khaepmu

I have been trying to make a local call but all I get is 'No network connection available' and on top of my phone there is a small coninuous message that reads'No sim card-no network connection'. What has happened to my phone? I have never opened it or touched the sim card. I tried some advice from a youtube search but it dodn't wotk.

Last year, after I receiving  my 7162 and completing the form I was unable to use the return envelope with their address SS included. The glue or paste stuck and I could not unseal it despite trying to steam it open. I used a normal envelope and sent my form back to them. In October or maybe a bit later, I got another 7162 and they informed me that they never received the first 7162 they had sent me and that if they didn't received this most recent 7162 that I had just received, they would cancel my SS payments. So I then sent the form back registerd mail, about 100 Baht. They must have got it because I get my monthly dayments. 

Rumours are  that you cannot buy alcoholic beverages  during the month of June. Is that right?

If one is travelling to Buriram from neighboring provinces it appears that one might be subject to a 14 day quarantine but it is inconsistently enforced. My wife's niece arrived at her hometown in Buriram from Chonburi and was put into an empty house for 14 days. She arrived last week. Another niece arrived last month and it was a similar story. If I live in Buriram and go to Bangkok and Chonburi for a few days and return  to Buriram, I am wondering if I would be susbject to the same kind of quarantine. How would they know that I left and went to another province and came back. I asked my wife this and she said people will notice your absence and then inform the village headman. I have a local sticker that was put in in my passport by the village headman which seems to indicate that I am virus free.  I would hate to get back to Buriram and spend 2 weeks in some kind of quarantine detention center.

Thanks for your clarification. You are always helpful. I am wondering what I should do when July 31st rolls around. Assuming that the borders will be open by July 31st, would I just go to my nearest border, flash my passport, go into Cambodia or Laos, get stamped and then come back into Thailand for another 90 days. No need to go to immigration beforehand I guess. 

We are having a heated debate about who might be and might not be covered regarding the general amnesty announced by immigration. I have a Non-O multiple entry based on marriage and my present 90 days will be up within the next week so normally I would be required to do a border crossing, turn around and come back into Thailand for another 90 days. My understanding, from reading the immigration announcement, is that I do not have to do a border crossing until July 31st. Have I read the immigration announcement correctly?

Actually, I think Cambodia will not let me cross the border yet since I am an American. I am not sure about Laos. If I were allowed to to a border crossing next week I might actually do it instead of waiting for July 31st (I have my reasons) Would you happen to know if we can do a border crossing for this type of visa requirement at any of the border crossings at Cambodia or Laos. Any restrictions or requirements like a health certificate. And would Thailand let me back in? Thanks.

Sorry. I should know this but what exactly is a border pass? 

I have seen a few posts which claim that if you have someone included in your tax return that has an ITIN number you will not get the check. For example, a joint return with your Thai spouse whose ITIN number was included on your return. I am wondering what evidence there is for this claim. I can't seem to locate any information on the "Get Your Payment" website. 

"Those who did file, but did not include direct deposit information, should use “Get My Payment” to provide their banking information to get their Economic Impact Payment immediately. "

 I got this quote from the IRS 'Get my Payment' site. Not quite sure I have read it correctly. Does it mean that if I filed a 2018 tax return but did not include banking information (I didn't) I can submit my direct deposit information (it would be the same bank information as my social security direct deposit info) on their site? It seems like they are giving you that option. 

But the site also says that if you filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return they will send a check to your mailing address on the tax return. Since my address on my 2019 tax return (I haven't filed my 2019 return yet) is a Thai address I am wondering it they will really send a check to a Thai mailing address. 

My 2018 tax return is a joint return with my Thai wife who has an ITIN number. I owed no taxes nor was I eligible for a refund. Something tells me that with this tax status my chances of getting of getting a check are slim. But I'll continue my endeavor.

What might they charge  I wonder. 

3 minutes ago, Langsuan Man said:

It's in the name, a stimulus for the US economy, not the Thai economy, and what you spend in the US on vacations, online ordering, and buying US equities,  doesn't help the US economy NOW

 

You chose to live in Thailand so don't complain about what your are missing by not living in the US, and I am sure that what you save by living here is much more than a one time stimulus check 

I am sorry but I have to respectfully disagree. Buying American products online and having them shipped to Thailand is as much a stimulus for the American economy as having them shipped to an American address. And when I travel to the USA, once it is advisable and safe to travel again, I will use American carriers, and stay in American hotels, eat in American restaurants, use American car rental agencies, shop in American supermarkets. I also buy a lots of American products in Thai shops and supermarkets despite the stiff tariffs. I am a true patriot. I even bought a box of Cheerios and some imported American almonds and a bottle of California Red, at incredible expense, in Foodland.

"Make America Great Again". Send those stimulus checks to expats in Thailand. And reduce those tariffs on American wine.

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

I found this a bit odd.  I filed with TurboTax back in Feb and my return was accepted by the IRS almost immediately.  Within a week or two, they sent me my refund.  Just wondering why yours was rejected.  Did you have some major changes in your return?

 

As for getting the bailout money, since you're receiving SS money into your US account, you should be eligible. 

Not sure why it was rejected. I didn't put my AGI (adjusted gross income I think) on my first attempt. When it was rejected by the IRS turbo tax told me to include my AGI from the 2018 return.on the next attempt. I did but it was still rejected. Turbo tax just said it is not unusual. Maybe because it is a joint account with my Thai wife and her ITIN number.  t

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

With everything you posted I would say No, you are not getting a check.

And, living here you probably don't deserve one.

Why don't I deserve one? Despite living overseas, I easily spend thousands of dollars when I travel back to the States, not to mention all of the things I buy from the USA online. I also invest in US companies through the mutual funds iIbuy. 

A. I filed my taxes for the 2018 tax year as a joint account with my Thai wife who has an ITIN number. Used my Thai address on the form. 

B. I have completed my 2019 tax year return with turbo tax and tried to e-file but IRS would not accept my e-file return. Tried again but no go. Turbotax said that this is quite normal. Just file by regular mail they said. I saved printed and my return but have yet to send it to the IRS. As with my 2018 return, it is a joint return with my Thai wife who has an ITIN number. Again, I used my Thai address on the return. I am retired and the wife is unemployed. 

C. So, I think I will do the return again but this time not as a joint return with my Thai wife. And then use my US mailing address. Whether I file jointly or not, Turbo tax calculated that I own no taxes. I am wondering is using my US address is in any way fraudulent. It is the address I use for my US bank and brokerage accounts. 

It seems that, from reading other posts,  if you file a joint account with someone using an ITIN number you are not eligible for the governement check. (Can't really understand why). And, if I haven't filed my tax return with the IRS for 2019 they my just use my return for the 2018 tax year which has my Thai address and my wife's ITIN number. 

I might try to file on the IRS free online lookup that I found on this site but I sold a stock and have some capital gains with  my other mutual funds. Not much though and don't own any taxes. I think you can't use this site if you have income from stock and bond investments but I could be wrong.

C. My social security check is paid into my American bank every month. Direct payment. 

I am wondering is I can somehow make myself eligible for the check under these circumstances. Any comments?

From the Washington Post

"The IRS said there would soon be a web-based portal for people to update their direct-deposit information." Maybe this will work.

If you use a non US address on your tax return you might be able to give the IRS your social security  banking info for direct deposit. I am also wondering if they will send me a check since my mailing address with the IRS is my Thai address. 

I sent my 'are you alive document' back to the office in the USA sometime last year. Just a few weeks ago I received a letter from them telling me that they had yet to receive my 'are you alive'  document confirming my address. They enclosed another 'are you alive' document and said if they did not receive this latest one my funds might be cut off or delayed. I had sent the 'are you alive' form back to them last year standard air mail and they never got it. So this time I sent it registered. So it might be a good idea to send them registered mail.

Could anyone recommend a reliable lawyer in Buriram, or somewhere nearby, to write up a simple will. My Thai wife and I only have a few bank accounts, a house, and a Thai equity fund. It shouldn't  take more than 20 minutes to write one up. The local Amphur is unwilling to do it. Some of the lawyers we approached wanted up to 6,000-8000 Baht which I thought was ridiculous. I know there are law firms in Pattaya and Bangkok that do wills for about 1,500 Baht but we would like someone local. 

12 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Yes, as it is a Multi-Entry Visa you can exit/re-enter as much as you like/need and at any time during the Visa validity period.  After the 1-year Visa validity period you need a Re-Entry Permit to keep the remaining permission to stay alive.

As mentioned by Gregsmithy it's best to check whether the land-border you are considering for your border-hop does allow same-day exit/entry.  A simple query on the Forum would provide you with the answer.

I'm planning to use the Chong Chom border crossing in Surin. I believe they allow same day exit entry.

I received my first Non-0 multiple entry based on marriage from Laos last November and my first portion or visa is about to run out so I will have to make a quick border crossing, turn around and come back  to Thailand with another 90 day entry. . I am planning to do it all in one afternoon. Does it matter if you leave a few days before the first 90-day visa runs out. What I mean is suppose my first 90 days is up on March 5th. Is there any problem leaving on March 2nd and coming back on March 3rd instead of waiting until March 5th which is the last day of the first 90 day visa. I can't imagine there would be but I just want to be sure. 

Once one crosses the border at Chong Chom, I am wondering what the travel options are to Siam Reap. I did a google search and most travel options imply that you are leaving from Surin, meaning the amphur murang, which seems to add a lot of time to the trip. Once I cross the border, I was hoping I'd be able to hop on a minibus or share a taxi for not too much money and get to Siam reap in about 3 hours. Some of the websites claim the trip buy bus from Surin will take more than 10 hours. How could this be I wonder. 

Could you clarify this a little bit. You mean once I come back into Thailand with another 90-day visa on my non-0 multiple entry based on marriage, I can, at the end of that 90-day portion of the visa, get a 60-day extension?

I recently got a non-0 multiple entry based on marriage in Laos and will be doing a border crossing, probably in Surin or Ubon, and I am wondering what the requirements are since I have never done this type of border crossing and re-entry with this type of visa. Suppose I go to Chong Chom in Surin. First, I find out when the immigration services on both sides of the border are open. When I get there, I go through Thai Immigration, cross the border, pay a fee for the visa into Cambodia, turn around and come back into Thailand. Is that it? 

What if I decide to stay in Cambodia for 3-4 days (or longer). When I go back through Thai immigration, does the next 90 day visa period start when I get back after my 3-4 days or the day I left from Chong Chom. 

 Instead of going through a border town, I might fly to Vietnam or Penaeng, Malaysia. Just show my passport in and out. No questions asked. And I can stay 2-3 weeks in either country is if want? 

What are some border crossing options for a quick, same day in and out? 

Chong Chom, Poipet, Chong Mek, Mukdahan. Can you do a border crossing out of Trat? Are some more user friendly than others? Thanks.

On 3/1/2018 at 3:44 PM, ubonjoe said:

He is not saying that. He was referring to applying for a 90 day non immigrant visa entry at immigration based upon qualifying for an extension based upon marriage. It can only be applied for with a tourist visa or visa exempt entry.

The only way you can stay longer is to get a one year extension of stay based upon marriage at immigration. You will need 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months or proof of 40k baht income.

You could of gotten a multiple entry non-o visa that allows unlimited 90 day entries for a year from the date it is issued in Savannakhet Laos.

I am presently married to a Thai national and  last entered Thailand on a 30-day visa exempt entry. I extended that 30 more days. Are you saying that if I go to a Thai immigration office I can apply for and get a 90 day extension based on marriage? I don.t think I am reading this correctly.

As I will soon be returning to Thailand to my wife's village with a recently acquired Non 0 multiple entry based on marriage a heated and ongoing debate has begun in the village where she lives with the local expats giving me a wide variety of options as to what the TM 30 requirements are ranging from  "you don't have to do anything. I've been here for 2 years and have never gone to immigration with a TH 30 nor have I ever done a 90 day" to " your wife better get her butt to immigration with a completed TM 30 as soon as you get back to Thailand or you will both accumulate daily fines." Actually, I had been working and living in Thailand in a distant province (no longer employed)for a number of years and never resided in my wife's house. I rented an apartment and this is the address I used for my 90 day reporting and, more recently, a couple of TH 30's. My wife would come and stay with me once or twice a month for a few weeks and go back to her house, unaccompanied by me. So when I get back to Thailand with my Non 0 my guess is that my wife  should go to the nearby immigration office with a completed TM 30. Should I go with her I wonder? Could I go with the TM 30 instead of her? Should we take marriage certificates and house registration forms as well. Since my previous visas and extensions will have been cancelled, I don't think I will have to do a 90-day report until, well, 90 days after I arrive. Also, I will be needing  to renew my Thai drivers  license within a few weeks and will need proof of address. I am hoping that the local immigration people will be happy to provide me with the necessary documentation. Do I dare ask them for it the same day my wife submits the TM 30? 

When applying to renew a 5-year Thai drivers license in Pattaya, will they accept a certificate of proof of residence from the US Embassy? I am aware that I can get proof of residence from my local Thai amphur office but I'm going to be in Pattaya  when my license expires and going to the embassy in Bangkok is much quicker than going all the way back to my residence in Thailand.