DFPhuket

Soon, Thailand will be one of the few ASEAN countries still filling passports with stamps. I really hope they follow suit soon. Across the region, countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia—and now Cambodia—have stopped stamping passports on entry and exit. This week I landed in Denpasar-Bali, and with no checked bag, I was outside the airport in about 10 minutes. Same thing happens in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Now try doing that in Thailand...

There is a Grab pick up area you will see when you exit. Just be aware that Grab can be the most expensive way to get where you're going. When you get off the plane, check the rate and also ask at the official area. The official taxis can often be cheaper.

I'm at the Phuket airport and just checked prices for a ride to Jungceylon in Patong (8:30 AM on a Wednesday): • InDrive: 464 THB • Bolt: 477 THB • Grab: 714 THB • Airport fixed rate: 800 THB • Metered taxi: Technically an option, but the meter mysteriously “doesn’t work” Only Grab is allowed to pick up inside the terminal. If you book with Bolt or InDrive, you must drag your luggage out to the main road like it’s an Amazing Race challenge. No wonder the taxi cartel is so grumpy about the competition.

I was there a couple of months ago for my renewal. I walked in and showed them: Original five-years thai driving license Passport with copies of the detail and visa stamps Certificate of Residence Medical certificate e-Learning QR showing I completed it The docs were reviewed and I was given a slip of paper showing the date and time to return to take the reaction and traffic light tests. That date was about a 3 or 4 weeks later. I went on the assigned day to take those two tests and got my license. I did create an an account the the DLT Smart Queue app and like you found, every date showed full. I just logged an looked today and it's the same - all dates for Phuket are full for all of 2025.

I also received an email and a text message, but mine said: "Your waiver of verification by face recognition has been cancelled. Please bring your ID card and mobile phone registered with the Bank, and contact the Bank's branch or channel prescribed by the Bank to take a photo of your face to be used for verification by face recognition for making transaction pursuant to conditions prescribed by the Bank in the next time." So I dutifully went to the SBC branch in Phuket, waited 40 minutes to speak with someone, showed them the email, and it resulted in a lot of people talking back and forth in Thai. Someone called the bank help line and handed me the phone and the person apologized that face recognition for foreigners wasn't available. I testily asked, "So why did you send me an email and tell me to do it?" The person apologized again and told me I received that email in error. Duh.

My dad used to say, “That’s like closing the barn door after the cows got out.” Telling cannabis shops that have been open for a year or two that they now have to move to a green zone (and expecting they would) feels exactly like that. I’ve been here a while, but the lack of forward thinking still amazes me.

If enacted, the enforcement of this law will likely be similar to the enforcement of laws about speeding, wearing a helmet when on a motorbike, prostitution, not allowing an agent to temporarily deposit 800,000 baht in a bank for a retirement extension, etc. etc. Thailand loves laws. Enforcement? Not so much.

I fail to understand the angst being expressed here. I travel extensively and this is pretty routine. In Singapore and Malaysia, for example, computers are available just before immigration for anyone who forgot to do it. It's also possible to do it after landing while taxiing to the gate and on the plane. In those countries you can then use the e-Gates. Indonesia, Cambodia and South Korea require a digital document to be completed in advance. If this speeds up immigration I'm all for it.

I just returned to Thailand from a holiday in Vietnam yesterday. The evisa was relatively easy, and I received mine in about a week after applying, which was about a month before the trip. They indicate they prioritise those who are arriving soon, so if you apply a month or more in advance, your visa might take a week or two to be approved. The official government site is: https://evisa.gov.vn/ You'll get an email when it's approved with a pdf with the visa. Print out the visa and then when you walk off the plane, go straight to the immigration counter, handing over your visa and passport. It took about 1 minute to get stamped in. Then take a Grab taxi from the airport to wherever you want to go. It's all pretty efficient.

I've flow business class on most of the major carriers. I'd choose an option that leaves and arrives at a reasonable time and the total travel time including layover is under 22 hours. While I prefer Qatar's QSuite, sometimes the layover in Doha can be long. ANA via Tokyo is also a good option. Cathay is another option I like. Emirates flies the A380 so if you've not done that, it could be memorable. They have several flights from BKK, including a 9 PM flight that arrives at JFK at 8:50 AM.

It is becoming common that tourists must complete an online document in advance. Some places in the region where you do that are Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and Indonesia. In all of these countries it speeds up the arrival process either by not requiring an immigration officer to manually enter data or by allowing eGates where you simply scan your passport and the gates open. If Thailand can get this to work and it speeds up the entry, I'm all for it.

I'd suggest you, with your wife's help, register your home with her as the house owner. That was a fairly easy process for me (I'm a foreigner and own my condo) to go to the website on my laptop, upload docs, and set it up. You will then setup your login and password. After that, here is nothing to stop you from logging in with the site's (your wife's) login credentials. You wouldn't need to bother her. I'm in Phuket and have been routinely asked for a copy of my TM30 when going to immigration. If I know I will need to go there (e.g., retirement extension or Certificate of Residence), once I return to Thailand from an international trip, I register my return to my home and print out the form. I come in and out a lot so I only do it when I know I'll need to go to immigration.

I've been using Mint Mobile for 3 years. I have always had international data roaming turned off, but have no issues getting SMS OTPs. I'm on a cheap plan of 5 GB per month, which I pay annually. I switch from my Thai eSIM to my Mint eSIM for cellular data when I land in the US for a holiday. My relevant Mint eSIM cellular settings are: Turn on this Line Network selection - automatic Wi-Fi calling - On Data Roaming - Off I find SMS works more reliably when wifi calling is on and I'm connected to my home Wi-Fi. Also, when Wi-fi calling is on, there is no charge for making a call to the US (although I think there is for receiving one). This comes in handy when calling a financial institution since it displays your US phone number.

It sounds like you accidentally accepted Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) during your ATM transaction (you can Google that phrase). When the ATM offers to show the withdrawal amount in your home currency instead of Thai Baht, it's always DCC. While this might seem convenient, it comes with hidden costs. If you see it, click cancel or back. Some ATMS really try to get you to select DCC by showing it and encouraging you to click "continue." If you choose to withdraw in your home currency, the ATM's bank sets its own exchange rate, which typically includes a markup of around 5% or more. To avoid this, always choose to complete transactions in Thai Baht. This way, the conversion will be at the Visa or Mastercard at the mid-market rate, which is quite favorable. Regardless of your choice, you’ll still be charged the standard 220 baht ATM fee for using a foreign card in Thailand. A few US financial institutions (e.g., Schwabe) will reimburse the 220 ATM fee.

The Bank of Thailand has a chart on their website that lists all commercial banks' interest and fixed deposit rates. Savings accounts are mostly paying 0.25% while fixed deposit accounts vary based upon the length of term.