JimGant

Verfication of pension from your embassy.

Ok, but of course this only applies if you don't go the 800k in the bank route, which I plan to do 'cause I don't want to have to go to the Embassy/Consulate every year for pension verification. But...

The letter from the embassy is a formality and can be re-used each year if your address has not changed

Thetytim, are you talking about the same pension verification letter as Lop? If so, then maybe a one-time Consulate verification of my pension might be worth the time and money. But you would think Immigration would want verification of a pension that's not too old, like less than a year(?).

As she / you are from BKK try going over the main river bridge heading east and turn left in the evening if you like more Western mix. Turn right to have more Thai.

Are you talking about the Nawarat bridge? Don't you mean head west? If not, what are we looking at here?

(You once said the new Panthip Plaza was 'east' of the Night Bazaar. I found it south on Changklan Road. Is the magnetic declination 90 degrees here? )

Paperwork is about the same - retirement have to have paper from Embassy and medical

Lop,

I'm confused. What 'paper' from what 'Embassy?'

So many variables with all this -- I must have forgotten this one.

it's quite common to see vehicles travelling with lights on during a rain storm...

Yeah, there does seem to be a lot of Royalty on the roads during rainstorms.

For cars, only members of the Royal Family and escorts are allowed.

Is that really the law? I always turn on my car lights when the wipers are moving. And during heavy downpours, taillights are sometimes the only way the guy heading up your exhaust pipe can see you.

What about driving just with parking lights, not headlights, instead?

My bank in the States is Suntrust. They charge me $2 for each ATM transaction here in Thailand. This, I believe, is true for most US banks.

They also charge a 1% foreign currency fee, which is also pretty standard. Most Visa credit card companies also charge this 1%, althought some (like First USA) charge 3%.

To see if your bank is charging a foreign currency fee, compare the rate you get with the Interbank Exchange Rate (Google on BOT, then click on exchange rates).

Your wife should have a Thai passport and that should indicate she is Mrs. and her ID card should also be changed to Mrs. but that can be done here in Thailand.

Unlike US passports, Thai passports DO indicate "Miss" or "Mrs" (at least my wife's does, but it is several years old and possibly "MS" or no status is now the norm). But assuming things haven't changed, if your wife has your Farang last name, a "Miss" could raise eyebrows -- or even require divorce papers to be shown.

Now, having said that, my Thai wife of 25 years kept her Thai name when we married in the States. Ok under US law, but Thai law at that time said you must take your husband's name. Piss on them, we said, as it was too big a pain in the butt to change her name in all her paperwork. Besides, we assumed (rightly or wrongly) that the Thais would honor US marriage law not requiring name change. We didn't even think about buying land then, although not changing her name would have been beneficial under the old Thai law (as Lop points out). Furthermore, she is still today a "Miss" on her Thai ID card and Thai passport, again not for land buying purpose, but because being a "Mrs" can require some extra hurdles in sexist Thailand. When she is required to indicate her marriage, like when 'we' finally bought land in Thailand, she just checks the "Mrs" block and everything goes smoothly (i.e., no questions as to why her ID card says "Miss").

So, having said all that, does anyone see any problems with this? We certainly don't worry about any social stigma, as anyone we care about knows we're married. Plus, when necessary, proving our marriage is readily doable -- and as I said, so far no one has asked why her ID card says single when we're certifiably married.

Maybe this is no longer an issue, as one poster indicates his wife is a "Ms" on her Thai ID and passport. Is this really the case now? Or are there still just two blocks (Miss or Mrs) when applications are filled out? If so, sure would like to hear your learned replies as to which block she should check when it's ID and passport renewal time again.

Thanks.

I have a HP 4 in 1

Kwiz, is that a generic name? If so, what's the brand name?

Thanks.

I'm getting ready to apply for a retirement visa. I talked with someone at the thai counsul in Denver who told me I had to apply with the embassy in DC. I previously got my tourist visa's from LA.

Are you in Denver's area of responsiblity (I ask because you used LA for a previous tourist visa)? If not, maybe that's why Denver referred you to DC. Honorary Consulates, like Denver, are supposed to adhere to territorial guidlines, although not all do. And having said that, it is a lot easier to get a retirement visa (classification: OA) from an Honorary Consulate -- and LA has the reputation as being the hardest place to get one. So, I'd check with your 'local' Honorary Consulate -- and if that's Denver, then phone/email check with consulates elsewhere, like in Texas. You'll probably be surprised by the varying responses (unless Immigration dictates have tightened things up lately). Also, search this forum for similar situations. A chap named Redwood13 had excellent experience getting his OA through an Honorary Consulate.

I'm leaning towards using the LA counsul as my expeirience with them has been positive so far.

Per above, an OA visa is a much harder endeavor with LA than getting a tourist visa. At least it has been historically.

I also noted the LA counsul requests you send your passport while the instructions from the embassy site just resquest a copy of your passport.

To get an OA (or any visa), they'll need your passport to enter the stamps. So, if Embassy just wants a copy, this is just a preliminary step, as they'll eventually need your passport.

As Lopburi says, it may just be easier to do all this after you get to Thailand. Search this forum for a wealth of pros and cons related to the OA route vs. getting in Thailand.

I have an HP Desket 3650. I wonder if anyone has any experience in refilling its inkjet cartridges (or, probably any HP cartridges) with refill kits available here in Thailand. I've looked at "MMC" refill kits, but the instructions are a little vague. E.g., it shows two holes each for blue and yellow -- but only one for magenta? Do I refill into both holes for blue and yellow (i.e., are there two chambers)?

Also, what about quality and staying power of MMC (or any other) refill inks? Do they fade rather rapidly.

Any and all advice appreciated. Thanx.

Back in the late 80's, early 90's, Jitlada restaurant in Los Angeles was "the" place for Thai cuisine. Just ask the current California governor (as well as many other big wigs in the LA area). But the Thai owners sold out in 1997, and returned to his home in Doi Saket. (I gathered all this from the menu, from talking to the very personable husband and wife owners, and from a friend from LA, who remembers Jitlada with fond memories.)

Well, they've recently converted part of their home into a restaurant, and the results are super. The chef from LA's Jitlada also returned to Doi Saket, and is part of this new restaurant. And this is, no doubt, why I've found the food SO good.

It's called "House of Palms," is open for lunch and dinner (except on Wednesdays), has ample parking on the restaurant property, and the prices are reasonable. Probably can only sit 15 couples, but I've never seen it overly crowded. No live music, and long term beer guzzlers are discouraged. Pretty locale amongst a pond and fountain - and of course many palm trees of various description.

Anyway, for those of us out Doi Saket way, this was a long overdue restaurant for good food, and a setting worthy of taking our out-of-town visitors to.

Approaching Doi Saket on the Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai highway, there's a store with a large "IMF" sign. Turn left here and go about 300 yards. Restaurant is on your left, surrounded by solid wall, with a gate you enter, which has "House of Palms" clearly visible (address: 162/6). (If you pass a Honda dealer on your left, you've gone about 50 yards too far past the IMF turn, so it's a double U-turn venture from there.)

I think the upscale Thais have discovered this place, based on the number of expensive cars and ironed hairdo's. But I've also seen a fair share of farangs in the place, most from the local surrounds.

Thanks, Pro.

Guess the wife will have to tell Immigration I live in/rent her place. The law says within 24-hours, but I guess we can fudge that, as my last entry stamp into Thailand was a few weeks ago, and we then stayed in Bangkok with family (was family supposed to inform Immigration of my visit?) Strange law, as they have my address on the TM I filled out upon entry (although there's not enough space for a thorough address). Oh, is there a specific form she fills out to report my address? No info on this per Google.

Getting the drivers license: Info I read says it's located just past Lotus (airport one). Does this check out with you? What am I looking for exactly, and are there any landmarks to give me a headsup as I near it?

Thanks.

A related question:

At the bottom of the TM6 Departure Card, it says:

"...Alien staying over ninety days in Thailand without income must possess a tax clearance certificate from the Revenue Department before leaving Thailand. If not, will not be permitted to leave."

Anyone have a take on this? Does it apply to any and all who extend their 'O' visas?

If you are living in your wife's house, then she should have reported to immigration the last time that you entered the country

You mean even tho' I indicated where I was staying when I entered Thailand, my wife has to also tell Immigration that she's harboring me in 'her' house?

Need to get proof of residency from Thai Immigration in order to get my driver's license. I've seen on this forum that a rental agreement will suffice, but that's not exactly my situation.

I've a 30 year lease on land owned by my wife. Will the land title papers (forgot the Thai word) with my name shown as lessee suffice? Marriage certificate, Thai wife in tow, plus her residency card -- needed, or not?

Thanks. Oh, I'll be doing this in Chiang Mai, if there are any particular quirks involved with this office that I should know about.

Thanx.

I stay in Chiang Mai and I have just made my second extension for the 1 year marriage-visa, and I did'nt have to show ANY evidence of monthly money transfers to my account here in Thailand. I only had to show an embassy verified document that I had the monthly requirements every month from a source outside Thailand.

Whiplash,

Did you have to show proof of having a Thai bank acccount, and if so, were they interested in any particular level of funding?

Capt Krissarat added that proof of guaranteed monthly income paid into a Thai bank account in the applicant’s name could also be used to prove that the applicant was financially sound. In this case the figures are 40,000 baht or 65,000 baht a month, respectively.

Mmmm. My military retirement check is direct deposited into my US bank account --and I'm not even sure I could opt to have it deposited into my Thai bank account, even if I wanted to (I don't think you can direct deposit US Social Security checks into a Thai bank acct(?)).

This seems to be a new interpretation (surprise, surpise), as I thought you only had to show a verified pension payment -- but never saw a requirement that same had to be paid into a Thai bank. But, I'm just doing mental gymnastics, as it seems a lot easier just to ship money to my Thai bank, ensure I have the required amount on hand at renewal time, and use Thai ATM card for daily living. This solves two situations: 1. Don't have to waltz to the US Consulate every year for pension verification. 2. Don't have to pay the 1% foreign exchange fee plus $2 fee everytime I use my US ATM card. And even tho' I pay a $50 wire fee, this works out to only about 1/4% if I wire the full 800k baht amount annually. And some on this forum have even saved wire fees by transfering money via a check/debit card, althought I haven't tried this yet.

Verifying a pension, I guess, would be the way to go if you have alternative investment options with the money that would otherwise be tied up in your Thai bank account. But I've seen on this forum that even if you meet the requirement strictly with a pension, Immigration still wants to see a bank account with some amount of baht in it. Maybe this is no longer true, however.

When I look at the purposes for getting an O, I don't see "to come to Thailand to apply for a one year extension based on retirement because it is so much more trouble to get an OA visa outside Thailand."

If you said that, wouldn't consulates just say, apply for the OA?

Thaiquila,

Excellent point. I'm sure the Consulate in LA, and the Thai Embassy in DC, would not grant an 'O' based on you're being over 50 and aspiring to retire in Thailand. So, you would need to trump up some reason for an 'O', and probably use an honorary consulate as well, in order to get it.

And, the tourist visa converted to 'O' visa is relatively new, and as far as I can tell, only available in Bangkok. So, the avenue to retirement may have a few more bumps than one might think.

My Thai wife and I have joint bank accounts in Thailand and in the States. Our retirement/income checks are direct deposited in our US bank, then what we need (or what Immigration requires) is wired to our Thai bank.

Sounds like something similar could be set up for VGM. The only difference might be that, unlike us, with source income in the States, VGM might have to wire both ways, i.e., earnings from Thailand needed to fill up the account in Holland, then reverse wired to Thai bank to meet the 400k requirement. Just need to have an account in Thailand different from the joint one you'll use to show Immigration, as they might get suspicious seeing both in and out wire transfers.

In any event, Immigration doesn't (AFAIK) investigate source of funds from foreign bank wire origination account.

Paying two wire fees per year may be an irritant. But definitely CHEAPER than having children!

If the dual passport/dual citizenship route makes your friend uncomfortable (even tho' both Thailand and the US recognize dual citizenship), his wife can enter Thailand on her US passport with a 30-day "no visa required" stamp, then go to immigration and get a one year extension based on "Thai nationality." The stamp is 1900 baht, and a reentry stamp, if needed, is 3800 baht.

All this is just like what we farangs go thru for retiree/marriage extensions -- except it's near instantaneous turnaround time: No 'temporary extension, come back in 30-60 days for final approval.' And no medical, financial BS to go thru. At least this was the case with my Thai/US wife in Chiang Mai Immigration. And have heard similar stories from other folks. Thai Immigration takes care of its expat Thai Nationals.

P1P,

His name is Hassan & he & his wife Dolly run Soni Fashion, almost opposite the entrance to Anusarn Market.

(Mention my name & he will know you are a serious local.)

How do we pronounce your name - peeonepee? Or is there some other name we should use?

Walker,

Sounds like you were satisfied with this dentist. Could you furnish his name and location. Thanks.

Jim

Fourth, the “BBA Umrah and Tour Package Finance” service is for Muslims who want to go on pilgrimage trips – “Umrah” – in Saudi Arabia. The bank can provide for the tour package, including the religious service programme, and lend to clients an amount of 80 per cent of the expense – but not more than Bt80,000 each. The money should be paid back in three years

And if the pilgrimage is to Afqhanistan, 100% will be lent. And interest will be paid on a sliding scale, dependent upon how many Infidels are dispatched.

Walker,

Will do. Give us an update on how everything unfolds. Good luck.

Jim

If you can get a multiple entry O-A, do so. Then you won't have to go to Thai Immigration to get an re-entry stamp. Each time you re-enter Thailand, up until the day before your O-A visa expires, you'll get a entry permit good for 365 days. No need to leave Thailand during these 365 days, only report your whereabouts every 90 days to Immigration (in person, by courier, or by mail) if in-country.

Policy for O-A seems to say 'single entry', which means you would then need to get a reentry stamp from Immigration if you wish to travel. In this case, your 365-day clock would NOT be restarted each time you reentered Thailand -- the clock would be started upon your first arrival. Again, single entry O-A is what Embassy websites post as policy. But multiple entry O-A's have been obtained, at least from honorary consulates. (I try not to laugh when I use the word 'policy' and 'Thai Immigration' in the same sentence.)

astral's advice was if you got an 'O' visa (not O-A), then applied for extension in Thailand based on retirement.

As Dutch says, search this forum for more particulars, including possible confusion upon arrival at Don Muang with an O-A.