NightSky

These groups of mindless thugs are everywhere not only Thailand.

in the west these groups who beat minorities to a pulp are called white supremesist nazis

In the Middle East these types are called isis extremist jihadis 

here they are called taxi drivers

5 hours ago, fletchsmile said:

You're well aware that you got a promotional rate. You really need to make sure you can continue at the normal rate once the promotion period extends.

 

When taking out a mortgage you should also be thinking about life changes that may happen, eg becoming self employed, what happens if you get made redundant etc, have children and how you would address them.

 

You really don't want to be relying on refinancing at promotional rates and be hopping from bank to bank every 3 years. Banks aren't stupid they don't want people doing that. Otherwise the promotional rate becomes effectively the normal rate.

 

 

Yes we can continue at the normal standard robber rate and this was taken into consideration at the time. However, if there are options not to pay the higher robber rates that is what Im asking.

Thais I've spoken with who havn't yet finished their 3 year intro deal rate seem to think refinancing is the answer.

I'm also asking how to lower the monthly payments without having to pay off the mortgage in full and without needing to sell the property which may be an option I look into also.

I guess the only way then is to ask the bank if they will lower the monthly payments based on the additional over payments made or keep trying to refinance at other banks or seek a non-mortgage loan or sell which I assume wouldn't be a quick answer.

33 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Over payments just reduce the term of the loan, standard for all the banks in Thailand.

33 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Over payments just reduce the term of the loan, standard for all the banks in Thailand.

Yes I understand that now but at the time of the contract I asked if over payments are calculated daily and the bank quickly said yes and couldn’t wait to get my wife to sign it.

Anyhow I will need to approach the bank to lower the monthly payments. I could pay off the loan from savings but of course that locks up emergency funds and brings more money into Thailand that I will need to get out again one day after selling the house hence my hesitation.

11 hours ago, luckyluke said:

Many are full of themselves. 

 

But so are many farangs, thinking because they spent a few hundred thousands a year in Thailand, they should be specially treated. 

 

I have spent 15+ years in Pattaya, I am now located in Thonglor(Bangkok). 

 

Completely different, nearly no farangs, in daytime I am often the only one in Sukhumvit 55.

A lot of Korean tourists, and

 many Japanese residents, with huge money,  pretty sure some "squander" a couple of hundred thousand a month. 

 

Soon or later we will be all considered as "The White Trash" and thus negligible. 

 

 

 

I would guess that truly wealthy westerners don’t come to live in Bangkok out of choice as there are much more luxurious parts of the world to live.

Ok but what about all the money we have paid down as over payments, shouldn’t the bank recalculate the monthly payments to make it affordable. 

The payments are over 34k/month when In fact according to online mortgage calculators the actual payment should be around 15k

Its slowly nudging towards the point of no remain as eventually it wont be worth all the hassle.

My wife purchased a property about 3 years ago in her name which we live in now. I paid a down payment of about 20% and she qualified for a mortgage quite easily for the remaining at the time. She was working and the criteria to qualify for the mortgage seemed quite easy to meet. The developers of new villages have deals with specific banks usually and this one was with Aomsin bank.

The mortgage was a 3 year introductory offer and averages around 4.5% for the 3 years and after the 3 years finishes the standard rate applies currently more than 7% which is high for a mortgage compared to some other countries.

Anyhow my wife no longer works for the same company, instead she works for her own small business and as a result two banks have declined her refinancing fora new mortgage deal.

If she is unable to quality for a new deal she will be trapped into paying the 7% robbers rate.

What is surprising to me though is that we've made over payments the passed 3 years and there is about 65% equity and she only needs to borrow about 35% against the value of the property. She has never paid late and she paid off finance for car etc and she earns enough on paper.

The reason for declining her was that the company didn't pay enough VAT...??? I put this down to 'not being a big enough company' which it isnt since its only a micro business.

Also the bank is asking for a much higher monthly payment based on the original 85% amount rather than the 35% amount because we made over payments during the past 3 years but the monthly payments did not re-calculate as the bank told me they would do. Shouldn't the bank be able to re-calculate the monthly payment based on the over payments we made?

It seems ridiculous she cannot get the mortgage for the remaining 35% and the bank wont recalculate the monthly payment based on over payments made and I almost believe the banks are colluding to make refinancing more difficult so that higher rates are due. If refinancing mortgages are more difficult to secure for refinancing there may well be an influx of repossessions due in the pipeline after the first 3 years 'deals' are completed.

Does anyhow have any similar experiences or info about the banks and over payments?

You can send money into Thailand any way you wish. Many people use a transfer service like Transferwise or Worldremit to save on fees although for a large amount there may be no saving on bank transfer fees.

To take money out of Thailand is a little more technical. I heard from an ex-bank manager that the best way is to transfer USD into Thailand and have it converted when it lands in Thailand into Baht to get the better rate and to show it came from overseas. So USD to BAHT account.

The Thai account should be in your own name.

When you want to transfer funds out of Thailand you need to prove the funds were transferred into Thailand with the documentation (keep a statement and bank book for this account). 

If you want to transfer out any gains this may be more difficult but probably possible and more beneficial if you can show tax payment receipts.

Having said this I have an idea..

Why not just send me the money, I will take care of it for you and when you have had enough of trying to even start doing business in Thailand (or dealing with your 'friends') in the very near future, I will send you the money back less a small commission for taking good care of it for you and you will save yourself almost 2.5 million baht.

????

No seriously though good luck and Im sure you do your own due diligence.

I sent in a TM30 for the first time about a year ago when i entered the kingdom from an overseas trip.

I wont bother submitting another one though if Im staying at the same address even if I exit the country and re-enter a year later.

Even If i visit the wife's family outside of Bangkok I wont send another if I plan to return to the same address a week later.

Eeek, having owned several motorcycles myself my hair stands on end watching this video. The biker had no chance, I just hope he was wearing full leathers and safety gear although I dread to think what injuries were sustained. 

3 hours ago, 7by7 said:

 

 

I would like to ask you, though, how you would feel if you and your wife were to move to the UK and she was denied employment purely because of the colour of her skin!

 

The speaking and listening tests should be; the initial A1 test is very easy and if you wife can't pass it then one has to wonder how she communicates with you; is your Thai any good? 

 

She would then have 30 months to improve to B1 for her FLR, 30 months where she is using, one hopes, her English every day, and the same to improve to B2 for her ILR. 

 

 

 I would feel extremrly disappointed if my wife was discriminated on her skin colour. I have nothing against anyone of any colour getting a job anywhere. I could not care less if one is pink orange purple or blue. You are twisting things around. My point is that it should be easier than it is for me to bring my wife to the UK to live with me when I intend to support her.

As as for myself and my wife and communicating, my wife speaks some English and my THAI is excellent as I have been here decades thank you very much. What has that got to do with anything.

You make many assumptions.

My point is it should be easier than it is since my wife has no experience with tests and exams at all although she is a strong and good person and a great cook. She speaks 4 languages but never done exams. What’s your point?

1 hour ago, theoldgit said:

..this thread is about the OP's visa requirements, not the perceived nationality of Border Force Officers.

Very true and correct and not correct of me to take the opportunity to vent frustrations.

The process is probably fair and I haven't tried it yet but it does look daunting to my wife. I digress.

14 hours ago, superal said:

You have hit the nail on the head and also carry the views of many UK nationalists . 

I wouldn't describe myself as a 'nationalist' at all, maybe there is a terminology mix up there although all I want is for the country of my birth and citizenship to allow me to support and live peacefully with my own family and without having to 'jump though hoops' to simply live in that county where I was born with my legal spouse who happens to be from 'outside the EU'.

Who knows, maybe the entry tests for English speaking, listening and 'Living in the UK' exams are a breeze for some people and the 7,000 pounds costs can easily be justified although my wife doesn't think so and neither do I.

Thanks joe much appreciated ????

An ex military pension might be useful?

I have to renew my visa extension in Bangkok based on marriage shortly and I have a list of documents that I think I need (from immigration site with a few documents I added from other sources) although Im still unsure and I would appreciate any help to clarify..

List of documents:

1. Application form TM 7
2. Copy of applicant’s passport
3. Copy of marriage certificate, household registration certificate, kor ror 2 (dated within 6 months)
4. Copy of Thai spouse national ID card, copy of household registration certificate
5. Bank Statement certified by the bank in Thailand on the day of application and a copy of a bankbook showing 400k in bank for 2 months.
6. An affidavit must also be submitted confirming the alien’s marital status
7. Kor Ror 2 (dated within 6 months) from ampur in province where married
8. Photos in living room, bedroom, in front of house with house number 

9. Hand drawn map to house not a Google map)

10. 1 x Passport photo (to glue to the application form with those glue sticks similar to those used at school)

I noticed that the immigration website doesn't ask for photos and kor ror 2 dated within 6 months or a map, are these required for extension based on marriage?

I have a small business overseas and also a small business in Thailand with my wife but if I mention the Thai business I assume they will ask for all the additional documents that go along with that also which is just more work to get copies for..

..I have 400,000 baht in an account for 3 months already to be sure although will I be OK to say that I bring money with me from overseas from my business overseas and not mention my Thai business or will I need to mention both? 

I suppose this will depend whether immigration ask if I work in Thailand or not and so should I prepare documents to show the 400k AND to prove that I work in Thailand also t save multiple journeys to immigration? Or should just showing the 400k suffice?

Also it mentions an affidavit must also be submitted confirming the alien’s
marital or status with a Thai national. Do I need to pay a lawyer for this or is there a basic letter/template that is used maybe? 

Any information shared to confirm the above would be appreciated.

2 hours ago, 7by7 said:

Still not true.

 

All non Brits who wish to enter the UK for any purpose other than a visit require the same visa relevant to their reason for coming here; family settlement, student, work etc., and are subject to the same rules and regulations; except for the moment EEA nationals, but that will change after Brexit.

 

Some nationalities, Americans for example, do not require a visa in advance to enter the UK as a visitor; most do. Just as some nationalities, British for example, can enter Thailand for up to 30 days as a visitor without a visa, but most can't.

 

If you are going to compare Thailand and the UK, remember that after the Thai spouse of a British citizen has been living here for 5 years they can apply to remain indefinitely and once that is granted apply for British citizenship.

 

Can the same, or anything remotely similar, be said of a British spouse of a Thai living in Thailand? No.

I know you were replying to someone else but for the sake of debate and to reiterate my own point it should be much easier for a UK national to bring his foreign wife to live in the UK and especially if that uk national has only ever paid money into the system rather than be a burden

it gets to me when I goto the UK and I see non native Uk people managing immigration posts and all living over the UK but then my wife might not be able to pass all the tests to live with me. 

How is that fair?

I thought there was a specific time of year that is the best time to have a flu vaccine, hasn’t that already passed  in Thailand? 

Is it still worth having?

Im doing some research in Bangkok and i know there are existing older threads about this topic although I am unable to locate prices for certain meds and procedures.

Does anyone know the prices for the following meds or credible generics and if these are limited availability to certain pharmacies in (Bangkok area?)

• Androgel / Testim or credible generic
• Clomiphene
• Testoviron (I heard this is about 200 baht/vial but where can an injection be administered low cost in Bangkok?)

Also any ideas of prices and recommendation for IVF in Bangkok and which hospitals are best for this?

Any info appreciated.

4 hours ago, thatland 2018 paul said:

Hi yes I’m British by birth. 54 years old. and seem to be on a long Journey. Shame my partner is not from Europe


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Quite.

Please write to your MP and raise this as a concern, they wont listen to me living in Thailand with my wife for 15 years.

In fact expats are not a priority or listened to at all.

For example, If I want to return to the UK to live and bring my wife who is Thai to live with me I need about 65,000 Pounds in declared savings and to pay about 10,000 Pounds for the 5 years application process and my wife needs to learn to speak and listen to English and pass an exam about UK history and culture that most British citizens wouldn't pass, even though shes never been there before and she never wanted to be 'a traveler or a city goer' - shes terrified of failing the tests since the consequences would be we cant live in the UK together!

Can you help us? Please tell them to relax the immigration laws... lol 

????

..and next week on the 'Thai Hoarders Show..'

There is a shop much much worse than this in Bangkok east side. Over several years I gradually started to see every inch of the floor space in front of the counter become covered in literally a foot deep of inventory that is walked over because there was absolutely no where else to put anything else. I'm guessing its already 2 foot deep by now.

3 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

For the initial visa only A1 level English is required - which is very basic. After that the level of difficulty rises but as the applicant will have lived in the UK for quite a long time, A2 and then B1 level should be easy.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

Does anyone have any recommendations to help a Thai wife to pass the IELTS life skills A1, A2 and B1.

For example are there any practice at home resources/books that are useful for these specific exams or is the only option to pay a school/teacher to teach it?

Is Youtube a good resource to help home practice and are there other more specific resources maybe? 

9 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

 

finally solid evidence to corroborate the existence of "bigfoot"

22cm is actually a very small shoe size indicating a very small person (US size 5 / UK size 2.5 / Euro size 34)..

6 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

It took a while but I found it, there is an exemption from the scheme for "newly applying company directors", but that does not mean that you cannot join, just that you do not have to join within 30 days of starting work like everyone else has to.  However, it also says, "Any other person who is not an employee under Section 33 may apply to be an insured person under this Act by expressing his or her intention to the Office."

Ok, I found the phrase also under section 40 of the social security act. So I just approached my accountant with this info again, looking into it with possibility of 'applying to pay the fund yourself'..

I think that sometimes its easier for some people to say a flat out 'no' rather than be bothered to look into 'clauses' or 'exceptions' for a foreigner so thanks I will pursue it and see what happens.