XGM

Yes, "wef" is how Thais would pronounce "wave". Thais don't switch "F"s to "P"s at the end of the word.

I guess some do and others don't.

Just use the word "wave" (short for microwave) as a verb. "Wave krup" or "Kho wave krup" (a bit more polite).

In the past there was such a feature, very convenient when repeating recent transactions, either with the same amount or a different one. Sometimes it was available and at other times it wasn't (looked kind of random, I never managed to figure out in which cases). Recently, this feature is absent altogether. Anyone else has the same issue? solution?

Kind of discouraging that a total of 3 years from application to completion is now considered amazingly fast...

@Arkady @yankee99 Reading this, I wasn't sure if it's a joke or not (I now realize it was). BTW, didn't read it as a bribe, programs such as Elite Visa charge millions per piece for example, so who knows.

I recall you mentioned somewhere that they expedite it for 500,000 baht. Was that a serious comment or a humorous one...?

I believe acting as a director might also be deemed as work and require a WP, strictly speaking. As for only owning shares in a company, of course, no WP required.

@Arkady Understood. BTW is there a difference in processing time between applying using the PR route vs. the marriage route? And to follow on that - for those who don't have PR, is there any advantage of any kind (not necessarily time related) of applying for that first and then applying for citizenship? I guess that in the event of a divorce an application based on marriage will not be worth much - does being a parent of a Thai child change that?

Is that kind of timeline normal now?

That's interesting, could you elaborate on this? what was the reason for the change and what was the procedure for that?

Got it. If I had any thoughts of getting registered and waiting 5 years to apply - not any more.

Great practical advice, thank you.

I am married to a Thai, but since I am not registered in any Tabien baan I want to explore any other possibilities to gain more points. I speak Thai on a daily basis for many years but my vocabulary is rather limited to the topics I normally discuss. I don't know how to evaluate my level. It is way higher than what the average expat can produce but that's not really a very high standard to compare oneself to. As for reading, I can read short and simple texts when I am familiar with the vocabulary (knowing the context helps a lot as well). Absolute zero in writing. I don't know the anthems but I assume that shouldn't be terribly hard to learn with some help.

Anthems: should the applicant sing it all "from memory" or can a piece of paper with the lyrics be used? Reading and writing tests: are there example texts / questions available anywhere to get an idea about the difficulty level?

Is there a summary of the current requirements and the main steps that one needs to go through? the specifics of the points system for each type of criteria, level of Thai required to gain this or that amount of points, salary (I see that this point was actually covered in a recent post) etc? Undoubtedly there's tonnes of useful information in this thread but reading through 270+ pages is challenging.

Keep all the incorporation documents, company's "nangsue lablong", VAT registration and basically every document apart from ongoing day to day operations. Originals. Make your own backups. With some initial assistance, it is really not that hard to know what's what. I also recommend going over the monthly documents as well - withholding tax forms etc. Those forms may appear illegible but they are the same each month so you only need to learn the structure once.

I assume you mean gaining points for citizenship application. Will be interested to hear more. Did you post your experiences here? I noticed a long 2007 thread of another poster on this topic but I guess things might have changed since then.

To follow up on that, Krungsri's App now has an additional stage before approving larger payments. The App directs the user to a screen in which a selfie is taken and only then approves the payment.

Thai-French beef (some pieces sold on Makro, also from the farms) is good and not very expensive. Other than that, I buy imported beef, mainly Australian / NZ. BigC / Foodland / local importers. But yes, good beef in Thailand is expensive. Can you take standard Thai beef and make it tender? sure you can. As a stew for example. But not as a steak. Marinades won't do the trick. Tenderloin could be an exception though as it could be tender enough even in the normal Thai beef.

Don't. Best will be to smoke them in a smoker. Don't have one - use indirect heat on a grill. No grill? Cook in an oven. No oven? forget about ribs. Boiling ruins the texture.

Didn't try it yet, will need to do such a transfer soon enough, will post here.

Went to Krungsri in Central Festival today. The clerk checked my account and told me "you already take photo" (probably when opening the account a few years ago?). That's it.

I got the same krungsri notification on every login during the last month, did nothing, and today I got another page asking me to update my address in the app (no idea if that's related at all). After updating my address, I get no more notifications regarding the photo verification. Might pop in to a Krungsri branch if I'm near one to see if anything else is needed.

You probably have a point there. But, I am not getting married tomorrow. I am married for almost 16 years, with the last 8 living in Thailand, with back to back yearly extensions, trips abroad always with proper reentry permits, never a single day of overstay, ever, residence verified not only by documents but also by a house visit by the Jomtien guys a couple of years ago with a Thai witness, having two kids who live with us and attending school here, their birth certificates, passports, registration in Tabien baans submitted to immigration (although those last items aren't even a must). New family pics each year. The works. Am I surprised? should I be surprised? Maybe not. But I am somewhat disappointed. Yes. After striving to get everything perfect, year after year, to suddenly be treated as a suspect based on absolutely nothing? I guess I am still naive to expect more.