OJAS

Absolutely zero chance of a fast-track passport renewal service for us Brits from Thailand, I'm afraid! Click on the following link for details of the bureaucratic nightmare that lies ahead of you:- https://www.passport.service.gov.uk/overseas/information/thailand/renew/adult Probably worth your while paying an extra £10 for a jumbo-sized passport, I think, if you usually get through your passports like hot cakes! This thread might also be worth a read:-

UK passport renewals are, indeed, in a state of chaos at the present time, as described in this thread:-

Advice to the OP: contact the Embassy direct using their online enquiry form:- https://www.contact-embassy.service.gov.uk/?country=Thailand&post=British Embassy Bangkok

The work permit requirement being a case in point, I think!

Have come across this interesting note explaining the differences between resident and non-resident bank accounts - although it doesn't strike me as being 100% accurate, though:- https://www.tilleke.com/insights/banking-thailand-resident-or-non-resident-account/ E.g. this sentence: For the purpose of a resident bank account, Thai residence can be proved by a permanent residence permit or a valid work permit in Thailand. Most of us longstayers are classed as non-immigrants and covered by permissions of stay lasting up to 365 days. As already said, though, our lack of PR status in LOS doesn't appear to act as a deterrent to our obtaining resident bank accounts in practice - although it is indeed the case that certain banks (or at least certain branches) do insist on work permits being a prerequisite to resident accounts being opened with them!

Doubt whether 600 THB would cover the cost of a return trip to his big city via the lone customer service desk at his bank branch, though!

So it's only OTP's added to Thai bank accounts that are childish and naive in your eyes, then? Whereas OTP's added to our home country bank accounts are, on the other hand, worthy of praise to the very highest heavens as being the best thing in mature adulthood and sophistication since sliced bread, right?

In connection with (2), if relying on a non-THB account you may need to keep a close eye on the relevant bank notes buying exchange rate at all times so as to minimise the risk of the balance inadvertently dipping below the equivalent of 400k or 800k THB depending on the time of year in your case.

Depends on what powers said elected HoS would have, I think. If their role as President was a purely ceremonial one as in Germany and Ireland, for instance, that might arguably be a bitter pill worth swallowing eventually. But under no circumstances would it be acceptable in my eyes for the UK to run the risk of having clowns like Trump and Macron actively involved in running its affairs!

In particular I earnestly hope that they won't have the audacity and temerity to want to set foot in Sussex ever again, the county where I was born and whose proud name they have, as far as I am concerned, taken great delight in gleefully trashing through all their whinging and whining under the guise of their dukedom.

Well, all these points are, of course, equally applicable to his brother who, in stark contrast to him, isn't exactly whining and whinging about his lot in life, is he?

Well one thing he's definitely helping the world in is by demonstrating to it what a deluded individual he is!

An even bigger headache IMHO is being forced to make 2 trips in person to a rundown tower block in Bangkok (or its Chiang Mai equivalent which may not necessarily be rundown for all I know) or fork out an extra 5,000 THB for an agent to make these trips on your behalf. Not to mention that obtaining mugshots complying with HMPO's over-fussy requirements as regards acceptable background colours can be easier said than done in Thailand as most professional photographers here are simply not geared up to take mugshots against physical plain cream or plain light-grey backgrounds.

Wouldn't be surprised if they didn't once DHL told them that they couldn't accept any new applications for delivery as there would be no-one in HMPO's mail room to sign for them. They certainly had no hesitation in pulling the plug for several weeks at the height of the pandemic as I recall (although in fairness to them I think that they were acting under strict orders issued by their HMPO masters on that particular occasion).

We might need to hang on until exactly 23:59:59 on 31 March before knowing for certain one way or the other! ????

In this connection the following thread illustrates perfectly the downsides to using an agent IMHO:-

I started this thread on the UK Home Country Forum before coming across this one!

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64981979 Not good news for those with UK passport renewal applications in the pipeline or about to be submitted. Looks like we can kiss goodbye to any chance of receiving new passports within 3-4 weeks for the next couple of months at least.

Indeed there is. As far as UK documents are concerned this procedure is spelt out in the following links:- https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714090/Legalisation_info_graphic_June_2018.pdf I only hope for the widow's sake that any surviving family members of her late husband will be willing and able to help her out as necessary at the UK end in getting his death certificate legalised!

Disagree with you about drives to Rayong City and Koh Chang being particularly easy at the present time, thanks to extensive roadworks taking place on Highway 3/Sukhumvit to the west of the newish split-level intersection with Highway 363, which make getting to the local immigration office from where I live to the east of Rayong City a particular PITA at the present time. But I am reliably informed by a fellow Asean Now member who lives in Ban Chang that there is an alternative route to the immigration office from there, which avoids all this disruption. @jacko45k - this may also be of interest to you.

Click on the following link for details as to how you go about applying for a 90-day non-O visa conversion for retirement at your local immigration office:- https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9.FOR-RETIREMENT-PURPOSES-50-YEARS-OLD-NON-O.pdf

Or alternatively near the expiry of the 90 days apply for a one-off 60-day extension for the purposes of visiting your Thai wife, maybe? Would that give you enough time to accumulate 400k in your Thai bank account and then comply with the 2-month seasoning requirement?

This link sets out the requirements for a non-O conversion application for retirement:- https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9.FOR-RETIREMENT-PURPOSES-50-YEARS-OLD-NON-O.pdf

But they might nevertheless need to make an emergency trip back to their home country at short notice because of (e.g.) a seriously ill relative there. I'm sure that they wouldn't welcome having to overcome the bureaucratic hurdles placed in the way of visiting Thai nationals by their home country in such circumstances! So definitely best to hang on to your home country citizenship if at all possible IMHO, no matter how unlikely such a situation might appear in your case - until you're faced with it, of course!

And please accept my profuse and humblest apologies for taking it all with a ginormous pinch of salt.