almasy1939

3 hours ago, OMGImInPattaya said:

What explanation is needed...presumebly you're referring to long-stayers with visa extensions of one type or another. It means stay at the address you put down on your extension application and/or most recent 90-day report. What's so hard to understand about that.

What if I'm out shopping when the police come knocking on my door ?  What if I want to go visit phuket for a weekend  ?

finally the technicians came to my condo at View Talay 5D, after waiting 3 days without internet.  They had to switch through four pairs of wires at the demarcation point before getting the 50/10 VDSL to work. 

I still only get at best 5/2 to international servers (using speedtest.net to san francisco).   See before and after results below.  With this particular comcast server in SF, the VDSL download speed is actually lower than the ADSL download.  With other servers in SF, I was getting download around 5mpbs.  It all seems to be throttled at 5/2 max.  Local thailand servers check out at better than 50/10  ...  ~54 / 11.5   

Despite lower download speeds, I like that fact that I am getting 2.5x the upload speed, this will help with video calls to the USA.  

I was paying 630 per month for ADSL, now I am paying 750 per month for VDSL.  not a bad bargain, I suppose.   

ADSL speed

VDSL speed

View talay 5D.  Ordered 50/10 VDSL ftom 3bb on august 11th because it was only 100 baht more than the 10/500kbps ADSL I previously had.   

ADSL stopped working Sunday evening August 14.  Plugged in the huawei router and entered the login info.  Nothing, no internet, no DSL light.   Waiting already two days.  Now it is Tuesday august 16.  I have DSL light solid but still no internet.  Call center says I am "in the queue".   How long is this gonna take ?

In the USA, you can buy these porcelain repair kits which use an epoxy that is cured with UV-light, very similar to what dentists use to bond teeth.

Here is an example

http://www.amazon.com/Sink-Bathtub-Shower-Surface-Repair/dp/B009G4ZVNW

Has anyone seen anything like this available in Thailand ? I have a porcelain counter-top that is damaged. Or perhaps you know someone who can do this work ?

Thanks !

I've been reading through a lot of these topics and there is a lot of discussion of the new rules regarding attempts to reset 30-day visa-exempt clocks by crossing land borders. What about at airports ?

I plan to be in Thailand for three weeks, do two weeks in Philippines, then return to Thailand for one week. This is the first time I've been in Thailand for two years. I'll be flying in and out from Suvarnnabhumi. I'll have a departure ticket for the USA to show when I enter Thailand for the second time. Do you think I will be hassled when I enter the second time ?

Good advice, thanks !

I've got a few questions, hoping there are some Americans who have obtained the non O-A visa in New York City. I'm trying to get it all done before arriving in Thailand. Yes, I know it is easier to just get the non-O in the US and convert it to a O-A in Thailand, but I hear there may be a chance of paying lower duty when importing personal belongings if you obtained the O-A visa in your home country.

I'm looking at the requirements here

http://www.thaicgny.com/%E0%B8%A0%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AD-%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A4%E0%B8%A9-english-version/visa/o-a-visas/

I have a Florida driver's license, but I'll be staying in New Jersey. If I apply at the NY consulate, will they tell me I have to go someplace else ? like the Embassy in Washington ?

"Three copies of bank statement showing a deposit at the amount equal to no less than 800,000 Baht, or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly salary of no less than 65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income of no less than 800,000 Baht a year."

I prefer to prove the income because proving the deposit balance can get complicated. What qualifies as such a certificate ? Yes, I know everyone goes to the Embassy in Bangkok and gets a notarized letter, but I'm talking about doing this in the U.S. I'll have a federal pension when I reach age 50.

"Letter of guarantee from the bank (original copy)."

Guarantee of what ?

"Three copies of verification stating that the applicant has no criminal record issued in the country of the applicant’s nationality or residence. Verifications must be less than 3 months old."

I can go to any sherrif's department to get this, but will they accept one from a sherrif's department in New Jersey ? or does it have to match the locality on my driver's license ?

Good advice Hornell

Thanks

I'll be using the pattaya immigration office

I hope to have a long-stay non immigrant O-A when I attempt to buy a car

I own a condo, and I have a tabian ban, as well as a title deed. won't that be good enough to prove my residence ?

Has anyone had any difficulty importing books among your personal belongings ? do you have to submit a list for censor approval ?

I have a large collection of books and I would like to have them with me during my retirement

Ok good info hullygully thanks !

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Is it possible for farang on a long-stay retirement visa to purchase and register and insure a car ?

thanks yankee99, that helps. so $1700 for a 20ft container, I can cope with that. I plan to only ship about 500 - 1000 pounds, much less than a 20ft container. mostly books, clothes, rugs and a few computer items. I'll work with my customs broker.

did you bring in any flat panel TVs ? I was hoping to bring two. One of them I bought in thailand when I worked there previously ! maybe I still have the receipt.

I've attached a document from my customs broker, if anyone is looking for one.

Customs Information for Foreigners with a Retirement type Visa.doc

ok thanks for the info. How bad was the duty you had to pay ?

do you live on soi langsuan in bangkok ? I used to live there.

It could also be that the translation, or the thai language, doesn't lend itself well to the subject and there are details missing. I emailed the customs clinic address at the bottom of the page, maybe they can give a better answer.

I don't understand why you say "nothing free"

The link you provided says ...

Both Thai and non-Thai residents changing residence into Thailand are eligible to bring used/secondhand household effects into Thailand, in reasonable quantities, free of taxes and duties. It is also required that the imported used/ secondhand household effects have been owned, possessed, and used in the country where the importers resided before returning to Thailand to resume residence.

Can you explain ? this seems to contradict what you are saying

You picked one paragraph out of a full page of info; This makes it very clear that you must have a work permit to qualify.

DocumentS

• An Import Declaration (Customs Form No. 99/1);
• A passport;
• Nonresidents are required to submit the following documents:
• The letter issued by the Immigration Department confirming that an annual temporary stay is granted;
• A one-year (or more) work permit issued by the Department of Labor;

Still, I am inclined to think that the english version of this website isn't authoritative on the subject. I have heard of people importing personal belongings duty free to thailand on a retirement visa. Do you have direct firsthand experience trying it and being denied ?

Almasy1939, I don't mean to hijack your thread here but this is a relevant question, I think.

Does anyone have any experience importing items from America under this clause? Any suggestion on an importer that one could use?

Many thanks and thanks again to Almasy1939 for the original question.

Here are some contacts

asian tigers khun kate [email protected] <[email protected]>;

khun mah jvk movers [email protected] <[email protected]>;

I don't understand why you say "nothing free"

The link you provided says ...

Both Thai and non-Thai residents changing residence into Thailand are eligible to bring used/secondhand household effects into Thailand, in reasonable quantities, free of taxes and duties. It is also required that the imported used/ secondhand household effects have been owned, possessed, and used in the country where the importers resided before returning to Thailand to resume residence.

Can you explain ? this seems to contradict what you are saying

I recall once hearing that the retirement visa, non-immigrant O-A, allows you a one-time importation of personal belongings duty free. Is it true ?

Does anyone know more details about this ? What are the limitations/rules/restrictions ?

I've heard that the proof of income method is easier, rather than showing a bank statement with an account balance. After all, that balance is going to get depleted and when you renew the next year, it might not meet the minimum requirement. I've also heard stories that once you start using the bank balance method, there are other rules that apply when you renew in subsequent years that make it a hassle, epsecially if you are relying on non-liquid assets.

The proof of income route, on the otherhand, only requires a letter notarized by your embassy. I'm from the US and I know that the ACS people at the bangkok embassy will notarize anything you put in front of them, they are only verifying the signature is valid, and not whether the contents of the letter are true. In fact, I have been told that many US retirees exaggerate their income to meet the requirement knowing the the embassy is going to notarize it anyway.

I am having the same exact problem with TRUE. I complained to them back in july, the problem seemed to get better for a while, now it is back. keep sending emails to [email protected] to complain about this.

I had this problem with news20.forteinc.com and news.newshosting.com

other people are having this problem it seems, search this forum for "newsgroups"

US citizen, hopefully there are some other amcits on this board that can answer these questions.

I am about to buy a condo in thailand. I will move about 260k to my thai bank account. I need a tor tor sam from the bank to show at the land office, correct ? how do I go about getting one ? just ask the bank ? is this different from the advice of transferral they give me ?

What about in the US ? Do I need to submit some form to the IRS when moving such a large amount overseas ? what if I someday want to repatriate these funds, how do I do that without having to pay tax on them again ?

Hopefully someone out there has done this before and can advise me on how to avoid the pitfalls

thanks