Another vote to keep looking….👀

Most would recommend the non-imm O visa.

@Graham *****

this….

When all is said and done, consider staying no more than 179 days in order to avoid becoming a Thai tax citizen.

You can use funds in your USA bank for the application via evisa. Get your non O then come to Thailand and follow steps to open an account when you arrive. Deposit the required funds and then apply for your 1 year extension.

There’s always the danger of inadvertently falling below the 800k level if one or more transactions are not remembered. Many folks keep a second account for day to day transactions thereby safeguarding the minimum balance requirement

@Pierre *******

you’re in great shape if you already have a Thai bank account into which you can deposit the 800,000 baht before applying for your first annual extension of stay. Be sure to check how far in advance you’ll need to get your funds seasoned before applying for the extension

Visas or extensions of stay?

They want a yellow book for what?

@Phil *******

actually, the US$10,000 rule applies to the total amount on deposit across all foreign accounts at any one point during the year. Accordingly, if you have less than $10,000 in one account and less than $10,000 in one or more other accounts and the total among all accounts on any single day in the year is $10,000 or more then the FBAR rule applies.