Mike Teavee

Which I’m assuming is a UK thing & not something Thailand has as my understanding is Thailand doesn’t recognise Civil Partners as a legal status. Will put it on the list of things I need to find out from my Pension company in 3 years when they start paying it me (There are no restrictions on who I can nominate to receive a lump sum should I die before I start drawing the pension so I’ve put her name down for that & hid all the knives!)

I've just nominated my GF to receive any lump sum / ongoing payments, how confident are you that they will honor this only the language used says "Spouse or Civil Partner" obviously I consider her to be my "Civil Partner" but I believe that's not a recognised legal standing in Thailand. I need to update my Will to change what happens to my house anyway... so was thinking of adding my pension in there as an asset to strengthen any case she has in claiming it.

The MAF site states ... Visa Requirement Not required (for stay not exceeding 30 days for each entry and a cumulative duration of stay not exceeding 90 days within any six months). Which reads to me that you are allowed a maximum of 90 days "Visa less" entry in any one 6 month period, so any more days would require a visa... But that's clearly not been updated to reflect the 45 day entries & your mum has already extended so has stayed well over the 30 days for each entry so I guess she will get 45 days via a Border Bounce & be fine. You don't need to stay overnight in Laos & although I did see a lot of Laos guys being sent back & told to come back later (they literally got off the bus & tried to immediately re-enter Thailand), I highly doubt that a Singaporean Passport holder would be turned away in the same way, but a 1 hour coffee in the market should be enough. We flew into Udon Thani (where we were staying for a few days) & took a taxi (900b) to Nong Khai but there is a minibus from the airport (200b) & I believe an International Buss (100b) from the Bus Station (This was no use to me as I need a visa to enter Laos & didn't apply for one beforehand, your mum should be fine as she has an Asean passport so doesn't need a visa to enter Laos).

Did you mean 14 weeks (98 days)? or did you mean 14 days? I'm assuming the latter (14 days) as MAF advises Singaporeans need to have a Visa if they want to spend more than 90 days in any 6 month period in Thailand https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/Bangkok/Consular-Services/Thai-Visa-Application-for-Singapore-Citizens# ... And she will have used up 75 days of the 90 with the original Visa Exempt entry + extension. If this is the case then a Border bounce will only get her the 14 days after which she will either need to spend 3 months outside of Thailand or go somewhere to get a Visa (The Thai Embassy on Orchard Road being an obvious choice, Laos or Vietnam also options) If she does decide to get the extra 14 days then she will have to leave the country so (assuming Singaporeans still have the special immigration lanes at BKK) I would recommend she takes a short holiday back home to Singapore & then re-enters (Even if she gets a 45 day visa exempt when coming back she would technically be on overstay after 14 days, whether she would be caught or it would cause a problem later on is another matter). If she doesn't want to go to Singapore then I'd recommend flying to Udon Thani & cross over into Laos at Nong Khai (Very easy to do & when we did the trip, 9th-12 Feb, it was quite quiet both ways), she won't need to pay the $40 visa on arrival cost, but the (Thai) GF did have to pay 20Baht to be stamped in & out of Laos (We were there for a holiday so she couldn't use the temporary border pass) so she may have to pay that.

My condo block has facial recognition at the front door so if they don't have a proper lease registered with the management office, they're not getting in.

In my experience (I’ll admit I haven’t bought UK based travel insurance in > 15 years) it very clearly states that you should check the UK Gov FCO site (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) for travel advice before travelling & the “Safety & Security” section I quoted on page 1 should be the 1st section that people check… No small print involved in that at all. However, 1 thing worth highlighting that could well be buried in the small print is your Travel insurance will not cover you for anything > 125cc irrespective of what licenses you hold so if you were to rent something like a Yamaha Aerox (155cc) you need separate motorbike insurance even if you’re licensed to ride big bikes at home.

The TT booths are advertising it at .300

I wouldn't class Wongamat as a Tourist area (well not in the same category as say Jomtien) but it is absolutely swamped with Russians at the moment, my GF jokes that she sees more signs in Russian than she does in Thai or English nowadays & there's even what appears to be a dedicated Russian Tourist kiosk (NB I know the correct term is Cyrillic script & it is used by other countries than Russia but think the Russian's far outnumber any other nationality in Wongamat at the moment). As for them skimping on accommodation costs, we live in a reasonably expensive condo block (can get similar sized rooms for 1/2 the price at other condo buildings within 1km) & there are loads of young Russian Families that have moved in over the past year, especially since around Xmas time... I've read elsewhere that some are taking 12 month leases, paying the 2 month deposit and then leaving when their options for staying (Visas/Extensions) run out & forfeiting their deposit, I guess time will tell how true this is as, short of doing a Visa run, they will be coming to the end of their 45 + 30 days pretty soon.

This is how I thought it was but Wise advised to use the "Funds for Long Term Stay in Thailand" reason if you wanted it to show as an FTT & the only reason I can think of for wanting to make sure it shows as a Foreign Transfer is to use for property purchases (Dee Money doesn't check where you got the THB from when sending it overseas so don't need it there). There is an option on there for "Living Expenses which won't necessarily show as FTT (and will almost certainly arrive quicker) and there is also an option for "Property Purchase" (Which I've never seen mentioned by Wise and am pretty sure it wasn't there when they initially added the Reason field) that will also ensure it shows up as an FTT... https://wise.com/help/articles/2932335/guide-to-thb-transfers If your recipient Bank is Kasikorn Bank or Bangkok Bank: Set transfer amount and currency to THB Add recipient details Choose Kasikorn Bank or Bangkok Bank Public Company as the recipient bank Enter account number On Transfer Purpose: Select Funds for long term stay in Thailand or Purchase of Property Will find out when I go into the bank, worse comes to the worse I'll send it all back to the UK and then bring it back in for "Property Purchase" or buy the condo in the GF's name... Related to the 2nd option, if a Condo is advertised in the Foreign Quota it tends to come with a premium so can I expect a discount if I buy it in a Thai Name and if not can I be sure to be able to sell it as "Foreign Quota" should we sell it to a Non-Thai... I suspect the answer to both of these is NO, but worth checking.

I believe putting the reason "Funds for Long Term Living in Thailand" is just a Wise hack to ensure they route the transaction such that it shows as an FTT in your account (Transactions do seem to take longer when you use this reason). Besides, a condo purchase could be argued as part of "Long Term Living in Thailand" ???? I need to go into the branch to get a letter for my tax refund claim at some point next week so will ask about getting a Foreign Transfer Letter & see what they give me.

So if I've understood correctly, I've been transferring money over for years (past few years using the "Funds for Long Term Stay in Thailand" reason to ensure it shows up in my Bangkok Bank account as a foreign transfer - FTT) so can just go into the Bank and ask them for a letter confirming how much I've transferred into Thailand and use this for a Condo Purchase? Will the fact that all my money comes into my Savings Account but I've transferred the majority of it into a Fixed Deposit account (Both Bangkok Bank) change anything? E.g. Lets say over the years I've transferred 8Million from UK/SG (all FTTs), spent 3Million on living costs, moved 4Million into an FD account & have 1Million in my savings account will the bank give me a letter saying I've transferred 8Million I've transferred 5Million (The amount of money across both accounts) I've transferred 1Million (The amount of money left in the account that I made the transfers to) NB... These are all made up numbers, I'm just trying to understand my position as I was thinking that I had to send all of the money back to the UK & then bringing it back in again as a single transaction for the purchase of property but if I can use the money already here that would save a lot of hassle (& FX charges/losses). TIA MTV

I used to travel with just my passport, wallet & mobile as I had everything (down to a separate Laptop) that I need in my (rented) condos in Singapore/Bangkok so getting through Fast Track meant I could go straight to the Taxi Rank. BTW Limousine (& other paid for FastTrack services) are no longer available so when I was travelling back from Vientiane last Monday I chose to enter Thailand via Nong Khai & fly from Udon Thani just to avoid BKK Immigration. Edit: I hope your prediction that this will be applied for online before travelling is correct (& it could work by them checking the eligibility of people who don't need to pay the fee e.g. Work Permit holders) but I'd still prefer if they would just add it to the taxes already collected on all airline tickets. Still hope some of the money goes to increasing the number of Immigration Officers / Booths.

Nobody cares about the 300b, it's the extra time queuing up at these "Kiosks" waiting behind people who don't have Thai Baht so want to pay by USD, GBP, AUD, SGD, INR etc... etc... etc... or even worse with their credit card but they forgot to enable it for international roaming... CF waiting to happen. I already hate returning via BKK, so much so that in 2018 & 2019 when I was doing SIN-BKK every other weekend I paid 20,000b pa to Thailand Longstay Management for Fast Track access. Make it 3,000b & use the extra money to put more immigration officers in the booths, just don't add to the already tortuous experience of arriving via BKK (Don't get me started on DMK, gave up on that Dump years ago).

You mean something like this… Road travel There are a high number of road traffic accidents in Thailand especially involving motorcycles. The World Health Organisation (WHO) rates Thailand as the world’s deadliest countries for fatalities on motorcycles. To drive a car or ride a motorcycle in Thailand, under Thai law you must have the correct licence and appropriate insurance for the category of vehicle you’re using. You will need to apply for a Thai driving licence or, if you already hold a UK licence, an International Driving Permit. If you drive a car or ride a motorcycle in Thailand without a valid licence, this may invalidate your travel insurance if you have an accident or injury. Motorcycles or scooters for hire in beach resorts are often unregistered and can’t be used legally on a public road. Before you hire a vehicle, make sure you’re covered by your travel insurance and check the small print of the lease agreement. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/safety-and-security

You do realise that this will be levied on the 20Million (2019 figures, Thailand expects this to go up to 100Million within the next decade) visitors per year so would equate to 6,000,000,000 (6Billion Baht) way beyond (by a factor of at least 10) what every non paying foreigner costs the Thai government in health care. And you want to change that to days, the average stay is 10 days so 60Billion! And exactly how much do us expats pay when we arrive... do we pay 300 x 365 (109,500baht) or are we supposed to book our next exit from Thailand before we arrive back. The whole idea is stupid beyond belief & will be quietly sidelined when they realised that people are voting with their feet (wallets).

Anybody who's been through a similar process (e.g. the exit tax in Indonesia or Philippines) knows this is a stupid idea that will cost the country more money than it brings. Just stick the 300baht on the price of an airline ticket (Charge 150 baht at the land borders) forget everything about not charging this kind of passport or that kind of permit and get on with it.

I look forward to my Health Insurance costs being reduced significantly as I'll be covered by the 300baht I'll pay each time I enter Thailand. Thinking about it, should I just cancel the policy as clearly I will no longer need it...

Yes Visa on Arrival... I don't mind paying for it (Was in Laos at the weekend where I paid $40 for a Visa which took 10 minutes at Nong Khai) but I do mind having to stand in a line for almost 2 hours to go through the process (My Filipina ex-GF was through in 30 minutes). In terms of entry to the country process, this 300baht charge is no different than getting a Visa on Arrival (I know immigration wise they are very different) as you need to mess about paying for it, getting a receipt, showing said receipt to the Immigration officer etc... The only reason I travelled back to Udon Thani and flew back to BKK from there rather than flying directly from Vientiane was so I wouldn't have to go through Immigration at Suvarnabhumi Airport & this new "Tax" is just going to make entering Thailand via BKK even worse...

So every airline/flight booking portal is going to update their website to ask if you have a Diplomatic passport or Work Permit and charge you accordingly? Oh & give you the opportunity to enter your receipt number if you're travelling on a re-entry permit? Obviously not so this fee will be charged to everybody (Including my Thai partner if I book us flights together) or (as I suspect will be the case) collected at the airport... Which will be a nightmare, will be canned after 1-2 months & cause irrepareable damage to Thailand's reputation as a tourist desination. Very few people care about the 300b but I'll never go to Bali again after having to stand in line for almost 2 hours to pay for a Visa to enter... It's not what I go on holiday to do.

Nobody https://m.imdb.com/title/tt7888964/ Ridiculous movie, but worth a laugh (it’s not a comedy) at just how ridiculous it is. It’s like Bob Odenkirk read the script & said well if Liam (Neeson) can do “Taken” I can do that… No you can’t ????

Lots of reasons why, in my case (Non-UK Resident for Tax Purposes for 15 years) it’s because I used to own a Limited Company & have never managed to shake the requirement for completing a Tax Return. My (ex-company) accounting firm files them for me, I’m not able to reclaim the £240 I need to pay them but they do a great job on staying on top of property allowances so I always seem to come in with UK Gov owing me a few £s in overpaid tax (Approx £24K pa from Rental Income & Dividends, No Capital Gain Tax unless you’re selling property).

Having a similar problem myself (though only when I bite on the front quarter of the tooth) so am hoping they can remove the crown, resolve the issue then put it back as I’ve just spent 35K on Invisalign retainers. If they can’t I’ll be “Biting” (don’t have a problem chewing) on the other side of my mouth for the next 3 years.

I got a lady who seemed to take forever checking peoples documents but was very thorough & stamped me in to the correct date (in the Visa class she wrote “Non RE” which I assume means Non-Imm visa re-entry permit). Oh & she also asked me what province I lived in (also Chonburi). I was one of only 2 Farangs crossing at that time (other chap was a nice guy, been here 26 years & lives in Udon Thani but I didn’t catch his name or whether he was a member on AN) & lots of (I’m assuming) Laos travellers being turned away, at the counter my GF said she overheard the IO next lane to ours tell a guy that he’s only been outside of Thailand for 1 hour so go away & come back later.

I’ve no personal experience doing this (usually travel to HH with friends who drive) but whenever I want to know how to get from A to B I use Rome2Rio… https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Don-Muang-Airport-DMK/Hua-Hin Also available as a mobile app.

I got a new passbook in Pattaya for my Bangkok Bank account opened in Bangkok. Only thing I’m aware of that I’d need to go back to the original Branch for is a new Debit card. As with the SCB post above, if you use cardless withdrawals at a Bangkok Branch ATM you can avoid having to pay the 15 (or is it 20, can’t remember) “Outside of Province” charge.