Eff1n2ret

It's a good question, I've been wondering similar myself, what I would do if/when my UK bank account goes t!ts up. (yes, yes, I've read about Wise). I have an instant access account with Skipton International in Guernsey, which is linked to my UK bank account. I did ask Skipton a while back about linking to a Thai account, and it seems to be possible, they said they'd need to see a bank statement with my name and address here on it. I'm not sure whether they allow linking to two accounts, although I think they do, but I haven't done anything about it since. I assume I could get my pensions paid to Guernsey, so my only real loss would be a UK debit card, and I'm not sure how I could pay for my UK credit card, assuming I managed to keep that (it's not directly issued by my UK bank).

Let's hope that our representatives are prepared to make that argument vigorously if it comes to it, and also argue that if the Thai authorities want evidence that income has already been taxed, that should be a one-off event for pensioners at least. We shouldn't have to jump through yet another hoop every year.

That seems to be the way it works. From the renewal of my passport 3 years ago the transfer of stamps show firstly a visit stamp at Pong Nam Ron, a 90-day Non B visa from Bangkok and a manual endorsement denoting a 1-year Non-B extension. That appears to be how Immigration now view my history, although I previously had 1-year retirement visas issued in Hull (remember them?) and reverted to Retirement extensions after the Non B.

He seems to have found a whole new way to have a mid-life crisis.

I hope they bury it well. I'm reminded of a news report some years back about a village in rural Thailand where there was a rabies scare. The authorities rounded up all the soi dogs, had them put down and buried outside the village. A few local lads had the bright idea of digging some up and having a barbecue. The report ended by saying they were under observation in hospital.

Correct. This question has popped up several times in the past. I commented on the second of those linked topics because I successfully transitioned from a 'B' to an 'O' retirement extension some years ago without leaving the country. The OP can read up on that if he wants.

If I'd waited for the Proof of Life requests from the DWP my pension would have been stopped a long time ago. Edit- and I never received either my bank debit card or my HSBC credit card that were posted to me here. I had to get replacements sent to UK addresses.

Whether it's a bulk mailing or otherwise, I rarely receive any UK mail here (if It arrives at all) in less than 6 weeks. A First Direct circular headed "We've removed all first direct fees when using your debit card overseas" dated July 2023 arrived here in mid September. This is typical. I'm still awaiting a birthday card posted on 31st August.

It's very difficult to say for sure. One thing you can be certain of (in my opinion) is that you can't open an account with a UK bank if they know you are living in Thailand. I was with First Direct for many years before I came here 14 years ago, and they've had my address here ever since. So far they have shown no signs of shutting me down. I keep the account active, and maintain a healthy balance in it. However, a few years ago they declined to roll over an annual savings scheme in which I had been investing for a few years previously (originally at their suggestion!!) because "you are not a UK resident". I live in hope that as a long-standing customer from whom they derive a little profit they will allow me to keep my account - but who knows?

Perhaps I'll test the policy by taking a rat - although I'll probably be besieged by gourmets asking where the rat counter is.

Our local store is on that list. The first time I see a cat or dog in one of the supermarket trolleys will be the last time I shop there.

Bully for Bing. I don't want to start an argument, but on this page:- Help & contact us | The National Lottery (national-lottery.co.uk) - I found this:- "Can I play if I’m not in the UK or Isle of Man? To be able to log into and use your National Lottery account you need to be physically in the UK or Isle of Man. You are not permitted to purchase entries into National Lottery games whilst situated outside of the UK or IOM. Subject to the residency requirement, entries into games you purchased before leaving the UK or IOM will not be affected, however you will not be entitled to claim any prizes associated with entries purchased whilst you are outside the UK or IOM. If you set up a Direct Debit before leaving the UK and are still a UK or IOM resident these tickets will still be valid. If you are not a resident of the UK or IOM, you are not eligible to play The National Lottery online or on the app, even when you are visiting the UK or IOM. The National Lottery website uses Experian to perform an E-identity check to ensure players are UK or IOM residents. You can however play in store at one of our retail outlets, although you will be required to return to the UK to claim any prize won. We determine residency by considering whether someone has been physically located in the UK or IOM for more than 183 days in the previous 12 months." My interpretation of the line in bold print is that a non-resident is not entitled to open an online account, even if doing so in the UK. If someone can satisfy the Experian check I'm sure they will be happy to take your money. They might be a bit more rigorous when it comes to paying out 50 or 100 million. I think I'll stick to buying a ticket when I'm there.

Fair enough. As they say, good luck.

Presumably that is by setting up an account. Good luck on getting paid out if you hit the jackpot. This from the "Terms and Rules":- "– You can only use Your Account when You are physically located in the UK or Isle of Man. If You use Your Account to play Games when You are not physically located in the UK or Isle of Man, Camelot will not be liable to pay a Prize to You in respect of those Games (see Section 2.6)." I buy a ticket for the maximum number of weeks (4?) when I'm there, but I wouldn't waste my money on an account. They're not stupid.

How many live in Thailand and how many of those bother with Asean Now is anybody's guess. All of us with pension income are familiar with the requirement from time to time to prove that we haven't pegged out. In my experience the only difficulty is the reliance of pension providers on snail mail to make such requests and non-delivery by the Thai Post Office. Actually supplying the proof isn't very difficult. I'm just curious as to what particular difficulties you have experienced with GMPF?

No, Rayong.

You just never know. I submitted online on Tuesday morning this week and got the approval yesterday afternoon - the quickest it's been for a long time.

If you enter Thailand with a new passport as a visitor for 30 days, won't you also have to leave the country on that passport? Sorry, perhaps I'm a bit thick, but I don't really understand what you're trying to do.

A week has passed, and the OP's questions remain without answer or even acknowledgement by the Consulate. Perhaps they're waiting for "the line to take" from King Charles Street. I recently saw YouTube interviews with the Ambassador and the Consul by a guy who might have been auditioning for Hello Magazine. The faces may change but the service remains the same.

The map on my Isuzu DMax was already slightly out of date when I bought it 14 years ago. It's a Kenwood system. A few years later I took the SD card out, stuck it in my pc and tried to get an update on the Kenwood website, but it didn't want to know. I still run it when I'm on a trip, but these days if I really need directions it's Google maps on my phone. Mounting a simple holder on the dashboard doesn't really "clog up" my windscreen.

My DMax is coming up 14 years old, in recent years have been doing well under 10k kilometers. and only done 125k. I take it for a service every 12 - 15 months. It's still very smooth and comfortable to drive. The only unscheduled repairs I can remember in a long time were a broken gearshift linkage and a strange sort of nervous breakdown, when something went wrong with the engine management system and it lost power.

Yes, I looked at my last approval receipt and it says something about Rayong on there, so I guess you're right. It's still very strange that I got 2 approvals that time, one on the desk and one online.

That's very interesting, congratulations. Are you able to say what proof of address you supplied? Only one proof?

The real question is how centralised is it? I'm sure that the reminders come from some central system, but where your report is approved is anybody's guess. A lot of posters seem to believe it's done at their local office, I'm not so sure. One time about 6 months ago when my online report had not been approved by the 90th day I went along and did it in person, and asked the IO what the problem was with online. She said, "They're very busy at the moment". I didn't have the presence of mind to ask where "they" are. Later that same afternoon I got an approval for the online report, which I hadn't cancelled. This gave me 2 different reporting dates for next time. I used the online date successfully next time round. It's due again next week, I've had the reminder already. I'll probably do it in the next couple of days.

Yes, the 15-year limit has been abolished. I think the amending legislation comes into effect by the end of the year. My local council hadn't yet changed their information when I renewed my registration recently, but it should do soon.