EricTh

I am just wondering whether Thailand will close its borders again after reopening on 1 July because of this Monkeypox. That would be really devastating to Thailand's economy.

@Sqoop Yes, it happens all the time including water supply in Thailand. I live in a village (not a condo), and they have power cuts especially after a rainstorm. Surprisingly, my Thai neighbours don't make any noise over this because they are used to it. Don't expect things to be the same as in western countries. For example, zebra crossing doesn't work the same way as in western countries etc.

So does that mean it is not possible to transfer money to a Wise account from a Thai bank? I am just wondering why Thailand is making things difficult to move money out but not in. Other southeast-asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines don't have this problem.

Sorry I must have misunderstood. I thought the 5500 baht is for those who don't meet the financial requirements. In this case, the agent itself get to pocket 3500 for work that I considered simple. This first option is completely legal but probably not the second one. If you think the second option is legal, why not ask someone from the anti-corruption dept to investigate whether it's legal or not?

Funny. I encountered the same message. I was out of Thailand for a short time then came back in. I thought 90 days is reset once you enter Thailand again? Can anybody confirm? But I did update my TM30 white card at immigration.

5500 baht is cheap considering we have to pay 1900 baht for the extension itself. So the agent only took 3500 baht to be shared with the 'c' officer inside. The only con is that if one is caught by higher-up, it will be difficult renewing it in the future.

The trouble is that it is difficult to transfer money out of Thailand from existing Thai bank accounts. There are not many good options so I am wondering whether we can use this route instead.

Maybe 1% or less. Thailand needs to rethink their strategies, not many rich people would want to come to Thailand. It's only the ordinary people who come due to cheaper cost of living.

Once we transfer Thai baht to Wise, can we use that money to transfer to a bank outside Thailand? I don't think so.

@Adumbration How many qualify for this 10-year visa? I think only 1% of applicants.....lol If you bother to look at the past experiences, many people even have trouble meeting the 800k requirement. They would rather pay agent to 'fix' it or do a visa-run. As long as there are agents or visa-runners, the 10-year visa is going the way of dinosaurs.

You will not be tested if immigration officer checked that you have a valid PCR test upon arrival. But if you do not have a negative PCR test, then they might test you at the airport. The checking is at random due to the huge number of tourists coming in.

So theoretically, we can put any foreign currency in this account except that it doesn't earn any interest. It is possible to transfer Thai baht from a Thai bank to a Wise account since Wise doesn't allow us to transfer directly out of Thailand?

I still don't see any advantage in having a Wise account versus transferring to their bank account only when we want to transfer which can be done pretty quick online.

Pantip Plaza used to be famous for computer shops, now it is famous for the 'Learn Thai schools' upstairs.

Waiting one day is not a problem, I have to wait several days sometimes for Wise to transfer my money. Isn't the foreign currency fee already calculated when you first transfer your money into this multi-currency account? They will also mark up the exchange rate when you swipe with your Wise credit card.

@wml22 For unvaccinated, you are advised to take a PCR or professional ATK test within 72 hours of travel. It is a random check for your test results at the Thai airports. If you are positive and if they only find out after you have landed, you will probably be whisked off to a hospital or hotel to quarantine.

What are the advantages of having a Wise multi currency account versus putting it in a bank? Wise accounts don't pay any interest....

When I told this forum last year that Bitcoin is a pyramid scheme, nobody believed me! Now look what happened.... If people don't put new money in, existing bitcoin owners are screwed.

What do you mean by 13 & 14? I guess your 3 malls means Central Festival , Airport Plaza and Maya? I haven't been to Maya for a long time, but it seems to be half-dead when I was there last year. I guess Central Festival caters to people from the north whereas Airport Plaza caters to the south. Both these are booming with customers as I frequent them recently. Pantip Plaza is kept alive by the many 'Learn Thai classes' upstairs. Pantip Plaza is almost half-dead, KSK is much better than Pantip in my opinion.

No, a few years before the pandemic (I believe 2017), it was booming with a lot of live Thai shows. There were tons of people shopping there.

As long as it's not on the restricted list, you can bring it to Thailand. https://www.customs.go.th/cont_strc_simple.php?ini_content=individual_160426_01&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_03_01

There should be English classes at the language institute of the universities near you. Universities will provide student visa for you. If you are in Chiang Mai, you can learn English at Chiang Mai University. You can study English in Thailand if you don't come from one of these countries UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

Mind telling us your detailed experience at Lanna hospital?

I have only bad experience there. Many years ago, they made foreigners wait 4 hours just to see the doctor, I even saw some Thai people cutting the queue ahead of me many times as arranged by the nurses. It's a long wait and some of the doctors are actually intern. There seem to be a different section for foreigners nowadays with higher prices.

Unless you know how to speak Thai at intermediate level and above, there are not many options left. I can speak Thai so I get to have more options. I think a lot of foreigners got their Covid vaccination at that hospital and the staff there do speak passable English. Their prices should be much cheaper than Ram hospital