jayceenik

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

Ordering a laptop like this sounds a bit risky. Is the saving so much better than say a COD order with Lazada?

I'd rather buy from lazada or a store but what I want is not available here.

15.6" screen with IPS FHD 1920-1080 at a good price.

https://www.banggood.com/th/Binai-G15-Pro-Laptop-15_6-inch-Ultra-Narrow-Screen-Intel-Celeron-J3160-Intel-UHD-Graphics-500-8GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-Notebook-p-1582945.html?

I live in Thailand and I want to order a laptop (12000 Baht) from China via Banggood.

Can somebody tell me if rhey can send this laptop to a PO Box in Ubon and how I'll have to deal with Thai import duties.

I have asked Banggood customer service via their FB messenger but received a non-informative reply.

22 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I agree that the fact that O based retirement extensions do not require health insurance isn't literally a loophole. It's a loaded word that expats would probably be better off not propagating. 

Yes, I agree that loophole is a loaded word and better not used but be sure that the selected Insurance companies are already well aware of that O visa and have approached the relevant authorities for possible action.

Early this year a Ubon Aussie 65yo buddy retired on an original O-A did his 90-day and asked about the scam insurance. He was told that it wouldn't apply to any stay permit extensions. Only to new O-A and their initial one-year extension. At about the same time it was reported from Phuket that the Imm boss there had said the same thing. Actually that's the way I interpreted that new police law too. Farangs who are truly retired here are not likely to do a runner on a hospital bill and thus running afoul of the law jeopardize their retirement in LOS.  My take is that it's mostly tourists who make runners - if indeed they do. 

Anyway, many now on O-A will loophole to O. The insurers will not get their expected bonanza premiums. And they will ask for the O to get hit too with the insurance scheme. But as long as they don't get to the tourist visas the runner problem will persist. 

As for me I have an original O and I'm too old to be insurable. I'll have to bail out back to Belgium if they hit me with insurance in the future. I have good money in the bank  to pay for any unexpected hospital bill but of course there is no profit there for the selected Thai insurance companies.

I too ran out of FAX sending places in BKK a few years ago. 

Every year I used to send a FAX transfer request to my bank in Belgium and then no more FAX places for me to use !

I went on the Internet and found this guy : 

https://www.gotfreefax.com/

I've used it a few times now.

My FAX go through. No problems.

Easy to use.

You pay by Paypal. 

I cannot request transfers from that bank by secure mobile app like I do from my bank in SIN because I cannot unlock it without going in person to Belgium. If they close their FAX number I'll have to do the requests by mail !!

I came to stay in TH on 14NOV97 with a NonImm O visa. Yes, I'm a very senior!

Thee months later, with THB seasoned in the bank, I received a Stay Permit to 13NOV98 that has been extended ever since.

I'll ask for the GrandFathering stated in the Jomtien note next extension.

BTW There is a misprint in that note. It's not 20k in the bank three months before applying, it's 200k.

I've maintained over 1m on my savings account perennially as it is my only active account so it's not the reduced blocked THB that concerns me but the silly BankBookShow every three months.

Anyway i talked to a graded IO yesterday in Ubon and after showing her the original Thai Police Imm new order in Thai she agreed with me that I don't have to come and show a bank book every three months since I don't have to have anything in it until next extension.

I suspect that not many retirees are eligible for that GranDad rule like me!!! ????

I had my simple Will (everything I own in Thailand goes to my TGF, mostly a couple bank accounts) done four years ago in Pattaya at a Law Office advertised on TV.

Done in English and Thai. Two staff lawyers for witnesses. No mention of Amphoe registration.

Paid 10k baht.

An Amphoe registered Will is altogether different from the one I did.

And so is a hand-written holograph Will.

I choose the Will done by lawyer. More expensive but easier to do.

It seems like many O-A elder retirees, not being able to get the required Thai Company issued insurance or else at extortionate cost will have to either get an O visa or go back to the old country.

Years back I remember reading about Senior Retired Norwegians being sent out to Hua Hin by their Govt for a cheaper way of taking care of them.

I wonder if they're still around and if they are what they're going to do about this new scam insurance policy.

Not only these Norwegians but also the foreign pensioners in the few and rather costly retirement homes for senior farangs set up here in Thailand.

4 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I've no need to worry I have no money my wife's got it all

Actually my TGF follows eagerly the exchange rate between EUR and THB because the THB I give her come from my EUR pension and bank account.

????

21 hours ago, 3421abc said:

You should be careful making long term plans to live in Thailand without insurance. They can at any time change the rules and require all retirees to have insurance.

I made the bad decision to retire in Thailand many years ago. At the time it seemed OK.

Fortunately for now I'm on extensions from an original Non O visa so no scam insurance needed for me right now.

I have invested in two houses, land, car for my TGF.

I'm too old to get the scam insurance if they insist on it in the future.

I have a pension and still some money in the bank so my Plan B is to go back to Belgium if I cannot stay here anymore because I cannot get a forced scam insurance.

I've lived in Thailand for 30+ years and I'm very happy with my TGF but I have to prepare for the worse.

I have started looking at Senior Homes in Belgium.

I've not lived there for over 50 years.

Not the retired life I had envision.

My advice : DO NOT MAKE PLANS TO RETIRE IN THAILAND.

Me I'm stuck here.

This three-month bank book check is required by other Imm Offices too.

Here is the little piece of paper that was stapled to my passport when I received my one-year extension on 21OCT19 in Ubon.

On 11/19/2019 at 9:41 AM, Moonlover said:

In the O/P's situation I would, most certainly push for 'grandfathering'. Why on Earth allow immigration dictate to him what he can and cannot do with his own money?

Yes, I intend to go to Imm Ubon asap and tell them that from now on I intend to be an Extension grandad and there is no need to show them my updated bankbook every three months.

That's why I wanted the Thai translation as it will thus be easier to deal with them and make my claim.

I never thought of claiming Extension grandad re the bank account and always kept well over the required 800k and still intend to but this bank book check show thing is just too much as we're going to live 100 km from Ubon.

And Saltire says he was told to report in person !! Cannot even send the TGF on a shopping trip to town and do the chore then ?

That picture I posted is a piece of paper stapled to my passport when I got my one-year extension approved on 21OCT19.

My next 90-day is 17DEC19 whereas three months from 21OCT19 is 21JAN20 so the dates don't match. And anyway Ubon has also told me that from now on I must do my 90-day reporting online. I'll let the TGF do it.

I'm very happy now living with my TGF and have invested a lot of Baht in her (houses. land, car). We intend to marry as soon as I get the document needed from my Embassy. But considering the increasingly difficult stay conditions for farangs in Thailaand I regret not to have retired in SAmerica before knowing my present TGF years ago. I had actually thought at one time retiring in Ecuador (I speak fairly good Spanish).

I have a pension and keep Euros in the bank for a Back-to-Belgium Plan B if they ever start requiring Heath Insurance for extensions as I'm too old to get one.

Thanks to everybody for your postings. It makes TV forum a must read for me.

Thanks for the link Ubon Joe.

I entered Thailand on November 14, 1997 with a Non-Imm O visa and have been on stay permit extensions ever since.

I have maintained the 800k as far back as I remember and don't plan to go down to the grandad 200k but I want to get out of this new obligation to report to Imm with an updated bank book showing 800/400k every three months.

Where can I find the Thai version of this new Police Order ?

I've Googled but can get only the English translation ...

10 hours ago, Enki said:

Erm ... no? What has health insurance to do with money in the bank? Do you think the hospitals get build, maintained and paid for from your money in the bank?

He meant money in the bank to pay the hospital bills!

On 10/25/2019 at 12:28 PM, KKr said:

that is an infringement on your civil rights. ????
How can it be allowed that a civil servant may decide on whether you should marry or not.

They can issue a certificate of no objection (as I got) or refuse if they have reason to believe that you are married to someone else, or would not be allowed to marry in Belgium for reasons of insanity or whatever.

Whether you fancy someone 30 years younger or older than you is none of their business.

 

The Thais insist on that Certificate from all nationalities. Belgium obliges but only according to its Consular Code which states that if a Belgian national requests such a document he/she must make temporary domicile in Belgium so that the Certificate can be issued/denied by the relevant Procureur du Roi. 

Nevertheless a Consul can issue the Certificate without this requirement if everything is OK with him. It's just that in my case the age difference is such that he preferred that the approval be requested from Belgium.

I made instant temporary domicile in Belgium by giving the address of an old friend.

Just imported a big EUR amount from my Euro account in SIN a couple days ago at an painfully low exchange rate.

This was not meant to be as it is part of my nest egg meant to be inherited by my TGF when I die and it should have stayed in SIN.

TGF and I talked about this. A while back she wanted me to keep my Euros in SIN and wait for the THB to go down before transferring EUR into THB here.

But now we are of the opinion that the THB will not only not go down but probably still go up steadily.

And we have decided that the best for her is me bringing my weak Euros in Thailand now and she'll buy land (in her name, of course).

Land can only go up in price so that it should compensate for the Euro going down if left in SIN.

I'm a senior Belgian. Been in Thailand 30 years. Never married. Always worked and lived outside Europe.

Met a delightful young girl 8 years ago. We decided to get married recently and live together my Golden Years in her village (bought land and a house there).

Both of us went to the Belgian Consulate in BKK for interview to get the Thai-imposed non-impeachment to marriage certificate.

Normally issued with no fuss but we didn't get it.

The age difference between us is so great that the Consul said the document must be approved by authorities in Belgium.

But he was gracious enough to grant us a second interview. Consul with me 30'. TGF with Thai lady 20'.

Consul said he was satisfied enough with the secondary interview that he'd recommend approval but still, by Belgian Consular Code he had to submit my request to a "Procureur du Roi" in Belgium.

I'm now waiting for the answer from Belgium (where I've not lived for over 50 years).

Note that the TGF has no financial incentive to marry me as I named her my total inheritor already four years ago.

For her it's mostly a matter of social standing.

Got my extension a couple days ago.

Ubon Imm insisted that next 90-day report be done online.

How can I show my updated bank book online?

Thanks to Kerryd for a very detailed FCD Bangkok Bank info posting.

It will be of much help to me when I decide to open a BB Euro FCD.

Thanks to everybody else also for sharing what they know on this tread.

I have a Euro account in SIN with Citibank. I have made a legal Will with a SIN lawyer for her to inherit this account when I die.

But it'd much easier for her to get that money if I transferred it to an FCD at the Bangkok Bank here in Ubon where we live (yes, I know the account will be based at HQ in BKK). I already have a Thai Will (made by a Thai lawyer) for my Thailand bank accounts.

My bank in Ubon is KrungThai but FCD fees are higher than BB.

4 hours ago, fishtank said:

Rent. Then you can move when the selfish (Deleted) opposite decides to turn his front garden into a workshop.

Yes ! Definitely Yes.

TGF and I bought a newbuild house in a very nice middle class Ubon subdivision just being developed.

First two years it was perfection. 

Now the farang who bought next door plays noisy shouting ping pong games with his Thai friends every afternoon and evening.

And the Thai who bought the lot at the back has built a hangar to sort out bags and bags of second hand clothes to sell at markets.

His activity is not what the neighborhood is about plus loud voices all day until late at night.

It just happens that we have an escape route. The TGF has bought another house in her village and that's where we're going to live as soon as it's ready. We will keep the present Ubon house for a time with a family member to house-sit it.

It's luck that we're able to buy another house but if we we're renting it'd be simply just a matter of moving quickly to another rental.

I'm thinking of moving my Euro account in SIN to a FCD in a bank in BKK.

BangkokBank seems a good choice for me. My KrungThai bank'fees are higher.

If I could use it inlieu of my extension-mandated THB800k so much the better. 

I was just wondering if at my death the account can be closed by my inheritor, the Euro amount changed in THB and transferred to her local account.