Equatorial

If the idea is to "offset the cost." It will most likely be treated as overpayment of tax due, i.e. refunded.

Possibly. But more likely, receive a refund (a check) from IRS.

This is an interesting point. Logically speaking, it should not be the case. 12-month compliance with a particular type of EOS (marriage vs retirement) is a condition for getting that type of EOS at the end of the 12-month period. He got a retirement based EOS based on the compliance for the prior 12-months. Next time he applies for EOS, if he applies based on marriage, he should need to comply with the marriage-based EOS requirements. Getting a retirement-based EOS should not mean that he needs to comply with the retirement-based requirements AFTER getting the EOS. Of course, TIT, so logic applies in mysterious ways...

The STM.10 form is available online in this collection of forms: https://chiangmai.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ข้อกำหนดคณะกรรมการติดตาม-1-2.68.pdf

No misunderstanding. I attached the screenshot, showing the transfer with the fee, clearly going from USD in the bank to USD in WISE balance. In fact, it is my understanding that when you Add to WISE balance, it is always added in the currency that is withdrawn from the bank. E.g., if you were adding from a Euro denominated account, the funds would go to Euro denominated balance in WISE. In other wise, the Add transaction should never trigger a currency conversion operation.

Removed. @DrJack54's post above has all the answers.

Nope. This is for adding USD from a US-based bank to the USD balance. No conversion involved. (The conversion from USD to THB would be a separate transaction, and they would charge 0.54% (or so), and I have no complaint there.) It doesn't make sense to charge fee for simply adding money to the balance without a conversion. Besides, you said yourself that you can add GBP to your WISE balance free...

I asked WISE support, and here is the answer: "Add money to Wise Account via bank transfer for free when the currency stays the same. Pay a small fee to add USD or CAD." That sucks! https://wise.com/us/pricing/receive?targetAmount=1000&payInMethod=DIRECT_DEBIT&track=false

Lesser than what? And, what do you recommend as a reliable AND cost effective way to backup 2TB worth of data?

I do the same, and the point he interest is valid. I just mentioned that in case transfer speed is a high priority, in which case it would be a valid strategy.

Just in case it's not as quick as you expect, a good strategy is to "stage" the funds from the UK bank to WISE balance. Then convert and send to the TH bank when needed.

Given that the OP is looking for an SSD, Dr Macbook may not be the right place to look. They appear to focus on Mac repair rather than selling peripherals. (But thanks for the reference, might come handy one day, it's good to know where to go for MacBook repair.) With SSD, I agree with the above posts that it's best to stick with reputable brands that specialize in storage, especially if one can be assured they are genuine.

I believe you are referring to a label (attached) shown on the product when listed by Shopee. What exactly does that mean? Another common label is "preferred" (also attached). What does that one mean?

The eVisa document is a attached as a PDF to the notification email from the embassy granting the visa. That needs to be printed, not a screenshot or a printout from the website.

Definitely a good idea!

1. You open an account based on the address you supply, not in a specific denomination. You can keep the balance in a variety of denominations, including Canadian Dollar and Thai Baht, but for a simple transfer there is no need to worry about this. 2. That is a personal matter. If you think she can time it right, sure you can do it. Most people are skeptical about trying to time foreign exchange conversions. 3. See attached image. The advantage of this option is that if the transfer is deposited in Bangkok Bank, it is identified as foreign origin (which is required for certain visa situations but otherwise inconsequential). 4. Transferring THB 300k may take some time to complete. Whenever possible, give yourself a sufficient buffer (a week or two), to make sure the funds are there when you need them. Other than that, there is nothing special about opening a WISE account.

I've only been using WISE for 3-4 months, and my experience has been that transfers under THB10,000 took a few seconds, anything more than that 2-3 work days. I think it's best to build that waiting period into one's planning. One way to approach this is to keep a WISE balance. Adding is what takes time. Once the money is in WISE balance, converting it to THB and sending it to a Thai bank are instantaneous.

When I add money to my WISE USD balance, from my USD denominate US-based bank, WISE charges a small fee. I just checked, it was 0.17% on my last transaction. Is adding funds to WISE free for you?

Hi @RSD1 - which digital wallet do you use on your phone? It's my understanding that Apple Pay is not accepted in Thailand, and Google Pay is only accepted at select large stores... For that reason I've been considering getting TrueMoney, but I am not comfortable with what they are requesting (pix with passport).

Flying via the USA is both safe and easy. Unless, of course, one has MS-13 tats...

Which route? I must have flown the BKK-SFO route at least a dozen times over the past 10-15 years, changing planes in TPE. Never more than a few minutes late.

What @HuaHinNew is saying is that although <form TM47> and the <online reporting system> serve the same purpose (to satisfy the Thai Immigration requirement for 90-day reporting), they are implemented as two different data processing systems that are not interconnected and do not talk to each other.

I've heard that people do that, but I still have not figured out why. The only difference is that in the refrigerator it cools faster (it does not really make a difference but, if anything, it's better).

I have heard (from Thais) that the most common source of parasites are the fermented crab some of them eat in their som-tam (green papaya salad). I think if you're eating properly heat prepared foods there is no reason to assume you need to take worm meds, but this is just my thinking, I don't have all the facts. I'd be curious to know if anyone has any info...

Very true - as is the rest of the post! I'll add that many Thais have health issues because of the spicy hot food that they consume. When my wife was having stomach problems I took her to the Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok, and the doc explained to me that her symptoms are very common in the Thai population and are caused by the spicy foods.