1 minute ago, Hummin said:

Ok I see now, but still 90 days limit, and not 365 days. 

At first I thought so too, but it is indeed 90 days per trip, so after 3 months abroad you are not covered anymore.  However, this insurance covers ALL your trips during the whole year.  So if you have several trips a year, each one lasting less than 3 months, you are fully covered the whole year. 

Note: At this price you could even consider making two contracts, as you can choose the date when the year starts and so you can have back-to-back coverage of 6 months. 

 

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

A decent travell insurance for a year, would be around 40 000,- or more for a middle aged man trough Nomads. 

 

Please tell me if you have anyone who can beat that one. Im interested. 

See my response to Cat Handler, the post just above yours.

14 hours ago, cat handler said:

 

Really, Travel Insurance for 4000 Baht for 12 months, you’re dreaming.

 

25,000 would be a closer figure.

 

secndly Travel Insurance doesn’t cover you for ongoing treatment, only initial treatment and possibly evacuation to your home country if your seriously ill and injured and can’t catch a commercial flight. That’s why it’s far cheaper than Expat Insurance.

No, I am not dreaming.

I paid 95 Euro (approx 4.000 Bath) for 1 full year of Travel Insurance, with quite generous conditions in case you need help.

The 95 Euro is for 1 person, for whole family it's only 130 Euro.

This Allianz Classic-Protection Insurance policy covers a.o.:

- full pay-back of all medical expenses abroad up to 250.000 Euro (yes,  almost 10 million Bath)

- unlimited re-patriating costs

- medical after treatment in home country up to 6.250 Euro

- find and rescue costs up to 3.750 Euro

- etc.

On top of that you even get home assistance, when there is damage to your home when abroad.

The polis covers ALL your trips abroad during one year, only condition being that a trip is limited to 90 days. 

 

 

6 minutes ago, nasa123 said:

From Norway you have MAX 45 days travel insurance, but you can upgrade 1 week ekstra 10.000 Bath 2 weeks 20.000 Bath. 

With Allianz Classic-Protection (available in Belgium and most other EU Schengen countries), you have 1 full year Travel insurance for approx 4.000 Bath (and it also includes home assistance).

The Allianz insurance conditions are also very broad and generous, so might be useful to check out why such enormous difference. 

21 hours ago, Telly said:

It is pretty standard for an annual policy to cover 90 days.

That's why on every 89 day I'm on a flight or crossing the border to keep the policy valid.

Hi Telly,

I take your word for it, that your annual insurance travel policy remains valid as long as you do not extend more than 90 days consecutive abroad. But many insurance policies do not have this 'consecutive' clause and only allow 90 days abroad per year.

Here is my story which might be of some interest for ThaiVisa members interested in travel insurance.

Before leaving my EU country to reside in Thailand I checked several insurance companies' conditions.

I finally decided to take an Annual Travel Insurance with a very well-known one, which was actually quite cheap (less than 100 Euro a year) compared to some of the other options.  However, my Annual travel insurance clearly states that it will only cover 3 months of stay abroad.  And I understand that in case of an accident you have to show (a copy of) your passport to demonstrate that you meet that condition.

So the first 3 months of staying abroad you are insured if an accident happens.  After that period, when you are regularly traveling and they require only a copy of the page with the 'entrance' passport date-stamp of the country where the accident took place (which of course should not be +3 months), that should also pose no problem. 

However, if the insurance company would require a copy of say the last 4 consecutive passport pages to be provided, you could be in trouble (= not covered) if you were more than 3 months abroad since the starting date of the insurance, as the visa stamps would expose this.

So I am presently considering to renew that annual travel insurance when my 3 months abroad have been used.  A small difficulty is that you need to be in your home country to take that insurance, but since I am regularly coming over that should be OK (and of course you can have the insurance started on the date of your choice in the future, to make it back-to-back with 3 month stays abroad). 

 

 

 

 

23 hours ago, off road pat said:

Hmm,...My travel insurance covers me and my wife all year round, but only 6 moths in one go abroad, I explain,...we are covered for 6 months when we are in Thailand, if we would fly back to Europe and the next day fly back to Thailand we would be covered for 6 months again. !!!..I have been to the Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin a few years ago. Stayed 22/23 days. My insurance paid 330.000 Thb without a problem. and repatriated my wife and I to Belgium in Business class.

Don't ask me the name of the insurance, it covers only Belgian Citizen. !!!

Hi, I am a Belgian citizen and although officially residing in Belgium, most of the year I am in Thailand.  So, I would be quite interested which insurance company is offering this (and the annual premium).  Sounds like the ideal solution for me...

 

The fact that Bitcoin is very much alive and will almost certainly grow to new heights, does not mean that it's not a scam.  It only demonstrates that the combination of hype and greed is a more powerful driver than common sense. 

Bitcoin is the greatest scam in history

Article written by Bill Harris, former CEO of PayPal.  Good (short) read and makes some very valid points.

https://www.recode.net/2018/4/24/17275202/bitcoin-scam-cryptocurrency-mining-pump-dump-fraud-ico-value?platform=hootsuite

Thank you Ubon Joe, Phuket Man, and Onera 1961, for swift response and good advice.

Next time that I am in Belgium, I will apply for the Non-Immigrant OA Visa, as I do meet all the criteria (thanks for pointing out that the income criteria for such visa posted on the Belgian embassy website are not fully correct).

Just as you did for me, I will try to do something back for the ThaiVisa Forum community when there are members with questions on issues that have no secrets for me.

 

 

 

Hi UbonJoe, thanks for the swift and very clear response.

I easily meet all the requirements for such Non-immigrant OA, with the possible exception of the 2nd part of the one below (marked in bold italic)

> An original attestation from the bank with at least 800.000 baths or +/- 20.000 € (bank in Thailand or in Belgium) + 2 copies AND a proof of monthly income equivalent to 65.000 baths net/month, at least from the last 3 months + 2 copies.

 

I simply stopped working at 60 and am not yet officially retired (have to wait till am 63).  So I do not have a recurring (steady) monthly income, but I have approx 100.000 € in cash on the bank, and I reckoned that amount is more than sufficient to bridge the gap till I am 63 and that's why I quit my job.  From my 63th birthday on I will meet the last part of the requirement easily, as my pension is approx 85.000 bath net/month.

 

Also I still do some occasional consulting work, but the influx of that work varies a lot and might 'dry up' in the near future.  However for the first 6 months of 2018 I would be easily over the average +65.000 Bath/month.  However, I cannot provide any employee payslips for that.  The only proof I can provide are the invoices I sent out, and the payments on my separate bank-account on which I collect that income.  Would that be legitimate to meet the 2nd part of the requirement?

 

On 4/18/2018 at 11:43 AM, canerandagio said:

I came in on a 2 months tourist visa 13 months ago. I converted it into a Non-Immigrant O for the purpose of retirement and I haven't left the country since, not even for the conversion.

The whole process costed me:

1 - 1000 Baht for Tourist visa

2 - 2000 Baht application for conversion

2 - 1900 Baht for the one-year extension after 3 months.

These costs and actions will take me to June 2018, after which I will apply for a one-year extension for 1900 baht.

 

Had to have 800k Baht in the bank, a few photographs and letters from the bank easily obtained with 100 Baht.

No criminal record, no proof of address, no authenticated or certified letters, no medical certificates. All handled beautifully and without fuss at Chaeng Wattana immigration.

 

Re-entry permits cost 1000 (single re-entry) or 3800 (unlimited re-entries) and are valid for the duration of the visa.

 

Cheers,

straydog

Hi, in order to avoid the hassle of bi-monthly visa-runs, canerandagio's post above, seems like the Perfect Solution for me.  But I do have a couple of questions.

I am a 60 year old Belgian (Schengen) citizen and although not yet officially retired, I stopped working as I am financially secure and am now living with my lovely thai girlfriend in Isan.  For social security reasons I kept my residence in Belgium and entered Thailand with a multiple-entry tourist visum, but - of course - I now face the bi-monthly hassle of extending the tourist visum and leaving/re-entering the country.

So what straydog is doing, would also be perfect for me.

Questions:

1. I do have the equivalent of +800.000 Bath on my Belgian bank-account.  Do I need to request my Bank to provide me with a letter with the bank's letterhead confirming the above, or is a bank-terminal overview slip (showing my name, Bank account number and actual amount of Euro on that account) sufficient.  In other words, how 'official' does the income-evidence needs to be.

2. Not 100% sure if I understand the 're-entry permit' correctly.  Does this mean that the Non-immigrant O visa for the purpose of retirement, only stays valid as long as you stay in the country?  As I foresee to visit my home-country at least 2-3 times a year, I would - if that's indeed the case - have to apply for 'unlimited re-entries' during the visa's validity.  Can I do both applications (for the non-immigrant O visa and unlimited re-entries) at same time? 

3. Are there specific documents/requirements to apply for such unlimited re-entries?

Many thanks in advance for clarifying the above!

 

Blockchain is not only crappy technology but a bad vision for the future

This recent article by Kai Stinchcombe with its provocative title is actually a well-researched and very interesting read

https://medium.com/@kaistinchcombe/decentralized-and-trustless-crypto-paradise-is-actually-a-medieval-hellhole-c1ca122efdec

Also the responses - pro and con - the article generated are very worthwhile.

When you need to be in the area of the Grand Palace every day, I would recommend Rambuttri - as Chrisdoc already suggested.

Rambuttri road goes over in KhaoSan Road, but it's less overcrowded and I find it friendlier.  On the end of Rambuttri road (most far away from Khao San) it's not crowded and you don't have night-life noises.  And interesting for you, that's very close to the Grand Palace > a pleasant walk via Phra Athit through the Thamassin University grounds and you are almost there.

When I am in Bangkok I always stay there, as many nice places of Rattakosin (the 'old' Bangkok) are within walking distance.  The National Museum, the amulet- and buddha-market, etc.

Hotel tip > You could check out the New Siam Palace Hotel, it has a nice swimming pool and their clean aircon double rooms are 1350 Bath a night (breakfast included),  Note: There are several New Siam Hotels in the Rambuttri area, but the New Siam Palace Hotel is not only the best, but also the cheapest AND it is located at the very end of Rambuttri (so closest to Grand Palace, and no night-life noise).

Enjoy your stay in Bangkok!

 

Just for the record.

On the original topic I posted the following:

I got a reply from JackDD who rightfully remarked that making use of Superrich always gives you a better deal.

And indeed, when converting US dollar Superrich is by far the better option.  But when you need to convert Euro's, the difference is marginal.

Yesterday afternoon I transfered 2500 Euro, and this morning already I received a message from TransferWise that the money has been converted at today's rate and will be on the recipients bank account in course of today.  The mid-rate exchange of today 38.47536 was applied, which adds up to 95,443.52 THB  with the TransferWise fee of 19,36 Euro already deducted.

So I was curious to see what I would have got on Superrich.  And their buying rate today is 38.25, but since Superrich does not charge any additional fees, my 2500 Euro would be handed out as 95,625 THB in cash.

That's less than 180 THB difference on an amount of 2500 Euro.

And with TransferWise you don't need to go to a SuperRich booth but can do the transaction from your computer, and you don't have the risk of carrying large amounts of money in cash on you.

So I do think that making use of TransferWise is indeed a very good deal if you need to convert any other currency than US dollar.

 

 

Two very, interesting articles on the subject (one contra / one pro with some reservations).

The contra-article was featured in The Guardian and is a reprint of mid January written article by mr MoneyMustache

> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/15/should-i-invest-bitcoin-dont-mr-money-moustache

After reading it I decided NOT to 'invest' in crypto-currencies.

The second article is moderately PRO, and specifically makes a case for BitCoin (predicting the other crypto-currencies will not make it).

It gives a very good (historical) background of what constitutes money, and compares Gold / BitCoin / Regular money, coming to the conclusion that in the longer run BitCoin will most probably prevail because it is superior in many aspects.

https://medium.com/@vijayboyapati/the-bullish-case-for-bitcoin-6ecc8bdecc1

After reading the second article, I decided to keep watching the BitCoin evolution and when there are signs of recovery to make a small bet (one which I can afford to loose).

Happy reading!

3 hours ago, RocketDog said:

I wasn't really paying attention closely to the original post. He was speaking of bringing cash into LOS.

Then Peter suggested transferring it instead. Then another poster showed Super Rich was cheaper.

I checked that and realized that this is strictly a currency exchange based in Bangkok.

 

Given the hassle of physically transporting cash for exchange makes the few dollars worth just using Transfer Wise FOR AMOUNTS LESS THAN $5000.

 

from my bank in America to my local bank here is fast, easy, and safe.

Also, you can play the exchange rates easily and cheaply using TrasferWise to convert and send small amounts on a frequent basis. ,

If you convert a large amount at once, you've locked in that exchange rate permanently.

Lots of ways to play this game depending on your circumstances.

Thanks to all for a good discussion. I always learn something new from these forums.

 

 

Thanks RocketDog, for a good summary of what was discussed in the preceding posts.

Hi JackDD,

I checked it and you are right indeed.

I presumed it was impossible to get a better rate than the mid-rate, but one way or another SuperRich seems to be able to do exactly that.

Also, if you look at today's rate's for the US dollar (buying is 31.14 and selling 31.16).  How do they manage to survive on such small % per transaction (they buy 1000 USD for 31140 THB and sell 1000 USD for 31160 THB - that's a meager 20 THB profit on two 1000 USD transactions, not taking into account their infrastructure and personnel that needs to be paid).

So, I am amazed > thanks for pointing it out.

 

Hi JackDD,

I find it hard to believe that SuperRich will offer a better exchange rate than TransferWise.

Quite simple because TransferWise uses the mid-market exchange rate (the middle of the BUY and SELL rates).

They do not make money - in contrast with banks and currency exchange shops - via the exchange rate, but they simply charge a (small) fee for matching buyers and sellers requests, and when the match is made you pay or get the real exchange rate of that moment.

I attach a link to an on-line article explaining how it works, and that's how I got to know about their services.

https://www.thethailandlife.com/how-to-send-money-to-thailand-no-bank-fees

The only 'snag' with TransferWise, is that you do not know beforehand exactly what rate will be applied because you get the rate of the moment the deal is made.  And it seems I have been lucky because 4 of the 5 times I already made use of their services I got a higher amount in THB than the expected amount (which is based on the moment you give the order, but what you get is based on the moment of the actual transaction - 1 to 2 days later).

For sure SuperRich is the 2nd best alternative, but it involves carrying the cash and that does indeed involve some risks.

Hi Donutz,

Thanks for your response and advice.

So a mix-approach would be most efficient > Requesting my stepfather or brother, to invite my girfriend on my behalf, but them providing the 'host' invitation and associated required documents.  And me accompagning my gf during her Schengen Embassy interview, bringing with me also a letter explaining the situation and requesting a multiple-entry visum.

In due time, I will post my experience with the above so that other Forum-visitors can benefit from it.

Cheers,

Peter Denis

Hi,

I did not get any replies yet on my post of last Tuesday.

And on re-reading maybe that's because I explicitly mentioned Belgium, being the country where I have my formal residence.

But I am convinced that, with exception of UK, the situation described in my post would be applicable for most SCHENGEN countries.

So please do ignore the 'belgian' outlook in above post.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice with the above.

 

Peter Denis

When I still lived in Belgium, I invited my thai girlfriend 3 times for a holiday in Europe, which was every time approved.  There was quite some paperwork involved from my side (invitation letter, salary slips, certificate of residence, etc.).  And she had to go to Belgian embassy in BKK for an interview and other necessary paperwork (return flight-ticket, insurance, etc.).

Although my residence is still in Belgium, I stopped working (am 60 years) and now live most of the year in Thailand with her.  And I do have to make the occasional border-run as I am in TH on a tourist visum.  This is the most convenient solution for me, as I need to travel 2-3 times a year to Europe anyway.

What I am wondering now, is what would be the best way of tackling the administration involved, when taking my girlfriend with me on my next Europe-bound trip.

There are 2 options:

1.      I could ask my brother or my parents, to invite my girlfriend.  And ask them to send over all the required and legalized documents (as I did in the past).  And with those papers as well as her own documents, my girlfriend could go to the Belgian embassy and once again be provided with a Schengen visum.

2.      Obviously it would be more easy, if I would invite her myself and accompany her to the Belgian embassy in BKK.  But I am not sure whether I would be able to get hold of the required documents while in Thailand as some of these documents are to be provided from the Belgian municipality where I have my residence (and I it is not certain that my family can get those documents on my behalf).

Therefore my QUESTION > Did anybody already had a similar situation at hand, and provide me with some advice on how to go about?  When I would go with my girlfriend to the Belgian embassy in BKK, I obviously want to be well prepared and have all the required paperwork ready, as it is quite a journey from where we live.

NOTE: I also read about the possibility of applying for a 2-5 year multiple-entry visum, and that would of course be a very good solution to avoid all the hassle every time that I want to go to Europe with my girlfriend joining me.  However, we are not married and my official residence is in Belgium, so I am not sure whether such a multiple-entry visum would be granted (but I could try and if not approved the application could be changed to a one time visum).

Thanks in advance for any help/advice with the above.

 

My apologies!

I presumed it would be possible to also send money out of Thailand to UK, as 'matching reverse operations' are the core of the TransferWise service.

But indeed, I do not see the Thai Bath in the - long - list of currencies from which you can transfer.

Strangely enough, it is possible to send money from elsewhere to a Thai bank account using the TransferWise service.