Carolina Reaper

A few years ago I got stung by an adolescent Arizona bark scorpion -- the most venomous in North America -- that I stepped on in the bathroom. At first I thought it was just an exposed carpet tack in the hallway but the pain kept escalating and felt like 100 bee stings within a few seconds. After googling around, I decided to wait for any possible foaming at mouth or other symptoms before going to work, but I was okay other than numbness and intense burning and tingling. Half my foot ended up being completely numb for about 18 hours. 

I bring this up because it turns out the small, young scorpions are more deadly than the larger, older ones because (1) the concentration of toxin is much higher in the young specimens; and (2) the young ones don't try to control the volume of their injected toxin to hold a reserve as a defense for a possible subsequent attack -- so they shoot their entire load. This makes a lot of sense, considering that the little beasties need maximum defense because of their vulnerable position. I wonder if this holds true for the centipedes as well....

17 hours ago, jacko45k said:

UK, Oz and USA no longer issue Embassy letters

Isn't there a 4th country? ... Denmark, iirc.

On 7/6/2019 at 10:56 AM, Thingamabob said:

Just deposit 800k into a Thai bank account and leave it there. I've done this for nearly 40 years, including this year, with no problem whatsoever.

Uhh, then wouldn't it only have been like 200k or 500k for you? I seriously doubt you would have deposited the magic post-10/1998 requirement of 800k into a Thai bank nearly 40 years ago if you didn't have to. I assume you had a [regrettable] break in your stay, then??

3 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Now extensions based on retirement are being hit up for the TM30.

And, in Korat, the wife and I just got hit up for a fresh TM30 at Immigration (even though there was no reason to have to do another one) as a prerequisite for being issued a COR for drivers license renewal. A notice/receipt for the fresh TM30 being done (by wife) was stapled in my passport on the page after where my TM47 filing receipt was stapled. Sigh. An outbreak of acute TM30-itis is upon us, it seems.

1 hour ago, ThailandRick said:

I can 2nd this method... For years been using this way ever since high fees were added to ATM withdrawals.  This way takes a few working days to runs it's course but works well for me.  Here is the information on bangkok bank: https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Transfer-money-from-US-to-Thailand-via-Bangkok-Bank-NewYork-branch

 

In Basic, this is how it works for me:

1.  I transfer from my USA Bank to Bangkok Bank New York Branch via (ACH - used in the USA for Bank to Bank transfer) 

    -Many Banks in USA do not charge a fee for this type of transfer

    -NY Bangkok Bank appears as a USA Bank in the eyes of other Banks... (Seems they work as a middle man to Thailand)

 

2.  Depending on the dollar amount transferring to Thailand, Bangkok Bank New York charges a transfer fee:  

fee            amount transferred

 free          < 50usd

3.00usd      50.01 - 100.00usd

5.00usd      100.01 - 2,000.00usd

10.00usd     2,000.01 - 50,000usd

 

3.  Once it hits Bangkok Bank Thailand, there is a conversion to Baht Fee prior to deposit into your account no greater than 500b a minimum of 200b calculated by .25% of transferred amount.  I was told the conversion rate used is based on USD50 > TT Buying Rates (30.48b at time of this post) https://www.bangkokbank.com/th-TH/Personal/Other-Services/View-Rates/Foreign-Exchange-Rates#

I've been doing this for a few years, too. But that party will be over soon. Read the fine print at the bottom of https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Transfer-money-from-US-to-Thailand-via-Bangkok-Bank-NewYork-branch. "With effective from April 1, 2019, New York branch only process ACH with appropriate IAT format and all non-IAT transactions will be returned." No U.S. based bank allows regular consumer accountholders to do the necessary IAT-flavored (international) ACH transactions. BKKB has extended their grace period, though, as folks are reporting that their transfers (done as you've so nicely described) are still working. But FINCEN and the U.S. banking regulators have forced Bangkok Bank to put a stop to the current standard ACH practice. 

On 7/3/2019 at 9:08 AM, Old Croc said:

If you move around internally,

This part isn't quite true. I've read the legal language surrounding this assertion and it's effectively neutralized by a separate paragraph that says that the 90-day reporting requirement for those staying longer than 90 days (i.e., on long stay visa or extension) satisfies the "internal movement" part of the overall TM30 reporting requirement, at least from the foreigner's point of view.

However, something like a hotel is never relieved of their TM30 reporting obligation.

10 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

We will see.

I got a letter from BKK Bank stating June 1 so I assume it took effect.

Two transfers later no issues.

Nope, it hasn't yet gone into effect. And, actually, Chase is behind the times. Even their commercial division can't accommodate IAT.

[3] Chase Commercial Online is not designed or intended to be used for any ACH Transaction that is required to be formatted under the NACHA rules as an “International ACH Transaction” (or IAT).

I'd been using New York branch for a few years, just like you. But I stopped because I didn't want the big surprise later at some random time after April 1. 

8 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I do not understand it.

I have Chase Bank.

My retirement check goes into Chase on the first and I set up a transfer to BKK Bank every month.  I just received it today and have been doing it this way for several years.

When I set it up I simply added BKK bank online for the transfer since they have a US facility.

No Swift code blah blah.

It takes 2 days to receive it in my BKK account. And, it is always identified as "international transfer".

That will stop soon.

"With effective from April 1, 2019, New York branch only process ACH with appropriate IAT format and all non-IAT transactions will be returned." The thing is, no U.S. based consumer account has been blessed with the ability (by the financial institution) to capture the necessary additional info and then send in IAT format.

See https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Transfer-money-from-US-to-Thailand-via-Bangkok-Bank-NewYork-branch. 

An extra grace period is being extended by BKKB. So you will need to find another method soon.

From my experience, it is generally acceptable -- if not expected -- that a family group (including just a married couple) not be separated when entering the immigration queue area. So, both a Thai and non-Thai spouse could use a Thai (non-automated) line. But what I have found at Suvarnabhumi is that many of those unskilled helpers whose job is to herd people into queues just look at the faces and decide that a farang belongs in the non-Thai line. On multiple occasions I've had one pull me away to go in a separate line. After I reluctantly started walking away, a different sheep dog barked for me to go back in queue with my wife. The earlier advice to humbly ask ahead of time is good. Worst case, it's no big deal to separate and rejoin on the other side (unless there are kids in tow).

3 hours ago, CelticTam said:

Secondly, there is a regulation that prohibits exit from Thailand and return same day

I've heard that, too, but I'm quite sure it is only folklore, at least for Vientiane and many other border crossings. I did the Nong Khai/Vientiane border run (Non-O ME @90 days) in late 2017. With some subtle, weird feelings of guilt, I made an immediate U-Turn after being admitted into Laos side. No problem whatsoever. Just had to suffer the loss of an entire passport page for the Laos visa and a piece of another page for stamps in/out.

3 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Original Thai marriage certificate and copy

Just the certificate and no updated/recertified Kor Ror. 2?

I had to pay the THB 2000 fine once (for being 1 day late past the grace period). Paperwork and cash receipt had to be signed off by bigger boss, too, so I had to wait for an extra half hour. On top of that, the notation of being late and having the fine levied got stamped in my passport, using up an entire page. I have a feeling that being late multiple times will have the potential for serious negative consequences down the line.

14 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

1. If it is your first extension application the answer is yes. 

Does "first extension application" mean FIRST EVER application? Or if somebody who's been staying on previous retirement extensions left Thailand (near the end of currently authorized stay) and re-entered on a new non-imm O, and then went to Immigration for an extension of that new stay, it would be considered a "first extension"??

1 hour ago, rughead said:

for any lengthy / serious inpatient  stay

Rughead, this should really say "for anything but the shortest of stays". 

Unless you seek care at a government hospital with a particularly low standard of care, the B400,000/40,000 coverage is embarrassingly inadequate.

I have excellent "everywhere but USA" inpatient and ambulatory surgery coverage (up to USD 2 million -- 156x the Thai coverage limit) but no outpatient coverage. Outpatient coverage is not a good value, esp. here in Thailand where outpatient care costs lie between very cheap and fairly affordable depending on where you seek care. There is no such thing as "outpatient only" coverage so there's no way to add that on with a Thai policy. If a requirement to have both inpatient and outpatient coverage is ever enforced for retirement extensions, I will be pissed, because that's expensive to add on to my international plan, and it won't even cover most ongoing conditions for 60+ crowd (e.g., hypertension management). To make matters worse, the B400,000/40,000 Thai plans aren't just crappy, they're rather expensive, too..

Many here mention using agents. But what if one lives far away from anywhere an agent operates? I'd guess most of them can work with anybody by exchanging paperwork via EMS, but wouldn't you have to temporarily change your address to BKK or Pattaya or whatever for that to be possible? Then you'd have to report a change of address back to original residence, etc. Sounds slightly messy.

1 hour ago, OJAS said:

Even with a safety cushion, though, this might prove a risky strategy, depending on whether Immigration calculate the corresponding THB amount of each GBP FTT transfer into an FCD account made over the previous 12 months based on the rate prevailing when either (a) each such transfer was made, or (b) the relevant extension of stay application is subsequently submitted. If (b) were to apply, there could be a very real danger, particularly with the GBP in apparent freefall at the present time, of some previous monthly transfers into an FCD account no longer equalling 65k THB, whereas they equalled (or even exceeded) 65k THB on the basis of the rate prevailing at the time they were made.

So, using the FCD approach with the GBP, the cushion would need to be a 30cm latex mattress. But you still would be able to control the timing of eventual exchange into THB as needed. But if the free fall continues for a long time, there's probably no winning strategy. 

Couldn't you move the equivalent of THB 65K (with a safety cushion to account for possible currency exchange rate fluctuation) in your home country currency into a foreign currency account at a Thailand bank each month? It should satisfy immigration (I don't think money actually has to be Thai baht, just moved to a Thai bank). Then you could move money into a THB account whenever you thought the timing was right (or  potentially even never). Then your tenner would have been "stashed" but not lost. Maybe I'm way off base here, but this seems like a viable option.

I know Bangkok Bank offers foreign currency accounts and they should be no more difficult to open by a foreigner than a regular THB account. I'd think most other Thai banks offer those, too.

On 5/28/2019 at 1:55 AM, lamyai3 said:

"Renew" as used by the official is completely the wrong term. I just had to renew my UK driving licence, this involves a couple of checks and a simple updating of the document. Same will be true when I renew my passport, there are no changes in details, so there's a continuity involved. Getting a new visa is completely independent of any old visa which is now expired and therefore cannot be renewed. If anything an extension of stay is closer in meaning to renewing a visa, since the extensions are granted on the back of an original visa which is still referenced by number. 

Yup, it ought to be no surprise to anybody that an "extension of stay" is an extension of the stay originally granted by Immigration upon last entry which, in turn, was based on the strength of having a particular kind of (unexpired) visa at that moment. The one exception to that "last entry" part would be if  a re-entry permit was used to leave and return; the re-entry permit merely bestows the right to exit and return (once or multiple times, depending on the type purchased) within the current authorized stay, and the parameters surrounding that stay remain unchanged (sort of a single entry or multiple entry quasi-visa obtained in-country). A visa is never extended. 

Regarding passport renewals, wouldn't it be nice to have the passport number remain constant instead of changing with each renewal? I don't know about other countries, but USA passport numbers change every time. Given what ubonjoe has stated, this will be problematic for doing my 90-day notifications via the web when I eventually have to renew. Having to exit and re-enter to get a database properly updated as a prerequisite is... lame.

Just tried to use my yellow tabien baan as proof of address for my DL renewal this morning in Nakhon Ratchasima area. The girl at the counter studied it, my pink ID, my passport, and my soon-to-expire 2-year DL and then examined her "cheat sheet" of what is acceptable (filled with passages highlighted in yellow) for about 10 minutes while incessantly muttering to herself. She said I needed either a notarized Embassy/Consulate affidavit certifying my address (that's the wonderful "proof" I used the first time) or the CR from Immigration. But then, after hearing my Thai wife (translator) and me argue, she checked her cheat sheet again and, after a pause, said if I only presented my passport I could ONLY use Embassy/Consulate method, whereas if I instead presented my yellow book and pink ID card, I MUST use the CR from Immigration method. 

Contrary to what I was told this morning, I'm quite sure either the Embassy-notarized affidavit or the Immigration CR would be considered acceptable regardless of what I presented at the counter. But my yellow book got the thumbs-down -- this time, at this place, from this DLT staffer.

Anyway, a trip to Korat tomorrow is better than a trip to Bangkok after my license expires. Then back to DLT on Thursday. Arrrgh. TIT. 

In the context of this never ending, long winded discussion of precise terminology, I'd say the O-A is the one and only legitimate case for using the term "retirement visa". I have never applied for a "retirement visa", but if some random person asked me if I'm here on a retirement visa, I would answer "yes" rather than "no, actually I'm here on an extension of stay based on retirement, having used a now-expired 1-yr non-immigrant 'O' multiple-entry visa as the underlying basis for said extension." LOL.

Incidentally, the Oxford dictionary definition of "visa" somebody cited earlier...

Quote

An endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period of time in a country

 ...is absolutely incorrect, not just for Thailand but for anywhere and everywhere. The Websters and "legal" definitions are more accurate.

On 5/14/2019 at 9:14 AM, mtls2005 said:

How many months of qualifying foreign transfers will you have by November? Assuming you started in March you should be able to get Nine (9) months in, for which a case for leniency seems reasonable.

 

I started in April, so including this November (right before going to Immigration for the extension), it would be 8 monthly foreign transfers. 

Is there still a combo method whereby I could put like 260K (the missing 4 months of 65K) in a Thai bank account and be good to go? If so, would it still need to ferment for a while like the full 800K method??

Does anybody know if there's such a thing as an outpatient-only insurance policy in Thailand? I currently have an inpatient/ambulatory-surgery-only policy (annual limit of USD 2M, coverage for private room, many other things that put the Thai policies to shame). To add outpatient to that international plan seems not to be cost-effective, at least for seeking care in Thailand, and I'd be getting an outpatient coverage limit of around THB 800K instead of 40K, which I don't really need.

I'm fairly sure the answer is no, unfortunately.

3 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

He's right, the longest is 90 days non O tourist visa.

 

Another condition is you can only use that tourist visa maximum two times in a year or else it makes no sense to apply for retirement visa.

 

That's a max of 6 months in a year but you have to exit from Thailand once.

 

You can get a multiple entry "O" visa with 1-year validity, of course, but each stay is still limited to 90 days.

3 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

Why complaining about Immigration and Thailand when it's a decision of your Embassy?

Also if I remember well, US Embassy sent to US expats an email informing them this change - thing that UK Embassy didn't do - so you should have know that from last year... 

Perhaps they sent to some folks but I received no such email (of course I check Junk folder periodically, too). 

The US Embassy (or the 4 embassies) didn't make the decision in a vacuum. Immigration played a role in that.

I'm a U.S. citizen and I first stumbled on the "no more income affidavits" bulletin when I happened to browse to the U.S. Embassy & Consulate website in March. Then I searched around and came upon the rule changes that went along with that (from thaivisa.com). I had already enrolled in STEP but never heard anything from that side. And it would have been nice to hear about any immigration rule changes via a form letter sent via Thailand Post. I'm pretty sure Immigration has multiple copies of my current address on file. But of course that would only happen in a Southeast Asian fantasy world. So I then started playing the new game as soon as I could in April by making monthly international fund transfers to my Thai bank account.

Anyway, I could see using an agent as a lazy Plan B (for this transition period) if IO didn't show leniency in November with my less than 12 monthly international funds transfers -- assuming the agent could get the job done before my current extension ran out. Otherwise, yes, it'd be a cold day in hell before I'd waste 23,000 THB on an agent to do something so easy. I will show income deposited in a U.S. bank account (from self-printed unofficial statements) for the remaining months (they won't even want to look at that) to show my sincere best effort to follow the rules even for the transition period, and I will think positive, smile, be clean, not wear rags, and... get leniency. 

Or not.