niggle

Oops sorry, forgat to mention , its Hua Hin I am coming to

Can anyone recommend such a person to check oout house for defects prior to my arrival?

OK, I will be coming to Thailand late March to make final payment on house / keys handover etc. Naturally I do not want to hand over payment until I have checked everything but also need to get money over there ready for my final inspection. I usually transefer bank to bank but does anyone figure that a bank draft would be ok to take with me and would it be ok for a tor tor to be issued

How have others dealt with this issue

Thanks

Plans to retire to HH continue apace. However - not sure what to do regarding cars. Will evenvtually buy 2nd hand to get around in but in the interim (until we get to know things) should I rent as an when needed or go for longer rental/lease. What did anyone else do - all advice welcomed.

Also any suggestions for best places for rent and for longer term rent/lease (probably 2-3 months)

Thanks everyone

Does anyone know the current GBP to THB exchange rate used when determining what constitutes 65,000baht per month income?

Thanks

There are some limitaions in monetary gifts which, I believe fall within the realms of inheritance tax and a clause known as 'The 7 Year Rule'. I cannot remember exact amounts but I think that 10K is ok. Either way, transfer the money in 2 amounts if necessary - 1 amount before 1st April. Info is available at www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm

Coming over to LOS in 3 months to retire. Will have necessary criteria - ban balance, income etc.

Is it easier / better to come in on O visa and change in Thailand or get a 1 year mult entry in UK ?

Thanks

I agree with lopburi - that is the advice given to me by HSBC. Do not transfer in monthly. The larger the amount in one go, the cheaper % wise it will be

Try www.direct.gov.uk. Some useful info on there with downloadable claim forms etc.

Okies...... i am making a few plans prior to retiring, and coming to live in Thailand, hopefully next year

My company pension will cover the required ammount of cash needed for retirement visa, so thats not a problem ammount wise. But one thing that concerns me is getting it from my bank in UK over to Thailand. The last time i transferred any money over there my bank hit me for £18 charges !!!!

While this wasnt too bad as it WAS a fairly large, one-off ammount, i cant see myself being too happy with having to pay upwards od 1500TBH each and every month, just to get at my money each month

What do you guys in similar circumstances do to minimise this expense? I am currently with HSBC bank in UK, but dont want to leave 50,000 GBP lying around in a Premier account with them just to qualify for free services.

I know about The Nationwide account, but thats ok for ATMs and suchlike, but not so good to qualify for a retirement visa !!

Any suggestions gratefully recieved

Forgive me if this has been covered before, but..........it gets a bit busy in here, lol !!!!

Penkoprod

I am in a similar position, although plan to move in a few months. I also bank with HSBC and was advised by the bank manager - yes there are real ones - flesh and blood ! when you can get to them, that the best way would be to hold the majority of savings in an account in the UK with the best interest rate you can find. The fees for transferring money to Thailand are based on the amount sent so transfer from high interest account to HSBC, then transfer money the least number of times as possible, maybe enough to last say 6 months at a time, this will minimise charges but you need to calculate the amount of lost interest for say 6 months against the fees paid.

Another option is to change your HSBC account to a Plus account, fees payable monthly but no charge from ATMs. Swings and roundabouts I guess.

Would be interested in any other ideas from readers - always looking to save a few quid.

Same problem a few months ago with HSBC from UK to Thailand.

Get a copy of the transfer details from them and check very carefully that names are spelt correctly.

ALSO always do it at the branch, never ever via call centres

As mine is a joint account, they had transferred it in my wifes name so the banks there had no record of XX baht from myself to that account

Thanks for the ghelp. Yep, I will be a 'first time@ retiree in early next year having just retired at 54. (Do I miss work - like a hole in the the head). I reckon the best way is probably to stick 800,000 in bank as a fallback and have my income (65000+) as a back up.

Well, just when I thought I'd got it sussed I read abount new regulations regarding amount in Thai bank for retirement visa or minimum income. Then I read about not accepting bank account money just proof of income. Can anyone lighten my darkness ?

Also, is a Thai branch of a foreign bank (Citibank) acceptable for the bank deposit regulation ?

Thanks

Niggle

There is a Peony Hotel: www.peonyhotel.com

This is (almost) next to where the Hua-Hin Suites Hotel is.

ALos I vsisted a new bar - Noodles bar/Hotel (www.huahinafterdark.com/noodles-guesthouse.htm)run by Canadian guys - looked ok but didnt stay there a sI had booked into Hua-Hin Suites.

A woman goes to the doctors and says

"Doctor I want big breasts but I don't want any operations or have any of that silicone stuff, what can I do ?"

The doctor says " Every morning, take a piece of tissue paper and rub it on your chest in between your breats"

"Oh, will that work ?"

"Well, it worked on your arse"

I believe I will need a Certificate of No Criminal Record as part of thevisa applocation process (for a non-imm O - is this right ?)

Where / how do I get one as the CRB will not issue to individuals

Thanks

As a lifelong thicko, can anyone help me with an idiots guide to the process of getting retirement visa in Thailand (Hua Hin) . I will be coming on a 90 day multiple entry visa from UK.

What documents do I need to bring with me from the UK ? Do I need medical certiificate, police check etc.

Anyone know of an acupuncturist in Hua Hin and what (as a rough guide) should I expect to pay

Thanks

I have a premier Hsbc account in the UK. Initially I had loads of problems transferring money uk - Thai, due in the main part that I did it on the telephone via their Indian call centre. After all that sorted out, I only transfer £ via a bank branck in person so I can check all details are correct. They charge about £23 for the transfer through their routing bank and then the recipient bank charges as well. I can use ATMs with no charge apart from currency charges and have found it ok at all atms. If you may need more than the regular withdrawal from atm they should be able to arrange this for you. Overall though, not the cheapest bank or the most customer friemdly

Why should you never f""k a dwarf with learning disabilities ?

Coz it ain't big and it ain't clever

I am learning Thai using Linguaphone PDQ and fining it pretty good - well, I can get myself understood in Thailand and they can (in the main) understand me so it must be ok..

You can get it pretty cheap on Ebay. It is spoken language only but you need to start somewhere.

A man was walking past a hospital.

he went into the orthopaedic surgeons office and says "Doctor, I think I'm a moth"

The doctor replied "You ought to see a psychiatrist"

To which the man replied

"I was on my way there but saw your light was on"

Hmmmmm

Be prepared for questioning !

Make sure you have the right visa - if you are intending to marry her you MUST have a visa for a fiancee.

They will question both of you intensely - even down to knowing the names of each others family members.

She should be able to get a visa for this very quickly, you can then apply for a 2 year visa in the uk based on marriage. A right of abode in the uk needs to be supported by 2 years worth of documentation showing she is living with you at your address - get utility bills changed into joint names . Thay also will accept NHS cards, NI number etc.

They have to be satisfied you can support her financially without recourse to benefits.

Actually when I went through this proceedure 4 years ago (wife is Malaysian) we were told that one of the reasons we were interrogated so much was because we were too honest !!! this was by a senior immigration advisor.

One last tiip - be prepared for constant moaning about the cold weather and a refusal to sleep without coats and woolly junmpers

Good Luck

Heard that as part of the re-generation of Hua Hin that there are moves wo close down and clean up some to the emerging less salubrious bars (not a bad idea before it goes the way of some other areas in LOS).

Anyone heard this also ?

Anyone into photography in HH /

Not technical, anorak types - just people interested in taking good photos and interested in sharing tips and stuff like that ?