Sell everything except what fits in 2 suitcases and use the funds to buy what you need after arriving.

Save the costs and hassles of shipping and transport in 2 countries.

The only possibility for an issue is at initial check when you're departing but even that is unlikely since you have a return flight booked. They should be aware of the 30 day extension option or multiple other options available (exit/reenter Thailand to other countries as part of your trip). Almost zero chance of a problem but in the ,000 chance, the onward ticket sites offer temp tickets for $20-$25. I'd bet no problems tho.

This is true for US expats that move to Thailand (or anywhere outside the US).

To avoid it, use a residential address of family/friend and do not mention it.

@Kevin ******

Agreed AIS. Prepaid plans are cheap and offered for tourists but if you are going to live there, they offer even cheaper post-pay plans that are great. You just need to show them proof of a long term visa (ex. retirement visa) and you pay monthly.

PH is beautiful but unless you live there on a 12 month lease, it's much more expensive to visit for a few weeks. The food is terrible.

@Ian ********

Been there. Stayed in Cebu for over 2 weeks, few days in Manila and surrounding area. Accommodation costs were about 3-4x higher than in Thailand for poorer quality accommodations.

@Dave ****************************

I think this is referring to 'living costs' meaning a 12 month rental lease option. For travelers who visit for a few weeks, the cost for accomodations are much higher than in Thailand and you get poorer quality in PH for that higher price.

@Reggie ******

Assuming you're eligible for the current 60 days exempt, then you can easily extend that an additional 30 days in Thailand.

@Tony *********

Ok but I disagree. IP numbers can be detected with modern fraud prevention technology. A cellular# becomes an IP phone# after it's ported, hence it is then treated as an IP phone#. Also, some 2FA systems will happily accept the number that's configured but the text or phone call may never be successfully received.

@Tony *********

Main advice - no need to port THEN test. Just create a Gvoice# and test what's needed beforehand. Superfluous info - I've used Gvoice since it's inception (15-20+ yrs?). I lived in Thailand . I access too many things to recall which had a problem but from experience, I no longer rely 100% on my Gvoice for success with all 2FA. Easy to set up and test everything in advance. The actual # doesn't matter, it's whether that company detects that it's an IP# and/or allows that type of #.