raysunshineray

What concerns me about showing the equivalent of 10,000 THB in cash is that any note that has the slightest nick in it, or a pen mark or even a barely visible degree of damage will be rejected by Thai banks. I did manage to change a UK £50 note that had a practically invisible minute tear in it at an exchange kiosk one time, but it's extremely inconvenient to have a note that's difficult to exchange, especially when one is in Thailand for extended visits.... (proposed one year multi-entry in my case.) I read one post that reckoned that a current bank statement showing funds wouldn't satisfy immigration on arrival with a visa exempt. I mean... people don't travel with cash these days... do they? And travellers cheques are archaic... plus there are charges.

If you are on a non-O one-year multi-entry visa, then you can also apply for a 60-day 'wife/family visit extension' (one extension allowed on each entry.) This cuts down on the number of times you need to exit and re-enter Thailand during the duration of your one-year visa. You'll need the usual passport copies plus wife's ID and house-book, marriage certificate and registration (updated), and the usual 1,900 THB fee. Also remember.... if you re-enter just before the one-year duration of the visa, you get another 90 days, which I'm pretty sure comes with the possibility of another 60-day 'wife visit' extension on top. That means that this one-year multi-entry based on marriage is in fact good for up to almost 17 months, provided you leave and re-enter just before the one year is up. Not bad for the initial 5,000 THB visa fee, though you do have to factor in the expenditure of the required border runs. This may work out - for some people - an easier option than the marriage extension, depending on one's circumstances - and crucially perhaps, whether one has the requisite funds available or not to deposit in a Thai bank account.

Haven't done it since December 2019 (second time), but it always used to be like this: You'll have to pay for a Cambodian visa (on arrival) - can't remember how much, but I seem to recall that paying in dollars was a better deal than baht. (Think it was $40 US... or 1,500 baht) If you do a turn around they take money off you - again, can't remember, could have been a 300 baht 'fee' if you don't stay. The Cambodian immigration guys are pretty po-faced, gruff and unfriendly. Also. they may try to take that fee twice - once on entry when you tell them you're not staying anywhere (they'll ask), and again when you visit the window to exit. So keep receipts for payment, and don't let them get away with that scam. I assume that you're not thinking of taking your car in, so you'll need to find somewhere to park as near as possible on the Thailand side, and that wasn't so easy when I did it... you may need to look around. Altogether it's not such a bad experience as such things go... may take a couple of hours including a short break for something to eat/drink on the Cambodia side.... although less busy now I imagine. (The immediate vicinity of the town is a dusty, horrible dump.... you won't be tempted to hang around.) I drove from Pattaya, so it was a long day with the drive there and back, making me more tired and less patient than I might otherwise have been. Good Luck!