noise

The main difference is that you get a one year stay on entry so if you use a multiple entry and re-enter just at the end of the period you do not have to have any money in Thailand for up to two years.

Correct. You would not need to keep any money in Thailand until it was necessary to apply for an extension of stay based on retirement using the 800,000 THB on deposit method. With a pension the money in Thailand requirements can be minimal, depending on the amount of the pension.

Lite Beer et al-- it is no wonder I am still confused. Everyone I talk to has a slightly different slant on visas. But inquiring minds want to know! So I keep poking and trying to get things in very simple words.

Ok, ignoring all the requirements for money here or there, etc., and just asking about the type of visa (ignoring single/multiple entries) ..... from what all of you have said here and from what I read on the Wash D.D. embassy web site... I am now under the impression the following is correct:

1. If you apply in the U.S. for simple a non-imm O under the category of retirement, which is classified as A, you will get a visa that requires you to leave every 90 days.

2. If you apply in the U.S. for a non-imm O-A Long Stay as a retiree, you can get the visa authorizing a stay of a year.

Is that correct? If so, then that explains the case where someone I know who applied, got his visa, and overstayed 9 months He mistakenly applied for a simple O instead of the Long Stay O, even though the purpose would be the same in each case. And, yes, he was not very smart to not have read his visa paperwork and the stamp in his passport. And he wasn't notified about reporting every 90 days because he was expected to leave in 90 days.

And to belabor another point, once you have been here 2 years, there is no practical difference between the two. The same requirements exist for everyone in extending a non-imm O-A year to year?

Can't swear to have seen it there but the art supplies department upstairs at the large bookstore on Rachawithi is likely to have it. Same side as the UN Irish Pub and about 100 metres further along towards the moat.

If you are asking about the kind we used as kids, I have gotten it at Home Pro and other hardware stores. It is used for packing around plumbing slip joints, e.g., under the sink, where there are no threads, just a smaller pipe feeding into a larger one.

If you want artist quality, then I do not know.

A non-O will give you a permisison to stay of 90 days, then you have to leave the country or apply for an extension of stay based on retirement.

An O-A longstay will give you a permisison to stay for 1 year, instead of 90 days. In additon you will need the police check and medical check, which the non-O doesn't require.

Plus a Multi Entry Non O-A will give you up to two years stay without have to extend.

That is what I was thinking: if you apply in the US and get a Non O-A, whether multiple entry or not, you have to leave in 90 days or apply for Non O-A Long Stay-Retiree. The single entry vs multiple entry just changes the number of times you can enter Thailand after leaving at the end of the first 90 days.

So the choice one makes in the US has to take into consideration how long one intends to stay without leaving the country.

That is how I interpreted it in the past. But I was reading some inputs in previous posts as saying you could get a retiree visa in the U.S. good for a one year stay with no requirement to leave the country every 90 days.

Thanks.

The article was written about a Non-Immigrant "O-A" long stay (retirement) visa which can only be obtained from ones home country; i.e., Australia, Germany, UK, or US etc. This type of visa is not available in Thailand or from any of the nearby Thai consulates, so any discussion about the requirements for issuance of said visa are not valid within and do not apply to Thailand.

Why do you say you can not get an O-A (Retiree) visa in Thailand? I, and many of my friends, applied for and received one while on a 90 day visa.

You can only get a Non O-A Visa in your own country.

What you have is a 12 Month Extension of your Temporary Permision to Stay based on Retirement.

It is not the same thing.

I keep getting confused on this issue, so please bear with me while I ask for clarification. Given what you say is true, what is the difference? Is there any practical difference. I have to ask because the Wash D.C. Thai Embassy web site says:

Non-Immigrant Visa:

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for the following purposes:

........... To stay after retirement for a person who over 50 years old or older: (Category "O-A")

and then it goes on to say on another page

Non-Immigrant Visa Category "O-A" (Long Stay)

This type of visa may be issued to applicants aged 50 years and over who wish to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 1 year without the intention of working.

These two sound the same to me. And 90 day reportings and annual renewals are the same. What am I missing?

The article was written about a Non-Immigrant "O-A" long stay (retirement) visa which can only be obtained from ones home country; i.e., Australia, Germany, UK, or US etc. This type of visa is not available in Thailand or from any of the nearby Thai consulates, so any discussion about the requirements for issuance of said visa are not valid within and do not apply to Thailand.

Why do you say you can not get an O-A (Retiree) visa in Thailand? I, and many of my friends, applied for and received one while on a 90 day visa.

Hey everybody! I'm fairly new, long time reader and more recent poster. I am looking for advice from people with knowledge or experience about this subject. I will headed back to Thailand for good, more specifically Bkk. I would like to bring a puppy back with me or possibly 2 puppies(Male+Female). I was wondering how much could this potentially cost? Does a dog in Bkk require pet insurance? Many soi dogs cause me to think not. Besides that, are their any quarantine laws for bringing back domesticated animals?? I will be coming from America.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated...

Have you checked the Thai Embassy web site and contacted Thai Airways? Between the two, you should be able to get definitive answers.

This site has a hands on (mouse on) camera were you can change shutter speed, apature and ISO settings to see how it changes the actual photo given. Settings are as follows:-

Aperture Priority

Shutter Priority

Manual

Demo

Try it and let me know if it was useful to you.

Absolutely great. What I liked best was the way it demonstrated how these setting can introduce noise into the picture (no pun intended), a problem I have continuously because I am not paying enough attention to the settings.

Noise, as for Pic #1, I'm betting it's Moonmuang Rd. Just N. of Thapae Gate. You're actually on the side where the Rydges Amora now stands, and looking across at that stand of tall trees that resemble pine trees/ conifers but are actually not related at all (it's the place where tweekers and a few ladyboys hang out at night looking for action). They (the trees) still stand there today, only taller. The rain tree that is on your picture coming from the right, I don't recall being there today.

I think you are right as I have a hazy recollection that matches. And, if that hazy picture is correct, then I seem to remember the Blue Moon night club somewhere across the moat from that location. But, boy, that was a loooong time ago.

You are talking about a 12 month extension of stay based on retirement. The OP is talking about the O-A Visa only available in your own country. Details here from the Thai Embassy Washington http://www.thaiembdc.org/consular/visa/Non-Imglong.aspx

You could be right. However, please bare with me as I add a comment or two and some more personal experiences.

First, while I don't know that many people, I have never met anyone who arrived with a one year retirement visa. Everyone I know had to apply while phyisically in Thailand.

I went to the Wash D.C. Thai Embassy site and extracted the following from the O-A visa description:

Validity of a visa:-

single entry : Validity of a visa is 3 months.

multiple entries : Validity of a visa is 1 year.

Period of stay:-

Travelers with this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of 1 year.

This says to me that the visa issued in the U.S. could be valid for a year. If you do not want to pay $175, you get a single entry visa and can enter Thailand once anytime within the year but have to leave after 3 months. If you do pay for the multiple entry, you can travel to and from Thailand as often as you want during the year the visa is valid while never staying over 90 days at any one time.

I say this because if you do not have re-entry and the visa is only valid 3 months, then it is obviously not a year visa. I then extrapolate what multiple entries mean. So you can stay for one year, but you have to break it up into 4 three month periods.

To support that interpretation here is a personal experience: two weeks ago at the U.S. Consulate in Chiangmai I met and talked with a U.S. citizen who was getting his income verification letter for his "first" retirement visa. He said he came to Thailand on the U.S. issued O-A multi-entry visa a year ago, did not read it carefully, and was not told to report his address every 90 days, so he didn't. He assumed he had a one year visa. Then at the end of the year, when he went to renew, he was disabused of that notion and slapped with a massive fine for overstaying his visa 275 days. He was not happy but, since he realized he did not read his visa carefully, he was thankful he didn't have to leave the country to reapply. Immigration was understanding, even though they did not waive the penalty. And, since he violated his original visa, it was no longer valid and he had to get a 90 day visa to apply for the retiree visa.

So, my input for what it is worth.

That is correct. For the initial O-A you show the money in your home country. For later annual extensions based on retirement using the 800K, the money will need to be in a Thai bank account.

This is correct.

I would suggest a little more investigation (if i am reading all this correctly).

My experiences and all my friends experiences went through the following process. Now I am just relating what we did/had to do, not stating this as the Thai immigration laws or legal interpretation. You need a more authoritative source than me for that. However, since my/our experiences differ from what I see here I wanted to comment. I may be reading too much into the words, but reference to money in a bank in the U.S. completely confuses me. So......

1. Have to apply for the retirement visa while actually in Thailand. Applying in the U.S. only resulted in getting a 90 day visa to give time to apply for the retirement visa.
   
2. Applying in Thailand without a 90 day visa was told had to get a 90 day visa before can apply for retirement visa.
   
3. Once on a 90 day visa and applying for retirement visa: 800,000 baht had to be in a Thai bank in the applicants name only (no joint account). NOTE: This is where Jingthing's comment confused me as it seems to say you do not need money in a Thai bank for your first year's retiree visa, just the 2nd year's extension.
   
4. Since the applicant has not been in country long, the deposit may be a recent one. The bank book and a letter from the bank verifying the amount on deposit is required. Depending upon the immigration agent, the letter either has to be same day or can be a day old.
   

Those are the steps everyone I know on a retiree visa had to go through.

The only thing I can find in the Bangkok Post is this. Talking about Permanant Residency. I think you read it wrong.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigat...ation-thing-iii

You are right, I read it wrong. And reading it again now I do not understand how I could have read it wrong. It is very clear and straight forward. It must have been wishful thinking (and I probably just skimmed through it as I was at a restaurant). Thanks.

So who can identify the spot from which these were taken? Shown in the order of the following list:

1. CNX #4004 1967
   
2. CNX #4005 1967
   
3. CNX013 1974
   
4. CNX052 1975
   
5. CNX053 1975
   

OK, I will admit I can't remember where I was when I took 1-5 and was really hoping for some help. Thus the challenge to identify the locations.

#3 could be either from south of the south or inside the north moat looking "west" as I see a faint outline of Doi Sutep.

I am pretty sure #4 is taken on the south moat east of the Chiangmai Gate looking west toward Doi Sutep.

I would guess #5 is the north west corner since Doi Sutep is in the back ground. The fortifications look right for that corner.

I attached a picture I took down a small, typical (for then) residential street because I was so impressed at how clean it was compared to down south.

And I attached another bridge picture for the bridge people.

There was an article in the BKK Post yesterday, Sunday 8 Feb, that implied that retirees with spouses who are Thai citizens can get their 90 day address reporting requirement waived. I say "implied", even though it stated it as a matter of fact, because no details were supplied other than saying "ask".

I am surprised about this as no one in my fairly large circle of retired friends married to Thais has ever mentioned they do not have to report every 90 days. And when applying for my yearly extension I have always provided all the documentation showing I am married to a Thai citizen. I acknowledge that frequently you do not get what you do not ask for, but still.....?

Does anyone have more information on this? Did we misread the article (a fellow retiree was sitting with me and read it the same way)?

I do not have classic pictures, but I do have some "old" ones. So who can identify the spot from which these were taken? Shown in the order of the following list:

1. CNX #4004 1967
   
2. CNX #4005 1967
   
3. CNX013 1974
   
4. CNX052 1975
   
5. CNX053 1975
   

No challenge to identifying CNX #4018 (also 1967).

Does anyone know specific dates for any upcoming Poy Sang Long festivals in the north? I know most will take place in March and April, looking for which dates in which temples. Thanks in advance.

Our Tai Yai maid just said it would be 3-5 April at the Tai Yai/Burmese Wat Pa Pao (northeast corner of the moat). And she added that it will be a different date other places, but wasn't sure about what dates where.

Any help is highly appreciated. Thank you HB

You left yourself open,assuming what I have to say helps. Long winded, but here are my experiences and opinions.

I have gone to Ram several times, initially for a similar shoulder problem. I walked in around 8:30 am on a Monday morning, a busy time, established my identify and payment method, started a record, and was sent over to Ortho. I saw Dr. Tusaphorn, who speaks excellent English, after waiting less than an hour (not bad for a walk in on Monday morning). After a couple of visits (all during the day both with and without appointments and very little waiting) for the same problem, I decided to get an MRI even though the doctor was confident he knew what the problem was. He agreed and did not feel threatened; he knew it would just confirm his diagnosis. I was escorted downstairs and got the MRI without having to wait or make an appointment for another day (may have just been lucky that day). It confirmed that, like the doctor said, I did not need surgery.

ASIDE: Ram has someone escort you to each location even if you know where to go.

I later had a foot problem that was responding slowly and, when questioning why, Dr. Tusaphorn said it was a very slow healing problem but added I could get an ultrasound if I wanted to pay for it. I opted for the ultrasound and got it, again without having to wait or come back another day. It, too, confirmed the doctor's diagnosis. I just have trouble accepting that age is making me heal slower that I used to.

I like Ram; I can walk in and see a doctor during the day. Or I can call and make an appointment for a date and time that is convenient for me. I can question and they take the time to answer.

I do not want to go some clinic at 6 pm run by someone after they finish their full time job. I have to take my mother-in-law to those and, even though the doctors are CMU medical schools teaching surgeons, they look like they are simply there to make money; push the patients through as fast as possible, make them buy their drugs from the clinic, don't waste time with talk and lengthy explanations (they subtly resist when I show up and ask probing questions trying to pin them down on the whys and wherefores).

Someone mentioned Suan Dok, the CMU medical school hospital. I also take the MIL there because she get free medical care there. Even when we opt for the paid special services clinic, an appointment may be 9 am Sunday morning with 100 of her closest friends and neighbors. I do not appreciate spending 2-3 hours waiting for a 15 minute visit when there is an appointment.

And because it is an assembly line with so many people scheduled, I find the diagnosis and treatments are superficial in that the approach is step by step, doing the quick easy treatments first. For example, the MIL went in with a new problem. The doctor, a specialist, did not review her record and did not check to see what 10 drugs she takes on a daily basis. "I know what your problem is; take these pills." Next visit: hmmmm, maybe a blood test required. Next visit: next step. The only reason he even takes 15 minutes was because I was asking questions each time.

Nuff said. Many people like Suan Dok. The doctors/surgeons are all on the CMU staff and talented. I just don't like the assembly line approach and having to wait for a 5 or 6 pm clinic to see a specific doctor during the week.

FOOD FOR THOUGH: If you come up here only for treatment, you might save money in the long run by going to Ram and getting treated quickly.

Take the back off. There is a fuse back there.

As Tracyann and Sleepyjohn said, look for a fuse. If you are going to throw it away and buy new, what can it hurt? You don't need to worry about damaqing something you are going to throw away.

All it takes is a screw driver. I had a built-in one back in the U.S. quit on me and didn't even have to take it out of the cabinet. Opened one panel, saw the blown glass fuse, replaced it; it worked for another 7 years. Cost U.S. $0.25, and fuses are even cheaper here.

Wouldn't the beer company supply me with a cooling system and all gas?? a simple set-up and just make sure the lines aren't too long... does anyone have a price for beer Singha, Leo etc...

I went to a house warming where the Chang distributor did exactly that. In fact, they also provided and set up a booth in the yard , provided pitchers with Chang printed on them, and sent a couple of people to run it. I have no idea of the cost involved but it might be no more expensive than having cases of bottled beer. Seemed like a good idea to me.

Just wanted to remind you last minute guys that Valentines Day is quickly approaching, so if you are sending something to the LOS, nows is the time to mail it to make sure it gets there on time. I took the easy way out and sent my love via Western Union... I know she will get it on time

i would love to know what everyone else is getting their sweethearts...

You can look on line and find some local florists that might be cheaper than using a U.S. based one (e.g., Western Union or FTD). I once got an really nice artificial arrangement that got me points for the specific occassion (wasn't valentines) and has made a great table center piece ever since. At my request, they even made a special effort to have it delivered by 8:30 am even though they didn't open until 8:00 am.

With a keg you'd need the pump / refrigeration unit to dispense it also so that would put up the cost. But having draft on tap at home could be worth it. You'd also need a supplier, I haven't ever seen kegs on sale in the booze godowns.

A few cases kept in the 'fridge could be a lot simpler though, and you'd konw how many are left before you run dry.

Let's know if you go for the keg and I'll drop round for a pint myself.

There are also some 5L mini-kegs that require nothing else to tap them but what comes with them. But they are imported beers and, therefore, cost 900-1000 baht. Pricey, but good beer and kind of a nice (fancy) presentation.

Okay, here's the scenario:

.....then told me I had to put the card in an ATM that had 'PIN services' and select 'Unblock PIN,' in order for the PIN to be completely unblocked 'both ends' (......my end - why this is necessary (to unblock it 'my end') ....

I have never heard of "Thailand" blocking a pin; all the expat tales of woe I have heard have been about cards being blocked by their overseas bank and that once that bank reactivates the pin/card transactions go through.

1. Have you tried to use the CC in an ATM to see if your pin was really blocked in Thailand?

and if it was/or you haven't tried....

2. Have you thought about going back to the bank at which this occurred and ask them, since they caused the blockage, to make sure there was no bank blockage?

It is from experience

At the US embassy? Your experience was vastly different from the rest of us, u poor fella.

I have to agree. It sounds as if, Thaihome, you took in the copy but not the original. Therefore, all the consulate/embassy could do is say "Thaihome swore" it was real. They could not compare the copy with the original and make the statement from "personal" observation.

Any ideas where can I buy wi fi head phones for a TV ?

thanks in advance

Ground floor store in the rear of Pantip Plaza sells them for about 350 baht. Plugs into the TV audio out, of course. Both the transmitter and the headphones require 2 AAA batteries. The headphone also pick up FM radio. And the transmitter will work as a room monitor (e.g., using it for a baby monitor if you can stand wearing the headphones all the time).

Only problem I have had is that the provided audio wire was too short and I had add an extension. So if you do buy these, you might want to check the length before you leave.

Searched the forum but can't find the answer to this one; apologies if I missed it.

My pond has a load of dead leaves, and general cr@p at the bottom and I'm looking for someone to get in and clean it all out. .....

Anyone recommend a local cleaning-service? I'm in San Sai if that makes any difference. TIA

Since you said pond vice pool, I assume it is shallow and can be waded in. I also assume it is concrete lined or tiled. It sounds like a simple job that any laborer in your neighborhood could and would do for not very much. Ask a gardner or maid: they most likely know someone who would do it.

That won't clear up the water, though. Have you thought about putting a net or strainer over the drain and draining the pond first? Then it would be easy for you or a worker to clean the bottom without having wade. This might be the best method if the water is too murky to see the bottom. If no drain, maybe a siphon would work?

"I don't think you are going to find this to as easy as you think."

Getting a copy of your passport certified at the US embassy is pretty easy. You complete a from, pay 1200THB, and then swear that the document is true. An embassy official will then stamp and sign the copy as certified.

Are you combining notarizing a signature and certifying a copy? When I had a copy certified as a true copy of an original, I gave the copies to the consulate, they then compared the copies and the documents and did the certification while I waited outside. I made no input as to the validity of the orginal. The consulate just certified the copy was an exact copy of the original, took my money, and I left with "no" conversation.

Now, when I renewed my retirement visa and needed the income statement notarized by the consulate, yes, I swore the info was correct.

I have never, ever, heard of anyone being required to have a passport translated into Thai. It will be interesting to follow this posting and see what subsequently happens.