Is this just ChatGPT with a wrapper?

No. A generic chatbot answers from training data and happily invents a visa rule. Thaissistant checks a knowledge base we maintain before it speaks, shows you which entries grounded the answer, and hands anything live to the Tour Tiger team. Anyone can rent the model we use. Nobody can rent the corpus — or a licensed operator in Maenam who picks up the booking.

How is the information verified?

Every law-and-life entry is researched from a strict source ladder: the Royal Gazette and the statutes first, then the government bodies that enforce them, then official translations — reputable secondary sources only ever as labelled support, and forums never. Each entry names its legal basis, links its sources, and carries the date we last verified the facts. Anything that moves faster than we can verify — office-level fees, officer discretion — is marked 'verify live' instead of stated as fact. The methodology page spells out the whole discipline.

Is this legal advice?

No — and we're careful about the difference. Thaissistant explains what the law says and how processes work in general, with citations you can check. It doesn't advise on your specific case, predict outcomes, or replace a lawyer. For a decision that matters, the entry's sources tell you exactly which authority to confirm with.

Can it actually book things?

Today it takes your request and hands it to a real person at Tour Tiger — often Alexander himself, on WhatsApp or the phone — who checks availability and confirms with you directly. Payments, PromptPay, and calendar booking are planned for Phase 3. The principle holds throughout: automate the conversation, not the transaction, until we can do the transaction properly.

Can it read a Thai document for me?

Yes — paste the text of a letter, a form, a lease, or a fine, and it translates and explains what it means in plain words. Two honest caveats: the translation is unofficial (only the Thai text has legal force), and if the document is high-stakes, it will tell you to confirm with the authority or a professional rather than pretending a chat is enough.

Alexander Wich — founder, and the person who answers the WhatsApp. He built Thaissistant himself, with Claude Code, on top of the business he already runs: Tour Tiger (Thailand) Co., Ltd., TAT Licence 44/00524, a registered Thai tour operator in Maenam, Koh Samui. When the assistant hands you to a human, that human is usually Alexander or someone on his team. Feel free to test that.

What does it cost to use?

For you, asking Thaissistant is free — and so is the knowledge library. For us, a conversation runs about $0.01, the whole 6-month validation budget is under $2,000, and monthly running cost sits at $50-225. Breakeven is one or two extra bookings a month.

Why did this start on Koh Samui?

Because we wanted to be genuinely excellent somewhere before being vaguely useful everywhere. Samui gave us a licensed operator, real products, and real customers asking real questions — the loop that proved the engine. The life-and-law library is that same engine pointed at the questions every foreigner in Thailand has, not just the ones on holiday.

What happens to my data and my question?

If it's a genuine booking or service request, it becomes a lead the Tour Tiger team follows up on — that's the point. We're not in the business of reselling your inbox. Anything specific, write to hello@thaissistant.com.

The 90-day report: an address notification, not a visa event

Facts verified · 2026-07-11

Section 37(5) of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) requires any foreigner staying in the Kingdom longer than ninety days to notify immigration of their residence in writing upon completion of each ninety-day period, repeated at every ninety-day interval. The form is TM.47, and the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Los Angeles' guidance allows filing in person, by an authorised person, or by registered mail; an online channel also exists through the Immigration Bureau's TM.47 portal (tm47.immigration.go.th).

The folklore corrections matter more than the rule itself. First, the report is in no way a visa extension — the consulate's own page says exactly that; missing it does not overstay you, and filing it does not extend you. Second, the clock does not run from your visa or extension date: it runs in continuous days of stay, and if you leave Thailand and re-enter, the count resets to zero in every case — your next report is due 90 days after that re-entry. Frequent travellers may never owe one at all.

Penalties come from section 76 of the Act: a fine up to 5,000 baht plus up to 200 baht per day until compliance. In practice the published tariff is at least 2,000 baht if you report late yourself, and at least 4,000 baht plus the daily amount if you are caught not having reported.

Legal basis

Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979), s. 37(5); penalty under s. 76

⚠ Verify live

The accepted filing window (commonly described as 15 days before to 7 days after the due date at offices, 7 days either side in the consular guidance read this session) and the reliability of the online channel vary by office — check your local office before travelling there.

90 day reporttm47address notificationimmigrationreporting

General information, not legal advice. Laws and practice change; for a decision that matters, confirm with the authority named in the sources or a licensed professional.