Came on one way. Never asked.

Come on a tourist visa and immediately hire a proven reliable Thai visa agent. They will get you through the process under the scenario you describe.

@Thomas ******

that’s the kind of asshole negative comments she’s talking about.

@Howard ******

but you still have to pay ridiculous import duty which Amazon collects on the front end.

@Sonny *********

I have the same issue and need to open an account right away. Can address/voucher be obtained from the hotel I am staying in?

@Benjamin *****

Thanks…. OUCH! That sure doesn’t work. I think I can borrow the funds to do the initial deposit, and then start doing direct deposit of my govt pension each month right away. Do you know by chance if then at the one year renewal I would no longer need the 800k BHT in my account, just the record of direct deposit each month? I so wish I had found this group BEFORE to resolve all these issues before I arrived. On paper it sounded so much easier! 🙂

@John *********

Yikes! They currently aren’t granting Non-O visas back in the US, only conversions from tourist visa here.(I’m assuming due to covid.) There was no indication on the Thai immigration website that the monthly direct deposit method wasn’t available to do if applying here when in fact the only option is to apply here. Looks like I’ve been f’d by the US for refusing to do certifications through the embassy. Do most countries provide this service at their embassies here?

@Robert ******

I am going to be using the monthly direct deposit method, not the 800,000 BHT deposit. So how do I do that since the US Embassy will no longer certify guaranteed monthly income? I just sent a follow up posting regarding this.

Also on the lodging, what is the minimum length required for a lodging contract? Will 30 or 60 days be ok? Would a prepaid month stay in a hotel meet the requirement?

@Robert ******

Sorry, on information overload 🙂 I currently have a standard 60 day tourist visa.