dblaisde

OK, thanks. I'll be careful to open my letter in front of their astonished eyes.

Good to know about your Bangkok Bank SSA hookup to Thailand through NYC. I guess that gets around the SSA not being able to send money directly to Thailand. Maybe I'll do that. I got an account with Kasikorn because it was popular and I'd heard some bad things about Bangkok bank, but maybe there's a reason for banking with them after all. And they are the flagship bank of the country so I suppose less likely for bankruptcy or other scandals.

thanks again. As you may remember, I'm still in the process of getting a "so-called" retirement visa for the first time so I want everything to go without pain.

7 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The US embassy by law cannot verify any document. That is why it is done as an affidavit.

 

You should already have a statement for your income last year and the notice they send about your payments for the coming year. I got of them in the mail here.

I also have better proof than those 2 pieces of paper. I have a Thai bank book that shows my money coming into the country every month if I was ever asked for back up proof.

I think you are getting overly concerned about something that was said by one immigration officer. It is not official immigration policy and will not be.

It would also be for any proof of income document done by any embassy not just the US, 

 

>I have a Thai bank book that shows my money coming into the country every month if I was ever asked for back up proof.

By this do you mean that you have Social Security deposit your pension into your Thai bank account?

I *hope* I'm getting overly concerned. I'd like to unconcern myself right now. :)

I can see why Thai immigration would disallow such "proof" though if the US Embassy is just rubberstamping whatever the citizen decides to put down on paper. And I also could be photoshopping my Benefit Statements as well. It's really up to governments to validate this kind of information, and you would think the US government easily could and would.

Do you know for a fact that that's what goes on as a rule at the US embassy, that they just let people put down whatever income amount they want, and that the embassy official puts his name and stamp to this hearsay? If all you've got to back you up on this are blog posts, you haven't proved anything yet except that you don't like America. I don't either, but for much better reasons than this.

22 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Total nonsense on immigrations part.

I can see them perhaps wanting back up proof  for the income affidavit  but not the requirement to have 800k baht in the bank.

So the question remains: what's the official policy? I *am* having the Social Security Admin send me a Benefit Statement which verifies my income. Now I have to wonder if Thai Immigration will even take that. (I could have photoshopped it). The US Embassy is supposed to be proof against fraud. I always thought the US Embassy verified the SSA Income doc with SSA data before they signed off on it. Isn't this true?

16 minutes ago, Evilbaz said:

Maybe too many Americans have had a casual relationship with the truth when swearing their Income Affidavit?

There are local bloggers out there advocating "Just make up a number".

Do you really think that this goes unnoticed by Thai Immi and doesn't have possible consequences?

 

And maybe not...

What I really *thought* was that the US government would check the US Social Security figure before verifying it. Certainly the US embassy has access to US SSA data being, uh, all part of the US government....and no, I'm not a fool so there's no need to be snide.

I wonder if a Benefit Statement directly from Social Security would make them happy.

Pretty nasty if it's true. But I don't see how it can be. Europeans use their pensions in lieu of having 800K in a Thai bank (or a portion of it) and they're not coming down on them. (Maybe it's reaction to Trump's immigration crap??)

This needs clarification pronto.

I've taken the good advice here and done everything to apply for a so-called "retirement visa" in 2 month, including the 800K in a Thai bank.

---> Will I need a rental contract to show as well? And if so, will I have had to stay there longer than a month? (I travel around a lot)

I need the name of a UdomSuk/Bangna night by night hotel not too close to traffic because of my pollution allergy (200-500 meters). If it was OK, I could sign a month by month contract. I could pay up to 1500B nightly, but I need to stay a night first to see how I do with the pollution.

I actually *liked* the mattress at Sea of Love, a real "love mattress". Many are too mushy for me.

I looked (on ddproperty) at some places in almost that same area (as Siam Privi), but couldn't see how to make the connection to town work. SOL seems quite convenient in that way. (I did the walk back and forth twice to the MRT and SOL and it's quite easy though you've got to be alert for traffic.)

If I actually went over there (to Siam Privi) I might be surprised and find transportation to be OK. No doubt the hotel has suggestions too. Maybe I'll do that just for curiosity sake. I like to hike anyway. :)

Thanks again for the hints. The SOL is a real find for me and what I need at the moment.

Good price, but how do you conveniently get back and forth from hotel to MRT (unless you've got a car). Motorbike taxi? Here's the map:

http://i.imgur.com/acpSx07.png
 

Sounds interesting....

4 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Now, give me a few minutes and I will show you a place that came to 65 USD for a week in May....very uncharted territory...

I'll keep Agoda in mind. I paid 580B for a corner room, which turned out to be a necessity (I think). I noticed the non-corners had no ventilation for the bathroom (no window) and there was heavy mold coming out of the one room they showed me that wasn't a corner (I've got ugly allergies and mold is a biggie).

Another quirk was that they refused to show me the room until I bought it (!!). They wouldn't let me upstairs until I promised I'd take the room sight unseen. I'm glad I ended up liking it. (many rooms I simply can't stay in because of mold).

I was on the 8th floor and liked it. The other guy complained here about being in the "middle of nowhere" but to look out and actually have a view, and also not be nested in a pollution box of surrounding skyscrapers was a relief. And Asok (which is the heart of Suk for me) is only 2 stops on the MRT. (Not too close, not too far)

An annoyance was someone down on the street playing very loud talk-radio the whole morning (until I left). I can't imagine that this could be a day-to-day thing.

All the suggestive pictures mounted on the wall were funny too. Sexy women in scant clothing in sultry poses! (I felt right at home). It's almost like the place used to be/is a "love hotel",  but I didn't get that feeling from the guests I saw, and it wouldn't bother me anyway as long as nobody ripped off.

Again, thanks!

PS: the cheapest rooms were around 480 so perhaps that's what you got through Agoda (??)

I actually tried Sea of Love last night. It was OK pollution-wise. The walk from the big road is a bit hairy though. No sidewalks! :)

An interesting thing about the SOL was that their monthly rate is only 10% off their daily rate, and includes additional expenses for electricity and water, which aren't part of the daily rate. So the daily rate probably works out cheaper than the monthly. The SOL isn't sensationally cheap, but much better than lower Suk of course. Most of their rooms are about 600B/day. I will probably use the place in the future: I come and go in BKK so it's good not to get tied down to a contract.

Also, the aircon could use a good cleaning. Incredible mold coming out of it. I turned it off after a few minutes, since I'm allergic to mold.

Anyway, thanks much for the tip! :)

PS How's the safety in that area. I like to walk and I could see myself walking to and from the MRT. Is it a safe walk? Thanks.

Thanks very much for Sea Of Love. Very cheap and they rent daily, which is what I need to try out before I sign a contract! I'll go out there today! :)

I'm looking for a day-by-day cheap hotel away from traffic and high priced Sukhumvit, but within a half a kilometer from the BTS/MRT. "Cheap" is less than 1000B/night. Anything less than say, 8 stops out from Asok on the BTS/MRT would be fine. (I have bad allergies/asthma to BKK traffic so want to try different city locations to find a breathable area in BKK before tying myself down with a lease.)

Thanks to all. Yes, "it's a complex world". Normally I'd have tried to do a SWIFT transfer, but that's a lot of hassle in my experience (I've done 2) so I was willing to do 7 (x30K) or so ATM withdrawals at 200B a pop instead just to get things set up for my retirement visa. The 20K limit still applies within the bank (vs an ATM machine). I *think* there's the same withdrawal fee if you do it *that* way too, since they have to use the ATM card to do the transfer (at least I thought that's what the rep said). I'll double check though. Banks.... ("bank robber" takes on an ironic meaning)

But do you understand I'm talking about using a foreign ATM card, not a Kasikorn card. I'm trying to transfer money into my Kasikorn account from my US bank using the US bank's debit card, and Kasikorn has a 20K withdrawal limit on non Thai ATM debit cards.

If you've noticed, some Thai banks now have limited how much you can withdraw per withdrawal on your foreign debit card, no matter what the limit your home bank sets on the card, eg: Kasikorn sets a 20K limit even though my home bank allows 60K a day. I'd call this a scam since there's a 200B flat fee on each withdrawal so forcing more withdrawals increases Thai bank profits.

Is there a Thai bank that lets you withdraw above 20K per withdrawal? (perhaps 30-60K)

(footnote: I'm applying for a Thai retirement visa and have to have a ~250K balance in a Thai bank.)

10 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

For a hotel you don't need an agent, just walk in

Yeah, that's what I wondered. Some ads are for specific rooms, but when you look further it seems like they're advertising the hotel as a whole. If actually for a specific room, I wonder whether hotel management would show it, or whether they have a contract with the agent (or perhaps the owner does) that prohibits them? In any case, you'd think a big hotel would have a deal with owners who want to rent rooms to show them on demand (or so I'd think).

Thanks berybert,

Good points.

Also the communication would probably be easier with an agent: I always have to spend one night in any room before I sign a lease since I have allergies to all kinds of things: building materials, pollution, mold, leftover animal hair...you name it. It's hard to get that idea across without good communication. (of course I'll pay what they want for 1 night).

I want to rent month-to-month at first. I *don't* speak Thai.

But... I'm talking about the situation of a hotel with a number of units to rent who will show me what's available and for how much. There are many DD entries of this type, though sometimes they refer to specific units, but I was assuming the hotel knows which they are and doesn't need the renter or hotel's permission to show me. (As I say I'm a newbie at this). So far I've sent 10 agents notifications and 10 hours later (on a Sunday granted) no call backs.

>What will you do at the property alone?

Not sure what you mean by this.

Should I just go visit the property, or go through the agent listed on the DD site. I'm new to all of this.

Thanks to all. I may yet have my cake and be able to eat it.

Sent from my LG-D802 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app