@Shan *******

Same day! Sometimes it might take until the next day.

However .... do not wait. Do it a week or two early in case they want more docs.

Never had that experience in the whole 6 plus yrs we've been here. They do ask for a house rental contract though, and maybe a TM30, which requires copy of housebook, landlord's ID and phone number.

@James ****

We went to Kasikorn at the big Tesco on Koh Samui in Lamai. We were on TV as well, trying to get the retirement visa.

If you're in a high tourist location your chances are better.

My Mom had success with the yellow bank. Krungsri on Samui.

@James ****

Yep. We've heard that before. What visa are you on?

We had a catch 22. You need a bank account to get a retirement visa, but some of the banks said we need a retirement visa or work permit to get a bank account.

Very frustrating. We finally went to a branch of Kasikorn that would do it for us.

Each branch is different. You can go to one Kasikorn and they say no, while a Kasikorn down the street will say yes. All the banks here do this.

Pro tip: Be sure to request online banking, or otherwise you probably won't get it.

@Nigel *********************

You forgot to mention a potential dowry to the family. I know 2 guys going through that now.

Stop testing.

We've been banking with Kasikorn (green bank) for 6 years now. No problems.

We have friends with Krungsri (yellow bank), and they like it. I don't remember if we had to get compulsory insurance or not, we were just excited to have found a bank that didn't give us the runaround, like Bangkok bank did. It was awful.

** Always remember, with any of these banks, you must ASK for internet banking!

I got my license in Oct. They accepted my US license, but I had to watch the videos for "training".

My husband's license was expired, so he had to do all the testing. Driving and test on computer for both motorbike and car.

Bottom line (in all of Thailand) is that it can totally depend on what officer you get.

Just do the test. It's not that difficult. There used to be a practice test online.

@Wyn *********

Depending on the immigration officer you deal with. We had a couple tell us that the 65k wasn't an option. :/