Nibor1945

For the last couple of years Saraburi Imm has been telling me to submit application for extension 30 days before "run our" date", in reality this usually ends up three weeks before. 

   It would have been no problem getting a three month statement at the same time as updating bank book and getting confirmation letter, if I had known of this requirement. "She who must be obeyed" asked if this was a permanent requirement and was told "yes" orders of the "big boss" in Bangkok.

   Due to translation difficulties I can't figure out if it applies to all extensions based on "money in the bank" or just Marriage extensions. Of course I asked where this requirement was published and from the grins of the officers, I guessed that, that would have spoiled the enjoyment of seeing red faced Farangs biting their tongues.

   Normally I have had good relations and few problems with that office but yesterday was definitely an exception.

Just got back from submitting my 26th annual extension based on marriage to a Thai national. everything the same as last year with the exception of a request for a "three month bank statement" as well as the usual updated book and Bank confirmation letter. this caught me unawares as I had not noticed this requirement being published. Fortunately there is a branch of my bank a few minutes drive from the Imm office and had no problem getting the requested statement.

(Just a heads up to anybody else unaware of this new requirement).

Nibor.

went to do 90 day report arrived at the old PTT station to find the Imm Office had moved a month ago. I'm attaching a map location of where I think I found it, but would appreciate any confirmation https://www.google.com/maps/place/ตรวจคนเข้าเมืองจังหวัดสระบุรี/@14.5296929,100.8318854,12.25z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x311de91185aa76ff:0x4019237450cbaf0!2sPak+Phriao,+Mueang+Saraburi+District,+Saraburi+18000!3b1!8m2!3d14.5270426!4d100.9130244!3m4!1s0x311deb9a0c218171:0x66834056deee3782!8m2!3d14.5527845!4d100.8593274

Nibor

5 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

The Royal British Legion. Chonburi maybe can help. They have a Facebook page.

Thanks, I'll take a look.

Ex UK Military, my medals and ribbons (The oldest being 56 years old) are now showing their age. I am reluctant to consign them to the Thai postal system to UK for cleaning and remounting, including the "Pingat jasa Malaysia" medal and another General service clasp to be added to the rest. I can order the bits required to replace ribbons and fitments from UK, just wondering if anybody has any personal experience of a Thai shop that can clean and assemble them "UK style "court mounted" preferably .

44 minutes ago, ozzydom said:

I am not a fan of stepped ponds,as initial harvesting is usually by seine  or cast net and these ponds are to deep to work in.

As well, ponds need maintenance periodically due to erosion silting and stepped ponds are almost impossible

to get a tractor into the lower level and macro,s are too expensive.

I say this from experience as our initial pond dug 15 years ago is 1.5 rai and has about 1.5 metres of gunky mud in the lower section and is now only used to toss undersized into to grow on with no feeding as our pekin ducks put enough manure in it to promote natural feed.

Every couple of years we pump the water down to the step level to refill harvested ponds and cast net what we can,currently there are 2kg Tilapia as well as Pla Buek upto 20 kg in residence.

Yes the drawback with the stepped ponds is the need to 'pump out" to harvest in the trench between the step, hence the need for two ponds, On the plus side it gives the opportunity to dry, Lime and/or clean out the pond bottom, which at 3m would be feasable by Mecho every few years. I don't have the land or inclination to go into this on a grand scale, not to lose money would be most satisfactory. I'm grateful to be able to leech from your combined experience, Thanks to all.

30 minutes ago, thoongfoned said:

3 different styles: wife buys the fish in bags once every 4 ish years, never buys feed,  can eat them from 6  months in pond, max 0.5kg most around 300/400 grams, they just reproduce then get eaten.

family a short walk from us rear them on shop bought feed, have 5 large ponds, always selling fish most under the 1kg at 70 baht kg. they whole sale most to the guys with the tanks in back of pickup trucks, must earn a bit or would not keep doing, (need to buy feed) being going 6 plus years.

contract growing for betagro. many people in the village started this some years ago, say 6 or 7 families. some dug ponds on 20 plus rai most "only" dug under 10 rai. now only 2 still doing it, alot were loosing 50/60,000 baht a cycle..(if you dont produce x amount of kg per stocking volume you end up paying for percentage of feed.) that would be on say 4 or 5 ponds 20m x 40m per cycle. on top of that feed lose/cost you would have to factor electric cost for bore pump plus the chemicals they use to try and keep he water ph on track. from what i see they average 0.6/0.7kg in 4 months, with high mortality rate.

Thanks, I was still typing as you posted this. yes I have some experience of contract rearing with betagro, however that was with chickens and many many moons ago. Now at 75 the joys of 'eye dropping 10,000 newly delivered chick holds little attraction. As you say the cost of feed to keep within the contract, rendered the whole Business low profit for all but Betagro. This fish idea is firstly to placate the missus and secondly to try not to lose money.

More thanks for the input, I understand the depth issues of growing Tilapia. All the fish ponds I have seen were 'stepped' at about 2m with the shelf extending out another 2m and excavated in the middle to a maximum of 4m. That supposedly lowers the water temperature slightly and provides emergency shelter in the event of excess water loss.

     Can I ask for your opinions on this idea, Increasing the dimensions of the main pond to 15m x 20m x 3m (stepped), digging another pond by the side of that 10 x 20 x 4m as water storage. Tab-Tim stocked in the first pond, at harvest time water pumped into second pond to top it up then stocked with Bla duk (Catfish). working from hopefully, rainy season to rainy season. Would the catfish be OK in the deeper second pond and what level should they be stocked? I'm not looking to make a living from this, nor do I wish to run at a complete loss. Therefore a slower growth rate due to feed suplementation is not a major concern, where as a complete ballsup is. The fact is that much of the land is not being used and there is increasing pressure to utilise it from "her who must be obeyed".  

Thank you both IsaanAussie and Kickstart, you've given me food for thought if not for Tilapia. A bit of Background information, The property is a total of two Rai, of that only a rai and a bit is available. the house and its resident dogs would be situated fairly near the proposed Pond/ponds. There is a borehole that used to supply the house before it was connected to the mains water supply, I originally intended to have a water storaage pit dug to help us through the dry season, now I shall think about making two slightly smaller ponds and use them in turn pumping out from one at harvest time and topping up the second pond and stocking that one in turn. Of course re-using the water cancels the idea of greening the water and relying instead on growing aquatic greenery.

   I know from friends experience that relying on "Proper fish food" cuts the profit margins razor thin, which is why I was investigating a supplentary food source and trying to find a balance between costs and growth rates.

   As for Harvesting and disposal that would be done by our local agent, on a supply stock, harvest and supply pump and labour basis which is most common in this area. His profit is another incentive to "shave costs" by supplementing (not replacing entirely) feed. Anyway thanks again for your input.

31 minutes ago, Disillusioned One said:

I can't help with your technical questions but I grow Tilapia as a byproduct of an aquaponics system. I would offer that if your intent is to grow Tilapia for the fun of it or for your own sustenance in the form of known organic nutrition, then go for it. On the other hand, if your looking for profit in the form of a business, I wish you luck. Obviously some people are making it work but it seems to me, the margins are so slim, your only going to succeed at grand scale.

Thanks, yes I am looking at making a small profit on the investment and am aware of the margins involved, hence my questions. The fish pond is for the wife while I will use the matured pond water for watering my fruit trees. I will finance the digging but the wife will stock it, that way I will feel less pain when fish are stolen/redeployed.

Applied for another annual extention of stay on the grounds of marriage, this year every document was gone through with a fine toothed comb, (inspected in detail). Given a report back date of 9 April but today my wife received a call from Saraburi Imm Office to say that my application had been approved and I could report on Monday (5 April) to get stamped. I have fond memories of Lopburi office, however I'm impressed by this office. 

I have read that Napier grass, Pakchong 1, can be fed direct to Tilapia as an additional food after it has been shredded/mulched. Has anybody any experience of this? If it can be, how would it compare to Mombasa grass with regard to protein. could either be pelletised together with a commercial feed (eg pig food pellets).

    Also a question regarding greening fish pond water, could the commercial dried, powdered cow dung be added to the water and if so, what would the best method of introduction be.

    After twenty five years of marriage my Thai wife has started asking about digging a fish pond on our 1 i/2 rai, initially a 10m x 20m x 4m pond. Friends of mine have tried fish farming but the cost of feed and pilfering made it a loss making experiment.

1 hour ago, kenk24 said:

all over the loss of a month? 

 

It makes sense to me that if you change type of visa, the new visa will cancel out the old visa... 

 

If you got upset over 1 month loss of time, a few dollars, then I guess many many things in life will leave you disgruntled... my wife would have been terribly embarrassed if I acted that way too... 

The point I tried to make was that it was the same visa extended 23 times, the only change being the reason for the extention; going back to what it was originally. As to my behaviour, I am in the process of eating 'Humble pie' on certain aspects, but find I don't regret it in its entirety.

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

There is no requirement to apply 30 days early. You can do it on the last day if you want to.

Thanks UJ, that's what I should have done.

3 minutes ago, glegolo said:

RELAX, no big deal for anybody, not even for you. be happy that it all went well..

and listen to your wife, after 23 years here, you should know better than misbehave..

 

glegolo

3 minutes ago, glegolo said:

RELAX, no big deal for anybody, not even for you. be happy that it all went well..

and listen to your wife, after 23 years here, you should know better than misbehave..

 

glegolo

I'm sorry sir. (Ise ever so Umble).

18 minutes ago, BertM said:

To OP,

I wouldn't be disgruntled if I was you. You got the extension without any problems and it was probably done by the book and now you can spend down your money. Sit back and enjoy your next 11 mths...

Others are not so fortunate. 

Thanks Bert, that almost makes me feel better- almost, but I do understand where you're coming from.

8 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

When did your existing extension of stay end? When I first read your post I thought it was April 9. But reading it again that may be the date you applied for it.

It seems that they cancelled your existing extension  based upon on retirement on the date you applied for the extension based upon marriage. That is standard procedure when you change the reason for your extension of stay.

Thanks UJ. I changed before from marriage to Retirement without loss of extention previously; so this caught me by suprise. If I had known I would have applied later, unless the I.O.s statement that you must apply 30 days before is true now? (My extention for Retirement expired on the 7th May).

Just now, ubonjoe said:

The number of photos you need varies by office.

Normal is one of you and your wife together in the bedroom (I do one of us sitting on the edge of the bed) and another one inside the house (sitting on the sofa works). Since you are not sure you might want to do a couple of more inside the house. One outside the house together showing the house number and another one from the street.

I print mine on A4 paper with two 5 X 7 inch photos on each page.

Thanks UJ very helpful as usual, that answers all my questions. I have everything else ready except for the bank letter to be done on day of application.

regards Nibor.

9 minutes ago, Justin Side said:

I just provide 4 normal postcard size photos.

Your office may differ.

Thanks JS, I'll take more to be on the safe side and let I.o. choose. I know that one should include house number, is sitting on bed with wife really a requirement !

Asked at my local office (Saraburi) but received no clarification, too interested in persuading me to remain on retirement extension (Combo method now to difficult for me). How many and what size photos required? Also in what form should they be presented. Thanks in advance for any help.

Nibor. 

History, 8 years Extension based on Marriage to thai National. Changed to retirement extention for the past 14 years using combined income and bank balance. Will now have to change back to Marriage extention, asked in Saraburi imm office and got a very garbled reply. could someone please give me a comprehensive list of what is now required to support an extention based on marriage, I have the required 400K and it will be in the bank account for more than three months. Grateful for any help.

Nibor.

Been reporting to Lopburi Immigration since it opened, never had a real problem yet! It does help to conform though, reasonably dressed, paperwork in order and more importantly a reasonable attitude. I usually call in on my way to pick up one of my children from school on a Friday afternoon, never found the waiting room to be overfull. Only ever a delay when somebody doesn't have the correct paperwork. I'm usually accompanied by my Thai wife, which helps a bit. Some examples of completion times:

Extension of Retirement visa, Max 40 mins, minimum 10 mins. 90 day report, Maximum 20 minutes, minimum 4 minutes.

Compared to the previous years when I had to extend in Bangkok, Lopburi is a pleasure to report to. Although having never left Thailand in 20 years and having changed my address only once in that time, I find the 90 day report a bit of a pain!

It is possible to a apply for a single re-entry permit (1000 baht) for the 60 day permit to stay the visa allows. Unless they wanted to do at least 3 entries during the 60 days a multiple re-entry permit (3800 baht) would not practical.

Not sure waht you mean by the 3 strikes reference.

Other than needing a ticket out of the country within 30 days or arrival they could still possibley do their trip using 30 day visa exempt entries.

Thanks ubonjoe, I was referring to a Triple entry tourist visa and trying to ascertain whether it is possible to get re-entry permits within the duration of each segment of the triple entry visa without using up that segment before the end of the segments 60 day duration..

Yes, it is possible to do that.

Thanks for the confirmation paz.