Crash999

We are in the process of moving to Hong Kong and have around 6 cartons of product to send over but have run into some issues.

DHL wants us to itemize and assign value to every item in the shipment which is hundreds of items when including the small plastic toys for our daughter. In addition for stuff like shoes they want us to provide proof that the shoes are real and provide receipts. Apparently this isn't for HK customs but for Thai customs.

No idea how I'm going to prove that my 5 year-old Nike shoes are real yet alone somehow get a receipt for them. It's a non-starter a source of stress as we are supposed to fly out this week and if our stuff is stuck here it'll be a disaster.

In the past I've been able to send boxes of stuff to relatives overseas just writing "gifts" in the description and adding a value. Not sure why this time is any different, except maybe the amount of cartons being 6 instead of 1. 

We are going to check with FedEx and a moving company to see if there's any better way to send personal effects.

Do any of you have experience dealing with this sort of issue? 

Cheers!

Maybe he should turn on the TV as several local programs and game shows are using these face shields only. 

Thailand You Trust sounds like an insurance company slogan rather than a vacation destination. 

On 4/24/2020 at 10:02 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

How much are these little cars in Thailand?

 

You could get into an Elise for 1.8-1.9m. Probably less as it's difficult to sell expensive manual transmission cars here.

I had an Elise and Exige here. Only thing reliable was the engine. All the other bits routinely fell off. I once delivered the Exige to the dealer with a list of 6 things to repair. When I came to pick it up 3 were repaired, 3 forgotten, and there were 2 new problems- the more serious one being the trunk release wasn't working. Oops.

Very fun cars though. I do miss driving them. Sometimes. Best part was that after upgrading the brake fluid and brake pads they could be happy track cars all day long. The driver would get tired long before the car.

Is that sodium hydroxide in your pocket or are you happy to see me?

29 minutes ago, zydeco said:

This doesn't let him off the hook with the IRS.

The laws may have changed but in the past one couldn't renounce unless taxes were all squared. 

Something tells me there is a bit more to this story than what the wife is letting on. 
 

Especially the part about having bought the bar from the neighbor. 

On 2/20/2020 at 7:54 PM, fulhamster said:

My wife received a letter from the local council with an attachment showing details of our house (in her name) including area and the structural materials (concrete)

A call to the council confirmed that she only need respond if any of the details are incorrect, however all looks in order.

The house is probably worth 3 - 3.5m, so am I safe to think that she would not be liable for tax ?

 

Just to complicate matters, she also has her name as minority shareholder on a couple of friend's (farang) company structures for houses worth about 2 and 3 million.

Would these be added to her records ??

I’ve been digging into this a bit. That letter as you said only is to confirm details. If all correct then no need to respond. 
 

Around April or May they said another letter will be issued that will say how much she needs to pay. 
 

If that is the only property in her name then she shouldn’t need to pay. 
 

There is a phone number at the bottom of the first letter she received that she can call to ask questions. They were very helpful but only speak Thai. 

My Thai father-in-law was a guarantor on a loan several years back. I don’t have all details but the story is that the debtor died. His wife received an insurance payout and spent it, or at least says she spent it. 
 

Now the company who issued the loan is going after my father-in-law, having called him to tell him he must adopt the debt and sending people to his house to take pictures of the house and car. 
 

Does anyone know what the guarantor obligations are here? I found an article saying that the law changed a few years ago to ban any debt provision that gave the guarantor equal obligation to the debtor. But aside from that I can’t find any specifics. 
 

Thank you. 

Thanks Britman. Do you have a source for that? My wife had received papers from the government saying that her property was eligible even though it is only worth 3m. The letter was dated November so I’m not sure if things have changed since then as I read there have been changes a few times already. 

My wife received through the mail this morning a guideline to the 2020 property tax. It was dated November and said she had two weeks to respond if any questions. Oops.

She and I have been trying to read up on the new law in English and in Thai today and haven't had much luck figuring out for certain what applies to our situations:

a) Her parents bought a house in Rayong worth about 3m Baht to use when they retire soon. They put it in my wife's name. This was about five years ago. My wife's mother is on the tabien baan, my wife is on the tabien baan at our condo in Bangkok. From what we read it seems that because my wife is not on the tabien baan of the Rayong house she will have to pay tax, which we found two rates- 0.2% or 0.3% per year per different articles we read. Also a possible increase after two years.

Rather than paying this tax my wife would prefer to transfer the property to her parents, maybe the mom as she is on the tabien baan. But then we may need to pay property tax on the value of 3% (4%?) based on an assessed value so it seems a 10-year or more break-even on that.

b) We moved last year to our current condo from a smaller one worth around 7m Baht. The smaller one was initially up for sale until my father decided he would move here in July this year so we took it off the market and kept it for him. Now the property is vacant. He will eventually get a non-O and I guess be put on the tabien baan of that condo. As I'm the owner and that's a second property it seems I'll have to pay tax on that condo too.

Is our understanding correct? It has come as a bit of a shock as we are not deriving any income from these properties and it seems we may need to start paying THB30k or more per year in addition to the common area fees, maintenance etc. Property ownership is starting to seem even less attractive than before here.

Thank you!

Look for a used Benz A43 AMG. 2-litre turbo making 360hp.

3 hours ago, FTB said:

 

Thanks.  Yes I've already joined some of the marque specific FB groups.  Decent for pictures of the cars and vehicles for sale.  I was just looking for more tech, sources for services, parts, knowledge etc.  Thanks for the tip.

What sort of sports cars are you looking for? The situation regarding service, parts, etc is quite different from brand to brand.

I've owned a few sports cars here in Thailand. Biggest challenge is finding a reputable garage and getting parts when needed if you have something that isn't common in Thailand. Stay away from grey market cars unless you really know what you're doing.

It depends on the model and asking price. Overall having owned both in Thailand I prefer Mercedes. The dealer network is a bit stronger, service seems to be better (though I may be biased as I had constant issues with my BMW's brakes), and it has a better image. It used to be that Benz weren't very good to drive but that isn't true anymore.

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If you are on an extension of based upon working for a company your father can get the extension Maestro and I mentioned earlier.

I assume you wife and other family members are probably on the same extension he would qualify for as a member of your family.

He first would need a non-o visa that he should be able to get at a embassy or consulate with proof you are here on an extension of stay.

He could also enter visa exempt or a tourist visa and change a 90 day non immigrant visa entry at immigration. See: https://division1.immigration.go.th/download/1551323256580.pdf

If you were to leave the country and he wants to remain here he could change the reason for his extension to one based upon retirement without needing a new visa.

Thanks for the additional info and the link. 
 

It would be much easier if he could enter on a visa exempt status as that saves him multiple 4-hour trips to the nearest Thai embassy. Then it seems he needs to change to the 90-day non immigrant visa rather quickly. From there what's the process to make that one year? This is also an "O" visa is that right? 

Do you know of any reliable agents who can hand-hold someone through the process at immigration? Googling it results in quite a few options.

Thoughts? The Majesty looks interesting. New model, looks nice in person, and a good value compared with the Alphard. Overall seems to be a level up on the H1 and Grand Carnival in terms of comfort and features.

Downside is the Majesty is enormous. During the week we have a driver but on the weekend I drive us around. Also it's based on a Hiace whereas the Alphard is based on a Camry, so in theory the Alphard should be a better ride.

We are three adults, one kid, and a driver. From time to time there would be two more adults (if there's space).

Will check them out this weekend.

Benz Lumpini service is quite good. I moved there after a ridiculous episode on Rama 3 where they told us the reason our car's radio kept moving from one radio station to the next is because it is German. As if Germans can only listen to music in 10-second intervals.

Lumpini said it's a known issue and they reflashed the entertainment system and it was fixed in an our. I ended up buying my next car there and have been servicing it there too. Only negative is their service department can get extremely busy.

20 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

What is your own status of permission to stay in Thailand? I am asking because if you are on a one-year extension of stay and depending on the reason for that extension, your father might be able to get a so-called dependent extension, without any compulsory Thai insurance.

That's a very good thought and could simplify things a lot given no financial requirement. I'm on a B-visa and uhh... I guess an annual extension. To be honest I never gave too much thought about my own visa status as our company employs someone to tell me where to go at Chaeng Wattana and what to do. I should have paid more attention.

If he could be a dependent then that would be an interesting alternative. Only drawback is if I were to go elsewhere in the region for work for a year or two then he'd have to get another visa, though I suppose we could cross that bridge when we come to it.