Caldera

It's actually very simple. You don't need more than about 20,000 baht per month to SURVIVE in Thailand. What constitutes a GOOD LIFE, on the other hand, is a very subjective question and there cannot be a single right or wrong answer that fits everyone. End of.

Isn't it quite telling though how few dependant visas have been issued to dependants of LTR visa holders? Looks like most of them don't have ANY dependants, let alone a wife plus two children. Either they're single or they have gone native at least wife-wise.

Nowadays they are issuing new EMV cards, sounds like the problem is the KYC process which was a mess when the BTS initially introduced it for Rabbit cards as well. Note to self, not the best time to lose my stored value card.

That's quite a scandal.

Not like the sales person can do anything. Can't you just press the green / OK button after entering your 4 digit PIN? If that doesn't work, the terminal can't handle 4-digit PINs properly and I doubt there's anything you can do to fix it.

With your extensive recent history, you should definitely consider using a Safe Entry service.

My address hasn't changed. I'm not sure if notifying them would be required, but I think it's in your best interest to keep their information about you up to date.

Same here (with both banks as well).

That's not a "real" IKEA store, so small.

Conveniently the cities we see in its path aren't a big loss if hit. Things could be much worse.

That doesn't sound too shabby though.

Which immigration office? Chances are she'll need proof of a TM30 notification. If you cannot obtain that for her, checking into a hotel for a night might be the easiest fix.

Interesting statement, yes, they're basically confirming that they've been useless clowns all along.

Of course not, but they can become even more creative about what kind of financial documentation they will be willing to accept. If an agent would outright fake the bank letter etc., the IO in question could or couldn't spot that they are fake, and that's something that could be managed.

It's a great movie. I wouldn't know, but I sure hope it doesn't depict real-life Scotland.

Wow, only about 20 years too late. That should have been introduced right when the first MRT line went into service after two BTS lines had already been there. Allowing the MRT to have its own separate ticketing system was a blunder of epic proportions, considering how late Bangkok joined the club of cities with commuter trains and how many cities in the world they could have learned valuable lessons from.

Was that a Pattaya agent or an agent elsewhere? So far, we've only had reports of "trouble in Pattaya". I haven't seen any similar announcements from popular agents in Bangkok or anywhere else in Thailand.

Spook as many people as possible, then back-paddle, it's the Thai way...

That's why this seems to be a bigger issue than some people think. My reading was that they currently cannot help with the financials.

It specifically states that they cannot assist with renewals in some cases: As clear as mud!

1.) It does say visa exempt. 2.) You're welcome to dig out the original announcement signed by then-Minister of the Interior Banyat Banthatthan on May 8th, 2000 and published in the Royal Gazette on the following day. My quote is from an unofficial English translation, which I had posted here before. You're welcome to dig out a ministerial regulation issued later that supercedes this one. Considering that Thai immigration at the Chiang Khong checkpoint posted the following just recently (when they stopped allowing same-day border runs), I have no reason to believe that your claim has any merit. As that announcement was posted after the 60-day visa exempt rules had gone into effect, it clearly applies to visa exempt entries under the current rules.

I was referring to Mot's announcement that the OP posted. Interestingly, it says "in some cases" as far as visa applications and extensions are concerned, so where exactly the line is at this point is anyone's guess. Feel free to remove if I shouldn't post this screenshot here.

Embassies post wrong information about matters that are immigration's business on a regular basis. As I mentioned, I had posted the relevant police order here before. You can also easily find the recent thread about the CURRENT requirements announced by Thai immigration checkpoints on the Lao border - straight from the horse's mouth so to speak. I'll leave it there, do your research.

I'm not so sure. The announcement you've posted is from one of Pattaya's more popular agents and it's likely that other agents (at least in Pattaya) are affected by this change as well. Also note that it's not just about opening bank accounts for those who don't have one, but also about applications for visas and extensions whereas the agent takes care of the financials. Apparently the underlying issue is that Bangkok Bank is under scrutiny for opening accounts for people who don't (or shouldn't) qualify. If, when and how this will be resolved is anyone's guess.

No. That's for non-immigrant visa and tourist visa entries. It's 10,000 baht for visa exempt entries. I posted the relevant police order here before and I'm not aware of any changes. Unless you post proof of an updated police order, you just posted a baseless claim. Note that certain border crossings on the Lao border that recently took action against "border runs" posted announcements mentioning a 10,000 baht cash requirement as well.