New retirement extension rules forces expat, 90, to leave Thailand

[icare999]

On 6 February 2019 at 8:42 AM, Soupdragon said:

Has anyone here actually been made to feel they are welcome in Thailand by Immigration Officials ???

mostly they dont make me feel unwelcome and many are very helpful polite and pleasant but a minority are basically miserable bastards which is on par with officilas in any country 

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, ginjag said:

My 3 bed bungalow, 6,500 bht per month,  Udon Thani 2 air con, 3 bathrooms, 2 heated showers,  drive for 4 cars, large front garden with coconut and lime trees, near Tesco 7-11 and a big Thai food market. True vision / on line,  2,500. water and electric 750 per month.       NOW tell me why I would need 65k a month  ??   when my neighbour earns less than 30k  a teacher.   same style home. Under 10k + food for 1 person.  not smoke not drink.     Dining out /alcohol No Go....but this makes me into a low l1fe, living on a shoe string, and should not be here according to some snob members.

Can these people see that the 30k UK pension easily covers living with 4k a month insurance cover and still accrue some saving...

 

I am so sick of the arrogant and sanctimonious postings by guys who have so much money, and are so secure financially, that having this money in the bank for half the year or longer, at minuscule interest rates, means nothing to them. You are so spot on, with so many of the thoughts posted here. Where I come from, talking about money is considered very low class. Yet, many ex-pats here have no issues, expressing to us how well off they are, how much cash they have, how their incomes are more than enough for anything, etc, etc. 

 

Ex-pats are going to be leaving in droves. And I do believe that many of us bring alot to the table. Whether or not the fabulously ignorant and arrogant fools at the top, will miss us, is questionable. But, I know many will. 

[spidermike007]

14 hours ago, InsertNameHere said:

I know that is the dumbest nonsense I have ever had to do. In Samut Sakhon I was told even with all those documents and a fellow thai service man. That she did not believe the marriage was real lol. She sent Immigration to the house to investigate. 3 officers knocked at my door in their black attire like I had done something wrong lol

 

Yep. This is nonsense, bordering on fascism. This is after we have jumped over major hoops to prove we are married, years ago. And the same nonsense every year, despite the original grilling, and investigation. It makes one sick to the stomach. It makes one bitter, sour, and feeling rather like a soi dog, and it is an imposition that our hosts should be ashamed of. Yet, that is not even close to the mark, because the entire immigration department is stuffed full of so much arrogance, hubris, ignorance, and fear of foreigners, that the need to jump over these hurdles would never even be considered as onerous as they are. 

 

If I was in a position to leave, and could afford to live in Spain, I would move next month. If I had not invested money in land and orchards, and a home. Something that is not considered for a nanosecond by the nitwits making these decisions. Sorry to say, but Thailand is moving backwards at a breath taking, and alarming clip. The future here looks questionable, unless the army is booted out with a vengeance in the next election. They are the real spoilers. They are the real incompetents and xenophobes, not the Thai people, who are lovely. 

 

 

[Spidey]

2 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

Always wonder what kind of hidden bad characteristics have these apartments to be so cheap...

If there were "nice 2 bed apartments for 15k" I would not be able to rent my studios for more than that ! 

No idea, I've never even been inside one.

 

I used to rent a nice 3 bedroom house on a great gated estate , on the darkside for 16k baht. Apartments/condos just don't appeal to me, nor does Central Pattaya/Jontien/Naklua.

[Spidey]

1 hour ago, jmd8800 said:

What country are you from that you cannot obtain a quote for insurance due to pre-existing conditions?

UK

[ginjag]

2 hours ago, lapamita said:

with only 700baht electric..living in a thaihouse , not using aircon ,,,i belive

my electric bill only for apartment is average 3000 thb..but want to keep my brain cool

for a good living standard incl all other costs ,not only the daily ones we already at 80.000

not including  bell rings at bars

snobbbb 

snobbbs using min tripple the budget

yes thais can live on 25000  .. yes..but i dont want to have a living like them or cant bcs me not thai.. dont want eat every day thaifood from market , dont want to sit with poor furnished around..and dont want to think how can pay my bil nextt days, and even as foreigner thinking about healthinsurance and visas

 

no dinning out ,no drink,no smoke..missing not pay for lady hahha..so what youre doing here?? yes oh sorry udon thani is the cultural heritage of the world,s  with a  Centrel since some eyars and mc donald..not only the uglly KFC  like other citys in thai.... yes best place to live, congratulations

For your info November to April is cool season here in Udon not need fans  a duvet at night,   Thai teachers manage with lovely homes on 25k-30k  with cars, they are NOT low life, and I am not, I am single happy with a big garden wi fi True vision, I not need or want what you have,  been there done that and at 76, I want to do what you do,  no thanks have 5 pets and so happy thank you for your post....you a new bie on here to argue are you and to pick faults at posters who not live your style ???

[icare999]

On 6 February 2019 at 12:25 PM, Just1Voice said:

I can't speak for other Embassies, but in 10 years of getting Income Verification letters from the American Embassy in Chiang Mai, not once was I asked to provide any proof of my income.  Even though I always took it with me. Nor was anyone else that I'm aware of.  Because of that, a lot of guys simply lied about their income, and now they are crying "foul", when they knew the rules to begin with. 

most of people i know from USA don’t have income and boasted no problem. When i used letter from embassy the UK embassy insisted i prove i had income. It always annoyed me that UK at least were honest while US obviously were not (maybe it says something about USA). Those who say ok what do I do leave my wife in rice field most I know don’t care about their wives at all or worse their off spring and if they did they would not get married and have kids when they obviously cant afford to give them what in west would be a semi decent standard. So the vast majority of those (not all) in my books are low life. Number of them when ive asked what happens if you die and then your children cant go to that school etc and answer in so many cases is not my problem. I’ve been expecting them to increase amount for many years and it would be quite reasonable to double it to 1.6 million. However although I have no real problem with new rules and usually bring over a lot more and usually have well over 1 million when I renew my visa because i cant use money as is my normal habit i might consider changing to a marriage visa or go for elite visa to save all hassle and is in many ways if you can afford it a bargain. Only problem with Elite visa is when i go my wife and children will loose out on a million baht. Transferring 65,000 a month is a lot of hassle and anyway while most months no problem sometimes my uk account drops to near zero due to bills etc. My wife could borrow money on one of her properties and pay 7% interest but we’ve been debt free for many years now. Ill probably just make sure i comply with new rules. If one is able to borrow money say at 7% it makes cost pa around 56k baht a year but then we can use money and mostly get at least 5% so cost is only around 16k baht a year. I tend to agree that those who can’t afford it don’t belong here. There are some genuine people here who have fallen on hard times but most while not being necessarily low life simply are to poor to live here and don’t belong. Its also totally up to Thais and if you don’t like it well theirs nothing you can do and if like many you are of view Thailand is so bad in so many ways then you really should not be here.  Its totally reasonable for Thais to insist on a proper amount in income or assets. How do those moaning intend paying if they need expensive medical care which here is IMO as good as anywhere but while costs are by western standards low it still cost me around 1 million for my cancer treatment.  

[icare999]

most of people i know from USA don’t have income and boasted no problem. When i used letter from embassy the UK embassy insisted i prove i had income. It always annoyed me that UK at least were honest while US obviously were not (maybe it says something about USA). Those who say ok what do I do leave my wife in rice field most I know don’t care about their wives at all or worse their off spring and if they did they would not get married and have kids when they obviously cant afford to give them what in west would be a semi decent standard. So the vast majority of those (not all) in my books are low life. Number of them when ive asked what happens if you die and then your children cant go to that school etc and answer in so many cases is not my problem. I’ve been expecting them to increase amount for many years and it would be quite reasonable to double it to 1.6 million. However although I have no real problem with new rules and usually bring over a lot more and usually have well over 1 million when I renew my visa because i cant use money as is my normal habit i might consider changing to a marriage visa or go for elite visa to save all hassle and is in many ways if you can afford it a bargain. Only problem with Elite visa is when i go my wife and children will loose out on a million baht. Transferring 65,000 a month is a lot of hassle and anyway while most months no problem sometimes my uk account drops to near zero due to bills etc. My wife could borrow money on one of her properties and pay 7% interest but we’ve been debt free for many years now. Ill probably just make sure i comply with new rules. If one is able to borrow money say at 7% it makes cost pa around 56k baht a year but then we can use money and mostly get at least 5% so cost is only around 16k baht a year. I tend to agree that those who can’t afford it don’t belong here. There are some genuine people here who have fallen on hard times but most while not being necessarily low life simply are to poor to live here and don’t belong. Its also totally up to Thais and if you don’t like it well theirs nothing you can do and if like many you are of view Thailand is so bad in so many ways then you really should not be here.  Its totally reasonable for Thais to insist on a proper amount in income or assets. How do those moaning intend paying if they need expensive medical care which here is IMO as good as anywhere but while costs are by western standards low it still cost me around 1 million for my cancer treatment.  

[icare999]

On 6 February 2019 at 1:23 PM, garyk said:

If you are young enough to have a 7 year old then why would you want to be in Thailand? Go back home and go to work, take the boy with you. He will have a good education and a good life.

555 im nearly 90 and was over 60 when we had our 2 children and no i dont consider myself a dirty old man many in west marry ladies far younger than them and have children 

[BritManToo]

6 minutes ago, icare999 said:

Those who say ok what do I do leave my wife in rice field

This thread is about retirement extensions, if you are married you should have a marriage extension.

If you got the wrong extension, that is clearly a problem you caused entirely by yourself.

But easily corrected with the right extension next time.

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

For starters, I don't keep 800k in the bank.  I go to section 3 of the law, which states having an income of 65k a month, OR the money in the bank.  My income well exceeds the 65k a month requirement. 

Enjoy paying income tax in Thailand!

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Enjoy paying income tax in Thailand!

People on retirement extensions importing income are not paying Thai income taxes.

 

Next … 

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, Advocate said:

The requirement for Baht 800,000 has been in force for a long time. It's not new.

 

Thailand was not meant to be the homeland of last resort for poverty-stricken Brits.

That's misleading.

800K in a Thai bank has been one option among three.

The 800K needed to be seasoned before the extension and then you were free to spend your own money until the next annual seasoning period.

The new onerous 800K rules require seasoning before, seasoning after, and in fact seasoning of a base level of 400K all year, meaning if you go under one baht during the year when you thought you had a legal full year extension, you instantly become an illegal alien. 

The other options are income method and combo method, neither which require 800K in a bank, but I'll limit my reply to you to be about the 800K method. 

[Peasandmash]

my heart is breaking...

[Jingthing]

Just now, Peasandmash said:

my heart is breaking...

I don't think it's reasonable to expect anyone's heart to break due to the misfortune of strangers. But on the other hand, gloating and doing smug superior dances is extremely unseemly and a reflection on the poor character of those indulging. 

[lapamita]

1 hour ago, ginjag said:

...you a new bie on here to argue are you and to pick faults at posters who not live your style ???

and you a new bie too , if i am new bie.... more long than y here, (and in thai 30yr+) only no have the time and the will to post daily/hourly my friend , same  you.

seems not a lot to do at udon....

[Gecko123]

People are up in arms about the 800K changes because these changes freeze funds either entirely or partially throughout the year and are counterproductive to the goal of ensuring that expats have adequate funds available. Documenting compliance is probably going to be a headache as well.

 

The requirement that the housemaster (TM-30) has to report your return to your residence within 24 hours after you leave the country, (even if you are returning to your same previously reported residence) is even more onerous, and really sticks in my craw. Talk about criminalizing the expat retiree community! I looked up the change of address requirements for registered sex offenders in the the US, and they're given 3 days to report. But Thailand needs to confirm a 70 y/o retiree who has returned home to the same house he has lived in for 20 years on the same day he comes back from a weekend trip to Singapore. Jeez.

Edited February 8, 2019 by Gecko123

[DrTuner]

27 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

But Thailand needs to confirm a 70 y/o retiree who has returned home to the same house he has lived in for 20 years on the same day he comes back from a weekend trip to Singapore. Jeez.

Who knows, that evil retiree might be planning a coup. Gotta keep him under surveillance 24/7.

 

Yes, the immigration act originating from the 50's needs a complete overhaul. Yesterday there was no hope of that, but today the sky is just a little bit more blue.

[ginjag]

1 hour ago, lapamita said:

and you a new bie too , if i am new bie.... more long than y here, (and in thai 30yr+) only no have the time and the will to post daily/hourly my friend , same  you.

seems not a lot to do at udon....

Udon only the second biggest city now,  biggest regional airport soon be on the fast rail.

Think I out stay you for all your boasting, here in all 41 years.  Get out more, travel a bit,  I have lived in 6 different counties,  do not think for one minute I am in the back and beyond.  So please add to the topic rather than come on here slagging people and lifestyles.

[Gecko123]

43 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

Who knows, that evil retiree might be planning a coup. Gotta keep him under surveillance 24/7.

 

Yes, the immigration act originating from the 50's needs a complete overhaul. Yesterday there was no hope of that, but today the sky is just a little bit more blue.

I completely agree with the need for an overhaul. The 800K requirement in no way ensures that a person's consumption pattern will be any different from someone who cannot meet this requirement. When this requirement was first introduced overnight international fund transfers weren't available. Having funds on deposit in Thailand really isn't any longer necessary from a surety bond perspective.

 

Thailand needs to revist why this law is in place and focus on eliminating whatever the underlying problem they are concerned with. If it's fear of foreign vagrants, enforce vagrancy laws. If they're concerned with uninsured medical costs, allow foreigners to buy into the government medical program (like Mexico does). If they're concerned about uninsured at fault auto accidents, require auto insurance, etc., etc. If they're going to impose controls, make sure they have value and have a sound purpose, not just generating mountains of bureaucratic paperwork for very little benefit to Thailand.

[annabel]

5 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

For starters, I don't keep 800k in the bank.  I go to section 3 of the law, which states having an income of 65k a month, OR the money in the bank.  My income well exceeds the 65k a month requirement. 

Thank you so much for the clarification!

[tlandtday]

1 hour ago, snooky said:

 

Let's see what happens after the election if anything we shall see:)

Edited February 8, 2019 by tlandtday

[ginjag]

58 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

Let's see what happens after the election if anything we shall see:)

Do not bank on it Thaksin Shinawatta was ex police,  remember.

[ginjag]

I just find it strange, Immigration/police run the visa department and in opposition TAT run the Elite visa...

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, ginjag said:

I just find it strange, Immigration/police run the visa department and in opposition TAT run the Elite visa...

Actually Visas are under the jurisdiction of the ministry of foreign affairs.

 

Immigration police enforces immigration laws within Thailand.

 

Thailand Privilege Card Co. Ltd. is a company that's the official distributor of the "Thailand Elite" Privileged Entry (PE) visas. I think TAT owns most of it, but not sure.

 

And of course they are always meddling on each other's affairs, left hand, right hand, middle hand, chaos, welcome to Thailand.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

20 hours ago, annabel said:

And that is an investment you think ??? What is the return interest wise on this investment ?? And do you get anything back eventually ??? or is that 500,000 Baht gone into limbo and you get nothing back? Not even interest rate???

As I said it's good for me and not for others, as yourself apparently, 500k is nothing. Cheers! 

[spidermike007]

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

This thread is about retirement extensions, if you are married you should have a marriage extension.

If you got the wrong extension, that is clearly a problem you caused entirely by yourself.

But easily corrected with the right extension next time.

Not necessarily. The marriage visa is a total nightmare. Far harder to get than the retirement visa. For this reason, many married men choose to go the retirement route, which is perfectly legal and authorized. It is our choice, not yours. Telling people what they should and should not do is emblematic of a bit of a daddy complex, no? 

[Bournville]

The ignorance of folk on here about the new rules and then commenting is staggering ! Let’s make it clear “the 65k a month retirement extension will no longer be an option “ you all got that ????


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

You're wrong and very dense. You got all that?

Be happy

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Not necessarily. The marriage visa is a total nightmare. Far harder to get than the retirement visa. For this reason, many married men choose to go the retirement route, which is perfectly legal and authorized. It is our choice, not yours. Telling people what they should and should not do is emblematic of a bit of a daddy complex, no? 

When I got married I asked immigration what extension/VISA I should get.

They said, "The one that most closely matches your reason for being here, if you want to be with your wife, marriage extension"

 

You should also think about the UN human rights which Thailand have signed.

You have the right to live in a country with your wife, you have no right to retire anywhere you like.

I believe they won't try to change marriage extensions, as it would cause then far reaching international repercussions.

Which is probably why they made it easier to get retirement extensions in the past.

 

Hey, but what do I know.

[ginjag]

Small % will be thinking this.

 

Please I need to get access to a balcony prefer above 5th floor, any city, cannot stay, cannot go home.  Urgent.   Joking, but maybe an outlet for some.