Andy1961

Hi all, OP here.   A quick update on my original query re not paying UK tax.  I sent the relevant form to HMRC in early September last year and they finally got to deal with it on 29 April.  Wonderful service ????   But...a very small box on the form needed to be completed by my local tax office here in Thailand and the very nice lady there would not do that.  She registered me for tax and gave me a card but of course HMRC would not accept that, even though I had it translated for them.  They told me the Thai tax authority DOES stamp/sign these forms as they deal with them many times.  So now I will visit the Pattaya tax office who I hope have more experience in dealing with us farangs.

I am buying a new Toyota Yaris but the broker I contacted told me no Thai insurer will accept my UK no claims discount.   I have 16 years so a big shame to start from zero.  Does anyone know any different?

I read, and have been told by my booked hotel, that I need to prepay for the 3 COVID tests (at 2,800 per person per test) AND accommodation.   A receipt from the hotel will be required to get the COE.   

I am not travelling until the end of July so plenty of time for many more new rules before then!

Hi, OP here.  Thanks for all your helpful comments.   HMRC told me if I get the Double Taxation Agreement completed by the Thai authority (which I accept could be a mammoth task) they will provide my private pension provider with a zero tax code.  So I will get my pension paid into my Thai bank account gross and, fingers tightly crossed, the Thai taxman won't bother to deduct tax from that.   From the various comments above, that is the path I will pursue and if I have to pay tax in Thailand, then so be it.

I am trying to avoid paying tax in the UK after I become a non-resident because it simply feels unfair.  Why should I contribute to the government gravy train when **cks like Hancock claim expenses to take his mistress out to dinner?  If I don't belong to the club anymore why pay subscriptions?

Hi ubonjoe, where did you move it to?

Apologies if this in the wrong forum, I searched elsewhere but couldn't find anything about tax.

I am moving to Thailand on an O-A retirement visa and will have a private pension through Canada Life and another smaller civil service pension.   I know the UK taxman will get his claws into the civil service pension but as this will be less than my personal allowance I hope to receive it without the deduction of UK tax.

I spoke to the UK tax office today and they told me my Canada Life pension will be taxed until I get a Double Taxation Agreement signed by the Thai tax authority and I have sent that document back to the UK.  As my CL pension will be paid direct into my Thai bank account I was under the impression I would not be liable for UK tax on it. 

I'm guessing there are many British expats who receive a private pension in Thailand so can anyone advise whether the above is the right way to go....or point me in the direction of an accountant in the Pattaya area that won't charge me a fortune in fees?

Many thanks all. 

I had booked with Qatar from UK transiting through Doha for end of July.  Got an email this morning advising that for 'operational reasons' the flight was cancelled.  I wonder, with 5 weeks still to go, what 'operational reasons' means?   Not selling enough tickets?  Who knows but I have switched to Thai Airways, at least its direct.

Just mentioning here in case others have booked Qatar so they can check their flight status.  

I am pretty sure I read that BKK were dedicating a terminal just for transiting passengers.  I read this a week or 2 ago so things may have changed several times since but fingers crossed for those that need to fly this route.

So I am nearly there.  Got my O-A visa ???? issued (brilliant service from the Thai embassy in London) and flight/hotel booked for my 2 week 'quarantine' in Phuket.  I thought I would do my COE early to avoid any last minute panic but the SHA Plus hotels are not listed on the COE website, only ASQ.   Would I be right in thinking this is because the Sandbox scheme has not been entered in the Royal Gazette yet?   Not sure what that is but with 15 days to go shouldn't someone in authority be escalating this?   Or will the Government keep holding meetings and workshops until 23:59 on the 30 June?

haha, so its not just the government that is making the sandbox scheme less attractive ????

I am going to retire to Thailand, hopefully travelling sometime between late July and September.  I really don’t want to spend 2 weeks stuck in an expensive ASQ hotel room so the Phuket Sandbox allows me to spend 7 days on a pretty island and at least I can sit by the pool and stroll down to the beach.  Not the most exciting holiday but better than holed up in a hotel room.  That was the plan.  

I have both my vaccinations, would have a PCR test before I leave UK, have another test when I arrive and another test on day 5.  Yet the Thai government have now decided that still doesn’t prove I am COVID-free.  But there is no mention of any further tests on days 7-14.   So what does the extra 7 days achieve, apart from me spending more money in Phuket?  Even Boris Johnson couldn’t come up with this level of hogwash.

As I plan to spend the rest of my life in Thailand, maybe an extra 7 days on a tropical island is a small price to pay.  But I wonder if there will be more changes to come and the sandbox scheme will become less and less desirable.  I have booked a Phuket hotel and have free cancellation up until 3 days before arrival but I am scared to book a flight until I know for sure what the rules will be.

I understood (maybe wrongly) that a COE was required for travel into Thailand because the flights were "semi-commercial", e.g. not normal passenger flights.   When the Phuket Sandbox scheme starts, some airlines will fly direct into Phuket - great news - but surely these will be purely tourist flights.  So I wondered if a COE will still be required.   It would be good to cross that extra piece of admin off the to-do list.

This is the OP and it seems my initial question opened a can of worms re using agents.  I have decided to apply for a Non-Immigrant OA visa from the UK which seems pretty straight forward.  My only question is...one of the requirements is "a guarantee letter from the bank and a copy of bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 THB ". 
No problem with the bank statement but what do they mean by a guarantee letter?   I bank with Nationwide and they say they can provide a letter confirming when I opened the account, my address and the account has been conducted in line with the terms & conditions.  Is that what the Thai embassy require?

Thanks both for your advice.  It seems the plan to convert my tourist visa (or visa waiver) to a retirement visa contains a few potholes. 

So I cannot open a Bangkok Bank account in London, I have to be in Thailand.  But doesn't the 800k need to be in the account for 2 months before applying for a retirement visa?  So after a week of quarantine I then wait a further week for the banks to play their games then 2 months for the money to sit in my new account.  Then at least 15 days to process my retirement visa application.  Looks like I am over my 90 days.  Or can I keep extending my tourist / visa waiver status?

My head is starting to spin, perhaps I am over-thinking this?

Maybe it would be simpler to apply for my retirement visa here in the UK.  At least I can then fly to my new home without running around like a headless chicken opening bank accounts, transferring money (which, knowing UK banks, will probably disappear into the ether for several days before arriving), extending my tourist visa to get everything done. 

All rather frustrating but, hey, what would moving to a new country be without some good old fashioned bureaucracy?

I am from the UK and hope to travel to Thailand in September and convert my Visa on Arrival (or Tourist Visa if I need one) to a retirement visa.  Based on the 'Phuket Plan' I intend to spend 7 days on Phuket or Samui (or another destination if the scheme opens up) then, subject to COVID test results, I will be free to travel elsewhere in Thailand.  I will head to my partner's home and apply for the retirement visa from there.

I have a few questions and apologise as these are probably covered elsewhere in this forum.

1. I have the opportunity to open an account with Bangkok Bank in London and I will deposit a minimum of 800k THB.  It has been suggested that this will cause a problem as I didn't open the account in Thailand.  Surely if the account is with Bangkok Bank, why does it matter?   I guess I could open a new account when in Thailand and transfer the money from one Bangkok Bank account to another but that seems pointless.

2. I will be receiving 2 pensions by the time I travel to Thailand which will exceed 65,000 THB per month so if (1) will be an issue I guess I can use pension income to satisfy the financial requirement.

3. Providing the retirement visa is issued I have no intention to return to the UK, apart from future holidays to visit family.   So I want to buy a one-way flight.  Will this cause an issue with the Visa on Arrival (or applying for a tourist visa before I leave)?

4. Under the Phuket Plan, I guess I will need health/COVID insurance but will I need to prove 12 months of cover for the conversion to retirement visa?

This is all new to me so please point out any glaring holes in my plans.

This is an excellent forum and many thanks for all the advice.