Kevin17

Nope. The child has to be in the UK or Europe. Asia doesn't count. Not fair is it...You work in the Uk and pay your taxes but Poles, Bulgarians etc can make the claim in the Uk and send the money to Eastern Europe.

But I belive that you can clain child tax credits. Poles working in the UK who have kids back in Poland are getting tax credits.

Kevin, Thailand is not in the EU (European Union), nor is it in Europe.

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Maestro

The implication was that they were not getting it because Poland was in the EU. The child does not have to be resident in the UK. I think the OP should go for it.

Poland joined the EU in 2004 but tax credits were introduced in 2003. If the Poles got credits for 2003 then the precident was set.

HELLO

I HAVE JUST HAD A WEE BOY AND AM WORKING IN THE U.K PAYING U.K TAX AND NATIONAL INSURANCE ....DOES THE GOVERMENT PAY OUT CHILD BENIFITS????????? AS I HAVE BEEN LIVING IN THAILAND FOR 4 YEARS COMUTING BACK AND FORTH ... MY PERCEPTION OF THE SITUATION IS THEY SHOULD PAY FOR MY CHILD AS I,M PAYING THERE TAX ...UNTIL HE IS 16 YEARS OLD....ANY INFO MUCH APPRECIATED ...MARTIN CAMPBELL...((email-phone removed)) .............HELP ME AS IF YOU ARE IN THE SAME SITUATION OR WILL BE SOON WE NEED AN ANSWER...!!!!

Nope. The child has to be in the UK or Europe. Asia doesn't count. Not fair is it...You work in the Uk and pay your taxes but Poles, Bulgarians etc can make the claim in the Uk and send the money to Eastern Europe.

But I belive that you can clain child tax credits. Poles working in the UK who have kids back in Poland are getting tax credits.

Yes - it does seem unjust - does anyone know what the reasoning is?

The issue is raised every year with MP's up and down the UK - to date the Treasury has being immovable.

If you have your own house and a younger family member to stay in it (and to discreetly "represent" you) - who's to notice your absense and a monthly standing order from your UK account to your Thai account (to forward pensions and benefits) - any reason why that should be noticed? The problem is really for retirees reliant on social housing (your "absence" is sure to be noticed (and reported) by a nosey neighbour)).

I would have thought that another reason to keep an address in the UK is to maintain entitlement to the NHS. That is lost if you are not resident in the UK. I suppose the down side is that you would still be liable for UK tax.

Housing market meltdown as number of new mortgages plummets by 70%

Home loan approvals slump 70% in a year <LI>Repossessions soar by 300% <LI>Estate agents report dramatic fall in home sales <LI>Ratesetter voted to INCREASE interest rates, BOE minutes show

UK's going to the dogs....for all its faults here in Thailand I for one am very glad to be here.

It looks like the property business in the UK is really heading for a crash. Some are saying its good because it will bring prices down so that the younger people can afford to buy again, but you have to feel sorry for the ones that have bought in the last couple of years using big big mortgages.

Any views?

HL

Another mis-leading heading (or at least premature).

A crash relates to prices ie as in 1990- where prices dropped 30% +

Now we have a correction in the order of 7% - 10% but the credit squeeze, press sensationalism, lack of confidence etc has resulted in buyers going to ground. As long as buyers can tough it out there is no rationale for a crash (remember 1990 we had high unemplyment -3m?- double digit inflation and double digit interest rates).

The OP has probably identified the area that any recover will come - stimulation of the FTB end of the market.

Gordon Brown, where are you

As far as I am concerned prices can't fall far enough. For one the payout to my cheating ex wife will be less and so what if my house isn't worth as much as it used to be. Makes naff all difference at the end of the day. At least my kids will stand half a chance of buying somewhere.

I haven't been for years. Can somebody confirm if this is on at Battersea on Sunday. I can find references on the web but not from an official site.

Duplicate deeds can be obtained, but they'll say the exact same thing (same owners as well) as the original deed, so I'm not sure what you're asking.

There are always two copies of each deed, one kept at the land office and one in the owner's possession. They are identical. There will be more than one copy if their are joint owners, with each owner having the right to have a copy. Again, they are all identical, so it's a non-issue if anyone loses their copy.

When you report a deed lost, you take the subsequent police report to the land department and they'll generate a new deed for you. As with all land department transactions, the time frame will vary, but in my own experience, it's relatively hassle free.

No the issue isn't getting a copy if the deeds are lost, the issue is to stop the co-owner of the land selling the land without authorisation. If they can get a copy of the deeds what is to stop them selling the land. The land is owned by a company.

I thought that I read here that there is a way to stop a joint land owner obtaining duplicate deeds for land by saying that the deeds were lost.

What do you have to do to stop this from happening?

Can somebody expalin land valuations. I gather that the land registry have a notional value for tax purposes but how is a market value arrived at. Is it just a case of putting it on the market with an asking price and seeing if somebody pays it.

Is ther such a thing as land valuations in Thailand?

I checked the DVLA site and I got the impression that she could use the Thai licence. If she became resident she could swap the licemce for a UK one, but she wouln't be allowed to have both.

No harn in gettinf an international one just in case the insurance got funny.

Birth control pills, buy 6 months before she goes (if she's on a visit visa a doc won't prescribe)

ok she is a nurse anyway so she must be well up on what she needs medically. The rice cooker and stuff I have anyway as the ex Thai wife left that sort of stuff behind. Likewise I know where the nearest Wing Yip is.

Not sure about smelly foodstuff, customs in the UK are pretty hot on that sort of stuff nowdays.

I think the upshot is there is probably nothing special that she rally need to bring with her. Her English is very good and she carries a dictionary everywhere she goes anyway. But maybe a few Thai dvds and some music might be useful.

My girlfriend is coming to the UK for 6 months and has asked me what she should bring. What vital piece of equipment would a Thai women need that you can't get or is difficult to get in the UK?

My girlfriend is arriving in two weeks for a 6 month stay in the UK. She is not planning to drive but it might be handy if she has her licence. Can Thais get an International Licence in Thailand or can she use her Thai licence in the UK.

I guess that I need to call the DVLA.

6 months from date of issue, not first time used.

As an aside, how long did you request in your application?

Moss

She sent me a copy of the visa and it as I suspected, valid from 5/6/08 until 5/12/08 and for a duration of 180 days. OK a shade under 6 months but it seems odd that they just don't say 6 months. Just makes calculating the return date a bit of a pain. She wants to return with me when I come out to Thailand on the 18 December so she just has to make sure that she arrives no sooner than 180 days before 18 December.

I am not sure what she said as the departure date on the application, a week or so ahead of the application I think but I think that the minimum duration on the form was 6 months so she just ticked that.

My girlfriend has just got a 6 month tourist visa but I think thta she is misunderstanding the validity. She says that she has to return by the 6 Dec.

As I understand it it it was issued on the 5 June and has to be used by the 5 Dec so she will have a 6 month stay from the date she uses it, ie 20 June to 20 Dec. Am I correct?

I hear about, and know many expats (and tourists) who are bothered by mozzies.

I personally have never had a mozzie bite in my life, and assumed they didn't like me due to my diet/ smoking.

However my brother came to visit from the UK a few months back, and had a different theory. We sat outside the house for a few beers on his first night, and he did get very well munched.

He is in the UK Armed Forces, and has been to pretty much every sh1thole you can imagine. His theory (from vast experience, apparently were they have to throw 'bug bombs' in the toilet before they enter) is that;

Mozzie bite reactions are only down to your physiology. People (99%) have a reaction to the anaesthetic that they inject before sucking your blood. A few lucky ones don't have this reaction, and although bitten just as much don't know about it.

I heard lots of stuff about quinnine years ago, always a good excuse for a G&T, but I have read that this has been disproved.

I only ever drink beer, quite alot but only 2 or 3 times a week. I don't drink spirits, and never drink at home. I smoke, on average, about a pack and a half a day of Marlboro Lights.

I Know a guy who drinks the same as me (although quite alot more), and still has problems with mozzie bites. He eats a similar diet to me, and is not overweight (same-ish to me).

So, any experts out there have an answer? I must admit I would be seriously less inclined to stay here if I was worried about the mozzies all the time.

Sorry for the long post, but this has been on my mind for quite sometime.

Cheers,

SC

I don't know about mosquitos but reaction to the injected chemical to stop clotting is certainly true of flea bites. I had a flat mate who swore blind that the fleas from the cat never bit him where as I came out in big lumps. He was lucky enough not to react to the bites.

Hi,

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, haven't been able to log onto Thaivisa for the last few days for some reason.

You didn't mention you had children! This a whole new ball game if they are under 16 years, or, if they are older and still having education. i.e. college, university. If the children are in your sole care, she will end up paying you maintenance until they leave education. If she is living with another man, they will take into account his income also when they decide what maintenance should be given for the children.

Not sure how long he will hang around if he finds he has to help maintain someone elses children tho'

I suggest now you inform your solicitor of all her assets, place of employment, and include the move in with the new boyfriend, you need proof they are co-habiting i.e. photo's of them together etc.,. When kids are involved, I doubt you will have to inform the CSA because they should already know. However, if they don't know, they should be informed. In most cases the court informs the CSA.

You also need to be well up on things here. If she finds out that she has to maintain the children, she might possibly try for custody so get everything in order first before you and your solicitor make your move. Also, remember that if they are 14 years or over they can stand in the court and state who they would prefer to be with. Up to that age, they are visited by Social Services in their home and asked who they want to live with. They also inspect your home to make sure it is satisfactory for raising children. They also interview you, your wife and the boyfriend and her living abode aswell and it's normally them who decide where the children reside.

Divorce is one court. Custody is a totally different court.

If custody is yours, don't worry about your assets. The children have to live in your home so she should get nowt and if you are raising them on a pension she will have to pay maintenance to you and make sure it's not direct to you. Make sure it's paid through the CSA and then if she defaults at any time, it's not up to you to prove the default, they just go and deal with it themselves. You just recieve the money from them and this is continuous until they leave education. I think it's yearly revised aswell.

So, in reality, if your solicitor is good and you get custody, your assets and pension will be intact with weekly payments on top. She might however retain the 51% asset of your company and that is only because it is Thai and Thai law states a foreigner can only own 49% assets of a company.

Rest easy. Divorce is the easy bit. The custody hearing is what is important because all assets go with the children.

I am not too worried about the custody. My wife has no interest in custody, it will cramp her lifestyle. The oldest child is 12 and definitely wants to stay with me. My wife did make some idle boast about taking the kids if she didn't get what she wanted but I could shoot her down in flames at any custody hearing as she has had minimal involvement in bringing up the kids. I am not sure that her boyfriend would want to children around either.

New condos 1.5 .3.5. if get around 1.5 mill could get around anywhere form 5-10 K per month each when rent out.

That doesn't seem a very good rate of return, even assuming that the rental income is at the top end of the range. Is there a better way of investing in Thailand?

I have need of somebody in the UK who can read Thai and has knowledge of balance sheets. Any recommendations?

Kevin

My Thai girlfriend got her divorce a year ago but is having trouble getting passports for her children. She needs the father's permission to take them out of the country. Is that correct? He has never paid any maintenance and has minimal contact with his kids.

I get the impression that if he thinks that they might go abroad that he will expect a wodge of cash before he will give permission.

It depends on many things as to which way to go with this one.

1. Are you legally married and documents registered at the Embassy?

2. Is your marriage recognised in both UK and Thailand?

3. Did you own your house in the UK before you were married? If so, for how long? This has to do with how much equity she can get from you.

4. How long were you married? This has to do with your pension and what she can reasonably have without making hardship for you.

5. The value of your Thai Business can be put against the value of your house and pension in the UK.

6. Good idea, don't let her know that you realise she has a house and land YET, but make sure your lawyer knows and has the documented proof.

7. Which country will you be divorcing in?

In the UK they will put her house and land up against your house and pension so one should ditto out the other and that then leaves the half share of your Thai business to deal with.

If you are divorcing in Thailand and she had ownership of the house and land before you came along, you can't touch that. But she is also in the same boat where she can only have half share of what you both made together within the period of your marriage, so if you owned your house before she came along, she can't touch that either.

Best of luck.

To answer your questions, the marriage was in the UK and never registered in Thailand (as far as I am aware). She is certainly still miss on her id card. We are divorcing in the UK.

I owned the house for about 18 years before getting married, marriage lasted 12 years. There is £90,000 of equity and £82,000 of pension. The two kids are with me.

Difficult to value the business which would largely be based on land value but I would expect not less than 30 million baht.

Now she thinks she will get 40% of the equity in the house, 50% of the pension then walk off with 51% of the business.

The second mediation session in the UK today failed and the mediator has given notice that he cannot proceed as he can't sort out the Thai business. I haven't mentioned the other assets in her name.

We now go to the UK solicitors.

My trump cards are that she will tell her solicitor that she is unemployed in the UK, but actually working, and has no assets other than the business, which is a porkie pie. She has also moved in with her new English boyfriend and she doesn't realise that I know.

We haven't even mentioned child maintenance that she should be paying me. I am hoping for her to take her share of the business and nothing else then I will forget putting the CSA onto her.

Are there any UK readers there who have gone through a UK divorce. How did you treat the wife's assets in Thailand. My wife wants 40% of the equity of the house in the UK, 50% of the pension, 51% of the Thai business but of course her own house and land in Thailand is not up from grabs because she thinks that I don't know about it.

Somebody did a search at the registry and confirmed that she has a house and land. I am not showing my hand yet as she will change the ownership.

Just wondered if anybody else encountered the same problem and what the view of the uk courts was.

Kevin