mark5335

I'm still receiving mail from Australia. Yesterday I received a greeting card from Sydney that took 4 weeks to arrive; but today I received a small parcel from Sydney that only took 2 weeks to arrive in BKK (using Australia Post).

Coupon rate 3.1% p.a.

Min subscription: 1,000 baht with max of 50MB

Duration: 30 months

Apparently the interest coupon is quarterly compounding. 

There's some info here:

For diagnosis:

https://www.manarom.com/child_eng.html

For activities, support groups:

https://www.bkkkids.com/blog/care-education-children-autism/

The Australian Embassy in BKK no longer issues letters confirming your Thai address and Bangkok Immigration won't do it unless your 90 day reporting is up to date.

For your Thai DL, there's a grace period of 12 months to renew an expired license, so if you still have a week or 2 window to renew before the 365 days lapses, then you can use your Yellow Tabien Baan for confirmation of your address at most DLT's, some branches do not accept them but I know from my own experience that both DLT Bangchak accepts the yellow book. Bear in mind that there is a 3 month waiting list for foreigners at Bangchak, so looks like you're going to have to get to DLT Chatuchak very early in order to get it done.

Similarly to yourself my Thai DL had expired in Jan 2021, and due to lock-downs and closure of DLT's, I was faced with the prospect of being unable to renew by this month, given that the DLT Bangchak issued me with a queue number for 2 weeks after my 365 day grace period expired. So I drove to DLT Cha-am (as I was passing by there at the time) and got the DL renewed painlessly there a few months ago with my Yellow Book with BKK address.

As a side note, it's strange that the Thai Embassy in Australia issued you with a Non B instead of a Non O visa, given that the documents required to get a Non B are more complex and not as common as with a Non O visa application.

2 hours ago, ecline said:

I just tested positive with the Omicron variant. I must have imported it from the USA as my wife and I just returned from there last week. I am in home isolation for 10 days and my wife has been told also to self quarantine for 14 days. We are both double-vaxxed. Vaccination status is irrelevant. The quarantine is mandatory and there are consequences if you don't abide by their rules. At some point they will come to your home with paperwork for you to fill out.

 

Also, after testing positive, I tested myself three times with the drug-store ATK tests. All of them showed negative. Now that could mean I had a false-positive PCR test. But the US FDA announced last month that the home ATK tests may not show a positive result for people infected with the Omicron variant. I have no idea if that is the case or not, but my three tests all showed negative and two PCR tests show me as positive. FWIW.

Aside from the testing etc, how do you feel....fever, sore throat, aches? Anyway, hope you recover quickly, another double-vaxed chap I know got over it in less than 5 days with just a sore throat.

17 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Just renewed mine, Chaiyaphum.

 

Had to do brake test and colour.

I renewed mine a couple of months ago in Cha-am (although I'm not registered there with Immigration). 

I was relieved that only the colour and brake tests were required, as I had struggled with the peripheral vision test in the past due to having to wear spectacles.

Nearly all the major bank ATMs in Bangkok have Union Pay capability. You will see the Union Pay logo on the ATMs alongside the Visa and MasterCard logo's.

A recent google reviewer indicates that there's no more ATM's at the head office building in Rama 4.

On 12/22/2021 at 9:38 AM, Awe47 said:

Does anyone have any information regarding opening of DLT for Driving License renewal beyond Dec31 2021 ?

The DLT's are already open. You're supposed to make an online booking to do your renewal, however, that's easier said than done. The Bangchak branch in Sukhumvit have a 3 month waiting list for foreigners and they don't accept the online bookings, they prefer you physically visit them to make the booking. The Chatuchak branch accept 20 foreigner slots per day on a first in first served basis, which means you need to be there by 6:30am to join the queue. In contrast at some provincial branches you do the online video/test, then make a booking online a couple of days in advance.

If your DL has expired less than 12 months, then the normal 5 yearly renewal process applies. If expired for more than 12 months, then you need to start again from scratch. Both DLT Chatuchak and DLT Bangchak are open, but foreigners are required to make advanced bookings for their renewal. Currently DLT Bangchak has a 3 month wait for renewal.

I had a similar situation whereby the next available appointment (DLT Bangchak,not Pattaya) was in 3 months, which would have made my DL more than 12 months expired. So rather than wait, I went to another DLT in a less busy province and got it renewed painlessly. Given you're in Pattaya, perhaps your TGF could check with Chachoengsao DLT (for example) and see whether she can renew quickly there.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/vtl-thailand-cambodia-maldives-singapore-vaccinated-travel-lane-covid19-2340016

On 11/24/2021 at 11:46 AM, WinnieTheKhwai said:

Ladies and gentlemen:  This is Bumrungrad.    

After being unable to get an appointment at the designated Gov't centres (earlier than Jan 2022) to obtain the vaccine passport/booklet, I went to the Business Centre at Bumrungrad earlier today to apply for the vaccine passport/booklet, it will be ready to collect early next week.

1 hour ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Can you advise which one?

Cha-am, which was convenient for me at the time. The renewal took less than an hour to complete; it required an appointment made by using the online training - no trouble getting an appointment date, just a couple of days notice.

I visited that branch last month to request an appointment date for renewal of my 5 yr license. The earliest date they could give me was mid-Jan 2022. That didn't suit me since by then my license would then have expired by 54 weeks, the staff as the DLT said no problem but didn't believe their assurances.

So I resorted to renewing my license in a less busy location outside of Bangkok (which ending up being quite effortless compared to my previous renewal at DLT Phrakanong/Bangchak).

Construction of the 30 odd 'cell-blocks' has been completed. A surprising development when I drove past last month was the construction of a 5 star hotel near the entrance to the Energy (in similar architectural style to the Energy's main entrance/facilities building). 

4 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

OP - proving your identification may be the least of your worries.  They will also demand evidence of the proof and legitimacy of the source of the funds as well as a list of all/any tax ID numbers and proof of your tax residency and income status in any country/ies.

 

They will require continuing proof of your tax residency if you are a non-resident and will be happy to freeze your funds if you fit their profile as a potential money launderer or tax evader.  I know somebody that this happened to - their crime was being a Kiwi with an Aussie tax number working in SE Asia for 10 years as a digital nomad and (arguably) not falling into any category as a tax payer in any country.

 

The Aussies decided they wanted their pound of flesh (because the Aussie tax department are as rabid as their immigration department) and froze all his Aussie assets.

 

Even if you make the deposit they will tax you as a non-resident at crippling tax rates.

That's good advice to be cautious, and that was an interesting case. Apart from freezing his assets did they also restrict his ability to freely come and go from Australia or did they try to prevent him from leaving as well?

AA Brokers had also recommended ACS to me 8 years ago. I stuck with them for 4 years, without ever having to make a claim but the premium was increasing each year by more than 15%, so I subsequently cancelled and now have a policy issued with AXA (a lower premium that increases every 5 years and no interference by a broker was necessary). In the event that I did have to claim I reckon it would have been inconvenient sending the receipts etc. to Paris for reimbursement.

The eye test is far more rigorous that then one usually done at the Service NSW counter. Attached is the form they sent me 2 months ago. My ophthalmologist in BKK took the test quite seriously and reviewed all the instructional notes behind the one-pager form, and it took about 40 minutes in total to complete including waiting for various machines to become available. The unexpected item was the 'binocular vision field test' for which the hospital charged as a separate item 800 baht for using the special equipment. After emailing the signed/completed form back to Service NSW it took them about 5 business days to revert with their decision to accept the test.

Eyesight Report (1).pdf

Paya Dental Clinic in Gaysorn Plaza

http://www.payadentalclinic.com/index.php/contact-us