On the address. Agents have relationships where they have relationships. You change the address subsequently in TM30 registration, then follow that through on your TM47s (90-Day Reporting). Finding an agent to get a bank account for you locally may be more difficult but important as you don't want to find yourself paying out province bank charges often and change of account province isn't regularised in the way the Immigration procedures just described are.

A very weird post in many ways. The reasons for Thailand being difficult are system fragmentation, that different immigration offices act differently. Simple. Though not business friendly is legislatively ingrained. So why come here? Quite why other countries in the region are generally easier is open to question, but if you want business friendly then it isn't just a case of Malaysia, but Cambodia and Vietnam too, especially Cambodia.

There is no universal answer. It depends on which UK bank. You won't successfully generalise. Beyond which bank it depends whether you keep a UK address or try to operate from the overseas one. Finally there is a question of whether the account is actually being operated or is a sum of money left there to keep the account open - an active account actually matters. Activiy is simply shown by number of movements into and out of the account, but it is said that a large account balance helps too.

Note that the Thai Education visa disallows working. Generally note how simplfied the Malaysian visa system is around study, working, allowable business without a specifically business visa, etc, etc, etc. Bottom line is that the Malaysian system roughly fits with others in the region - eg Cambodia and Vietnam - whereas Thailand goes its own sweet way. Even volunteering is a no in Thailand, without a special volunteer visa, which don't seem to be much issued currently.

@Josh ***

You now have to pay - but it's just a few baht.

I think everyone here is forgetting back obligation from parents to daughters, not in terms of what they spent bringing the daughter up, which is regularly talked of, but in terms of look at the high number of children brought up by grandparents. Additionally to supporting parents women pay to granparents the costs related to the child/children - food and clothing, but often the big one is school fees. All told women often remit a very high percentage of their income back to parents. Generally men do not pay to support their parents. Equally, the fathers of those children long-since hit the middle distance, pay nothing toward the child/children's upkeep. And finally remember that even the most rudimentary birth control is often a "No".

Moving would be a pain in the butt, but I have no particular attachment to Thailand. My Plan A is Cambodia. My Plan B is Vietnam. The only real problem I see with either (and others) is medical facilities as against Thailand.

@Us ****

I think wet dream a more appropriate thought than fairytale.

I think the point with Rutnin, additional to quality is that it is not crazily expensive either. As I remember they have a separate Lasik unit, but still on Asoke. Easy to get to if Bangkok-based and relatively easy if coming in especially. I think Lasik is always just package pricing, readily advertised so you can shop around from computer monitor. Rutnin won't be as cheap as Bangkok's cheapest private hospitals, but normally way less than the corporates. I like compromises that aren't! In fact I have an appointment at Rutnin this coming Saturday.!

@Geraldine *************

So good! And my major comparative is Moorfields in London. I lived right by Moorfields but would've travelled serious distances to get to that place. Likewise, again London, Western Eye is great, a definite go-to.