statman78

I did my retirement extension December 23 in Chiang Rai. I had a map with the coordinated on it but I did not give it to them and they did not ask. Different office, different requirements . I went to my Bangkok Bank branch the morning of the 23rd a had them print out an updated statement which only had transactions through the 22nd. They also updated my bank book with an entry dated the 23rd indicated balance brought forward. I did not need to do a transaction. I also got the bank letter. With regards to the OP point 4 - copies of previous extensions, I provided a copy of all of the used pages of my passport which included a number of previous extensions. The only difference this year was that the IO asked to see my bank passbook. For proof of where I live I provided a copy of my yellow book and pink ID card. I don’t know about other offices but I was able to make an appointment. In Chiang Rai I don’t think very many people do this because I had to ask for the supervisor because everyone else didn’t know that appointments could be made.

We get good service from Thai Post. Our house is in Chiang Rai and we have a condo in Bangkok. I regularly ship things back to Chiang Rai from Bangkok. My wife calls up the local post office in Bangkok and arranges a pickup. They pick up the package for free and within an hour we get a message with a QR code for the cost to ship. As long as everything is paid by mid afternoon the package will arrive in Chiang Rai the next day. We get delivery 7 days a week. I’ve tried other shipping companies but they can take up to 4 days to deliver the package.

Not sure what type of account you have but with my Bangkok Bank account I am able to set a daily transfer limit using the app on my iPhone. I set it as low as 2000 baht and as high as 2,000,000 baht. I can also set a limit for bill payments and international funds transfers.

I have a Bangkok Bank account had had a lot of problems transferring larger amounts because of the facial recognition requirement. My wife told me to blink a couple of times when my face was being scanned. Crazy as it sounds, it works! Now I have no problems with the facial recognition.

I retired from the company that makes Ziploc. In Thailand a use by date is required on almost all consumer products. Depending on type of Ziploc bag it was either produced in the USA or right here in Thailand. I’ve been to the factories here and they meet all of the standards that the US are required to meet.

By traveling early in the year you won’t need to pay for the ETIAS. According to the article it will be implemented sometime next year. https://www.frommers.com/tips/entry-requirements-customs/what-to-know-about-europes-new-entry-requirementand-entry-feecoming-in-2023#

In the past I was also able to do the first report online but earlier this year my first on line 90 day report after entering Thailand was rejected and I needed to report in person. When I did my report the IO told me that this is the policy now. I use the Chiang Rai office.

Thanks for the info. I was flying business class and went through fast track so no machines, just immigration officers. I’ll see if my passport works next week since I’ll be flying out of Bangkok without the ability to use fast track.

Must be hit or miss thing. I left Thailand earlier this month (7 Oct) and did get an exit stamp in my passport.

I usually fly Thai Air domestically and like you I check in online. Sometimes I print out my boarding pass but many times I have it emailed to me and I only have it on my phone. Not sure how this system will work for me but I guess I’ll find out next week when I fly from Chiang Rai to Bangkok since CR airport is on the list.

I was in a similar situation when I arrived in 2018 on a tourist visa and the applied for my non-o while in Thailand. My money was in an account that was opened in 2014 when I spent 13 months working at our office in Bangkok. I did not have any problems getting my non-o.

I’ll believe it when it happens. We are in the flooded area of Chiang Rai but we were very lucky that the flood water never quite reached our house.

It was a while ago for us but we moved our 2 dogs from the US to Thailand on ANA and they did a great job!

Hats off to this gentleman and all of the others who donated their time and resources. We live near the city of Chiang Rai and have seen many instances of people giving away water and food. This includes many Thais and foreigners. Many of us in our subdivision who managed not to get flooded have gone around providing food and water to those who lost everything or are too old to move around. For all of the people who tend to be Thai bashes they should be here witnessing the hundreds upon hundreds of people helping those who have been devastated by the floods.

Thailand is just following what others are doing. As an American if I travel to the EU I will need to pat a 7 Euro fee. if I travel to the UK it will cost me 10 pounds to enter. The 300 baht fee is in line with these fees. The big question is how will they collect the fee. With the EU and UK fees I would need to go online and pay it in advance. I don’t see how Thailand could implement this type of system within the time frame they are considering.

Interesting list. Here in Chiang Rai my list for retirement extension was exactly the same as the OPs list. This new list for 2024 requires a map and a photo. I’ll have those things with me when I go in December.

There was a discussion about this several months ago. I have the same issue. When I make m6 monthly transfer a notice pops up stating something about my bank account settings. It recommends that i delete my account and link back to it again. I have not tried this but another poster did and reported that it worked.

Here is my experience. I am married to a Thai so I could have an extension based on marriage but I opted for retirement. I entered on a tourist visa then obtained my non-o in Thailand. I put 800,000 in the bank and applied for and received my retirement extension. Retirement is less paperwork so in my opinion less work. I then started bringing in 65,000 baht per month so that I would have 12 transfers for my next extension. At the time there were no requirements to keep the 800,000 in the bank for a certain amount of time. We used the money to buy some property. I still use monthly transfers because there is no requirement for me to keep money in my bank account. For my annual extension it takes a few hours to assemble the paperwork and then about 20 minutes at immigration since I am able to make an appointment.

We don’t need any more rain here in Chiang Rai. We live just north of the city, north of the Kok river. This morning due to the high water level all the bridges have been closed. There are a number of people who live near us who are either stranded on the other side of the river or who have kids in school who are stranded.

Someday Thailand may charge for this. Next year as a US citizen I would need to apply for ETIAS on line to enter the EU. The cost will be 7 Euros but at least it will be valid for 3 years. When I go to Australia I also needed to apply on line before arriving. This was free. Like other posters, I wonder how this will work since I am here on a retirement extension and also need to get a reentry permit.

Thanks for the link. Very informative. It looks like my wife should be able to receive survivor benefits. We were married and lived in the US for 9 years. Also, she became a US citizen during that time. Hopefully she doesn’t need to collect survivor benefits for a long time.

I haven’t checked into the requirements but my wife lived in the US for 9 years and became a US citizen. Unfortunately she did not work long enough to qualify for her own benefits even though she paid into the system. I believe that a person needs to pay into the system for 40 quarters.

If I understand you correctly, since I am a US citizen living in Thailand my US Social Security benefits will not be taxed in Thailand. This has always been my understanding and was confirmed by my tax accountant located in Bangkok. However, when I pass away and my Thai wife gets survivor benefits does this mean she would be taxed?

It has always been the case where US Social Security money is not subject to tax in Thailand. This has not changed.

Thailand is the hub of committees that do nothing. I wonder if this new committee is made up of members of the committee that was formed to address the bad air problems. After all, the air is now breathable so they aren’t doing anything until next year’s burning season.