simonphuket

So far I have been using my European funds to invest in crypto currency. Used Bitvavo, easy and quick.

Now looking at investing from Thailand. I have several bank accounts here. Which crypto trader do you recommend? I not want to keep a seperate wallet, keep it with the trader is most convenient.

Thanks Schlog. also link to dailynews.co.th.

That area near the waterfall is not safe, often punks hanging around there.

A lot of police present in the Ao Yon area right now. Seems like a sandbox Swiss tourist lady, travelling alone, was murdered either yesterday or this morning.

Anybody has any news on this?

Phuket open per 1st July, but restaurants&bars cannot sell alcohol until 31 July? How does that make any sense....

Fyi just announced, the alcohol ban for restaurants&bars just extended till 31 July

Actually it's not really dubbed C.36.3 ????

Internationally it is called something different...

11 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You will will just need to have 400k baht in the bank for 2 months or proof of at least 40k baht income proven by getting a affidavit from the Dutch embassy in Bangkok.

How can the Dutch embassy give me a affidavit of 40K income if I worked for a Thai company, paying me in a Thai bank account? Should it not be a statement from the Thai bank, or some letter from my former employer? Unless of course you mean for the months following my job termination?

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

For an extension of stay based upon marriage the required income is 40k baht. The 65k baht is for a retirement extension,

If you are on an extension based upon marriage it would not affect you being able to stay in the country.

Thank you very much Ubonjoe.

I may be able to transfer every month 40K from my Dutch bank account to my own Thai bank account here, so that would keep me out of trouble? 

I had a salary in January and February, so I can quickly arrange March now. 

Actually, in March I cashed a big check  from my employer with severance pay. You think that would cover March payment?

5 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Your Non O expired 5-6 years ago. That gave you permission of stay for 90 days, then each year since you have been extending that permission of stay for 1 year at a time. You cannot extend a Visa.

I take it your a Dutch national and you currently have permission of stay until October 2021.

The financial requirements for a 1 year extension of stay based on marriage are either;                            1). 12 x 40K THB monthly overseas  transfer into a Thai bank account in your sole name.                             2) 400K deposited in a Thai bank in your sole name for 2 months prior to submitting your extension application. Once the application is approved you can withdraw the full amount and spend.             3). As a Dutch national you can also obtain an Income letter from your Embassy. I stand to be corrected but I believe the Dutch can submit an affidavit for the income letter without any proof of finances.

Thank you, great detailed reply.

Actually everybody thank you, you are all very helpful.

Regarding the "financial requirements for a 1 year extension": I have never done any of these 3. My monthly transfers were by a Thai company, not overseas, so that would be option 4?

Having 400K seem to be the most viable option, glad it is not 800K ????

1 hour ago, rumak said:

Since you have had the O visa since BEFORE you were 50 years old than i assume your EXTENSION of STAY  each year was not based on "Retirement" .(was it based on marriage to a Thai ? ) 

If so you would have to apply again on that basis ( or change to retirement reason which is much easier IF you have 800 K baht to park in a Thai bank account) .

Marriage to a thai  ( or retirement)  where one chooses to use the monthly income method is possible but certainly you must EDUCATE yourself as to how that is done so that immig will accept it.         Other factors could also apply if you have an O-A type visa ...etc etc   

 

My Extension of Stay is not based on Retirement, I am working here, not for retirement. 

Initially I had a non-B visa, as this is what most people do when they come here to work. Then when I got married to a Thai, I decided to change my visa to an O-visa. The advantage being that if you have a non-B and lose your job, you immediately lose your right to stay in Thailand. With an O-visa not so much.  This is what I was explained at the time.

Naturally I could go to Immigration, though I doubt if the Thai staff is there for "consultancy" and the foreign staff at Immigration in Phuket seem to hate their job and are not known for their service mind either. Hence I was hoping there would be some knowledgeable forum members here ????

As you answered (thank you) already the required amount of money in the bank account (being 800K), the 2 open questions are:

- If I would be able to arrange 65K to be transferred from EU to my account here, is it permitted that I have had a few months in 2021 without pay, or should it really have been a salary EVERY single month? Note I had a salary in January and February from my employer.

- Legally I am entitled to Social Security Benefit. My HR Department informed me for a max for 200 days at a max of 70% of 15K. So it would be a nice little extra. However.... I do read that should you apply for this, it may effect your visa status, and no longer allow you to stay in the country. I could imagine for non-B visas, but does it effect an O-visa as well? Any info/tips/warnings???

 - What if I start a company, my wife owning 51% and me the remaining, then this would grant me a work permit. The company pays me some form of salary. I know a lot of the diving instructors in Phuket seem to do this way.  I also know that these diving instructors do make a lot less than 65K, mostly around 35-40K monthly. They all have a non-B visa, I could switch mine as well to this type. Would this be a way?

10 minutes ago, rumak said:

Joe has already asked you one question.   The information in your post is not enough to give definitive answers.   For instance you do not even state your age or marital status.  

If Joe is so inclined I am sure he will try to assist............ but a few important details will  need to be added

Ahh., got it.

My Extension of Stay would be based on my marriage to my Thai wife. We have 1 kid. I am 55 yrs. Have been on a non-B visa for about 5-6 years, and a non immigrant O visa for the last 9-10 years.

Not sure what other info is relevant, as said, I am not educated in this field as all was always done by my employer. I will supply any other info that is needed of course, and appreciate all your help.

14 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

If you worked for the amount of years that you did, you should be able to get redundancy pay. Go to the local Labour office for advise. That amount should cover the 400000 THB needed for a marriage extension. 

Goedenmiddag Frits :),

The redundancy pay (severance pay you mean?), not the Social Security benefits, is based upon the number of years you worked for that company. For this particular company I only worked 27 months, so it is not that high. Furthermore they basically refused to pay me, threatening me. The company is owned by a very very influential family "....." and believe me, you do not mess with them. They can have my visa revoked in a split second. Welcome to Thailand. I was lucky to get at least some severance pay after  polite discussions with them, but not that 400K.

15 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

OP what type of extension of stay do you have?

Sorry, the original visa was issued few years back and states "O". Then every year a yearly Extension of Stay. 

Are there different types, and if so, where to find this?

My employer always took care of any visa issues, so as said, I am totally uneducated in this area, even after these years.

Dear all,

Shamefully I have to admit that even though I have lived in Thailand for several years, I am a complete nitwit when it comes to visa matters. I ahve always have a job, non-B visa for the first years, but now the last 10-ish years an O-visa allowing me to work. 

As I had a decent job, I did not have the 400K in my account (or is it 800K nowadays?), but always had  well over 65K monthly salary.

However due to Covid, my contract has not been extended as per 1 March 2021, and it is a very very tough job market currently. My visa needs the yearly renewal in early October 2021. So I fear I have to make sure that by that time, I do not run into any issues.

Several questions, but feel free to add any useful advice.

- How much is nowadays required to be in the bank account upon visa application, and for how long does this amount need to have been there?

- If I would be able to arrange 65K to be transferred from EU to my account here, is it permitted that I have had a few months in 2021 without pay, or should it really have been a salary EVERY single month? Note I had a salary in January and February from my employer.

Not so much related to this, but it may effect my visa status:

- Legally I am entitled to Social Security Benefit. My HR Department informed me for a max for 200 days at a max of 70% of 15K. So it would be a nice little extra. However.... I do read that should you apply for this, it may effect your visa status, and no longer allow you to stay in the country. I could imagine for non-B visas, but does it effect an O-visa as well? Any info/tips/warnings???

So many thanks for your help.

13 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Really? Do you live in Thailand? Because your allegation is at utter variance with what I have experienced in Chiang Mai. And given the low incidence of covid, reality  doesn't really support your contention.

I manage a hotel here and we just had a conference with over 120 participants from all over Thailand, though mainly BKK area, with a big party, top-singers, and nobody was wearing a mask! Most of the hotel guests refuse to wear a mask here. I was in a club in town recently, it was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder and not a mask in sight. 

At the local market nearby, none of the locals wear masks nor gloves, not even in April with the lockdown we had. If lucky the mask is under the chin.

The colleague of my brother in law in Had Yai has been diagnosed with Covid 2 days ago. Waiting for it to appear in the news now. (Mods feel free to cut this if you wish, i cannot provide a link but have first-hand information)

My 4 yr old boy is going to the Kajonkiet in Paklok and he is very very happy there, learns a great deal. Every day he has 2 Thai and one native English teacher. There is a larger Kajonkiet between the Monument and the Thai Watsadu, also catering for your 7 yr old. Have no experience with them however.

Hi,

We, family of 2 + a 4yr old, will be moving from Phuket to Samui, somewhere end of March 2016.

We would be needing a (not too large) bungalow in a quiet area with min. 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living, parking space for the car(s), naturally fully airconditioned. Long term. Our jobs will be in Chaweng, but as we both have a car, we are somewhat flexible. Close to Panyadee or Montessori school would be advantageous.

Thanks,

Simon

Hi,

Unfortunately my cat has scratched the bonnet of my neighbors Fortuner. I guess it will need to be repainted, naturally at my expense .

It is the previous model, in a beige-metallic finish. Anyone can give me an estimate of the financial damage I can expect? Any recommendations for a quality, but not too expensive shop would be appreciated. I live in Phuket, area Heroin Monument.

Many thanks

http://www.numbeo.com/pollution/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Netherlands&city1=Amsterdam&country2=Thailand&city2=Bangkok

Serious question, I think we can all agree that most vehicles here emit more exhaust than in Europe with its strict regulations, catalyst converters and so. Sure many taxis use LPG, but so in Amsterdam. If the research is correct, one can only conclude that all these eco-regulations, eco-tax and what all, are worth nothing, and do not contribute at all to a cleaner environment. Or am I missing something?

So as the list of "Careers Aliens do Not" was complete gibberish, I googled to look for the old list of "forbidden jobs". I then stumbled upon this official government website: http://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/work-permit-thailand.php

Actually this is quite embarrassing too. Just to quote some:

"It wont take a long time for the falangs to grow as numerous as the chillies down the markets of Bangkok." Seriously? This is an official government website?? I suddenly very welcome here in this country.

i have just got a new passport at the dutch embassy, you can keep your passport and they will clip the photo page and any empty page, they will not touch your thai visa pages. than after5-14 days they will mail you your passport by EMS only(bring envelop with 50 baht stamp on it) all very easy, dont forget to download the mailing consent form on their website

rick

Hi Rick,

Thanx or the info. Too bad the link for the Mailing Consent does not work, so I cannot download this. Hopefully they have this form at the Embassy?

cheers,

Simon

Hi all,

My current passport is about to expire and as a result I need to fly to BKK and apply for a new pp. The standard procedure is that during the application process, which takes about 2-3 weeks, they will hold on to my old passport. I assume to transfer some stamps or so to my new pp,. and to invalidate the old pp. After that, I have the choice to fly again to BKK and pick up my old+new pp, or have them send it to me (need to leave an envelope with 50 thb stamp at the embassy).

Some questions: in case I leave my old passport at the embassy, I do not have any valid id anymore. Is this allowed, and can I still fly back?(silly question probably)? I never actually paid much attention if they indeed check my pp on domestic flights, but I recall they do . Would just a copy of my pp be sufficient or can the embassy supply some kind of paper?

As the postal service in my district is 100% guaranteed... never to arrive(!!)..., does anyone know if I can use a more reliable postal service, where I can track the parcel, eg EMS or UPS?

Many thanks for any help

One of my hotel guests mentioned yesterday that she heard 2 bangs on the night from Friday to Saturday somewhere between 1 am and 3 am, seemingly coming from the sky. She did not think of this, until now the authorities are saying that the plane might have changed its course more west... Hmm, should she report this? People always start to hear or see things...