MeePeeMai

You can add me to that list (and most of the other farangs that used to live in my building in Udon).

Last time I checked, THEFT of SERVICES (i.e. daily room rental charge) is a crime (theft) and can be reported and the suspect can prosecuted for doing a runner. However, TIT and your mileage may vary (according to your connections, inner circle, ability to hand out brown envelopes, make donations etc.)

I guess it depends on where you are then.... notice I said: and and as far as I have heard and read, it is now very difficult or next to impossible to get a Driving License or open s bank account if here on a tourist visa. YMMV

Try using a different browser.

Before everyone here gets too excited about changing over to this new DTV, consider that you might not be able to get (or renew an existing ) Thai Driving License. You might not be able to buy/sell a motorcycle or vehicle while on a DTV (without a Non Immigrant Long Stay Visa) and I doubt if you will be able to get a "Certificate of Residency" from Immigration, should you need one. After all, this is a tourist visa, NOT a Non-Imm long stay visa. I'm sure there will other challenges besides those I mentioned above. Just a thought.

THIS was a huge red flag for me. When I realized the tax the tax implications for my ROTH conversions and also the future distributions (tax free in the USA but 100% taxable in Thailand), not to mention my monthly rental income from the USA... Thailand just died for me personally and was immediately removed as my permanent retirement location.

Wow! They're only 130 baht in Udon!

I was responding to jvs' comment which is quoted below.

A pellet gun might keep him from targeting your home 555 (just a random thought).

I doubt it, the loss of revenue would be unacceptable! Then again, maybe they would just start citing drivers going less than the posted speed limit.

True, and this is why I left Thailand and I will NEVER stay there more than 179 days in any given calendar year again, regardless of the latest rumor or slip of the tongue by some government official. It's just not a risk I'm willing to take. Like I said many times before, this could turn into a huge nightmare for some of us and a big nothing for others.

I've been using Wise for more than 8 years and only recently they started asking me information about my money / banks and transfers. I never had any problems until recently... First they wanted me to verify my accounts (the same accounts which I have been transferring money from since I opened my Wise account 8 or 9 years ago), then they asked me what kind of income I have and where my money comes from, then they asked me about some of my transfers (to whom I sent the money and for what reason). I complied and answered their questions truthfully so as to be allowed to continue using my Wise account. Also, my transfers used to take 2-3 days (coming from the USA) to arrive in Thailand. Then out of the clear blue I started getting them on the same day (on a business day / not a weekend or Holiday). Then they only took a matter of a couple of hours. I was impressed... But recently, let's say starting about 6 months ago, my transfers would take sometimes several days to more than a week (for no apparent reason). I was told that there was a problem with my transfer, they are still waiting for my money to arrive, the amount I sent was smaller than my normal transfer so it would take a while longer etc. etc. etc. The last time I was locked out of my account until I answered a question they sent me which was: What is the average dollar amount you send monthly to Thailand? What are these funds used for? They should know this, they have all my records showing every transfer listed as living expenses fora long term stay in Thailand. It seems that they have gone woke or numb in the brain lately. It makes no sense to me how they are acting lately (Mike is right, it could just be KYC / AML B.S. from the corrupt USA Govt.) The latest issue (after a long overdue transfer) was that they said I could speed up my transfers if I verified my bank accounts (already done that last year). Their service has obviously gone downhill and I'm glad I don't need to use them now (since I left Thailand and I sent a lot of money there back in 2023 so I don't need to send anymore money there now). Just another pain in the butt I had to deal with just to live in Thailand. It is a lot more expensive here now that I am back in the USA (Hawaii) but I don't have any unnecessary bureaucracy or BS to deal with anymore, less stress, no more 90 day reports, and more freedom. I never thought that I would say this but I am definitely happier now and feel like I got a monkey off my back by moving back home and skipping out on becoming a 180 day Tax Resident of Thailand (This is definitely NOT on my bucket list).

Wow, that's one hell of a rant! 👍 I thought I held the trophy for the longest rants about living in Thailand (as a foreigner). I hereby hand the 1st place trophy over to you, well deserved, great job! p.s. I know exactly what you mean as I have experienced it many times myself 555

ICE all the way to my grave!

Same here. I opened two accounts at two BB branches and had to fill out IRS paperwork for both - including my FULL SS# (last 4 not sufficient).