skatewash

You *can* get an ATM card for an SCB EZ Savings account because I have one, but it's true that you can use their app and your smartphone to withdraw from their own ATM machines without an ATM card with no fee. It took an entire hour for me to open the account at SCB, but then I'm a US Citizen so much of that time was taken up with filling in IRS paperwork. ???? The one thing I would caution about using the SCB EZ Savings account for your retirement extension is that it comes without a passbook and some immigration offices (Phuket is one) insist on seeing the passbook for your retirement account. In fact, Phuket wants to see 4 things: standard bank letter stating your account and balance as of the date of the letter, 12-month bank statement, copies of your passbook, and your actual passbook. These last two items are impossible with SCB EZ Savings account. I don't know of anyone who has successfully used this particular account for their retirement extension in Phuket. It may be possible at other immigration offices.

90 days makes sense (although I'm not going to search for the legal reference now) if you realize that someone staying legally in Thailand longer than 90 days just about has to be on a long term visa or extension of stay. But as a practical matter since police officers don't ask to see your passport or indeed ask you for your passport number there's not an easy way for them to determine how long you've been in Thailand (more than 90 or less than 90 days) other than asking you. Given this if you attempted to use an foreign license and IDP beyond this 90 day period my guess is that you would be successful in regard to not getting a ticket for not having a valid license. What would happen in a serious accident where insurance companies are involved and there are financial stakes is perhaps another matter.

A foreign license with IDP is valid until 90 days since entry to Thailand, or until the expiration of the license or IDP, whichever comes first. However, determining how long someone has been in Thailand without recourse to your passport or at least passport number is problematic. So as a practical matter it is not checked at your typical police checkpoint. However, should there be a serious accident it certainly could be checked.

Because of the type of account and the fact that there is probably almost zero activity on the account (except for interest) they may accept just a copy of the pages from the passbook. I asked for a 12-month statement from Bangkok Bank a few years ago for a fixed deposit account and all they did was photocopy the relevant pages of the passbook and stamp the pages with the bank seal. It was accepted in Phuket. In Phuket they generally always require an official bank statement, other immigration offices may have less strict rules.

Unless something goes wrong and then it can become a nightmare. If their passport is lost, or it takes much longer than promised, I doubt those people think the process was "simple." Why would someone give their valuable passport to someone for weeks who very possibly mails it out to some other province in Thailand, when they can hang on to their own passport and get an immediate decision on getting their extension in person at the immigration office? For 1,900 baht.

I think you need to carry the original Thai driving license. If you were to lose it, then the cost is very minor, you just go to the Land Transport Office and you can get a new one on the spot. Note however, that many (most) LTOs insist that you first show a police report for the lost license. These are easy to get at any police station and there is usually no charge for the report. In the unlikely event that you lose your Thai driver's license outside of Thailand, do not mention that fact when you report your driver's license lost at a police station in Thailand. They will assume you lost it in Thailand and that's all to the good. This advice is from hard-won experience. The process of getting a police report for a license lost in Thailand couldn't be easier. The process for getting a Thai police report for a license lost outside Thailand is so complex it can scarcely be imagined. This is the advice I ultimately received from the Tourist Police. All Thai licenses are only ever lost in Thailand. Remember that. ????

The OP returned to Thailand visa-exempt and purchased his Non-O at immigration in Thailand. If he had purchased it outside of Thailand it is possible the embassy/consulate would have insisted that he show proof of health insurance in order for them to issue the visa. That is why many people do it the same way as the OP. In either case, when extending the permission to stay from that Non-O visa there is no health insurance requirement.

Maybe this will help. When you are on a retirement extension whether you complied with the minimum balance requirements is in part determined retroactively when you apply for your next retirement extension. You were on a retirement extension (albeit from a Non-OA). You are now applying for another retirement extension (this time from a Non-O, with a gap in between). The only time they could determine if you complied with the minimum balance requirements of your previous retirement extension is when you are applying for your new retirement extension. I'm guessing they don't agree that they missed their opportunity to check the compliance of your last retirement extension because you chose to leave the country, re-enter, and ultimately apply for another retirement extension. While your intention was (clearly) to switch from the Non-OA to the Non-O in the only way you could, it might look to immigration like you were trying to avoid scrutiny for complying with your last retirement extension and now that you are applying for a new retirement extension it's a good opportunity for them to close that loop so to speak.

Most banks, other than Bangkok Bank, seem to be able to produce a 12-month bank statement on the spot or at worse pickup next day at start of business. Bangkok Bank is the only one I know that must forward the request to its headquarters in Bangkok and takes about a week to receive the statement.

Yes, there is a walk in clinic every weekday in November at Vachira Hospital providing Pfizer jabs (1st through 5th) from 9 am to 11 am (assuming you are 18 years of age or older). The clinic is at the Luang Pho Cham Chuen Building No. 1 at Vachira Hospital. You can check the specific date in November you would like to go on the following (Google Lens app is good for translating Thai into English). The graphic provided below is the third graphic from left at the top of the Phuket.Win site homepage.

One would imagine that if one were interested in satisfying all the requirements for something and a document lists 2 requirements in one place and 3 requirements in another place that the prudent course of action might be to prepare to meet all 3 requirements in case the third requirement was mistakenly left off from one of the places. The principle of parsimony would suggest that it is more likely that a requirement was omitted rather than one was added unnecessarily.

Completely wrong. Really irresponsible advice that could cause people foolish enough to follow it to not get their next retirement extension. National policy for retirement extension using bank deposit is as follows: At least 800k balance at least 2 months before application At least 800k balance at least 3 months after receiving extension At least 400k balance at all times This is checked when you apply for your next retirement. That is one of the purposes for immigration needing to see a 12-month bank statement (or copies of 12-months worth of pages from your passbook). To see that you have complied with your current retirement extension financial requirements. If you haven't you will almost certainly not be approved for your new retirement extension. Compliance is checked retrospectively.

Yeah, should have made it clear you are only getting a booking or reservation not an actual ticket. You won't be able to actually use the reservation or booking to get a ticket but it is enough to satisfy airline check-in staff.

Getting a 30-day extension of stay for purposes of tourism is indeed as close to a sure thing as you can get. The requirements are almost non-existent and there is really nothing to prove to immigration. If you will be staying in hotels, which do the address notification (TM-30) for you, there is really no potential problem with getting this particular extension. The airline problem can be solved by renting an onward ticket. For example, https://onwardticket.com/. Google onward tickets for other alternatives. The cost for most is around $10, which gives you proof of an onward ticket to show airport check-in staff that will satisfy their concern and allow you to board. Thai immigration in Thailand will not raise the same concern.

Yes, but the point I was making was in regard to needing to show your legal permission to stay. My point was if you are handed someone's passport it's not difficult to determine whether that person has legal permission to stay. If showing legal permission to stay were a requirement it would be met simply by handing over your passport, there would be no need to ask for any other documentation to satisfy this requirement.

The only time the TM-30 is needed is before you conduct business with immigration (such as requesting an extension of stay). If you aren't doing business with immigration during your stay no (practical) need to file a TM-30. For example, you arrive in Thailand visa exempt and leave again within the 45 day permission to stay. No need to bother with a TM-30 filing. Another example, you arrive in Thailand visa exempt and need to stay 75 days. You will need to go to immigration to apply for a 30 day extension of stay for purpose of tourism. Some immigration offices would required you to have filed a TM-30 before you request the 30 day extension.

Surely your passport would indicate your visa status would it not?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your question but if you are using an income verification letter from your embassy or consulate (meaning you are not American, British, or Australian), then there is no requirement to show anything specific regarding money transferred into Thailand. It is required that you do the following: Supporting documents of the income may be requested by the immigration officer.Copy bank book name page and last 12 months transactions. (It is strongly advised to copy all used pages as this is often requested by the officers.)

I don't believe you can get the new Bivalent Covid Booster shot yet in Thailand. It may become available in the new year.

First place to go is Phuket.win and select the yellow option at the bottom of the page: "Booster Dose Vaccination Appointments for Foreigners" If not able to get an appointment, there is a walk-in clinic at Vachira Hospital. However, the schedule for October has ended. I imagine there will be a schedule for November. I am referring to this graphic which is attached. Take a look at it using Google Lens translate for detailed information. Basically it is saying there is a walk-in clinic at Vachira Hospital most weekdays from 09:30 - 11:00 for Adults who wish to receive the Pfizer jab. I would wait for the November schedule to come out, but my guess is that it will be similar to October. This was taken from the top of the page you see at Phuket.win site.

Open to motorcycles. I don't think it will be opened to cars in the next few weeks. Cars require more space than motorcycles. https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/patong/motorbikes-can-now-drive-on-patong-hill-road?utm_source=Thaiger+Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2022-10-28

The OP is staying in Phuket Town, visiting Patong. When he returns home (if by Kata-Chalong Road) he will have two (2) lanes on Kata Hill. Kata Hill is restricted to one lane of traffic only in the Chalong to Kata direction, which he will not be using on his return to Phuket Town.

Not sure which "landslide hill" you are referring. There's no way the Patong-Kathu road will be open to any vehicular traffic. The Kata-Chalong road is fine in the direction toward Chalong (on the way to Phuket Town). It's one lane only in the opposite direction. Traffic will not be heavy in any case at the time of night the OP is considering.

Motorcycle taxi but hard to find in Patong. Taxi is best bet under the circumstances, possibly using Grab or In-driver.

You might want to mention which immigration office you will be using.