TravelerEastWest

@OP,

Couple of comments.

The US does not honor your Thai marriage. So you coming over with her and being married in Thailand means very little. You need to complete the process in the US. It makes EVERYTHING way easier.

TravelerEastWest stated she can immediately come and work in the US. That is not true. She cannot. She does not have a SSN and greencard in hand and both are absolutely required to work legally(I used the term "legally")

As for tax purposes. You cannot claim your wife or child until they have a SSN. You need to apply for all of that once you have immigrated here. That is part of the naturalization process. While the US is noted for just giving out money, they are not going to blatantly just allow people to claim dependents on your tax return with out some sort of number. If they did expats would claim they have a family of 20. This is why my wife and I married here in the states and did not in Thailand. It had no benefits whatsoever to get married in Thailand. Eventually when we move back we will do a Thai wedding to appease the Thai family side.

Best is to apply for a Fiance Visa and start the process. No lawyer needed. Just us the US Gov process.

Best of Luck

JAFO,

Are you saying the laws have changed recently? Quite possible as I posted.

However, unless the laws have changed when you marry in Thailand as I suggested and then get a wife visa to live in Thailand - from the moment she arrives in America and gets her passport stamped by US immigration can work. This is a fact (or at least was a fact)

I base my statement on real life experience.

TravelerEastWest,

"when you marry in Thailand as I suggested and then get a wife visa to live in Thailand"

^Not sure what you are saying above

She cannot work in the US(legally) without a TIN (Tax ID number). Having her Thai passport stamped at customs means little for employment. All companies now require an i9 form be filled out with copies of her Greencard, SSN or H2 Work visa permit for which is proof of residency and or citizenship. These go hand in hand with a W4 on her first day of work. Now if she is a citizen of the US she would already have a TIN as it is part of acquiring a US Passport and becoming a citizen.

JAFO<

I am certain you and others mean well but all these visa and tax issues are very easy to work through typically without a lawyer and while overseas.

America is a relaxed country.

1) Marriages that are registered Thailand are 100% valid in the US. Note registered does not mean a monk wedding it means registering with the Thai government - only a few minutes and a low fee perhaps 500 baht - worth it for the colorful certificate alone.

2) Customs has nothing to do with the ability to work

3) Immigration stamped my wife's passport as eligible to work the moment she received her immigration entry stamp.

4) SS cards are easy to get at the same time as your visa - so your comments about needing a SS card are a non issue. Even if you forget to apply for a SS card before going to the US it only takes a few minutes to apply. Having a SS number or TIN for noncitizens does not allow you to work - it is your legal immigration status.

From the SS website:

@OP,

Couple of comments.

The US does not honor your Thai marriage. So you coming over with her and being married in Thailand means very little. You need to complete the process in the US. It makes EVERYTHING way easier.

TravelerEastWest stated she can immediately come and work in the US. That is not true. She cannot. She does not have a SSN and greencard in hand and both are absolutely required to work legally(I used the term "legally")

As for tax purposes. You cannot claim your wife or child until they have a SSN. You need to apply for all of that once you have immigrated here. That is part of the naturalization process. While the US is noted for just giving out money, they are not going to blatantly just allow people to claim dependents on your tax return with out some sort of number. If they did expats would claim they have a family of 20. This is why my wife and I married here in the states and did not in Thailand. It had no benefits whatsoever to get married in Thailand. Eventually when we move back we will do a Thai wedding to appease the Thai family side.

Best is to apply for a Fiance Visa and start the process. No lawyer needed. Just us the US Gov process.

Best of Luck

JAFO,

Are you saying the laws have changed recently? Quite possible as I posted.

However, unless the laws have changed when you marry in Thailand as I suggested and then get a wife visa to live in Thailand - from the moment she arrives in America and gets her passport stamped by US immigration can work. This is a fact (or at least was a fact)

I base my statement on real life experience.

I am wondering do such things as 3rd party accounts exist for safely transferring money and land titles in Thailand?

​In the end we did find a bank - I think it was K bank that does have an escrow account for houses from some sellers but not for land transactions like ours.

The seller ended up being very friendly and the deposit was not needed and all is going smoothly.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

If they run away with your deposit your only remedy is to go to court; if they have no money then you won't get any money back.

I would normally suggest just going together to the land office and exchanging; no contract, no deposit.

If however, you're expecting them to wait whilst you gather funds etc then you have to agree a deposit/compromise based on your view of the people concerned.

They have lots of money.

We are expected to wait for the survey which we always without exception require.

The challenge is that the land could easily be sold for a higher price by the time the survey is done.

Who has asked for the land survey and why?

I have paid 50% in the past, but that was because I wanted time to close.

Problem is that the more you pay, the harder it becomes to walk if things go south. You'll have to assess the risk yourself, and/or bargain a better deal, or just pay it to secure it if it is a screaming deal.

We asked for the survey.

Your comments make sense.

We always pay cash - no loans - so we can close at any time.

In the end we spent some time talking and the buyer waived the deposit and we agreed to 50% of the transfer costs.

Make the deposit payment as a crossed cheque, and get the seller to collect it from your lawyer after signing the sales and purchase agreement, and handling the land title deed to your lawyer for safe keeping.

This would prevent the seller to sell it to a higher offer during the waiting period.

Thank you for your suggestion - yours is the first real idea so far.

The seller is not close by and very wealthy so would not consider but thank you.

The only valid reason I can see for paying more than a token deposit of a couple of thousand Baht would be if the property is such a bargain that potential buyers are beating each other to death with big sticks on the doorstep to snap it up.

And how likely is that in Thailand?

In this case the value is about correct for the price, but the location is very valuable to us for a variety of reasons and it could take 6 months to a year to find similar land.

There is no website listing or even a sign for this property.

If there was, there may be a number of interested buyers to be concerned about - no big sticks though...

10k deposit is all that's needed usually.

Land office survey can be done in 5 days if you pay them extra.

Contracts mean nothing in Thailand, very risky to pay this much.

I would walk away, probably something wrong with the land or title, and they are hoping for 15% free money.

Or somebody setting foreigner up for a scam. (gf/wife and seller agree a 50/50 split, etc.)

Nobody else will buy without the survey.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Some land offices such as the one you are thinking of are probably not so busy but everywhere we have bought it is a month to 6 weeks for a survey with no possibility of anything quicker.

The fast surveys are normally after hours and not official so not worth much.

Are you concerned because you fear to lose the money because the due diligence will make you run away from the deal or the seller to run away with your money?

Not sure what you mean by due diligence making us run away. The land value research has already been done and the location is a very good one.

My concern was for someone I have not done business with before possibly changing the price at the last minute and then when I say no - he might keep all the deposit.

I use 3bb 5/1 premier no VOIP problems before I used True lots of problems...

How risky is a 15% deposit for a land purchase? How can the risk be minimized? Note the seller has assets and a contract drawn up by our lawyer would be used.

I am wondering do such things as 3rd party accounts exist for safely transferring money and land titles in Thailand?

The reason for the deposit is a request by a seller so as to hold the land while we are waiting for the official land department survey (around a 6 week wait)

1Ping1,

Unless the process has changed you are making everything overly complicated.

You marry for example at an office in Bangrak if you are in Bangkok.

All you need is ID and a few documents maybe 500 baht (don't remember exactly) and around 15 minutes.

Done you are married.

Filling out the forms for your wife to have a marriage visa is simple and automatically allows her to work the first day she arrives in the US.

Sometimes all you need to do is file some forms with copies of your tax returns and a medical report for your wife. Not often but sometimes you need an interview with your wife

The whole process is less than 6 months and less than $600.

I can't imagine why you would need a lawyer.

The above information is about 15 years old perhaps some of it has changed.

Good luck - go for it.

What will happen if you get sick or have an accident ? So you need a hospital

govt hospital. good enough for me.

It may be good enough for you - but if you get very sick - you may change your mind.

It is not uncommon to be discharged early as they could have a shortage of beds - which also causes patients to sleep on the floor...

You won't often get the newest and best medicines.

The doctor/nurse ratio to patients is shall we say not ideal...

However, the best private hospitals in Thailand are quite good so if your low budget lifestyle allows lots of savings you may be just fine in a medical emergency.

As time goes on I find that in addition to providing a fun atmosphere to work in, paying well works very well.

Somewhere around 15,000+ per month outside of Bangkok. Inside Bangkok 20,000+

Typically, you can't work for less than the above amounts in Thailand with a family and have enough money for a good life.

Carefully screening

Probation period.

You are paying double the rate and that is why people like you make it hard for others to find laborers. If you can afford those rates you probably pay a driver as well. How many staff do you have and do they spy on you and steal from you?

Just to add that labor = 6000-7000 per month, bachelor degree= 17,000 & master degree= 28000 per month

Most Myanmar/Hill Tribe People are now looking for 8k each a month but some still ask for 7k, also you have to include usually free accommodation free rice.

Thais just wont do this work round here, had an advert on the front of the land for over a month and not one call.

Actually, everyone we hire have Thai nationality - none from Burma. Some have a family background from the mountains but I don't know why that should matter.

Free accommodation and food have a value so is a good thing to do. so perhaps you are paying 10,000 per month after factoring in the food and cottage etc.

Why not pay 15,000 (in the countryside) plus social security and a bonus and good working conditions? You might find someone who stays for 20 years and does not steal etc.. I know that for us the time we save by not having to keep hiring and training plus better performance make it a bargain to pay above market salaries.

Someone mentioned hotels getting the best staff - why not hire their staff and pay more?

As time goes on I find that in addition to providing a fun atmosphere to work in, paying well works very well.

Somewhere around 15,000+ per month outside of Bangkok. Inside Bangkok 20,000+

Typically, you can't work for less than the above amounts in Thailand with a family and have enough money for a good life.

Carefully screening

Probation period.

You are paying double the rate and that is why people like you make it hard for others to find laborers. If you can afford those rates you probably pay a driver as well. How many staff do you have and do they spy on you and steal from you?

1) Please reread my post a key point is that with a family you simply can't live well with 9,000 baht as a salary - so there is little incentive to stay for a long time, and you can't recruit the best - this is business 101... Also it is not morally right - for me - everyone has their own lifestyle and beliefs.

2) Yes, I have a driver and he can speak some English and is cheerful and always wants to help and is reliable - he will get a nice year end bonus.

3) Once I had a gardener borrow money to buy a scooter he did not finish paying back the money and vanished one day - so if that counts as theft then there was that one time, at that time I paid about 10,000 per month. Note I am not retired and very busy 7 days a week so a good driver is important to me.

4) No spying as the staff tend to eat or talk non-stop or sleep during break times - also I can't think what would be interesting to spy on.

5) We have a business so a number of staff doing different jobs all live off-site. So only sometimes do we give out free rice but we do give out lots of fruit from our land and have parties inviting their family.

As time goes on I find that in addition to providing a fun atmosphere to work in, paying well works very well.

Somewhere around 15,000+ per month outside of Bangkok. Inside Bangkok 20,000+

Typically, you can't work for less than the above amounts in Thailand with a family and have enough money for a good life.

Carefully screening

Probation period.

We got given a baby seat from a Thai family. Also the company I work for in Thailand gives employees with new borns a free car seat. Good quality one too!

Fantastic!

As for the OP - I would never dream of taking a baby or anyone for that matter in a car without seat belts or car seats.

If you enjoy poor quality food go for it,

Exactly - typically too much oil and palm oil at that is used...

No to mention the lack of hygiene for those cooking.

I had to do the same. Pictures of myself and the wife sitting on the bed. Photo's of the wardrobes to show both mine and her clothes, both of us standing in the front of the house, showing the house number. The funny thing is I rent the house we are living in at the moment and so when they saw her house registration was a different address ( her mums ) they made me write her mums address. So this would in theory wipe-out the pictures we took but they accepted them. Very odd but true!

The first time I extended my visa they asked for a few photos in the front of the house and with the clothes visible - very normal.

After that I think they never again requested photos except for one in front of the house.

To my experience, they are talkative but not loud.

In my Thai family circle even if they have an argument they don't raise their voices and try to solve it quietly.

We are the loud ones, trying to put our point across.

That, may be, is because of frustration as sometimes we can't be understood or being stubborn we expect everybody else to follow our way of thinking and understanding things.

Exactly - have never heard or heard of a loud Isan woman.

Starting with someone who knows what they want and has some skill is a good start.

Someone who is 21 is likely to not know what they want in life.

Providing the right environment - enough staff so that they have fun, clean, safe working environment etc.. is also important.

Salary last but not the least is very important.

M- F work week, various health benefits etc are all important.

I see staff who are very relaxed think very carefully about quitting.

You need a good CPA, not a lawyer unless you have some unusual and complicated issues.

You can easily use preferred shares to keep control.

Let your accountant advise on the shareholder issue - you can have the trusted Thai shareholder transfer later their shares to your daughter and keep only one share.

Expect costs to be about half what others have posted using a CPA instead of a lawyer.

Assuming a real business that pays taxes has audits etc you can use the company to buy land.

The video was fun to watch.

Best of luck to the OP with his project.

Naps should be optional as some kids need them and some don't.

For the kids who need them 45 minutes be a good length of time.

Personally I would love an afternoon siesta - I have just made a note to start soon...

Thanks for this thread, now when my obnoxious friends start bragging about how much easier and better their Mac's are I can now point out: not for FBAR reporting

Wrong as reported above very easy.

I did my FBAR at the last minute today with no problems on a Mac - smooth sailing.

The FBAR website also worked very well.