jacko

Well the bank letter and copies of bankbook are meant to demonstrate and confirm the required money, be it 800k or 400k has been seasoned for required 90 (or 60) days.

Is it an electronic display?

Just like to add that I had an easy peasy time in Jontiem yesterday. My required retirement extension renewal date is late December, bad time, so I decided to do it rather early before all the tourists poured into town Prepared all my copies and forms at home early morning, no Embassy letter needed as I keep the required 800,000 balance in a savings account and do not go below it. Went to Bangkok Bank at about 9.45am (I don't believe in getting to Jomtiem before immigration opens, I live on the North side of town and that would require a very early start, You only end up behind several other early birds). Updated bank account pass book on arrival. Got a ticket, the letters are now issued by regular tellers rather than the seated Bank staff. One of those girls is really cute and super efficient! Letter took about 10-15 minutes and I grabbed a free calendar on the way out. (Luckily some left, as I waited I saw a motorcycle taxi guy wander in and help himself to 5 of them!) Arrived soi 5 Jomtiem, straight into the copy office to get a copy of last page of bank book with the recent (todays) update. Signed it, and included it with the previously made copies, this completed my checklist. Double check, all copies signed. To the girls on the front desk, waiting behind another person who has forgotten to sign a few sheets and between him and his Thai lady, who he cannot function without, neither has a pen. Girl gives me a ticket without looking at my papers much, I have that 'been here before' look. My ticket number shows 3 ahead of me, I have got in at 10.55, lunch is at 12! About 15 minutes wait, number called, hand over all my sheets, she looks at them, a bit of reordering, she says all OK, very good... perhaps that doesn't happen all the time! She begins to ask and I hand over my passport, she begins to ask and I hand over 2000 baht. She has me sign these 2 pre-printed sheets, I just sign, what do I care. I get another number card, 100 baht change, and am told, come back tomorrow after 10 to get passport. Done for another year. Re-entry Permit can wait a bit, I am going nowhere and rather neurotically don't want to do it until the new 'extension' is running! No questions of my Facebook account or TM 30s or whatever.....it is 11.15, I have another job to do in Jomtiem but I am thinking of 'something to do for 90 minutes'.... Well done Jomtiem immigration, a slick performance. Jacko gripe.... why do so many idiots go there without a pen? Where did they think they were going that day? #2. What's with the dopey slow driving in Jomtiem?

Peter Stormare

Steve Buscemi

Minnie Driver

The chance of winning on premium bonds was somewhat reduced about 3-4 months ago to one in 30,000 from I believe 1 in 24,000. Pretty much every prize is £25. A long way from one in 12,000 when I first bought some. I have a regular Bangkok Bank savings account which has complied with requirements of Jomtiem immigration for the past 9 years. If there was a 3 million Visa requirement there is a likelihood it would need to be in a Government Bond, and freshly brought into the country (or proof it was). Anyhow, I attended the Expats Club yesterday and was left with the impression this proposed Visa was not suitable for me, the details were little known and undefined, but it was not designed to be a replacement for the current one year extensions. It sounded more like an alternative to a Non-Imm O-A, and would also require medical check and police background report.

They are dead money these days, and 3 million baht is more than the holding limit of £50,000. The chance of each bond wining are 1 in 30,000, so don't expect to win too much. Probably 20 x £25 prizes every year. £25 a month, £50 on a lucky month. Income Bonds would give you 1% ie about £60/month! You can get better interest on a Thai account.

Sam Rockwell.

Very cheap, and probably more reliable than Lufthansa (seem to have strikes frequently).

According to this, it does say it will be multiple Visa. Application fee will be 10,000 baht.

Here is the location on Google Maps... http://google.com/maps/place/13.058336,100.926244 Heading north on Sukhumvit there is a U-Turn just after the place.

Yes, had they said 'Extensions' there would have been little doubt. This page makes me worry as it calls the marriage and retirement extensions 'One Year Renewable Visas'.....

Past proofs of income were never too difficult, don't the USA and Australian guys simply pay their consulates for a letter for which they make no actual checks?

No mention of it replacing the current system, so I prefer not to be scaremongering on this. Would be interested to know if there is any underlying aim in this idea.... supplement the banks deposits, get everyone on medical insurance, reduce the total number of 1 year extensions (with a view to eliminating them....don't do that jacko!).

1) Yes, you will still need to do 90 day reports, it is a police, rather than immigration requirement. 2) I do have health insurance, but, as you get older, it gets harder. 3) Didn't say anything about re-entry permits on the item I read, although with the Elite Visa no re-entry permits are required so I would hope this idea would be similar,ie, a multiple entry. Depends on whether it is an extension to an existing visa, or a visa in its own right. It does say replaces one-year renewable visas. 4) My current renewal date is right in the middle of peak season and yes I know I could do it a month early, but always drag my heels. So when I do my extension it is always heaving in Jomtiem and the job aggravates the hell out of me. 3 million is a whack to tie up for a while but I most certainly am tempted by this.

Similarly they found something broken on my steering linkages, they wanted a 70% deposit for the part to be replaced, that was 4000 baht. So I got a relatively cheap service but got hit with expensive parts. They must work like printers and printer cartridges! Well trying to be optimistic, good the issue was found before the Mrs does her NY trip to Ban Khee Kwai, it also explains the odd noise I recently have been hearing when getting in and out of my drive. I have to hard lock and there is a bit of a ramp into my driveway, the suspension and steering always groaned there under the weight of that 3 litre diesel!

My Mrs talked to a lady called Vilawan, on 0952078618, and here is my receipt.

Gov’t Approves 10-Year Visas for Foreigners Over 50. Khaosod Opps MM posted this elsewhere last night, missed that. I will post a link and lock this post. Other thread.

Reported to be completed in February..... Thai Visa. If you can read Thai....

Be careful, that lady in the short skirt believes you need that Ford Focus. ( I had one of those in the UK, great car for running around town, doubt it could handle the village roads though).

In the past, to get my truck serviced, I had to spend all day. The overworked dealership and service centre in Na Jomtiem is on the other side of town from me. I have also been kept waiting there for many hours in the past, despite having an appointment. Your time is of no consequence.The only way to counteract that was to grab a baht bus into town, go for a massage, and they would surely call you to say your vehicle was ready as you were at the interesting stage of a rub down. So when I heard of a new Ford dealership in Laem Chabang, just down the road from me, I was hopeful of no more trips all the way to Na Jomtiem. They opened for car sales a month or so ago, and yesterday called to say the servicing centre was also operational. So, as I was overdue a service, maybe even missed one or 2 (it is a diesel, they just keep going), I booked in. Head North on Sukhumvit out of town and it is about 6km past the Hwy 36 (Rayong) flyover on the right. Well before Harbor Mall and the Port. It is better lady watching venue than the Bangkok Bank, with a few real nice lasses. The one I chatted to had such a short skirt I nearly bought a million baht Wildtrak there and then! The senior service guy spoke great English, as did some of the sales girls. Got me a cup of coffee and all was completed in just over an hour, as I initially viewed the cars, then waited in a nice cool environment. Not completely painless as they found a broken linkage on my steering and I had to pay a 4000 baht deposit for the part and will go back again when it arrives. I wondered what that strange noise was under there in the dirty areas of the truck!