I pay 15k a year, but I make that back many times over by keeping my 800k invested back home in blue chip stocks. If you look at it properly, 800k invested 10 years ago at around 10% a year is now pushing 2 million baht — and that’s even after pulling out 15k each year to pay an agent. To me it’s a no-brainer. That 800k is way better off in a fund back home earning decent returns instead of sitting in a Thai bank doing nothing… and arguably safer too. A lot of guys only look at the 1,900 baht extension fee, but completely ignore the opportunity cost of parking 800k here. And it’s not just the returns — you’ve also got governance, the economy, and the banking system to think about. I just transfer in what I need to live, nothing more. No way I’m giving a Thai bank a cheap long-term loan just to tick a visa box, especially when there are agents everywhere who’ll sort it all out. Feel a bit sorry for the non-agent crowd with 800k sitting there earning next to nothing, plus all the paperwork and queues they have to deal with. Hope this helps. PM me if you would like my agent’s name.
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