pisico

On 5/12/2022 at 1:45 AM, Caldera said:

I'd wait for the details to be published before getting excited about those new visas. I've seen quite a few interpretations of requirements that look way too optimistic in my opinion.

 

The Thai authorities unfortunately have a tendency to complicate things (or to sour the deal) by dreaming up unworkable procedures or nonsensical (secondary) requirements.

Plus, authorities are always leery of the other cultured farangs that pray on the naive and unsuspecting Thais. The reason for such requirements. 

NOTE: Read with tongue in cheek

As usual, you are the reliable source of advice for this and other Thai Visa topics.

I am grateful for your kind and prompt reply to my plight. ????

Your advice will be most appreciated.

American citizen who lived in Thailand for 9 years on an extended visa that I renewed yearly in Changwathana. In 2017 I returned to the US to have a shoulder operated on. Complications forced me to have 3 more surgeries and finally a total shoulder replacement. During that time Covid happened.

Now, after physical therapy I am fully recovered.

I am 81 years of age, retired and in good overall health. I have health insurance that covers evac from anywhere in the world. I have the possessions I accumulated during those 9 years in a storage owned by a good Thai friend. I would like to return to Thailand to resume the thread of my life there. I have a savings account in my name in a Thai bank. My passport is still valid and shows the stamps for every yearly extension.

Should I go back on a tourist visa and then apply for a yearly extension as before?

1- Is the US embassy still issuing the retirement statements for this purpose?

2- How much Thai currency should I have deposited in that account?

3- Should I have a certificate of vaccination from the US?

What additional requirements have been added during these 3 years?

TIA to everyone in Thai Visa.

On 10/21/2016 at 9:33 PM, jadee said:

Hi, I live in Samut Prakarn and the immigration service has a good website. Last time I phoned ( 02 395 0029 ) the lady who answered spoke almost fluent English, best check with her.
Unless I'm very much mistaken, Bang Na is in Bangkok, not Samut Prakarn so I wouldn't have thought you could extensions there, but the staff will be able to advise. I'm not really sure about Bang Na - the shopping mall Mega Bang Na is actually in Bang Phee, which is in Samut Prakarn, not Bangkok, but it's still called Mega Bang Na, so best check with the experts!

Hi ! You were right. I went to Samut Phrakan office and I got the bad news: I must go to Changwatthana even if I am virtually in Samut Phrakan.

Thanks for the info!!!

THANK YOU MAESTRO FOR YOU SPOT ON ANSWER!!!

If your postal code is Bangkok, one must go to Changwatthana.

I live a few meters from the Samut Phrakan border but my zip code is Bangkok.

I went yesterday to the Immigration office in Samut Phrakan and got the answer to the question: No. If one lives in a Bangkok postal code it's Changwattana for any visa, extensions, etc.

I guess it's about narrowing control of foreigners and not about providing a service in a logical manner.

The office is tiny and a even small crowd overwhelms it early in the morning. So... it's Changwatthana for me and others like me.

I hope this info helps.

16 hours ago, jadee said:

Hi, I live in Samut Prakarn and the immigration service has a good website. Last time I phoned ( 02 395 0029 ) the lady who answered spoke almost fluent English, best check with her.
Unless I'm very much mistaken, Bang Na is in Bangkok, not Samut Prakarn so I wouldn't have thought you could extensions there, but the staff will be able to advise. I'm not really sure about Bang Na - the shopping mall Mega Bang Na is actually in Bang Phee, which is in Samut Prakarn, not Bangkok, but it's still called Mega Bang Na, so best check with the experts!

I visited the website and as you described is informative and user friendly.

You are correct,  my address has the Bangkok zip code but actually only a few hundred meters from Samut Phrakan province.

I emailed the office about my question and on Monday I will call or go to find out details.I will post the results for all to see and know.

I cannot thank you enough for you kind attention to my question.

Truly appreciative,

Pisico

I have gone for 6 years to Chang Wattana to do my yearly extension.

Now I live in Bangna almost in Samut Phrakan province.

Is it a requirement of Immigration that one has to live in the Province of Samut Phrakan to apply at that office?

I have no direct experience with this office.

The last time I read something here in TV was positive in the sense that it was not crowded, well organized very easy and fast moving queue.

Anybody has done the extensions in Samut Phrakan who cares to share his experience there?

TIA

Quote

Samut Phrakan office still available?

I now live in Bangna and Chang Wattana is very far for me. Anybody has info on the Samut Phrakan Immigration office?

Any info on this matter will be greatly appreciated.

TIA

Pisico

Rent, don't buy would have been a much wiser move in my case. We (meaning my wife) own a house in Bangkok and a house in Pattaya. My wife died after a 9-day illness on January 2 without a will. The Cobbler's son has no shoes - she was a lawyer. Both her parents are alive so I must buy one-third of the Fair Market Value of the houses, the car, etc from the Administrator in Liquidation (her brother). In addition, I must pay Thai income tax on the two-thirds share that I inherit from my wife. The numbers on the Pattaya house are as follows. The original cost was 3.8 million and add in another 600,000 for new windows, doors, screens, khamoy bars, air cons, etc.The FMV is now about 3.6 million so I must pay 1.2 miilion to buy it plus income tax on some amount yet to be determined which may be 300,000 or more which means I will have "invested" about 6 million in the property. Rental a of nice condo in Jomtien runs about 30,000 to 40,000 a month or about 400,000 thousand a year. Over the six years of I ownership I could have rented and still have 3 or 4 million baht in my pocket. Regardless of the age of the wife, get her to execute a will naming you as sole heir and executor of all assets in her name. Better yet Rent Rent Rent.

Sorry for your loss but it sounds the error(s) was of your/her making. For a lawyer to die intestate is inexcusable, and for you to permit everything to be in her name was an error Your estimate of Jomtiem rental is really top-end....

BUT, I agree with your sentiment of renting whole heartedly. .

To know Thai traditions and MOs is essential even when marrying a Thai. She named her brother as the executor because to do otherwise would go against the interest of the "country".

There are such cases where the Thai wife went to the Ampur and the clerk told her so point blank. There is such a case involving one TV member (do your own search as I did, please).

The wife could not name him as the beneficiary in her will nor could it be registered or notarized. This Thai woman of exceptional ethical values, went back and tried to relinquish her ownership arguing that the house was bought with the husband's money. An American man.

Not even then would the local office accept her decision. Thainess, Thainess uber ales.

what needs to be inserted in the charter is that all parties accused of corruption/fraud etc including politicians/govt people are to be tried before a court and cannot use their positions as an excuse to get out of it as they do currently. Its past time that anyone breaking the law is dragged before the courts and made to pay, they need to remove the bullsh*t halving of sentences etc simply because they admit to it and made to pay huge fines and serves big jail time, inactive posts are a joke and needs to be replaced with true penalties, sacked and jailed.

Good idea but... if you read about Thai history you will know that from the times of Phra Somdet Sri Suryiothai, (as a result of one of the intrigues during those turbulent years, Prince Tien of the Thai Royal family was ordered to be executed but saved his life by becoming a monk). Since then, most anybody in the Kingdom can escape justice by becoming a monk.

Does it sound familiar ?

But meanwhile, in the corridors of real power, Hobson was make the choices for the rest of the cohorts...

Under developing....

TV ad seen in Singapore recently:

We Thais, when we are shy we smile, when we ..bla, blah...

when we do not have enough, we give."

Amazing Thailand

(the full text of the advertisement extolling the greatness of Thai character shortened for ease of reading.)

This is alarming - those in Power have so little knowledge or understanding of history and how potentially damaging to society such policies may be.

THAINESS uber ales. Are anti-Thaksinistas and pro Suthepistas raising their voices against this?

I wonder...

The question is if there are any unsafe airlines operating why are they and who are these airlines , it is totally irresponsible for a administration to allow any unsafe airlines to operate and what will you do after now admitting there are unsafe airlines operating if one crashes, you in theory are now responsible for the safe passage of every airline from Thailand ,which in reality is the DCA who cannot pass a ICPO audit, it is time Thailand took more responsibility for its actions on all issues not just this one , close enough is not good enough , the headlines should read grounded, not maybe ground them.

No worries. All airlines that do not comply with international standards will be relocated to non active flying posts. Same as with all the high echelons of all government officials in administrations, past, present and future.

Thaines uber ales.

I don't get it.

Why this fuss about garbage we cannot see from Bangkok?

All this is in keeping with Thaness and age old policies spelled out in the National Manual of Maintenance.

It reads:

MAINTENANCE: "When something breaks or stops working as it should, repair or replace only if it is strictly necessary. This applies to balding tires, elevator cables, electrical wiring, etc."

SANITATION: "Should be conducted only when rubbish impedes vehicular traffic, annoys sensitivities of Hi-Sos or affects the fleecing of tourists".

More ' values ', more hypocrisy, more BS that no one will pay the slightest attention to.

Ladies dress appropriately or you encourage a sexual assault ! Does this apply to ugly women who may wear bikinis ?

Did the moral Thai Taliban defined their perception of "appropriate"?

Is it appropriate to charge outrageous amounts for using an ATM to get "our money"?

Anybody knows how true is the rumor that such charges will not be made at ATM during Songkran?

Richard Barrow commented on it in his blog.

This image used to be on the Ministry of Culture website (until the 2011 Songkran episode):

That image was a portion of this original painting by the Thai artist Sompop Budtarad:

The offending image was changed after the MoC condemned topless revellers during the 2011 celebration and a flurry of people pointed out that the MoC had an image of topless girls on their website !

Perhaps what is "appropriate" depends largely on how it looks when you wear it (or don't) yourself !

Thai Moral Taliban-like forgets its own history.

A past dictator from 1938 also brought about a change in cultural traits in Thailand. It even forbade chop sticks in favor of forks and spoons.

Even the traditional dress was demonized.

"The recent visit to Thailand by a top US diplomat to strengthen the over 180 years old relations between the two countries was a failure and even strained the relation."

I'm sure it didn't strain the relations as much as Thailand declaring war against the U.S. during WW II. Or was that just convenient amnesia?

Selective and convenient. Not only war was declared to the UK and USA but also a pact was signed between Japan and Thailand, making Thailand de facto a member of the Axis.

Add to that manifestation of Thainess the shameless cash cow Thailand has been operating for decades in Kanchanaburi, the hard labor camp run by the Japanese Army where hundreds of Australian and British soldiers met a dreary fate.

But, but, but, that was a long time ago! The rabid defenders of all things Thai will argue.

Before flaming, research and learn history of that war and Thailand's less than flattering participation

WOW! The yanks are listening, for a change!

Sadly enough, the Yanks did listen to the cries for help from Europeans when Hitler invaded the whole of Europe with relative ease.

If they had not listened, nowadays Sauerkraut would be the main staple from Lisbon to Warsaw and from Oslo to Palermo..

2007 Constitution ? Good luck with that.

No matter what constitution is cited, if there is no respect for the Rule of Law, what's the point?

Please just throw the towel in before you drive the economy into the ground.

Have an election ASAP I wouldn't care if the yellows won democratically but anyone's better than this lot.

Everyday in every department it's policy on the run and that haven't got the expertise to run a chook raffle let alone a country!

Everyday in every department it's policy on the run and that haven't got the expertise to run a chook raffle let alone a country!

And the previous government had the "expertise" ??

As for the part of "drive economy into the ground"

Yingluck did a pretty good job of that with her rice-scam!!

...And before her there was a Palm oil Scam and the Rubber scam and...ad infinitum...Guys, wake up! T I T

There are centuries of feudalistic institutions ingrained in the people's DNA versus the short and occasional stints of Democracy in Thailand.

Began in the 20th. Century. Bear in mind that slavery was "formally" abolished in Thailand in 1912 .

If the current PM is self appointed, what is wrong with appointed head Kanman, senators and others in government? TIT

And not to mention those incredible economic achievements with the govt house microphones and school futsal pitches.......

What does the futsal pitches have to do with this government?

...Has everything to do with this government and all the previous administrations: SAME SAME NO DIFFERENT. Next !!!

So you want to blame all governments for all decisions of previous governments. That makes a lot of sense .... NOT.

You have to stop drinking Kool-aid so early in the day. Corruption is endemic in this hierarchical society. Feudal would be a more appropriate word.

Money has been diverted, wasted and outright stolen by all administrations because there is no accountability. Clocks, bomb detectors, overly priced microphones, Footsal arenas and much more are the norm rather than the exception. From before Thaksin to Abhisit and the current administration that seems to continue since there is no transparency. The deck is stacked against those who are not in the usual click of suspects in the Khrung Thep elite.

Your defense of all the past administration reveals a lingering haze in your judgement.