neilrob

I recommend Best Friend Visa. It is reliable, efficient and reasonably priced. Their fee for a retirement extension is just 3000B. It is shown on Google Maps and near Big C Don Chan

Pingping: what were you hoping to find out by starting this thread? What did you find out?

Some of the replies from outside CM sound really expensive. At Nakornping Condo in Chiang Mai 20B per square metre per month for a well run condo

Last year I had a flu shot at the government owned Chiangmai Travel Medicine Clinic on Sridonchai (location shown on Google Maps). I was there for a yellow fever vaccination before a vacation trip to east Africa. They recommended a flu shot, so I got it also. It was only about 350B, so this may be the cheapest place in CM to get it.

This year I was at Ram for a dental appointment a couple of months ago, so I got the shot there. It was about 900B.

I have eaten dinner there a couple of times. I am not a vegetarian, but I enjoy good vegetarian food. The hotel looks very nice. The food was a bit disappointing though.

Yes, Rungroat Auto Parts is the place to try. It is a big shop with lots of truck parts. It is on 1006 between the Superhighway and the middle ring. It is correctly shown on Google Maps

Yes, all 90 day reporting deadlines automatically extended to 31st July, according to official information from Immigration. So why are you trying to do an online report?

Thanks for this---I will look into it

Hi Sirineou,

In answer to your questions:

- Yes, it does have a manual override. You need to unlock this at the gate with a key. This frees the gate so you can open and close it by hand

- There is a push button inside the house near the door which will operate it, in addition to being able to operate it with a remote control

- Interesting idea to operate it with your phone. I had not thought of this

We have a gate closer. The first photo shows the company contact information. In spite of the Bangkok phone number, they installed it for us in Chiang Mai. We have had it for a good number of years now and it has been reliable. As you can see in the second photo, the gate is large and heavy. It is also about 75m from the house, so having a remote system is very helpful indeed.

I can recommend K. Song. He has done various items of building work for me over many years, most recently last month. He lives in Sansai. Please PM me for his telephone number.

1 hour ago, wildpikey said:

Well I decided to go to the source and ask at the Driving Licence Department at Hang Dong Rd. They confirmed to me this morning that you can renew up to 1 year after expiry. So Happy Days.

Yes. I renewed my expired licence (expired by a few days) in Chiang Mai at the end of November with no problem and got six years. That was after the reported change of policy in Pattaya.

I believe it is up to one year after expiry. Always, if possible, let it expire for a few days and then renew. You get five birthdays after renewal before it expires again. So, by letting it expire, you get a six year renewal

Try Nan Noble House Garden Resort---see Tripadvisor

it is easy to get a tax reporting number for your wife---you can find the form with an internet search. For married persons, if your income is less than $24,000 you do not need to file a return at all (a higher number if you are over 65). If you do need to file a return, contact American International Tax Advisers in Bangkok (easily found using Google). However, you may find it cheaper to use Turbotax, depending on your situation.

The answer to question 1 is that you are all set, since you already have your reentry permit. The answer to question 2 is no, there is no time period after which you will lose your retirement extension, except that you do have to be back in Thailand before it expires in order to extend it

Suzannegoh you might want to read the interesting article cited by Jim Gant in post #48. This includes an analysis of the law by the IRS in respect of a US retiree living in Switzerland (which has a similar tax treaty). This concludes that " Taxpayer’s IRA distributions are in fact subject to U.S. tax under Article 1(2) of the Treaty. Taxpayer is only eligible for a refund of U.S. tax to the extent that the United States will credit the tax paid to Switzerland in respect of his IRA distributions received".

However, if Nancy receives a refund then I for one will be rushing to submit my own amended returns the next day!

Very interesting point from Nancy in post #26. However, having read the documents cited by Nancy, I most regretfully agree with Jim Gant in post #28. The "savings clause" is Article 1, paragraph 2 of the treaty. Paraphrasing this, it states that, notwithstanding anything in the treaty, the US can tax its citizens on their income no matter where they live. And even if you renounce citizenship, you are still included for the next 10 years. Sort of makes the treaty rather moot!

However, the acid test is how the IRS treats the issue. I would be most interested, Nancy, in hearing whether they accept your amended returns.

4 hours ago, Dante99 said:

What is meant by "previously earned"?  Earned yesterday?  Last month? Ten years ago?  What is meant by "bring money in as you earn it"?  Bring it in every day or week or month?  What is "earned money"?  Investment earnings, employment earnings...? Are pensions earned? They must be because they are not just given for free, are they?

 

 

I was giving the overall picture. You seem to be asking for the details of precisely what is meant by Thai tax legislation. For this you need to go to a Thai tax accountant. I doubt that you will find such a person on this forum. However, I believe Vibe is correct about holding earned money outside Thailand for one year, so that it becomes unconnected to present earnings. There is an exemption for pensions, even though they were of course earned at some time in the past.

I think you might have been mislead on the laws regarding taxation. My understanding is that, if you bring in money previously earned or otherwise acquired abroad, then there is no such taxation. Only if you are currently earning money and bring that money in as you earn it, and are living here, then this may be subject to tax. This latter applies only to earned money---pensions are not generally taxable, even if you bring them in each month. I file Thai tax returns and have brought money in on many occasions and my accountant assures me that none of it is taxable, since it comes from investments and pensions.

In my experience, the statements in comment 2 above are unjustified---there are many Thai professionals who are reliable and competent. Please send me a PM if you would like a contact number for my accountant.

Many thanks to Ubonjoe and Nowretired for your prompt and to the point replies!

Thank you very much for the reply. Do you have a paragraph reference and the precise name of the law in question?

I have a question about Thai law on this matter. I would be most grateful for information on what the law actually says (as opposed to what people usually do/what someone thinks the law says). I am asking this because I am on a condo committee and we are dealing with this issue.

If I were running a hotel and a foreigner stayed there, I would have to report this to immigration.That is easy, because the foreigner would have to register at the front desk before staying there. If I own a house and rent it to a foreigner, then I must report this. If the house is in a moobaan, I believe this obligation is still mine, it is not the responsibilty of the moobaan association. So what about a condo? If I rent to a foreigner, is it my obligation to report this to immigration or is it the responsibility of the condo juristic person? A condo is much more like a moobaan than it is like a hotel, because the units are individually owned. Furthermore, the condo juristic person normally has no knowledge that a particular foreigner is staying there---it is a matter between the owner and the renter. In a large (almost 350 unit) condo, it is not practical for the juristic person to know who is sleeping there on any particular night. So what does the law actually say? Is it the responsibility of the owner or the association?