@Sharron ******

you may well have found that these banks do business in Thailand (and even have dedicated offices in Thailand) but that doesn't mean they do business with expats.

Interaction with the local police is the least of your issues if unlicensed. When you ride a scooter (or whatever) without a licence, whatever form of insurance you might have bought (like travel insurance or local health insurance) will not cover you when you have an accident. You are breaking the law so the insurance company has an instant "out". This lack of coverage includes the deductible/excess on the vehicle, damage to other people/vehicles/things and your own medical bills. You will be yet another GoFundMe page that is pleading for donations. Please don't put yourself in this situation. Don't listen to all these brave souls that tell you they have been driving/riding for 300 years without a licence. Get the right licence and travel insurance at home.

It seems no two offices have the same rules. Go into an office on a day and time when they are less busy (usually mid week) and ask. The worst that happens is they say not to

As an Aussie, you get a Visa On Arrival bought in the Airport on arrival in Bali for 500k Rupiah (pay with Aus Dollars to get Rupiah Change) and you are what is called "visa exempt" for Thailand - no visa required you just show your passport to immigration on arrival.

@Stuart ********

webwill be in Hua Hin

@Gardar **************************

We will be in Hua Hin

The best use of your money in Thailand is to make use of a Thai bank account with a card for purchases and ATM withdrawals. But for those that cant get or don't have a Thai bank account or for those who decide to hold only the necessary Visa balance in their Thai accounts, the Wise account is an excellent option. I understand that for transferring funds into a Thai account Wise is relatively low fee.

@Colin ********

The debit card is a debit card - provided you have funds in your Wise account, it is able to be used for purchases in a large number of countries including both Australia and Thailand. In Thailand you will have already changed the money from your native currency into Baht inside the Wise account so there is no further fees payable when you use the card for purchases in Thailand. Thai ATMs generally charge 220 Baht for any foreign card that is used to withdraw cash. This applies to the Wise debit card but note, it is a bank fee not a Wise card fee. In Australia, if you use a bank ATM there is usually no charge to withdraw cash. But if you use a private ATM (the kind you see in the corner of a in Australia) I believe they charge fees whatever card is used. There are no fees for transferring your native currency from your native bank account into the Wise account. There is a Wise fee for exchanging that native currency into a foreign currency inside your Wise account but that is generally offset by the fact that the mid market exchange rate which Wise uses is usually higher than anything you can find at a reputable exchange shop on the street in country.

Still no idea what a gite is but if you are thinking to run an accommodation business then you will need a visa that permits you to work and the retirement visa does not.

In Australia we can get a debit card with Wise. This works in ATMs for cash withdrawals but more importantly works in shops and bigger restaurants without additional fees.