I previously had a non-immigration visa switched from an expiring passport to a new passport.

Here was the process: I went to the U.S. embassy in Bangkok and applied for a new passport. When I collected my new passport, I requested they not cancel my old passport until I could switch out the visa.

I then went to immigration, in my case Chomchuri square. They moved the visa from my old passport to my new passport. I then returned to the U.S. embassy, who canceled my old passport.

I do not believe showing both passports is enough. Your passport number must match the number on the visa. A valid visa in an expired passport is not valid. Likewise, a visa in your name under a different passport number is likewise not valid.

Honestly speaking, individuals with very high net worth, some of whom are foreigners living in Thailand, would not have the lion’s share of their assets in a savings account.

I understand your caution, but it’s really nothing to worry about.

A Thai embassy worker in your country, almost assuredly of a middle or higher class background, is not going to concoct a conspiracy to milk a visa applicant of his savings.

I applied online successfully at the DC embassy. I went the soft power route. Took 9 business days, no additional documents were requested. Was not asked for tax returns, receipts for hotel bookings/, proof of onward travel, etc. Was a very straightforward process.

@Ehab *****

The application cannot be altered once submitted electronically.

Unfortunately, if you made your submission electronically, you forfeit the visa fee if an error is found in your application.

@Gregory ******

You just have to know yourself and see if it’s for you. I absolutely loved living in Delhi. Others thought it was hell. We each have to find our own corner of this earth. Enjoy the ride!

People become oddly tribal on social media, and there’s a weird possessiveness when it comes to Thailand. A lot of people have a lot of complicated reasons for being there.

I can offer this advice for you. As someone who first lived in Thailand with a Thai family in a suburb of Bangkok as a 20-year-old, and later worked there, there was a lot I initially struggled with. That included the pollution, corruption, and what I initially felt was a sense of moral nihilism.

I was and still am an overly serious person in some regards with a strongly-defined sense of how things should be.

Thailand will challenge that. If you brace against it you’ll break. So as the cliche goes, bend like bamboo.

Now it’s the place I want to spend the rest of my life. I study Thai everyday and feel a sense of deep well-being every time I return. But I had to invest a lot of time to get there, and I had to confront a lot of static in my own soul about meaning and this whole act of living.

Not everyone wants an existential trip. You’re perfectly within your rights to not want to see how you may have to change to see Thailand as some do.

Some people want nothing more than a nice beach to telework on, or a not so nice brothel to get worked over in.

There’s a lot of beaches and brothels in the world.

The gem of Thailand is Thai people. I’ve never met people so capable of finding joy in the moment no matter their circumstances. And the chaos becomes quite orderly once you start to pick up the patterns.

There aren’t a lot of options in terms of big cities, but there are lots of mid-sized towns which may look the same on the surface, but have very specific vibes due to the cultural differences of the peoples there.

Pick some places in different geographical regions of the country and travel. WiFi is pretty decent everywhere, except for some of the smaller islands.

The only way to see if Thailand is for you is to, well, see it. Good luck!

You should really reach out to the embassy and ask them what the deadline is to submit those documents. Anything else is just guesswork.

@Sergio *****

It depends on the address you’ll use for your proof of residence. If your residence is Chicago, but you’re staying with your sister in LA right now, you’d still apply at the Chicago consulate.

I previously switched a work visa from an old to new passport. You cannot cancel the old passport before switching out the visa because once your passport is canceled, your visa is cancelled.

My embassy (U.S.) allowed me to keep two active passports and asked me to return the old one for cancellation after I got the visa transferred.

I did that and it all worked out fine.