Advice for cheapest funeral of farang husband in NE outer Bangkok area for Thai widow.

[Denim]

23 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Just don't tell the bank, you are not obliged to tell them. 

But you will need the letter from the probate family court to withdraw, not using an ATM.

 

Not a problem any more since I bought the safe. No probate , no letters , no hassles.

[brianthainess]

1 minute ago, Denim said:

 

Not a problem any more since I bought the safe. No probate , no letters , no hassles.

Of course there will be Probate, and an autopsy, unless nobody is told your dead and someone just disposes of you, but I think that would be slightly illegal 

[The Fugitive]

On 4/13/2024 at 7:52 AM, gomangosteen said:

 

How would the banks know?

I have accounts with Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn.

Who would be notifying every bank of my death in case I held an account with them?

In U.K. banks receive notification of deaths from Registry Office. Don't know if same applies elsewhere.  

[mancub]

20 hours ago, Stevemercer said:

I've helped a few Thai widows trying to retrieve money from a deceased farang estate. It can be difficult even with the death certificate, will leaving everything to the widow and proof of death. If there is the slightest irregularity, the banks will jack up and it can take years to finally access the money. One bank insisted that the widow get a death certificate from Australia for their partner who died in Thailand. Another bank defied an order from a Thai court that executed the estate (the husband died without a valid will) and ordered the money released to the widow.

 

I would suggest that the widow has the necessary access and knowledge to transfer enough funds to handle the immediate funeral and 12 months living costs

Have you ever tried to apply for probate. (on behalf of a Thai widow) in the UK regarding a foreigner's estate ? He passed away without making a will and after 3 months she was able to access the funds in his Thai bank accounts. His only remaining asset in UK being a bank account into which his pensions etc were paid. They were legally married and she is 100% entitled but it seems an awfully involved procedure to ascertain executor/administrative authority !  

[Letseng]

On 4/12/2024 at 6:25 PM, it is what it is said:

 

sounds like you're doing the right things, the average cost of a uk funeral would be around 180,000 baht, so not sure where you get a figure of 400k from.

It's not about a UK funeral.

[Letseng]

2 hours ago, mancub said:

Have you ever tried to apply for probate. (on behalf of a Thai widow) in the UK regarding a foreigner's estate ? He passed away without making a will and after 3 months she was able to access the funds in his Thai bank accounts. His only remaining asset in UK being a bank account into which his pensions etc were paid. They were legally married and she is 100% entitled but it seems an awfully involved procedure to ascertain executor/administrative authority !  

Probate is a nightmare. Friend's husband had 2 UK bank accounts. They live in Germany, both are German. The bureaucracy was unbelieveable & it too 1 year to get probate. 

[brianthainess]

19 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Thanks Brian, just what I need.

Glad I could help. incidentally the fee that they charged me 43k was 2 trips to KC the first to take the death cert. to the Local Amphur to register his death, and they came to us for some of his clothes, so they could dress him before putting him in his coffin back in BKK, bit crazy really as its all burnt anyway, but 'tis the Buddhist way.  

[KhunLA]

Hopefully I'm crapping out at home (in my sleep) and instructed wife to just dig hole, and chuck my butt in it.   Don't tell a soul ...   Not even family back in USA.

 

"The Ahole left one day & never came back"

[PMZ]

Many thanks to the Op @cliveshep for starting this thread, very useful, sensible and probably timely for many of us, a good call-to-action to dedicate some thought and action to this delicate subject.

Some very useful responses, info and links.

Specifically happy with the link to Amar Retatriations, the idea of pre-paying for the cremation is perfect, takes a lot of burden off of grieving f&f.

[KannikaP]

5 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

In U.K. banks receive notification of deaths from Registry Office. Don't know if same applies elsewhere.  

Are you saying that when you register a death in UK, you must tell them which banks or other financial institutions the deceased used?

I think not.

[crazykopite]

I’ve taken care of two farang funerals cost around 25,000 baht but that’s on the islands which are the most expensive when it comes to other parts off Thailand 

[crazykopite]

22 hours ago, Letseng said:

Probate is a nightmare. Friend's husband had 2 UK bank accounts. They live in Germany, both are German. The bureaucracy was unbelieveable & it too 1 year to get probate. 

You need to do a UK will if you have any assets in the UK a bank account with money in it is an asset  then you need a Thai will if you have assets in Thailand the Thai will should be in Thai and English 

[lopburi3]

3 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

You need to do a UK will if you have any assets in the UK a bank account with money in it is an asset  then you need a Thai will if you have assets in Thailand the Thai will should be in Thai and English 

The UK does not have pay on death options for bank accounts?   AFAIK they do not require a will.

[orchis]

On 4/14/2024 at 8:38 AM, rexpotter said:

Can foreigner "donate" his remains to museum? Thais can do and that considers as "tamboon", but foreigner?

to a museum? 

[lopburi3]

10 minutes ago, orchis said:

to a museum? 

[Letseng]

3 hours ago, orchis said:

to a museum? 

You can donate it to research.

[The Fugitive]

On 4/14/2024 at 3:57 PM, KannikaP said:

Are you saying that when you register a death in UK, you must tell them which banks or other financial institutions the deceased used?

I think not.

Not at all. You need to provide minimal information only to your local council registrar. However, the information goes onto a database (England and Wales in my case). National Health Service know about a death in a NHS hospital almost immediately. Internet access is withdrawn, bank account(s) closed at date of death and the bank(s) write to the executor of the deceased person asking what you wish to be done with the balance?   

[digbeth]

cremation only should be around 30-40,000 at the most expensive Bangkok temples, what's expensive is the nightly service with the sala rental, the monk fees, flowers, catering

there are Christian denominated cremation site but most Christian churches just move the body to Buddhist crematorium after the service at their church

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, digbeth said:

cremation only should be around 30-40,000 at the most expensive Bangkok temples, what's expensive is the nightly service with the sala rental, the monk fees, flowers, catering

there are Christian denominated cremation site but most Christian churches just move the body to Buddhist crematorium after the service at their church

Plus the food and drink for three days for people which I, the deceased, probably never met.

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

On 4/12/2024 at 7:54 AM, NativeBob said:

Can foreigner "donate" his remains to museum...That would clear a lot of hassle and maybe be beneficial to students to study farang's...cohones?

 

Will your estate also be donating a magnifying glass so that the students will be able to find them?

[cliveshep]

For information - my age precludes donation of my body and even if it did not being overweight with hypertension also would have precluded it.

 

I think I'll have to consider putting the lot into her personal a/c as soon as it is transferred from the UK every month and get it put back 2 months before extension of stay. So long as she keeps a tight rein on spending it should work as she is quite trustworthy albeit spends money if she can as any woman does. Preferable of course is to withdraw from my account straight away and not tell the bank I'm dead but if authorities do check and match date and time she could be in a world of grief and that scares her. 

 

Side note - does the 400,000 have to be in a bank or could it conceivably be in cash for Immigration?

[fondue zoo]

On 4/14/2024 at 3:54 PM, KhunLA said:

Hopefully I'm crapping out at home (in my sleep) and instructed wife to just dig hole, and chuck my butt in it.   Don't tell a soul ...   Not even family back in USA.

 

"The Ahole left one day & never came back"

 

 

I've put myself down for a burial at klong, consigned to the stinky deeps, somchai's locker, and lay me ass up so at low tide two pale hummocks appear.

 

[guru]

On 4/13/2024 at 8:28 AM, pagallim said:

 

I'm a volunteer case worker for a UK military charity.   Just before last Christmas I was dealing with someone who had died in a Phuket hospital.   I eventually tracked down a relative in the UK, though they were unable to help with funeral expenses.   There wasn't a next of kin locally, or anybody else willing to take responsibility for either the incurred hospital fees or interment costs.   The person had a very small amount of money in their Thai bank account, though this could not be accessed by anybody without going to court and an Estate Administrator appointed (this would have cost many more times than was actually in the account).

 

His next of kin signed a power of attorney for me to act on their behalf, and the British Embassy issued me a Consular Letter naming me as having authority to make arrangements.   The body had been in the hospital morgue for about 3 weeks, and the hospital gave a deadline for a part payment of the hospital bill to be paid and the body released, other wise the routine is the body is buried in a marked grave and remain there for 5 years waiting to be claimed.   If nobody comes forward in that 5 years, the body is then exhumed and cremated.

 

Fortunately, the hospital understood the situation with the persons finances, and said that if the Embassy gave them a letter requesting debt relief on compassionate grounds for the full amount of the hospital expenses owed they would release the body to me   The Embassy provided such a letter and the hospital consented to release the body to me.  

 

Next step was arranging a funeral.   The hospital administrator recommended using a local Foundation, and we contacted them.   They arranged for the body to be cremated at Wat Chalong 2 days later.   I had to be there in the morning to sign authority for the body to be taken by the Foundation from the morgue.   The all inclusive cost quoted by the Foundation was 10,000 baht, which included transport from hospital to the temple, flowers, and a service by monks.   I had to obtain an actual Death Certificate from the Amphur, using the medical death certificates from the hospital, and the Consular Letter.

 

The funeral took place on the 23rd December, and I tried to contact as many people as possible who might have known the deceased.   My wife and I collected the ashes from the temple the following morning, Christmas Eve, and hired a longtail boat to scatter them in Chalong Bay.   The charity I represent was going to pay for the funeral, so I actually paid for everything and they reimbursed me.

 

When you get into the nitty gritty of dealing with death in Thailand, it really is a wake up call about having something in place for that 'what if' scenario.   No two people's circumstances are going to be the same, but the Thai requirements for authority should be the same throughout the country.  

 

Some photos.

I had been unable to contact my friend who lived in Pattaya. I did not know his family but by looking through his social media contacts I managed to send a message to his sister/father to see if he had returned to the uk. They had also been unable to contact him so called the foreign office who confirmed he had passed away in hospital in Pattaya. The embassy are working on it but as of yet they have not managed to find out where his body went after the hospital, only that a charity foundation was involved. I thought the embassy would have had all that info available in case any family came forward. I have no idea why the British embassy could not find his family in the uk. Surely his passport application data over the years and birth certificate could be accessed which would lead to father and family being found? I don’t have any idea about the process though. I don’t know exactly how long ago he died but my guess is months rather than weeks or days. As the embassy are looking into it, I’m sure they will find out the details but in the meantime any ideas where his body could have been taken after the hospital? A marked grave somewhere in Pattaya? 

[dddave]

On 4/12/2024 at 6:01 PM, Sheryl said:

Contact https://www.amarinternational.com/contact.html

 

They can arrange completely no frills cremation on outskirts of Bangkok and will also help liaise with Embassy for the needed paperwork etc. (Foreigner body can not be released for cremation or burial without Embassy OK first, Embassy will need proof wife us next of kin etc). If your wife will have any sort of death benefit entitlement from UK source or need access to zmany UK accounts they will help her get the needed documentation for that as well.

 

You can prepay for this if you like to make it that much easier for your wife...this also protects against subsequent cost rise.

 

Last time I knew someone who used them cost was about 25k. May be a bit more now. Call Dao (number on website) to find out. She is very helpful.

 

Cremation alone with no ceremony does not cost anywhere near 400 (or even 100)k. But especially in Bkk area temples (which are indeed where crematoria are located) can be reluctant to do this. Amar has an ongoing relationship with one that they use for this purpose.

When a friend died last year after being struck by a car, Amarinternational did an excellent job arranging the funeral and dealing with the multitude of paperwork as well as staying in touch and keeping his American family fully informed.

[Sheryl]

13 minutes ago, guru said:

I had been unable to contact my friend who lived in Pattaya. I did not know his family but by looking through his social media contacts I managed to send a message to his sister/father to see if he had returned to the uk. They had also been unable to contact him so called the foreign office who confirmed he had passed away in hospital in Pattaya. The embassy are working on it but as of yet they have not managed to find out where his body went after the hospital, only that a charity foundation was involved. I thought the embassy would have had all that info available in case any family came forward. I have no idea why the British embassy could not find his family in the uk. Surely his passport application data over the years and birth certificate could be accessed which would lead to father and family being found? I don’t have any idea about the process though. I don’t know exactly how long ago he died but my guess is months rather than weeks or days. As the embassy are looking into it, I’m sure they will find out the details but in the meantime any ideas where his body could have been taken after the hospital? A marked grave somewhere in Pattaya? 

Best to inquire at the hospital. Different hospitals may do different things.

[Muzzique]

 

On 4/12/2024 at 12:46 PM, cliveshep said:

 

Next advice - she says it will cost most of that amount to dispose of my body and that is exorbitant

 

Why does that worry you? Are you planning to return from the grave later to check the bill?

 

I'm sure she will do what she feels is best and respect your wishes and if she doesn't? We'll you don't really have much say after you are gone.

 

 

[dddave]

On 4/16/2024 at 7:27 AM, digbeth said:

cremation only should be around 30-40,000 at the most expensive Bangkok temples, what's expensive is the nightly service with the sala rental, the monk fees, flowers, catering

there are Christian denominated cremation site but most Christian churches just move the body to Buddhist crematorium after the service at their church

"there are Christian denominated cremation site but most Christian churches just move the body to Buddhist crematorium after the service at their church"

 

My friend was not a practicing Catholic but had grown up in the church and some of his family members were still practicing Catholics.  We were able to arrange for both the traditional Buddhist ceremony and a local Catholic priest to be in attendance.  It was all very low key but worked out very well.  We were able to live stream the service to the family in the US and they found it to be very moving and appropriate.

[scorecard]

On 4/14/2024 at 12:54 PM, KhunLA said:

Hopefully I'm crapping out at home (in my sleep) and instructed wife to just dig hole, and chuck my butt in it.   Don't tell a soul ...   Not even family back in USA.

 

"The Ahole left one day & never came back"

And there would be a good chance someone would discover this arrangement and your wife charged / punished re a serious offence for not notifying the authorities of your death.

 

You're just crazy. Hopefully nobody would take your advice seriously.

 

 

Bottom line: it can be very simple to inform the appropriate offices of the death; the Thai police will be called and they will quickly inform the relevant embassy. In my case the embassy in BKK will instantly do a broadcast to all government agencies at home to stop any further benefits. Maybe different process for other countries.

 

Local simple Thai temple cremations (no frills whatever, no parties etc.) can cost 30,000 to 40,000 Baht and the NOK take the ashes away in a small jar and dispose of the ashes as agreed, not necessarily any cost.

 

Family arrangements can be made to remove funds from banks.

Simple example: I have several Thai bank accounts (2 Thai banks), all are joint savings accounts myself, and my Thai adult son, only one signature needed, all have an ATM card, son knows the PIN numbers. When it's time the family will quietly drain all the accounts.

 

With my son present we have spoken to the call centre supervisors at the 2 Thai banks. Both indicated there's nothing wrong with draining the accounts (para above) and given that one of the two signatories is still alive this person (a Thai citizen) has every legal right to drain the accounts.

 

Bank accounts abroad reduced to one bank now with a very small balance. 

[jaideedave]

On 4/12/2024 at 10:35 PM, Denim said:

 

Pondering this myself , and how there could be a problem with my wife accessing my bank funds , we bought a safe which I have installed at home.

Two thirds of my funds are now in this safe and my bank account is kept at around 100,000 which she can empty with my ATM card on my demise.

 

If your house is secure it is worth considering. If you need the money for your extension just put it back in your account 2 months before you apply.

Just make sure you don't kick the bucket during this period.

 

 

 

Same here, I suspect it would be difficult for my wife to access my Kbank account. Most of my assets are in Thai gold which is instantly cashable. Its kept in a robust safe in a secure area of the house.I only keep a months expenses in my bank acct amd she can just use my ATM card to get that. Simple and affective.

[daveAustin]

On 4/12/2024 at 12:29 PM, transam said:

Funerals in the UK are usually simple jobs, it is very different in LOS.

Have you never seen the handing out of envelopes, the parties, the vigils and food at the Temple....? 🤗

Indeed, usually just a few hours. A multi-day, Thai-style funeral in the UK would be exorbitant.