Dying unexpectedly in Thailand

[Liverpool Lou]

5 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

To register at the amphur I would not be able to understand what the Will said as it has to be in Thai.

Wills in Thailand are valid written in English or Thai (or any other language), they just have to be translated into Thai for probate, etc.

[BenStark]

10 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

11 minutes ago, CFCol said:

Did you remember to register it at the Amphur?

It doesn't have to be.

 

So you reckon the executor will have access to the deceased bank accounts by just showing an unregistered piece of paper?

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, BenStark said:

 

So you reckon the executor will have access to the deceased bank accounts by just showing an unregistered piece of paper?

Valid wills in Thailand do not have to be registered at an amphur.  Probate determines access to the deceased assets, not someone walking into a bank and requesting access to an account, amphur registered or not.

[scorecard]

36 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

It is a shame how many people I know who have lots of assets here, with no death plan. Very selfish if one puts the burden of this on loved ones in another country.  You really think they want to come here and deal with it? I think a minimalist type lifestyle is best. I have a car here, but that is my most valuable asset and my Will makes arrangements for that. Otherwise, cremation and I already told my family not to come.

 

PS: anyone that believes their embassy will take care of things seems a bit naive.  Many of them seem unable or unwilling to assist with simple matters now. When you die think they care?

 

I'm aware of a really bad example of this:

 

- Foreigner, now retired in Thailand after working in LOS for about 25 years is the managing director of a Thai shell company, the company owns (in Thailand) 4 luxury properties (all big house and land), and 4 condos. Plus in his own name 2 luxury cars and 2 expensive motorcycles.

- In his original western country he own 4 large luxury seaside homes. His aged sick parents live in one of the homes (but have no documents whatever), 1 house is idle and deteriorating, 1 is rented, 1 is occupied by his younger brother, also has no documents.

- In another 2 Asian countries he 'owns' 4 very large condos, all rented. He says he doesn't know where the documents are.

 

In his working lifetime he operated a number of successful manufacturing and marketing companies, several in Thailand, and he had a professional accountant and a qualified lawyer in his office in Thailand. He's well aware of how the law works / he's well aware of how wills work etc.

 

His close farang friends in LOS have tried many many times to take him to a credible lawyer here in Thailand to make a will. He refuses 'It's not necessary, my friends know who I like and they therefore know who should get my assets'  plus 'It's the job of the police to sort this out'. He's well known for being very stubborn and for causing major arguments between friends and arguments companies he's engaged for house renovations, pool repairs and more. Contractors have called police to try to get him to rationally discuss / resolve several situations, mostly with no success. 

 

Bottom line - there is no will whatever for his Thailand assets and he admits there's no will or anything similar re the properties in the 3 other countries.

 

When he passes (he has serious heart issues) this is going to be a nightmare, not only because there's no wills, he had admitted that, in anger, he has destroyed most the the relevant documents including land title documents.

 

Further in the past 10 years he's had about 6 serious much younger boyfriends and he's told friends that he's promised all of them that they will be rich* when he dies (*house / condo properties, vehicles, cash). None of the boyfriends have any documents.

 

 

Edited January 11 by scorecard

[hotandsticky]

5 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Wills in Thailand are valid written in English or Thai (or any other language), they just have to be translated into Thai for probate, etc.

 

Correct................the ONLY purpose of an English Will in Thailand is to facilitate translation into Thai  -  that is what Probate would be approved on.

 

But you can't 'register' a Will at the amphur unless it is in Thai.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

You might as well top yourself....................you don't seem to have much to live for.

 

So says the bloke who reckons a thousand quid is enough for a piss up and send off.

 

Sheesh...

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, hotandsticky said:

 

Correct................the ONLY purpose of an English Will in Thailand is to facilitate translation into Thai  -  that is what Probate would be approved on.

 

But you can't 'register' a Will at the amphur unless it is in Thai.

wills do not need to be registered at an amphur (or anywhere else).

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

wills do not need to be registered at an amphur (or anywhere else).

 

 

I said that already.

 

 

.....and especially don't try and lodge it with the British embassy.

[hotandsticky]

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

So says the bloke who reckons a thousand quid is enough for a piss up and send off.

 

Sheesh...

 

 

Once again you post in ignorance.

 

 

That will be more than sufficient to cover the 4 family members.

[hotandsticky]

13 minutes ago, BenStark said:

 

So you reckon the executor will have access to the deceased bank accounts by just showing an unregistered piece of paper?

 

 

AS @Liverpool Lou has pointed out, the Will is only the piece of paper that gets presented to a local court to obtain Probate.

 

The bank acts on Probate.

[BenStark]

1 minute ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

AS @Liverpool Lou has pointed out, the Will is only the piece of paper that gets presented to a local court to obtain Probate.

 

The bank acts on Probate.

 

And that was my point.

 

What are the chances that a court will approve an unregistered will as being legit?

 

Even when registering a will at the amphur there have to be witnesses for a reason.

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Once again you post in ignorance.

 

 

That will be more than sufficient to cover the 4 family members.

 

Now, now, let's not cast the ignorance jibe too quickly here, ok?

 

I haven't met any of your family members, as you so obviously haven't met mine. You have simply no idea of the cost of an off-piste wake on St Barts.

[hotandsticky]

3 minutes ago, BenStark said:

 

And that was my point.

 

What are the chances that a court will approve an unregistered will as being legit?

 

Even when registering a will at the amphur there have to be witnesses for a reason.

 

100% they will approve it.

 

I have done it several times.

[hotandsticky]

2 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

Now, now, let's not cast the ignorance jibe too quickly here, ok?

 

I haven't met any of your family members, as you so obviously haven't met mine. You have simply no idea of the cost of an off-piste wake on St Barts.

 

 

St Barts....................is that the pub just down from the Queen Vic? 

 

 

Remember, you were the one who was quick off the mark to call me tight! 

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

There are only 3 things that my neighbours and friends need to know:

1 - I have no money

2 - The matches are in the top drawer in the kitchen

3 - After using 2) to incinerate me, bin day is on Fridays :)

 

Life is so much more simple when you have no money and no family who cares about you! :)

When I lived in Thailand I told my only family member that would be involved in the event of my death to refuse to do anything and let the Thai authorities deal with it. They were welcome to seize the money in my bank account to pay for it. Having been divorced I didn't care if my ex got anything at all ( I hadn't cancelled my will which gave any left to her ).

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

You might as well top yourself....................you don't seem to have much to live for.

Given that topping yourself isn't a sure thing and one might survive but be worse off, I don't recommend it unless owning a shotgun and being prepared to use it.

[thaibeachlovers]

34 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Neptune Society does it, but I think it's only if you are in the Usa. It's actually a beautiful program and you pay in advance. They take you out on a boat at sunrise I think. They take care of it even if you are single, but I don't think they have international reach. Not sure though, may want to check.

 

https://www.neptunesociety.com/

Sounds lovely. Pity that one doesn't get to appreciate it, having paid and all.

[JimTripper]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Sounds lovely. Pity that one doesn't get to appreciate it, having paid and all.

Not necessarily. I plan on hanging around until services are over.

[thaibeachlovers]

10 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Not necessarily. I plan on hanging around until services are over.

I hearted that.

[koolkarl]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Death is so much more simple when you have no money and no family who cares about you! :)

Is that your situation Lou?

[hotandsticky]

20 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Given that topping yourself isn't a sure thing and one might survive but be worse off, I don't recommend it unless owning a shotgun and being prepared to use it.

 

 

There are many other options for those who feel that they have reached that point.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

There are many other options for those who feel that they have reached that point.

Other than Switzerland, I'd be keen to know what they are. I don't know of any guaranteed to work without causing a great deal of mess.

[topt]

32 minutes ago, BenStark said:

 

And that was my point.

 

What are the chances that a court will approve an unregistered will as being legit?

 

Even when registering a will at the amphur there have to be witnesses for a reason.

Why do you keep going on about "registration"?

When you write a will it needs to be witnessed by 2 other people who must not be benefactors in the will.

As others have said the important point is also the Executor as, if/when, the wills go to probate the court in Thailand will agree or not that the executor can execute the will.

 

As long as your Executor is aware and either has a copy or knows where you keep the will then that should be enough. If the executor is a lawyer than they will likely charge fairly high fees to go through probate almost irrespective of the size of the estate.

 

There are a number of other will threads on AN which you may want to have a read of to help bring you up to speed.........

[Liverpool Lou]

9 minutes ago, koolkarl said:

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Death is so much more simple when you have no money and no family who cares about you! :)

Is that your situation Lou?

Death is everyone's situation.

[scottiejohn]

2 minutes ago, topt said:

As others have said the important point is also the Executor as, if/when, the wills go to probate the court in Thailand will agree or not that the executor can execute the will.

Can the Executor be the main/only beneficiary of a will in Thailand?

[KannikaP]

5 hours ago, retarius said:

Berro, I put it in my will that I wanted to be cremated in Thailand. I noted that they should hold the funeral in the event that my sons wanted to come to the send off.

I also put that I do not want ANYONE at the after funeral party whom i have never met.

[khunPer]

6 hours ago, berro said:

If I die unexpectedly in Thailand, then how to make this as less of a burden for a family member in my home country, in a financial and organizational way? I don't have a partner in Thailand.

I would like to be cremated in Thailand and have the ashes sent back to my home country, or maybe scattered in Thailand.

 

Any recommendations and advice how to deal with this situation? What would or could it cost, approximately?

Just to add: I don't own property here in Thailand but rent a place. The amount of money on my Thai bank account is negligible.

Thanks in advance.

I would presume making a last will at the amphor office is the way, in where you state that you wish your body to be burned and what to do with the ashes. Make a separate bank account with a deposit for the costs – name it in the will – and donate whatever left of assets in Thailand to the temple, where your body is burned.

[Liverpool Lou]

50 minutes ago, BenStark said:

What are the chances that a court will approve an unregistered will as being legit?

100% as long as the will is properly drawn up with signature and witnesses.   Wills do not have to be registered anywhere.

[BenStark]

Just now, Liverpool Lou said:

100% as long as the will is properly drawn up with signature and witnesses.   Wills do not have to be registered anywhere.

 

I was waiting for you.

 

My question was already answered by @hotandsticky but I knew that you always want to have the last word.

 

Very sad life you must be leading, always looking for arguments and wanting to have the last word in every thread

[thpitsch]

1 hour ago, berro said:

Could you elaborate a bit on that?

I have an offer from AsiaOne in Bangkok:

 

The cost for direct cremation in Bangkok and scatter ashes in the sea ( no hire of boat ) is THB 60,000

 

This cost includes the following services ; 

• Transport and workers         
• Documentation procedures with local authorities and Embassy
• Obtain death certificate 
• German translation of death certificate 
• Removal of body from hospital/mortuary
• Coffin for cremation
• Transport and worker transfer coffin from mortuary to temple 
• Cremation fees and temple fees ( crematorium ) at temple/crematorium of our choice in Bangkok
• Collect ashes and scatter in the sea ( no hire of boat )

The cost of THB 60,000 does not include ;

• Consular fee, if any
• Any expenses related to religious ceremony and fresh flowers, upon request
• Any expenses related to autopsy and autopsy report
• Outstanding hospital bill and mortuary fee, if any
• Collecting and sending personal effects, if any
• Sending the death certificate to the family in the Germany, upon request
• Repatriation to Germany, upon request

Remark :

• In case the passing happens out of Thailand and it is not possible for us to organize the funeral in Thailand, the next of kin or executor has to provide the death certificate and or any related documents as proof that the passing actually happen out of Thailand, then there will be 50% refund of the advance payment to the next of kin or executor.
• This plan will be valid once we receive the full payment.

Edited January 11 by thpitsch