@John *********

well explained. Just to add, every 65K transfer needs to be correctly coded in your Thai bank account as an international transfer

While you probably don't want to hear this, having expected to be fully retired by 65, the government has recently relaxed the rules on how much money people on the aged pension can earn before it affects their pension. So you may not have to chew through your savings to the extent that you envision. There has been a push to retain older workers in the workforce and encourage retirees back into work to fill labour shortages

@กะลาสี ****

My friend from Austria was able to get her pension income verified from the Austrian consulate in Chiang Mai in November.. It was a very simple process, just involved an appointment at the consulate in the morning and a few hours at immigration that same day to get a one year extension in her passport. So it's very easy for most nationalities, except Brits, Aussies and Americans

@Mark ********

I personally think before midnight will be fine, but make sure to check it out with the hotel you like

@Mark ********

You have to book it when you book the hotel. The shuttles belong to the individual hotels and are run by hotel employees. When you book your room online, if you select that you want free round trip transfer with your booking, you will be asked what time your flight arrives. The shuttle bus driver will meet you at arrivals on the 2nd floor. I am not sure if they run all night. You could email a hotel that provides this and ask whether they can still provide a service at the time of night that you arrive.

Lots of cheap hotels in Lat Krabang near Suvarnabhumi that have a shuttle service to and from the airport (about 10 minutes from the airport) Have a look on Booking.com and see if one suits your needs. Much cheaper than staying at the airport or taking a taxi right into the heart of Bangkok

@Nadine ******

Thai embassies in every country often have visa information that is inaccurate or outdated on their websites. Sometime the information is speculative and does not reflect any actual Thai immigration policies. I remember during Covid one of my German friends believed that she could not get back into Thailand on her retirement visa as the German embassy was still saying that people on retirement visas couldn't enter. Yet Thailand had relaxed that rule and people with current retirement visas had been entering Thailand for a couple of months by then. Even in my own country the requirements for getting a tourist visa vary between the different Thai consulates/embassies. At one you need to show booked accommodation for your entire stay. At the other you need to show 6 months worth of bank statements showing your income to be above a certain figure every month for the previos 6 months. To get a retirement visa at one of these embassies / consulates you need to have the equivalent of one million Thai baht. At the other consulate/embassy, you need to have the equivalent of 800,000 Thai baht.There is no immigration rule in Thailand that limits tourists to no more than a 6 month stay in 12 months. However some immigration officers at land borders were reportedly using this formula in late 2018/ early 2019

@Nikola ***********

I don't remember them needing a flight out, but the border back into Thailand does so I had one and submitted it too

@Ivica ***********

it is 3 working days now, public holidays and religious holidays aren't counted. So if you submit your paperwork the day before a public holiday you can't pick up your passport for 4 days. If there are no holidays or weekend days in the three days that you are doibg your visa, submit paperwork on day 1 in the morning, collect paperwork in the afternoon of day 3

@Nikola ***********

Vientiane is still a relatively easy Embassy to do a Thai visa. About a year before Covid they changed to an appointments only system. When I went in November 2022 there were about 6 other people applying for visas, it was literally deserted. You do need a copy of your bank account showing that you have maintained a balance equivalent to 20,000 baht for the previous 3 months. It must be printed out and submitted with your application-you can't just show it on a mobile banking app. It can be in a foreign or Thai bank account. You also need onward accommodation receipts. I showed receipts for 4 nights accommodation and a bus ticket to Bangkok and they were happy with that. You can do printing outside the Thai Embassy to the right of the gate if you need to print off any of these things. It is a 3 day turn around now ie lodge on the morning of day 1, pick up on the afternoon of day 3. So be careful of weekends, Thailand public holidays, Lao public holidays and Lao office holidays or you could find yourself (like I was) stuck in Vientiane without your passport for an extended period.

You can fly to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai. Or take the slow boat from Huay Xai