move to korat; immigration, etc.?

[ChouDoufu]

planning on moving to nakhon ratchasima with the ladyfriend once

she has a job lined up.  she will work.  i am on retirement extension.

have a few questions for local expats:

 

1.  are tm30 and tm28 forms required in korat?  (not here in bangkok). 

if so, do y'all normally do the tm30, or do landlords normally handle

those?  is a new tm30 required each time you leave the province

or the country?

 

2.  i have accounts with bangkok bank and krungsri, with atm card

and online access.  how difficult is it to open new accounts if needed

.....without work permit?

 

3.  will immigration provide residence certificates for vehicle

purchase/registration?

 

4.  have 2-year bike/car licenses.  any problems getting the 5-year

renewals from land transport?

 

5.  will immigration accept 800k in fixed accounts?

 

thank you.

[djayz]

Re question:

# 1) you will have to file the TM.28 yourself and do the 90 day reporting in Korat, too. You'll need a copy of your rental agreement with a copy of the landlord's ID and the copy should be signed IN ORIGINAL for the Immigration Officer. I have always found the IO at Korat Immigration to be friendly and helpful. Just my experience, others may disagree. 

 

2) opening bank accounts anywhere in Thailand is hit and miss. If the first bank/branch refuses to open an account for you, just go to a different bank/branch and try again. Judging by your style of writing (e.g. "y'all) I assume you're from the US. An American colleague told me that, for US IRS reporting reasons, it has become extremely difficult for Yanks to open accounts here - more difficult than for non-American foreigners apparently. Good luck with that one. 

 

3) yes, they will provide the necessary resident certificate for a small "overtime" fee. These resident certs are only valid for one month so plan carefully to coincide with the purchase. When you go to have the vehicle registered, you'll need an additional resident cert from Immigration...  don't forget your wallet as you'll have to grease the wheels of bureaucracy again for the new cert. 

 

4) no problem whatsoever. It usually takes me an hour  to renew my licenses. Have your missus call the people at the land transport office and ask them what documents they require BEFORE you go there. In the past I just needed a simple medical certificate which took me maybe an hour to obtain but that certificate is now being replaced by a new requirement. See 

for more info. 

 

5) maybe another member can answer this one - I can't answer it. 

 

Good luck. I didn't like Korat at the beginning, but now it's home. 

 

Has your ladyfriend walked you through the old city gates yet? The locals believe if your partner walks you through the gate once, you'll come back to visit Korat/him/her again. If he/she walks you through the gate a second time, you'll move to Korat and a third time means you'll spend the rest of your life in Korat. A rather nice little custom I find.