Keeping a Toe In The Door -- Pros & Cons

[zapatero]

On several occasions I have found it useful to have maintained a home country address -- the USA in my case, via bank, credit cards and a P.O. Box.  I have accomplished this through a mail forwarding service.  Recently my MFS died.  Literally.  I am now faced with what appears to be a pretty arduous task of decommissioning the former and finding and engaging new one.

 

My question is this:  What are the opinions of all you well-experienced TVisa expats on the value/utility of maintaining a home country address, and is it worth the trouble and expense?

 

Thank you very much for your insights,

~~z

[Rc2702]

I have been looking at this for a while and this market looks like it is about to become mainstream.

 

This service is a UK based service. They accept mail for as little as 0.60 a letter and scan it too for £0.90. The scanning alone is valuable for record keep8ng purposes but the point of scanning is it allows you to read the mail online. Pretty clever.

 

Must be a US version.

https://www.ukpostbox.com/pricing

 

 

 

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

A close friend of mine (Thailand based) keeps a house in the UK, but then he has connections, family there etc etc. Personally I have absolutely no ties to my home country, not even a bank account, and I have no contact with any family there. It might as well not exist. However I can understand why many would want to maintain some kind of address or something. Seems a bit of a hassle though. Years ago when I finally left the UK forever, I had Her Majesty's Tax Office send me a cheque for the tax they owed me to my Thai address. No need for a UK address.

[gk10002000]

I have contracted in the USA the last 15 years.  While not an expat, I almost always worked or was away from home as I worked in 17 states!  I found that it was extremely useful and even important to get and keep a permanent address somewhere.  I had a mail forwarding thing for a year or two, but they kind of folded and stopped doing what I needed.  So I found a cheap place to rent a room.  I pay monthly rent, but that allowed me to keep my cell phone bill at that address, get my driver license there, etc.  So now when I am on the road working away from home I qualify for Tax Free Per Diem. 

 

  Of course over the years, it also made getting mail reliable as I never changed my address. AAA card, credit cards, even driver license renewal, car registration, health insurance stuff, Federal Tax and State Income Tax, you name it.  Luckily I can keep this same address it looks like for many more years even as I spend time in Thailand. 

 

   Frankly, I am quite serious about opening a little business to help expats.  Charge some nominal fee to receive other people's mail, package them up via DHL, Fed Express or whatever and send on when asked for.    seems easy to do.  Nothing illegal as I am not certifying anything, just simply performing a service.  Now if the person wants a more permanent sort of deal, maybe make up a lease, charge some nominal rent, and that kind of gives them residency?  Just thinking out loud

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

 

I found that it was extremely useful and even important to get and keep a permanent address somewhere

 

 

I think you've kind of missed the point. Expats already have permanent addresses in their host countries. 

[Rc2702]

4 minutes ago, NilSS said:

 

 

 

I think you've kind of missed the point. Expats already have permanent addresses in their host countries. 

Nah you have missed the point.  You are simply a guest. Burning the bridge is a bad idea.

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

Well I've been a 'guest' for 20 odd years, my entire family is here and I'm going through the citizenship process, so what's your definition of permanent? What would I do with an address in the UK, have my DTAC bill sent there? I've had the same number for 10 years, I'm not sure what's not permanent about my arrangements.

 

There's a difference between burning bridges, and letting go. I imagine some ecpats find it hard to let go, so they keep an address of some sort in the place they still consider to be home. 

 

Regarding your business model, the market is already awash with virtual offices and mail forwarding services, you write as though this is some brilliant new idea. 

[Rc2702]

40 minutes ago, NilSS said:

Well I've been a 'guest' for 20 odd years, my entire family is here and I'm going through the citizenship process, so what's your definition of permanent? What would I do with an address in the UK, have my DTAC bill sent there? I've had the same number for 10 years, I'm not sure what's not permanent about my arrangements.

 

There's a difference between burning bridges, and letting go. I imagine some ecpats find it hard to let go, so they keep an address of some sort in the place they still consider to be home. 

 

Regarding your business model, the market is already awash with virtual offices and mail forwarding services, you write as though this is some brilliant new idea. 

It's not my business model it was a service which I found that seems to offer a lot more besides a virtual address. If you had read there offerings you can see there menu is more advanced than a VO.

 

My suggestion was in line with the OP's request but if you cast your mind back as far as 20 years ago I'm pretty sure you will recall such a question you posed to yourself. It's a normal train of thought for many expats I expect.

 

Best of luck with the citizenship process. That does sound permanent.

 

 

 

 

[ThaiBunny]

I’d be looking at Mailboxes Etc which offers such services in many countries. However I’m surprised at how little mail I receive these days as my bank offers electronic bank statements, electronic funds transfers etc., and the government maintains contact for everything through its online My Gov portal


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[GinBoy2]

Well, my 2 cents on this is that it's always a good idea to maintain home country connections, at least at some level.

At the end of the day, you're not Thai, you are but a guest in the Kingdom, and who knows what the next regime du jour may cook up in the way of immigration rules, and suddenly you can't afford to stay, or they just decide they're done with us. Immigration detention lockup is a bitch I'm told!

Banking and financial services. Well thats been an increasingly thorny issue for a while. With the ratcheting up of money laundering enforcement it's becoming harder and harder to fool banks about where you actually are. I'd maintained a mail forwarding address in the US , yet still the bank's software detected it, and I needed to provide a physical address.

Which leaves us with the thorniest of all. You could write a book with stories of guys who sell up everything, become estranged from their families to come to Thailand. Then after x amount of time, everything goes south with the gf/wife and they need to hightail it outta Dodge with their tail between their legs.

So bottom line for me at least; don't burn bridges with the folks back home, maintain at the very least a virtual address, and if at all possible keep some physical property to ensure you have a bolt hole if things turn bad

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

14 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

That does sound permanent.

 

 

 

 

It's probably inaccurate to call myself an expat these days. I'm more migrant.

[cbc]

I agree with the expats who say don't burn bridges and keep an address in your home country.In the case of Canada if you don't have a Canadian mailing address all and any pensions are reduced.Even military pensions are taxed at a higher rate.

[burningup]

On 8/11/2018 at 7:42 AM, Rc2702 said:

Nah you have missed the point.  You are simply a guest. Burning the bridge is a bad idea.

How do you burn a bridge? The country that issued your passport will always welcome you back. If you were poor when you left it you will be poor going back ..nothing changed. Those with funds though can easily slip back into there previous lifestyle.

[1FinickyOne]

It really depends on what need for it you might have... I use a friend's home as my permanent address. It is needed for investment accounts. Since near everything is online these days, I get very little mail. 

 

If you have a friend or accountant or lawyer, maybe they will let you use their physical address for mail. 

[1FinickyOne]

It really depends on what need for it you might have... I use a friend's home as my permanent address. It is needed for investment accounts. Since near everything is online these days, I get very little mail. 

 

If you have a friend or accountant or lawyer, maybe they will let you use their physical address for mail. 

[Fore Man]

On 8/11/2018 at 8:37 AM, ThaiBunny said:

I’d be looking at Mailboxes Etc which offers such services in many countries. However I’m surprised at how little mail I receive these days as my bank offers electronic bank statements, electronic funds transfers etc., and the government maintains contact for everything through its online My Gov portal


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

I’m learning that I cannot enroll in certain USG portals...namely, My Social Security, without a valid US address and telephone number. I even enlisted assistance from the friendly SSA office in Manila and they came back after trying, explaining that they couldn’t help me and that I needed to visit an office within the US to set up my account. Ludicrous but sadly, true. 

[smotherb]

On 8/11/2018 at 12:29 AM, Rc2702 said:

I have been looking at this for a while and this market looks like it is about to become mainstream.

 

This service is a UK based service. They accept mail for as little as 0.60 a letter and scan it too for £0.90. The scanning alone is valuable for record keep8ng purposes but the point of scanning is it allows you to read the mail online. Pretty clever.

 

Must be a US version.

https://www.ukpostbox.com/pricing

 

 

 

You really need to scan and keep paper? I have been paperless for years. The only times I need paper is when dealing with my government--but all the sources for the information they want are automated, so I just generate some paper.  The only need I have for a Stateside address is for the actual address, mostly for financial institutions--they send any information to me, or I can access it, via the internet.

 

[Thingamabob]

Best to maintain some links with your home country.

[connda]

On 8/11/2018 at 7:36 AM, NilSS said:

 

 

 

I think you've kind of missed the point. Expats already have permanent addresses in their host countries. 

Here in Thailand you have no 'permanent address' unless you have permanent residency or citizenship, both which are rare and difficult to obtain.  Most expats are here year-to-year on the whim of the Thai government, always subject to change.
Permanent?  Not hardly. 

[jippytum]

When i moved to Thailand i decided not to 'have a foot in both camps ' and severed all connections to the 'home ' country . I have lived here for decades and have no problem regarding mail , offshore banking  and tax benefits by doing so . Yes i do have a reduction in pension benefit but no regrets .  

[timkeen08]

1 hour ago, Fore Man said:

I’m learning that I cannot enroll in certain USG portals...namely, My Social Security, without a valid US address and telephone number. I even enlisted assistance from the friendly SSA office in Manila and they came back after trying, explaining that they couldn’t help me and that I needed to visit an office within the US to set up my account. Ludicrous but sadly, true. 

That is why I waited to retire in the US at a SSA office to discuss my plans instead of doing it online.  I had to make an appointment for a day when the specialist had an opening.  She did my application for me on her desktop, it was approved immediately, and I got a printout of the approval.  I was told to return a week or two before we planned to leave the US.  She did my permanent address change to our Thai addrress and entered my Thai phone number.  I had my SSA online account way before I took early retirement for research into living abroad.  I have no problem accessing my online account without a US address and phone number.

[micmichd]

2 hours ago, burningup said:

How do you burn a bridge? The country that issued your passport will always welcome you back. If you were poor when you left it you will be poor going back ..nothing changed. Those with funds though can easily slip back into there previous lifestyle.

I'm an orphan, no bridges to burn in Germany. Yes, they would have to take me back (it's law), but I wouldn't want to stay there. Why should I?

[wwest5829]

My youngest Son allows me to use his home address as mine also. Its convenient for giving any required US mailing address although almost everything I go now is done via the internet. Only real problem I have run into is that I must be physically present to renew my Kentucky Driver's License and Concealed Deadly weapon License. Sold all in US and went to investments handled by internet.

[tropo]

On 8/11/2018 at 7:36 AM, NilSS said:

I think you've kind of missed the point. Expats already have permanent addresses in their host countries. 

 

The thing is, with regard to Thailand as the host country unless you've attained permanent residence, you're never more than a guest that requires annual extensions. You could never consider any address in Thailand a permanent address.

[nickmondo]

you dont say your age.

there is every need for a UK address if you want your state pension to increase each year.

if you dont want it to increase, then dont have a UK address.

still to young to get mine, but although I have sold up in the UK, I have maintained an address there for credit card, bank account etc (a friends address)

[Unify]

Yes, some of my financial accounts have detected my forwarding service address as a forwarder. I have a hold on one annuity right now, because of it. My bank assumes I live in the US, and I have business interests there.

 

I was able to temporarily renew my driver's license from here. But this stuff is getting more difficult, I think.

[Sprigger]

Best advice keep an address in both countries, never burn your bridges. That’s if you can afford it, of course these so called expats will tell you different because they have no option. Deep down most of them long to go home but haven’t got a pot to piss in, eventually they grow older often becoming unwell skint and nobody wants to know them. Remember the phrase No money No Honey.

[Fore Man]

2 hours ago, timkeen08 said:

That is why I waited to retire in the US at a SSA office to discuss my plans instead of doing it online.  I had to make an appointment for a day when the specialist had an opening.  She did my application for me on her desktop, it was approved immediately, and I got a printout of the approval.  I was told to return a week or two before we planned to leave the US.  She did my permanent address change to our Thai addrress and entered my Thai phone number.  I had my SSA online account way before I took early retirement for research into living abroad.  I have no problem accessing my online account without a US address and phone number.

Very astute on your part...

[MyFriend You]

On 8/11/2018 at 3:31 AM, gk10002000 said:

I have contracted in the USA the last 15 years.  While not an expat, I almost always worked or was away from home as I worked in 17 states!  I found that it was extremely useful and even important to get and keep a permanent address somewhere.  I had a mail forwarding thing for a year or two, but they kind of folded and stopped doing what I needed.  So I found a cheap place to rent a room.  I pay monthly rent, but that allowed me to keep my cell phone bill at that address, get my driver license there, etc.  So now when I am on the road working away from home I qualify for Tax Free Per Diem. 

 

  Of course over the years, it also made getting mail reliable as I never changed my address. AAA card, credit cards, even driver license renewal, car registration, health insurance stuff, Federal Tax and State Income Tax, you name it.  Luckily I can keep this same address it looks like for many more years even as I spend time in Thailand. 

 

   Frankly, I am quite serious about opening a little business to help expats.  Charge some nominal fee to receive other people's mail, package them up via DHL, Fed Express or whatever and send on when asked for.    seems easy to do.  Nothing illegal as I am not certifying anything, just simply performing a service.  Now if the person wants a more permanent sort of deal, maybe make up a lease, charge some nominal rent, and that kind of gives them residency?  Just thinking out loud

I have been using "The UPS Store" in my now, hometown in Hawaii, they forward my mail to wherever I go to work overseas, even had mail sent to Jom Tien.   If you are going to live in USA,  and are serious about opening something like this, out of your home, I'd inquire with the franchise.  They have been helping me for over 15 years, plus provision a street address and 'Apt' number which is required by a lot of agencies as proof of address.  This is a favorite home business for veterans in the US.

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

5 hours ago, connda said:

Here in Thailand you have no 'permanent address' unless you have permanent residency or citizenship, both which are rare and difficult to obtain.  Most expats are here year-to-year on the whim of the Thai government, always subject to change.
Permanent?  Not hardly. 

PRs can lose their PR (quite easily actually), citizenship can be revoked. I read this 'whim of government' stuff a lot on Thai Visa. In 20 years I never met anyone that was separated from their family in Thailand on the whim of some official and I never even heard of such a thing (excepting foreigners that egregiously broke the law). Also, not a lot of people seem to realise that rules are grandfathered, so if you started living on extensions requiring 400,000 Baht on deposit, you will always follow those rules, even if the rules are changed for new applicants. They have to follow rules, even if they're jerks.

 

Years ago I was forced to go and work in the UK for my job, so we all packed up for a few years and headed over there. This was always going to be a temporary arrangement, so we of course kept phones and stuff up and running Thailand side. Even though it was temporary, my entire family obtained ILR and subsequently British citizenship, it made sense (although my son was already British thanks to his DNA). Do you get where I'm going with this, you are what you say you are, not what the government says you are. If you leave it was temporary, If you're living somewhere permanently, you are living somewhere permanently, it is what it is.