phuketrichard

that's it; takes one day (here in Phuket) and cost me 50 baht.

It is needed for Laos ( u also need buy insurance as soon as u enter Laos) but not accepted for entry to Cambodia

My Thai wife pays only 500 baht to get a real drivers license. I paid 1000 and got also a real license

Why would u pay 1,000? I paid 550 baht for a 5 year license last time

AS to a Thai 5 year license being valid in the states, I often travel to Ca an not only is my license valid without an IDP but i have always used it to rent cars at SFO>>

Simple; i stand corrected in that u can change to a non o for retirement in country

The original poster never said he had x amount of entries left on his multiple an that's whats throwing us all off.

Since he has allready been here 6 weeks he cant season the money, ( as needs 2 months) an than apply for an extensions so will need to leave after 6 weeks an than enter and apply for the extension.

So put ur money in before u leave.

before they will give u a 1 year EXTENSION in country, ( u can not get a non o visa in country) u must have had the 800,000 in the bank for 2 months ( first application)

If u do need to leave any embassy will issue u a single non o visa if ur over 50, Just tell them u will be applying to for a retirement extension.

I think u misunderstood her

If ur married, why not get the visa based on that? than u only need show 400,000 in the bank although there is more paperwork involved.

thnaks for this but the music almost put me to sleep.

Jimi , yes, i do too, ( never been asked for copy of my atm card) but someone on another thread said they were asked ( This is in the last month or so) when the lady was reassigned and the other guy took over.

My renewal is in July

Americans can get a 10 year multiple entry but it needs be issued in the states.

not to hijack the thread but,

FOR US citizen using the notarized paper the embassy gives you showing ur income

does anyone know if they are requiring additional paperwork other than the US embassy stamp showing ur income ?

Have heard there asking for additional proof

Also is it true for showing the full 65,000 baht/month and not if ur using the half money in bank and income?

and if ur using the half method does the money need be seasoned?

Thnaks

i will add to this;

First, are u all sharing a room? You can find great deals in Essan ( north Eastern Thailand) for under $20/night, and even here in Phuket u can find air con rooms for under $25/night in the high season.

U can eat very well street food or thai style restaurants everywhere( I Live in Phuket) for $2-5/meal.

How will u travel, Bus /Flying where will u go?

Bangkok to Phuket is about 800 baht by bus while u can get a flight for under $70

Do u drink?? Like girls? want to take one back to ur room? All adds to the price.I

would say take as much as u have with a reserve back u can access via an atm card but expect to average $50/day including room/travel/food additional expenses

If u stay in one place will cost ya less . A month on Ko Phayam off of Ranong will cost ya less than $500/month

Plus by 2014!!! my god, ur planning early :-)

I always get at least a single re-entry when i get my extension.

couple of years i did not use, most of the time i did.it ends when ur extensions ends

will be interested to see how this plays out;

4 stamps in a week they can see ur not abusing the system as you were not staying the full 15 days and than leaving to come back.

i didn't know there was golf up there on that border, cant find any in goggle

why would many Singaporeans and Malays be doing way up there as they have their own casinos?

thailand - malaysia - back to thailand - cambodia - vietnam - laos - ev. china (yunnan) back to laos and back to thailand.

Your wife needs be with you;

First go get the purple book for ur car at the vehicle registration office ( where u renew ur plates each years) takes a day a cost 50 baht. Its nothing more than a car passport an has all the info in the blue book but in English

Laos; The purple book, blue book ( to leave Thailand) and u need buy insurance at the border cost me 800 baht for 3 weeks ( even though u only get 14 days for ur car)

Malaysia; FOR PHUKET the purple book does not work an u need a letter from same office

Vietnam; Impossible

China; Impossible unless ur on a tour group

Cambodia;, some borders will let u in, ( Koh Kong near Trat,and than only allowed to drive in Koh Kong Provence although everyone , including me, ignores this and drives everywhere) and Osmach near Surin) others no way. Poi Pet maybe if u have permission from Phnom Penh in advance

its much easier to use any agent in town to get ur thai visa, they only charge like $5 an you than don t need take 4 tuk tuk rides and wait in line twice.

Worth it. and if u need it faster am sure an agent ( for a price) get it faster

all agents on riverside will do it for you. I use the agent at the Hometown hotel on street 172 where i stay for all my visas and extensions.

took dee calling card I use it to call America $.45 satang and Cambodia 1.8 baht

http://www.thookdee.com/home/4en.php

always show local drivers license for domestic

in MY EXPERIENCE I took my car in at Osmach in August.and will head back there in a couple of weeks an post the results.

My friend tired the poi Pet border in August an was above was stopped but he hung around a few hours an then they just told him to go an he did. Drove into SR an spent 5 days an drove back out at Poi Pet. In sept i exited at Poi Pet an drove right past customs on the Cambodian side

U see plenty of rhd cars up north ( battambang an such ) but in all my trips to Cambodia have seen but a handful of Thai license plates on the roads and i have traveled the whole country

They will let u in via Trat/koh kong but charge u 100 baht/day and tell u ur only to drive in Koh Kong Provence, At least they did in 2010 the last time i used that border.

Law is get the permit BEFORE u arrive at the border from Phnom Penh but i have yet to speak to anyone that has :-)

http://www.bupa.co.th/en/individuals/health-insurance/get-quote-plan.aspx?t=&iid=1&gids=&a=62&class=1

plat 2 for 2 mil is another 7,000 baht/year

I guess I am one of that 5%. Always had full health insurance here in Thailand. Over 17 years I have less than 10,000 baht back in claims, wife about 80,000 baht back. Yes for sure each year when the premium needs to be paid I grumble and consider whether I should pay again. I don't consider it a gamble, as for sure we all get sick or ill especially as we get older.. And being in a vehicle accident is a near certainty if you stay here long enough.

Hmm how long is long enough? I have been in ONE car accident that caused me no injuries and that's 28 years here.

OK 28 years at an average of say low balling 40,000 baht/year= 1,120,000 baht. I have been in the hospital for a total of 3 days with a kidney stone which cost like 25,00 total.

I prefer to gamble I will NOT get sick rather than pay out

Like i said to each his own

and as far as kamala being unsafe, if ur watching its no problem living here,( yea everyone goes thru those red lights) an many less accidents than anywhere else on the island.

I am not trying to be hard, be an asshol_e or convince anyone not to have insurance, but i just don't like the idea of betting i will get sick or need it.

Just checked Bupa basic opd platinum 1 7,615/month max for in patient is 1,000,000 and 100,000 for accident.

>>95% of the people i know here have no insurance

Really? Why would 19 out of every 20 people you know not want to have insurance? It's either because they can't afford it, or have 5 million laying around in case of a major medical problem. Otherwise there is no excuse to put your family's well being at risk over 3,000 baht/mo or less.

>>if you are ever involved in a serious motor vehicle accident, and are hospitalised in the ICU

With no insurance you'll find yourself in a gov't hospital, good luck getting proper care there.

Please show me where i , at 62, can get med insurance that would cover anything magor for 3,000 baht/month

I only use my motorbike here in kamala an the rest of the time am in my car. U wouldn't catch me dead on any of these roads outside of the area i live in on a motorbike

insure my car cause i am forced to. Plus by insuring my car i am insuring for all the ..... up drivers out there.that don't have a clue what they are doing.

I owned a house here for 10 years and also had no insurance So blast me on that one as well :-)

Hey, Everyone is different, we obviously come from different worlds and live by different rules

@phuketrichard

What about insurance costs. I know lots of folks don't think about insurance, but health and comprehensive car insurance are by far our biggest single cost (given that we own our home so don't pay rental costs).

i dont have medical, never have, never will

If you live here full time and don't have medical insurance it's just gambling.

And you are betting that nothing will happen to you, accident or illness.

Excellent friend of GOM's and others on the board here did the same, lost the bet, got a kidney ailment had to be hospitalized, no insurance, almost died.

All the friends got together raised the money and paid for a procedure at Prince of Songkla Hospital, pretty sure he has paid everybody back now.

phuketrichard I hope you have a lot of friends.............otherwise terrible advice telling people not to get some coverage, it's not expensive.

I hate insurance; Yes its gambling.... Your paying, ( gambling) good money out of ur pocket and BETTING ur going to die or get sick. Sorry i just don't buy into that. Many don't agree with you on this. 95% of the people i know here have no insurance.

yep thtas it;

FBAR Requirements

American citizens and Green Card holders are required to report their foreign bank accounts if their balances, when added together, are more than $10,000. It does not matter how many accounts this $10,000 is spread across. You are required to file an FBAR in addition to your US expat taxes if the $10,000 threshold is met by the sum of all your foreign accounts, not just one account with a balance higher than $10,000.

FBAR Penalties

If a US citizen or Green Card holder fails to disclose their overseas bank accounts, the treasury department can and will enforce penalties on the taxpayer. The penalties can be much more severe than the penalties assessed by the IRS for delinquency on US expat taxes. However, it should be noted that penalties for US Expats who did not know about the requirement to file the FBAR have been forgiven in many cases.

some scary shit;

http://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/blog/how-to-file-your-fbar/

and they give an example of an American couple living in Thailand as well,".........You may remember Brian and Sarah Expat from our US Expat Taxes Explained: Form 1040 article. Brian and Sarah live in Thailand and had over $10,000 outside of the US, but only in 2010."

AS to the US embassy sending a copy of the report you swear to, to the IRS nope, you fill out one paper, they stamp it an give it to u, there are no copies made.

Probably but, It is done on a computer & printed yes?

I do not put anything past the IRS these days as they look under every stone.

Not to worry as I doubt many folks fib their income to stay in Thailand.

But like the new bank reporting FBAR requirements you mention the US is definitely more aggressive these days

on seeking out any revenues as they are deeply in the red of debts vs revenues.

Nope

not done on a computer, they give you the paper, u fill it in and sign it, they take ur money and stamp it and thats the original u give to the immigration

just wondering about this; Americans as u know are required by law to report once /year how much money they hold in foreign accounts in excess of $10,000 . This in addition to ur irs income tax form. That's TOTAL amount in all accounts. Many countries are compiling with this an not allowing us citizens to open bank accounts cause of the hassle and they also need report the amounts. There are a only a few banks ( one in Singapore ) that has refused to work with this regulation.

If u don't report ur subject to a fine of up to 50% of what is in the foreign banks.

AS to the US emabssy sending a copy of the report you swear to, to the IRS nope, you fill out one paper, they stamp it an give it to u, there are no copies made.

Than again , who the fuc_k knows the reason. Mine is up in July an I plan on going in to the office in Phuket and ask the white guys in march what the score is so i am not caught short handed.

AS to Phuket there is a new guy their in charge an perhaps he is just being an asshol_e