All that said there is another point to make and not to do with travel costs. It is a bureaucratic point. Who do I know who has known me x years? Not many and those I do know are Thai and Thais are banned from counter-signing. It can all be quite difficult to sort. Presumably the agencies have someone who counter-signs, isn't Thai, looks non-Thai in the picture evidence and is willing to vouch for having (cough!) known you x years.
Absolutely and to the point where I didn't remotely understand what using an agent could be about or rather I'm being loose with my words as VFS are the Official Agents of His Majesty's Passport Office in Thailand. They are probably still quoting 11 weeks, but as early as last May I received mine in 5 weeks. Just before Christmas I heard of someone receiving in 2 weeks.
What about re-entry permit if the marriage visa/extension thereof is operative. I would've thought the poster is probably unaware and could end up as a busted flush anyway, having to start all over again, having come in visa exempt/on a tourist visa??
I think that you might have doubts on agents for full-on visa costs (though hardly exorbitant), maybe even entanglement over visas at all. But setting up a bank account is something that is both a one-off and a very low-cost one-off.
I was stuck with such a choice a few weeks ago thanks to Air Asia changes. Always go with the extended time between flights. Perhaps especially at this time of year as in long queues but also possibility of hung-around poor weather. The changes were for my return to Bangkok but on the out journey, wonderful tailwinds, brilliant timing ....... then the storm hit. Result plane 50 minutes late on the short hop KL - Kuching. It landed on the third attempt! We live in an ever less predictable environment, natural as well as human.
And the point is that many aren't legally hotels. Yes, though it is true that it is an obligation on hosts in general but an obligation that unlicensed hotels will be particularly unwilling to action. In fact the charges that everyone is concerned about are probably more likely to put you off asking for copy TM30 than as an income stream. It would be a pretty poor income stream, meaning how likely is it that a hotel guest will ask for a copy TM30? Surely, it must be close to zero, simply not usual.
