Dah fahrang

I hold two K Bank accounts. One in my name, one in joint names with my Thai wife. Today, armed with passport, both bankbook(s) and Thai Tax TIN, walked into a Kasikorn branch in a shopping mall in rural Ratchaburi - not my own branch! Showed the email on my phone to the Customer Service lady. She read it, still wasn't sure, but with a quick call to her head office, sat us down. Asked for my passport and bank book(s). Confirmed I'm not American, then downloaded just the FATCA Self Certification form, with "no" ticked in all the boxes, printed it, copied the bank book and passport ID page, and asked me to sign all. Job done. For good measure, as my wife is a dual national, we asked that she complete the same FATCA form to cover our joint account: no issue, same process. Wife showed Thai ID card, foreign (UK) passport and bankbook in joint names. Very easy, and politely done within 10 minutes. No worries about e-mailing completed forms. Branch will upload them. We did have to wait 10 minutes in 'sub-zero' air conditioning before being attended to by a smart-ass giving the staff a hard time setting up the K banking app on his phone. Hope this helps!

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Hi, UK State Pension recipients. You will never get a P60 from HMRC! Don't hold your breath! Reason is that the UK State Pension is not taxable. It is considered by HMRC as a state benefit. Example: if you are lucky to receive the full basic UK State Pension - about £200 per week, that is about £10,400 a year. It is below the £12,570 2023 HMRC Personal Income Tax Allowance threshold. However... your UK State Pension is counted as income. So, if you receive additional UK sourced private pension(s), the UK State Pension of £10,400 is added to whatever ££ you receive from your UK sourced private pension(s). If the aggregated money from the UK State Pension plus private pension(s) exceeds the 2023 Personal Income Tax Allowance of £12,570, then any/all income you receive above the £12,570 is liable to UK tax at the relevant current tax rates. HMRC, via a 'Notice of Coding' will instruct your private pension provider(s) to deduct tax at source from any amount above £12,570 from your private pension but definitely never from the UK State Pension. Your private pension provider will receive the relevant tax code from HMRC for the tax year, and will deduct tax at the source. It is your private pension provider(s) that must, by law, issue an annual P60, but never HMRC! You may find link this helpful. I was quite astonished by it. If you register to use the UK Government Gateway, you will find both notice of coding and tax deducted information from all your private pension(s). The information goes back several years, and is downloadable. https://www.gov.uk/check-income-tax-current-year

Yes. I extended my stay (Retirement) end of April. My wife was asked (twice) directions to where we lived, and identifying landmarks (school etc) nearby. Property owned by my wife who holds tabien-baan. Two weeks later, two Immigration Officers pull up at our gate in their Police Toyota pick-up. The 30 minute visit was quite sociable. Lots of niceties, whilst filling in copies paperwork; questions to my wife. I asked them directly WHY they had come. "To check you are alive, and living where you said at the time of your extension" was the reply. Customary photo-app at our front door with and without IO in the shot. Office in. question: Ratchaburi

Thanks for this! I was told some months back (by two IO's who made a surprise house visit) that there was a new office, but they told me maybe in error or maybe for rough guidance that it was next to the coffee shop close to the temple. Whatever, I suppose dealings there will be the same 'hit and miss' as it was in that awful bus station!!!

It is widely reported that using its advanced 'Thailand 4 Technology' Thailand aims to be the very first nation to launch a manned space mission to the sun. The launch will be the first from its' new space centre. When reminded that the capsule would melt, and the crew roast alive - long before reaching the sun, a Thai Government Space Expert replied: " We Thai have overcome that problem. We're going at night" (Joke. Not a Big-Joke, but a joke none the less).

"JETCO Director-General Auramon Supthaweethum spoke at length about the expected sectors that are set to benefit from this economic bolstering. These sectors range from food and drink, health, education, the automotive industry, agriculture, and the digital sector. The subsequent aim of these actions is to form a foothold for future negotiations of free trade between the two nations." Expected sectors! So, when Free Trade actually materialises, and I can readily get my Marmite, Bisto, Tetley tea bags, Robinsons fruit juices and other UK indulgences at prices considerably lower than now, I'll just dismiss this as more meaningless hollow talk: utter drivel.

A scorched earth policy is a last-ditch attempt to deter a hostile takeover by making the target company unattractive to the potential acquirer. Tactics include selling off prized assets, racking up mountains of debt, and promising management substantial payouts in the event that they are one day dismissed. Well used throughout history. Nothing new here.

Sent you a PM

https://www.gov.uk/tax-uk-income-live-abroad This link might help. Very clear, from "the horse's mouth" 20 years ago I became UK non-resident for tax purposes. I was (still am) in similar position as you. After a lot of (polite) correspondence with HMRC, they made it very explicit. As a non-resident, you only have to pay HMRC UK tax for any income derived from all/any UK source. Any foreign/offshore income for non-residents they don't want to know about.

Sounds to me like they're refusing to pay by using the ubiquitous loophole of 'pre-condition'. All policies have this in the "small print". They are claiming (I think) that your wife had this pre-condition before taking out insurance, they are not liable to pay. The burden of proof lies with you, I fear.

Birthday coming up late April, and this is the year to renew my five year Thai Driving Licence. I have Voluntary First Class Insurance which is valid until September. I'm confused. I (think) I'm clear that the Land Transport Office are unwilling/reluctant to renew until after my birthday (after expiry) and that renewal can be made any time within one year with no need to take a re-test. This forum confirms that belief. But supposing: I wait to renew the licence for say two to four weeks until after my birthday, (after the expiry date of the licence). During that time I have an accident. Depending on the severity of the accident, the Police (may) arrive, along with my insurance company assessor. First question they will ask is to see my driving licence - the expiry date of which has passed. Does that mean I have been driving illegally since my birthday? Does that mean my insurance will not settle any claim because my licence is past expiry date and insurance becomes void? Catch 22. Can't renew until after birthday, but after birthday licence has expired and could render insurance invalid and driving against the law!! Another related question, please? I will be 72, physically fit and in charge of my mental faculties, so expect no problem with taking the perception, reaction and colour blindness tests needed to renew my licence. But, can anyone confirm if there is an upper age limit prescribed by law in Thailand beyond which I would be prohibited from driving? Is there an age ceiling imposed by insurance companies?

My wife and I opened savings accounts with Skipton International, Guernsey, too. Can't praise them highly enough. They were very helpful and even "made an exception" and set up two accounts using "Zoom". Very simple. We verified our identities and Thai address via a Zoom meeting. Subsequent to opening, must say their internet banking and phone banking facilities are great. Eff1n2ret, you are slightly mistaken about their requirement for setting up linked accounts for withdrawals. Their requirement is that ANY linked payee account can ONLY be in the same name(s) as those of the account holders with Skipton. We have set up a link to our joint account here with Kasikorn with no problem, and have just recently set up another payee account with Lloyds International in the Isle of Man - our thinking being we can withdraw interest (or capital) to Thailand should we choose, or keep it rolled over with Skipton, or move it to Lloyds Premier International Current Account for spending!

I've just e-mailed VFS for my appointment to renew passport. Hopeful of appointment within next 2 weeks. There's 9 months to run before passport expiry. I see the 'prescribed' list of supporting documents - impossible to fulfil. I do have recent original bank letters and bank statements from my UK bank, sent to my Thailand address, in English. Does anyone know / have experience if this is an acceptable proof of address? Thanks!