bangkokburning

Spirits are practically free. I just paid b220 for a bottle of Jim Beam on my visa run a few days ago.

Beer is beer and if you want it chilled amd canned it's all about standard priced world wide. Ingredients all come from same nations - all imported. Hops and barely, not so much in Singapore...

I developed a drinking problem in Cambodia. Returning twenty years later Id do much less partying but far more pub marathons and drinking alone - if I was not married amd living IN Thailand.

Outside Cambodia, only Lao and Vietnam have cheap alcohol. So does Phils, but its swill. The rest ate far more expensive.

To have 400K in a Thai bank in todays terms of money is a small amount, and for those who want to live in Thailand by taking the typical interest of say 5% on 400K it is going to cost you about 1,600 Baht per month in loss of interest. You may get a little back from the Thai bank say 1% giving an overall cost to live in a fanatic country of 1,300 Baht. Obviously this is set aside in the difference in the cost of living between the western world. Therefore why the heck people moan I will never know.

j

please share, where are you getting 5%?

TMB, "lock" your money +19 months and get 5.25%

----------------------

Unfortunately many immigration offices won't approve a bank account where funds can not be withdrawn immediately on demand without any notice.

Some do, many don't accept such a bank account that requires a notice period to withdraw any funds,

And the funds that do require a notice before withdrawal are the ones that pay the higher interest rates.

Which is totally insane because you could close the account and get 100%of your money in under 30 minutes. Now, if they want to see another account with activity, ok no problem. It's like they have dumbed the requirements down so as to make them easily understood by the people with poor high school educations that process all the apps. Still they fail or use their own freeform intrepretations.

Why do the bucks-down brigade always try to fight the inevitable - Cambodia is the destination of last resort. Just do it.

You know, you never cease to amaze me.

Thread about being married to Thai National

MrWW solution: Move to Cambodia

Well just sign you off - totally clueless but with lots of money though!)

bangkokburning

An " illegal worker" is just that an " illegal worker" !

Ethnicity or skin colour and the country in which the illegal activity takes place has nothing to do with the argument

Would not seem to be the case. The only illegal workers from neighboring countries that have problems are the ones that get turned in or caught out in transit. No fine, no jail - and then they just try it all over again. Unlike westerners who are said to be fined, deported and blacklisted. I presume after taxes are paid.

You cannot see the difference in the types of employment? I mean I am all for rounding up foreigners that are taking Thai jobs, but think that is a scant few indeed.

Not arguing the legality, just the double standard. Not only that but not many Burmese are bringing in their own cash and hiring local Thai's as well?

Thailand has made working here so ridiculously stupid that it becomes "worth it" to ignore the rules and face the consequences. I mean the 1:4 worker rule, really...<deleted>. Why 4 and not 5 or ten or 1 or NONE. Why does Thailand get to dictate such a hugely integral part of a business model especially when it speaks right to the bottom line.

How does a married Foreigner live in Thailand without an income of at least 40k a month or 400/12 months.....???

The real issue is not the income or savings. It's what the Thai immigration deem as acceptable proof of income/savings. This changes depending upon their mood, and in some cases income and assets may not be acceptable in any event, if they are not either in one single Thai bank account or notarised by acceptable bureaucracies.

It is VERY easy to live on 25, even 20K a month as a single or if the wife is working and contributing - and why would that not be? Especially if she wants a foreign passport, she has to have keep a work record. Plus it's an offset for any money that needs to go to her parents. Plus it gets her out of the apartment :-))

While there is little room for luxuries, it most certainly would include a monthly Andaman holiday, as well as a steak dinner and a few K to her parents. Dental and Medical checks as well.

Most people waste all sorts of money on ridiculous housing, western food, western pubs, wasting money on prostitutes so they feel wanted. Many have no clue how to live here in general or even save money. They did not get here from frugality, they arrived on the pension gravy train.

You can have a great diet, 3 solid meals and fruit for B150 a day. You can get a thoroughly livable flat in BKK for 7-8K. Ours is less than 5k.

Being married is a mixed bag, in fact I am certain it has cost me more than it has saved me on many levels. Still, I have a great wife and having a great wife you can't monetize out by comparing it to a tri monthly shag by the herpes ridden slut down at Soi Cowboy.

To have 400K in a Thai bank in todays terms of money is a small amount, and for those who want to live in Thailand by taking the typical interest of say 5% on 400K it is going to cost you about 1,600 Baht per month in loss of interest. You may get a little back from the Thai bank say 1% giving an overall cost to live in a fanatic country of 1,300 Baht. Obviously this is set aside in the difference in the cost of living between the western world. Therefore why the heck people moan I will never know.

If it was 400 Million Baht I'm sure it would be a small amount of money to someone. However, for one who doesn't have the 400K and can't get it, it might as well be an infinite amount.

I have it figured about there as well. So that is about 19K on loss of income, plus the 1% loss on getting the money over, plus the visa and re-entry (or multiple visa). I bet you are looking at B2,500 per month when it is all said and done. Then you have the cost of the 90 day reports or visa runs.

And none of this mind you gets you any more than a promise of one year - 90 days at a go.

bangkokburning

Interesting rant -------

"Why can't they get a hand on their illegal worker (white) issues IF it bothers them so much??? Why so incapable?"

Maybe the Thai authorities are attempting to emulate the spectacular success enjoyed by the American Government, who last time I checked have a massive "illegal" problem.

Apples and oranges

The immigration issues that the US have and the ones That Thailand thinks it has are totally different. You might compare the US to the Thai in relation to Lao, Khmer or Burmese workers - but not farang. Farang workers like it or not are needed as teachers (the system is just too insanely stupid to make way for them). They also work whether on dive boats or in businesses, many do pay tax or would love to pay tax or work illegally to avoid insane arbitrary laws like forced Thai employment at 1:4. Farangs can still bring a lot to the table when it comes to service industries. In this day and age a number of businesses could be set up in Thailand due to technology and the Thai are just missing all of it.

Reminds me of when I was working in Indonesia. Japanese came to the Indos and said, hey we want to get square with you over our illegal fishing. The Indos gave them some idiotic price and the Japanese just said - well, that is out of the question. So we will continue fishing illegally.

Sophon: I am looking at fixed but do not like the terms. I think the USD is headed up, way up judging by the surge last week. I want to ride that for a year or more. I also would rather be in my position now than wherever and in a Thai bank when the US (China) market crash comes. Those fixed deposits are also for years...I see whifs of inflation everywhere, especially Thailand. Finally, I think Thai banks are WAY over extended. I trust my 150 year old bank that I have a personal relationship with,

I asked this before, no one really had an answer:

How many marriages are found by the authorities to be fraudulent? My guess is none.

Marriages based on fraud in Thailand have their own way of self destructing long before the second extension or O visa application. Think about how difficult it would be to keep reigns on a bar girl for two or three years. What would it cost? Well, I bet it would cost as much as a Walen Non O ED Visa! So why would any chimp like moron bother?

There is ZERO benefit. You cannot work, you cannot claim residence, there is no tax incentive. You even have to pay for a re-entry or get a multiple visa. As a spouse you cannot own land and what you do own must now be shared jointly. You are responsible for your wife's debts. WHY?

There may be a load of bad marriages, but there are very few fraudulent marriages. My hunch is of those, it is as much at the prodding of the Thai than it is the brainstorm of the farang. Thai Immigration is not based on logic or empirical data, it is just whim and fancy. Then again, perhaps all a nations immigration policies are much the same.

It's much the same with the hyperbole surrounding farangs and hospitals. When hospitals will willingly let people die on the steps, why should Thailand care if we are insured or not?!

400k is greater than the US Social Security average payment for as 2013.

They should make the 400K a pre qualification for a marriage licence. Then the message will be clear.

This may really screw up my finances and I am not at all happy. I may have to liquidate some stock at a loss, all the BS attendant transfer costs. Moving from nearly 4% return with no risk to a Thai savings account and essentially zero percent interest. Then there is the fact that I may have to return to states and deal with my aging parents and the estate in a few years. Add to this the cost of the wedding last year, 125k with her ring.

We could have just gone to the Amphur, but I wanted to do right by my Thai spouse and her parents. Stupid me Thai Immigration! I would not have got married honestly. Why hassle it? Why pay for it?

We could have just as easily lived together and i could have continued my free booting lifestyle. If we married years later - maybe or maybe not. I married for my Thai spouse as much if not more than me, to make her an honest woman in the eyes of her culture and family. I love my wife but if Thailand is going to be thoroughly uncooperative, what is to be done?!

Nation is not run by clever nor compassionate people and this I do know and will never forget - they do not like foreigners and at best tolerate us as they must to facilitate tourism and trade. It is not an epiphany, I am just reminded more and more of it or so it seems.

IT DOES NOT HELP TO HAVE IDIOTS COME ON THIS AND ANY OTHER FORUM AND POST QUESTIONS LIKE:

CAN I GET MARRIED IF I AM A CRIMINAL AND HAVE A RECORD IN MY COUNTRY? CAN I OBTAIN AN O VISA AND LIVE (HIDE?) IN THAILAND?

These people should just be banned. I was shocked. That looked soooooo bad. A real low for TV

Why can't they get a hand on their illegal worker (white) issues IF it bothers them so much??? Why so incapable?

So why bother with it (for 400k)? Extension based on spouse has same requirement less leaving the country every 90 days.

I honestly wonder what visa consular staff do to busy themselves all day. In two decades I have only seen two visa sectors humming. That was Penang and Vientiane in the good old days and Los Angeles. Now this.

Not clever or ambitious enough to cull out the illegal white workers.

Punishing families... We love Thailand!

Not sure how you feel about getting married, but that is the best route IMO. It gives you options that you don't have with a fiance visa.

Getting married allows you to file DCF (Direct Consular FIling) which means that you can do all the paperwork in Thailand. Also, the processing is only a few months vs. 6-12 if yo do it from the U.S. She will get a CR-1 visa which will result in a 2 year green card about 1 months after arrival in the U.S. This means she will be able to work and drive immediately upon arrival in the U.S. (After getting a job and a drivers license of course) You can not use direct consular filing for a K-1 (fiancee) visa. You will need to file from the U.S. or have U.S. domicile.

I wish I had asked someone this question back in 2007 when I left Thailand. I was married and it took 1 year to get my wife to the U.S. If I had known about DCF, I could have done it in about 2 months, and not have been separated from my wife for a year.

I heard the rules on this changed recently. My recommendation is to contact the embassy here and see what they have to say. Not sure how it works now, but I went in and met somebody who helped me get started on this. I couldn't do DCF and was advised, at that time, the fiance visa was the quickest route to go...by a significant amount of time. My wife got her visa approved in about 4 months. After arrival in the US, she became a citizen in 3 years.

You couldn't do DCF because you were not married. You can't use DCF for a fiancee visa. In general you will need to show 6 months residence in Thailand with a valid visa. A bunch of strung together tourist visas wont do. Generally a Non-O or Non-B should be fine. Not sure when you went through the process, but years ago (early to mid 2000s) immigrant visas were taking years to get approved due to the NVC process. That issue has since been resolved. Actually, since the NVC has streamlined the process, the K-3 visa is pretty much done for. So that one should not even be considered, although it may show up in places as a valid path, it is obsolete.

From the Bangkok U.S. Embassy website:

In a limited number of cases, if the petitioner can demonstrate current residence in Thailand for at least six months, the petition may be filed with the USCIS office in Bangkok. The general inquiry email box for USCIS Bangkok is [email protected]. To access USCIS forms, click here

Source:

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/immigrant_visas/immigrant-visa-process.html

You're missing my point. I'm saying he should contact the embassy to see what the current situation is. As you know, it changes on a regular basis. I can't find the page now, but it says the process was changed about a year ago. But not sure what that means.

I did this in 2004 and without DCF it took us 4 months to get her fiance visa. Again, things change....

Craig - what changed?

The thing between the two is that you need to be on.a non-o and absolute minimum.six months to DCF. Then you need to be married really two years before you are eligible for the IR visa.

Its faster to go the fiance route if you have all your ducks in.a row. Its better to go the IR route if you can stay in Thailand three plus years.

I.wouldn't be contacting the embassy myself.

he told the wife that the appointment system was to keep track of who comes and goes at the embassy

I suspected as much when they implemented it, just another method of recording our every coming and going.

Not suprised in light of recent revelations

Thanks Brian +1

So its B500? I thought it was ten bucks like Ranong? Ouch.

This is "the" visa run for those living in CM /NW region yes?

I just went to.Aran, but will do this eventually. Valuable and saved.

Id love to know what the flame was about, hope it was personal because - what on earth is there to flame someone about how to to a runner on tbe border?

You'd think it would be the essence of what the entire forum is about.

The baht is falling like crazy.

BoT keep pouring in money to keep it up.

Once Bot run out of readys, there will be a big fall.

Did you just make this up? BOT has nothing to do with this. It's the foreign capital inflows/outflows.

Genius :-)

any 'news" on a entry visa 15 days issued at Nakhon Phanom from Thakhek Laos (Friendship bridge 3)???

No problem.

So this is well open and functioning for foreigners??

If you are planning to stay longer than 15 days, get a visa in Hanoi, Vientiane or Savanaket. Many buses from the North will run to and then back out of Vientiane. Might be a good place to break the LONG journey anyway.

Use US Dollars for your visa to Lao and save,

Looking for a point by point on doing a visa run to Tachelik from the Chaing Rai bus terminal.

Cheap by fast, inside tips, etc..

Scammers and dodgers...

Costs

Thanks

PS What is the weather like now?

DIY from BKK

B8,200 including beer and 1L Scotch on return

You grossly overpaid for your AA tickets which can be routinely had in advance for not much more than the train ride.

There is a bus that runs from Chulia to the airport - simple, straight shot.

Hi Manarak—

Those are simply examples.

What I had tried to show in the first example was simply a clever name, that was niethier business nor product. OK, not so good of you ate selling - but what if it is a travel blog or information blog? Then a catchy name (branding the blog) might be a good thing?

Removing hypens and spaces...I just want to buy the two url's (names) for 400b each. Both contain keywords. One three and one two. So they would click - redirect

Not interested in.paying "professionals", my two sites are hobby sites until they are something other than. I want to sell travel apps linked back to Play store, but focus now is the two websites.

Thanks

Another question...

I've thought of a pretty cool name (play on words) to create a brand for the website. It isva general keyword, and should be a core keyword but people seem to search other terms. Should I go with it or go back to exact domain match keywords?

Ex

Thaiflier

Bigmangotravel

(Not saying these are clever)

Or such as

Thaitickets

Thaitripsandtours

Thailandpackageholidays

Like that

I have noticed two popular sites similar to the site I am looking to create use hypen and underscores. Up to them. Would I gain buy buying the connected words (url) and doing a tedirect to my site OR will these sites draw off my ranking and any other issue you may see. Thanks.

So let's say my site is bangkokmalls.com

And already exist and popular:

bangkok_shopping_experience.com

thailand-luxury-malls.com

So, remove the - and _ ?

Clever or not so much?

There is no helping this nation. It is plunder by design. The entire nation is controlled by cartels.

They have no exports save for cheap uneducated labor, copra and a bit of seafood.

Birth rate is staggeringly grim.

No land to live or grow crops

Cant feed itself

Philippines is that perfect marriage between sleazy 3rd world authoritarianism and corporatism.

Your post was quite dismissive as well as derisive. You heaped it on in perhaps half dozen places.

As well as ...atrocities...what did I do...partying it up next door...

I came to Thailand as sort of a retired backpacker. When all the adventure was spent out of Myanmar, Lao, Vietnam and Cambodia. I tucked it in and called it a day. Thailand was nothing more than a pizza stop for me for a decade. Thailand is for old people and dopey sex tourists that don't have the balls to decend to the real depths of skeeziness. It provides a pleasant vaneer for the folks back home too!

Honestly, I should have kept going in retrospect. I've had some great times, I have a great wife who also loves travel and adventure. But I miss the real road, I miss the danger. It's still out there - hanging by a thread. There are true adventures to be had, even in Asia.

Alas, the wallet is not as fat as it used to be. My back as well.

Well, I dont think OCH given by his questions gonna be rooting and modding much but highly advised if buying Samsung crap. And the interface is nothing but crap.

Root the tablet, lose the warranty.

There are no malls, BigC, Big Tesco or Tops in this area.

There is a big c on Ratchadaphisek @ TCC MRT & a big c on Lad Phrao soi 9. Both of these have the usual fair of banks, hompro & office depo in the complexes. This location in right in between both Central Lad Phrao/Union Mall & Esplanade malls. Your making it sound like it's in the middle of no where, when actually all these places are within 1-2km

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

But since you mentioned the Central over at Pohan Yotin, that is really LatPhrao, not HuayKwang and nowhere near any of us have been discussing. It is also a crappy area and way out of the CBD. Better to come back down the MRT line to LatPhrao and look around there imo.

Edit: Sorry, are you talking abiut that little mall around LP with the Makro?