I asked a visa agent the same question. They told me the price of each

10,000 - retirement

65,000 - marriage

You'll find the marriage visa is about that much more difficult. If you like adventure you can do it yourself to save a few bucks.

Kind of an odd time. Thailand offers several visa options and marriage is probably the biggest pain. Also, the Thai government has threaten to tax some monies coming into Thailand, so tax status is a concern. Nobody knows what will happen with that. You may consider getting a longer term visa to see how it plays out and weigh your options carefully.

If it can fit in a suite-case, you're alright. I have traveled with 3 laptops with a combined total value well over 20,000.

I would not declare anything when coming in. Customs here is kinda voluntary. I think they may stop you if you have several suite cases or an arm full of gold watches but otherwise their not concern with 'personal use' items.

I have no suggestions for you. But I am curious, is your name on the Birth Certificate?

I would have assume it would have been an easier process if you're on the birth certificate. I assumed you would pack the kid on the plane and when they arrived in the US, they would be citizens.. Doesn't work that way huh?

I always take my mobile device in and let them figure it out.

It's a common rookie mistake.

I have deposits going back at least a year (18 months) so I know the option has been around for at least that long

@Andrew ******

I have a Thai friend who is a jr. freelance developer. She lives in Isan so I am not sure if she would be much help but let me if you want their contact details.

The concern is the Airline - they tend to be more strict the the government.

You may be over complicating the matter.

I have been in Thailand 10 years on mostly tourist visas. You're not technically supposed to do that but nobody really seems to care. Thai authorities care most about people taking Thai jobs. So if your friend was to work from his room only, they wouldn't really need to concern too much about he visa type.

Because they're going out and playing with hardware, this may expose them to some scrutiny. Although, I doubt very much anybody would care. They would care if your friend was the sort to go around offended Thai or Buddha.

One option would be hire a Thai person to do the repairs, your friend can supervise - wink wink.

Another thing to consider, the Thai authorities are not waiting at the airport to catch that one person with an imperfect visa. Thailand is not a police state. Your friend could come work for awhile (few months) and figure out the rest. Once your friend is here doing their thing, they'll encounter other expats and various other friends (agents). The situation will look different from here than it does from there.

My condo will do this for me. If you are staying in a condo you may want to ask the office if that is a service they provide (my condo charges like 100 baht or something).