Thai lady and they have lots of land. He is leasing a plot to me, and supervising the build. I use an Agent for all dealings with Immigration including 90 days as well as retirement extensions because of a ton of difficulties without a single case of deviation from the rules. One time Immigration stapled someone else's notification of address in to my passport, and since it was in Thai, and had the correct return date on it, I never knew until I returned for the next 90 days. It became somehow my fault, and I got fined. That's when I appointed an Agent for all things from then on. Long story short, my agent told me not to worry.
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How does one make an appointment for vaccination? I'm a bit off the grid having retired.
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2 hours ago, Aarin said:
Don't buy. You can rent a great place near the beach for 5/6000.No use buying. She has many different options to stay. That's no problem. She can get a Thai Language visa and that will give her something to do and that she can drag out for up to 4 years and by then she should qualify for retirement
Our rent is 30,000 per month, I'd love to find a suitable place to rent for less. But she is 34, years old and so is sixteen years from retirement age. As was so astutely pointed out here is all expats are visitors only, and at the mercy of the Immigration Service. I do see what people are saying about buying, and I tend to agree. When I croak, she would have to sell, and that could take eons.
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3 hours ago, Old Croc said:
Save the proposed house purchase money for her to buy a long term elite visa. Presumably she will have an income to subsist on. When 50 she could switch to a non-imm extension.
or,
Many people posting here live long term on short term visas without having to prove funds. Adopt a dodgy agent.
A little confusing.
I worked here and in SE Asia but based here, for nine years and then retired. Hence came here to work, and now on a retirement visa.
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1 hour ago, GinBoy2 said:Ouch no easy answer to this one.
Ultimately no one with very rare exceptions is anything more than a long term tourist.
People bandy around the 'retirement visa' term. Doesn't exist, it's purely an extension of an existing non immigrant visa on an annual basis.
So for the OP, if you were to die, and let's hope thats not anytime soon, that extension dies with you.
Now would be the time to start planning for plan B, and I certainly wouldn't have buying a house as a part of that plan, but more case of returning to her home country or getting her residency in your home country
We married in Hawaii while I was on leave. She is Kiribati (we have no children) and we lived in the UK because I'm Irish, and therefore an EU Citizen, so my wife was welcome in the UK no matter what her nationality. We came here to work, and while we were here, the UK left the EU, so my wife is no longer able to live in the UK without a very expensive Visa (non refundable if refused)
We could go anywhere in the EU (except Ireland of course) and be welcome without Visas.
But this is a nice place, and I hoped we could stay, and she could stay beyond my time.
I appreciate the information chaps, thank you one and all.
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My wife and I live here on a Retirement Extension Visa. We have rented for over ten years, and are thinking of buying, or building.
The missus will almost certainly outlive me by a country mile, and is too young for a retirement visa. So when I croak, does she have to leave? and if so how long does she get to settle her affairs? like cremating me, and selling up.
Much obliged for any info
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I had a "Paroled to Leave" stamp in my passport. I had flown into Hawaii on on one of those Visas arranged between participant countries. I had flown from there to Kiritimati Island in the Central Pacific, only to find I could not fly back - because the Visa was dependant not only on being a citizen of the Visa Waiver Scheme Country, but the Airline also had to have signed up to the agreement. I had used a charter airline flying a Dakota, and they were not signed up to the scheme. When I telephoned them for a return ticket, they told me of the difficulty. So I forged a full US visa and sent them a scan of it in my passport. The Pilot (a very pretty girl) looked for me in departures so she could check my "Visa" but I managed to avoid her. In Hawaii of course I was rumbled, and had to pay 200 bucks instant fine, and have the notorious "Paroled to Leave" stamp. On my return to the UK I got the required Visa, but no new passport. Every time I re-entered the States I was detained at the check in, and taken to a "waiting room" where I would spend a couple of hours - just enough to miss my ongoing flight - before being released to find my suitcase making it's lonely journey around the carousel on its own. All my own fault of course, so no complaints.
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8 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:
Under taking a double-trailer truck
More likely she was turning left and he overtook her, cutting the corner, and killing her. There is no way he would have been charged otherwise. Look at the tyre marks.
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Jail him for 25 years, then shoot him in the mouth.
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19 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:
Maybe I'm deluded but at least I don't suffer from chronic paranoia. BJ is just trying to eradicate all the expats who acquire their extensions illegally or through the back door. The problem is in doing so they are inadvertently going to tread on the toes of the expats who's applications are legal and above board.
Its naughty school kid syndrome. One kid misbehaves and doesn't own up so the whole class gets punished.
Legal and above board? My wife did her 90 days yesterday. All paperwork in order, exactly 90 days since last reported, fined 800 baht. Me - 90 days a month ago, my last report confirmation slip in my passport complete with date of next report all in order EXCEPT it was not my slip! Wrong slip attached by immigration officer. So I got fined 2000 baht.
Legal and above board? in Thailand? in Immigration? what planet are you on?
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Why is it necessary to even have a residency certificate if one is here on a Work Permit? A Work Permit is proof positive that the holder is resident in Thailand and may be contacted, or interviewed on any work day, and is vouched for and verified by his employer!
When selling a vehicle, I note that this forum lists the requirements of both the buyer and the seller. It states that the BUYER needs to have a Residency Certificate OR a Work Permit.
This makes sense as the Thai DVLC already has details of the Owner - and when bought the vehicle, my Work Permit, Passport with appropriate Visa, were all that was required. So Why would a Work Permit Holder have to have a Residency Certificate?
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Excellent advice. I've been riding 50 years, and I'm still terrified here in Thailand. Nothing you already know applies here. You will instinctively do what's right in Europe, and it will be completely wrong here. Go at half the speed you would normally go, or less. You will meet the slow idiots instead of the fast idiots, but you will have more chance of survival. If you have a good head, get a good helmet.
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On 1/14/2019 at 12:36 PM, OJAS said:
The news may not all be good, though, unfortunately.
If you married your wife in the UK then you will first need to get your marriage certificate formally legalised as a prerequisite to her piggy-backing on to your retirement extension on dependency grounds. This will entail a convoluted bureaucratic process which will become apparent to you as you follow the step-by-step guide in the link below:-
https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised
We were married in the United States.
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Superfast reply! and good news too. Thank you very much.
Shackleton
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My wife is not Thai, we have lived here since 2010, I have a Work Permit. However I will retire soon, and will look to obtain an extension of stay based on retirement for myself and my wife. I would ask the forum the following questions (and thank you for any answers)
1) Do we both need to deposit 800k THB in a Thai Bank?
2) Can the money be in a UK bank with documentary evidence to show it is there?
Shackleton
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On 12/22/2018 at 8:22 AM, drtreelove said:
Your experience is unusual, you must have hit it on a bad day. I have had nothing but good, friendly efficient service at Samut Prakan Immigration office. My retirement extension in October took only a few minutes. But then I read the instructions and bring the passport copy and other documentation required.
The office is small and sometimes crowded, avoid Mondays and day after holidays. Contrary to another post, there is a toilet inside on first floor to the left of entrance near the stairs to the second floor, and another larger toilet facility outside to the right of the building. There are a lot of foreign workers go through this office, but few farang expats. There is minimal English, but the male officer at the far right window (#6?) is fluent and helpful.
And now with new BTS green-line extension opened a couple of weeks ago, the PakNam skytrain station is right at the corner of the driveway to the Immigration office. And if you have waiting time, there is the view and walkway along the mouth of the Chao Phraya river right there.
Samut Prakan Immigration website by Richard Barrow is as clear and informative as you can get.
http://www.samutprakanimmigration.go.th/
If you have time after your appointment, there is a big marketplace nearby and from there you can take a boat for a few baht across the river to visit Phra Samut Chedi with Buddha relics and powerful spiritual energy IMO, and an old fort with an elevated walkway through a mangrove and palm forest. http://paknam.com/
The Erawan museum (Chang Erawan BTS) is unique and has one of the best and well maintained gardens I've seen in Bangkok area.
The Muang Boran ancient city is near the end of the line, Kheha BTS station.
If you have to be in the big city, Samut Prakan is on the coastal outskirts of Bangkok and is affordable and not a bad place to live in my opinion. And now very accessible with Skytrain. And Immigration is not as bad as portrayed in this discussion.
You must be joking. Seriously what planet are you on? Samut Prakarn is a nightmare EVERY time regardless of the day, the time of day, or whether there was a holiday some day that week. You are a prime example of why the internet blogs are a complete waste of time. It's a ZERO SUM GAME. Every time someone makes a genuine complaint about anything at all, someone like you signs in to say it's all nonsense. Read other people's experiences above - are they all completely wrong? So you read the instructions? implying that nobody else did? Well I took advice from our Thai HR Department who telephoned Samutprakarn for all the requirements, and were NOT told about photocopies!!!
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On 12/21/2018 at 9:58 AM, Kerryd said:
Just did my 90 day at Jomtien a little over an hour ago.
Was #3 for the desk, was done and out the door in 6 minutes (from the time they started calling numbers). Only need to bring passport (and previous 90 Day report slip). Barely had time to sit down in the chair when my number was called and then I was back up again and heading for the door.
And that is all it takes to be "legal" for another 90 days. Amazes me at how many people whine about it. I guess having to wake up, shower and put on some clean clothes once every 90 days is too much effort for some.
So because you are lucky enough to be registered in an area that has an efficient office, nobody else should "whine" about 2.5 hours in a crowded hot room? These people amaze you? One can only hope your eyes are opened by experience, by experience Sir!! Seriously though, why is it that some offices simply scan the passport while others require originals plus photocopies?? Why can't immigration be STANDARDISED throughout the country? Cant see them ever getting certification to ISO9001:2015 can you?
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Samutprakarn Immigration. 90 Day report. two and a half hours. My mates in Pattaya cannot believe it. 10 minutes for them. They say the officer scans their previous ticket, details come up on computer, Officer says finished, and you're done.
Compare with Samutprakarn: You bring your Passport, plus a Copy of your passport, plus your completed form, plus your Work Permit (for good measure) If you didn't realise you needed a copy of your passport (since you brought the real thing) then its a 45 minute queue for the photocopier, because NOBODY knew they needed a copy of the real thing when they brought the real thing.
Once your long wait in the photocopy queue is over, you may now acquire a ticket for the real queue. You are given a ticket marked B120 and directed with an open arm gesture to a waiting room area. Nobody seems to be working at the desks, so you continue waiting. After about 35 minutes you realise that the screen hasn't moved past A1 since you arrived. Then you realise there is another waiting room area where their screen is reading B35 which is in exactly the opposite direction from where you were motioned to go. So you go there. Nothing lost though, as your ticket is B120. Finally you get to the counter, where you time your counter stay at 6 minutes. Officer says finished, and you're done.
Makes you want to ditch the digs and move to Pattaya.
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I see I am overdue my 90 days reporting again. I should have reported on the 2nd December, it's now the 5th, and today is a Holiday, so I will go on the 6th. In the past I have worked for firms that look after this for me, and allow me to do my job without worrying about immigration. Now however it's my problem. My wife's 90 days are offset from mine, so we will be at immigration every month and a half until we reset them bu leaving for a long weekend somewhere. However, - I digress. I have two questions:
1) What documents do I need to bring with me to immigration? - there have been changes recently I hear
2) Can I report 90 days at ANY immigration office, or do I need to go to the office that issued the Visa?
Much obliged for any answers
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On 11/7/2018 at 9:36 AM, ubonjoe said:
Which office?
Did you get a receipt for the fines? If not then it was not a legitimate fine.
I work for a Thai Company. We have many offices in Thailand, I work at all of them at different times. I registered as living at the Company Bangkok Address initially, which made sense as that was where my Work Permit was issued. It would help to understand EXACTLY what is the purpose of the 90 day sign on. If it is so they can always find / contact you, then obviously the Work Address would be unbeatable. However this does not appear to be the case. I signed on at various offices no problem (except minor fines for lateness - fair enough) However 6 months ago that all changed. Now we are registered at an address of a member of staff, in Bangkok. I am trying to get our HR department to sort this out finally. Since we arrived in Thailand we have always lived at the same address, HOWEVER our landlady is married to a foreigner and lives abroad. No chance of contacting her for papers she knows nothing about because the law changed after she left, and I do not know where she is (except for the country) I have her bank details in Thailand - where she still has an account - they will have no idea where she is either. So hence the difficulty.
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On 11/11/2018 at 5:40 AM, Patriot1066 said:On 10/17/2018 at 1:15 PM, Shackleton123 said:
That's interesting Kiribati looks very nice?
Some of the islands are beautiful - Kiritimati due south of Hawaii is one of them. But it's very third world. All the islands are Coral Attols, Tarawa (of Pacific War with the Japanese fame) is the capitol. Very overcrowded.
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19 hours ago, Laza 45 said:
Ha ha!! I think what we have here is a scam..
I have been fined EVERY TIME I VISIT IMMIGRATION, no exceptions. I never know (except in one case) why I am being fined.
We have decided that we will ALWAYS leave the country (Hong Kong, Vientiene, Singapore - ANYWHERE) just before the 90 days is up, and have a weekend away. On our return we start the 90 days again.
Thailand ready to kick off mass vaccinations on June 7
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