Thailand/Bangkok QA thread

[Wut]

On the digital nomad visa. Zero.
That is their way to attract wealth into the country.

Be careful about this as the Smart visas (digital nomad visas) require you to pay tax. Also if you stay there for more than 180 days a year you are supposed to register for a local tax number even if you aren't on an actual Non-B with a work permit. You can always submit a zero tax return as you aren't technically earning money from a local company, but it's dicey especially when they check your history if you want to move to a more long-term visa.

Only retirement and Thai Elite program visas allow you to stay longer than 180 days without needing tax-related stuff.

 

[MaisonP]

I'm somewhat OK with dual pricing for national parks although it annoys me as my farm is just outside Khao Yai national park.

Private businesses dual price too though which is unacceptable. They try to hide the pricing using Thai text hoping that foreigners can't read the numerals.

Private pool - double price

View attachment 1358939

Private aquarium - double price

View attachment 1358943
Here they even changed the Thai numerals to a font that is difficult for translation apps to translate so they can hide the fact that the foreign price is five times more.

View attachment 1358941

For sure I agree with you on all the above points.
I am for sure not defending any of it. I think its just me that has accepted that in some cases that is just how Thailand are.
I then look at the other side. The service at restaurants/hotels/condo's are generally very good.
They treat you with respect and don't expect a tip. The people here doesn't have that sense of greed.

In most places they will go out of their way to help you, or give the little that they have got.
Here you just deal with a different quality of human being. I don't know if its the culture or "religion" thing its i have less political stress here than in SA.

 

[MaisonP]

Be careful about this as the Smart visas (digital nomad visas) require you to pay tax. Also if you stay there for more than 180 days a year you are supposed to register for a local tax number even if you aren't on an actual Non-B with a work permit. You can always submit a zero tax return as you aren't technically earning money from a local company, but it's dicey especially when they check your history if you want to move to a more long-term visa.

Only retirement and Thai Elite program visas allow you to stay longer than 180 days without needing tax-related stuff.

I have done all my paperwork directly through the Thai embassy and asked specifically about the tax element.
I will probably spend the money on the Thai elite program as there are many other benefits that interest me.
I have also submitted my income tax to authorities and there was no mention of tax payable.
But i will take your advice.

 

[MaisonP]

We spent xmas 2019 in Bangkok, got back just before Covid broke mind you, and if there's one thing I like about Thailand is how people respected your property.

We stayed in friends flat, the 1st morning as responsible dad I was last out the flat ready to lock up, asked where's the keys.
Kids who've been there a week or two prior to my arriving told me 'we dont' need to lock up' its safe no-one will come into the flat while we're gone.

Yeah I scraped my jaw off the floor but thats the reality, look they'll scam you with for example taxi prices every chance they get, its like they consider it their right to take stupid tourist's money, but outright stealing is basically unheard of.

Yes if you are tourist, the basic things is to always ask the taxi to put the meter on.
The other way to get around it is just book it via grab (Same as Uber)

But theft is zero here

 

[The_Ogre]

The only person whom I would bang if I go there is Ashley Oosthuizen.

I just don't trust the locals.

 

[Wut]

I have done all my paperwork directly through the Thai embassy and asked specifically about the tax element.
I will probably spend the money on the Thai elite program as there are many other benefits that interest me.
I have also submitted my income tax to authorities and there was no mention of tax payable.
But i will take your advice.

The Thai Elite program is awesome, you won't regret it. I used to use the immigration/airport concierge service all the time as I could skip the queues at the airport until biometrics became the standard. Also not having to do 90-day reports was a big plus as they handled all that nonsense.

 

[Wut]

So this is the thing. You can never become a citizen of the Kingdom of Thailand.
You can however get a VISA which I am on.
If you are wanting to work here, be prepared to take a drop in salary. The income is not great here vs SA salaries.
You can get residency though with all the perks of a Thai citizen (Government hospitals etc)
If you earn more than R60k SA per month you can apply for a digital nomad visa, which is valid for 1 year and the following year you have to submit paperwork again.
Its easier if you are over 50 but i am still far from that.

You can but it's a complete nightmare of a process if you are male. It's a much easier process for women to get citizenship.

 

[MaisonP]

The only person whom I would bang if I go there is Ashley Oosthuizen.

I just don't trust the locals.

hahahahahaha u will have to join her in jail

 

[MaisonP]

The Thai Elite program is awesome, you won't regret it. I used to use the immigration/airport concierge service all the time as I could skip the queues at the airport until biometrics became the standard. Also not having to do 90-day reports was a big plus as they handled all that nonsense.

That is exactly why i said the other benefits
Will drop that cash soon and reap that rewards.

 

[MaisonP]

You can but it's a complete nightmare of a process if you are male. It's a much easier process for women to get citizenship.

Good insight from you. I am not to worried to becoming a citizen as yet.
But will remember for future

 

[Wut]

We spent xmas 2019 in Bangkok, got back just before Covid broke mind you, and if there's one thing I like about Thailand is how people respected your property.

We stayed in friends flat, the 1st morning as responsible dad I was last out the flat ready to lock up, asked where's the keys.
Kids who've been there a week or two prior to my arriving told me 'we dont' need to lock up' its safe no-one will come into the flat while we're gone.

Yeah I scraped my jaw off the floor but thats the reality, look they'll scam you with for example taxi prices every chance they get, its like they consider it their right to take stupid tourist's money, but outright stealing is basically unheard of.

Even if they do steal it's done somewhat politely. When I bought my first bike I bought an awesome Shoei helmet to go with it. Parked my bike a few days later and when I returned my Shoei had been stolen but the thief had replaced it with a cheap helmet from the corner store

 

[jdido87]

Going to Phuket in December for 2 weeks with my wife and kids. I can't make my mind up if we should spend a night or 2 in Koh Phi Phi or rather 1 night in Phi Phi and Krabi each.

There seems so little to do in Phi Phi. I want to see Railay Beach in person that is for sure. According to the videos I have seen it is absolutely stunning.

I see the ferry prices are about 500bhat one way.

 

[MaisonP]

Even if they do steal it's done somewhat politely. When I bought my first bike I bought an awesome Shoei helmet to go with it. Parked my bike a few days later and when I returned my Shoei had been stolen but the thief had replaced it with a cheap helmet from the corner store

LOL. A courteous thief.
I must say i have not personally came across and incident of theft before.
I am sure there are some that take chances but its none like we have in SA.

 

[MaisonP]

Going to Phuket in December for 2 weeks with my wife and kids. I can't make my mind up if we should spend a night or 2 in Koh Phi Phi or rather 1 night in Phi Phi and Krabi each.

There seems so little to do in Phi Phi. I want to see Railay Beach in person that is for sure. According to the videos I have seen it is absolutely stunning.

I see the ferry prices are about 500bhat one way.

I was on Phi Phi about a month ago. It has not fully recovered yet from Covid. Same as Samui, also not yet fully recovered but slowly but surely it will return.

There are quite a number of shops still vacant in Phi Phi but Phuket is pumping as usual.
Where in Phuket are you guys wanting to stay? Stay a little clear of Patong beach area. Its to much for me.
1 or 2 nights is fine but after that I want to fekoff.

 

[jdido87]

I was on Phi Phi about a month ago. It has not fully recovered yet from Covid. Same as Samui, also not yet fully recovered but slowly but surely it will return.

There are quite a number of shops still vacant in Phi Phi but Phuket is pumping as usual.
Where in Phuket are you guys wanting to stay? Stay a little clear of Patong beach area. Its to much for me.
1 or 2 nights is fine but after that I want to fekoff.

We reserved accommodation on Booking.com about 1.4km from Patong Beach, thinking of going a much closer to the beach. The price was good for the hotel which is fairly modern and new compared to other places I have seen.

How do car rental work there?

 

[MaisonP]

We reserved accommodation on Booking.com about 1.4km from Patong Beach, thinking of going a much closer to the beach. The price was good for the hotel which is fairly modern and new compared to other places I have seen.

How do car rental work there?

Better to keep clear from being directly on Patong beach. It gets way to much very quickly. Its busy as hell and noisy, specially in the evenings since its close to Bangla road.

Car hire is very simple. There are many small shops that rent out scooters and cars.
You don't need to book. Go to the closest shop, pay 10 000 baht (R5000) deposit fee and roughly 800 baht/R400 for the day. The car will have a tank full of fuel. Once you return the vehicle, you fill it up again or they just deduct it from the deposit.

Some tips. Before you take the car, do a walk around inspection with the guy, take a full 360 video with your phone and point out any scratches or defects with the vehicle.
When you return the car, do same.

DO NOT hire the jet ski's from Patong beach. They are known for taking chances. There are some things you just stay clear of. Jet ski hire are one of them.

 

[ariz04]

I have seen many threads about people immigrating to other countries and having to deal with bureaucratic nonsense it still puzzles me to why so very few people don't consider South East Asian countries.

I have been working on and off in Thailand since 2019 and have learnt the ins and outs on how easy and affordable it is to come here.
I have also lived in London for more than 5 years, travelled to NY and LA, Hong Kong and other Middle eastern countries and still prefer Thailand over all of them for the simple fact that the Rand still goes a long way here.

If there are any questions or help that I can offer, please feel free to post here. I will try my best to give accurate insightful info.

@RanzB @ariz04 @epah @Pho3nix @FiestaST

ronz91​

Good evening mate, appreciate you starting this thread<3

How easy is it to get a working Visa in Thailand? And in terms of citizenship, is this reasonably obtainable and are you pursuing this?

Have you considered getting employed in Thailand directly yet or do you thoroughly enjoy your current work situation?

I am a Data Engineer, also all of my experience has been on Azure thus far, got my Microsoft DP-203 last year. But I am going to leave my current employer at the end of the month and my next employer has their infrastructure in AWS, so I will by multi cloud DE very soon.

 

[ariz04]

Good evening mate, appreciate you starting this thread<3

How easy is it to get a working Visa in Thailand? And in terms of citizenship, is this reasonably obtainable and are you pursuing this?

Have you considered getting employed in Thailand directly yet or do you thoroughly enjoy your current work situation?

I am a Data Engineer, also all of my experience has been on Azure thus far, got my Microsoft DP-203 last year. But I am going to leave my current employer at the end of the month and my next employer has their infrastructure in AWS, so I will by multi cloud DE very soon.

Just read the thread, think you answered some of questions already

 

[JayM]

Be careful about this as the Smart visas (digital nomad visas) require you to pay tax. Also if you stay there for more than 180 days a year you are supposed to register for a local tax number even if you aren't on an actual Non-B with a work permit. You can always submit a zero tax return as you aren't technically earning money from a local company, but it's dicey especially when they check your history if you want to move to a more long-term visa.

Only retirement and Thai Elite program visas allow you to stay longer than 180 days without needing tax-related stuff.

Thai Elite does not allow working, remote or otherwise. Not that they really care as there doesn't seem to be any monitoring of it.

 

[Herr der Verboten]

Good evening mate, appreciate you starting this thread<3

How easy is it to get a working Visa in Thailand? And in terms of citizenship, is this reasonably obtainable and are you pursuing this?

Have you considered getting employed in Thailand directly yet or do you thoroughly enjoy your current work situation?

I am a Data Engineer, also all of my experience has been on Azure thus far, got my Microsoft DP-203 last year. But I am going to leave my current employer at the end of the month and my next employer has their infrastructure in AWS, so I will by multi cloud DE very soon.

Wies jou myt?