@Ian ******

The pink ID worked for buying a motorbike. Lots of people think it is useless. Whatever. I was after the yellow book and the pink ID was immediately available so I got it.

@Sean *********

I got a yellow house book in Sisaket province which can serve as a substitute for a foreigner residency certificate. Getting the yellow book was a bit of a process involving my Thai wife, her family, and the village headman. Once you get the yellow book you can, in the same office, get the Thai pink card which is what I am calling my Thai ID. It’s not exactly a substitute for your passport but it works in some situations like registering in a hotel or as an ID during police traffic stops.

@Pete *****

CA noticed that I stopped paying taxes in 2019 and sent me a letter in 2023 saying they thought I owed them $6,000 in taxes. I sent them copies of my Thai drivers license, Thai ID, and a copy of my passport. They replied that they no longer considered me a tax resident. If you don’t live there you don’t owe taxes.

@Pete *****

CA has criteria they use to determine if you are a tax resident. Google the same for your state. Of course a tax lawyer will know.

I am from California. My retirement savings are in Fidelity. When I changed my address to my Thai address there were no CA tax withholding on all of my withdrawals. I stopped paying taxes in CA two years after moving to Thailand. CA has acknowledged that I am no longer a tax resident. I am not a tax resident in any state.

@Roberto ********

What is dodgy about the 800,000฿ deposit method? Put the money in and leave it there.

Yes. I had one Thai bank account. I kept the 800,000฿ + 400,000฿ buffer and added living expenses on top of that. There was never any danger of falling below 800k฿. Never a problem with Bangkok immigration examining my yearlong bank statements for my yearly extensions.

I had an OA visa for 6 years.

This is how Thai visa controversy starts. Someone heard something, posts it online, then every expats thinks it is passed into law and published in the Royal Gazette.

Yes. I got my pensioner LTR in 2023. I got a new passport in 2024. They transferred all the stamps to the new passport at the BOI/Immigration office in Bangkok.

I would think the website is approximate examples. Real prices are going to depend on age, coverage amount, and deductible. There may be exclusions too.

I have Pacific Cross.