Polar Bear

Yes, that's what I was told. As it turns out, you can use a Thai license in the UK without an IDP, so I didn't need one.

About this time last year, I was told at Bang Chak that I could request changing from 2 to 5 after 1 year if I could show that I needed an international driving permit, but that it would only be a request and they would decide whether to allow it. I didn't bother in the end, so I don't know what the chances are of them agreeing.

I would not apply until the current industrial action is over. HMPO is disorganised at the best of times. When they have a backlog of documents, stuff just gets lost, and they are completely indifferent about it. Better to wait until things are working smoothly, albeit slowly. Alternatively, go back and renew in person. That's what I ended up doing. I paid extra for the priority service and picked up my new passport on the same day. It was expensive and inconvenient to go back to the UK to deal with it, but it would have been a much bigger problem for me if it had got lost in their system for months.

Thursday 6th was also a holiday. Very little gets done on a Friday anyway, and even less when it's squashed between a holiday and a weekend. These two weeks are largely a write-off for getting any kind of official admin done quickly.

The e-visa part you print out and can just keep loose in your passport or staple it in. On arrival, you get a small entry permission sticker and then the entry/exit stamps. They take up about half a page in my passport in total.

Unless it's flipped back again recently, they aren't sending import permits in advance any more, you get it on arrival, but they should still be replying to you. Are you emailing the Bangkok office ( [email protected] )? Phuket is notoriously difficult to work with. This is the info from their email signature Office : Suvarnabhumi Airport Animal Quarantine ,Free Zone Area, Customs Export Building, 1 st Flr,Suvarnabhumi Airport, Samutprakan Province. Tel : 02-134-0731 / Fax. 02-134-3640 Web : www.aqs-suvarn-dld.go.th/wp Email : [email protected] Open Monday-Friday 08:30-12:00 am and 13:00-15:30 pm Edit: if you need an import permit in advance because the export country requires one, you'll have to explicitly tell them that and send them some evidence that you need it.

They do, except you get given the ticket by a person sat at a desk, not a machine.

Was this an official taxi allocated through their system? I.e., you went through the waiting area, got a ticket, and got assigned a driver by the desk? I've used the airport taxis at Don Mueang many times, and they've always used the meter. I'd have gone back to the desk and asked for another taxi in this case. (When they assign you a taxi, they are always very clear that the fare will be the meter + 50 THB airport fee + any tolls. They have a card with it printed out in multiple languages.)

I am not claiming to be an expert on Thai visa regulations, but all I can say is that in practice they appear to take a very broad view of what qualifies. Perhaps it is based on the institution rather than the individual qualification, I don't know. But people are teaching at Chula on Smart T visas with PhDs in subjects that would not appear to fall under T criteria.

It covers teaching in higher ed if you have a PhD, which is what chickennoodlesoup is asking about. The visa can be extended yearly for up to 4 years.

It would seem that you are confused. Smart visas, at least Smart-T, are initially issued overseas, and you have to have health insurance when it is issued. As you aren't living/working in Thailand at the point, you have to make other arrangements. Once the visa has been issued, you come to Thailand and start working. The original visa then gets extended on a yearly basis, but there is no further requirement for health insurance.

Not on Smart visas. You have to have foreign/external cover for the first year but not for the annual renewals.

I use https://www.tommytaxibangkok.com/airporttransfer Definitely not the cheapest, but they are very reliable. I've had them collect visitors from the airport for me multiple times without a problem.

The foreigners I know at Chula are mostly earning around 35-45k THB. That's in a different major, and it's taught in English, but it's typically 6 hours a week teaching, with additional pay for extra classes. I know a couple of people earning 80k+ but they have a strong research background and high publication requirements. They are discouraged from taking on additional classes, etc. because they are supposed to be doing research. Those figures include small allowances for housing and health insurance, so small that they wouldn't cover either. There are a couple of foreigners on local contracts because they are married to Thais or some such. They get paid less and have a lot of additional admin duties, but they have job security I guess, and maybe they are enrolled in state health or pension schemes or something, I don't know. I teach occasional classes for them when it fits around my other work, but I wouldn't go full time for those wages.

The life expectancy for pet dogs in the UK & US is typically 10-14 years, but it varies by breed and size. For a mutt, size/weight is a bigger factor. For an otherwise healthy mutt that weighs 20-25kg, I'd expect a lifespan of around 11 or 12 years, but obviously that's only going to be a very general figure and there will be considerable variation between individuals. However, I would consider most medium/large dogs to be seniors at 9 or 10. For very small/toy breeds, if they don't die young because of congenital defects, then I'd consider them to be seniors at about 11 or 12. For giant breeds, most are senior by 5 or 6.

The regulations are about residency. Most, but not all, banks interpret that as having a UK address. Shelter already suggest Starling and Monzo for people without a fixed address. (And they've already been recommended as an option in this situation as well.)

You might need a VPN to download the app. Zoog has a free app version that let's you choose the UK for the location. It's basic and sometimes flakey, but it does the job for stuff like this. Once you have the Starling App, you don't need a VPN to use it on a daily basis.

Natwest closed my UK account when they realised I was overseas. I asked Co-op what would happen if I moved abroad, and they said they would have to close my account, so I didn't tell them. This was all about 10 years ago. I'd suggest the person from the OP opens an account with Starling as soon as possible. It's easier to do while you still have another UK account. If you don't request an overdraft/credit, the checks are minimal, and if you don't order a debit card, they don't send anything out in the post.

Why should anyone be concerned about 'losing face' because they do something slightly differently to you? I'd rather press one button in settings and switch the data to the SIM I want to use. I don't have to change anything else. I don't have to alter any other settings, and in over 10 years of doing this, it hasn't gone wrong. For me, it's a lot easier than fiddling round with USSD codes, especially as I have multiple SIM cards for multiple different countries, so I'd have to track down the codes for each (if it even has one), and be sure I was using the correct one for each SIM. There are many more opportunities to get it wrong there, and as you say, accidents do happen. If someone doesn't have that setting option, or if they do but they don't know how to use their own phone, then maybe that's not the best solution for them. But for me, learning how to use a simple setting on my handset is a much better option. But if you prefer to play around with USSD codes, go for it. Neither of us is right or wrong. It's just two different ways of achieving exactly the same outcome. Don't take it so personally.

I have a Motorola, and I have a UK Tesco pre-pay and my Thai AIS SIM. I usually have them both enabled, but sometimes I have the UK one disabled and the difference in battery drain isn't noticeable to me. Maybe eSims are different?

For an established colony, Lumphini Park would be your best bet. For TNR, you could contact Maria Thongklam. (She's easy to find online.) She does a lot of work with temple cats, and even if she doesn't need help with trapping, she may be able to point you to a temple or local feeder who would appreciate help. There's also PAWS Bangkok who might be able to put you in contact with someone who needs help.

There is information here on mobile data and SIM switching settings with iPhones. It's near the bottom of the page. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044

You set this in the same place on my phone. Open the mobile data settings. Then choose the option you want in SIM switching.

This is how I do it too. I just set mobile data to my other SIM, and then switch it back to AIS when I get back to Thailand.

You are overthinking this. If you renew from here, you need the letter, and you will automatically be given a copy. If you renew in the UK, and then come back into Thailand, you don't need the letter. If you have someone else apply for you in the UK and bring/send your passport back here, so it doesn't have a stamp in it, you need to request the letter. (Technically, you are not allowed to do this, but people do.) But if you got a new passport in the UK and you are going to keep worrying about it, just ask for a letter.