Wentworth

I posted this topic earlier today but would be grateful for some help from those using Chiang Mai Immigration.

An American friend is coming shortly on a Tourist Visa and is checking the lay of the land with regard to getting a retirement visa. He may well have to go back for a short while and knows that changing from a TV to retirement means a trip to Bangkok Immigration to transfer the visa, then applying separately for the Retirement version in Chiang Mai.

The main thing I would like to clarify is the money aspect of a Retirement Visa. The US consulate confirm that he will need to take his passport and sign a sworn affidavit to say he has the requisite amount of at least 65,000 Baht a month; he doesn't need to show any proof eg bank statements. He doesn't have 800,000 Baht that he can put in the bank, so can't use that option. Do Chiang Mai Immigration ask for proof eg bank statements as well as the sworn affidavit from the US consulate?

Thanks for the replies.

He's arriving on a tourist visa, but has the intention to change to a Non Imm 'O'. It is possible that he has to return to the States for a short while. He just wants to find out the details so that he can prepare.

With regard to changing from Tourist Visa to Retirement, I'm aware of the situation as I had to change from Tourist to Married Visa late last year. We are in the Chiang Mai catchment zone and had to apply personally to Bangkok Immigration to transfer, got 3 months and in that time had to apply for the marriage visa in Chiang Mai. So, thanks for the heads up but he should be alright on that score if he makes the decision to stay.

Having thought some more about this, people have told me that each immigration office may ask for different things. Which immigration office do you use - if by some slim chance it's Chiang Mai, I would appreciate your views or experiences about the process. I will submit another post on the site aimed specifically at US citizens who use Chiang Mai.

An elderly American friend is on the way to stay in Thailand but not greatly IT literate. He intends to apply for a Retirement Visa. The US consulate in Chiang Mai have confirmed that he will only need to give a sworn affidavit with regard to his monthly income. Will Thai Immigration still require bank statements even though he has a sworn affidavit?

With regard to the so called "Marriage Visa" money requirements. I understand it to be 40,000 Baht/month or 400,000 in a Thai bank for 3 months prior to application. I just checked on this site and it says '(identifier position and salary)'. Can someone put that in layman's terms? Also, is it either 40,000/month or 400,000 in the bank, or can I mix and match eg if I have 30,000/month and 200,000 in the bank will that work?

I'm not quite sure how to take the response I received and don't want to offend or give a knee jerk reaction. You gave some friendly advice, for which I'm grateful, mixed in with what looked like pedantic talk or perhaps sarcasm, with regard to what is deemed to refer to the USA and its citizens or the American continents. If the answer wasn't meant as pedantic or sarcastic then accept my apologies. However, if it was intended as pedantic or sarcastic then please bear the following in mind. Yes, I am a UK citizen and don't want to offend people from the USA, by which I mean the 'United States of America' just in case I got that wrong, but most people in the world refer to them as 'American', I honestly can't think right now of how else I should commonly refer to them in one word terms. In my experience people call themselves 'American' As far as I know the word 'American' refers to what country you regard a person to come from etc and is not classed as a derogatory term. If you read back through my message I did mention about people 'back in the States'; this I believe is another universally acceptable term or word to refer to the USA. You also mention about my friend from 'The New World'. I rarely hear that term used but in my experience is used very much in wine circles and can include Australia and New Zealand but I will stand corrected if people want to be pedantic or sarcastic about it.

Yes. Take some time to think it through for you're on the right track regarding the nomenclature, and most importantly, it seems from what the experts here have written over the last week or so that it is possible to become a perpetual tourist as it was in yesteryear, as it is in the Philippinesm and as anyone with the cash to pay for the flights can easily manage quite comfortably, although if the budget is tight, buy a motorbike and DIY visa runs.

Thanks for the reply. I don't want to get into a tit for tat silly argument about what you refer to as Americans. I believe I was correct and no need 'to think it through', what else to think about - you haven't expanded? You have used the word 'nomenclature', which I do happen to understand, but find that it is hardly ever mentioned. I choose not to use it as it tends to imply that I want appear superior in intellect/status or want to boast that I have eaten a dictionary for fun. As mentioned earlier, I don't want to argue anymore about this and so will not reply to any further references to this point.

With regard to the Embassy confirmation, other friends from the UK have to show proof to them eg bank statements. Are there any US citizens that can tell me what the American embassy requires from the applicant?

I'm not quite sure how to take the response I received and don't want to offend or give a knee jerk reaction. You gave some friendly advice, for which I'm grateful, mixed in with what looked like pedantic talk or perhaps sarcasm, with regard to what is deemed to refer to the USA and its citizens or the American continents. If the answer wasn't meant as pedantic or sarcastic then accept my apologies. However, if it was intended as pedantic or sarcastic then please bear the following in mind. Yes, I am a UK citizen and don't want to offend people from the USA, by which I mean the 'United States of America' just in case I got that wrong, but most people in the world refer to them as 'American', I honestly can't think right now of how else I should commonly refer to them in one word terms. In my experience people call themselves 'American' As far as I know the word 'American' refers to what country you regard a person to come from etc and is not classed as a derogatory term. If you read back through my message I did mention about people 'back in the States'; this I believe is another universally acceptable term or word to refer to the USA. You also mention about my friend from 'The New World'. I rarely hear that term used but in my experience is used very much in wine circles and can include Australia and New Zealand but I will stand corrected if people want to be pedantic or sarcastic about it.

Yes, it's for a friend of a Thai friend of mine.

An American who's retired is looking to come and stay in Thailand and he's investigating different options. He's got a Tourist Visa to just check out if staying here will work out for him. He's single and wouldn't qualify for a retirement visa as he doesn't meet the financial requirements. I think he'll initially look at extending the TV but I've warned him that it probably won't be good for long term as I understand that quite a few Thai embassies are starting to refuse TVs after a few consecutive ones have been issued. Also, the 15 day border run is I believe restricted to so many stamps before you have to leave to get a TV or other longer term visa, perhaps someone could let me know how many 15 day stamps you can get in a row.

I am from the UK and have heard that some people go back to UK and get a 1 year visa every year. I would be grateful if anyone has any knowledge or experience about American citizens being able to get the same from back in the States. If that is possible then he might consider going back annually to see friends and relatives. Apart from that any useful advice would be welcome.

What's the difference between Chiang Rai United, who play in Division 1 and Chiang Rai FC who play in the Division 2 North, are they connected?

Sorry for fudging this but am in the North. I'm told by some neighbours that it may be difficult to get a line in as the companies many not have any slots left. I don't know how true that is but I'm trying to get wised-up about how the speed thing works. I see adverts on vans for 8mbps and guess that it's meant to be fast. I'm also told that the companies tend to over egg this speed in that it only applies to internal Thai websites, with the international speed being much lower.

Could you tell me what 3/1 Mbps is meant to refer to?

I want to get an internet line into my house but have simply got no idea of what the different speeds mean or if they are any good for the price. I've been told that I can get Cat telecom Hi Net which is 3/1 Mbps for 890 Baht/month(13th month free) - I haven't got a clue what it means or if it's any good?

Does anyone know if any channels are airing the 6 Nations Rugby? I was away from home last weekend so couldn't do my run through the channels. I am hoping that I can watch it this weekend.

I'm not a gadget junkie by any stretch of the imagination but was interested in the Apple's latest offering. Personally I don't see it as the best ever of all worlds, especially concerning the e-book reading function given the back lighting situation.

My main interest is in the reading and music functions. Though it would be nice to have the two combined I worry about the convenience aspect. I'm really interested in an e reader that doesn't hurt the eyes but is also in colour, so that I can download magazines. Though a larger surface such as the IPad is good for reading, is it really convenient if you just want to use the music function? MP3 players are a good size in this respect but the Ipad would seem to be a bit cumbersome.

I'm not an economist but I've been thinking about it after listening to the so called experts. From what I can tell the PSBR is projected to reach 178 Billion Pounds for FY 2009/10. Apparently it has already reached 120 Billion for the first 9 months, though the recent monthly figure was 15.7 Billion, slightly less than expected. Having been told that it is still supposed to reach the 178 Billion estimate by the end of the year.

I guess that there's no attack on the deficit yet because of either the impending election or not trying to stifle already shaky growth, depending on which views you listen to. Although there will have to be some really nasty cuts, I wonder how much anyone has factored in the probable sale of financial assets such as Northern Rock and parts of others like RBS.

Recently I've been thinking about how much I miss going to a game. I had a general view that it was just the Thai Premier League which have most teams from Bangkok and the south. I did a little research and it seems that the Thai league goes down as far as a 3rd tier, called the 2nd Regional Divisions. I live in the North and my local city are starting a new team for the 2010 season, which is great and will look to going along to support the lads.

As we are in the close season I realise there isn't too much info in the press. I'd be grateful if anyone knows if there is usually any coverage on TV or perhaps the Bangkok Post/Nation during the season or perhaps close season. Just to save time for people I have already looked at www.thaileaguefootball.com

I'm in the north but nowhere near an inkworld or the like. When you say refill, how do they do it properly unlike us syringe users. How much do they charge?

Many thanks for the replies. I don't print that often but my wife has a small business and has these surges every now and then. I am weighing up if it's worthwhile having a printer at all and just nipping to a copy shop, but it's a real pain sometimes. I wonder if the need to print often is perhaps a case of using the 'proper' ink. I haven't looked at the price of proper ink bottles but wonder if it's worth getting some for the tanks. Is it right that the warranties are invalidated if we use the tanks?

I've got fed up with trying to refill my printer ink cartridges with a syringe, as recommended by my local so called computer expert. It's a wee bit messy and the printer obviously doesn't like it as the pages are just smudged even if I wipe the cartridge. It's an HP all in one and I'm told that you can't get those tanks fitted to the outside. I've decided to bite the bullet and see about buying one that has the tanks fitted. it's a pity as the printer is about 3 years old and works fine, just a very heavy burden on the pocket for new cartridges.

What I'd like to know is; do you have to change the cartridge every so often or never again? Also, I'd appreciate advice about which make to go for. A local decent computer shop owner turns his nose up at anything other than Canon - but my Thailand inherited cynicism puts that down to commission.

Lastly, how about getting rid of the old printer? I guess that even charities probably wouldn't want it as the cartridges are so expensive.

I agree with 'Orac'. I got married last June and it was fairly straight forward. I found it wasn't too much of a hassle once I knew what was required. I live in the North so it would be quicker if you're sorting it out in Bangkok.

I am from the UK and they give guidance on the website as well as a template for your 'Affirmation of Freedom to Marry', I just had to fill in the blanks. I went to the British Consulate in Chiang Mai along with my UK divorce papers. They only open mornings, but they just stamped the back of the form I had downloaded; naturally a charge for this, was quite high, I think about 1,200 Baht but they've raised the cost since then. They gave me a list of recommended translation companies. Fortunately I chose a decent one. They took some details and sent off my stamped form and an officially translated copy to the relevant ministry in Bangkok. I was very pleasantly surprised as the forms were sent to me within 3 days. The translation company charged me 1,600 for everything and we just asked for it to be done in routine time as we weren't in a great hurry.

I took the documents to my local Amphur and registered the marriage. I got 2 copies of a very colourful and I must say, impressive marriage certificate. The Amphur top official insisted we had a photo with her as well.

Overall the process was smooth and fairly quick. If you want to do the process in Bangkok then I guess you could proably get everything done in say 2 or 3 days, perhaps a day if your lucky and if you stipulate it as a priority.

I hope this helps.

They are a double header.

1. You buy a ticket and it will state what the expiry date is and how much interest you get. You can redeem them early but naturally you get less back.

2. All the tickets go into a lottery, with various prizes - here's an english link to the ticket number checks and prizes http://www.gsb.or.th/psc/psc.html

I have them for my stepson with the GSB and BAAC(Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives).

BAAC seem to only do them for a certain time, presumably because they only set aside so much and when the tickets are taken then that's it. I found that the expiry dates are not always automatically a certain number of years away eg I bought a ticket last February but expiry date is June 2011. They haven't started a new set yet for months and I've enquired both at my local branch and website, but no response to when they'll start again. Here's the link to the BAAC checker - http://www.baac.or.th/content-lotto.php Unfortunately it's only in Thai, despite having an 'Eng' button at the top right. Even the main site isn't that helpful I think, in Thai or English but you may be able to get someone to check out the Thai version.

GSB seems to be open ended in terms of when you can apply but their prize amounts are alot higher. If you want them then just check the expiry dates; last month I got a ticket and the expiry date was 3 years but this month I bought them and it was 5 years. I buy them on a rolling basis and so not worried but you may want to just ask the bank about it.

I hope this is helpful.

I am thinking of investing in a balanced mutual fund. I know some will think it's boring or whatever but just being a little cautious. I plan to buy and hold for many years, eventually moving to my Thai bank account. I'm from the UK and the funds I'm looking at are mainly in USD/Euro/GBP. What I can't decide is which currency to use. I'm told that THB is pretty much pegged to the USD but having doubts about the USD in the long term. GBP/THB is so volatile. It looks as if Euro/THB wasn't as bad especially in the past 18 months or so. I'm leaning towards using the Euro but would be grateful for advice.

I'm investigating Paypal as a means to transfer money from UK to Thailand. I've heard some horror stories about things going wrong. I tried to find the exchange rates on the website but maybe I can't see the wood for the trees. Ultimately I would like to compare the various fees against Swift or perhaps Moneybookers.

Sorry to cause confusion; I meant do the 90 day report not a 90 day visa run. As I read it you are going in next Monday to get your first 1 year extension approval - the same as I've just got. It will be interesting to hear what they tell you about applying for an annual extension next year. As a matter of interest, thinking about the 90 day report, my next one is 9 Jan 2010, which is a Saturday. I would be interested to know how stringent they are about going in on the following Monday. Some people have told me that we get a 7 day grace period, but that's just heresay, not sure how true it is.

I plumped for this forum as I've had experience with different Immigration Offices having different paperwork requirements and I use the Chiang Mai office.

I would be grateful to hear from those who renew a marriage visa at Chiang Mai Immigration.

I've finally got my 1 year Non Imm O (Marriage). I took all the documents as per their leaflet and the Immigration people even came to check where I was living. The process seemed to go quite smoothly with a couple of minor hiccups eg A young guy from the immigration staff stood by the ticket machine asking what we wanted, checked my passport and then directed us to the wrong queue - thereby causing an unnecessary 3 hour wait before we were put in the right one. I produced the financial proofs and all the documents to show my marriage was kosher and the evidence of pre-marital status.

I'm now down to doing the 90 day run, which doesn't bother me unduly. The staff were very efficient and even explained the situation about the 90 day rule and re-entry stamps if required.

I asked the staff what the requirements would be when I want to extend the visa late next year. They told me that I would have to submit exactly the same. I was a little taken aback with this. Bearing in mind they've established my marital situation and have the relevant copies, why do they need this again?

Can anyone tell me what paperwork you need to take for an annual extension?

Many thanks for all your suggestions.

I just thought that I would let you know that I have decided to go for the Mutual Fund approach - just investigating which provider to go with.