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expat life in thailand
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Can anyone recommend a Muay Thai School in Phuket - Rawai Area that is registered,is able to provide the necessary documents and offers affordable 6 months plans (Max 30k)
I’m flying to Hanoi next week to apply for the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) – workation route.
Here’s my situation with the bank statement (the famous 500k THB for 3+ months rule):
• I run a fully online e-commerce business registered in my home country.
• I am the sole owner and only person with access/signatory.
• The company bank account is under my full legal name + “Company Ltd” (or LLC, whatever the equivalent is) at the end.
• This account has had well above 500k THB (actually way more) sitting there for over 3 months, and the turnover in the last 6–8 months is in the multiple millions of baht (lots of incoming and outgoing payments from platforms, suppliers, ads, etc.).
• I use this company account for pretty much everything tax-wise: rent, internet, food, transportation, travel – all legally declared as business expenses in my country because the business is 100% online/location-independent.
I do have a personal account, but it has basically zero history and almost no money in it right now.
My question to people who already went through the DTV process (especially in Hanoi or other “strict” embassies):
1. Have you successfully used a company bank account that has your personal name + “Ltd/LLC/Co. Ltd” at the end? Did they accept it without any drama?
2. Or would you play it safe and transfer the money to a clean personal account now (even if that personal account will only have the money + transfer for a couple of weeks before I print the statement)?
I know some people say “only personal account” but I’ve also seen recent reports of company accounts being accepted as long as your name is clearly on it and you can prove you’re the sole owner.
What would you do in my shoes? Leave it in the very solid company account (tons of history, huge turnover, balance never dropped below the requirement) or rush a transfer to personal and lose most of the transaction history?
Appreciate any recent experiences – especially Hanoi consulate!
I was just curious if anyone has had any experience where they were working in Thailand through a work visa, and wanted to shift to freelancing for foreign clients while still staying in Thailand.
DTV (workation) seems like the way to go in this case but I'm wondering if they're looking for an existing history of freelance already in order to grant DTV in this case.
If my last freelance gig was from 5 years ago, is this still good enough? Or would it be better for me to return home first and get freelance gigs and then try to apply after a more recent history of freelance. Thanks for your opinions everyone :D
I want to apply for Dtv visa, Soft power muay thai or cooking course.
My question is if the course has to have a minimum lenght to be accepted.
I'm still not sure whether to live in Phuket or Koh Samui, and what would be the exact location in one these 2 islands.
I don't want to pay for a course in one place if then I decide to live in another.
Would Muay Thai be accepted for a 55 years old woman? Obviously I dont want to go on the ring, but would love to get fitter. I regularly go to the gym and I can consider to do something more challenging. I would start from a basic course.
Hello everyone! Question for those who recently applied for non-o marriage visa in Vientiane. As I understand, you need 400k in your account at least 2 month before extending you marriage visa in local immigration. But is it also true for getting a new visa in Vientiane? Or can you deposit 400k like a week before applying for 1 year non-o multiple entry visa and then re-enter the country every 3 month without going to immigration?
In the past 2 years I got non-o multiple entry each year and had to re-enter Thailand every 3 month. But they never asked me for the 400k in the bank or 40k/month income.
This post is about "everything else". Been using the yellow bank for a couple of decades, atm, online website, foreign transfers, etc. Some days ago got a notice they were dropping the online website and to use the phone app instead. This happened a year or so ago with the purple bank, and everthing went smoothly. Yesterday I went to the original yellow bank branch and they required SIM card mobile data turned on in the registerd phone number as well as a letter from the phone co saying it was my number. I complied and today I returned. After all the photocopying and signing, they told me I was no longer elegible to sign up for the phone banking app because I was already 70. Went to a second branch where they confirmed the same. Passbook and atm are still useable. If I had the phone banking before 70, I could still keep using it. First time am denied a public service because of age. Moral: get your phone banking app while you are still young... 😀
Anyone here who is freelancer on DTV and stayed over 6 months and decided to become tax resident here? Or are the majority of you leaving every 180 days?
I’m from one of highest taxed country in EU with close to 50% tax. For me it’s a big win to become tax resident here asap.
So how long do you all think the DTV soft power option will be available like that ?
Now with all the changes for tourist visa I’m worried they will get it that a 6 month course doesn’t really justify a 5 year visa.. anybody had the experience applying for DTV but getting less than 5 year visa ? Or does it depend on the embassy you’re applying at ?
Managed to get Thai bank account today , after going to bank then immigration to get address certified, back to bank then phone shop for sim in my name, was taking forever at bank then my girlfriend mentioned I would need insurance and then suddenly he sped up and issued bank book and debit card when he thought commission was coming his way but I won’t buy that at bank
Lots of hoops to jump through and 4 hours later I have bank accounts Happy days
Non O Marriage Visa Extension & my wife’s Housebook
Hello everyone,
I was speaking to a friend today about going to apply for the first time a Non O marriage Visa Extension.
He told me that my wife’s house book needed to be updated and less than 2 months old additional to the Kor 2 Marriage certificate which I got last week.
Is it correct my Wife’s Housebook needs to be updated?
It was when the house was bought in January this year.
I was going to go to Thalang Amphur in Phuket in the morning with a power of attorney form to apply for it.
But my wife says you don’t update a house book unless you sell your house.
I hadn’t read about it either, but just want to make sure I have the correct information as this is my first time applying