DEKEM

6 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Are you able to obtain 30 day visa exempt to Thailand? In any event, I have suggested in many threads spending 6 months in los per year and rest other places such as Vietnam is a cake walk. 

I live los on retirement visas but go to Saigon every 3 weeks. Obtain four 3 month multiple to Vietnam per year. Total cost $280 for Vietnam visas. I could have setv to los and extend by 30 then return Vietnam. Wash repeat no problem. 

In fact could just enter los visa exempt and extend, return Vietnam. Was repeat. Or spend one month in one out as oil&gas been doing forever. Easy peasy. All the threads on Thaivisa are problems trying to live in Thailand ongoing with tourist visas and VE. 

thanks for the information.  ..just so you know, usa citizens can get 1 year visas for vietnam.  I got one for 2016 and 2018 for 7200 baht each.  come and go as you please.  I plan to get another one next month.  my plan b for if I don't get my retirement visa extension renewed end of the year.

45 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You can only apply for a METV in your home country or country of legal residence. 

You could go to a nearby embassy or consulate and get a single entry tourist visa.

just curious, are you limited to the number of single entry tourist visas you can get in a year?  I'm on a retirement visa extension now.  but am considering splitting my time between the PI, vietnam, and thailand in the future.  thinking 6 months in thailand on 2 back to back single entry tourist visas. september thru february.  PI.. march thru may.

27 minutes ago, WorriedNoodle said:

Ok, good. I also travel from Phrakhanong, on BTS and then MRT to TaoPoon, then the 66 bus to the front door of IO. Takes a bit longer than you, but I don't want to use motorbikes. Still I was complete before the mid day lunch break.

interesting...  so, you took the MRT to taopoon.  and then 66 bus to front door to IO.  for the last decade, I've been taking the MRT to mo chit, then, 152 bus to IO.  maybe I'll take your route next time in nov. to compare.

On 9/30/2019 at 7:38 AM, yellowboat said:

If you are really really worried, avoid arriving at DMK and BKK airports.  If you must frequent Thailand, look at getting a long term Vietnam Visa .  If you get refused, just go to Saigon for an equally good time. 

 

Cannot see where you could possibly have trouble given your travel history, but you correct to be alert.  

that is my plan b.  get a 1 year visa for vietnam.  maintain it year around.  if you have problems in thailand, no hassle to go to vietnam.  round trip ticket bkk to saigon is around 100 to 200 dollars.  cambodia, malaysia, all the same.  airfare is cheap.  skyscanner.net.

do you need to live in thailand all year?  the way I look at it is... variety is the spice of life.  so, it's better to split your time in retirement in several places over the course of a year.  if you do that, then, you don't need to deposit 800k baht in a thai bank to get a retirement visa extension.

staying in the PI for a year costs about 300 dollars a year in renewal fees over the course of a year.  if you are an american, getting a 1 year visa for vietnam is only 7200 baht.  for thailand just get a tourist visa.

that is what I am planning to do in the not too distant future.

I had a friend passed away on me about 2 years ago.  some observations...

1.  hospital asked me to pay the hospital bill even though he had tricare that would pay for everything.

2.  usa consulate told me my friend who had just died has a wife.  I've knew him for 15+ years.  and never once seen a wife.

3.  the manager of the condo that he rented confiscated all his belongings the day he died.  took everything.

many other strange things popped up after his death.  I was his friend but I didn't want to get into any of it.  so, I told anybody who asked me about my friends affairs both personal and professional that I didn't want anything to do with it all.

I think some of these people had some bad intentions in mind because after I told them my status on my friends matters, they thanked me for not getting involved.

lesson I learned from my friend dying on me...  make a will.  it will save your friends a lot of headache.

On 9/23/2019 at 12:56 PM, riclag said:

I realize your question is while living in Thailand!

I believe the reason you didn't get part A is because you are automatically enrolled in Part A,like everyone else! Also once they receive that CMS 40B they will act on that whether or not you decide to accept  plan B. Then I would think you will get your Medicare card with what your eligible for .

earlier this year, I turned 65.  I didn't get a medicare card for my part A.  so, I contacted them to see when I would get the card.  I was told that I didn't have any medicare coverage because I lived overseas.  and this person whoever it was tried to convince me that was how it stands.  live overseas.  NO coverage at ALL.  in an email, I told her I read up on the rules.  and told her that according to what I read, I am entitled to part A because I paid into it for all the years I worked.  furthermore, I told her that I should be automatically enrolled into the medicare program when I reached age 65 since I had been on ss since age 62.  she responded that is not true.  I almost accepted this BS from this person.  until a few days later, I reviewed my medicare status on my online SS (ssa.gov) where it indicated that I was automatically enrolled in medicare part A.  so, I sent in another email to ss pointing this out.  they STILL didn't want to give me a medicare card for part A.  ranting about how I was living overseas.  I then asked them what would happen if I returned to the USA.  they said yes, you could get your medicare card then.  I countered what happens if I needed emergency care right away the minute I entered the usa.  How would I get the emergency care then if I didn't have the medicare card to show the hospital?  at this point of the email exchange, I got really <deleted> off and wrote to ss quote, "You people treat the illegals better than you do to actual usa citizens.  you let them have all the benefits without a struggle.  how dare you treat me like this."  ..within a week, I got my medicare card for part A.

my take from this experience..  don't take it for granted you will get a medicare card for part A, you need to push for it.  there are people in ss that will screw you for everything they can take from you.  they care more for the illegals then they do for american citizens.  they want to take YOUR benefits from YOU to give to the ILLEGALS.    how else will they be able to provide them the benefits?  it has to come from somewhere.  right?

pesticides and vegetables is a big concern for the thais.  they are so concerned about it, they will avoid the vegetable section of all the markets when a scare is spreading like wildfire through the local thai news.  no joke.

I have seen the morning glory sections in tesco lotus and big C untouched for days because of a scare.

so, what do I do where cooking at home with store bought vegies are concerned?  I use st. andrews fruit and vegetable washing liquid when washing my fruits and vegetables.  39 baht a bottle.  I buy mine at foodland.  seen it at the maxvalue stores.  google it for an image of what the bottle looks like.

in my opinion, anybody here in thailand that washes their vegetables with just tap water is ignorant of the dangers.  anybody who eats unwashed vegetables thinking the dirt and all will be killed by the cooking process is crazy.

On 4/24/2019 at 4:42 PM, GeKoSc said:

There are some additional differences to Thailand, the Vietnamese people are extremely nice, attentive and they welcome foreigner much more as the Thais do (at least in Pattaya :). I have visited a plenty of condos in DaNang in the price range of 300-400 USD and they are not as complete as those in Pattaya; no pool no GYM and bulky/heavy wooden furniture, often small windows (but you will find GYM places with pool in the city) or gardens where to rest....and the rent is about 30% higher than in Pattaya; most spaces start around 30 qm. I used to take a breakfast in the street (a delicious tasting egg/spices stuffed, fresh bread for less than 1/2 a dollar...As you mentioned it already the weakest point in Vietnam is the traffic...Personally I liked also Hanoi with so many lakes...Once when resting at the largest lake (Ho Hoan Kiem) I was asked frequently to be pictured with other tourists....if I would have asked for a dollar I would have collected 10 USD within an hour... however to walk in the "Old Quarter District" is chaotic and stressful if not used to it. Next time in Hanoi I would look for a hotel near the lake where traffic and noises are lesser and it would be easier to find a large supermarket....Unfortunately no long term visa were available during 2018 which will make it uncomfortable for those folks looking to settle down in this country...

what do you call a long term visa?  I was able to get a 1 year multiple reentry visa to vietnam for 7200 baht at their consulate in bangkok for 2017 and 2018.  I am thinking of getting a 1 year visa next week as backup option in case my retirement extension is not approved in december.

On 8/23/2019 at 10:34 PM, donnacha said:

Thank you @OJAS, @ThaiBunny, @ICELANDMAN, @MiclB, @Suradit69, @Tony125, @jacko45k, @dcnx, @CMBob, @amexpat, @Mac98, and thanks again to @overherebc and @elviajero for the further clarifications.

It is a complex area, further complicated by the trend since 2012, and accelerated after the 2015 coup, of various options becoming more complicated. So, I am not merely looking at what is viable today but, also, what is likely to remain viable in 5, 10, 20 years time. 

My hunch is that all tourist visas, even the SETV, will continue to become more restrictive as Thailand continues to chase the mirage of five-star tourists who spend big and leave quickly. Someone, somewhere at the top, has decided that long-stay farangs are a problem.

My employment/business situation falls between the cracks and the gaps in my knowledge - despite reading many threads - were looming over me. Thanks to all of you, I now have a firmer grasp of my options. Thank you to everyone.

My conclusion is that the retirement category is likely to remain somewhat protected, as long as you have that 800K and, no doubt soon, useless Thai medical insurance. Probably best to bite the bullet and set myself up somewhat officially, rather than worry about changing tourist visa rules, having 20K in cash every time I arrive, avoiding female IOs etc.

Regarding marriage, I might just be commitment phobic, but my perception is that the harmony in our relationship is finely balanced on the fact that I can walk away at any time. I won't, but my lady's fiery nature is moderated by the fact that I could. As it stands, we pretty much never fight, she has accepted my position that I won't tolerate or participate in petty arguments, and it is actually something of a relief to her as her two previous marriages were to particularly weak men (one Thai, one English) whom she ended up dominating and not respecting.

We are not going to have kids, she has no financial need to live in the West, I shudder to think of the level of wedding her rich family would expect me to fund, and have noted that marriage does not do you any particular favors with immigration here - a smaller bank deposit but far more ongoing paperwork, I would not have the patience and, again, it is likely to become more restrictive over time.

Certainly, without kids in the picture, marriage for visa purposes would be a somewhat extreme move.

In truth, I no longer like Thailand as much as I once did, crazy that we have to jump through so many hoops to spend time here.

some points that people need to be aware of...  if you put 800k baht in a thai bank,  and you are single, there is a good chance that if you die for whatever reason, all that money is given to the thai government.  and the same scenario holds true for those who have their ss auto-deposit into a thai bank every month for the purpose of satisfying the retirement extension financial requirements.

frankly, I think it's all a scam.  and the reason why is because many people are paying bribes to bypass all these headaches.  and thai immigration is allowing it.

I currently have about 400k baht in my thai bank account.  and after reading all the comments have decided to stop using thailand as my home base for retirement.  I have 4 months to get out of dodge so to speak.  from now on, I'm just going to come to thailand each year for 2 months at best.