HerewardtheWake

OK, so Zenni ships to Thailand? They said last March that they cannot ship to Thailand. Their policy has changed?

Thanks, Tim.

My LTR visa was granted in April and the existing O-A visa was cancelled. I know I have to submit a TM-90 form or something like that once a year. However, during the the LTR visa validity period, do I have to leave the country once a year and then return to keep the LTR visa valid? Or can I just stay put for the five years and keep the LTR visa valid without incurring any overstay penalties? Thanks for any insights.

Jim, does this sentence mean that no health insurance policy is needed once you get the LTR visa? Thanks.

1. I often see older foreigners being guided by Thais, mostly women, in banks and other public utilities. For want of a correct term, I will call them personal assistants. They seem to help the clients communicate with staff at these utilities. Obviously they have some facility with English. Does anybody know if such assistants are paid by the hour and what is an average, fair rate of compensation? 2. If one were to hire a live-in personal assistant (absolutely nothing salacious; room and board provided) to help with daily life and drive the customer around when necessary, in his car , what would be a fair compensation? Thanks for any replies.

Could anybody please recommend a visa agent or legal firm in Krabi which can file 90-day and TM-30 reports in Krabi? Thanks.

Just moved from Chiang Mai to a house I have bought in Krabi. I am on a non-imm O-A visa. Do I need to file a TM-30 at the local Immigration office? If so, what documents would I need to submit?Thanks.

The LTR requires an annual report at the local Immigration office, akin to the 90-day report. At the time of this required annual report, what documents are needed to be provided? Thanks.

Reading the OP: With the multiple entry stamp, the total for a year's extension of the O-A visa seems to come to about 5,700 baht. The Long Term Residence (LTR) visa comes to 50,000 one time payment for a 5 year+5 year visa; with no requirement of 800,000 Baht bank balance,with a multiple entry stamp, once a year equivalent of the 90-day report, and a reported special entry gate at the airport. It seems that for those who can meet the LTR visa requirements, LTR seems to be a better deal?

LTR= Long Term Residence visa.

I think I know the answer, but probably seeking reasuurance: If one has held a non-OA visa with the 800,000 Baht in an account, and then obtains an LTR visa, there is no further need to maintain this bank balance. Correct? Thanks.

This is not a reply, but just a brief account of my getting the LTR. Date of Application: March 19 BoI asking further information: 21 April. I had sent in two years of the 1040R, but only the 2022 was kept and the 2021 deleted by the screening agent. Then a request for 1099R which lists only dividends, which is superfluous because the 1040R lists all sources of income. I complied; and a 90-day report, of which I luckily had the last one which I submitted. There is probably a 2000 Baht fine if one can't produce a 90-day. Communication that application has been approved; 23 April. Asked me to set up an appointment I arrived at the One Stop visa place in Chamchuri Square. But it turned out to be lunch time. Had to wait until 13.00. Went in and handed the papers. Staff was courteous. I was asked to produce the last 90-day report and a photograph which had been sent already. But luckily I had both with me. After that the officer walked me to the photographer for another photograph! , and then I had to wait for another 45 minutes after signing the documents, observing the Thai custom of signing every page. Then was taken to the payment counter. Came back to the waiting area. Another 10 minutes, and then escorted to the visa stamp window. All in all it took a bit over two and half hours. No more 90-day reports, multiple entries, and presumably a special line at Suvarnabhumi for LTR visa holders. The worse parts are getting into Bangkok and getting out.

A message from LTR asks for 90-day reports from last day of arrival. It is not clear whether ALL 90-day reports from the date of arrival or the latest report is needed. Puzzled why LTR needs 90-day reports when all other requirements have been met. More hassle. How would one get the past 90-day reports?(I threw my old ones away)

Cannot log into the LTR site. Is it down?

To a message on March 29, 2023, that he website does not connect, BoI replied that the system is under maintenance and will be back on stream in two or three days.

https://www.city-journal.org/new-cochrane-study-on-masks-and-covid The marginal positive consequences of masking are outlined in this article. I was at the Bangkok Bank yesterday to enquire about wiring money abroad. The bank officer sits behind a transparent panel with just a space open at the bottom. And she was tightly masked. Her muffled speech through the mask was mostly incomprehensible. I asked her if I put my mask on, could she she speak without the mask, so that I can understand her. The answer an emphatic "No". I think masking in banks and hospitals in Thailand will continue into the indefinite future.

Hi KhunLA, I last week, I went to my old haunt Sam Roi Yot on the way back from Krabi. I lived at The Sea condos on Dolphin Bay in 2020, just around this time of the year. What led me away from the place then was the smoke from brush burning. For some reason smoke hangs around even in the environs of Dolphin Bay. Some kind of peculiar microclimate? It is almost as if the concept of clear air is unknown to the locals. Is brush burning just an expedient way of disposing vegetation, or does it have some Buddhist ritual symbolism! Driving at night, I could see many roadside piles of brush on fire with billowing clouds of smoke. It is really a superb area for bicycling but for the smoke. On the plus side, the stretch of the beach road from Khao Kalok south to Grand Marina development is clean, bags of garbage in neat piles to be collected, all the potholes fixed, and with superb street lighting. The stretch of the road where the popular seafood restaurant called Udom Pochana is located is busy and bustling. Udom Pochana used to be filled to the brim with Chinese customers, but now has an anemic number of people. The food is still superb though.

Try 888legal in Pattaya, Thailand. Kevin Bamfield is known to many expats here for over 20 years for his integrity, knowledge of Thai laws, and readiness to help.

KhunLA, Ha, just noticed you are in Prachaup Khiri Khan! I lived in Pak Nam Pran for a few months at the end of 2019,. It is a nice area, meeting my needs for long uncrowded roads for bicycling, but I got spooked by people burning vegetation and the resultant smoke, , which I eventually realized happens everywhere in Thailand and cannot be avoided. Areas near Dolphin Bay are very appealing, in retrospect. Now that I am thinking of leaving Pattaya, I will revisit the area.

Hummin, Thank you for the suggestion of the place near Chumphon. I am driving to Krabie this week and will check out your suggestion.

I have tried the Search function with Cycling and Bicycling in this forum but nothing comes up.

Hello all. I now live just south of Pattaya. I like long distance road cycling, and the environs of Pattaya are crowded and are hazardous. Would Krabie offer less crowded long distance roads for cycling? Is there a bicycling group in Krabie? If anybody could reply, I would like to correspond with the person. Thank you.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/coming-to-terms-the-covid-lockdowns-were-all-for-naught For those of us who saw the logic and rationale in the approach Sweden took with covid lockdowns and for those who feared the enormous damage the lockdowns did, here is an article which vindicates our views.

Any comments from fellow Americans or others who have had experience in the following would be appreciated: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules under Form 8938 for real estate owned abroad are: 1. A personal residence abroad need not be reported. At least that is the general opinion among tax consultants seen on the Web, because the Form 8938 is somewhat fuzzy on this. However, there may be some kind of threshold above which it needs to be reported. Is that correct? 2 . If a house is owned through a foreign corporation, it should be reported as an asset. One buys a house in Thailand by forming a corporation. Under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules, such ownership comes under a Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC), and must be reported on Form 5471. So, the house should be reported as an asset. Is there a value threshold below which it need not be reported? I could not find clear information on this. 3. Does owning a residence of say $500,000 value invite undue attention from the IRS in terms of scrutiny or audit? Grateful for any learned comments.