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is Thailand's online newsletter for expats and foreigners living in Thailand and neighbouring countries. 

NEWS FOR 2001 JANUARY
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ALL BORDERS ARE OPEN Mae Sai IS ALIVE AGAIN?For info call (053) 277-510 ChiangMai or (053) 731-008Mae Sai (055)563-002-4

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WORK PERMITS :As you may know to obtain a work permit in Thailand you must be registered for VAT. This is a new rule for foreigners initiated last August. When paying VAT you must pay every month on the dot. If you miss the Tax dept can and will fine you so always vet the accountant or accounts girl you use. VAT is calculated as Output tax -input tax =Tax paid Output tax is the VAT 7% the operator collects from the purchaser when a sale is made, input tax VAT an operator pays to the seller of a goods and servce which is then used in the operator's business. If a positive figure you must remit to the tax dept no later than 15 days after the end of the month. Failure can also bring problems with your work permit.

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WHERE TO GET YOUR MULTIPLE VISA: For those in business it is increasingly difficult to access a multiple non immigrant B visa. Vientiane and Kunming do not process them at this stage and now Penang requires copies of even your work permit as well as photos of your Office inside & out. This requirement may vary accordingly as we all know there is a certain immigration Officer who changes the rules to suit herself. You can still obtain in your own country but the requirements are tightening up as well. For those foreigners who have Companies or Limited partnerships you can apply for a one year visa in Thailand. Our Law Office processes these for 8500 baht at the moment? (Bangkok 10,000 baht). This will then allow you to stay in the country for the full year & no more visa runs every 3 months. The visa must be renewed yearly & you must have audited accounts which means being in business for 1 year when filing & VAT registered. Although you can do the process yourself you may find it easy to use a qualified Law Office who know the right ways with little burden on your stress levels. We have heard of cases where one does it themselves they succumb to bribes by Officials. Done the first year they will want again the second year etc & so it goes on.

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TOURIST VISA HOLDERS: You have a tourist visa...it's valid for one or two months from the date of issue. This visa can be extended by one month in Thailand. In Chiang Mai, Phuket etc, go to the immigration office. The extension fee is 500 Baht. After this month expires you can re-apply for yet another extension (same fee). You get an "under consideration for X amount of days" stamp endorsement, another one when you return (after crossing into Mynamar, Cambodia or Laos) after X amount of days (no fee) and finally a "must leave country in X amount of days" endorsement. This gives you approximately 30 days more.

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UN INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS LICENSES: You may have one but be aware these are deemed illegal in Thailand if you purchased in Thailand. One company in Bangkok was issuing these licenses and now have big problems with the UN & Thailand Police. If you do have one of these licenses we suggest send it back to the dealer in Sukhumvit and you will receive a full refund. It may be too late if you decide to show to the Police and you get arrested for carrying a false UN Drivers license which may amount to a large fine and jail term or both. If you need the address to send back please ask us but DO NOT USE THESE driver's licenses under any circumstances

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VIENTIANE: you can only apply for Tourist Visas and non immigrant single/double entries but make sure you take the right paper work.

KUNMING: allows one entry last we heard.

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RETIREMENT AGE LOWERED: We received a directive late last month on the changes of retirement visas. The age limit has been dropped from 55 years to 50 years but the requirements are still the same? More info as it comes to hand.

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FIANCEE VISAS TO THE USA: We cannot help those Americans wanting to take their girlfriends back to the USA. Please go to the US Consulate who have a check list and will guide you through the necessary steps. Be assured that you only get one shot at it so if you marry make sure you marry the right person for the right reasons.

LOST MONEY: We are increasingly receiving emails from foreigners who have been duped into schemes of money lending to Thais & foreigners. Please if you lend money the Court system in Thailand is a lot different from your country. Use a lawyer and have a contract drawn up before you lend & remember its easy for a foreigner to high tail it on a plane if they cannot pay back. This is why you cannot have a Thai Credit Card. Our thinking is if "they have no money then how do they pay you back"??. It may save you thousands later be heeding our advice. Its easy to give but hard to get back. Recovery of monies can take 2-5 years which means you may have to attend Court many times in between and pay for each visit. A judgement may also not be enforced should the debtor stop payments. Please use common sense!!! would you lend in your country??????? with no contract drawn--- perhaps this is why Bank's do have contracts & why this security allows them to get back--do the same or easier say NO?

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LAW SERVICE WEBSITE: Need some law help we now have a new website on www.chiangmailaw.com  & www.asiatradingonline.com/law.htm  If you have any comments or want to write to us feel free . Please check the website first. We will have an FAQ section shortly once we can get everything together and don't forget to check the costs and compare when you use a law service. We wish to thank all those readers who wrote comments to us last month regarding some of our statements and also their own experiences. We are here to help you and all your comments are welcome.

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THAI VISA, BUS & IMMIGRATION NEWSLETTER NEWS FOR  FEBRUARY 2002

ALL BORDERS ARE OPEN Mae Sai IS ALIVE AGAIN? For info call (053) 277-510 ChiangMai or (053) 731-008 Mae Sai (055)563-002-4

****************************************************

WORK PERMITS :As you may know to obtain a work permit in Thailand you must be registered for VAT. This is a new rule for foreigners initiated last August. When paying VAT you must pay every month on the dot. If you miss the Tax dept can and will fine you so always vet the accountant or accounts girl you use. VAT is calculated as Output tax -input tax =Tax paid Output tax is the VAT 7% the operator collects from the purchaser when a sale is made, input tax VAT an operator pays to the seller of a goods and servce which is then used in the operator's business. If a positive figure you must remit to the tax dept no later than 15 days after the end of the month. Failure can also bring problems with your work permit.

****************************************************

WHERE TO GET YOUR MULTIPLE VISA: For those in business it is increasingly difficult to access a multiple non immigrant B visa. Vientiane and Kunming do not process them at this stage and now Penang requires copies of even your work permit as well as photos of your Office inside & out. This requirement may vary accordingly as we all know there is a certain immigration Officer who changes the rules to suit herself. You can still obtain in your own country but the requirements are tightening up as well. For those foreigners who have Companies or Limited partnerships you can apply for a one year visa in Thailand. Our Law Office processes these for 8500 baht at the moment? (Bangkok 10,000 baht). This will then allow you to stay in the country for the full year & no more visa runs every 3 months. The visa must be renewed yearly & you must have audited accounts which means being in business for 1 year when filing & VAT registered. Although you can do the process yourself you may find it easy to use a qualified Law Office who know the right ways with little burden on your stress levels. We have heard of cases where one does it themselves they succumb to bribes by Officials. Done the first year they will want again the second year etc & so it goes on.

****************************************************

TOURIST VISA HOLDERS: You have a tourist visa...it's valid for one or two months from the date of issue. This visa can be extended by one month in Thailand. In Chiang Mai, Phuket etc, go to the immigration office. The extension fee is 500 Baht. After this month expires you can re-apply for yet another extension (same fee). You get an "under consideration for X amount of days" stamp endorsement, another one when you return (after crossing into Mynamar, Cambodia or Laos) after X amount of days (no fee) and finally a "must leave country in X amount of days" endorsement. This gives you approximately 30 days more.

****************************************************

UN INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS LICENSES: You may have one but be aware these are deemed illegal in Thailand if you purchased in Thailand. One company in Bangkok was issuing these licenses and now have big problems with the UN & Thailand Police. If you do have one of these licenses we suggest send it back to the dealer in Sukhumvit and you will receive a full refund. It may be too late if you decide to show to the Police and you get arrested for carrying a false UN Drivers license which may amount to a large fine and jail term or both. If you need the address to send back please ask us but DO NOT USE THESE driver's licenses under any circumstances

****************************************************

VIENTIANE: you can only apply for Tourist Visas and non immigrant single/double entries but make sure you take the right paper work. KUNMING: allows one entry last we heard.

****************************************************

RETIREMENT AGE LOWERED: We received a directive late last month on the changes of retirement visas. The age limit has been dropped from 55 years to 50 years but the requirements are still the same?

****************************************

THAI VISA, BUS & IMMIGRATION NEWSLETTER  NEWS FOR MARCH 2002 :

 Although we had a Law directive that the retirement age has changed from 55 years to 50 years immigration Offices around the country have not been notified of these changes or so they say???? It appears overseas Officeshave been notified ONLY.

Companies must pay a Social welfare tax each month from 1st April. All businesses having 2 or more workers including the owner must apply for this tax before April 1st. Employers must pay 3% from each worker's salary. As a Thai company ัyou must have 4 workers & you must pay for 5 workers which includes yourself. If you do not, your work permit may be revoked. This applies to all companies.

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DUE TO OVER 182 EMAILS BEING RETURNED TO US WITH READERS NOT UPDATING THEIR EMAIL ADDRESSES THE THAI VISA NEWS WILL NO LONGER BE SENT OUT TO SUBSCRIBERS AS OF THIS UPDATE. IN FUTURE ALL NEWS WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THIS  WEBSITE AS AND WHEN WE RECEIVE CHANGES. You will need to log into the website once we have this in place in April. In the meantime you will be able to view old issues up till Feb 2002 on:www.asiatradingonline.com/visanews.htm We suggest you favourite the above URL. if you want to keep abreast of Thai changes in Law, visa & immigration rules.

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We thank everyone for their time and hope we can be of service to you all. In future if you have law or Visa problems write to us. We are now able to process long term and retirement visas. email: thailawyer@iname.com VISATHAI NEWSLETTER ( Helping expats living in Thailand ) More info as it comes to hand.

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FIANCEE VISAS TO THE USA: We cannot help those Americans wanting to take their girlfriends back to the USA. Please go to the US Consulate who have a check list and will guide you through the necessary steps. Be assured that you only get one shot at it so if you marry make sure you marry the right person for the right reasons.

LOST MONEY: We are increasingly receiving emails from foreigners who have been duped into schemes of money lending to Thais & foreigners. Please if you lend money the Court system in Thailand is a lot different from your country. Use a lawyer and have a contract drawn up before you lend & remember its easy for a foreigner to high tail it on a plane if they cannot pay back. This is why you cannot have a Thai Credit Card. Our thinking is if "they have no money then how do they pay you back"??. It may save you thousands later by heeding our advice. Its easy to give but hard to get back. Recovery of monies can take 2-5 years which means you may have to attend Court many times in between and pay for each visit. A judgement may also not be enforced should the debtor stop payments. Please use common sense!!! would you lend in your country??????? with no contract drawn--- perhaps this is why Bank's do have contracts & why this security allows them to get back--do the same or easier say NO?

****************************************************

LAW SERVICE WEBSITE: Need some law help we now have a new website on www.chiangmailaw.com  & www.asiatradingonline.com/law.htm  If you have any comments or want to write to us feel free . Please check the website first. We will have an FAQ section shortly once we can get everything together and don't forget to check the costs and compare when you use a law service. We wish to thank all those readers who wrote comments to us last month regarding some of our statements and also their own experiences. We are here to help you and all your comments are welcome.

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Our thanks to Asia Trading Post Co Ltd our sponsers.

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