58 minutes ago, Lung Khao said:

First of all, Congratulations. Now I would like to recommend you to take all what you can i.e. Yellow Tabien Baan, Pink ID, Thai DL. In my case getting Yellow Tabien Baan was a little bit complicated but finally I got it, the good think is that you don't have to renew it. When you get Yellow Tabien Baan, getting Pink ID is a piece of cake. Finally as somebody already mentioned, you can easily get Thai DL using International Driving License. You can also use for that national DL without need of translation if issued in English. Once you get them, you need to renew your Thai DL after certain periods: first renewal after 2 years, following renewals, every 5 years and if you don't miss the renewal date, it is also piece of cake. I am not sure at which age they issue Pink ID permanently, but you probably qualify for that, if not you have to do that after 10 years. Why all of that? Sooner or later you may happen to need some of these and older you are, more you're tired, and later you need these, harder to struggle barriers of bureaucracy.

22 hours ago, Sun3110 said:

Thank you everyone for your responses. 

 

I am 63 - retired some years ago and don't intend to work again. 

 

Thank for the point about healthcare, regarding the need to arrange my own cover should I decide to spend longer periods of time in Thailand, which is a distinct possibility. I had picked up from previous posts that being on a Non O visa does not require you to purchase a Thai Healthcare policy - but of course, as several of you have pointed out, I still need to pay for my healthcare and if I decide to stay for longer periods in Thailand getting cover in place is strongly advisable. For all my visits I do have comprehensive travel insurance which should cover any health emergencies.

 

Despite visiting many times over the past 10 years (c. 4 times a year) and my wife visiting England at least annually until the pandemic struck, I do not have a thai bank account and have been refused taking a thai driving test with my tourist visa. I had been thinking that both would make my life easier for my stays in Thailand. I realise that I can continue to rely on my international driving licence but I would feel more comfortable having a thai driving licence.

 

I Think I will get a Non O Visa for my upcoming trip and see how far I get with both of these desired steps.

 

Thank you all again for your responses and advice.

 

 

 

 

First of all, Congratulations. Now I

The cashless system is already working perfectly in Thailand, you can pay every vendor by using QR code. But do you have any idea how foreign tourists can pay with this system in Thailand, as it works only with Thai bank account numbers? No money no honey? ????

Wouldn't be surprised if one day Putin redirected these planes to hell in Ukraine instead Thai paradise.

In the meantime:

Michael Spavor: Second Canadian 'missing' in China

"Canada's foreign ministry says it is trying to make contact with a second Canadian who is believed to have been detained in China...It comes after former diplomat Michael Kovrig was arrested in China this week...Chinese state media have reported that Mr Kovrig is being held "on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm China's state security..."

Looks like that is where somebody got caught.

I am very sorry for what happened to you. Nowadays we face divided world. World of globalist supporting unlimited movement around the globe, without borders, without prejudices, they call themselves citizens of the World. On the other side we meet closing  or already closed communities, in which we could face xenophobia and nationalism. But mostly the world consists of moderate societies. Over that all there are border controls. What happened to you is often happening also in US airports to US visa holders, mostly by misunderstanding, excuses not supported by hard evidences, that's make immigration officer suspicious. I don't blame immigration officers, they don't know us, they draw conclusions on the basis of our passport and their data records. I bet, if you were not US citizen and acted the same way when facing US immigration officer as you acted in DMK you would fail.