Steve's right, ed visa must be accompanied by gov letter certifying the course, which only legitimate courses will be able to supply (although none of the schools I asked, including Duke, had heard of the letter in question).

I looked into getting my Ethiopian wife a US visa and was able to go through the process of booking an appointment (which revealed they were fully booked for well over a year in Ethiopia)

I'm not sure *travel* insurance will cover you for living somewhere on a non-tourist visa. Call and check with the insurer you choose, explaining the visa, (in the event of a big claim you can be sure the insurer will look into this before paying). You probably need expat health insurance for living somewhere. If you ever need to claim, they might just have done you a big favour.

What the Post Office issues in the UK is an international driving permit. There are three types and the type accepted by countries differs. If insurance doesn't accept them it is probably because they are only valid a short amount of time. The type valid in Thailand (the 1949 type) is only valid for one year so presumably wouldn't last an insurance policy.

I lived in Ethiopia but got visa exempt entry due to UK passport, so I assume you get VOA not visa exempt. So if you're hoping to stay more than 30 days try for a tourist visa in Spain.

Thanks very much, have tried to get one of the new Smart-S visas, but can't find anyone who knows anything about them. Son is still too young to put in school and be on a parent visa. Pretty sure the Mrs won't let me have a Thai wife, no matter how persuasive the immigration arguments are. So I have a four year gap to fill until I can get us on a retirement one.

Yeah I know and I appreciate the suggestion for sure, certainly not judging, have been in more flexible frames of mind in the past but a bit vulnerable (baby etc) at the moment and want to keep Elite option open.

Would it be OK if Martin goes through passport control, thereby leaving Thailand for international air-side, before midnight? I've no idea but it was in another country.

Although you need to count your first day too. If counting that your 92 days at midnight, my idea is irrelevant.

If the Kenyan Thai embassy mislaid it or it wasn't handed to the embassy correctly by the courier or they took a long time or didn't return it properly we would be in trouble as Ethiopian embassies aren't helpful. I'm not sure there's a law, but that isn't so important in our situation.