ivor bigun

what a load of BS I very much doubt many at all will leave because of this they might claim they are but probably just all cheap Charlie’s who really don’t have a pot to piss in. If you don’t have an income of 65,000 baht a month then i don’t reckon unless your married to a Thai and have family you should be here. Also if your retired and cant law your hands on 800k baht  baht (still only 20k) or have family ot friends who will lend to you then what if your ill again on caveat if you don’t have health insurance. Its perfectly reasonable for government to insist on a certain amount of money. Anyway if your married (I am but use retirement option because i don’t want hassle) then its only 400,000 (around 10k gbp)
 
Go on flame me but theirs to many low life forang here trying to exist on little. 
While it used to be possible to live ok here on as little as 20-30k baht a month prices have gone up a lot and 800k baht requirement has and is staying same for now around 13-14 years. Would people have preferred they raise it to 1.2 million or more to reflect properly increase in living costs here ? 20 years ago I could live with my thai wife for 30k gbp a month quite well but then petrol was around 12 baht a litre bus fare in Bangkok 3 baht or so rice ½ price etc etc so they probably should have raised it to at least 1.5 million.
 
Visa elite looks attractive now at 500,000 for 5 years or 1 million for 20 years and if I thought id survive 20 years id go for that since it inflation proofs future rises etc and saves a lot of yearly hassle. However ill just pay up since then money will be there for my Thai family.
 
Also 400k can be considered a bond so you have enough to pay for medical although that wont cover very serious illness (my excellent cancer treatment was over 1 million). Id be more concerned about them insisting on medical insurance since I and many at our age simply cant get it.

Did mine last month,did not even know about any changes then ,3 months in that was all.

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Made a trip to Jomtien Immigration today for my extension of stay, being my 1st ever one done at Jomtien. Always had them done at BKK and it was always a pain in the ass wasting a whole day of waiting for 100 people in the queue before me.
 
Today I arrived around 12:30pm when they were having their lunchbreak (12pm-1pm). Was absolutely surprised when I got my queue ticket with only 5 people in front of me. When lunch was over at 1pm I was called up at 1:10pm. Gave the passport, paperwork and fee, there was no mucking around by the immigration officer who looked through the docs quickly and told me to wait a few mins to collect my passport. About 2 mins later the paperwork is processed and another lady calls me and gives me back my stamped passport and receipt.
 
I was shocked I spent less than 45mins waiting (including 30mins of their lunch break). In BKK it takes nearly a full day of standing around for 80-100 people in the queue before you to get to the 1st stage of handing in their paperwork. Then having to wait another 30mins to get your passport stamped and returned. Is this normal for Jomtien Immigration or is it because I went here on Chinese New Year? Looks like Jomtien could be the one which wastes the least time of our day in the whole country, unless there's ones that process things quicker and has less people in the queue.

More feedback like this is needed. Any body going to immigration should be asking.

False hope. 

Dont know how true this is ,but was just told by a guy at immegration that it is only for new retirees not us older ones who have been here a long time.

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Well one thing if i change to marriage visa,it wont be far for a policeman to come and check he can just look over the wall from next door,where he has lived next to us for years lol

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What kind of reason do they require or is it in your pdf

I chose that option many years ago. I am on my 11th extension based upon marriage now.
You can change the reason for your current extension to marriage when it ot near to expiring.
Here is my general list of required documents. Marriage Extension Requirements 2.pdf

No change yet, and I doubt there will be.

There is no changes to the extension based upon marriage when using the 400k baht in the bank option.

I think you would then not be eligible for an extension (technically you'd no longer meet the criteria for your existing extension, but when it would come home to roost would be at extension time). . You'd need to leave and come back in on a new visa  and start all over.
 
BTW 400K will not go very far in a medical emergency here.

So what would happen if you were taken ill and had to use your 400,000 baht for a medical emergancy,would you then be in breach and deported,?

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Didn't mean to infer all Pattaya residents were sexpats

Maybe I'm just being a little idealistic, but I've been surprised how few of you have thought that your kids made for a good life.
Money, screwing hookers in Pattaya, etc etc.
 
I could have lost every cent I had, but as long as I knew I'd done the best for my kids had made their lives happy, it would all be worth it

No.  Not at all.  Heavens to Betsy no.  But the topic is right up there with the bi yearly Thai Visa swastika threads.  Just wait and another will come alone and you can engage in the bi yearly argument about the sexuality of men attracted to transgender persons.  

Very good post.
 
You ask: "why not be in a better place"
 
The answer is really quite simple: GIRLS.
 
If there were no available women here in Thailand, or if the country were predominantly Muslim [like Malaysia or Indonesia], this forum wouldn't exist. And the country's so-called ex-pat community would dwindle to the size of a pin head.
 
It takes a while to wake up to the truth. 
 
You add "you just lowered your standards".
 
Yes, I did. And so did all other westerners living here. I'm now thinking Penang, Portugal or Greece. It's time to accept that Thailand is, well, what it is. It's not for nothing that expats in Thailand are mocked by one and all.
 

if you are in Thailand, you probably didn't have a good life.  the stigma of being a sex tourist, drunk, no money......it probably wears on a lot of people.  nobody back home will respect you, unless you give them money to be quiet.  you don't speak Thai, so good friends are limited.  i would never retire here, but i like to visit, have fun, go home.  but when everyone asks, 'oh, are you a sex tourist?'  it's funny.   and the air pollution will kill you, and the roads will kill you....so if you had a good life, why not be in a better place?  couldn't have been that good, you just lowered your life standards.   i'm not old enough to be bitter...it's funny to me.  but i feel bad for the delusional jokers.  

A ladyboy is a man no matter what he thinks,if you want sex with one you are either gay or more than likely bi.

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To the OP. Great post! I’ve nevee seen so much positivity from nearly all commenters on a thread in TV. It’s actuslly quite heart warming. 
Great job!

nice post, as i am sure you will agree no about of money can buy time. i reliesed that at 40 and retired.

shame they have become parodies of themselves