pontious

Expat - DREAD x100 ( more than one word or numbers to annoy Jt)

I really do hate being a wet blanket ,but you have two hopes and one is Bob,they have just taken away our right to using the national health,do you honestly think that they will give you a pension rise ?

Taken away our right to use the NHS?

I believe it's just going exactly the other way a more lenient policy for expats already fully discussed and prepared and ready for instatement.

Sorry do you keep up with the news ,thats been kicked into touch ,now we will only be entitled to emergency treatment while in the UK heart attack ect ,and we will be required to pay.

Proof from a reliable source, please.

Look in Camerons message to expats below this thread.

To add to my post above - we dropped relatives at the airport today. The 'nightmare car park ' I mentioned in my post above was either full or closed. There was no parking available at all. I had to drive around untill my wife was ready to be picked up again. It would be impossible to park your car while you flew somewhere for a few days. There is NO PARKING.! How can an airport have no car parking facilities'?

I didn't notice this topic before, I hope you got on ok.

I've driven to DMK a couple of times to pick up an arriving passenger, and found that the parking is a shambolic nightmare. As you come in off the road, there seems to be one park alongside the only terminal that's in use, but when I was there it was choc-a-bloc. The main multi-storey park (I don't know whether it's supposed to be short- or long-term) is further on towards the exit, past the terminal which has been gutted and will presumably be refurbished some day, and therefore a 500metre+ hike back to departures/arrivals. Inside the multi-storey most levels are jam-packed with cars, not only parked in the bays but across the ends of the bays, sometimes on both sides of the track. The last time I went there the only free spaces were on the roof. To get down from there to the exit-barrier behind queues of cars manoeuvering in and out of the bays on the floors below took more than 20 minutes.

It's not an experience I'm keen to repeat. Perhaps the trick is to find somewhere off the airport where you can park up and wait for your passenger's phone call to go and pick up from the arrivals door, but if anyone has any better ideas I'd be glad to have them.

I agree with you. I went there yesterday - without the GPS I would not have got there. There were no signposts to say where it was untill the last kilometer. I parked on the roof- the car park was jammed full with the usual triple car parking. The automatic pay machine at the exit was inop so there were signs in Thai saying pay at the office before going to the exit. Many cars did not so could not exit at the gate and had to repark causing a humungus jam. Picked up one adult and two children and trekked to the car park in a pleasant 39 degrees. It was a nightmare.

Suggest you read the new rules that will come in April 2015 - you can find them in 'Home Country Forum'- ALL expats will pay !!!

From April the new weekly State Pension will be guaranteed minimum of £151.20 for single people.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/double-inflation-boost-for-state-pension-with-additional-help-to-the-poorest

The rate at which you pay 40% tax will be raised to £41,865.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293800/TIIN_8110_income_tax_personal_allowance_and_basic_rate.pdf

The first 25% of any personal Pension is tax free regardless of any other income.

Thereafter taxed at 20%.

You need to multiply your current 4 weekly payments by 13 to find out how much tax free allowance you have left.

Those already in receipt of personal pensions (annuities) will have to wait until 2016 before they have to make choices.

Each individual will have different circumstances, so no one answer is available for all.

Faz that PDF is out of date- the allowance is 10600 in April 2015.

Chivas, I have seen similar comments regarding the new rules and pension companies !

No matter what the change of law says, pension providers are NOT REQUIRED to provide full access as an option, it is entirely their decision as to whether to offer it

I fail to see how providers can refuse when the law has been changed. They have to comply with the law.

Thank you both for your replies.

A friend of mine is going to teach his girlfriend to drive. Silly boy. Does she need any paperwork from Police or DLT to do this? What happens if stopped by police? Insurance etc.?

URGENT

Not sure if this the right place to post so apologies in advance if this is wrong or a repeated question.

I need to renew my british passport because it is full, not expiring for 1 more year (May 2016) and my current ed-visa will expire on the 19th May 2015. I need to get my passport back before then in order to exit for a new visa at the end of May. I live in Chiang Mai and there is no way I am forking out extra on 2 round trips just so someone can confirm that I can actually fill out a form and provide a photo of myself that does indeed look like me, so my question is: Has anyone posted their application directly back to the UK passport application office? If so how did it work out? How long turnaround? Any special instructions?

Thank you for any useful information

2 trips to Bangkok. You will get it back by May. Everyone has to do the same.

Is this available to non residents -I am sure I read somewhere it was not but I cannot remember where I found that information.

I withdrew cash, over the counter, at a Bangkok Bank branch yesterday 4/3/2015 (shopping center branch) using a UK Visa DEBIT card. I have been withdrawing cash, about once a month, at the same branch for a couple of years, never any problem.

How much did you withdraw? If you look at the thread I mentioned in my earlier post 'large transactions' have not been allowed. Includuing the BB.

They will not accept it now - the thread I was referring to is on page 4 of this forum

Do you mean the post titled: Paying by Debit/Credit Card - fixed exchange loading

Found at: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/803611-paying-by-debitcredit-card-fixed-exchange-loading/

In that post Pib has mentioned that cash advances with a credit card IS POSSIBLE without any fees, with certain credit cards. But for Debit cards, I have not seen any posts recently (say late 2014 or beginning of 2015) where someone has said, "yes" I was able to with X bank in Thailand (Actually, I may have seen one post where a member has said if we are persistent..like nidieunimaitre also says). In the link I included originally with this post the member is saying we should be able to use over the counter withdrawals, so there will be no ATM fee.

The other link on TV on this topic I found is from 2013, where there is mention that certain banks/branches where they were able to and that it depends on the staff member you ask. But it dosen't seem possible without a good excuse. In my personal experience, the bank staff's immediate reaction is to point towards the ATM.

No - the thread 'UK Debit Visa Card Money withdrawal from SCB Thailand' on page 4 on this forum.

They will not accept it now - the thread I was referring to is on page 4 of this forum

There is a thread somewhere on TV saying that most banks are stopping this . They invite you to use ATM

Website down as well.

Thank you all for your suggestions. We are looking forward to our visit.

We are driving to Nan next week to have a look around - any things I should definitely see.?

Every 10,000km or 6 months...... which ever comes first.

Say for instance your new vehicle warranty is 100,000 km or 3 years..... which ever comes first, that is when your warranty is finished.

I understand everything above.

The problem is that i was advised to have a service because it was 6 months since the last one, although i had not done an extra 10,000km and the truck was only 18 months and not 2 years old or 40,000km which was the next service in the warranty book.

Now i'm trying to book a service, which is 6 months from the last service and they are telling me wait until 50,000km or 30 months old.

I'm going to wait, as above, and then i'll be back on track. But that would be 1 year between services (because i don't think i'll clock the 50,000km in that time) and wondering if the warranty would still be valid?

The warranty will not be valid . You must have it serviced every 6 months (or 10000 from last service)

Why dont you do what I suggested in my earlier post. Use the correct 'coupon' on the paperwork but tell them to actually carry out the service applicable to your actual kilometres. In 3 years you will have used your 60000 'coupons ' and your warranty will lapse.

I have never got to 10000k in six months.

I therefore have it serviced every 6 months.

For the warranty I use the correct mileage ( they call it a coupon) otherwise you will pay for the engineer.

For an example my last service ( 6 monthly not km) It was due the 40000 service but I had only done 30100 so on the dealers advice I used the 40000 coupon (free engineer) but they performed the' 30000' service.

Next service I will use the 50000 coupon but they will actually perform the 40000 service. On the Toyota computor it looks perfect but they only perform the relevant mileage service.

If you have not noticed you now need to show a 'Alcohol Selling Permit' to purchase alcohol outside of the normal allowed times.

Big fight between Samurai and Naked Riders MCs.

The girlfriend of one of the Naked Riders got her hand broken and a concussion. He has since left the club.

The president's (Roar) wig was stolen in the melee.

Was that before or after 'The Ride for Peace'

@ maestro, They put this on me at Korat Immigration on 16/1/15, told me I must go to the Immigration where the extension was issued which is Rayong. I notified a change of address when I moved to Korat and I have done one previous 90 day report at Korat but this time they just told me its a new rule.

Can someone at thaivisa contact Immigration about this and get it clarified?

There are other reports of an immigration office saying the same thing.

It seems some immigration offices are misreading the new requirements and/or enforcing it incorrectly..

I suggest you call the 1178 or 1111 help lines to try and get the problem sorted out.

My question was directed to maestro (admin). If TV could get something official it would be much better than me coming back and saying, "They said this & I said that"

Thaivisa does not offer this service. You should ask to speak to a superior officer at your immigration office and if he also will not accept your notification of staying in the Kingdom longer than 90 days, call the helpline 1178 or 1111. Only you, the affected party, can do this, not any member of Thaivisa, regardless of membership category. It the helpline also cannot resolve the problem, write a complaint to the Immigration Commissioner or file a complaint with the local police station against the immigration officer.

Has anyone actually done that and reported the result. I doubt it. As you now live in Korat and will have to work with this office I would stick to the helpline.

An other ridiculous rule for people especially retired people who enjoy traveling around

Considering that the Immigration Act (ie the law) allows submission of the notification of staying in the Kingdom longer than 90 days (and gives immigration officers no discretionary authority to refuse mailed-in notifications), I see no impediment for retired foreigners travelling around Thailand. There may be reasons to question the usefulness of these notifications and there are several separate topics on this subject, and a discussion of this aspect would be off-topic here.

Ubonjoe says we either go home to report or post if that is allowed.

You rightly say they cannot refuse mailed in applications and therefore there is no impediment for travelling in Thailand

Can you still be fined if you report to an office that does not accept postal reports?

If they do not accept I would consider that an impediment.

@eppic, you can also get a Residents Certificate from your local Police Station.

Passport plus Copies of homepage and current Visa status.

Copy of landlords ID card.

Copy of landlords Tabian Ban.

If you go that far, take all of the above plus a translation of your passport + 2 photo's to your local County Provincial Hall and get a Tabian Ban.

Don't need any more copies of documents or Certificates of Residence in the future.

You do in Pattaya -the DLT do not accept Yellow Books anymore.- Only Immigration Certificates.

I suspect you scratch my back and I wiill scratch yours. Ho hum.

To add they accept work permits with a tax id.