Pib

90 day site working again...with captcha....I logged in twice...guess they got it fixed.

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Which browser you getting that in, Pib?

Chrome and Edge.

Additionally the TM30 website is super slow to open....takes approx 30 seconds to open....normally it opens within a second or two....but it give a captcha.   

I expect Immigration is having server issues on more than one of their systems.

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Thanks for that re the pre-filling method.

 

And also for confirming, that I'm not the only one experiencing "captcha" failure!  🙂

 

TG, I/m seeing the same thing.  The problem is on their end.

2 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

There is one thing I’m rather curious about. Say you own an electrical appliance. Could be a fan, a microwave, a mobile phone or a  golf buggy. Would you leave it in water at a depth that might cover the electronic components in said appliance? And if you do, would you be surprised if said appliance stops working?

 

Even if it wasn’t an electrical appliance, like say, a book. Would you leave your book in a pool of water and then be surprised that the pages might fall out?

I would indeed like to have seen the water around the Seal before the owner moved it to higher ground, took pictures, and posted them.  The owner probably parks it in a location convenient/close to his home/business....maybe can't park in a carport at his home/townhouse/etc....only soi parking....but I'm guessing.

In Bangkok and many locations in Thailand (in the city or rural areas) when it rains the water level on some roads can rise quickly...easily rise to the top (or above) curb level.   I've personally seen in many, many times....no need for pictures, TV news reports, etc.   A curb is typically around 6 inches/150mm in height.   

Heck, here in my own western Bangkok gated moobaan when it rains hard some of the moobaan "main" sois which have curbs around 150mm in height completely fill-up or even overflow a little.   This height of water can hang around for maybe an hour until the pumps in the moobaan drain off the main sois.   But if you are driving to/from your home within the moobaan when this rain happens you just slush thru the water...fortunately the "side" sois the houses are on don't flood as they are about a 250mm above the main sois....but to get to your side soi you first need to drive on the main sois which flood sometimes.

Although as you noted above that LLC distributions can be classified as  "ordinary, passive, or other income" it appears BOI has decided your particular LLC distributions fall in the ordinary/salary income bucket.   Guess it all depends on the details of the LLC distribution since  there are different types of LLC distributions.  

You might want to see if you can find any IRS language/rules that classify your particular LLC distributions as passive income and then go back to BOI with a memo explaining such and ask for reconsideration.

https://carta.com/learn/startups/private-companies/llc/distributions/

8 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

True, but in April that only added 81 vehicles to the EV registrations tally.

I don't think even a Florida style re-count will change that we have a y-o-y drop in May, but more numbers are always welcome and appreciated.

Yea...please continue your spreadsheet....while the numbers are not exact since it's very, very hard to get exact numbers due to how media reports the numbers and how DLT provides public data, your numbers are definitely well inside the ballpark....well inside the infield.  Thanks.

Personally, I don't expect to see vehicle sales, ICE or EV, start to pickup until Oct-Dec.  2024 is going to be a sluggish year.   And I just notice that Suzuki announced today they are closing their auto factory in Thailand in 2025 partly due to sluggish Thailand sales. 

4 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Last month our northern wine conneciour  was all dressed 👗 up and ready to go when he was denied entry at the last step to the Pearly Gate, thanks to 266 EV buyers.

Back on green pasture, in the claim that we will never see 3 consecutive months of falling EV sales, the clock ⏰️ is again ticking down with May's y-o-y drop in registrations. 

 

Keep in mind the May 2024 "registrations" number is pure RY1 per DLT stats....as was the Apr 2024 data was pure RY1.  News media often report more than RY1 like in Apr 2024 where you have 4088 which includes some other categories other than RY1....what low number other categories I couldn't say because it's too much of pain/head-scratcher trying to figure what other categories some news reports use.   

 And when it comes to "sales" data that some websites report (like autolife) god knows how they collect that sales data...best case it's ballpark data which excludes whether the sale finally reached the registration stage or died when the finance company say No to the applicant.

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

To judge it, we need to see how it compares to ICE.  Without that comparative, we could simply be looking at customer confidence dented in making big decisions etc etc

RY1 Private Car for Not More Than 7 People total for May was 45,101 for all types of vehicles (i.e., petrol, diesel, BEV, CNG, etc).   5,274 of the 45,101 was BEV which  works out to 11.7% of total.

Compared to RY1 data for Apr total there was 38,022 of which 4007 were BEV which works out to 10.5%.

This is just RY1 data.  News reports usually throw in a few other categories which have low numbers but the news article all to often fail to say what other categories than RY1 they counted.

Sales/registrations are still sluggish...higher debt, tougher finance requirements, etc.

4 hours ago, Dakhar said:

Has anyone have the same situation as mine?

 

USA citizen

qualifies for LTR (insurance/income/age etc)

 

Except for one issue:

 

I am a LLC member, income is considered "distributions" not "dividends."

 

Is this grounds for disqualification?

 

My tax forms state my distributions are not passive.

For a LTR Pensioner visa I expect it would be considered unearned/passive income which is fine; it just can not be earned income such as salary/wages.

10 hours ago, Galong said:

@Pib Did login.gov accept a Thai address? From what I've read it requires a US address and telephone, that's why I opted for ID.me, which was dead easy to setup. 

I have Google Authenticator on my Thai phone. I'll keep this in mind if somehow ID.me goes on the blink. 

If clicking on the link to Login.gov that SSA displays right at the tail end of your SSA acct login using the SSA User ID login method (the method going away in a few months) that SSA link to Login.gov will have some underlying/hidden/special activation coding that does not require a full-brown Login.gov identity verification/registration.   

You will only need to create the bare bones Login.gov acct consisting of your Email address, a PW you will create, and selection of a method to accomplish two factor authorization (2FA) such as using your phone number, Authentication app such as Google Authenticator or MS Authenticator (whatever authenticator you may want to use), or a couple other 2FA options.... and then closely following the additional instructions where Login.gov will validate your email address and phone number if using the phone number method for two factor authorization.   

No address of any kind required....repeat, no address of any kind required.  You might want to call this a special setup between SSA and Login.gov that will allow people to login to their SSA acct via the Login.gov portal without setting up a full-blown Login.gov acct where Login.gov goes thru a complete identity verification (i.e., ID, address, phone number, etc...etc).

JUST BE SURE TO GO TO THE LOGIN.GOV SITE VIA THE LINK THAT WILL APPEAR AT THE VERY END OF YOUR CURRENT SSA LOGIN....THAT LINK HAS SPECIAL/HIDDEN CODING (HAS AN UNDERLYING ACTIVATION CODE) THAT BASICALLY TELLS LOGIN.GOV TO CREATE A BAREBONES LOGIN.GOV ACCT MINUS ALL THE NORMAL IDENTIFY VERIFICATION SINCE SSA PREVIOUSLY DID AN IDENTIFY VERIFICATION WHEN YOU FIRST OPENED YOUR SSA ACCT YEARS AGO.    

What I recommend is you do a login to your SSA acct using the SSA User ID method that going away....and closely follow the instructions at the tail end of the successful login where SSA give that notice of the SSA User ID method going away in a few months and they recommend you setup a Login.gov login method right now....click on the link that will take you to Login.gov.  Use your Google Authenticator as the chosen 2FA method.  Logging onto SSA this way will "not"  affect your ability to also login via ID.me; it will just create another way of you to login onto your SSA online acct via the Login.gov.   

And I can't be sure now but I think that SSA notice "implied" to at least me that setting up a SSA login via/thru Login.gov is a limited time offer that will disappear once SSA kills-off the SSA User ID login method in a few months.  After that kill-off the special/easy way to create a basic Login.gov for SSA logon purposes will disappear and then a person would need to create a Login.gov acct the normal way...the full blown identity verification way below they could use Login.gov to log onto their SSA acct...or create a new SSA acct.   

Oh yea, for folks who do not have any SSA online acct but want to open one they would need to first do a full-blown Login.gov or ID.Me identify verification before they could create a SSA online acct with whatever address on Earth they use...foreign or U.S.  

Both the wife and I have SSA online accts.   I also have an ID.me acct which I got to access my IRS acct but the wife does not have an ID.me or Login.gov acct.   I was dreading the possibility of trying to walk her thru the ID.me verification process which for me around two years ago also required a video interview and back then I was in the queue for a video interview for around 4 hours...this was years ago.  But it all worked out and I got my ID.Me verification.

Although I did logon once to my SSA acct via ID.me after that I continued to logon to my SSA acct via the SSA User ID method since that's what the SSA website recommends...and the wife used the same SSA User ID method since she didn't have a login.gov or ID.me acct.

But today when logging on to our SSA accts we the see the notice during the tail-end of the logon process that the SSA User ID is going away in a few months with the recommendation to create a login.gov or ID.me acct. 

Now I was hoping (praying) a person would not have to go thru the normal/standard "login.gov" acct creation and full-blown identity verification process, but a much shorter process that includes a quickie/hidden activation process that is already setup by the SSA with login.gov.   That is, follow the SSA instruction/links for setting up a login.gov acct for SSA acct login purposes and other than having to create a basic login.gov acct (i.e., a login.gov user id and password plus a security code verification method such as Authenticator App, acceptable mobile number, etc.) that this quickly/special activation process would allow login to your SSA acct thru the login.gov portal without going thru a full-blown login.gov identity verification process.  And my pray was answered....see below.

You can create a login.gov acct for the purpose of logging into your SSA online acct by following the SSA instructions.  Right at the tail-end of your SSA acct logon via the SSA User ID method you will get the notice about the logon method change to requiring login.gov or ID.me.  At that point click the create login.gov icon which will take you to login.gov where you create a login.gov acct---all you need to create at this point is al login.gov  User ID (i.e., you email address), password and setup a security code method (e.g., authenticator app, mobile number, etc).  For the wife login.gov would not accept the wife's Google Voice number or her DTAC mobile number---login.gov said both were VOIP numbers which are not accepted.   Now her DTAC number is definitely a mobile number but for whatever reason login.gov thinks it's a VOIP number.  So, instead she setup the Authenticator app method (see it up on Microsoft Authenticator and Google Authenticator)....this made login.gov happy.  After a few more clicks she was taken to her SSA acct....was logged right in. 

NOW IT'S IMPORTANT YOU "FOLLOW THE PROVIDED SSA LINKS" TO CREATE A LOGIN.GOV ACCT as this will utilize a special login.gov activation/verification process which will allow you to login to your SSA acct without going thru a full-blown identity verification process with login.gov.  This is the same way the Veteran's Administration (VA) set  things up when several years ago they decided to kill-off their login User IDs and switch to login.gov.  Basically, the SSA and login.gov have setup a special process that allows you to create a login.gov acct for SSA acct logon purposes which utilizes the identify verification that SSA already did on you years back when you first got your SSA online acct.

Now if you don't follow the SSA links that take your to login.gov during that initial login.gov acct creation and instead your just manually open another browser to go to login.gov to create a login.gov acct then the special/quickly login.gov acct creation just for SSA acct access will not workout/would be bypassed....instead, login.gov will want you to do a full-blown identity verification.   

So, right at the tail-in of your SSA acct logon when presented with the notice and chance to create a login.gov acct, follow/click on the SSA link which will take you to the login.gov site. Create a login.gov user id, pw, and security code receipt method and in a few more clicks you will be into your SSA online acct via the login.gov portal.     Then after you log off try logging onto your SSA acct again BUT THIS TIME click the login.gov link, log into login.gov and you are then automatically taken into your SSA online acct.

If you don't have a mobile number that login.gov will accept then setup the Authenticator method....and also recommend you setup a 2nd method of getting the 10 or so Backup Codes which are one time use codes.  Not having an acceptable mobile number does NOT prevent a person from creating a login.gov acct for the purpose of logging onto their SSA online acct as long as the person follows the SSA instructions/links in initially creating the login.gov acct. 

 Both the wife and I setup login.gov acct this evening by following those SSA instructions/links...only took a few minutes.  Gosh, I was so happy SSA has setup a special transition method to create a login.gov acct for SSA acct logon purposes.   

1 hour ago, josephbloggs said:

Back to EVs in Thailand, I just saw my first BYD Seal U on the road. Looked pretty nice, it was all black and very shiny.

Does anyone know the spec or how much they cost? BYD's Thai website is pretty poor, it only has the Atto 3 on there.

https://www.byd.com/en-th

You sure you didn't see a 2024 "black" Atto 3?   For 2024 they dropped the red color and replaced it with black.   I've seen several black Atto 3's on the roads.

Don't use above website...it hasn't been update for years.  Use below which is the website of the sole/official distributor of BYD vehicles in Thailand....it's where the BYD dealerships get all of their BYD cars.  And I didn't think the BYD Seal U had been released yet in Thailand....it's not shown as an available model at below website.

https://www.reverautomotive.com/en/rever-care

Whoops... I made a typo above....meant to say (i.e., not salary/wages income).

18 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

 

Further - I want to make the point again. When does one pay tax?  If one brings money into the country in year 2025, one does NOT pay tax on such in the same year ( 2025 ) when it was brought into Thailand, unless there is a with holding tax. There has been NO announcements of holding tax. So logically, one submits their tax return in year 2026 (for the 2025 money brought into Thailand), at that point in time, the money brought into the country in year 2025 was the PREVIOUS year.

 

 

 

Yeap...that's my understanding also.    When it comes to filing a tax return, say this coming Jan - Mar 2025 (which will be the "current" tax year once 2025 get here) you will be filing that return for the "previous" tax year which would be for Jan-Dec 2024.  So, any funds transferred in 2024 would be tax free on your tax return you file Jan-Mar 2025.

26 minutes ago, Misty said:

 

Today at Chamchuri I asked if they can mail the certificate and was told no, unfortunately at this location you can only pay cash Bt500 and receive on the same day, within an hour.

 

My experience was very much like yours, Pib - super easy. I brought a number of documents just in case, but in the end they only wanted the application, copies of my passport, LTR visa, and arrival stamp,  and the TM30. I paid the Bt500 at Counter 8, submitted the documents at Counter 10, and was told to come back in an hour. I got a coffee downstairs and returned a little early. The certificate was ready about 5 min early.  It was a busy day maybe ahead of the long weekend, 

Thanks Misty.   As I mentioned earlier my memory was about "90%" that Chamchuri only issued residence certificate by paying Bt500 and waiting an hour or so to get it.   Can't have it mailed to you at a lower cost like some immigration offices will do such as CW will do.  With your confirmation I can now upgrade my memory of the situation from 90% to 100%.   😉

14 hours ago, Barry13 said:

To Mike Lister,

 

I tried to use my ATM Bangkok Bank card at 4 different BB machine locations including at the Bangkok Bank with a Bangkok Bank service person watching and witnessed that it would not work. I attempted to withdawal 5000 baht. I also tried to pay a phone bill using the mobile app and online, both would not work. No transfers would work. I receive a direct deposits from the USA Social Security.

To summerize: Bangkok Bank ATM machines, mobile app and online will not allow me to withdawal or transfer any amount. I can only view my account and balance using the app and online.

 

Note;   View gamb00ler's reply

@Barry13

Two questions:  1) How long have you had this account?  2) Have you ever been able to use your debit card and/or mbanking/ibanking app to transfer money "out of" this acct?