One additional question Ellie. If the whole point of the 90 day reporting is to declare where you are at a given moment within Thailand, won’t there be times when you might be traveling that you would be reporting from a different address? Say, if you were traveling to Chiang Mai and were in a hotel there, wouldn’t that be the address and TM 30 you would upload into the automated system at that time? So does the matching to your registered residence for online filing only matter when you are actually at your residence at the time of the 90 day reporting? At other times does the system just accept that you’re at a different location or does that occasionally cause problems as well? Thanks

Thanks Ellie. As I’m new to this, what is One Bangkok? Is it a different government office or is it an agency? Since I have yet to extend, if I have a closer choice, I’d like to do it. I just don’t know what One Bangkok is?

Tod, I have not had my first 90 day reporting yet but based on what you just wrote, I imagine I may have problems. My TM 30 was half in English half in Thai the way it was done and I don’t know what the immigration officer put in the system when I went in last week to get a COR to open a bank, but since I have to do my first 90 day reporting in person, is this something they can fix (in their system) to make sure that I can report future 90 day reportings in English on the website? Obviously, I don’t speak Thai so I don’t want to be forced to go to immigration more than the Initial time if I don’t have to.

Separately, for Bangkok, are there no local offices that do 90 day reporting? Do we always have to go to Chaeng Wattana when there’s an issue? Thanks.

…if you are in Thailand over 180 days, of course.

Hi, you may have answered this elsewhere, but is money taken through atm considered taxable income into Thailand under the new system?

Had a few more small questions.

Once I’m in the country and established and doing my 90 day reporting, I understand that it’s largely an automated process after the first in person visit, but if I end up moving from Bangkok to another region, and I need to physically go to immigration for 90 day reporting (after taking a trip outside the country) or for any other reason, would I then go to the local immigration office of where I now live?

And is this also true for the extension of stay? If I moved from Bangkok to another region before my annual extension application, would I then apply in the local immigration office of where I now live? 

Lastly, and this is a bit off-topic as it’s regard to banking. If I establish my bank at a K-Bank branch in Bangkok, but then move to another region, what are the limitations of of using a K-Bank branch in another location, and is there anything I can do to mitigate that? I’m not used to having limitations on within different branches of a major banking corporation. This is a difference between Thailand and where I currently live.

Thanks

Thanks for all the clarity Greg. This all really helps and it also helps me plan for the future. Unfortunately, I’ve realized that the head does not talk to the tail when setting up policy that’s easily understood.

That said, if I leave in the “second year” without a reentry permit, is that extension immediately voided in the system, and would the necessary process be to obtain a non-immigrant O 90 day to get back into the country and then apply for the extension directly at immigration since my banking situation would already be seasoned? If my understanding is correct, would I need to go back to the US or can I really do it from any country?

So at the time of getting my COR from the bank, I could get a separate COR for the TDL, and would that require a separate fee?

That is wild that they don’t require a physical drivers test since everything in Thailand is on the opposite side from the US. That said, even though I’m a good driver, is there any short course skills class available after I get the TDL done where I could practice a little?

Hey Greg,

I wanted to get further insight on three of your points, if that’s ok?

The health insurance I was approved on for my OA is actually Cigna Worldwide. What the Thai consulate told me is that as long as that insurance carrier fills out the correct ‘foreign certificate’ along with the requirements of the health plan, it would be accepted, and I don’t have to transfer to one of the local tgia insurances for the extrication of stay permit. The misinformation seems to come from the fact that most non-Thai insurances won’t fill out the foreign certificate in the correct manner. CIGNA does. Do you have a different experience with regard to the extension of stay where my Cigna wouldn’t be renewed if everything was signed according to the requirement? 

If what you’re saying is true (and I was misinformed) and if I wanted to switch over to the non-immigrant O for retirement after being there a year on the OA, is there any way of doing this within Thailand, even through an agent, or would I have to leave the country and then apply for the non-immigrant O 90 day, and then get the extension after arriving in the country again? If I had to leave the country, do I have to come all the way back to the US or can I do it from outside the country anywhere?

Lastly, what is the best way to mitigate the 800,000 in my Thai account to make sure the transfers are accepted when I apply for the extension of stay? Is the only way to wire funds directly, because the fees have become somewhat corrupted, They shave off of the exchange rate and say you have no fee charged, but in reality it’s substantially more than what it used to be. But if there’s no way around it, then I guess a direct wire transfer is still may be the best option?

Any advice would be much appreciated?



Thanks Jack, this is all very helpful. Regarding the TDL, the only thing I know is that it’s best if I get and International DL from my home country first. With that in hand, what is the process of getting a TDL, and will they actually make me take a physical drivers test? I haven’t looked into that process yet but am interested and you seem to know?