@Kelly *******

They make up the rules as they go along I’m afraid so sometimes you just have to suck it up!! It’s annoying but the longer you stay in LOS them the more you become accustomed to it until you don’t notice anymore. You just have to focus on the fact that you have achieved what you wanted. As time passes, you’ll get to know the right people to make your life easier with less red tape and BS but until then, just grin and bear it.

Remember, at the end of the day, you’re living the life that other people only dream about.

Best regards. Mike

@Kelly *******

It’s a small price to pay to achieve what you want. And it’s not as if you are not getting something for your money. You’re getting insurance backed by the Bank which is probably about as good as you can get.

Good luck. Mike

@Keith ***********

I agree with your figures. Some people must leave everything running all the time!!

As an aside, I found that my overheads for electric dropped hugely when I had the windows replaced by double glazing. Made a huge difference. Cheers

@Kelly *******

Just pay the insurance money. It’s cover for a year and you get what you want- a back account. They’ll also look favorably on you for a while because you played the game. Insurance is well worth having anyway. That’s what I did and have never regretted it. Cheers

My advice? Don’t! Establish a business elsewhere, get it profitable with trustworthy employees and then go to Thailand and live off the profits. Basically, if there’s a business opportunity in Thailand, the Thai’s already have it covered and anything that you want to do, they’ll make you jump through hoops and make it a pain in the arse for you. They’ll tie you up with red tape at any and every chance they get. We won’t talk about the monthly envelopes………. Cheers.

Bring UK pounds and use TTExchange. They offer a really good rate. As far as maximum value, I believe the equivalent of 9000 euros is the limit but I’ve carried more and never been challenged. Just make sure that you can show exactly where you withdrew the money and carry the bank statement showing the withdrawal. As long as it’s legal then you’re generally ok in my experience but I wouldn’t declare it up front, just wait to get challenged and have all the answers necessary. Cheers

@Kirsten ********

My reply wasn’t targeted at you. It’s aimed at the many people who stay in Thailand using dodgy visa offices who put the 800,000 baht up in an account for you and fiddle the visa on your behalf. Immigration is trying to clamp down on this but unfortunately some of the officials are in on the operation.

Cheers

@Kev ********

Thoroughly agree with you. Best to play the game honestly. If you duck and dive, you’ll surely get caught out sooner or later. After all, we are guests in their country and it’s their rules. Be respectful. Cheers

@Kate ******

Too right. You need to be sneaky smart about this stuff. Cover all bases and keep your options open.

Cheers

That’s a truly dreadful exchange rate. Really unfair to people who don’t know better. I ALWAYS take cash and use TT exchange to do my exchanges. I have looked really hard all over Pattaya and they always always give the best exchange rate. If you change up more than £1000 - which isn’t difficult if there’s a couple of you together- ask the cashier to ring up for a better rate. It’s only a bit better but every little bit helps. Cheers