@Dirk *************

From what I understand there are a list of things you need to do and there is a point system. The tax obligation, maybe marriage, Thai language skills, public service, etc. I am a retiree who has never worked in Thailand but was initially intrigued when I heard a rumor that there was a marriage pathway. I joined that FB group and learned that I was not going to get there without the 3-yrs of tax payments.

I do know a couple of Americans with Thai permanent residency. They have been university professors in Thailand for over 20 years. They aren't much interested in citizenship. I don't really care about it anymore myself. I don't personally know any westerners with Thai citizenship.

@Dirk *************

You don’t need to be married to get Thai citizenship. You do have to have paid Thai taxes for three years. There is a Facebook group dedicated to Thai permanent residency and citizenship.

I just bought a scooter in Ubon Ratchathani using my yellow book

@Aake *********

The OP is an American and cannot do this because our embassy no longer provides income affidavits. This is the OP’s first 1 year extension. If he deposits 65,000 baht to his Thai bank account each month for 1 year then he can use the income method by showing a 1 year bank statement.

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

Extended at Bangkok immigration for 6 years and the rules didn’t change. Go 45 days early and you always have time to deal with any issues.

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

The OP asked about Bangkok Immigration and in Bangkok the documents are valid for a week.

Also, there any many bank branches inside the CW center along with the Immigration office. If you need to do bank business then you can just go downstairs.

Also check with your bank about the 1 year bank statement. My bank is Kasikorn. The statement was a couple of hundred baht and they produced it on the spot so it is very easy to do. Some banks make you wait a few days for a one year statement.

There are bank branches downstairs at Bangkok Immigration. Check to make sure that your bank has a branch there and has teller machines outside the branch.

I would get a one year bank statement. The last one was over 10 pages long. They are just looking to see if you dropped below 800,000 which is easy to check with a quick scan of the statement. They aren’t examining each transaction. You also need to bank letter which is different than year statement. Both will be valid for a week at Bangkok Immigration. On the day I went to immigration I would make a cash withdrawal and update my bank book at the machines at my bank downstairs.

I also just had one account. I kept 800,000 + a 400,000 baht buffer and then transferred monthly expense money on top of that. I never had a problem about dropping below the 800,000 limit.

@Rick ********

I was out getting exercise so I declined the rides until I got caught in a downpour. The weird thing is that she knew who I was and where I lived. There aren’t many of us in the neighborhood.

I’ve never seen a hitchhiker in Thailand. I haven’t seen hitchhikers in the US in decades either. People here don’t walk a lot on main roads. There are so many motorbikes and bicycles. I used to go for walks in the evening and I was constantly being offered rides to wherever I was going.