New Rules for Retirees - Effects so Far?

[The Fugitive]

58 minutes ago, malibukid said:

my concern is that 800K in the bank could be vulnerable to currency fluctuations. even a 5 baht increase against the dollar and now your 25k$ is worth 22.5K$ USD. correct me if i am wrong.  not a good investment.  i would gladly pay 15000 up front if the option was available.  better deal

What I found was that IO was willing to settle for less than what a visa agent charges. Next time you visit you could quitely ask (better to have a Thai with you naturally). My Thai wife asked for the IO's mobile number. We always give tips because she says it is 'the Thai way with officials'. You then have help and advice available if needed.

[scubascuba3]

Pattaya well that at last explains.
And the phone numbers are does that make sense ???

semi makes sense. Go to an agency and ask

[swissie]

15 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

23 hours ago, swissie said:

For now. Imagine how much capital a "visa-agent" would need to park 400K for every customer in a Bank year round.
Even if visa-agency has "somebody" at Immigration, you can't fake Bank-Statements covering the whole year /month by month. A seasoning of the money problem. Spot checks of of the files will reveal if money was in Bank year round. Not sure an Immi-Officer will risk his job, knowing that the funds haven't been in the Bank year round.
Knowing "Big joke", there will be some "controlling" once the new rules take hold. (Date-wise).

Immigration aren't looking as its been dealt with through an agency, so a non issue

- I am not just sucking this out of my thumb. I have a family member working for Immigration. A rotating Task-Force (controlling/internal affairs) is under serious consideration. Spot Checks of files of applicants. If the file should not contain Bank statements (month by month), any issuing Immi-Officer would find himself in a very uncomfortable situation.
- Not many Visa-Shops around that could "loan" the 400K year round to all their customers.

At any rate, this is Thailand. Over the years, I have found out that it is easier to predict the Stock Market than the future "inner workings" of Thailand. But better to be prepared than surprised later on.

[quad66]

Colombia is starting to look good .

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[BritManToo]

11 minutes ago, swissie said:

A rotating Task-Force (controlling/internal affairs) is under serious consideration.

Doesn't exit then, so nobody would be worried.

[johnmcc6]

13 hours ago, Enki said:

Then marry and stay on a marriage visa instead of a retirement visa. Can't be so hard.

If an Australian goes for marriage visa the government cuts the pension by several thousand a year as they assume the wife has contribution in cash or kind. I believe the pension is restored after a lengthy period. To get a license to marry you must prove you have notified the Aussie government that you will marry a Thai. Very costly.

[scubascuba3]

- I am not just sucking this out of my thumb. I have a family member working for Immigration. A rotating Task-Force (controlling/internal affairs) is under serious consideration. Spot Checks of files of applicants. If the file should not contain Bank statements (month by month), any issuing Immi-Officer would find himself in a very uncomfortable situation.
- Not many Visa-Shops around that could "loan" the 400K year round to all their customers.

At any rate, this is Thailand. Over the years, I have found out that it is easier to predict the Stock Market than the future "inner workings" of Thailand. But better to be prepared than surprised later on.

If they seriously wanted to stop it just set up an agency and follow the trail. Probably the simplest thing in Thailand to do, they don't want to

[swissie]

58 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Doesn't exit then, so nobody would be worried.

Can't quite follow. Must be me. Or a cryptic message? ????

[Kwasaki]

55 minutes ago, quad66 said:

Colombia is starting to look good 
 

Bit out the way not cheap but a safe place, I would think more towards Philippines, UK gov pension not frozen, suppose to be as cheap as Thailand.

[SheungWan]

15 hours ago, Enki said:

Thailand is half communist. You americans simply don't grasp what communism is about.

Not sure what you are grasping.

[Jingthing]

33 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Bit out the way not cheap but a safe place, I would think more towards Philippines, UK gov pension not frozen, suppose to be as cheap as Thailand.

Don't be so sure  ….

Quote

Local Purchasing Power in Medellin is 29.59% higher than in Pattaya

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&city1=Pattaya&country2=Colombia&city2=Medellin

 

I'm considering another less famous Colombian city 20 to 30 percent CHEAPER than Medellin.

Also SAFER than Pattaya. 

To add the retirement visas there are easy peasy, three years at a time, requiring a pension of about 25K baht a month, yes you read that right, 25k not 65K, with the requirement to import said pension at level of NADA. 

Cheers. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Jingthing

[Rc2702]

10 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Don't be so sure  ….

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&city1=Pattaya&country2=Colombia&city2=Medellin

 

I'm considering another less famous Colombian city 20 to 30 percent CHEAPER than Medellin.

Also SAFER than Pattaya. 

What's the local forum like there? Pendejo.com

[mike787]

I'm staying in Pattaya. WHY?  I don't pay sin sot for now one, save ALL my cash, live dirt cheap, and like thai guys I get free pussy, free beer, and my Thai honey supports me. Unless any of those change I'm staying in Thailand. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by mike787

[Enki]

14 hours ago, malibukid said:

Thailand will become a proxy of China.  look around. China is exerting it's soft power throughout the world.  lending money for infrastructure projects at insane rates.  similar to the what the IMF did to poor countries.  China will exert an economic hold on Thailand. if and when the U.S. goes to war with China, who's will they choose.  the flash point in the future could be over the SCS or Taiwan.  this will be interesting.  maybe 50 years and a 50/50 chance. the current U.S. China tensions could explain the shift in Thailands view of Westerners

The Thailand view of westerners has nothing to do with current China but is based - like the Chinese view on westerners - on the centuries of suppression of asian people. Why don't you read a history book instead of spreading nonsense? Thailand is the Switzerland of ASEAN. Why people proclaim they had a close relationship to China is beyond me. The idea that USA and China goes to war is absurd. USA will never attack a country that has nukes ... plain and simple.

[malibukid]

11 hours ago, Enki said:

The Thailand view of westerners has nothing to do with current China but is based - like the Chinese view on westerners - on the centuries of suppression of asian people. Why don't you read a history book instead of spreading nonsense? Thailand is the Switzerland of ASEAN. Why people proclaim they had a close relationship to China is beyond me. The idea that USA and China goes to war is absurd. USA will never attack a country that has nukes ... plain and simple.

China is currently militarizing the South China Sea and is challenging the United States Navy over the Freedom of Navigation Act. building and weaponizing artificial islands that are a concern to other countries in the region, i.e. Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines.  the Pentagon has contingency plans for such a conflict.  it could be limited to conventional weapons and thus non-nuclear and contained to the region. this is causing some concern in Washington.

Edited March 23, 2019 by malibukid

[Nyezhov]

20 minutes ago, malibukid said:

it could be limited to conventional weapons and thus non-nuclear and contained to the region. this is causing some concern in Washington.

not with me, that means the Chinese would call up the reserves and all those silly wide eyed youngsters in Thermae would be gone.

 

 

[malibukid]

On 3/22/2019 at 8:53 AM, Enki said:

Then marry and stay on a marriage visa instead of a retirement visa. Can't be so hard.

no wife, no car, no condo.  just a cat who loves me.

[The Fugitive]

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&city1=Pattaya&country2=Colombia&city2=Medellin
 
I'm considering another less famous Colombian city 20 to 30 percent CHEAPER than Medellin.
Also SAFER than Pattaya. 
To add the retirement visas there are easy peasy, three years at a time, requiring a pension of about 25K baht a month, yes you read that right, 25k not 65K, with the requirement to import said pension at level of NADA. 
Cheers. 

I have visited Cartagena, Medellin, Manizales, Cali and Popayan. Would certainly entertain living in Colombia. Very friendly and a surprising number of people speak English.

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[Jingthing]

I have visited Cartagena, Medellin, Manizales, Cali and Popayan. Would certainly entertain living in Colombia. Very friendly and a surprising number of people speak English.

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Yeah the more I learn about it the better it seems. From a distance anyway. Yes many people are scared of it which I see as possibly a feature to keep the prices down.

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[Enki]

18 hours ago, malibukid said:

China is currently militarizing the South China Sea and is challenging the United States Navy over the Freedom of Navigation Act. building and weaponizing artificial islands that are a concern to other countries in the region, i.e. Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines.  the Pentagon has contingency plans for such a conflict.  it could be limited to conventional weapons and thus non-nuclear and contained to the region. this is causing some concern in Washington.

It requires two parties not to use nukes. So good luck with your pentagon.

[FruitPudding]

I thought there was always an 800k requirement.

 

Seriously, what has changed?