Mike Teavee

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFhkDc9N/

One reason I was advised to quote if they were reluctant to give me an ID number simply so I could claim interest from my Bank Account was for the payment of property taxes so I just said that I was going to be buying a condo & would need a TIN for that.

Yes, the requirements I'd read online said that I only needed a copy of my condo lease agreement (which I had with me) but when we went to the 1st Tax Office they said that I needed a Residency Certificate & showed me an example of one so I knew exactly what I had to provide. Should mention that I initially went to the wrong office so it could have been that my lease agreement was enough but as we were just across the road from Jomtien Immigration & had all the docs/photos required it was not really a hassle to pop in to get one.

Sorry I can't say what Chiang Mai Tax Office requires but at the Chonburi 2 Revenue Office, I needed to show Passport, a Residency Certificate (that was specifically obtained for registering for a Thai Identification Number so if you happen to have one for a Driving License etc..., you needed a new one) + something from my Bank proving that I'd paid some tax on interest received. To get the Residency Certificate (Jomtien Immigration Office), I needed the form, photos, my Passport & TM30 (Registration of Address, may not be required in Chiang Mai but Jomtien is very hot on these so need it for almost anything you need to do with them)... I did this in July & registered the TIN against my Bangkok Bank Savings & Fixed Deposit account, the lady was very helpful, new exactly what I wanted to do & gave no indication that I was wasting my time & would be taxed anyway... I guess we'll see year end + I need to file a Tax return to reclaim June's tax anyway.

I thought it was because the badge says “Poorsche” but the car is a VW Beetle.

Bangkok (Rangsit) working cosmetics at a Central Mall, 15k pm (plus 2-3% commission) for 6x10 hour days (option for overtime on day 7).

Have been non-UK Tax Resident for >15 years so do understand the statutory residency tests plus as an Ex-Director of a PLC & owner of a LTD I still need a UK Accountant to file my tax returns & they update me as needed. But my point was that If your Income arises in the UK then you've already paid UK Tax on it no matter where you are resident. The 2 times I've found being non-tax resident to be of benefit are ... 1) Dividends, where you've already paid the tax (irrespective of residency) but being non-UK resident (anywhere) means you don't need to pay additional tax if that takes you to a higher rate tax bracket. 2 Capital Gains Tax, if you sell assets (Primary Property aside) at a profit then you don't need to pay additional tax on them Thailand not taxing this income is not really relevant as if they did, I could claim it back via the DTA in place between UK & Thailand

The problem with that argument is that I've already been taxed on that (UK sourced) income, if Thailand were to tax me on it again then I would just claim it back under the Double Taxation Agreement so there is no real gain to me In fact it might even work out better, it certainly did when I was working in Singapore but being paid by a UK based company (12% income tax rate Vs 40%).

In a nutshell City Garden is right in Pattaya City Center https://goo.gl/maps/BFiJnWFSWw1E5VpP6 So you'll have everything on your doorstep but it's busy, can be noisy, there's a temptation to go out every night & (to me) gets really tiresome after a while. Sanctuary https://goo.gl/maps/9iyX51FwSisZeJNU7 is quite away outside of City Center with nothing around you, as I mentioned when I looked at the Club Royal nearby I couldn't even find a 7/11 or a Family Mart in walking distance, there may be Mom & Pop type stores & local restaurants but from what I could tell a local hotel was your only option for food/drinks & that gets expensive very quickly... But presumably it's a lot more laid back/relaxed there. So it really is hard to compare the 2 as they both appeal to very different tastes/lifestyles, are you the kind of guy that likes to be in the middle of things & eat/go out a lot or do you prefer a more peaceful lifestyle with the occasional trip into town? I wouldn't personally go for either as I don't like living in the City Center but have to have some options nearby that I can easily walk to so I live in Wongamat (which is about 80b from Central Festival in a Bolt Taxi when I feel the need to go into town) but have enough around me to fill my day-2-day needs.... Family Mart outside the Condo, Tops Daily, 2x7-11s, a Mini-Lotus, 2 upmarket coffee shops & 5-6 places to eat within a 5 minutes walk.

Probably Anti-Semitism (It wouldn't be his 1st time)... https://www.vox.com/culture/23400851/kanye-west-fake-kids-antisemitism Through a controversial Fox News interview — and unaired footage from it that was even more controversial — and then on social media, Ye has revealed the latest phase of his bizarre political evolution: A growing embrace of antisemitic conspiracy rhetoric

You need a Visa to enter Cambodia which (IIRC) is $30 (Though I got charged $35 on my 1st visit to Phom Penh, I did seem to get sped through the process though so not all bad) so somebody needs to pay roughly 1,000 at the border whether it's you or the Agent (if you've already paid them as part of the package). 1,500 doesn't seem unreasonable as you tend to get hammered on the exchange rate if you're not paying in USD, you could ask the Agent if you can get a Cambodian E-Visa before hand but this is $36 (+ a fee for the processing agent) so unless you're running out of Passport pages you're probably better off just getting the Visa on Arrival at the border. Re: Agents, my suggestion would be to go with Maneerat as I've found them to be very knowledgeable/reliable in all mine (& my friends) immigration needs. Edit: @BritTim makes a great point about same day return, unless you're planning to stay overnight I would just go with the flow & pay the 1,500b fee

What is your accommodation situation (Own, Rent, Stay with Friends, stay in hotels etc...) as you have to do your extension in the province where you registered your TM30 (& you will need this to do an extension in Pattaya, not 100% sure in Bangkok but I always handed mine over to the Agent with the other paperwork). I've had no problems doing extensions in Bangkok or Pattaya, at both places I just used my Condo rental agreement (which has copies of my Landlord's ID as part of it), never been asked for a Residence Certificate but again, in Bangkok I used an Agent (Asia Visa on Soi 24, approx. 3 minute walk from Phrom Phong BTS station who charge 7,900b to do the extension if you have the 800K in the Bank).

If you have the 800K in the bank & it meets all the "Seeding" requirements (there 3 months after your last extension, has gone no lower than 400K for 7 months after that & was at least 800K for the 2 months leading up to your extension) then they charge 8,000b for a Non-IMM O ("Retirement") extension. If the 800K doesn't meet the requirements then they charge 12,500k, I ended up paying 12,000b as I wanted to get a multi-reentry permit (IIRC these are normally 3,800b to do yourself at Immigration & Maneerat charges 4,500b if this is all you want).

Again the mobile app can help you in filing a 90 day report, I'm not sure there is a way of finding out when your next 90 day is due unless you use the app or have the previous report Worse case go to Immigration & pay a small fine (IIRC It's 800-2000b but am sure somebody will correct me). Main thing is you got your extension & passport back ????

Jim & Banana were the 2 places that I had in mind (Which is why I stayed on Chulia Street) but when I got there Jim was closed, Banana was open & a very pretty young lady greeted me so it was a no-brainer... ????

Yes, I now do the annual extension (Am good until 26th September 2023 ???? ) but am one of those very lazy people that use an agent (despite keeping the 800K in the bank all year around) to make things a bit easier. Shout out to Maneerat (Soi Post Office, Soi 13/2) in Pattaya for making my Immigration needs very easy ???? In Bangkok I highly recommend AsiaVisa on Soi 24...

I can remember asking you about it when I got the Visa Joe & you kindly explained to me that I'd received a multi-entry 1 year visa instead of the expected 3 month Single Entry.

Yes, I was very surprised when I got it (sorry, it's all coming back to me now & it was 2018 not 2017 as I remember watching the Croatia v France World cup final on the rooftop of my hotel).

The Visa was based on "Retirement" (Being over 50) & one of the things I had to show to get it was 800K in a Thai Bank Account (hence me opening the account before going to Penang), I also took proof of income including a certificate from the British Embassy confirming that my income was legit but this wasn't needed I fully expected to get a 3 month Single Entry Non-Imm O but when talking with the lady at the agency I mentioned that I was working in Singapore & visited Thailand often (20+ times a year) so she just got me a Multi-Entry 1 year Visa (Seem to recall I had to pay a little bit more for it). Edit: If anybody is interested in getting a Visa from Penang then Chulia Street is the place to go, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chulia_Street,_George_Town I stayed at Chulia Mansions & the agency I used was at the Banana hotel https://www.bananaboutiquepenang.com/ Very nice people, great service, highly recommend

Sorry very Off Topic.... But can I just say that I love your avatar Chomper, I can remember going to Wigan Casino when I was 14 (1980) & it was awesome for a Warrington lad like myself... I get my kicks out on the floor....

I used Siam Legal to open my Bank Account (was visiting for a long weekend on a Visa Exempt) More expensive than other agents (IIRC I paid 3,000b in 2017) but worth it to guarantee it got done as I only had the Friday to get it opened before flying back to Singapore & I needed the account opening to start the seeding process for my Non-Imm O. As an aside I ended up getting the Non-Imm O in Penang, really easy to do and I ended up with a 1 year Multi-Entry visa which was perfect for me as I was still working in SG at the time.

Wow they are complete polar opposites of each other in terms of living experience. Personally neither would be for me (I don't like to live in City Center but Sanctuary is too remote) but I have heard good things about City Garden & the units/prices at Sanctuary (and even more so Club Royal next door) look very attractive.

There is an Agent in Pattaya (a couple of doors down from Maneerat on Soi Post Office - Soi 13/2) that are offering Visas on the basis of Same Sex Marriages & indicating that this is a relatively new thing. I'll try to take a picture of the advert in the window the next time I'm at the Post Office.

I would recommend Maneerat on Soi 13/2 (Soi Post Office, they are directly across the Soi from the Post Office). Note that as you are currently on "Visa Exempt" you will first need to convert this to a Non-Imm O Visa (Single Entry, 3 months) & then get the 12 month extension, the price for doing both of these (& includes your 90 day reports) is around 25K NOT the 13/15K quoted, for this you will be given a total of 15 months permission to stay. Normal cost of a 12 month extension via Maneerat is 8K if you have the 800K in the bank or 12K if you need assistance with the finances.

Damini, http://www.daminiexchange.com/ a relatively new place on Soi 13/2 (Soi Post Office) & offers slightly better rates than TT but as other's have said TT is a good place to go (Be careful that you are using a TT booth as there are other Exchange places with almost identical looking booths).