On my reconnaissance trip to Bangkok I met up with a Visa agent and we discussed all the required paperwork and the process to expect. Then when I actually made the move a few months later I had the police check document and the health information prepared, met up with my agent again, and got everything taking care of at immigration in under a day. I did everything upon arrival into BKK. Highly recommend this approach.

Return to Thailand, hire a visa agent, and get all the necessary immigration experience completed in under a day.

Keep in USD. My financial brokerage account charges about $6.50 for a SWIFT transfer and arrives in Thailand the next day. Wise has a history of horrible customer service if there is any problem. And I've had a couple problems before so I would never use them again.

@Helen ******

I prepared the needed documents before I arrived into Thailand. Once here, found a condo, then met up with my visa agent. We went to setup bank account and do other associated paperwork. Under a day at immigration and walked away with my retirement visa. Easy process when using an agent. Highly recommended.

@Roberto ********

Absolutely... Get the right Visa and this is a non-issue.

@Todd ********

After my horrible experiences with Wise, I will never go back to them. I'm not moving money all that often, so the cost of doing the SWIFT transfer as well as the slight differences in the exchange rate is negligible. I'd much rather have peace of mind that the transaction works.

@Richard *******

I have and a number of other people have reported problems on the forums.

@Todd ********

Don't understand your comment, I like my money and what it can do. That 1% can really screw things up. SWIFT has been 100% reliable.

@Leon *******

Exactly right. I too wanted to come to Thailand a long time ago but only recently had everything aligned to be able to do so. Now I'm enjoying the lifestyle and doing everything properly regarding visas so I have no worries about just getting by.