calbts2

I got the same "come into the office immediately message" and I went into CW and was told that now every time you leave the country and reset your 90-day - your first report back in the country cannot be done online - it must be done in person or by mail. This has nothing to do with TM30 or your type of visa. The online report system is not informed when you leave and return, thus the schedule that it keeps is thrown off and must be reset manually.  After the first 90 day report back, you can resume using the online reporting system. Again this was for CW - don't know if it applies in other provinces.

15 minutes ago, QuantumQuandry said:

Do you recall if you had a non-o or non-oa visa that she was riding on?  Have been hearing some talk that some embassies don't give a dependent visa for non-O and only non-OA.

Non-O. I converted in Thailand from a Visa Exempt entry.

Before the health insurance requirement, I would have preferred to get a NON-OA to keep my money in the USA. But now forget that - Non-O is the better option.

I got my Filipina wife's non-O dependent in Vientiane but that was in 2017. We were also married here in Thailand. At that time I think I used the income affidavit but do not remember what financial proof I showed them at the time. You probably now you need to have the 800k seasoned for at least 2 months and show your bank book to the embassy but maybe not. We also got married in Thailand so no need for MFA legalization. I showed them the Thai marriage certificate/documents. She was give a 90 day Non -O and then converted that to a one year extension in Thailand later on.

They just cut off all US Citizens due to FATCA. I am quite disturbed since I used they a lot for the past 2 years and just went in earlier this month to re-verify all my KYC info.

I guess now I will just have to use my wife's account.

I always either rent a car at at the Phuket airport or bring a rental car to Phuket. It pays for itself after half a day.

All tourists flying in should do this. Taxi and tuk tuk prices on Phuket are one of the biggest ripoffs in all of Thailand.

51 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

My wife successfully applied for a B2 visa for the US four years ago for the purpose of accompanying our daughter to start at her university.

 

During the interview, the consular official did not ask any questions about my wife's finances, property or anything else about her and did not wish to see any of her documents. The questions she was asked were all about my situation in Thailand such as how long I had lived here, for whom I worked and the like. She was asked to present my passport, but did not have it with her. 

 

It seems to me that the main consideration will be how strong the US citizen spouse's ties are to Thailand.

This is spot on. I have actually been successful obtaining two 10 year B-2 tourist visas here in Bangkok for 2 different wives 10 years apart. All the time I have been living in Thailand on marriage/retirement visas. I was not allowed in the last interview (I was in the first one nearly 15 years ago). Most of the questions were about my living status in Thailand - not hers. Once they conclude that I have been a Thailand resident an have no intention of moving and living back in the US - the Visa is issued no problem. 

Also do not bother using an agency for the B-2 visa as there is nothing more they can do for you than you can do on your own. It is a complete waste of money.

2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

And what's the attraction of AEON nowadays?

Yes "only" 150 Baht fee but limited to 20000 Baht. Other ATMs 30000 or even more(?) at a fee of 220.

Do the math.

For me and many expats living here for a long time it is more out of habit to use AEON atms as they not long ago were fee free vs the Thai Banksters ATM cartel. And 220 baht just to withdraw your own money is a total ripoff no matter how you look at it.

Actually though now Wise is becoming a real competitive option to get cash from overseas as lately my transfers have arrived in minutes - even on weekends. And the exchange rate is usually better than the daily VISA/Mastercard rate.

I don't know if they are out of business but they have recently been removing their just about all of their ATMS from central Bangkok. For example they used to have ATMs at Terminal 21, Tesco at Fortune Town, Big C Ratchada, and Central Praham 9 - All are gone now. I only now know of one AEON ATM not far from where I live - Big C Rama 4 - and who knows how long that will last.

I have been using Satang Pro for about 1.5 years now and fund it locally via promptpay / Bangkok bank. Overall they have been pretty good and reliable.

I never keep any crypto on the exchange unless I have a limit order pending. I use a Trezor Model T and a Ledger Nano X for cold wallet storage(ordered direct from the manufacturer) as it is way to risky to keep anything on central exchanges now. I was using Voyager in the US for over a year but thankfully I withdrew almost all my holdings off of there one week before they halted withdrawals and are now in bankruptcy. I never would have guessed that Voyager would go bankrupt while a Thai exchange Satang would still be going.

Bitkub is worthless as their KYC process was a nightmare and I never got approved after months of trying. Zipmex refused US Citizens so I am kind of happy to hear they are having problems and I hope they go under.

22 minutes ago, cantdrive55 said:

What's the best option besides bitkub for Thai citizens who want to get into small holdings in crypto?  Are all exchanges a pain in the <deleted> like bitkub?   

 

I have been using Satang for just over a year and so far so good. Very convenient sending fiat via promptpay from my Thai bank accounts.

I tried to register on Bitkub at that time and after many back and forth emails with me sending more info to them, they finally rejected me for no logical reason. Also tried Zipmex and they refused me from the start for being a toxic US passport holder.

By the way - you might try Kucoin as I got kyc approved through them. I cannot link any bank accounts with them but I can send crypto and stablecoins to my account and withdrawal.

45 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

January is going to be a nightmare for a lot of businesses.

Entertainment venues must now surely re-think their long term business strategy.

Yeah, and that I assume would be how best to liquidate and find another type of business altogether. With all of this flip flopping knee jerking no cost benefit analysis done by this inept government - how and why would anyone even go or stay in the nightlife/entertainment business going forward. It is impossible to have any type of business plan or strategy - unless you enjoy uncertainty and losing money.

13 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

If I understand correctly - you are against people flouting anti drunk driving laws, presumably in the name of public safety and health, but not masking in public laws, which are also in the name of public safety and health...got it.

No requiring making outside is not in the name of public safety - it is a measure of government control and flat out proven to be worthless outdoors .

If a private business wants to require customers to wear masks in their business - then that should be their choice. People can then choose whether to patronize that business or go elsewhere.

Instead of posting photos of vaccinated tourists and expats (of whom I have no fear of nor care to tell them how to live their lives irrespective of masking directives by tyrannical governments). Maybe instead you should post photos of drunk and careless drivers as yesterday far more people died on the roads than from a virus.

1 hour ago, jesimps said:

I'm still trying to be approved for level 1. I've sent them every document known to man and still been refused verification. I buy Bitcoin from Coins Co TH, but I want a Thai exchange with a good selection of altcoins, which Bitkub has. Every year I use my docs to have my visa extension approved and I had no problem becoming a client of my local banks. I think the problem is that Bitkub's verification team aren't qualified to scrutinise documents printed in English, don't realise that the UK doesn't issue national ID cards and can't understand Thai Immigration visa stamps.

I'm still trying and will continue to badger them until I'm accepted, but the process is taking a lot of time and effort. 

Try Satang Corp. I have been with them since January and even though they don't have as many coins as Bitkub, they do have many positives - support for promptpay direct from Thai bank accounts for funding being one of them.

I also tried to get verified many times with Bitkub and they kept delaying and rejecting me.

I also tried coins.co.th but their fees and bitcoin price spreads are a total ripoff.

I have been using my Charles Schwab debit cards at local ATMS as my main method of bringing money into Thailand for many years now.

You can find out the exact VISA exchange rate usually to the penny here  https://usa.visa.com/support/consumer/travel-support/exchange-rate-calculator.html

I have both a brokerage account debit card which you use the "current" option and a savings account debit card - "savings" option.

The brokerage account ATM fees get refunded after one or two days while the savings account ATM fees get refunded all at once at the end of the month.

When convenient - I try and use AEON ATMs as they charge only 150 baht (used to be zero) vs the higher charge(200-220 baht) at other local Thai bank ATMS as even though I still get all fees refunded - I do want to save Schwab some money from the greedy Thai Banksters as a thank you for saving me so much in ATM fees over the years here in Thailand. And also a hope that they never stop refunding these ripoff fees. Schwab has really been a godsend to US expats here over the years.

Of note I also have a US based Citibank ATM card that essentially collects dust here as I only use that when I am in the US visiting.