Spouses also get it

Samui residents can also get discounts on flights with Bangkok Airways. 30% of on international flights, and fixed 2500bht one way domestic flights.

@Chris ****

Basically 2k for partner visa and 3k for nhs. I married in August, but we have to wait until the end of next year before even contemplating a visa thanks to some stamps in her passport. Luckily my company has a bangkok office so always option to change location.

And check past travel history to make sure there are no hidden surprises. For holiday visa, if there is an issue that occurred less than 12 months they MUST refuse. If the passport issue occurred less than 5 years ago, for partner visa, the UK immigration officer MUST refuse. It's a grey area if the passport issues happened outside of these limits. And you can't fix it through a new passport.

Or buy gold. Stick it in a safe.

Depends on how long you intend to stay. For a 2 week holiday, do you want 3-4 days of that sitting in airports worrying if the luggage made it or if you make your connection. If it comes down to direct flights, you only have 2 choices, and I choose Thai for the scheduling options.

Note most annual travel insurance only gives 30 days per country. You actually need expatriate medical insurance, which may or may not include air ambulance.

@Brandon ***********

Thailand says it has a *Visa Exemption* deal in place with Russia, and that has been the case since 2005. The Thai cabinet *unilaterally* extended the exemption to 90 days. See links for the full agreement and the Thai government circular announcing extension of visa exemption for Russians. "Visa exemption" does not mean what you think it means."On 16 October 2023, the Royal Thai Government has approved a unilateral and temporary tourist visa exemption scheme for holders of Russian passports or travel documents, entering the Kingdom of Thailand from 1 November 2023 to 30 April 2024, to be able to stay in Thailand for a period not exceeding 90 days. This temporary arrangement aims to facilitate Russian tourists travelling to Thailand and to enhance people-to-people ties between Thailand and Russia." 322-1-8.pdf https://www.mfa.go.th/en/content/pr3-2?cate=5d5bcb4e15e39c0683e

@Brandon ***********

Visa exemption and visa waiver are the same thing. Thailand has a bilateral agreement with the UK and others. The agreement with Russia is literally called "Agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the government of the Russian federation on the terms of visa exemption for mutual visits of the nationals of the Kingdom of thailand and of the Russian federation". And in fact it was widely reported on the 23rd October that the thai cabinet voted to take a unilateral decision to temporarily extend visa exemption (their words) for Russians to 90 days until April 2024. It has nothing to do with Russian policy, and Thavisun said it was all about boosting tourism. You have this idea that in diplomacy "bilateral" means equal. It does not. It just means an agreement between two parties. 64 countries have bilateral visa agreements with Thailand. For most, the advantage is given to the side with most clout. Frankly, Thailand needs GBP and USD more than the UK and US need baht inward investment.

@Neil ******

Russian males of military age are no longer allowed to leave the Motherland