Mike Teavee

Not sure how long you've had your home test machine, but they can lose accuracy after a while & need to be serviced (Seem to recall every 3 years when I bought my 1st one but that was 8 years ago).

3 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

For now, but that will change IMO.

 

I expect even stricter visa requirements and more nationalism until this military government is deposed. I suspect that won't happen however because this merry dance is now led by a true dysfunctional despot and he's dug in like a tick on a dog's ear and I am not referring to the frog toucher. 

 

It is now.

 

Used to be no problem whatsoever. 200thb a day and off you go. Can't remember what the maximum fine used to be? 5000thb maybe. 

 

Mind you, 20 years ago you could get a year visa in bar. How times have changed.

 

Lucky I was here to experience those good times, and they were really good, certainly a lot better than now. 

 

Every dog has its day I suppose. 

Maximum fine was (& still is) 20,000 THB, but you get blacklisted nowadays if you're "Caught" overstaying (as opposed to clearing it up at the airport while leaving) or if you overstay by more than 90 days.

1 hour ago, Uptooyoo said:

I'm not keen on opening a Thai bank account and depositing 800K. It's not that I have a problem with the banking system here; it's that, as an American, it brings on more filing requirements during tax reporting that other nationalities do not have to endure. So I opted for the Non-Immigrant O-A Visa I applied for and received in the USA. I had to provide the Thai consulate with a criminal history check, medical certificate, certificate of funds from my U.S. bank. It's valid for one year and can be extended for another year by doing a border run just before it expires. At the end of the second year, I'll make a trip back to the USA, visit family, and get another Non-Im O-A Visa and repeat. Maybe this is an option for some to consider.

NON-OA It's a great option for those who prefer to keep their monies in their own country and are happy/able to visit their home country every couple of years.

Can I ask how long you've lived in Thailand? My reason for asking is if you've lived (been resident) in Thailand for several years, did you also need a criminal history check from Thailand for the application?

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

And opportunity cost. That much dead money is very expensive. The wealthier people know that better than others. 

Hmmm... I thought I'd already replied to this but my post seems to have been removed, I didn't think there was anything offensive in it, but if there were then my apologies to JT, I quite enjoy our exchanges & think that we see eye-2-eye on most discussions... 

To summarize what I posted earlier... 

As one gets older one should move their assets from the Riskier/High yielding to the safer/boring/low yielding so I just look at the 800K as part of my ultra-safe/ultra-boring/ultra low risk investments.

I might be able to get ~4% net in a similar risk class if I invested it in the UK, but take away the ~2% that I can get in Thailand and the monthly transfer costs (~300 THB) & we're talking about a difference of 1,000 THB per month.

For that 1,000 THB I get piece of mind knowing that I won't miss a transfer, have a transfer not show up as coming from overseas or be forced to transfer when FX rates are really poor.  On this last point, I bring in around s$50,000 (SGD) pa so an additional average of 0.32 THB in FX would cover this.

Again, I believe it's the best option for me others will already be transferring the money in each month so prefer the Income method, point is there is both options and I for 1 would not want the 800K in the bank option to disappear.

1 hour ago, dcnx said:

Inflation would disagree.

I think you missed my point... I'm keep 6+ months spending money in a bank account anyway so I don't have to fire sale assets in the event of an "emergency", it just so happens that this in excess of 800K & can be used to support my Visa so costs me nothing extra.

If I did need to spend down below the 800K/400K (depending on timings & highly unlikely given other resources I have access to) then I would simply top it back up when I was able & go get a new Non-O from Penang/Savannakhet & start again

13 hours ago, sumrit said:

The possible interest gained by investing (some of) that 800k baht into a higher interest account of your choice anywhere in the world would more than compensate for the minimal transfer fees using a company like Transferwise. Plus you have the flexibility to use that money exactly the way you want and not be dictated to by Thai Immigration on where to put it.

You do know that because of the way Transferwise works you cannot guarantee that the transaction will show as a foreign transfer (FTT) in your bank account so using it is risky.

It costs me nothing to leave 800K in an account (please don't mention opportunity costs of the monies being tied up, I choose to keep at least 6 months spending money in the bank for emergencies).

It also costs me nothing to bring money into the country as I travel in/out twice a month so bring in $SGD and change it in any mall for a higher rate than I'd get with my bank + I get free withdrawals from Citi ATMs (Asoke).

Nope sorry, leaving the 800K in the bank is far more efficient & cost effective for me.

On 4/29/2019 at 4:11 PM, Jingthing said:

Keeping things balanced without bleeding into fear mongering, here are some expats in Colombia talking about their top three cons of living there. These people are in big cities but most of their comments may apply to small cities as well except for things like traffic and pollution. Of particular interest to expats coming from Thailand is the complaint from an Australian about a lack of good Asian food even in Medellin (it would be better in Bogota and even worse in smaller cities).

 

 

 

Came across a survey of Expats living in Medellin and one of the questions was what concerns them most living in the city... 

Full survey here... https://medellinliving.com/2016-reader-survey-results/ (also covers people planning to move to Medellin)

What took me to the site was I came across an article on how to obtain a Colombian Visa https://medellinliving.com/retirement-visa/ 

10 hours ago, BritTim said:

If you always leave Thailand at airports, and have plenty of time when leaving, a "pay as you go" strategy is rational. If you are sometimes in a rush, and/or sometimes exit Thailand at land crossings with no re-entry desk, it may be simplest and safest just to get a multiple re-entry permit and be done with it.

At BKK, I've seen the re-entry permit desk in "Standard" immigration, but don't recall there being one in Fast Track immigration, does anybody know if there is one in that area or would I need to use the standard lines?

5 hours ago, JohnnyBD said:

Just park 800k THB in a Thai bank account. Use 400k during the year and bring back up to 800k if you want to stay another year. If you ever decide to leave, you can convert & cash out the 400k remaining balance into USD and carry it home. I use the 800k method. Easy peasy...

I've seen a couple of oblique references to changes coming in May, the most likely one being an increase to the 800K.

If it does happen, my best guess is that it would be increased to 1 Million & 80k monthly, with the Marriage Visa increasing to 600k & 50k monthly.

Pure Speculation - Which I thought was the topic for this thread ????

1 hour ago, marcusarelus said:

I understand what you are saying but if they wanted you to have 800k on deposit in Thailand why wouldn't they want you to bring the 65k in? 

Personally I agree, but there are guys who would prefer to keep all of their money in their own country and use a Foreign ATM card to withdraw it, then there are guys who have an income of 65K but don't spend that much in Thailand per month (maybe they also have outstanding commitments in their own country)

It really is the having to do it every month that I object to, but I do begrudgingly see that they're trying to check that you do get > 65K income every month, it's just not a very efficient way of doing it re: FX transfers

10 hours ago, MeePeeMai said:

 

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

I don't have a problem really with the 90 day reports (on their own).  It's the TM30's that are troublesome for me and whenever leaving the country (I leave about twice a year) I still have to drive 3 hours round trip (within 24 hours) to Immigration just to do my TM30 (for the landlord of course).  My landlord works everyday so I must "self report" the TM30 or be in violation.

 

Also, my Imm Office does not allow the TM30 to be done online therefore I need to arrive at Immigration with copies of my passport, a signed TM30 form, a signed Power of Attorney and signed copies of the landlords ID and Tabian ban.  I also have to do one whenever I return from a domestic trip and stayed in a hotel.  It's a real PITA.

 

The money thing is not an issue for me.  I just wish things could be streamlined and consistent for all here in the LOS.

 

I guess you're right,  Maybe I have caught a bug (TVDS) and need to chill out a little bit.

 

 

 

 

 

Can't you can file the TM30 at your local Police Station (others who live a long way away from their Immigration Office do)...

3 hours ago, Naam said:

THB 800k for me (joint bank account) and THB 800k for my wife (separate account). until two years ago my wife was "piggy-backing" on my extension. but then i found out that she has exactly 7 days to leave the country (in case something happens to me) and apply again for a "retirement visa" which Thai Immigration call "extension of stay in their infinite wisdom".

 

if the underlying of your question is "why would somebody financially astute waste yield opportunities?" my answer is "we have a multiple amount of cash lazying around on half a dozen bank account in different countries yielding zero interest. therefore THB 1.6mm more or less doesn't make any difference.

 

in this context i would like to add that i am aware of the difficulties some expats face because they are financially not liquid enough to meet the "800k", especially combined with the new restrictions. there's no need for blame or to pick on them.

 

but to those who claim "i can make more by..." and "i don't trust Thai banks" i say "gimme a break!"

 

 

 

Thanks Naam... sums up my thoughts exactly.

I have full respect for the guys who are honest enough to say they're not liquid enough to leave the 800K but do get a bit pissed off at the guys who call people who do leave the 800K an "Idiot"/Financially illiterate because they choose to do so.... I think the irony is lost on them

I've been using "Fill & Sign" on my PC for a couple of years now, is this something new?

1 hour ago, Naam said:

 

living "comfortably" is a matter of personal perception. with double the income (minus taxes) i'd would live like (what i consider) a pauper anywhere in central or western Europe. horses for courses.

I am curious Naam as I know you're very financially astute, which method do you use for extending your Visa?

4 hours ago, onera1961 said:

I wonder with that kind of income why do you like to retire in Thailand? Is the lure of cheap sex with young girls overpowers the consequences of inhaling smogs and smelling stinky sois or you have a family in Thailand? I have less income and live comfortably in Europe and US. 

Believe or not, I'm not into young girls, I prefer them mid 30s-40s & (as a reasonably fit/presentable 53yr old) have no problem meeting "Normal" girls in this age range in Singapore or Thailand.

But you do ask a very good question & if you would have asked me a couple of years ago, I would have said that I simply love Thailand, I love the people, food, culture etc.... Plus, having lived overseas for >12 years, Bangkok is the only place outside of SIngapore that I have any mates nowadays (even my best mate since we were kids, works in Bangkok). 

Today I'm honestly not so sure & am giving serious thoughts to retiring somewhere else, as a Brit it's not easy for me to retire to the US or I honestly would do at least a few years traveling around the country, but Portugal appeals to me & LATAM as I've never really explored that part of the world.

As you can probably guess, I love to travel & explore new places so if I were to stay in Asia, one other draw about Thailand & Bangkok in particular is it's probably the 2nd best airport (behind Singapore) for getting flights to other places.

KL would be another option, I did retire briefly at 48, spent 15 months using KL as my base (mate who now works in Bangkok had a large company paid condo there & suggested that I used it as my base as I was going to be spending a lot more time travelling than living there) but I much prefer Bangkok.

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Every 2 years?  Not that expensive - would still save a bundle over the Elite.  Get the medical done in Thailand before returning (Ok for UK submissions, hopefully USA also).

I visit the UK 2-3 times a year so it wouldn't be too much of a chore as long as I could do it by post but how about getting the Police clearance? I read that I need 1 from the UK & 1 from the country I'm "Resident" in but Singapore will not issue Police Clearance docs for non citizens/PRs 

Guess I could claim I'm non-Resident in Singapore (I'm here on an Employment Pass) but will they accept that seeing as I've lived here for 10.5 years...

5 minutes ago, asiaexpat said:

Yes, my wife uses the mail for TM 30 reports of people visiting our home. She sends them to CW.

Do you get an acknowledgement back that it's been filed?

On 4/24/2019 at 9:49 AM, nchuckle said:

Be aware that as it’s not been your main residence for over 18 months ( shortly to be reduced to 9) you will be liable for CGT on disposal (Capital gains tax) for any profit on a proportional basis related to time you didn’t live there. The 40k lettings allowance is also being scrapped.Obviously this is greater on a higher Value house and you do have about 12k CGT allowance. Look into it. I’ve only been here 4.5 years but because of the gain on my house i would lose tens of thousands in tax if I sold. You are still liable for that proportion even if you move back in and subsequently sell. 

Yoir only escape  is when you die (that tax liability dies with you) !

If you're Non UK Resident for Tax, then it's based on the difference between the sale price & the value of your house as at 6th April 2015 not the price you paid for it, unless that works out better for you... 

Properties sold on or after 6 April 2015.

A new CGT charge was introduced from 6 April 2015 where a non-UK resident sells residential property in the UK. You can choose how to calculate the gain on which the charge is based in one of three ways:

1. On the difference between a) the amount the property is sold for and b) its value at 6 April 2015. You will need to establish the value of the property at 6 April 2015; or

2. Over the whole period of ownership and then time apportion it and the part of the gain that relates to the period from 6 April 2015 would be subject to these provisions; or

3. If you owned the residential property before 6 April 2015 and sold it for less than it cost you then you can calculate the loss over the whole period of ownership but the way you can use this loss is restricted.

I travel in & out every 2 weeks or so & have never done a TM30 but I'm led to believe that I can ask my Condo Management to file it for me (as Hotels do).

Would they understand me if I asked them to "File a TM30" for me or is there another name for it (Registration of Alien?!?) that they're more likely to recognize + should I expect to get some evidence in the form of a printout or something?

Thx

MTV

On 4/25/2019 at 11:30 AM, marcusarelus said:

How do you get to another country when you have had a heart attack or stroke?  Do you have enough time?  I believe heart attack and stroke are very common causes of death.   I was just kidding about the poll.  There isn't any for obvious reasons. 

Came across this article this morning whilst I was reading a different news story (Apologies, not sure how to make the graphic smaller)... https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47371078 

Causes of death around the world

About 56 million people in the world died in 2017.

This is 10 million more than in 1990, as the global population has increased and people live longer on average.

More than 70% die from non-communicable, chronic diseases. These are not passed from person to person and typically progress slowly.

The biggest single killer is cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and arteries and is responsible for every third death.

This is twice the rate of cancers - the second leading cause - which account for about one in six of all deaths.

Other non-contagious diseases such as diabetes, certain respiratory diseases and dementia are also near the top of the list.

11 minutes ago, thelovedone said:

Thats correct jacko45k.....For clarrity..........I applied for the Non Immigrant 90 day visa on a TM 87 form.  I was changing from a permitted 30 day stay (obtained at the airport on arrival/entry ) to a Non Immigrant 90 day visa.

The reason i gave on my Non Immigrant visa  application was for "retirement" purposes. So i will apply for the Retirement visa once i am issued with the 90 day Non Immigrant , at the required submission timeframe.

The 90-Day Non-IMM O is your "Retirement Visa" about 60 days into it, you should apply for an Extension to Stay which extend you permission to stay by 1 year 

Do note this is not a 1 year Visa, you must get a re-entry permit (Single 1,000, Multi 3,500) if you leave the country & want to come back during the year 

Edit to add: the 90-Day is a Single entry visa which will already have been marked as used, so again if you want to leave & re-enter Thailand before it's extended, you must get a Re-Entry permit - This will only last for the remainder of the 90 days, when you get your extension, you need another re-entry permit which will last for the lifetime of the permission to stay (Multi Re-Entry) or Single use...

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

3 hours ago, OtinPattaya said:

What's the nature of this retirement cert? First time I've heard of it. Okay, so bank book/bank letter should satisfy the financial requirement. But I'm not clear at all what this retirement cert is all about. 

From a post a couple weeks ago when I asked, it's a letter from the Embassy in Bangkok saying you are retired based on you telling them you are retired. Daft, but we have to jump through these hoops

Interesting, do you know if you can apply for this via email?

Thx

MTV