You strike a deal to buy the bike.. then agree a time to meet at the LTO to sign the bike over.. both parties will have to confirm their identity and residence to the LTO's satisfaction.. you can check their exact requirements online before you go.. and unless it's a new/relatively new bike it will have to pass a basic inspection.. once the transfer paper work has been completed and checked by LTO and signed off by both parties you make the bank transfer and officially file the forms with them.. it can all be done within a couple of hours if you go early in the morning.. and if you are prepared to wait you can even leave with the green book in your name.. though if it's late in the day and it's really busy they will sometimes suggest you return the next day to collect it.. this assumes it is a private sale of course.. if you're buying from a dealer (ie. a motorcycle shop) then they will normally attend to everything on your behalf.. you just provide them with copies of the necessary ID docs etc.. and don't have to visit the LTO in person.. it's a fairly simple process.. but if there's no green book or a private seller refuses to go to the LTO to undertake the transfer then some warning bells should be ringing!

@Jasmine *****

You need to check whether the income method can be used for the first non-o visa.. i could be wrong but have a feeling that you need to use the capital-in-bank method for the first one.. but can switch to the income method on renewal when the monthly income credits can be verified into a Thai Bank account.. there may be insurance requirements if applying in your home country too.. which don't apply if you are applying within Thailand.. this can be expensive since you cannot dispense with it if the initial visa is approved on that basis.. meaning upon renewal.. it's important to check these things out properly before deciding on the best course of action.. no doubt others here will clarify my thoughts in due course.. wish you and your family well with your migration journey 👍

Premiums will depend upon the age and value of the car and the make/model/engine capacity.. as well as type of cover.. eg. class 1, class 2, etc.. so it's impossible to compare what other people are paying in a relative sense.. meaning if you insure a 10-yr old 1.0 litre compact car with class 2 cover you will pay a substantially lower premium than someone insuring a brand new 3.0 litre SUV/4x4 on a class 1 basis.. it would be better for the author to ask the readers for an idea of cost to insure the type of vehicle they are considering owning.. then maybe people with a similar vehicle can give a meaningful response.. otherwise it's like trying to compare house prices without knowing the location, plot size, type of building, nature of construction, quality of materials etc!

It's a shame that some people fail to read what is written before letting their belly rumble!

My apologies if i misunderstood what you wrote.. only you intimated your investment was held in pesos.. therefore your interest or 'the return' will also be paid in pesos.. so at some point you need to convert pesos into baht in order to spend it in country.. hence exposing yourself to an exchange rate risk.. in simple terms.. if you make a 10% gain on investments held in U.S. dollars over a year.. but the dollar devalues by 7% against your currency of choice.. then you have achieved a net gain of 3% in real terms.. and that is the inherent risk.. by contrast if you live in the U.S. and all your income and expenses are managed in dollars then you really have achieved a return of 10%.. conversely if the exchange rate moved 7% in your favour then your 10% becomes 17%.. this is why corporations with large revenues or indebtedness (indirectly) use the swaps and options markets to fix their exchange rates in advance.. because a market shift at the wrong time could wipe out all of the profit on a commercial contract.. and have disastrous financial implications.. and people are no different.. to suggest foreign currency investing is 'basic finance' only demonstrates your own naivety not mine my friend.. as does patronising someone you don't know simply because their opinion differs.. everyone has a different attitude to risk and a different tolerance to investment fluctuations.. so it's horses for courses.. and my original observation was simply that it's much more complex than many people think.. enuff said!

@Todd ********

Except you forgot to factor in exchange rate risk.. or mention that a sudden shift in swap rates can eliminate all gains on a foreign investment.. overseas money is not spendable in Thailand until it's converted into Thai baht of course.. and therein lyes the problem.. you could be lucky or you could be very unlucky depending upon your timing.. so to suggest your theory is flawless ignores the complex nature of financial markets.. and to imply that everyone should do this to off-set their agent's fees just because it has worked for you (so far) verges on the lemming theory.. and before you tell me i don't know what I'm talking about.. i should mention that I've been a portfolio manager and active in risk management in financial markets for over 40 years.. so i speak with a little knowledge on the subject!

@Nick ***********

I didn't say that anything was 'not possible' so you must have misread what i wrote.. i simply pointed out some of the potential pitfalls.. things that can go wrong without suggesting they always go wrong.. you pays your money you take your chances at the end of the day!

@John *******

That is not what i said at all.. i said that 'if' an agent obtains a visa for a client who doesn't qualify for it.. eg. by employing the services of immigration officials they 'work' with.. then there is a risk of the visa being withdrawn at a later date should the system be audited and irregularities come to light.. though i accept this may never happen it remains a risk that neither the applicant nor the agent can control.. in general, an agent has a fiduciary duty to act in good faith and in the best interests of the principal.. ie. his client.. and in accordance with the agency agreement at all times.. so this should protect the applicant from being accused of malfeasance in the event of any shenanigans by the agent.. meaning any misdeeds committed by the agent but unknown to the applicant.. however, if the applicant knows he/she did not meet the criteria at the time of the application.. eg. they did not satisfy the income or savings requirements and cannot prove it retrospectively.. then I'd suggest that is sufficient evidence for immigration to cancel a visa.. it would also infer collaboration between agent/applicant and that both parties had full knowledge of the intended deceit.. and in this scenario the applicant would be considered equally guilty.. and could potentially face equal punishment.. it's all very hypothetical i know.. but also very possible.. remember we are living in country where the immigration rules are not set in stone.. they are interpreted differently between different offices.. and even differently between different officers within the same office sometimes.. the point being they are both fluid and unpredictable.. the best advice is to play by the rules.. and if you want to ensure the best chance of staying here long term.. then don't take unnecessary risks.. otherwise be prepared to have to leave!

@Nick ***********

I neither seek nor need your approval my friend.. though you are entitled to your opinion as is everyone else.. but if you want to attack my opinion.. i politely suggest you offer a comment that is at least structured and rational in its construction.. labelling someone's opinion bs simply because you dont agree with it is not a credible response I'm afraid!

The argument surrounding 'use an agent' versus 'do-it-yourself' rages on.. the reality is that every individual has to weigh it up for themselves.. imo agents are expensive but if you can afford the convenience could be the right solution for you.. but if you don't meet the rules for the visa you want and use an agent to 'sweeten' the process.. then you will have obtained your visa through illicit means.. and if ever immigration here decides to cleanse it's ranks and investigate such visa issuance.. then people could find their visa invalidated.. or worse they could get banned from Thailand altogether.. if you are happy to think that will never happen then that is your choice.. but it remains a risk.. and if an agent has pulled strings to get you a visa then you must be willing to use them (and pay them) again at every renewal.. since only they will know how to repeat the process successfully.. meaning without raising red flags.. switching to the 'diy' option later could expose earlier short cuts.. as other people have found out for themselves.. there are many situations where engaging an agent makes sense.. but imo if you're applying for a non-o based on marriage or retirement and you meet the relevant criteria.. then an agent is completely unnecessary.. to use the figure of 30,000 baht per visa mentioned earlier.. that equates to 60,000 baht for a his and hers non-o visa.. if you prepare properly and go early (to give yourself time to correct any deficiencies) your application could be completed and submitted the same day.. and even if you have to return the next day you're looking at 2-days of graft at best.. I'd like to know where you can earn 60,000 baht for 2-days work.. which in reality is probably only 8-10 hours work.. unless you are an agent of course 😉