Would that mean they need to leave Thailand every couple of months? If so, that might be the negative aspect?

You are absolutely correct it is a Catch 22 situation, but is possible.

I tried about 10 banks before finding a branch of Bangkok bank that would open an account for me and I think they are even stricter now. If that is the case an agent might be the solution, anecdotally they charge about 3,000 baht for this service and you are not tied in to do anything else with them. They do not need an agent to get the non o visa, that is a simple process to follow.

@Richard ********

as always in Thailand this varies between cities. At some you don't even need to do the 1 hour video.

@Andy *********

yes that's a valid point, I assumed Julie was legally allowed to drive in her home country, but she might not be.

My point was really saying it is much easier to obtain the Thai driving licence if she has the IDP. Without it she will have to do the full Thai driver training.

If you are only in Thailand for 30 days the international drivers permit (IDP) should be enough.

Do you have the IDP?

If you are staying longer than 30 days you need a certificate of residence from immigration and medical certificate from any medical doctor, if you have the IDP you only need to do a few eyesight/reaction tests at the transport office. You also need to watch a short video and answer some questions.

Opening a bank account here is a bit of a catch 22 situation and definitely the most difficult part of the non o retirement visa process. After trying at several banks and branches of the same bank I managed to open one at Bangkok bank, but you need a letter from immigration to achieve this, if it is still possible. If not this would be worth paying an agent to arrange as I understand they charge about 3,000 baht for this service and you are not tied into anything for future years.

If you get the day tourist visa in advance before you travel, you have plenty of time to organise everything.

I believe a 6 month lease is required to obtain the non o visa, so you can also look around for a rental place in the first 60 days of your stay. Ensure that when you rent a place the contract has a copy of the owners ID card and their "blue book" proof of ownership of the property.

Good luck.

@Damien *******

yes, it's a bit silly because you know you will not use the flight. I booked the cheapest flight I could find. Since then I have seen someone post that they used Malaysian flexi flight booking, as it is fully refundable if you cancel it. They said they only lost a couple of dollars on the exchange rate. Have a look, it seems like a great option for this situation.

Apply for a day tourist visa before you come to Thailand

@Sam *******

yes it's definitely worth the risk. Use the correct reason for transfer and immigration will be no problem.

@Ruth ******

indeed you did.