@Stuart ********

thanks! Otherwise I'll be so fucked because it's literally legally impossible for a Vietnamese to receive more than ~$7100 from Viet Nam every year via bank transfer. And I would have to physically be in VN and sign the papers to make the transfer.

So I take it I won't be able to get Non O retirement visa in the future either unless I manage to open a bank account in my name in a 3rd country with higher outbound transfer limit from VN.

@Frank *********

isn't Non ED and Non O guardian's extension multiple entry too? Or are they single entry? Because they still need to buy re entry permit separately, no? I haven't gone through one so idk

@John ********

I keep a tiny amount in Wise and Revolut for travel booking's deposits, and I use Revolut virtual card to pay for small transactions while traveling. Is that a problem?

@Ivan ***********

piggybacking question since you seem knowledgeable: my bank in VN can send USD or THB, same fee but their USD rate is better. Do Thai banks charge a fee for receiving USD? Am I better off sending USD or THB? (I'm from Viet Nam)

@Paul ********

does is need to show as an international transfer from yourself to yourself? Because that's 100% impossible for me. My country only allows a person living in Thailand to receive $7100 from my country each year, and if I want to make the wire, I'd have to be in person in my country to do that.

I asked a friend living in Thailand to help. I sent her money to her bank in our country, and she sent me the equivalent in THB to my bank here. Can't you send GPB to your wife and she sends THB to your Thai bank?

@Greg *******

If you stay in Thailand just over 90 days each time, you'd have to go to IO each time. That's why I said 95-100 days each stay as an example.

@Stephan **********

Good for you, that's you. Not everyone else is you. Some of us live far away from IOs without personal transportation, so going to the "local" IO every few months can be a whole ordeal. Some of us are old or sick or disabled and struggle to make the trip. Some of us are too ADHD to comfortably navigate this much bureaucracy, the frequent requirements generate a lot of extra mental load. Some are multiple of those things and more. It's a diverse world.

The process has been simplified, perhaps, but let's not kid ourselves that so many of these steps have to be this burdensome, or that there has to be so many steps.

(Personally, I keep beating myself up for not trying to move to the US or some EU country this time instead because I know for a fact that it's a million times simpler for me. But from the outside, without any frame of reference, I did not realize it would be this convoluted)

@Stephan **********

having to remember to do it every 3 months is very annoying and stressful and difficult for certain people. Plus you can't stack the initial appointment with your extension of stay application. And if you leave Thailand every 95-100 days or so, it means visiting the IO every single time you return from a trip.

@Stephan **********

so just theoretically, if someone doesn't do any 90d reporting and also doesn't get into any legal trouble or get arrested, what happens to that person? When and where do they get charged the 2000baht fine?

@Boran ****

the weird thing is I typically prefer chaotic and primitive, not sterile and organized. I'd hated on Singapore all these years, especially after spending a lot of time there in my younger years. Singapore was very boring, nothing but a sterile environment and shopping. But it's not just that anymore. I do love all the museums, not just arts, as they're very well curated and educational. I enjoyed how they curate these collections in their own way, with some focus on regional comparative stuff. Singapore is also THE destination for SEA contemporary artists thanks to the number of independent galleries and SG government-sponsored programs. So many of my artists friends from Viet Nam got to use Singapore as their career launching pad. I gotta say of all SEA countries, things I experienced in Singapore recently reflect the most regional mindset. It's also, to me, a sobering case of what type of governance works best for our cultural context in the region.