old wanderer

I was in the Los Angeles consulate office today with my Thai wife. (She was getting a new passport). On the web site it notes that "O" visa with multi entries are on a "case by case" basis. I have a current "O" multiple entry visa that will expire soon. I inquired if I would have any problem getting another multiple entry visa. The answer was "No Problem you are married to a Thai"> If I wanted to do it today they would just cancel by current visa and I could pick up my new 1 yr visa tomorrow. At $150 now for a multi visa, I decided to wait until my current one expires.

I went through this last year, but my wife is not a USA citizen, only Thai.

It started when we had to get a new passport. The old one was endorsed with her married name, however the new ePassports they are issuing must match the Thai ID card...No Exception. I had already purchased business class tickets and the new passport caused all sorts of problems with the ticket name not matching the passport name.

When we went to change the ID card we got some documents from the Los Angeles Consulate office after they looked at our marriage cert (translated and certified, they then issued a document and told us to take it to the Ampur....However, the Ampur would not act on the document until we returned to Bangkok from Sikoraphum and went to the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs and got a "Green" stamp on the Consulate document, returned to the Ampur and they issued the ID card saying she was "A Married Woman" with my last name. Then had to go to the Consulate again and get a whole new ePassport with her married name.

I find it preferable to have our names match. When I am booking a flight or hotel room, there is no question if it is my wife or a hooker I am bringing along. Also if something should happen to her it clarifies land ownership and our relationship. (We do own quite a bit of land in her married name).

My wife has amassed quite a bit of land over the past 10 years doing exactly what the OP related. She will loan money for several years, and at the end, when the money is not re-paid she takes the land. However, about 70% of the time she makes a deal with the original owner to farm his old land and we make a percentage of the crop, and the original owner has some income.

I sit back with thinking about how a rural village girl, that was allowed only 4 years at school, has become the most respected person in her village and largest land owner. Natural intellectual capabilities, a desire to be successful, all play a part naturally, and we do rub some of the "rich" Thai's that have been making a practice of accumulating large holdings. and bit, but they will get over it.

As for the OP, why not just make a deal with the owner to pay the loan, plus a bit more for the other 5 rai, and give him a USEFRET, so he can continue to have use of the land for the few years he has remaining. Everybody benefits this way. When he is gone, you can easily double your money, better than any bank interest you might get.

I have been awaiting this "old age" thing too happen for many years. Right now I am in TianJin, China, and with temps just below 0C reading the forum for some thoughts of warm weather.

I will turn 69 in 6 weeks, and still running at full throttle. I like riding my Sports Bikes on race tracks and in the canyons, can never resist a pretty face, and just enjoy life.

When I hear people that are young enough to be my children or even grandchildren complaining of being "old" I just do not understand.

As to the grey hair, well this year I accidently found a solution. I had a 21 YO "Wild One" from Iran, complete with some tatoos and a lip ring, that I drank one too many bottles of wine with. In the morning when we woke up, she suggested she could really improve my appearance. So suffering a bit from a hang-over, and sitting with my head resting on her breast in the bathtub, all that warm water, and soap, all was wonderful, until I felt the razor removing that ugly grey hair....you know what, I like having a head like a Buhdist Monk, now....

If you don't like your grey hair, cut it off, if you don't like that watermelon size belly exercise, and cut down on the beer.

Here in China, nobody could believe I was more than 50 YO and had to dig out the passport to prove otherwise.

If you believe you are old, then you proably are....if you just want to live life, then just do it. Only difference I see now, is , I have a lot more experience and memories than I did when I was 30. (Course there are some aches a pains, but I know some football players that are not yet 30 that have the same problems. ).

Looking forward to getting back to Thailand later this year.

irene:

I could not agree more with your assessment.

Some ask why would you do such a thing if you trust your wife? It was the story posted a few years ago that got both my wife of 11 years and myself talking about this.

To repeat the old story in short: A farang married a Thai with a 7 yo daughter. He treated her daughter as his own. When the daughter was 22 YO and going to the university, her mother made a trip to the local ATM on her motorbike. She withdrew some money and got on her motorbike to return home. A PU truck struck her from behind and 2 Thai men grabbed her money and the 2 baht of gold she was wearing. She died in the hospital.

6 months later his "daughter" who title of his house had passed on the passing of her mother, announced he would have to move as she was selling the house, and taking the money to travel a bit with her Thai boyfriend. There was absolutely nothing he could do.

If he had a USUFRUCT there would have been no problem as the daughter could have sold the house, but he would have had an absolute right to continue to live there, or lease it out to somebody else, until he was dead.

It is not the separation or divorce that I am worried about, rather my extended Thai family, and the values they hold that are not in common with my value system. That is where the threat comes from.

Nope....

Where are they going to stamp your tourist visa...?????? Certainly not on a copy of your passport.

If you do not want to mail it, then carry it in, you will still have to leave it overnight however...

This is pretty standard throughout the world...

Passport are replaceable, and seldom get lost in the normal course of business.

After sending my passport for extra pages twice, and to over 30 consulates for business visa, I don't give it a thought.

Here was my experience in marrying in the USA to a Thai woman.

1. Need to get an official translation of your marriage certificate.

2. They (The Thai consulate) then did an endorsement in her passport for her new married name.

3. When we renewed her passport 7 years later, they would not put her married name in her new passport. She got her single name. This was a PIA as we had tickets to Thailand in her married name...(big hassle at all the airports).

4. We needed to go to where her birth was recorded and we got a certificate from the embassy stating the particulars about our marriage in the USA.

5. The local office would not accept the document to change her Thai ID card, and we had to return 6 hours to BKK and get a "green stamp" from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

6. Got a new Thai ID card, with her married name.

7. Applied for a new passport with her married name back in the USA.

Now some do not think it is worth the wife changing the name. I feel more comfortable (since we own multiple pieces or property in Thailand) with us having the same name, also when checking into a hotel whether she is by herself or with me, more respect. (At better hotels...if you still use the Nana hotel etc. , it makes no difference).

Just be patient and know TIT so they have a lot of little rules to follow.

Get an attorney, do a USUFRUCT, do a will.

On every piece of property my wife owns, should she die, I have an absolute right to use it as I please until the day I die. I can rent it, lease it, live in it, ignore it....but it is my choice. As heir to each and every piece I can also legally sell it. After 11 years of marriage, the chance of divorce is slight, but even than I maintain the same rights. If we wish to sell some property, I have a right to resend my Usufruct.

Sunbelt did a great job of setting this up for me.

What is a Usufruct?

A USUFRUCT is a legal document here in Thailand. You need to file it with the title department where the property is located. It is recorded on the Chanote. You must pay your wife for this privilege some reasonable amount. She must pay tax on it.

What is says is this property is for my exclusive use to do with as I please until the day I die. Even if the property is sold, it does not set aside the USUFRUCT. Why people deal with leases is a mystery to me. In my opinion this is way better. It is absolute.

Use the search function and this has been discussed in many older post. I think the reason people want to use leases, they are easy to understand and they did not get good legal advise (which cost money) on other alternatives.

Gentlemen I am going to have to YELL at some of you.....

Here you are discussing your future, your life savings, and happiness, yet I see not one reply that I would bet my life assets on.

My wife and I hold more than 10 properties in Thailand, we have no children and are not likely to have any.

Some years ago I was made aware of a story of another gentleman that was happily married until his Thai wife got on a motorbike to go to a ATM machine, where upon returning home was struck by a truck, robbed and killed. His adopted Thai daughter (22 YO) that he had supported for 15 years got his home. Within 1 yr he was told to move as she wanted to sell the house, and travel with her Thai boyfriend. There was absolutely nothing he could do. Everything was lost, including the joint bank account.

Get an attorney, do a USUFRUCT, do a will.

Quit being so dam_n keanyouw.

On every piece of property my wife owns, should she die, I have an absolute right to use it as I please until the day I die. I can rent it, lease it, live in it, ignore it....but it is my choice. As heir to each and every piece I can also legally sell it. After 11 years of marriage, the chance of divorce is slight, but even than I maintain the same rights. If we wish to sell some property, I have a right to resend my Usufruct.

Sunbelt did a great job of setting this up for me.

Well to put to rest that MF was not a real person.

He has been a guest of mine at my home on several occasion. He invited me to an upscale restaurant and my wife and I had a great meal with him (which included an expensive Merlot wine). His wife was supposed to join us, but was delayed on a flight, so I have never met his wife. I have ridden my Aprilia motorcycle with him on a European registered Ducati, and more meals at restaurants.

So he was more than just a name, he was indeed a friend.

Yes his arm was damaged severely in the accident, and he arrived at my home only 1 week after being released from the hospital.

I used to own a 5000 acre ranch and farm a section of it, and he was knowledgeable about farming.

His apartment in the USA was abandoned, and none of the neighbors had seen him since 2 days after I last saw him on July 1.

We were suppose to hook up in BKK a few days later.....

Personally I fear the worst as nobody walks away from the assets he left behind. He has not just decided not to post anymore.

Knowing other personal details of his life, I am still following up as time allows, but do not care to share the detail on the board.

If I do find anything definitive I will post it here.

I also think your trip well intentioned and I do not think that there is anything sinister in your undertaking it. Why MF stopped posting is a mystery but it was all very sudden. I hope that it was not health related but if he can post from India then he can get online from anywhere where he is physically able to type.

If he really just wanted to disappear off radar I think he would have posted but do not think he would be hostile to a personal caller.

I also think it should not be too hard to find a guy with such a wealth of information. These statements are not confirmed by the way

His name is Tim

You have a Thai name

He recently visited India

He imported a fee machine from India

His wife works / worked as a vet

He has kids

The kids go to school in Korat or elsewhere

The kids have broken their arms

He has 1200 rai

He has 300 cows

He is American

He grows some vegetable / fruit thing

He had an accident

He was airlifted

I think is would be nigh on impossible to miss him given that information unless it is all bull5hit.

I would start with the airlift, hospital, insurance angle.

Then on the India and shipping the feed mill

Then his wife as a vet

Locally his 1200 rai and 300 cows would seem a good bet but it proved not to be.

Are you really saying that no TV member has his email or mobile number ?

I have spent time with Tim here in the USA both at my home and his apartment, we also road motorcycles together in Malibu...I did not save his GSM phone and my history only goes back. I do have his apartment address, and he is missing...When I have anything more definite I will post it.

Note that the $10,000 filing requirement is applied on a aggregate basis to all foreign accounts.

Note too that the requirement extends to all foreign financial accounts, not just bank accounts; securities accounts, for example, are included.

Note finally that the requirement extends not only to accounts in your name, but to accounts in which you have a "financial interest" as well.

Further, you're required to disclose on Schedule B, Form 1040, whether you have an interest in a foreign account, regardless of amount, and disclose the countries in which the accounts are located.

<a href="http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f90221.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f90221.pdf</a>

<a href="http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040sab.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040sab.pdf</a>

I think it is safe to say that most of us had no idea that we had to file this FBAR form. I for one had never heard of this before. The penalties are pretty severe. Since i have signatory rights over the company check book that would mean i was suppose to file even though i do not have more than 50% of the shares. Now what to do ??? The deadline is past. Just wait until next year and file or what ? I did not read all of the legalese to see if there is an amnesty for those filing late that did not know they had to file.

It is really ugly...I have a friend that almost did a suicide over the IRS problems and then got jumped on the FBAR which he had never heard about. He was an American citizen, but had lived most of his life outside the USA. Had PR in Thailand and a company. The fact is the US government does not care how much it disrupts your life, or puts you in to poverty....it simply does not care. Another friend lost a multi-million dollar home, when he went to tax court, and the tax court did not rule on his case for over 10 months, and then only sent the ruling to his attorney who had been disbarred and jailed. They waited 2 years before moving on him. He went through the 9th circuit court of appeals, but they simply ruled it was well beyond the appeal time and the court had no responsibility but to notify his attorney of record. (He was 65 when this happened and died of a broken heart 2 years later).

So I will file my FBAR for 2007 in November just so I do not forget.

There was an article in Time magazine 6 months ago about how it used to rare for a person to renounce their citizenship, (London,,,,,less than 6 a year 10 years ago) Now there is a 4 month wait to do it. Europeans (or USA citizens with dual citizenship) have decided the tax monster the USA has become, better to owe allegiance somewhere else.

Someday it would be a worthy case to fight the notion that "Ignorance of the law is no excuse" It is absolutely impossible to comprehend all the laws we might be subject too.

I have used Sunbelt for doing title searches, assisting in the registration of Chanotes, will for both my wife and myself as well as usufrect for various properties owned in my wifes name. Yes they cost some money, but I know going in what that cost is, and am happy with the service, and I like the people I deal with.

13 years ago, I met a "Tribal" girl in Bangkok. She had her own little sewing buisness with 12 employees. She spoke Thai, Lao, and her tribal dialect, but no English. 11 years ago I asked her to marry me and come live in the USA. There was a big meeting back in her village (almost everybody came) and I was presented with this letter (which I still have) Yes she would marry me but on the following conditions:

1. I have to give her a round trip ticket so she could come home

2. I had to give an allowance to send to her mother/father.

3. I had to promise not to sell her if I did not like her.

4. I could not keep her passport

5. We had to have a village wedding

Well we came and got married, she got her green card, and became the most respected person in her village over the next 10 years. We do 1 or 2 trips to Thailand each year, sometimes together sometimes sepreately depending on my work schedule.

She went to school and learned to speak so so English, but has never learned to read very well.

She has her own car, but get lost very easy.

She works for some Thai people in the tropical fish store.

She has turned into somewhat of a raceist, as she does not like blacks or Mexicans. Hates the "illegals" we have here in the USA>

She has her own bank accounts and credit cards and gives what she wishes to help her family from her earnings. Loans money back in village but keeps land titles as collateral.

We have purchased over 100 rai of land in Thailand, and every bit of it is under a usefret, so if anything should happen to her I will have it until I am no longer here. There is a total trust between us. She insists that we must maintain a home in the USA even if we return to Thailand for some years.

For me it has been intresting watching her grow and mature, while the other Thai people in the USA who consider her an Issan hick, uneducated and un-sophistictated. When some found out she bouht 38 rai of land in the center of a resort where they had a number of wealthy friends have weekend homes they could not understand how she managed as many had been trying to buy this choice property for several years. When we ended up with the choices view property at the resort....they ask why???how can this person pull these deals off?? They all alk about who they know in the Government.

I am quite happy with how she turned out, she still watches Thai TV from the satalite, gets on the phone for seveal hours and yells out people in her village about politics, (hates Thaskin) tunes me out when I start laughing at her tyraids by switching to her tribal language, telling the village people they have "buffalo brains". All this from a girl who only went to 4 years of school, and left at 15 to work as a maid. (I am the oposite with a few graduate degrees, but had always been socially unstable until we got together, having gone through 4 tother wives, and a bunch of girl friends).

For me I am happy I was able to find a strong spirit, and give her oportunities that were beyond her comprehension when we met. I think my natural calling is to be a teacher, so I enjoy discussing the stratigy to accomplish some things, sometimes agruing, sometimes sitting quietly, allowing her to make some mistakes to learn by, and then letting her do it.

So here we have a story of a Issan girl that adapted quite well to the Farang life style.

Now what am I going to need when my 1 yr license expires to chage to a 5 year license. (I have about 4 more months)

Intresting that I got 2 licenses 1 for auto the other for motorcycle...

Hi

Hubby is looking at buying some land that is Nor Sor Sam Gor in Khon Kaen (small town not in the city). At the moment it is planted with rice but he has plans to plant ucalyptus but we want to change it to chanote so that we have more options in the future. How easy is it to transfer that title to Chanote?

Thanks

My wife and I own deveral plots of land that is within the Kon Kaen district. We have Chanotes on all property. It takes a request for the land office to come out and measure and mark the land, (Remember TIT and nothing happens quickly) a bit ot "Tea Money" will help the process, but plan on 6 months unless it is the start of the rainy season.

So answer....easy, but slow.

Well I will chime in here as an EXPERT....I am a Senior Instructor and QA Manager of Boeing. I have been to Orient Thai airlines for numerous classes (Teaching) over the past several years. It was there MD82 that crashed in Puket. They were operating for 1-2-GO.

I have found in my dealing with them they were very conciences and tried to improve the quality of the fleet.

While some of you bemoan the age of the aircraft....you are speaking from ignorance. They reliablity of a lot of older aircraft rivals the most current. Look at the DC-8 they are used as freighters and surpass 98% reliability....The last one rolled off the assembly line almost 35 years ago, and they just keep preforming. (Ask UPS why they have 50 of them still??, DHL, Airborne, etc.).

Unlike us they aircraft is most effiecent when being operated, it does not 8 hours of sleep each night. It is the takeoff/landing (pressurization cycles) that age the aircraft. Aircraft are inspected and overhauled at regular scheduled intervals, not just when they break like your auto.

The incident in Puket can be attributed to a pilot decision to satisfy customer demand, but due to bad luck, and ablity, it failed.

We will never see a world without airplane accidents, but the trend keeps improving as we learn with each incident.

As someone stated earlier in the thread, if you think maintenance and training are expensive, try having an accident. It impacts your customer base, airline confidence, and insurance rates, plus a lot more surveleance from the National Aviation Authorities.

In several emails I have had with what have become friends at Orient Thai Airlines they are truly distraut by what has happened. It will hamper thier future growth plans I am sure.

I have a muti-currency account in Singapore with CITI....they are great to deal with, and can do everything on-line, and have a personal contact if I need to fax anything. Minimum deposit $20,000 USD better programs with $150,000.

I am in the USA, and can do a CITI to CITI international xfer for #10.

Takes a few hours to set up in Singapore.

Got exactly the same visa in the same way in March from the LA consulate office.

Wait until you see what a PIA it is to get your wife's Thai ID changed to her married name however.

Well a lot of advise for the OP to sort through. However I might add one thing that others have not;

I used to instruct marshal arts in Korea Town Los Angeles, I had a number of hookers as students that wanted to learn how to defend themselves without carrying a weapon that they might get arrested for. Some got to be technically pretty good, but almost uniformly they fell apart when you let it all hang out and went full contact.

I would try and prepare them for what it feels like, and to put the pain aside, but many could not overcome the shock to their body, and just tried to retreat. The 30% that were able to pass my final exam, I am sure were not very nice people to mess around with in a dark alley. They simply did not care what they did too you after they were attacked. I know I sure earned my pay with the marks they put on my body. One girl showed up after class one day, and planted a big kiss on me, saying thank you so much....She was on cloud 9...Seems like the night before someone pulled a knife on her, she took it away, broke a knee cap, jaw, and after cutting all his cloths off him, and his achiles tendons, ground his scrotum into the hotel carpet. Now she wanted more lessons.....I declined....

My suggestion is to find a few moves that work for you, and practice with someone that has instructed. You might try a hundred different moves or styles, but 2 or 3 will really click. Perfect those. Then raise it up and go full on full contact for 30 seconds. Yes it will hurt, and you might have a few parts that remind you for a few days of that 30 seconds, but if you can get through it the 1st time, later when it happens your body knows you can prevail and win. All this presumes you are in reasonably good shape naturally.

Winning is way better than loosing.

Wheww, Long Thread,

I am not personally surprised by this new MFA requirement. I ran afoul of it a few months ago. For 10 years I had told my wife to change her ID card to her married name. ("Yes dear, when I have time"). Then we went to renew her passport, and even though her original passport had a page showing her married name, the new e-passport would only be issued exactly as her ID card. PIA as we were just ready to leave from the USA for Thailand and naturally I had purchased business class tickets in her married name. We talked to the Los Angeles Thai consulate, and they prepared a certified document showing she was married and her new name. What a PIA getting through security with mis-matched names on passport and ticket).

BUT to get the ID card she had to go to the Ampur (Sikoraphum...outside Surin). Now why did all this matter. Well we were going to pay off some land costing 4 million baht, and I finally said NO unless it is in your married name. No more Illee che che.

She took my car and driver to Sikoraphum and rounded up the Puh Yi Ban, and was in front of the office at 6:30AM. Bottom line is they did not care how much time, effort or urgency there was, unless the Consulate paper had the green stamp from the MFA office they would not issue a new ID card. (Even a 1000 Baht tea money envelope would not sway them). This was on a Wed. morning, we were scheduled to complete the purchase on Thursday, and on a plane on Saturday, as I had buisness that could not be delayed in Los Angeles the following Monday.

Sunbelt was kind enough to provide me with the service, and got the "green" MFA stamp on Friday before we left. We did the land purchase (but in her single name), and now 3 months later I am paying for another plane ticket plus "expense" money so she can return to Thailand get her new ID card, (Then pay for a new Passport), change the name on some 7 Chanotes we own, and come back home.

I have found that the MFA stamp is essential on to many Thai government agencies, even though I question why, it is the "Thai" way.

Guess it sounds like I am not too sympathetic to those that have to spend an extra day in BKK to get a stamp.

I have been looking into this as well, because I own 7 bikes in the USA, and really don't want to sell all of them However they are mostly Aprilia 1000cc bikes of various flavors.

I have found that where it comes into the country makes a huge difference, and do you negotiating along with pictures of the bike before it arrives. When you set down to negotiate the 2nd time, a nice gift of some name brand whiskey is certainly appropriate, just slow and easy with lots of smiles.

Once you have struck a deal fill out the paperwork showing the duty and price of the bike, then bring the bike in. Again if you are a bit of a mechanic, pull off a few parts, and separate the crates. An afternoon of wrenching will have it all back together. but will discourage someone from deciding they really want that bike.

Because of having some off-shore money coming into me, I set up a multi currency account in Singapore last Friday. Took about 2 hours. Was able to select 4 of 9 available currencies to hold in my accounts (The baht was not available), plus visa card, on-line access with a code generator for security, and a personal banker to take fax, messenger stuff. Also am able to use CITI banks anywhere to transfer for a fee of only $10.

They also have an office in BKK, so might check them out.

I needed my passport and credit card to open the account, but had also several of my Thai bank account books with substantial balances in them.

You will need $20,000 (USA) in the account within 3 months.

I just did this last Friday in Singapore at CITI. It took me about 2 hours to get everything the way I wanted it which included:

1. Choice of 9 types of currency in my account, you can choose up to 4.

2. Visa card

3. Electronic access with a little code generator for security

4. Fax instructions for transfers.

5. Telephone

6. Low cost international transfers from offshore CITI banks ($10)

Cons,

You will need to have $20,000 (US) in the account within 3 months and not fall below $5000 or incur a $30/month service charge.

Not more that $20,000/day inflow of capital.

What I needed was my passport, and credit card. They were happy when I also showed them 2 Thai bank account books with substantial deposits in them.

I needed a place for some offshore money to flow too, and feel very secure in Singapore.

Friday night I caught a Air Asia shuttle from Singapore to Bangkok. You have something that looks like an oversize cash registr reciept for a ticket. As we were landing I stuffed the piece of junk in with the trash as I only had carry-on.

Well I got to immigration and had written flight FG 3390....Boy did I get yelled at by 2 immigration officers. I have a O visa and come and go a lot.....so it is not that I am new at this....just did not pay much attention to the flight number as I rarely fly SIN/BKK.

Saw one other person I reconized in another line and was able to get the correct fight number FD3095....This whole fiasco took about 5 minutes, and I was really loved by the other in the line behind me...

Never knew they really checked the stuff so carefully.

Take your Ginka Baloaba and pay attention.