All Immigration offices have a slightly different interpretation of the rules.

Hua Hin you have to show a minimum of 65k every single month from abroard, so no if you transfer 200k in January you must still do 65k in february etc

I'm afraid you have to do the math.

Wise is undoubtedly better for smaller amounts while swift, bank to bank will have far cheaper fees for large amounts but you may lose a little on the rate.

Mist Thai bank accounts charge a landing fee, usually a max of 500bt. Also be aware that there is a limit on the amount you can transfer to some banks in Thailand in 1 transaction

Trailing spouse is possible, you would be advised to get your marriage cert legalized for use in Thailand by having it certified as an original which is done somewhere in Milton Keynes assuming you married in UK, but please google it as things change. You may have to get it translated into Thai & certified again here. This can be done in Bangkok or maybe by an agent if neccessary. Different immigration offices interpret rules differently so always best to check exact requirements with your local office.

Come on tourist & convert to O or O visa but work fast as you will need 800k in Thai account 2 months before your 1st 2year extension

@Mark *******

get it certified in UK as it would have to be sent to Milton Keynes anyway. You can then get an agent to do the rest here if you don't want to mess about with the Thai embassy in the UK.

If you google legalizing a UK marriage certificate for use in Thailand I think you'll find some posts

Get your marriage certificate certified before you come, Milton Keynes I think. You'll then have to have it legalized for use in Thailand, either by the embassy in UK or in bangkok. To do trailing spouse you'll both need O visa & will then apply for extension as retirement & trailing

The actual time scale to move to Thailand depends on you & what you want to bring. You could literally pack a suitcase & get on a flight visa exempt & check into a hotel while you look at houses. Difficult with a dog but there are boarding kennels here.

If on the other hand you want to be a bit more organized then apply for your visas before you come, maybe make a pre move trip to find a house, some won't accept pets, get a bank account opened.

It is possible to ship all your worldly goods but expensive & alot of rentals are furnished.

In short your time scale to move is anything from 24hours up depending on how you want to do things

You have to get your embassy to certify that it is an original & valid document then get it translated to Thai & certified at MFA, hopefully your embassy will be able to point you in the right direction.

I used a local agent to run around bangkok & get this done for me as it was more effective than spending a couple of days there to do it myself

@Mac ******

correct, O visa does not require health insurance at least at he moment, its advisable but at least you have more options.

From memory to legalize a UK marriage cert it has to be certified somewhere in Milton Keynes then translated & taken to ministry of foreign affairs in bangkok.

Once mine was certified I did use an agent for the MFA bit as it was cheaper & easier than going to bangkok myself.

Its a while since I did mine but a google search should turn up some information

You have the choice of

1 OA visa which you apply for in your home country & requires proof if 800k equivalent each each plus quite specific health insurance. You can show the funds in your home country but they will need to be moved to Thailand before you can extend the OA visa & will need continued health insurance.

2 Coming on an O visa ( or tourist visa which you will later convert to an O) quickly opening & depositing 800k & then applying for retirement extension.

It is possible for 1 of you to hold the visa & 800k & the other to be a dependant but you will need to have your marriage certificate certified & legalized or you will both need a 800k account each.

At most immigration offices you can show 12 monthly international transfers of instead of the 800k for your annual extension.

A lot of people do find the process confusing & use agents & they do have their uses but it can be costly & sometimes result in non legitimate visas.

Bear in mind that an extension actually costs 1900bt each & if you can open & fund a bank account they really shouldn't be needed.

Travel insurance!