Retirement visa/US citizen

[hapy2rtire]

11 hours ago, Martyp said:

I got my O-A visa at the LA Consulate in February 2017. I stayed in a hotel walking distance from the Consulate and dropped off the application 1 day and picked it up the next

 

The visa you get will allow you to enter anytime for one year. Each time you enter you will get 1 year of stay from that date of entry. If you leave and enter just before the end of the first year you will get 1 year of stay on re-entry which means you will have gotten about 2 years of stay on the first visa.

 

That initial visa allows you to leave and enter the country multiple times during that first year. The multiple entry permit does end after the first year. I never gets extended an additional year when you re-enter. That means if you plan to travel in and out of the country during the second year you have to purchase a new multiple entry permit. Others have said do this at the airport. You can also do it at any immigration office.

 

The LA Consulate will tell you to report to immigration after 90 days. What they mean is that you must report to immigration if you stay in the country continuously for 90 days. However, if you leave the country and re-enter before you have been here 90 days then the 90 day clock resets. In my first 90 days I returned to the US twice. On my 2nd return the 90 day clock started again.

 

Once you get here you want to open a Thai bank account. This may not be easy. You may have to go to several branches before a manager allows you to open an account. I got lucky the first time because I had my Thai girlfriend with me and she convinced them to let me open an account. Don't panic. Just keep trying.

 

Make sure your bank in America is capable of supporting international wire transfers. I had problems with Wells Fargo Bank. I changed to Bank of America and have been happy with them. You want to make sure they don't have a limit on the amount you can transfer. The other annoying thing is that they want you to have a US address and telephone number. I have the cheapest ATT plan I could buy but I'm looking for something better.

 

I looked into shipping a small amount of things to Thailand. Either it was too expensive or too slow. I ended up coming with just two suitcases. You should know that, in Bangkok at least, most condos are already furnished. Mine came with all the furniture, TV, pots/pans, and dishes. At first you think that you need a lot of things from the US but after about 6 months you realize you don't need most of it and the rest you can obtain here. My advise - resist the urge to reproduce your US life in Thailand.

 

BTW - You will hear about some expats using agents to help them through the visa process while in Thailand. I've never used an agent. It isn't that hard and it is good for you to personally experience and know the process. The speculation about the recent changes to the financial requirements is that it was done to eliminate some of the practices of agents. I have a good friend who came to Thailand on a tourist visa and then used an agent to help get is 1 year extension base on being over 50 years old. His agent helped him a lot and he is happy. Agent or no agent. Up to You.

Thank you MartyP. You and Overherebc gave great explanations of the visa process. I am much relieved.

And yes, I am heeding all the advice to cut back on belongings. I am spending the next two days paring down even more. I started 2 months ago with enough stuff to fill a 4500 sq ft house and everything that goes along with job, house, raising 2 kids and a dog, etc... the whole American dream nonsense. I have sold almost everything and I thought I was doing good to get down to 5 large boxes plus luggage. But I have worked through the night and am now down to 3 1/2 boxes total... with no plans for storage here in the states. If I can ditch 1/2 box more, I will be down to only paying 1 extra luggage fee (~$140) on the plane. Yippie!! New tools, new climbing gear and new lamps will be my reward to myself for making the move ????  Thank you all for your advice. You all are making the conversion a lot easier. I hope I am able to do the same for someone some day. Smiles

[Bernie622]

With all the great advice please take moment catching your breath after your settled with a brief update and any learnings you can impart to others here. 

 

Safe travel and enjoy Thailand.

[onera1961]

15 hours ago, Martyp said:

I got my O-A visa at the LA Consulate in February 2017. I stayed in a hotel walking distance from the Consulate and dropped off the application 1 day and picked it up the next

Did you give your hotel address as you US home address?

[longball53098]

Sorry to ask this question but how many times have you been to Thailand and for how long of a stay?

[KCM]

I recommend opening a Charles Schwab Bank account in the U.S. before you leave for Thailand. There's no monthly fee and all ATM fees are reimbursed.

[AAArdvark]

21 hours ago, overherebc said:

 

 If during the two years you don't want to travel then you must do what are called 90 day reports to your local Imm' office. Depending on your location usually a quicky easy visit.

 

I think that part of the post is misleading.  Unless you travel every 90 days, you will still be required to do the 90 reports.

[AAArdvark]

Try to get your visa as close to your departure as is safe to do.  The first year starts on the date that the visa is issued.  For example, if you get your visa two months prior to your departure, your first year will actually be only 10 months.  You can still get the nearly 1 year extension of stay by leaving Thailand and returning near the end of the 1st year (or in this case 10 months).

[overherebc]

3 minutes ago, AAArdvark said:

I think that part of the post is misleading.  Unless you travel every 90 days, you will still be required to do the 90 reports.

Ok, just for you.

If you don't travel out of Thailand, except for getting your second year permission to stay, then you will have to do 90 day reports to Imm' where you are living.

[STALINGRAD]

There is a Ship to Thai store on Hollywood boulevard in Thaitown Los Angeles.They provide the standard box,you fill it and give address in Thailand..Provides a inexpensive way for bulky items if your not in a hurry.

 

 

[SpokaneAl]

There is a Ship to Thai store on Hollywood boulevard in Thaitown Los Angeles.They provide the standard box,you fill it and give address in Thailand..Provides a inexpensive way for bulky items if your not in a hurry.
 
 

Just be prepared for customs fees when your stuff arrives in Thailand.


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[STALINGRAD]

Send2Thai  5301 WSunset Hollywood 323 336-9595  Sorry it is on Sunset not hollywood blvd  

[hapy2rtire]

22 hours ago, Bernie622 said:

With all the great advice please take moment catching your breath after your settled with a brief update and any learnings you can impart to others here. 

 

Safe travel and enjoy Thailand.

Thank you Bernie622, I have a lot to do here. I am keeping my house in the US so arranging property management, switch insurance to landlord, doing some repairs to ensure fewer problems while I am away. I am packing now, to figure out what to take and what to put in garage sale this weekend. Packing is down to 2 boxes + 1 luggage (will be $137 extra luggage fee on plane) and garage sale pile is huge!! I get my visa next week and hope to be on a plane to Chiang Mai by late April. I have to run up to Oregon to see my daughter and brother before I leave. Whew, I have been dreaming of this all my life and working towards it for the last year (divorce, quit job, spent time "dropping bomb" on kids, managed finances, etc). It's so cool that it is finally coming to fruition.

 

Only thing I can share as far as "learning" anything... and I can't remember if it was on this thread or another, but an American gentleman mentioned he was having difficulty figuring cell phone service and he had the cheapest plan at ATT but that was still expensive. I did discover TING. I haven't signed up yet but they bill by usage. Base rate is $6 a line and then nominal fee for phone mins, text and data. They use both the Sprint system CDMA (I hear it is NOT good in Thailand) and the T-Mobile GSM system which I hear is pretty good in Thailand... you get to choose which system you want (at least that what their add says). When I checked how much my bill would be right now with my current usage in the US, it seemed to be just a bit cheaper than what I am paying with Verizon. So I plan to switch to TING for my American phone and not use much in Thailand and hopefully the bill will be $6-$20), and this will keep my US number and have US phone available for visits back. And then I plan to get a Thai SIM with second phone for Asia travel. Anyway, when I have some time later I will find that post and answer with this info.

 

Many thanks Bernie622 and maybe we will connect once I get over there. ????

[hapy2rtire]

17 hours ago, longball53098 said:

Sorry to ask this question but how many times have you been to Thailand and for how long of a stay?

No problems asking questions. I was there a couple of times in the 80's. I traveled SEA alone a lot in the 80's and early 90's. Been to headhunter villages in Borneo and villages that had not seen white people in 10 years (PNG) when missionaries had come through. Was in Cambodia in 84 when lots of unrest and in Malaysia when the US invaded Kwait... lots of "Kill American" signs in the streets. I wore a Canadian flag ???? until I could get to someplace else. Always carry my Canadian flag to quickly sew onto my backpack if need be.  I have some stories. Longest trip back then was 4 months. I have always wanted to live in SEA but got caught up in the American Dream for the last 20+ years. I have had a great life... been able to experience alot. I hatched the idea of actually moving to SEA while on a trip to Thailand about a year ago where I traveled around the country fast and furious for a month... BKK, Koh Sami (boy has it changed from the 80's) and Phangan, Railay/Krabi, KhaoSok lake, CM, back in Doi Saket area for a few days. Had a motor bike accident with resulting scar... yes I already have my Thai tattoo, haha. But was able to experience the medical system and that was the final decision huddle. I went back in Aug 2018 to scope out more (only had 2 weeks, so 1 week in Hua Hin and 1 in CM). I was trying to decide if I wanted to buy a condo in CM, and trying to figure out if I wanted to stay close to town without transport (not buy a car) or farther out with transport (a car). I still haven't decided but leaning towards further out with a car. Will figure that out when I get there. I did not have a car or motor bike at that time, so I walked alot... over 10 miles a day checking out neighborhoods. It was difficult to get farther out and see what's 5 - 10 km outside the city.

 

Anyone with any advice on that... where to live in CM for the first 6 months. I have a guest house I like that I will book for the first 2 weeks. I figure I'll find something more permanent within those two weeks.

[hapy2rtire]

17 hours ago, KCM said:

I recommend opening a Charles Schwab Bank account in the U.S. before you leave for Thailand. There's no monthly fee and all ATM fees are reimbursed.

Hey KCM,

Great advice!1 I opened CS accounts about 6 months ago. Thank you

[hapy2rtire]

16 hours ago, AAArdvark said:

Try to get your visa as close to your departure as is safe to do.  The first year starts on the date that the visa is issued.  For example, if you get your visa two months prior to your departure, your first year will actually be only 10 months.  You can still get the nearly 1 year extension of stay by leaving Thailand and returning near the end of the 1st year (or in this case 10 months).

Thank you for the advice. I was planning to get my visa next week and depart late April. I was doing that because if I screwed up on the paperwork, I would have time to redo. But as I am more confident with the paperwork that I have, because of all the advice you all have given... yea, I will postpone my trip to LA and get my visa closer to my departure. Thank you for the advice... all of you. I feel much more confident.

[hapy2rtire]

16 hours ago, STALINGRAD said:

There is a Ship to Thai store on Hollywood boulevard in Thaitown Los Angeles.They provide the standard box,you fill it and give address in Thailand..Provides a inexpensive way for bulky items if your not in a hurry.

 

 

Thank you. I have heard about Thaitown in LA and was going to drop by for a visit while on my "visa run" to LA. With all of the previous advice to minimize belongs taken to Thailand, I am now down to 2 boxes and 1 suitcase. Airline allows 2 luggage (of which both boxes fit size and weight), so I will be paying $137 for 1 extra "luggage". Then I have one box I am leaving with my daughter, and per Overherebc's post... when he (just realized I am assuming... he might be she) because they said they went back to US within the first year... I thought, duh!!!  I will probably be homesick or frustrated after about 3 months and a quick trip home to see my daughter will be nice. I will bring the last box to Thailand then. So 4 medium boxes in total and like you all said... probably over half of it I won't use. But oh well, takes time to process, haha.

[SpokaneAl]

Thank you Bernie622, I have a lot to do here. I am keeping my house in the US so arranging property management, switch insurance to landlord, doing some repairs to ensure fewer problems while I am away. I am packing now, to figure out what to take and what to put in garage sale this weekend. Packing is down to 2 boxes + 1 luggage (will be $137 extra luggage fee on plane) and garage sale pile is huge!! I get my visa next week and hope to be on a plane to Chiang Mai by late April. I have to run up to Oregon to see my daughter and brother before I leave. Whew, I have been dreaming of this all my life and working towards it for the last year (divorce, quit job, spent time "dropping bomb" on kids, managed finances, etc). It's so cool that it is finally coming to fruition.
 
Only thing I can share as far as "learning" anything... and I can't remember if it was on this thread or another, but an American gentleman mentioned he was having difficulty figuring cell phone service and he had the cheapest plan at ATT but that was still expensive. I did discover TING. I haven't signed up yet but they bill by usage. Base rate is $6 a line and then nominal fee for phone mins, text and data. They use both the Sprint system CDMA (I hear it is NOT good in Thailand) and the T-Mobile GSM system which I hear is pretty good in Thailand... you get to choose which system you want (at least that what their add says). When I checked how much my bill would be right now with my current usage in the US, it seemed to be just a bit cheaper than what I am paying with Verizon. So I plan to switch to TING for my American phone and not use much in Thailand and hopefully the bill will be $6-$20), and this will keep my US number and have US phone available for visits back. And then I plan to get a Thai SIM with second phone for Asia travel. Anyway, when I have some time later I will find that post and answer with this info.
 
Many thanks Bernie622 and maybe we will connect once I get over there. [emoji846]

Perhaps consider purchasing a dual sim phone and getting a phone number from a Thai company when you arrive. They are very cheap and, in my opinion, having a local phone number is important.


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[anywherebuthere]

Hello all,

I just created an account so I could ask some questions, (hope they are not too redundant).

I wanted to share with hapy2rtire that I am currently working through retirement visa process myself.

I met a nice guy at the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles last week and he shared a good tip.

Right across the street from the Consulate is a business called, "SSR SERVICES" and owner's name is RIN.

My new friend told me the owner, (RIN), is great with customer service and actually put all his paperwork together and walked over to Thai Consulate and helped him get through the process, (RIN is Thai).

She offers notary and copy services.

Anyway, I went and said hello to her and she seemed very helpful, and may be helpful to you.

I intend on leaving here, (Los Angeles), for Pattaya in first month of June if everything comes together.

I THOUGHT I had all my paperwork in order and tried to submit last week but my passport will expire in less than 18 months so that stopped me cold. I'm now awaiting an replacement passport so I can get back in line.

Anyway, to you very helpful veterans of this process, may I ask if I can still use the ongoing services I read about for leaving Thailand to a neighboring country for 24 hours to re-apply for another year on my retirement visa? I ask because my new friend, who has been in Thailand for five years, now believes that one year retirement visa holders must return to US each year and then re-apply?? Just asking you all as I have heard many different opinions and I admit I'm confused.

Also, I am meeting the financial requirement by combining my SS income, (less than $2,000/mo), with my own cash to meet the monthly "income" requirements. The Thai Consulate people say this will work, but my question to you is: Do I need to put this additional cash in a Thai bank, and will the total cash be held for the entire time I reside in Thailand?

Thanks for allowing me to ask such elementary questions.

You are ALL very helpful, and good luck to hapy3retire, (maybe I'll bump into you at the Thai Consulate ???? )

 

[AAArdvark]

5 hours ago, hapy2rtire said:

Only thing I can share as far as "learning" anything... and I can't remember if it was on this thread or another, but an American gentleman mentioned he was having difficulty figuring cell phone service and he had the cheapest plan at ATT but that was still expensive. I did discover TING. I haven't signed up yet but they bill by usage. Base rate is $6 a line and then nominal fee for phone mins, text and data. They use both the Sprint system CDMA (I hear it is NOT good in Thailand) and the T-Mobile GSM system which I hear is pretty good in Thailand... you get to choose which system you want (at least that what their add says). When I checked how much my bill would be right now with my current usage in the US, it seemed to be just a bit cheaper than what I am paying with Verizon. So I plan to switch to TING for my American phone and not use much in Thailand and hopefully the bill will be $6-$20), and this will keep my US number and have US phone available for visits back. And then I plan to get a Thai SIM with second phone for Asia travel. 

 

Do you plan to make frequent returns to the US?  Consider getting a MagicJack in the US and setting it up there. (~$35 a year)  The current version of MJ works with an app.  You install it on your Thai phone and as long as you have decent wifi, it will give you free calls to or within the US with a US phone number.  As far as a phone goes for use here, definitely get a GSM phone (there are some that do both).  Just becasue it is a GSM phone does not mean it work work well here.  Best to do research before buying one.  High end phones here are similar to non-contract phone prices in the US but there is a much larger availability of nice mid-range phones here at good prices.  As mentioned before, dual SIM phones would work well but they can be harder to find in the US. 

[AAArdvark]

3 hours ago, hapy2rtire said:

Anyone with any advice on that... where to live in CM for the first 6 months. I have a guest house I like that I will book for the first 2 weeks. I figure I'll find something more permanent within those two weeks.

Without a car, get the Grab car app.  It is easy to use (after the first try) quick and is actually the cheapest means of public transportation in CM.  With a car, make sure you check out the drivers license requirements here.  Having an International Drivers License from AAA is a good start.

[KCM]

5 hours ago, hapy2rtire said:

Hey KCM,

Great advice!1 I opened CS accounts about 6 months ago. Thank you

For your U.S. phone number take a look at using the Google Fi service. In Thailand, you will use a Thai SIM card, but for travel to other countries, the Thai service is very expensive. Google Fi provides service in most countries at reasonable rates, and the charge for data is the same worldwide as it is in the U.S. Also, you are only charged for data used, so you will get a credit back on your next statement if you don't use all. Another advantage of Google Fi is your phone number will work for making and receiving calls anywhere that you have wifi even if there is no cellular signal.

 

Google Fi only works with certain phones, but there is a good selection of phones to choose from now.

[hapy2rtire]

2 hours ago, AAArdvark said:

 

Do you plan to make frequent returns to the US?  Consider getting a MagicJack in the US and setting it up there. (~$35 a year)  The current version of MJ works with an app.  You install it on your Thai phone and as long as you have decent wifi, it will give you free calls to or within the US with a US phone number.  As far as a phone goes for use here, definitely get a GSM phone (there are some that do both).  Just becasue it is a GSM phone does not mean it work work well here.  Best to do research before buying one.  High end phones here are similar to non-contract phone prices in the US but there is a much larger availability of nice mid-range phones here at good prices.  As mentioned before, dual SIM phones would work well but they can be harder to find in the US. 

Hi AAArdvark, Thank you for the great tip on phones.  I will look into MJ works. Sounds like a great alternative. Thank you... maybe we wil be calling each other soon, ????

[ubonjoe]

A post advertising a website has been removed. 

[hapy2rtire]

2 hours ago, AAArdvark said:

Without a car, get the Grab car app.  It is easy to use (after the first try) quick and is actually the cheapest means of public transportation in CM.  With a car, make sure you check out the drivers license requirements here.  Having an International Drivers License from AAA is a good start.

Again, thank you for the tip. Great to know. I have used Grab in Thailand before and have the app. I was there when they had Uber. Back then Uber was better because Uber had better maps. When you'd order a Grab, the guy would often text that he was at the pickup site, but he'd be 2 blocks down the street. Grab maps weren't very good. I have heard Grab bought Uber in many countries and took over their maps, so yes, Grab is a great alternative and a much better option than it used to be. I was a little scared to use them for far out from CM city, afraid I wouldn't be able to get a return ride. But yes, when I get there this time I will use alot.  It is so convenient and cheap.... most rides with tip less than a dollar US.

Regarding drivers license, I looked into it last time I was there when I was deciding 'stay in city with no transport' vs 'outside city with car'. It seems you can be grandfathered in if you have an international drivers license without taking the written test, just the pedal test and something else that was easy (I can't remember at the moment). So got my international DL from AAA last week, in my pocket and ready to go. I made the start date of the DL May 1 because I knew I wouldn't get over there until late April.

 

Thanks again for all the great advice and tidbits. It is all helpful and no way for any of you to know what bits I know about and I have taken care of and which bits are "unknown" to me. Keep them coming... all is very much appreciated. When we meet up, I'll buy you dinner ????

 

[hapy2rtire]

36 minutes ago, KCM said:

For your U.S. phone number take a look at using the Google Fi service. In Thailand, you will use a Thai SIM card, but for travel to other countries, the Thai service is very expensive. Google Fi provides service in most countries at reasonable rates, and the charge for data is the same worldwide as it is in the U.S. Also, you are only charged for data used, so you will get a credit back on your next statement if you don't use all. Another advantage of Google Fi is your phone number will work for making and receiving calls anywhere that you have wifi even if there is no cellular signal.

 

Google Fi only works with certain phones, but there is a good selection of phones to choose from now.

Wow, great info! I did not know about Goggle Fi. I will check it out. Thank you. I owe you a dinner as well ????

 

[hapy2rtire]

3 hours ago, anywherebuthere said:

Hello all,

I just created an account so I could ask some questions, (hope they are not too redundant).

I wanted to share with hapy2rtire that I am currently working through retirement visa process myself.

I met a nice guy at the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles last week and he shared a good tip.

Right across the street from the Consulate is a business called, "SSR SERVICES" and owner's name is RIN.

My new friend told me the owner, (RIN), is great with customer service and actually put all his paperwork together and walked over to Thai Consulate and helped him get through the process, (RIN is Thai).

She offers notary and copy services.

Anyway, I went and said hello to her and she seemed very helpful, and may be helpful to you.

I intend on leaving here, (Los Angeles), for Pattaya in first month of June if everything comes together.

I THOUGHT I had all my paperwork in order and tried to submit last week but my passport will expire in less than 18 months so that stopped me cold. I'm now awaiting an replacement passport so I can get back in line.

Anyway, to you very helpful veterans of this process, may I ask if I can still use the ongoing services I read about for leaving Thailand to a neighboring country for 24 hours to re-apply for another year on my retirement visa? I ask because my new friend, who has been in Thailand for five years, now believes that one year retirement visa holders must return to US each year and then re-apply?? Just asking you all as I have heard many different opinions and I admit I'm confused.

Also, I am meeting the financial requirement by combining my SS income, (less than $2,000/mo), with my own cash to meet the monthly "income" requirements. The Thai Consulate people say this will work, but my question to you is: Do I need to put this additional cash in a Thai bank, and will the total cash be held for the entire time I reside in Thailand?

Thanks for allowing me to ask such elementary questions.

You are ALL very helpful, and good luck to hapy3retire, (maybe I'll bump into you at the Thai Consulate ???? )

 

HI, Great to know about RIN. I had heard that one could get the money order at "the place across the street". Sounds like RIN does much more than that. If you haven't ordered your new passport, I would suggest the big book with added pages. That's what I recently did... got a passport... the big one. Back in the 1980's when I was traveling a lot, I would fill passports quickly. Back then you could order extra pages and glue them into an existing US passport. I heard the "extra pages" technique is no longer available. So go for the big one up front.

See ya over there ????

[UKresonant]

waste of time trying to ship anything here, unless you can get it in your suitcase.

Last year I posted some components for my kids model railway, I had an injured foot, and was trying to keep the weight of my luggage to a minimum.

Cost me 75% of the value of the package in taxes! Never again.

One feature was that the postage cost was £55, the shipper in Thailand appeared to have stated it was £110 equiv. so was charged about £40 duty on my £55 postage, plus the duty on the actual items.

(The retirement description on some of the Visa options, seems a bit misleading, given their short durations...perhaps it would be better to say, "you can stay for a little while, because you are retired")

 

On the phones front, I use old windows 10 dual sim phones, one with a permanent data allowance , via a Thai sim, and one with with a Thai sim code to enable data for 24hrs when needed.

I used "Viber out" recently to call a bank security dept in the UK and they thought I was calling in the UK from the same phone I used previously over UK sim in the UK. Worth a look perhaps...,

A VPN is also useful sometimes.

Edited March 8, 2019 by johnwf1963

[overherebc]

4 hours ago, anywherebuthere said:

Hello all,

I just created an account so I could ask some questions, (hope they are not too redundant).

I wanted to share with hapy2rtire that I am currently working through retirement visa process myself.

I met a nice guy at the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles last week and he shared a good tip.

Right across the street from the Consulate is a business called, "SSR SERVICES" and owner's name is RIN.

My new friend told me the owner, (RIN), is great with customer service and actually put all his paperwork together and walked over to Thai Consulate and helped him get through the process, (RIN is Thai).

She offers notary and copy services.

Anyway, I went and said hello to her and she seemed very helpful, and may be helpful to you.

I intend on leaving here, (Los Angeles), for Pattaya in first month of June if everything comes together.

I THOUGHT I had all my paperwork in order and tried to submit last week but my passport will expire in less than 18 months so that stopped me cold. I'm now awaiting an replacement passport so I can get back in line.

Anyway, to you very helpful veterans of this process, may I ask if I can still use the ongoing services I read about for leaving Thailand to a neighboring country for 24 hours to re-apply for another year on my retirement visa? I ask because my new friend, who has been in Thailand for five years, now believes that one year retirement visa holders must return to US each year and then re-apply?? Just asking you all as I have heard many different opinions and I admit I'm confused.

Also, I am meeting the financial requirement by combining my SS income, (less than $2,000/mo), with my own cash to meet the monthly "income" requirements. The Thai Consulate people say this will work, but my question to you is: Do I need to put this additional cash in a Thai bank, and will the total cash be held for the entire time I reside in Thailand?

Thanks for allowing me to ask such elementary questions.

You are ALL very helpful, and good luck to hapy3retire, (maybe I'll bump into you at the Thai Consulate ???? )

 

No need to return every year to USA if you can 'park' 800,000 baht in a Thai bank and just leave it there. That means you can get a one year extension of stay every year.

Maybe the guys who return every year are doing so to get 'visas' 

Keep in mind conditions differ between visas and extensions of stay.

[hapy2rtire]

12 minutes ago, johnwf1963 said:

waste of time trying to ship anything here, unless you can get it in your suitcase.

Last year I posted some components for my kids model railway, I had an injured foot, and was trying to keep the weight of my luggage to a minimum.

Cost me 75% of the value of the package in taxes! Never again.

One feature was that the postage cost was £55, the shipper in Thailand appeared to have stated it was £110 equiv. so was charged about £40 duty on my £55 postage, plus the duty on the actual items.

(The retirement description on some of the Visa options, seems a bit misleading, given their short durations...perhaps it would be better to say, "you can stay for a little while, because you are retired")

Hi Johnwf1963,

I hear ya. I am so sorry that happened, and with a gift to your kids. Yikes. Thank you for the info on shipping hassles. I read Thailand customs uses CIF to figure the duty tax. CIF includes the value of the item PLUS shipping costs PLUS insurance costs. You pay the % tax on all of it, more than just the item. And you were probably a high % because the item was new.  

On the shipping websites, and in talking with shipper directly, I have been told the customs officials can value an object at whatever they want. And duty taxes are between 20-80% of the value and set by the customs official and there is not any recourse. The websites say the average tax is 30%. 30% is still high and considering the shipping cost (around $1000 from the US) and insurance are added to the value... whoa. Although when on the phone with shippers, as I listed the items I was thinking about taking, the shippers often said it sounded like I'd pay about $1000-1500 in taxes. That didn't seem too bad, but one also has to consider the shippers might be telling me best case scenario because they want me to ship with them. They're not responsible once the merchandise lands. They are probably underestimating.

Then someone on this thread said something like, 'why would you bring that stuff when you can buy shiny new'. Ping... light bulb... they're right!! I realized... yea... IF, if I buy the things over again it will probably end up costing about the same dollars as I would end up spending in taxes ($1000-1500+) and everything I buy will be new and shiny. Makes it a lot easier to throw things in the garage sale pile when you think like that. I was doing pretty well last night, but then there were some things I wanted to keep. Like I have these cool bedside table lamps that turn on/off by just touching the lamp anywhere. Label says they are 110/220, so will work in Thailand. I haven't seen them in stores around here so I thought they were really special. I was determined to find a way to bring them. Then last night I did a search and found anyone can buy similar just about any online store. I found two lamps for only $25... not as special as I thought. So mine, into the garage sale pile. I'll buy new... maybe even something cooler when I get over there... if I even need lamps at all.

For me, after gathering information over the last couple of days and listening to stories on these threads... I am packing and repacking... taking things out and minimizing each time. I will pick something up and think "I already paid for this item, I don't want to have to buy it again'. Then I remember I am a minimalist at heart and probably won't buy it again anyway and the tax will be such and such $'s. I can do without or buy something even better, so into the garage sale pile.

I am down to 3 pieces of luggage with a forth stored at my daughters for a quick trip home in 3 months. And who knows, if I keep unpacking and packing, I might get down to 3 total. Someone said expats can get a little frustrated and home sick at about the 3 month mark, so a quick trip to the US in 3 months is a nice "transition", and gives me a good excuse to see my daughter... and a way to get luggage #4 over at no cost, except plane ticket, which, if I book round trip from here with that as the second leg will be quite cheap. And timing-wise I will be in advance enough to get a cheap one way ticket back. win:win:win. And I like the idea of having my move over there have a built in "frustration/transition" break.

 

Anyway, that's my ramble about shipping. Not gonna do it. Thank you for your story Johnwf1963. It has added confidence to my decision.

[Thaidream]

9 hours ago, hapy2rtire said:

Thank you. I have heard about Thaitown in LA and was going to drop by for a visit while on my "visa run" to LA. With all of the previous advice to minimize belongs taken to Thailand, I am now down to 2 boxes and 1 suitcase. Airline allows 2 luggage (of which both boxes fit size and weight), so I will be paying $137 for 1 extra "luggage". Then I have one box I am leaving with my daughter, and per Overherebc's post... when he (just realized I am assuming... he might be she) because they said they went back to US within the first year... I thought, duh!!!  I will probably be homesick or frustrated after about 3 months and a quick trip home to see my daughter will be nice. I will bring the last box to Thailand then. So 4 medium boxes in total and like you all said... probably over half of it I won't use. But oh well, takes time to process, haha.

If I might ask- how did you handle the Police clearance- and how long did it take?  It appears they will accept in LA only an FBI or State Clearance. Some of us long term in Thailand are now considering the O-A Visa they you are applying for but have not been back to the US for some years so timing would be important so as not to sped weeks waiting in the US.

 

In addition- regarding the medical  - realize the form is used= can any Doctor or clinic do it and could it be done in Thailand.

 

Thank you or others for any info on this.