@Mark *****

the "wiggle room" or grace period is time in which you can still file the report, it's not additional time past 90 days that you can stay in Thailand and then leave and not file a report.

@Mark *****

only if you actually filed the report before leaving the country. In other words you have to file a report within 97 days, you couldn't stay in Thailand for 95 days and then leave without filing a report. If you filed the report on day 95 you would be fine.

@Terary *********

Yes

If married to a Thai, citizenship is more desirable and cheaper than permanent residency. Don't sweat the language fluency, getting this is done on a points system and if you don't speak Thai well you won't get maximum points for that, but can get points other ways.

There is an excellent and free site that covers this in detail with accuracy. Take a good look at

"Thai Citizenship - Establish yourself in Thailand permanently"

@Dave *****

While you can obtain your Non-O visa in Thailand, your wife cannot apply for a follow-on, dependent Non-O visa in Thailand. So, you would need to obtain both your Non-O visas from a Thai Embassy or Consulate before arriving in Thailand. Not all are currently offering the Non-O dependent visa though. You would have to ask your Thai Embassy or Consulate.

Many things are much easier to do in the US such as open accounts. Especially while you still have a real address. It's often much easier to change your address from a real residential address to a virtual mailbox-type address once you have the account open. Sometimes it can be difficult to open an account in the US with a virtual mailbox address. Also, sometimes you can set up the ability to wire (SWIFT) from your US bank to your Thai bank in person, while it would be very difficult to do when overseas.

Not banking-related but often libraries in the US allow you to borrow audiobooks and ebooks online, which you can continue to do even from overseas since it's all online. Apply for the library cards in your area before you leave.

@Tony *****

The basic plan (35 free scan pages a month), but I pay extra to have a premium address because I wanted it to match the state I use for my US tax domicile (a state with no state income tax). So, it would be less if I didn't have a "premium" address. I pay $199/year. I never pay any additional amount for scans of envelopes or contents. I pay for forwarding only and that's usually only for new/replacement credit cards. I use regular USPS to forward stuff to Thailand (2 weeks, sometimes more). Every year I have less and less mail. 😉

I used to pay for them to deposit the odd check I would receive by mail to my US bank, but I finally figured out I can use my mobile check deposit app from Thailand if I print the check out here from the scan done in the US.

@Dave ********

yes, I would never ask my US financial institution if I could use an address outside the US and I would never volunteer to a US financial institution that I have an address outside the US.

They may be able to tell I live outside the US but it won't be because I told them I do.

@Dave ********

I use a virtual mailbox US address (travelingmailbox dot com) and a magjcJack VOIP US phone number and Google Voice for SMSs often used in 2-factor authentication. Also, Use a VPN (SurfShark) set to the US when I access US financial institutions' online. i have not had any of my US accounts restricted or closed.

@Stephen ******

exactly what I said. Once you have that stamped in your passport there's no other option left to you but to leave Thailand. There's no flexibility to change from a 7 day to leave Thailand stamp to anything else. Nor can agents help you after you have gotten that stamp.