@Brandon ***********

I actually switched from a visa-exempt entry. It's not possible to go directly from OA to O. It was accepted because I had sufficient monthly transfers to meet the criteria.

@Tim ********

It depends on your tax residency, source of income, tax already paid. All three of those can mean you pay zero tax in Thailand, or conversely they mean you do pay tax. Every individual is different. There is no generic formula. Unfortunately many people have been duped by unscrupulous tax agents into believing that anyone in the country for 180 days or more must pay tax, which is totally incorrect

@Nick ******

I switched from OA to O via a visa exempt in Bangkok, and used the 65k transfer method. I never once had the 800k lump sum. I guess some immigration offices use their own set of rules

Do you have a notarised verification that you are "a pretty nice guy"? Immigration may not take your word for this 😆

@Nina ********

If you're into financial planning, you should be aware that you don't pay tax twice. I've lived in Thailand for over 15 years and never had to pay income tax here. I do pay substantial tax in my home country as I have dual tax residency, hence I am not required to pay tax in Thailand. It's not a case of "winging it", it's a case a solid financial planning

@Ben ******

Takes me an hour. 1900 baht. What rule changes?

You seem very keen to pay tax. I'm assuming therefore that you're bringing in untaxed money?

@Colin ********

It's funny how some people are complaining that air fares are 10,000 baht more than this time last year, but have no hesitation in handing over more than double that amount for what is essentially a dodgy visa extension

@Nelson *****

No. Actually it should be from a pension, but as some embassies now will not sign the affidavit which confirms the pension, it is necessary to transfer 65k each month from overseas into a Thai bank account. There are some countries which can still use the affidavit method, so it's not required to transfer the money to Thailand

@Colin ********

I don't find it hard at all. It's a case of following a checklist of requirements and spending an hour each year at the immigration office. If people are paying baht a year to save getting a few documents together and an hour at immigration they must have a pretty skewed view of "my time is more valuable". No more than two hours "work" for 25,000 baht? That's a pretty useful hourly rate I'm paying myself, tax free. And I'm 100% legal