JimGant

Duckhook, huh?

Can't recall any courses in CM with all dogleg left fairways.....

I know it works with Bangkok Bank if you use the Thailand branch account number and the New York branch routing number. I'm the manager of a Social Security Office and I've set this up for several beneficiaries.

Mike,

Great info to know! This, then, should work for any type of direct deposit, plus the mechanics are in place for electronic fund transfers from any US bank account into your Thai Bangkok Bank branch account via New York.

I wonder what the catch is, however, since many on this forum would love to be able to avoid the wire transfer fee ($50 in my case) when sending money from a Stateside bank to Thailand. If all this could become transparent using Bangkok Bank New York, great!

Any additional info you can add? What about conversion to baht (interbank exchange rate, telex rate, etc.)?

Thanx.

That's interesting considering retired military pay will be the financial basis of my stay. You said this was an extension--did you get your original visa without a Thai bank statement? And if you don't mind saying, how do you receive your retirement pay?

Dave,

I think the Chief got his first year via the O-A route, so his extension is the first time financial requirements within Thailand needed to be met.

Nice to know all's we need to do is wave our Embassy-certified retirement printouts at Immigration. Of course, the way the dollar's going, soon only flag officers will qualify.

If you're thinking about direct deposit of your retirement check into a Thai bank, I don't think DFAS (like Social Security) will allow it. But I don't know for sure, so I too would be interested in a definitive answer.

Houston told me that the whole package has to go to the Embassy in DC and then on to Bangkok via pouch. Sounds like weeks in my case.

I Fed-Exed the documents to Houston on a Wednesday, they received and processed them the next day, and I received my 1 year, multi entry O-A retirement visa on Friday.

Inconsistencies between Consulates is one thing -- now it looks like they occur between desks..... Pouch to Bangkok sounds like the old days, however.

Multi-entry O-A's would seem to be worth the extra $75, if you can get one, unless you don't plan to travel away from Thailand. With a single entry O-A, you'll need to visit Immigration for a multi-entry stamp, which costs about $100 (3800bt). But no need to see Immigration for a whole year with an upfront multi-entry O-A. Plus, as Redwood 13 found out, every time he reentered Thailand on his multi-entry O-A, his 360-day clock restarted (although the subsequent entry stamps -- and correct policy - probably should have reflected the initial 'admitted until' date). But others have found that Immigration's confusion over the little-seen O-A visas has resulted in a 90-day stamp, not the 360-day one. So, be prepared to call over a more senior Immigration officer upon initial entry with your O-A..

Lop,

But if you are away often you could lose what is in your refrigerator in the case of a trip.

That's what I'm worried about -- nothing like returning to a month's worth of spoiled meat.

But if we're away from the house -- and therefore not worried about shocks -- can we easily disable the safe-t-cut, i.e., remove it from the circuitry (preferably by switch action)?

Lop,

Re: Safe-t-cut. When there's a power outage, and then the power's restored, do you have to reset the Safe-t-cut? I was led to believe this, so haven't installed one, as I'm away alot and not availbable for resets.

Also, are there Safe-t-cuts, or similar GFI-type devices, that I can mount at my breaker box only for the circuits going to my hot water heaters?

Thanx.

Thank you for your interest in Windows Update

Windows Update is the online extension of Windows that helps you get the most out of your computer.

You need to be running a version of Internet Explorer 5 or higher in order to use Windows Update.

I guess you need to be running IE to get your updates. The above quote is what you get when you use Firefox and try to open "windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ "

Harpman,

I think Mike may have it greased already to get an O-A via Houston. Far superior than dealing with the RTE in Washington.

Believe Portland, as Mike said, got confused 'cause he doesn't live in the States. And I seem to recall that some folks from California have used Portland (when the RTE webpage says they "should" use LA). So, the situation is fluid. Plus, with all these honorary consulates having published email addresses (see Udon's link), it only makes sense to 'ask' one or several before automatically using the overly bureaucratic MFA structure (e.g., LA,Chicago, DC).

From the Thai Embassy, Washington site.

          o Applicants residing in CA, AK, AZ, ID, NV, OR, UT and WA should send their application forms to the Royal Thai Consulate-General, Los Angeles.

          o Applicants residing in CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI and VT should send their application forms to the Royal Thai Consulate-General, New York.

          o Applicants residing in IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD and WI should send their applications forms to the Royal Thai Consulate-General, Chicago.

          o In addition to applying at above addresses, applicants who are not holders of Re- Entry Permit or from People's Republic of China, the Middle East countries and the socialist countries can also obtain their visas at the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas (Dallas), Texas (El Paso), Texas (Houston)and Dominican Republic

          o Applicants not residing in the states mentioned above can apply at the Consular Office, Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C.

A bit confusing -- and not really worded "you must," thus allowing for liberal interpretation by the honorary consulates, at least historically.

Mmmm. There's always been an official decree about which consulate you can apply to, depending on your address. But it never seemed to be enforced. Possibly you being in the Trust Territories threw Portland a curve -- Houston didn't seem to mind, however. Strange.

I guess Houston is your avenue.

Again, let us know how it works out. Many here taking notes.

Best of luck.

Hafa Dai

Mike,

You may just be a victim of changing circumstances, including tightening-up at honorary consulates.

A few years ago, O-A applications had to be approved by Bangkok, but that changed. Now it would appear the worm has turned, at least for honorary consulates (but why the RTE in Washington couldn't approve it, I don't know -- unless they too now have to get Bangkok approval(?)).

Trying to obtain a NonImm 'O' for the purposes of retirement is a valid reason on some Thai Embassy/Consulate websites. But I've never heard of anyone actually getting one with this purpose -- I really think it's a misprint alluding to getting an 'O-A,' not an 'O' visa. It may have happened -- but so too have applications to study 'Thai culture.' But this has happened primarily at honorary consulates. And I think the word may be out to throttle-back these easy outlets. And I'm sure we haven't done ourselves any favors by advocating these 'easy' consulates here on this forum. C'est la vie.

And your recent dialogue with Houston seems to confirm things are tightening up. A few weeks back, this forum advised 'Tex' to apply to Houston for a NonImm 'O' in order to retire in Thailand. He did, and Houston told him to get a tourist visa, then convert in Thailand to an 'O' for retirement purposes. Whether he could have gotten an 'O' to study Thai culture, I don't know. But I doubt it. The honorary consulates have gotten some new guidance.

You've got time to get your O-A, so that seems the way to go. My only advice would be to find out what they require in the way of 'notarized.' The Thais use this word as a synonym for 'offically certified,' while in the US, of course, it means signature witness. But it's not too practical to have your doctor and local police chief sign your medical and police forms in front of a notary public. But having you sign in front of a notary, certifying the above is true and correct, might suffice (as some poster on this forum alluded to awhile back).

Also, in times past, Portland's honorary consulate didn't require notarization. Have you heard from them yet? If not, maybe they're digesting the new guidance.

Anyway, some strange goings-on lately, 6-month NonImm 'O' multi entries being one of them (my case in another thread).

Good luck, and keep us updated (including whether or not Portland responds).

You will have cars and bikes coming headon at you on the wrong side of the street, at nihgt with no lights, be ready for it always have an escape plan, sometimes you just can't stop fast enough.

Getting used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road was one thing. But the first time out on the highway, on the left shoulder, approaching an oncoming motorbike, I ran out of ideas. Fortunately, I slowed down enough to figure out you pass to the right in this situation -- usually. On narrow country roads, sometimes it's hard to figure out if the motorbike approaching in the middle of the road will pass 'wrong way' or 'right way.' Keeps things interesting.

Oh, is there anything on the market in Thailand for instant tire repair, i.e., portable can that will fill and repair (with gunk) your tire? Some of the spots I've explored are really in the sticks, where a tire puncture would ruin the week, let alone the day.

Phantom 150. No problems, and with adjustable rear suspension, nice ride. Good bike for an old man.

Trying to find out how Chiang Mai Immigration handles extension of stay based on retirement.

For initial applications for extension, has anyone been able to do this during the first 30-days of their entry permit? (Supposedly you're not supposed to apply until the last 30 days of your 90 day entry; but exceptions in Bangkok have been noted on this forum.)

Have you gotten the extension the same day? If not, what has the turnaround time been?

Have you needed both evidence of 800k in the bank AND proof of income -- or would one or the other suffice?

Thanks.

Dunno. But the doc said that the huge leg I'm hopping on has something called a chancre(?).

That extension has never required a medical certificate as you have valid reason for being here (support of wife) regardless of your condition. biggrin.gif

Good news. Being eligible for both married and retirement extensions, I was afraid my elephantitis and leprosy might screw things up. But now I'll just go to Immigration with my wife, hopping in on my one remaining, albeit huge, leg.

no ATM in Thailand can provide $1,000.

Is that per session?

I've never asked for more than 20000 baht (around $515 now), as somewhere in the back of my mind this was the per session limit with Thai ATM machines. Does this sound right?

Also, with a daily limit on my US checking acct of $1000, I assume I could resubmit immediately after the initial transaction session to get the remaining amount of baht not-to-exceed my $1000 equivalent limit. Can do?

Never needed to, but would be nice backpocket info to have.

and of course famous quotes from Rabbie Burns...

Kosher thing, huh?

Roger, thanks for your report. Sounds like your experience is what others (particularly Lopburi) have posted, namely, for first time application for retirement extension, letter from embasssy plus bank letter usually needed; then, either/or for renewal (fellow in Chiang Mai didn't need the embassy letter for initial ).

A couple more questions.......

Presumably, the US Embassy letter is in English(?). Obviously, whatever language it's written in works. But just curious, as some Thai sites state all documents need to be in Thai.

For your initial extension, did you apply during the last 30 days of your 90-day entry stamp? If so, any feeling for whether or not you could have done so earlier?

And, for your initial application, was this also a same-day turnaround? (It appears for extensions for marriage, initial applicants get a temporary stamp and are told to come back in 30-40 days -- just wonder if retirement extensions are handled differently.)

Thanks again for your time.

As for 'no photocopies', had this year first time same experience.

Does this mean no filled-in PDF forms using Acrobat?

Also read somewhere that 'digital camera' photos aren't allowed(?).

Should I invest in Parker pens and Brownie cameras?

Thanks Axel.

This may be the answer to those who need multi entry but make it hard to abuse by those not meeting extension requirements (due to more frequent need/cost for visa). Time will tell. Maybe. huh.gif

Yeah, but you might recall from another thread that my situation requires stays of less than 90 days due to an ancient mother. And although I meet all the requirements for an extension based on either marriage or retirement, the fact that I may not be in Thailand the same time(s) each year could preclude renewing this extension if I'm not there for the anniversary date.

Here's the quote from the Embassy web page:

Visa has a 3 month validity and, as a result, must be utilized within 3 months as from the date of issue (more than 3 month up to 1 year validity of visa may be granted on a case by case basis, if more than one or multiple entries visa is issued.)

So, I guess they're hanging their hat on the "case by case basis." This webpage was last updated April 2004, so this isn't anything really new.

Well, that's life. Will see what happens in June. If I get another 6 monther, may just go for the extension -- and hope I can be there every year at the same time for renewal.

Oh, if my first extension is, say, dated from 5 Jan 2005, if I renewed this extension the following year 30 days ahead of expiration, as allowed, would the new extension still be dated from Jan 5 -- or would it start from the Dec date when I applied for renewal?

Lingling, did you also apply in tanktop, lip piercing, and unshaven? Maybe we goofed.

Sounds as if it as they say 'new policy'. What is the basis of your O visa? Believe many Consulates have a no multi entry O visa policy or had it for various periods. There has been a strong push to get people to extend stay rather than use multi entry visa and this may be part of that plan.

Basis of 'O' visa is marriage. This is the fifth 'O' visa in subsequent years, each with the same paperwork submitted (marriage license, Thai ID card, application requesting multiple entry 'O'). The first year, the visa was also for only 6 months. The next three were for the normal 1-year; and now, back to 6-months.

So, this is not something sudden, as they've done it (to me, at least) in years past.

Anyways, just another quirk I thought I'd share. (But still curious about others getting 'O' visas at RTE Wash DC.)

Just picked up my passport from the Thai Embassy in Wash DC. Instead of getting the normal 1-year NonImm 'O,' they gave me only 6 months. They said it wasn't personal, that this is the current policy.

This happened a few years ago, but then all subsequent NonImm 'O' visas were for one year -- until now. No indication this was to happen when I submitted my application, the related marriage paperwork, and of course the $125. So, it looks like my annual visa tab will be $250.

Anyone else experience this 6-month NonImm 'O' visa? Where and when?

Date of issue: 2 Dec 04

Date of expiry: 1 Jun 05

to counter this boening have designed the 747 to be able to land 45 degrees to the runway

The 747 does not have a stearable undercarriage to accomodate crosswind landings. But the Boeing B-52 does, and it works quite nicely. But you do have to remember to remove the undercarriage crab angle after you land. If not, it makes for some erratic taxiing (as more than one young Air Force pilot found out the hard way).

Your links to pictures of Kai Tak tell more about why they needed a new airport than why the 747 has landing problems. That laundry-picking approach was almost all right-hand turn to final, not giving enough time to adequately adjust for high cross-winds (or so I've been told). And not having any nearby alternates probably caused some to press-on when they shouldn't have.

But they sure were fun to watch from the ground.

"No grace period beyond, but apply for extension in advance (up to one month before expiry)"

Ok, one month before. Good to know.

What I'm considering, then, is to come later in Jan than normal -- around Jan 20th. I always come to Thailand in Jan -- finest month of the year there -- but it has been usually the first week.

Soon after Jan 20th, I'll try to get a retirement extension. Yes, I know, you usually have to wait until the last 30 days of your 90-day stay permit to apply. But some on this forum have gotten it a lot quicker, particularly if they're extending for 'retirement,' not 'support,' purposes. If they tell me to come back after day 60 of my entry permit, well, I will -- only I may have only about 10 days or so to wait before I have to head Stateside. Presumably they'll know how long the 'under consideration' period will be, so that if it is prohibitive, I can just exit Immigration without paying anything. Oh, related to that, do you pay for the extension (1900 baht) upon application -- or when you come back to pick it up? What about the multiple reentry permit (3800 baht) -- application time, or pickup time?

Anyway, by coming later in Jan this coming year, I'll set myself up to return earlier in subsequent years -- and thus back on my normal schedule -- in order to renew my visa extension. [but if they plan to give me a 60-day 'under consideration' stamp (unless I can get it in my first, not last, 30 days of entry permit), then I'll blow it off and return to what I've been doing.]

Critique?