statman78

I fly domestically every month and never had any issues using my Thai license.

I got my first Thai license while my US license was still valid. Right after that I let my US license expire. When it came time to renew my Thai license I did not have any problems. I’m not sure about the EU but I no trouble renting a car in the US with my Thai license. I could have easily renewed my US license but I wanted to make sure I did not have too many connections to the US. Since I can show my country of residence is Thailand, I do not need to pay US income tax on my retirement income.

The flower festival in Chiang Rai, is in the same location, next to the river. December 25 to January 8. There is another one near walking street but I don’t know the dates. It will be right around the same time but is open longer but it is smaller than the one near the river. my wife and I go every year.

Last week I also got my re-entry permit here in Chiang Rai. Twenty five minutes total, 10 minute drive to Immigration, 5 minutes at immigration, then 10 minute drive back home. I prefer to have it in my passport before getting to the airport. One less thing to do at the airport.

I still read books here in Thailand. I love browsing in the used book shops in Bangkok. I also get some books on my IPad. We just added a room to our house in Chiang Rai and my wife wants to put in a fake fireplace. I already have my recliner and reading lamp set up. We are having a few winter scene prints framed to go above the fake fireplace so it will feel like our old home in northern US without the extreme cold and snow to shovel. ????

I hate to see what immigration looks like when they open all the new gates they just built.

For my last 4 retirement extensions I used the monthly income method. I transferred over 65k baht from my US account to my account here in Thailand. When I do my annual extension at the end of December I’ll have my 12 transfers complete. I’ve never had ant issues with Chiang Rai immigration using this method. For the next extension I am considering putting 800k in the bank. Here are my questions. 1. after this current extension is complete, my next extension will be due 29 January 2024. When do I need to have the 800k in the bank? Is it 2 or 3 months before my application? 2. I plan to get my next extension at the end of December since I can apply 45 days before my current one expires. I do not plan on transferring money to Thailand unless I need it. Is there a minimum balance I need to have in my account from the time I get my current extension and when I need to bring in 800k? I plan to have 100k-200k in my account for unexpected expenses. 3. Does the 800k need to be a foreign transfer? We are trying to sell a farm we have and I would use some of the proceeds to cover the 800k. (If you are interested in buying a nice farm in Chiang Rai send me a message ????)

The book store listed by th3 OP is good. There is another one on Sukhumvit Rd between Soi 26 and 28 that also sells the same type of used books. The place is Dasa Books

I have used the income method for the last 3 years. My embassy (US) does not provide an income verification letter. I get a 1 year bank statement plus I provide a copy of my bank book. To make it easier for them I highlight the monthly transfers. On the bank statement and in my bank book the transactions are noted as foreign transfers.

Last month I did my 90 day report online like I always do. Like the OP I received an email notice that it was received. I usually get an approval notice the next day with a pdf showing the next due date. This time, like the OP, I did not receive the approval notice. After 2 days I logged in and checked status and I could see that it was approved so I downloaded the pdf. There must be a glitch in the system.

Tested at home in April. Was negative on the first day of having symptoms. Tested positive on days 3-7. Symptoms basically gone after day 3. I had a J&J vaccine in The US June 2021. Had 2 Pfizer vaccines here in Thailand, December 2021 and January 2022. Got Covid in April 2022.

When I applied a couple of years ago, the office in Manila did give me a phone call to very some of the information on mt application.

rwill, I’ve been getting social security payments for about 2 years. Like you I receive payment on the 3rd of every month. In the US it’s based on the first letter of your last name. During COVID they did not send out the annual letter to confirm that you are still alive. I received my first one about 2 months ago. It had a couple of questions asking about if I started working again. I had to sign it and have a.witness sign it. It then needs to be returned 5o the US by mail.