Mike Teavee

28 minutes ago, superal said:

Interesting conversation that I heard recently .

Deposit 70k baht in your Thai account from abroad . Before the month is up withdraw it and deposit it into another  Thai account and transfer it back to your home country account using Deemoney , cost 150 baht , then transfer back the 70k to your Thai account for the next months f/t show . So the cost is 300 baht a month x 12 = 3600 baht for the year .  I don't think it breaks any rules unless you know better .

"Ticks all the Boxes" & you might even be able to cut out the 2nd account by taking the cash straight to Deemoney & sending it from there (obviously depends on whether you'r e near one of their branches).

You'll most probably lose on FX rates & there will be charges in & out but technically it meets the requirements

28 minutes ago, humbug said:

no, no way, completelly different process to a 12 month re-apply for retirement. on the elite you can re-enter thailand and receive another 12 months, no documents or embassy visits, if you want to stay for 5-20 years you go to cw and hand over a few photocopies of your passport and 1900 baht and get another 12 months, then after 5 years you get an appointment, go with a rep, and they put the next 5 year visa in your passport. the elite is much more a retirement visa now than the over 50's visa.because of how the nationalists have destroyed the illusion of grandfathering and ,not worrying about anything every 12 months when you have to re-apply, which now can include house visits and up to 2-3 office visits to have it granted, that is no longer a stress free way of life to live in a country, which is down to the nationalists, because 5-10 years ago it was stress free

I agree with almost everything you said (especially the fact that it's rapidly becoming a better alternative to the "Retirement Visa"), but where we disagree is whether you can get 24 years or 21 years out of it.

When you get the last (4th) 5 year Visa, that's the end of it Visa Wise (they will still extend your stay & you still get airport benefits during the final 5 years)... To get any more than 5 years out of the final Visa you have to exit/re-enter the country just before it expires & then you'll get another 1 year permission to stay (Which is what you get on every entry/extension on the 5 year visa) hence it's 21 years.

FWIW I'm following this & all other TE threads closely as I'm seriously considering moving to it when my Non-O is due for extension in July.... 

41 minutes ago, humbug said:

i can fully understand the op and other people wanting a 20 year visa in 4 stages of 5 year visas, which with 12 month extensions can work out to be 24 years. paying up front, beats any future inflation of prices over the next 24 years. and retirement visas are only 12 months, which means you have to consider the stress factor of living, thats important, if you make your home somehow, you need to relax and not have the anxiety of every 12 months of not knowing, its stressful for many with these nationalists, also retirement is not cheap, 400k left untouched for 12 months and 800k untouched for 5 months, is no longer a cheap option, and over the next 20-24 years financial requirements will rise a lot too. so having a visa which gives you a more stable outlook, at a cost upfront, instead of costing much more in other ways is something people will do. making new lives in this country for many years will cost now, and partly down to the nationalists, but also visas and stress were never an issue 10 years ago, there are now on this land

Though the Visa validity is 5 years, you're only "Stamped-In" for 1 year so doing a border hop before the last of the 5 year Visas is up, will only extend it by 1 years so you'll get 21 years.

To the OP, I'm from the UK but work in Singapore & before I got my Non-O (> 50) would often use 1-way tickets to Thailand, I would say that I got asked for the return more times than not (always when going to the Philippines, rarely when going to Malaysia), but I think you will have no problem showing them your evidence from TE & if worse comes to the worse, they should have a waiver form for you to sign that identifies the airline from any costs in you being refused entry.

Could you check in online, print your boarding pass & not bother with the check-in desks (Departure immigration is just a check of Ticket name against passport & you will use your thumbprint to exit SG).

Another vote for Portugal (Seems to hit the sweet spot for reasonable living costs/taxes, weather, things to do etc...)

Any other Brit's considering moving there why they still (Definitely) can...
 

57 minutes ago, baansgr said:

I think this is how most feel, that money is supposed to be for living costs, its now no more than a visa bond. I get over 7% in dividend payments in UK, thats a lot to loose over a one year period if its tied up here.

Would love to know which assets you're in that get you over 7% at a risk level you're comfortable with 

I'm into LLY which I bought at an average strike price of around 33p so is currently giving me a yield on my initial investment of around 10%, but in reality the yield on current net value is less than 5% - How are you measuring yours?

27 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I just cleaned out about 20 off topic, baiting bickering and etc posts.

In particular the off topic posts and replies about investments, interest rates and etc. 

Apologies Joe, we did stray well off topic but I do believe it's a useful debate to have so have started a new thread here... 

MTV

39 minutes ago, frankpelagic said:

Mike, thank you for the helpful post. Can I just ask you to enlarge on your  comment about "blowing up in my face". 

My concern is going into J last week and being refused, then returning a week later with a miraculous sum of 800k now being available, and the same staff dealing with me in J. Thanks

Hi Frank,

I can't speak from experience but as an example there have been threads on TVF of BMs getting a Visa via an agent, moving districts but having to extend in their old district as the "Relationship" with the Agent/Immigration was there.

IMHO (again, no experience) I think if you have the 800K in the bank & are happy to meet the post extension requirement (leave it there for 3 months & go no lower than 400k for the next 9) you will have nothing to worry about... If you don't have the 800K then (again IMHO) you are going to spend your time here at the mercy of the Agent & their contacts in Immigration - If either of these change you could find yourself up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle... 

Good Luck, if you do get really stuck post here & listen to what UbonJoe says... 

On 12/4/2018 at 6:29 PM, steve187 said:

anyone seen this 'dirty john' https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7945720/

Mum (70) mates all recommended it to her so whilst visiting UK a couple of weeks back we sat down and watched it and I quite enjoyed it (much better than the Madeline Magan documentary that was airing at the same time).

Had to leave the UK before we got chance to watch the documentary about the guy in real life, anybody seen it? is it worth watching?

23 minutes ago, smedly said:

what is proof of retirement ?

Would also be interested to know what is considered Proof of Income.

When I got my Non-O ME (Over 50) from Penang last July, they wanted to see an income certificate from UK Embassy in Bangkok but obviously would need to go to a UK Embassy in another country to get one of these nowadays.

Decided against posting that (Picture of my Ex) ... 

Oct 31st seems a sensible compromise between continually being on the "Cliff Edge" of No Deal and kicking the Brexit ball into the long grass never to be seen again.

P.S. That's the 1st time I've used or seen "Sensible" & "Brexit" in the same sentence 

Great thread, I love the Philippines, big fan of Davao, Tagum, Cebu, Bohol & Coron but not so hot on the likes of Manila / Angeles... 

Thailand shades it for me with the standards of accommodation & food but wouldn't hesitate to consider full time in the Philippines if the visa/immigration situation continues to get worse (I've no problem leaving 800k untouched in an account or twice that, but I do have a problem if I'm going to constantly have to traipse to Immigration to show it's still there and/or do TM30s etc...)

Hi Guys,

I'm looking to get a Thai Driving license & would appreciate any advice (apart from don't drive here, I want the license more for driving when I'm overseas than in Thailand) on how best to go about it.

My current (UK) driving license expired in 2013  & as I've been living overseas since 2008, I've not been able to renew it (I know I can lie & say I live in the UK, I still have a house/bills/pay tax there, but I choose not to) so am not sure if it's even possible for me to convert.

Does anybody know whether I'll be able to convert my (expired) license or will I need to start from scratch and take the driving test?

If it makes any difference, I still have the old green UK driving license (Long story short, car stolen, wallet in car, 18 months later police return wallet with driving license by which time I'd got a new pink one) - are these still valid and would I be able to convert this?

Thanks

MTV

1 minute ago, SuperTed said:

You are unlikely to find friends here, it’s all invalids, barflies and old-curmudgeons-in-training.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

Lol, spot on sir 

1 hour ago, Elizway said:

OK. I just used mobiletopup to charge 49 bahts. They charged me 51 something, just like they said they would. BUT I only received 30 bahts. Wt..? 

 

Customer care is not responding

Sorry to hear that after recommending them, I've never had a problem - Are you sure you haven't used part of the top-up to check the top-up (If you know what I mean).

39 minutes ago, nickcapolla said:

Also, is it possible for me based on info i provided, just return tomorrow by plane and save one border run for later? Or its too much risk and I should definitely go by land and next time do proper visa by scheduling it online?

The fact that you've only done 1 land entry this year makes no/little difference with air entry so you're just as likely to succeed/be denied as you were when you thought you had 2.

With your In-Out history, I would recommend you use the land border to be on the safe side - Then, if you don't have any other options (Marriage/Retirement/TE) get an METV in your homeland before coming back which will give you approx 9 months stay in Thailand  

2 hours ago, nickcapolla said:

Ok, bought the ticket. Im gonna be 9.30 in udon thani. Seems like I cant make it to ambassy before 11 even if i order taxi driver and yell at him leo leo. Trying to get there even late and try to negotiate seems not like an option even if i would try to tip them right? So i guess ill go there tomorrow morning to at least find out for you guys if these "agents" exists there and then for airport. To my information i can fly back only to dmk and pray they will let me in (in thai since august 2018, did border run twice this year). I have 20k on me + ticket for may to my homecountry. 

 

Have also prepared pics of me with thai girl and some sonograph picture of baby (will try to tell them my girl is pregnant). If they ask why i fly back home im gonna tell them she goes with me to give birth there.  Will be dressed nicely and start to cry if they denie me. Will be looking for a que with a guy instead of girl. Any other tips?

 

Also if i found out these agents really exists, i may apply for visa tomorrow and fly back on tuesday and play it safe. Can i fly somewhere else to thai from Vientiane to avoid dealing with them on dmk? Do you guys think i should try something different? Also can you give me tips how to get to Vientiane from udon thani after i leave airport? Thanks so much guys. Guess ill be praying all night tonight. 

If/When you get the Tourist Visa you should be ok to use a Land Border again again (2 limit is on Visa Exempts) so come back the way you'd originally planned via UT

17 hours ago, Elizway said:

Thanks guys! But I don't have a Thai bank account. 

 

As mentioned, you can use https://mobiletopup.com/# with any country's credit cards... 

I've personally used them with UK Visa & Singapore Visa/MasterCard - with no problems, top-up was credited immediately & I thought their fee was very reasonable at 15 THB on a 300THB top-up (5%).

NB, each AIS top-up extends the validity of the SIM by 1 month up to a maximum of 12 months so it can sometimes be worth doing several smaller top-ups to ensure your SIM doesn't expire.

15 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Yes, 4K per-month Extra - for no reason at all but to have "permission" to spend our money in Thailand - is nuts. 

By way of comparison, for many retirees, that is the same as increasing one's condo-rent overhead by 40% to 50%. 

People retired here with financial plans based on the deal offered by the Thai government/immigration when they made the move.  Now the govt has reigned on that agreement - offering no "grandfathering" to those already here.  Many on fixed-incomes (including ROI) cannot add 4K/mo or so in unexpected overhead to their plan (without shortening their lives to "make it work"), so will be forced to relocate.

I was referring to the guys who say they have no problem in being able to deposit the 800K but choose not to as they can get a better return on their investment elsewhere. 

For me, moving to Cambodia because whilst you can afford to soak-up the 4K less income you choose not to is nuts - It's like choosing to stay in a 6K room that might be OK but really you want & can afford the 10K one where you'd be happier, that really is nuts!!!  For any retiree, comfort & happiness should be worth a lot more than extra income that you don't actually need (always nice to have though).

I agree with your point about guys who made financial plans, have lived happily for many years following those plans & could continue to do so but are going to struggle because the goal post have been moved - But they're not the guys that can really afford to deposit 800K in the bank (they may have the means to but if it hurts you financially then you can't really afford it) but choose not to do so and choose to go live somewhere else. 

12 hours ago, Thailand Outcast said:

Firstly, I am not moaning about leaving Thailand.  You will not see me complaining on this thread.  Do not confuse being critical of the new laws with moaning.

 

I do have the funds, but I will not be pushed into capitalizing Thai banks by Thai immigration, so I can say I live in Thailand, rather than say I live 6 months in Thailand and 6 months in Vietnam. 

 

It's a lousy deal, and one I am not going to accept.

 

I have a question for you.  At what figure would you say it becomes a lousy deal for you?  1 million?  1.5 million?  1.8 million?  2 million? 

 

There has to be a figure where you would actually say to yourself, "this is not worth the financial loss and / or risk." 

 

Not to mention, currently, you can't touch 400k of your own money, forever.  Just say the 400k untouched rose to 800k. In no other circumstances would you accept the loss of use of your money, but in Thailand, many "bend over" for Thailand, well, I don't bend over for the Thai government, and they will actually lose money from me, rather than gain money. 

Apologies, "Moaning" was the wrong word, I was struggling to come up with a way of expressing my point & have clearly failed as you've replied about the "numbers" & I'm talking about people who have no problem with the "numbers" but choose to move elsewhere so they can have a slightly higher "number" that they don't really need. 

At the end of the day, my view on life is that money itself has no value - It's what the money affords you that is the value & so leaving 800K untouched in a Thai bank account value to me is that it paves the way to being able to retire in Thailand & if I had to put a price on it, it's worth more than 4K pm to me, but not 40K so somewhere between there - but If they increase the requirement beyond 1 - 1.5 Million then I would weigh up the pros & cons of adding the extra cash Vs going down the Privileged Entry (Thai Elite as was) route Vs moving somewhere else, but if I still wanted to live in Thailand and could afford it, then I would do it.  

There obviously is a "number" at which point I wouldn't be able to afford to live in Thailand, but at that point, I wouldn't be on here saying that I could afford that "number" but choose not to I'd be on here saying how unfair it was for them to change it (Which I agree with @JackThompsonit is without grandfathering existing retirees or at least giving them a bit more than a couple of months notice).

You can't take it with you guys... 

Edit: I love the Philippines but I think you've made the right decision in choosing Vietnam as your "2nd Home" (from what I've read, I wouldn't be surprised if it became your "1st Home" and Thailand became just another place that you visit on holiday) - I hope you start a thread about your experiences as I'd love to hear how you get on, am seriously tempted to do something similar.

I now pay directly from Bangkok Bank mobile app, but used to use https://mobiletopup.com/# with an overseas (Singapore & UK) credit card and never had a problem (was also topping up AIS).

On 3/21/2019 at 7:08 PM, Martyp said:

If you have the money to meet the new rules but decline to follow on some principle then what are you worried about or complaining about? It is a problem of your own making.

It astounds me how people say they have the funds but don't want to leave 800k in a Thai bank account because it's a bad investment and then go on to moan about the fact that they now have to leave Thailand.

Let's say you're making an extra 6% (not easy in a risk free investment) on that 800k, that's  48k per year - is it really such a bad investment to pay 4k pm to live where you want to live?

On 2/18/2019 at 8:43 PM, Thailand Outcast said:

It is the simple solution and I will do it.  I will live here the most time I can on the tourist visa, until they stop that way.  They must stop that way.  So many people will change to it.  

 

No big money in Thai bank, np paper work, no reporting, easy.  Visit famliy back home for a few weeks and pick up new visas,  Have a hoiday in another place in the area, and come back Thaiand for 9 months.  So funny to do like this.   

No, the "Funny" thing is that if you don't work, you're not eligible for the METV (Multi-Entry Tourist Visa)...

For Multiple Entries (stay up to 60 days for each entry within the period of 6 months)

• A current passport with validity of over 6 months beyond the date of application  and at least 2 blank pages
• Visa application form completely filled out
• Two (2) recent photos of the applicant
• Original bank statement of the applicant showing a balance of at least £5,000 (for 6 months) or a print out with official stamp of the bank
• A letter from the applicant's employer (in the UK and addressed to the Royal Thai Embassy) If you are self-employed, you self-assessment and a company registration document are required.
• A photocopy of the confirmed air ticket to Thailand
• A photocopy of the hotel reservation confirmation in Thailand