I posted about the caveats of using agents but that post disappeared.

Posting it again, might disappear as the previous one did.

You are right. Between using the agent my 1st time and now, still 11 months before my next extension of stay, now I have sorted out my TM30, my Yellow Book, Thai ID. Next week another bank account, Thai driving license and that is where all this admin nightmare should stop.

@Ian *********

How to open a bank account? How would the money flow in?

@Lynnette ******

I am on non-O extension that is valid until September 30. 2026.

It may not be hard to get Thai SIM, still have to do it, maybe Monday 10. November. We have 3 iPhones, mine is iPhone 16 that has no hardware SIM to insert into the handset. I do not want to carry 2 phones (we live in Japan half a year). If there is no other way, OK, 2 handsets, one for Japan, one for Thai.

I do not care about mobile Apps, as long as I can see my bank account over the net. It is them (the banks) that insist on it.

My wife has a BBK Bank account since year 2000, their web site is good, always good, we need nothing more than that.

@Kim *******

Kim, I have been coming in and out of Thai for 25 years (married to a Thai national, we have daughter, own our condo in Bangkok).

Now, that I am retired, I went through the process for Extension of Stay based on retirement.

Beleive me, if you are in Thai first time, you won't be able to get your head around through all the paper work.

With eVisa 90 days, an agency would charge you 34,000 THB and you get it all sorted out within 2 days and your stay extension stamped in your passport. That includes multi entry, you can come in and out of Thai as you please

Those telling you can do it yourself, they may be right but not your first time.

@Anna ********

No, you are not. It all goes through the Kasikorn bank, even those mickeymouse transfer outfits.

When I paid for my eVisa, there was a note, can not remember the exact wording, it was something like "Thai government has authorised Kasikorn bank to handle all transatcions".

Who do you think is policing sanctioned countries and individuals?

It is all SWIFT, whether you see it or not. If the transfer company does not hit you with transfer fee, the receiving bank will, with end point exchange rate.

Those that may be cheaper, they rent the bandwidth at lower rates off peak times, to the receiving banks. You can see throughout the blogosphere that sending money via Wise takes anything between few seconds and 4 days to arrive.

@Anna ********

When I send 20,000 THB to pay yearly maintenance fee for my Bangkok condo, the transfer rate is 3,000 JPY, which is like 600 THB for that single transaction.

For 65,000 THB a month, could be even more, I said modestly, 500 THB per transaction, which is like 200 US$ a year.

And, what is incorrect? I am going through all the steps, boot on the ground.

Depositing 65,000 THB every month might cost 500 THB per transaction. For a year, 6,000 THB.

Thai SIM has to go into the existing or new phone. From iPhone 16 there is no hardware SIM, only eSIM. Even if there is a way around it, the SIM has to be registered in the very name of the person and proof of that issued by the mobile provider (say, AIS). Paid by some plan, where from if there is no Thai bank account opened yet? AIS might accept monthly payments.

Then, with the bank, TM30 in print, Cerificate of residence (mine took a week to be ready, had to go again to Immigration to get it), then to the bank (not gone yet, this will be my 2nd Thai bank account).

12,900? If it includes multi entry stamp, the agency gets ~ 7,000 THB for their service. Doing yourself, 1,900 for the renewal, 3,800 multi entry + taxis to Immigration and time spent there.