The other requirements such as a ticket out of the country and/or lodging are not as important as the Baht in cash. I talked my way out of it (I did have almost 20K in cash to pay for my expenses in Myanmar, which is basically cash only) and I was surprised they would ask a marriage visa holder for this. Finally they stopped and again, it was asked for upon exit. Upon re-entry, no issues as I was already vetted.

@Tod ********

They ask because they need to ensure you can come back and they know you're trapped there. I was there last year. They ask when you leave. They even hassle you if you present a Myanmar visa and explain you're going to the islands for several days.

@Tod ********

It depends what you want to do. It is necessary to get out on the islands. Not necessary for a quick turnaround in Kawthaung, which is what 99% of farang do.

@Tod ********

Yes that's what I said. You can only stay in Kawthaung and surrounds. Even some of the islands require a visa, whereas Thais can use border passes even for the islands.

Ranong immigration will probably ask you for Baht in order to be allowed to leave; although since it sounds like you're using a visa service, they might be willing to "overlook" this.

Maybe because you have 4 children and are all on a DTV. Might seem a bit odd for such a large family to be on a DTV.

I tried on a marriage visa and it was surprisingly accepted. It's hard to say...just keep trying on any visa until they say no. You've got nothing to lose.

From my own experience and what I've been told, it's up to the customs officer to determine whether you're a resident or not. They're not going to take your visa into account, like they used to. The form does not specify anything other than "residency", which is loosely defined.

Since the DTV is new, you can probably get a tax refund on it especially if you've only spent a short time in Thailand so far. Whether this holds true in 18 months time if you've spent 99% of that time in Thailand, remains to be seen.

Not quite. It depends how long you've stayed in Thailand for. They're no longer basing it off your visa type per se but more on period of residency. Anyone on a DTV has only been here a maximum of 8 months so far (6 months + extension or in/out over that period).

As a foreigner, you may be able to get a tax refund regardless; they're not really scrutinizing your visa type so much (personal experience here). Only Thai citizens are definitely not eligible.

No, it depends on what type of visa you're on. With a work permit, never a problem. On a tourist visa, years ago, no issue if opened at a main branch or expat/tourist area.

Nowadays, it's difficult to open a bank account on any visa without a work permit...retirement sometimes works, but often requires an agent as well.