Onerak

Assuming you are asking for new rented condo or rented condos with new furniture. Yes, I did every time in the past and it was expected the first time user would do that.

Hope you were aware of corruption in Thailand before moving here for whatever reason.

Seems like she has dealt with enough quality retirees in Thailand and also I have seen a few in Banks where they take up hours of their time for some simple thing asking questions after questions. It is like in old days in the US grocery checkout counters where an old lady wanted to use a check for payment and not sure how to use a check and had to ask the cashier. Now I zip through the self checkout counters. That's also one of the reason I believe Thailand will never get rid of year-to-year extension for retirement and "wife extension". They will introduce other schemes like "wealthy retiree". It benefits all parties financially as well freedom from dealing with quality retirees. This forum is a monument of that.

The best is to ask for a link to government tax policies so that you can read it yourself and interpret it. Another easy way is to see how much Amazon US is charging custom for a similar product to ship to a Thai address. People here post their experiences and everybody's experiences vary as with everything in Thailand.

Dr Jack will only quote what the published immigration rule is. And Yes, he is correct about that. As it seem, Thail IOs don't always follow their own published rules and don't care what Dr Jack quoted you. Only correct information one will get if they mention the immigration office. Then others can post their experience in the same office. But everybody's experience may not be similar and it also depends on the particular officer handling your application. To circumvent all these hassles, I always use an agent and they will do everything for your for a price that will be distributed among unfortunate people not who don't have access to Western money. Agents have never disappointed me.

Not sure who this room mate is and assuming he must be a friend. You asked him and he said no. You did not want to end the matter then there. You want to report to the police without any evidence. And you even want advice from an internet forum that you just joined.. How low a person can stoop for $100? Now I understand the the type of quality tourist Thailand wants.

Yes, true. I once bought a IPHone for my GF and it was shipped from US Amazon with all customs etc. included. And they refunded the excess after the delivery. Not all prpoducts Amazon will say it could ship to Thailand. The product they say they could ship to a Thai address, it will show you the custom charges.

In the US if he is a black kid, US citizen, just playing with a toy gun, he would be shot dead instantly.

They do have aspirations and dreams to send their kids to fancy private schools, buy fancy cars and keep their wife/mia nois happy. Why these aspirations should only be limited to Westerners? Just because immigration officials are not fortunate enough to have access to Western wealth, they have found their ways to fulfill their aspirations.

Hmm. They could afford private jets but still rely on student visas? Could not get elite? I don't know why people with millions want to use their national passport, instead of a purchased one. My friend wanted to hide 5 million US (all legitimately earned and reported to IRS) from patent trolls and their lawyers, he purchased an Antigua and Barbuda passport for 100K and then got a Thai elite visa on that to enter Thailand before stepping into Thailand for the first time. For a few years, Lawyers/private detectives of Patent trolls companies could not locate him and then gave up in their search. This will not work if somebody is involved in criminal activities but one can hide from private lawsuits. He is a member of this forum but visits rarely.

The fees (except extension fees 1900) will be taken by the VFS visa services. I don't like VFS visa services. Heard all the horrible things about them. Glad USA does not use them.

In jomtien it takes me 30 minutes to extend my tourist visa. The office next to the immigration office fills up my form, takes pictures and make copies of all necessary documents for 200 baht. I then go and take a ticket and wait. Of course, the wait time may be different depending on the number of people waiting. But never more than 2 hours. Why somebody will pay 500 baht for e-Visa processing fees? Wait for 1-7 day blah blah blah....

15K when one does not have money. 5K (second hand information) if money and papers are in order.

I think 90% Thai women live with men and even with their children. Even the educated college graduates and both persons working. I knew a Thai engineer who had a child and living with his GF and GF was also working a decent job. I asked him why not marry? He says expensive and he will marry when saved up enough. I think there is not much advantage like tax savings etc. I don't live with my GF and we have a child together and I know her for 16 years. And our daughter is 15 years. The reason I did not marry her is there is no benefits for me or for her unless I bring her to the USA. Though her family in the SiSaket thinks we were married.

Hmm. $370 for one year in Cambodia. In Pattay it is 15K BHT for one year (at least used to be in 2020/2021). Not much difference to talk about.

I did not read your lengthy paragraphs and stopped as soon as I saw you lived in HK for 20-years because that is an anomaly. Not many Western retirees in Thailand work and live in HK before retiring in Thailand.

I still don't understand why single Westerners come to Thailand/Cambodia for retirement unless seeking easy availability of companionship/sugar babies/future brides as a component of the retirement. It is expensive to make a trip back home not to mention no free high class health care, clean air and environment and all other facilities available in a Western country compared to Thailand (forget about Cambodia, it still stuck at the bottom).

USA is 8.3%, UK and EU is more than 10%. Japan is 3% but mostly caused by hyper inflated dollar. Too much free money during the Covid-19.

A conversion from TV/Visa exempt entry to Non-O visa (a requirement for retirement extension) requires you to prove the fund came from overseas. May be not for 5K agent assisted application (Pattaya rate from second hand information). The yearly extension for retirement does not require you to prove the fund origin.

60-70K is kind of decent expenses. Any thing more than that is perhaps on sugar babies, at least for me.

I lived in Bangkok for two years (2011/2013) with breaks of one month every three months and Pattay for two years (continuously During Covid). I have been to Chiangmai and Phuket but I felt I could not stay there for more than a few weeks. I like Pattaya and now stay there for 6-month in a year And visit Bangkok for a few days during my Pattaya stay almost every month. I had a friend who used to live in Bangkok and had a small apartment in Pattaya because he used to visit Pattay almost every month.

Correct. I can take a bus also to Hat Yai. Never took the train to Bangkok. Always took the train to Hat Yai and then a flight to U-Tapao or Bangkok. Train journey to Bangkok is just too long for me.

OMG, I used to pay 15K for extension (not for conversion) and that did not include having any money in the bank. I remember 13K was for conversion that I did not have to pay because I already had an OA visa. A VBlog by the name of Chocolate man introduced a visa agent that charges 5K if somebody already had money or 65K income. These are are all Pattay prices. Are they charging more to Women as it is kind of perceived norm for the repair shops in the USA to charge more to women?

I stay in Pattaya. Is border run very taxing for sitting in a crammed van for hours?

I used to rent a two bed-room condo in Thonglor for 20K. Deposit was 40K. Once my daughter came from Issan with her mother to live with me for two months. She scribbled all over the wall. My landlord deducted the cleaning money (5K) and unpaid utilities and refunded the remaining.