wpcoe

Has any thought by forum management been given to adding forum sub-sections to this (Thai visas, residency and work permits) section? e.g.  Catching up on a few weeks reading, I see that there are dozens of threads on TM.30 -- how about a forum sub-section for TM.30 stuff?  It would give folks with TM.30-related questions/issues a specific place to head for answers more easily than scrolling through pages of thread titles in the main forum.

Possibly sections for ED, or work permits, or retirement visa/extension to give people with an interest/question to home in on their specific area?

On that appointment form that @Thailand J posted above, where it says "Passport Copy" ... "-Last Visa", do they mean the last extension, or do they want the original visa (possibly from many years ago)?

Paranoia?  Or, where there's smoke there's fire?  <shrug>

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-us-fears-this-huge-southeast-asian-resort-may-become-a-chinese-naval-base/ar-AAEwUSU

6 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

If you have GE then you should NOT be using the Mobile Passport app.

 

Just go to the GE kiosk, follow the simple instructions (insert passport, scan fingerprints, answer questions).

Yeah, I know that.  Because I've had GE for a few years, it would have been before that when I tried using Mobile Passport, and hence why I couldn't recall the error message (until I found the screen shot.)

I asked the Immigrations officers who processed me after each attempt why it failed and they looked at my records in their computer and found no reason why it should not have worked.  Go figure.

Apparently, when it works, it is good and can save a fair amount of time in a busy immigrations hall.

However, my experience was pretty bad.  I tried it three times (three inbound trips) -- I'm a slow learner -- and stopped trying.  Something about the app would place a mark on my record so that not only did the app not give approval to continue with the process, it marked my entry somehow so that when I went to a kiosk (as I would have without using the app) I got a big old "X" on my paper printout and had to go to a special line for extra processing.  So, my advice is to try it -- once -- and see if it expedites things for you.  If it fails, do not try it again thinking it was a one-off glitch.

I've been Global Entry for the past few years, so can't clearly remember what the error messages were on the app when it failed.

[edited to add:]

Found a screen shot of the error I would get:

If you get this pop-up message, in my experience: just forget about ever trying it again.

I could be wrong, but I think the "Bridezilla" phenomenom is a Western construct, and probably not common with Thai women.  https://www.fmylife.com/article/fml-s-favorite-funny-and-insane-bridezilla-stories_312113.html is a compilation of some Bridezilla doozies.  My favorite is #19:

I laughed out loud at the line "That's right, this [5'3"/160cm] girl needs 7.5 inch [19cm] heels."  *And* they can't look like hooker heels!

Imagine a 5'3" girl clomping around in these at a wedding, trying not to distract attention from the bride:

On 7/3/2019 at 8:27 AM, mahjongguy said:

I'm more disgusted by the 59-story condo being built on Jomtien Beach next to the Night Market. Near soi 9.

Hadn't heard of that one.  What's it called?

On 7/3/2019 at 8:49 PM, MrJ said:

cherry taxi 1.000 all in/way -  both directions

http://www.cherrytaxiservice.com

+1 for Cherry

In the various threads where this has been discussed it seems that, in general, credit unions are the way to go.  My credit union (Alliant) is just fine with my permanent address being overseas, and several other people have mentioned the credit unions that they use are, as well.

2 hours ago, wpcoe said:

My credit union still requires a fax.  Talk about inconvenient.  So, for the past several years, I've used my Fidelity account to transfer funds via Bangkok Bank, but I've yet to try it after the change in SWIFT formats required by Bangkok Bank.

 

For some reason, I was never able to get my credit union's SWIFT transfers to work via Bangkok Bank.  The credit union said it had transmitted (several times) the test amounts, but Bangkok Bank never got them.

9 minutes ago, Pib said:

You don't do "test amounts (a.k.a., trial or micro deposits)" in setting up a SWIFT transfer. 

 

You must be talking an ACH transfer where most US banks use two trial deposits of 1 to 99 cents for validation in setting up the ACH Transfer link.    But a person can no longer setup ACH transfer links to Bangkok Bank if your US bank uses the trial deposits setup method as Bangkok Bank started rejecting new ACH transfer links/trial deposits around mid 2018.  However if your US bank didn't use the trial deposit method the transfer link could still be setup and transfers accomplished up until 30 Jun 2019 (still have another week to go) which is Bangkok Bank's revised red line in sand for ACH transfers not in International ACH Transaction (IAT) format.  Their original line in the sand was 30 Apr 2019.

Hoo boy, did I make a junk salad with that post!  You correctly guessed what I meant.  That second post was about trying to set up ACH transfers from my credit union via Bangkok Bank.

I knew Bangkok Bank had delayed the implementation of the IAT format requirement but didn't realize it was still not implemented.  I just now briefly thought about doing one last Fidelity-to-BBL ACH transfer, but just looked at the exchange rate.  Ouch.

On 6/12/2019 at 11:12 AM, CatCage said:

Used to live in Jomtiien back in 2002 to 6 at View Tallay Villas but got too noisy from Rhompo Road bars so moved out to the sticks 

I haven't heard any recent updates, but the Rhompo market area was scheduled to be razed (soon?  this year?) but it was unclear what would replace them.

On 6/11/2019 at 10:46 AM, Sandy Freckle said:

Any cafe's that might open early ?

How early?  The newish bakery/cafe in Jomtien Complex with the black exterior opens at 800am (or maybe 700am...?)

My credit union still requires a fax.  Talk about inconvenient.  So, for the past several years, I've used my Fidelity account to transfer funds via Bangkok Bank, but I've yet to try it after the change in SWIFT formats required by Bangkok Bank.

For some reason, I was never able to get my credit union's SWIFT transfers to work via Bangkok Bank.  The credit union said it had transmitted (several times) the test amounts, but Bangkok Bank never got them.

9 hours ago, quandow said:

 

BTW, money was only seasoned 2 months and 2 weeks.

4 hours ago, jimn said:

I hope for you that the Captain who signs these off doesnt notice the seasoning period.

What's wrong with 2 months seasoning?

On 6/10/2019 at 10:39 AM, mtls2005 said:

Come up with an address strategy, full transition, partial transition, family, forwarding service(s). (Once here get a PO Box at a convenient Thai Post Office.)

When I moved down to Pattaya (from Bangkok) in 2004, one of the first things I did was rent a mail box (not at Thai Post -- I wanted an address that didn't scream "THIS IS A POST OFFICE BOX!") because I anticipated changing addresses freely and updating my US accounts with a new Thai address was often a PITA.

One year after I rented the mail box they moved two doors down the street ... so changed their address.  Argh.  Secondly, I had chosen a mailbox at roughly shoulder level so I could open it and see into it without bending over.  (I have a bad back.)  When they moved, my mailbox number suddenly was two from the floor.

All to say, the best laid plans can still go astray.

18 hours ago, webfact said:

He said that foreign tourists account for a whopping 90 percent of passengers travelling by train between Bangkok and Chumphon.

I moved from Hua Hin a few years ago, but when I lived there, every couple months I would take the 400pm train to Bangkok (the same one as @NCC1701A ?) which came from Surat Thani via Chumphon and I don't think I ever saw more than a dozen farang (or Chinese/Indian/etc) passengers on the two-car train.

Where do they get such statistics as 90% of the passengers are foreign tourists?

On 6/3/2019 at 9:45 PM, Michaelaway said:

HH is 2-3 hrs. by car from BKK, depending on time of day; no flights. Check Google for hotels like Tanawit, Tipurai, etc.

...unless he can route himself via Kuala Lumpur.  I think the KUL-HHQ flight is daily now.

19 hours ago, peeba7 said:

Questions please:
How long did you stay?
Total cost?  Im expecting high.
Anything else that might be useful.
Thank you for posting.

I stayed overnight in a private room.  Total cost was around B200,000, almost all of it covered by my Aetna (BUPA) insurance policy.  Rutnin dealt with Aetna to get the operation pre-approved for payment.  I paid less than B500 out of pocket, I think.

Original estimate from the billing department was "around B250,000," and not sure why it came in at a lower price.

My cost was higher than it could have been because I'm squeamish about my eyes and insisted on general anaesthesia, so had to pay for anaesthesia drugs, anaesthesiologist, etc.  (The operation involved making slits in the white of the eyeball to drain all the fluid from it, then enter the eyeball through the slits to remove the membrane with a scalpel type of tool, and then refilling the eyeball with a saline solution.  I didn't think I wanted to experience that while 100% alert...)

On 6/2/2019 at 10:32 AM, KhunBENQ said:

I guess you refer to the new Khon Kaen immigration.

 

Could be Hua Hin, too, no?  Other thread the OP said it's a three story building, Immigration is on the top floor, and no elevator.

Can you imagine the outcome had that fire erupted on a busy weekend day?  Thousands of customers trying to flee a maze.  

I had surgery in January by Dr. Roy at Rutnin to remove a periretinal membrane.  I give very high marks to him for his skill, knowledge and ability to communicate complex things in fluent English.

That said, I did not have such a great experience with the Rutnin staff, right from the folks at the front desk receiving area to the billing folks to a couple of the nursing staff.  Be prepared for lengthy time in waiting rooms.

Would I undergo another procedure with Dr. Roy at Rutnin? Yes for the doctor, in spite of the hospital.

On 5/25/2019 at 8:24 PM, Skallywag said:

There is a good coffee place called 94 coffee, Thai owned company,  in Bangkok at the Homepro on Rama III. (may be others)  90 baht for a Macchiato.  If in the mood for a real treat try an Affogato for 90 baht! (vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over the top)

It does seem strange that I pay more for coffee and beer than a decent meal at times ???????? 55

 

There used to be a 94 Coffee at Big C/Home Pro on Pattaya Klang, not sure if it's still there, though.  I believe the name derives from the temperature of the water used to make their coffee:  94° C.

Another Windows shortcut that I find useful is <Win-key>+<shift>+s to select what portion of a screen you want as a screenshot.

It has options at the top, like rectangular screenshot, free-form screenshot, etc.