PDPA2024

8 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

 

Much depends on distances. How far is the OP from Immigration for the Residence Certificate and how far from the Dept. of Land Transport. Are there taxis? If the agent is nearer then let them do all the running around. 

 

But you still need to show up at DLT in person, so what's the point? And I doubt any agent is going to drive to some village in the sticks (for free) to deliver Residence Certificate. Their offices are usually located in large cities, not far from Immigration office itself.

9 hours ago, khunPer said:

Domestic Thai visitors, which already are coming in some numbers, have other preferences than Western foreign visitors, so showing images of the deserted beach road in Chaweng – again and again – wont't change anything, it's a dedicated Western-tourist area, and it's Western tourists that is needed to make that as crowded as it used to be; it's however never were much crowded at night, except for the party areas, after the cozy market stalls with cheap-products disappeared and were replaced by up-priced brand name outlets.

 

Western tourists – and most other tourist also, for that matter – will not be coming back in numbers before the mandatory quarantine period is lifted.

Ditto. I don't know why people are going to beach road anyway, is there nowhere else to walk? Thursday market near the lake is much more lively. And there are still some events going on at the Fisherman's Village.

Also, now that overpriced places are closing down, I see more street food and cheap bars with local music, like you'd find in a normal Thai city. Problem is there are not many people living on Samui, so most businesses can't just cater to them and survive without tourists.

12 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

The problem is Samui has a bad reputaion for expensive flights + high general expenses 

Not if you fly to Surat Thani or take a bus, and if you avoid tourist traps. I didn't find general expenses to differ much from Chiang Mai.

I doubt you'll get a tourist visa faster than your Thailand Elite membership is approved. It'll probably be easier to wait for confirmation letter and then apply for entry documents through TE. In that case, you can get Elite visa affixed at the airport upon arrival.

But who knows, maybe magic happens and things will start moving this month ???? 

On 11/8/2020 at 10:45 AM, worgeordie said:

If you are 50 or older just go with the retirement option, means

keeping 800,000 THB in the bank most of the time ,but the cash

is still yours

Unless you're planning to leave it for your grandkids, you can't take 800k with you to the grave ???? 

Not that it will be worth a lot after 20 years, especially if the economy crashes. My personal opinion.

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

The cost is not worth it, it is money down the drain, get the retirement extensions through an agent, there is no hassle there.

To each their own. I just don't agree that Elite visa is "waste of money". 1M for 20 years is just 50k per year (or 4k per month) - cheaper than sketchy "volunteer" visas and 100% legal. How much did you pay to the agent?

4 hours ago, kbb said:

Other benefits of the Elite

 

No Insurance.

Yes, the paperwork is minimal. Almost anyone can apply. Plus, they don't care how much you are earning per month or anything like that.

4 hours ago, kbb said:

You do need to leave and return once a year under the Elite.

You can extend it without leaving at Immigration. No need to do visa runs, which is handy with current travel situation.

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The 10k number sounds about correct. It shown on the London embassy as 300 pounds that is around 10k baht.

Qualifying for it is the big thing. Have a look at the brochure since there is more than of category.

Even if they relax requirements for SMART visa, my guess is that you'll have to hand over at least 30% of your earnings, and there won't be free insurance ???? 

It would be more effective to install automatic sprinklers near the fields ???? 

On 11/4/2020 at 11:57 PM, mild7even said:

I know there are Apple stores in Bangkok, but are there any Apple authorized service centers in Chiang Mai that can do repairs under AppleCare+? Or do people rely on parcel service to get it to Apple? Thanks.

Apple's website currently shows only one authorized service provider in Chiang Mai - iCare Central Airport (3rd Floor, Room No. 370/1-370/2)

4 minutes ago, PaoloR said:

Plus you don't own the company - only 49% of it, so trust in your partner is a necessity.

What about US-Thailand agreement that allows US citizens to own 100% of the company? Anyone knows if it's still the case?

16 minutes ago, a10ams said:

 

My views exactly, especially the last line.

 

I came here, and bought in Jan 2007 using the company scheme. Had I rented at the same price my neighbour pays then I am now about one year past 'break even' for the initial outlay.

 

Bloke across the road from me has the totally opposite view, been here sixteen years and rented from day one. Must've paid for one and a half houses and still owns nothing.

Did you account taxes, maintenance costs, lawyers, etc. in the calculation? I don't want to live in a house, but I'm curious if it's cost-effective to buy property here.

On 11/5/2020 at 11:27 AM, kerlimeke75 said:

Bringing in $850 a month passive income without working and will work digitally as well.

Will immigration have an issue with me doing visa runs?

I understand they view it from an economic standpoint and don’t want backpackers here. Low end foreigners are useless to Thailand, to my understanding. My question is how do I ensure my stay is without trouble from immigration?

I am from the US.

If you manage to enter on STV (special tourist visa), you can stay up to 270 days. Problem is that US citizens can't apply at the moment (to my knowledge).

My understanding is there won't be visa runs in the foreseeable future, so I'd look at other options if you're planning to move soon. I was reading this article the other day:

https://www.godsavethepoints.com/countries-launch-digital-nomad-visas-work-from-home/

Also, if I'm not mistaken, it's still possible to enter Turkey as a tourist and apply for residence permit.

On 11/5/2020 at 11:33 AM, FritsSikkink said:

You are not allowed to work (digitally) on a tourist visa. 

On paper maybe. In practice, authorities don't care as long as income source is outside of Thailand.

Can you name a single country that requires digital nomads to obtain a work permit? That would be ridiculous and not possible anyway, because most DNs don't `work` in the country where they temporarily reside.

Chae Son (on the edge of Lampang province) looked nice. They even have a Japanese-style onsen. Not a fan of bathing though, so haven't tried.

16 minutes ago, nickmondo said:

yes, but they are absolute rubbish and not worth a visit

I didn't like San Kamphaeng either. Nothing interesting there.

Jet ski scam open for business?

1. Delete TikTok

2. Delete Instagram

3. Throw away the TV

Your mental health and self-esteem will improve 100% guaranteed

2 hours ago, Deli said:

This airport is in the middle of nowhere, relatively close to an highly unimportant town, which has nothing to offer. Who the hell will fly there ?

1. To do a border run to Myanmar.

2. To visit national parks and hot springs.

3. Locals/expats will have an option of traveling other than by road, since there's no railway there.

17 hours ago, teacherclaire said:

OP, please don't listen to the free this and that.

 

   Buy a Kaspersky key for your machine on e-bay for almost nothing and you'll see that online banking, etc will be much safer. It automatically goes on a protected site when you do anything similar.

 

 

 

   

Kaspersky is the worst of all, don't buy anything from them. This company has a long history of being in bed with Kremlin.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/technology/kaspersky-lab-israel-russia-hacking.html

5 hours ago, KannikaP said:

More info please, either publicly or via PM. Ta.

Sure, one cheap option is to get a virtual machine from Vultr, they have a 1-click OpenVPN installer.

https://www.vultr.com/docs/one-click-openvpn/

Also, Amazon offers a 1-year trial for AWS. After that, it gets a bit pricey, but hey - that's free VPN for a year, and it doesn't spy on you. AWS is a bit more technical, but there are step-by-step guides how to do this:

6 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

The operating system is IOS and should not require antivirus. If somebody is hacking in to your devices when you are connected to the internet then why not install a VPN such as iVpn or others...

Just like Mac/iOS "Antivirus", VPN is unlikely to offer any protection from stolen passwords or identity. If anything, using commercial VPN service makes you more vulnerable. I'd only trust a VPN I'm running myself; actually, it's cheaper and faster, and it takes one click to install.

I suggest checking website address and lock icon (real bank websites usually have a green one) before typing in password. You can also filter out most potentially dangerous scripts with an ad blocker such as AdGuard (they have a free Safari version).

I haven't used antiviruses for many years (even back when I had Windows), because they're practically useless against Internet threats. Here's a bonus regarding VPN services:

3 hours ago, HampiK said:

You can have a yellow book without a longterm visa. I did my yellow book with only a visa excempt stamp! This was about 4 years ago.

Which province, if I may ask? Did you need a rental contract? Thanks.

I just can't imagine someone living here with tabien baan, but not having a bank account. Normally, long-term lease or property ownership is needed to get TB, as people reported here.

On 10/19/2020 at 7:26 PM, DanFromHawaii said:

Which bank will open a savings account with internet banking for me with only: 

1. USA passport without further certification from the US Embassy

2. A valid Tabian Baan (yellow book) 

Since you've obtained a yellow book, I image you have a long-term visa, my guess would be retirement.

If so, you can try any of the large non-government banks near you (Bangkok Bank, K-Bank, SCB, Krungsri, UOB, etc.). Since you're American, they'll also ask for your SSN for FATCA compliance. Maybe someone will clarify which banks accept US citizens.

Those who need a work permit (meaning their income is sourced from Thailand) are not "digital nomads", they can register BOI-approved company and get a Non-B visa. Giving WPs to sole proprietors would conflict with the idea of "foreigners taking jobs from Thais".

For everyone else (foreign company owners) there's already a kind of "digital nomad visa" called Thailand Elite. You pay one time, and the government leaves you alone for 5-20 years (you can view it as a lump-sum tax). The cost is comparable to Non-ED visa and cheaper than Non-B+WP.

I think the government made it clear they don't want "cheapskates" extending every 3 months, they only need those who have 800k THB or more in the bank.

Coming soon: THAI-branded somtam stands and pad-THAI.

On 10/16/2020 at 12:27 PM, Grapefruit said:

Your interpretation of my comment is 100% incorrect.  The agent I recommended does not help to bypass any of the DL application requirements, "their" applicants need to meet exactly the same standards as anyone else going through the process independently. 

 

Their service bears no comparison to Immigration agents in the way that you suggest, they simply makes the process completely hiccup-free for those foreigners who may not want to risk going through the process on their own or those whose confidence in their Thai language skills is not that high, that's all. 

I didn't mean to compare the two. Just wanted to point out that I never needed a translator or representative when dealing with Thai officials (in case someone is worried). And there's literally no forms to fill at DLT - just your name and phone number. I'd use such service if they let you skip the queue and boring 4-hour video ???? 

11 hours ago, KeeTua said:

Including Chubb. And how will Chubb use your health data gained from this app? People better study the disclosures very carefully before using.

To raise your insurance premiums most likely ???? 

If you really want to bring in booze, fill up some cola bottles with black rum, or mouthwash bottle with blue curacao LOL (just kidding)