I suspect most of those whining/commenting here never exchange dollars for Thai baht.

But for those of us living in Thailand on a fixed income from the US, this is excellent news. Full stop.

@Dennis ********

It seems to vary from bank to bank. When I set up my account with Bangkok Bank at the Jomtien branch near immigration, they actually installed the ap on my phone for me and set it up and made sure everything was working properly. They also issued me a debit card on the spot.

I remember seeing a Bangkok Bank web page that specifically addressed all this - a special program just for foreigners.

But I have heard stories suggesting that every branch has different policies. Sometimes two different employees in the same bank will give different answers.

But thousands of us have done this successfully, so don’t give up.

They didn’t even look at my Thai Pass when I reentered Thailand from Cambodia yesterday (land border crossing). Crazy.

@Brett *********

As a retiree from the USA myself in my third year in Thailand, I strongly recommend opening a Thai bank account. There are just too many things it makes it possible/easier to do. I use Bangkok Bank and Wyse to move my retirement funds into it. Problem-free.

As of June 1, according to The Phuket News:

“Upon arriving in Thailand, all travellers must undergo entry screening, including body temperature check, and present the required documents to the Immigration/Health Control officer to carry out the checks.

The vaccinated travellers will then be allowed entry and are free to go anywhere in the kingdom. *For arrivals by land using a border pass, they will be allowed a stay of no longer than 3 days within the specified areas only.

Likewise, unvaccinated/not fully vaccinated travellers who have uploaded proof of a negative result from an RT-PCR test or professional ATK within 72 hours of travel via the Thailand Pass system will be allowed entry and are free to go anywhere in the kingdom.

Unvaccinated/not fully vaccinated travellers without a negative test result within 72 hours of travel are required to follow the public health instructions and guidelines as deemed appropriate by the Health Control officer at the point of arrival.”

Insurance is required.

@Gordon *******

Uh, hopelessly wrong.

@Miguel ************

It varies. You might be asked for one, you might not.

@Marc ********

Probably because he wants to avoid paying taxes

Just make sure rhe device is marked as able to run on 240v. Many products are. The plug will fit as is.

If you have a 120VAC-only device, you’ll need a transformer big enough to handle the current load. Can get big and expensive.

Just wow.