If you are over 50 and intend to apply for the non o retirement visa, it makes sense to apply for the visa before you come to Thailand for a couple of reasons.

1. It makes it much easier to open a bank account in Thailand.

2. You do not need to have an onward flight booked.

@Kim ********

you were lucky, but as always this is Thailand so it varies between offices. When I did mine a couple of months ago, I booked and there were about 30 people waiting when I got there! Without an appointment I doubt you would have been seen that week!

@Christopher ************

I thought the same thing and Thai food is expensive in the UK, so as students they probably ate horrible low standard food.

@Annie ***********

is she the one involved in the Puff Diddy scandal? Perhaps she's afraid someone might want to poison her for other reasons!

@Janelle ****

as Tony stated, they went to the wrong places.

There are thousands of authentic Thai restaurants amongst every other type of food available.

I dislike traditional UK food as well as it is bland, so I never really eat it or cook it.

@Sarah *****

utter nonsense.

Let me guess, you think we speak with an accent like 'corr blimey, strike lite maaaaate' too!

You can buy any food in the UK including Thai food in thousands of restaurants and take away places.

@Janelle ****

uninformed comment, of course it is not.

If you believe the nonsense on the Internet you will think that all British people eat is beans and fried breakfasts!

You can get food from pretty much anywhere in the world in most places.

The food in the UK is good quality with excellent restaurants everywhere. Of course if someone wants trashy food they can find it, the same as the USA.

You will need to make an appointment at the DLT.

Had a Ford a few years ao, absolute junk. I drive Toyota in Thailand.

Check that your immigration office accept the 65,000 method, I have read some are reluctant.

I opened a second account to solve the problem of having many pages of transactions.

You can avoid the withdrawal charge by withdrawing the money inside a bank.