@Nicola **********

Oh I see. It's possible Laos has mellowed, now with their new system but equally, if they're basically asking everyone to come in person, then perhaps they haven't. Will be interesting to hear whether this individual is approved or not.

@Cole ********

Of course they apply to you as nearly every bank applies the charges I've mentioned and there's no way of avoiding the 220 Baht ATM withdrawal fee inside Thailand while using a foreign issued bank card.

@John *********

Thailand's immigration system is based on the number of days you're allowed to stay, not months. Each visa type (or exemption) allows a stay of 30 days, 60, 90 or 180. Only extensions of stay and longer term visas such as the elite and LTV are done on the basis of years.

Other countries such as Malaysia allow a month, 2 or 3 months for short stays and don't put an exit date on your passport. You're to work that out yourself.

Ideally, one should stay in the country of submission or certainly, anywhere outside of Thailand until the visa has been approved. Some exceptions may exist, such as extended processing times impacting on the visa of the country you're in, but overall, I don't see why so many people are eager to return to Thailand on a tourist visa only to have to exit and re-enter on the DTV soon afterwards.

Moreover, processing times in Vietnam are rather quick, it rarely takes more than a week.

@Nicola **********

Assuming Laos continues to apply the same standards as when they were doing visas in person, it's 3 months. Better to apply in Vietnam, where they don't care how long the 500,000 has been sitting in your account for. Also, it's more convenient as you don't have to pay for the visa in person or come in for an interview.

@Jason *********

I guess, although I don't think one would normally find themselves in such circumstances very often. The best way is to pay in cash, especially when splitting a bill.

Saving on the huge 220 Baht ATM withdrawal fee for foreign cards, plus any fees your home bank charges, is the main attraction for holding a local bank account.

With one single exception over a year ago now (I had to pay someone on the spot) I have not withdrawn money from a foreign issued card in Thailand for almost 10 years now.

@Misha ******

I have 2 Thai bank accounts, but I almost never use QR codes. Cash is the way to go, complemented by the occasional use of credit cards, which can be a lifesaver in some circumstances. Just today I used my card to pay for fuel, after an ATM at the very gas (petrol) station I was at malfunctioned and erroneously told me that my account had no money in it! Decided it was easier to pay by card and withdraw money at the bank inside a mall, which I did later on.

@Georgijus ***********

Wise is OK but not entirely reliable. Any amounts above Baht take 2 or more days to get through. Sometimes even smaller amounts randomly take minutes to hours or even 24 hours to be transferred when yesterday it only took seconds. It's a very inconsistent and strange system they use.

Then you have the fees - manageable for small transfers but suddenly dozens of dollars when transferring over a few tens of thousands of Baht.

@Cole ********

No, it's not QR codes. It's avoiding a 220 Baht ATM withdrawal fee, plus 3% and a USD / EUR / AUD / CHF 5 withdrawal fee.

Very few banks don't charge these fees. The norm is to be charged these fees everytime you take money out of a Thai ATM on a foreign card.

I guess as a true nomad, who comes and goes, this might not matter too much, as you won't be living in Thailand for 5 continuous years but for those that do end up spending most of their time in Thailand, a Thai bank account becomes almost essential at some point. Making payments is very cumbersome (Ok, Wise works but isn't as convenient as making a local transfer) and for anything above Baht it takes several days and the fees can really stack up, for larger transfers.

How can you get access to your foreign cash if you're living in Thailand? Eventually, your cash will run out and you'll need to hit up an ATM or make a withdrawal via a bank branch (cash advance).

You'll save a lot of money on withdrawal fees by transferring to a Thai bank account.

The QR code thing really isn't a reason and certainly NOT the main reason for maintaining a Thai bank account. Minimizing fees and being able to receive funds and make payments (the former not related to employment of course as you're not supposed to work in Thailand except remotely while on this visa) are the main reasons.