Seems you need a master’s degree to handle Thai immigration rules

[TropicalGuy]

10 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

22K a year, you're overpaying by approx 9.5K (Unless you're on a Non Imm OA & also object to having Health Insurance in which case you're only overpaying by 7K). 

 

I pay my agent 8K pa (includes the 1,900 THB immigration fee) to do my extension... Well worth it to me but then again I don't care about leaving 800K in the bank as I believe in keeping 2 years spending money at hand to ride out dips in the stock market / exchange rates... 

 

 

 

 

You’re quoting up country boonie rates. I’m in Phuket paying lowest rate and getting best service. Not locking up 400/800k here indefinitely even if I had 800 million. 

[Scott]

Troll post reported and removed.  

 

[Mike Teavee]

9 hours ago, TropicalGuy said:

You’re quoting up country boonie rates. I’m in Phuket paying lowest rate and getting best service. Not locking up 400/800k here indefinitely even if I had 800 million. 

"Up Country Boonie Rates"?  I'm quoting Bangkok Rates (Sorry exaggerated a little it's 7,900 THB in Bangkok, 8,000 now I've moved to Wong Amat) 

 

 

Up to you what you do but personally I have more respect for guys who are honest & admit they can't afford to leave 800K in the bank than I do for people who claim to be able to but choose not to... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Orinoco]

39 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

personally I have more respect for guys who are honest & admit they can't afford to leave 800K in the bank than I do for people who claim to be able to but choose not to..

Personally,  i have total respect for people who don't use agents. and have the correct funds to live here and only pays 1,900 baht for there annual 12 months extension of stay.

 

 

[Mike Teavee]

 

7 minutes ago, Orinoco said:

Personally,  i have total respect for people who don't use agents. and have the correct funds to live here and only pay 1900 baht for the annual 12 months extension of stay.

 

And personally I have the correct funds but use an agent to do all the paperwork for me (Hence it only costs me 8K) so can you please tell me what's wrong with doing that?

 

I use an estate agent in the UK to manage my property

I use an accountant in the UK to file my Tax Returns

I use a gardener in the UK to mow my lawns... 

 

What is having money for if not to make your life easier... 

 

 

 

[Orinoco]

2 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

 

And personally I have the correct funds but use an agent to do all the paperwork for me (Hence it only costs me 8K) so can you please tell me what's wrong with doing that?

I use an estate agent in the UK to manage my property

I use an accountant in the UK to file my Tax Returns

I use a gardener in the UK to mow my lawns... 

Well it all comes down to one thing with you then.

Laziness.

BTW, I do my own accounts for properties rented out in the Uk, i would do the gardening as well but my arms won't stretch that far.

 

 

 

[Mike Teavee]

Just now, Orinoco said:

Well it all comes down to one thing with you then.

Laziness.

BTW, I do my own accounts for properties rented out in the Uk, i would do the gardening as well but my arms won't stretch that far.

 

 

 

Nothing to do with laziness, simply have better things to do with my time... I.e. enjoying my hard earned retirement. 

 

One day you'll (hopefully) get there, in the mean time, that hedge could do with a bit of a trim & make sure you bone up on the latest EPC reqs...  

 

 

 

[Orinoco]

4 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

Nothing to do with laziness, simply have better things to do with my time... I.e. enjoying my hard earned retirement. 

 

One day you'll (hopefully) get there, in the mean time, that hedge could do with a bit of a trim & make sure you bone up on the latest EPC reqs...  

Was that it,  

BTW, I retired at 52, i'm still not 60 yet or Lazy.

maybe it comes with age. 

 

 

[Mike Teavee]

1. BT

   8 minutes ago, Orinoco said:

   Was that it,  

   BTW, I retired at 52, i'm still not 60 yet or Lazy.

   maybe it comes with age. 

    

    

BTW I retired for the 1st time at 40, 2nd time at 47 & 3rd (Final) time at 53... 

 

I'm 56 now... time for a nap... 

 

 

 

 

[Mike Teavee]

 Double Post... 

 

@OrinocoI don't want to get into a willie waving contest so let's just leave it at I spend my money how I choose to & you spend yours how you choose to... We're both right ????  

 

 

 

[steven100]

13 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

you only need to upload a QR code of your third shot

well,  while you say it may be simple ....  again I'll mention,  I don't want to upload anything, I don't want to mess around with QR codes to go on holidays.  

I want to buy my ticket,  pack my suitcase,  jump on the plane and upon arrival show my vaccination certificate.

That's it ......     and I expect many other travelers feel the same way.   imo

[TravelerEastWest]

26 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

 

And personally I have the correct funds but use an agent to do all the paperwork for me (Hence it only costs me 8K) so can you please tell me what's wrong with doing that?

 

I use an estate agent in the UK to manage my property

I use an accountant in the UK to file my Tax Returns

I use a gardener in the UK to mow my lawns... 

 

What is having money for if not to make your life easier... 

 

 

 

Exactly- paying for the service is a good idea. Some people can't afford to pay extra and have extra time - and I understand that - for myself I like having an agent do the paperwork but I really need the appointment they are able to get for me in and out in a few minutes - as I am working and have children to pick up - drop off at school. (note talking about my annual visa extension)

[Mike Teavee]

Triple post!

[Orinoco]

18 minutes ago, TravelerEastWest said:

Exactly- paying for the service is a good idea. Some people can't afford to pay extra and have extra time - and I understand that - for myself I like having an agent do the paperwork but I really need the appointment they are able to get for me in and out in a few minutes - as I am working and have children to pick up - drop off at school. (note talking about my annual visa extension)

Once a year is a big deal to some people.

What a laugh.

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, Orinoco said:

Personally,  i have total respect for people who don't use agents. and have the correct funds to live here and only pays 1,900 baht for there annual 12 months extension of stay.

 

 

It is a pity that respect is not afforded by immigration to people attempting to do just that. Requiring them to join long lines outside in the heat. They want people to use agents!

[TropicalGuy]

3 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

"Up Country Boonie Rates"?  I'm quoting Bangkok Rates (Sorry exaggerated a little it's 7,900 THB in Bangkok, 8,000 now I've moved to Wong Amat) 

 

 

Up to you what you do but personally I have more respect for guys who are honest & admit they can't afford to leave 800K in the bank than I do for people who claim to be able to but choose not to... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No comparison between 22k/ No Financials and 8k /Financials. ????
 

Tying up 400k/ 800k indefinitely here to save 14k yearly, to comply with humiliating bureaucratic nonsense, makes zero economic (or any) sense. ????????

There is even an Imm. rule that these financials can be “ waived at discretion of senior IO”. So no rules really then …..???????? just Culture????

 

 

 

[SmartyMarty]

18 hours ago, TropicalGuy said:

Use Agent here only for Retirement Stay as I object to the 800k, too critical & avoids potential of getting humiliated / messed around. 22k.

So premium of 20k each year. well worth it????????????

I don't do the 800k but opt for the 400k instead. Suits me perfectly.

[TropicalGuy]

1 hour ago, SmartyMarty said:

I don't do the 800k but opt for the 400k instead. Suits me perfectly.

400k only for Marriage or combined with Another 400k monthly pension per year for Retirement. 

[Enzian]

The fact that an independent businessman, an "agent", can access an immigration officer in a way that I cannot and never will, is a disgrace to the country, and totally ignored by the powers in the government.

[TravelerEastWest]

5 hours ago, Orinoco said:

Once a year is a big deal to some people.

What a laugh.

Correct.

 

Again some of us work long hours and have a family that we spend all our free time with and other activities...

 

Time is a limited resource and the cost for services in Thailand are a fraction of back home so in short a deal...

 

 

[Orinoco]

2 minutes ago, TravelerEastWest said:

Correct.

 

Again some of us work long hours and have a family that we spend all our free time with and other activities...

Time is a limited resource and the cost for services in Thailand are a fraction of back home so in short a deal...

Nah, don't buy it.

Just laziness. very few people need an agent,

( but some people can and do find themselves in a position where an agent is  needed )

 

[Mike Teavee]

7 minutes ago, Orinoco said:

Nah, don't buy it.

Just laziness. very few people need an agent,

( but some people can and do find themselves in a position where an agent is  needed )

 

It has nothing to do with Laziness, it's simply how people choose to spend their money & I choose to spend mine making my life easier.

 

E.g. last year when I did my extension at CW I would have been turned away twice...

1st time because I don't keep my bank book up to date (Stupid system) & needed an extra letter from the Bank - Agent picked up on this immediately & took me to the bank to get what I needed from them.

2nd time because for a short period of time last year CW had a rule where they would only extend people who were within 3 days of their extension date & I had a trip booked (funny enough to Krabi, Phuket & Phi Phi) so wanted to do it 44 days in advance, agent had no problem getting me in & extended.

 

If a service is worth it to you then pay for it, if it's not then do it yourself... 

 

As for keeping 800K in the bank it's a no brainer for me as I like to know that I have enough money (locally) to last me for a couple of years should there be a downturn in the stock market/GBP so by choice keep multiples of this Which I acknowledge is a bit stupid as the Bank guarantee has recently been reduced to 1Million THB but the way I figure it is if Bangkok Bank goes bust the THB will be down the toilet & I'll simply bring more money over from the UK at a much better rate.  

 

 

 

[Mike Teavee]

3 hours ago, TropicalGuy said:

No comparison between 22k/ No Financials and 8k /Financials. ????
 

Tying up 400k/ 800k indefinitely here to save 14k yearly, to comply with humiliating bureaucratic nonsense, makes zero economic (or any) sense. ????????

There is even an Imm. rule that these financials can be “ waived at discretion of senior IO”. So no rules really then …..???????? just Culture????

 

 

 

What makes no sense to me is not having sufficient money in the bank to ride out any downturns in the stock market / GBP/USD etc... Surely Covid & the war in Ukraine have demonstrated that you need to need to have money at hand to ride out months of downturn. 

 

 

I keep 800K in the bank because I like the comfort of knowing it's there & I don't have to transfer money from the UK if I don't want to, if you micro manage your assets to the point where every penny is invested & generating 8%+ then wow, that's some achievement but sounds like a lot of stress & hard work to me so I choose to keep 5% in cash & it's easier for me to keep it here in Thailand, the fact that it satisfies immigration requirements is a happy coincidence rather than the reason I do it... 

 

 

 

 

[Orinoco]

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

It has nothing to do with Laziness, it's simply how people choose to spend their money & I choose to spend mine making my life easier.

 

E.g. last year when I did my extension at CW I would have been turned away twice...

1st time because I don't keep my bank book up to date (Stupid system) & needed an extra letter from the Bank - Agent picked up on this immediately & took me to the bank to get what I needed from them.

2nd time because for a short period of time last year CW had a rule where they would only extend people who were within 3 days of their extension date & I had a trip booked (funny enough to Krabi, Phuket & Phi Phi) so wanted to do it 44 days in advance, agent had no problem getting me in & extended.

 

If a service is worth it to you then pay for it, if it's not then do it yourself... 

 

As for keeping 800K in the bank it's a no brainer for me as I like to know that I have enough money (locally) to last me for a couple of years should there be a downturn in the stock market/GBP so by choice keep multiples of this Which I acknowledge is a bit stupid as the Bank guarantee has recently been reduced to 1Million THB but the way I figure it is if Bangkok Bank goes bust the THB will be down the toilet & I'll simply bring more money over from the UK at a much better rate.  

 

Some people will just argue black is white.

 

So you still had to go to the bank again !!!!!!!! 

And you still had to go to immigration yourself to do the extension !!!!!! or are you paying an agent to bribe an immigration officer to do your extension ?

All you said does not sound,  like making your life easier.

 

BTW, Last extension i did, 30 minutes at bank, then  20 minutes, at immigration. 1,900 baht and out the door, with passport in hand, all done.

I do prefer making life hard for myself. 

 

 

[Orinoco]

2 hours ago, Enzian said:

The fact that an independent businessman, an "agent", can access an immigration officer in a way that I cannot and never will, is a disgrace to the country, and totally ignored by the powers in the government.

+1 

[Mike Teavee]

1 hour ago, Orinoco said:

Some people will just argue black is white.

 

So you still had to go to the bank again !!!!!!!! 

And you still had to go to immigration yourself to do the extension !!!!!! or are you paying an agent to bribe an immigration officer to do your extension ?

All you said does not sound,  like making your life easier.

 

BTW, Last extension i did, 30 minutes at bank, then  20 minutes, at immigration. 1,900 baht and out the door, with passport in hand, all done.

I do prefer making life hard for myself. 

 

 

Major EDIT: Apologies I thought I was replying to the guy who pays his agent 22K to do his extension, if you do yours yourself then full power to you... Me... I hate paperwork & the the 6K gets amortized to 500 THB pm or less than 20 THB per day so it's worth it (To me) ... 

 

 

Last year I was in & out of CW in 30 minutes & that included going into Bangkok Bank to get my bank book updated & photocopied... 

 

 

 

 

No bribe to an immigration officer was required as like you I choose to adhere to the rules of the country I've decided to make my home.... 

 

[Orinoco]

15 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

So at least you turned up at immigration (a lot of these dodgy agent take your photo at their place & do your extension up-country - In the boonies as you say - so you need to rely on them to do your 90 day reports - BTW my agent charges 200 THB to do mine when the online site lets me down).

 

Last year I was in & out of CW in 30 minutes & that included going into Bangkok Bank to get my bank book updated & photocopied... 

 

You do it your way (& keep fcking things up for us guys who play by the rules, why do you think they introduced the need to keep 800K for 3 months after extension rule) & I'll do my things my way (& not fck up anything for anybody),

 

Edit: No bribe to an immigration officer was required as unlike you I choose to adhere to the rules of the country I've decided to make my home.... 

 

Good god have you been drinking.

what is this flip flop post !!!!!!!!!!

unbelievable.

Chang's all round and Gnt's for the ladies.

bye. 

 

[Mike Teavee]

Just now, Orinoco said:

Good god have you been drinking.

what is this flip flop post !!!!!!!!!!

unbelievable.

Chang's all round and Gnt's for the ladies.

bye. 

 

Please see my edited post above... I thought I was replying to the guy in Phuket who pays his agent 22K to do his extension so he doesn't have to meet the financial requirements... 

 

 

Apologies again (And I will start drinking now but Singha never Chang for me, Tequilas for the ladies ???? ).. 

[Orinoco]

5 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

Please see my edited post above... I thought I was replying to the guy in Phuket who pays his agent 22K to do his extension so he doesn't have to meet the financial requirements... 

 

 

Apologies again (And I will start drinking now but Singha never Chang for me, Tequilas for the ladies ???? ).. 

No worries.

was well funny

On third glass of red at present.

Have a nice day. 

[Mike Teavee]

Just now, Orinoco said:

No worries.

was well funny

On third glass of red at present.

Have a nice day. 

Don't get me started on the Red!!! 

 

Have a great night ????