Visa extensions

[secosteve]

Just read this on Thai Visa and I must say it sounds about right from a conversation I recently had with an immigration officer.

This is about your income not requirements of bank accounts.
 

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1076363-update-new-thai-immigration-rules-for-income/?utm_source=newsletter-20190105-1257&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

[iammike]

Still a lot of uncertainty surrounding this.

For example if you don't transfer money every month but only every couple of months (and that transfer equals or surpasses the required amount per month) is that allowed or not.

I for one do that as I wait till the exchange rate is favorable (or my bank account balance is getting low 55555555)

But reading the linked post, the 800k or 400k Bank account is still allowed and even the combination method Bank account + income (for retirement) is allowed.

Lot of changes happening, lets hope we have more certainty in the next couple of months.

[mudcat]

I for one have decided to park the 'spare' car (deposit 800,000 baht in Bangkok Bank) rather than deal with the changing rules around demonstrating income.  Previously I realized that obtaining a notarized statement of my pension would only work so long as I could get to Bangkok and raise my hand and would leave my wife with an illegal alien on her hands.

As it turns out that is no longer an option and I would be forced to bring in more Thai baht than I need for the five or six months we are here and move away from using US plastic which has better exchange rates than moving cash here.  For me going forward the deposit method makes more sense today and probably in the future

[iammike]

@Mudcat.

Good Points you are making. But AFAIK, you are not home free with only the 800k (retirement) or 400k (Marriage) deposited in a Thai Bank.

AFAIK, Immigration also wants to see that you spend money in Thailand and thus have money coming in from abroad or an income/pension deposited.

I have no idea how much Immigration is looking for that you bring in every year, maybe some other member knows more about this.

[mudcat]

Yeah, we have a regular bank account at BBK that gets regular transfers of around 40K per month when we are here and keep CC bills and ATM records that amounted to 400K in Thai purchases and withdrawals last year.  What I object to is the idea of transferring either my pension or my Social Security simply for the 'privilege' of staying here - most of us have managed our money well enough to live pretty well here. 

Steve

[iammike]

^+1

Shame there isn't a like button on here

[Freddy]

I just did my new retirement extension ( 5th Dec). I maintain the 800k in a deposit account. When extending I went with my other account book that shows money in and money out but was not requested or looked at. Only interested in the 800k and bank support letter.

[iammike]

A new topic with a "unofficial" translation of the New Requirements.

No Mention (YET) of Money in the Bank method (400k Marriage or 800k Retirement)

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1076642-thai-immigration-reveals-new-requirements-for-retirement-marriage-extensions-visas/

[Starman]

A new topic with a "unofficial" translation of the New Requirements.

No Mention (YET) of Money in the Bank method (400k Marriage or 800k Retirement)


https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1076642-thai-immigration-reveals-new-requirements-for-retirement-marriage-extensions-visas/

The new police order was issued to explain the changes in the 40k/65k a month method for those who can no longer get an affidavit from their embassy.

Money in the bank (400k/800k) remains unchanged.

[iammike]

Thx @Starman.

I hope you are right (but usually you are )

[Starman]

What needs to be remembered here is that this is not some kind of mass overhaul of immigration rules.

Only those from UK,USA,Aus and, I think, Denmark are affected as they can no longer get an affidavit from their embassy.

Any other nationalities remain unchanged in the process.

The money in the bank is still an option open to everyone as is the combination method for retirement extensions.

Bearing in mind those using affidavits need to show a constant monthly income of 40k/65k, it would seem likely that those using bank deposits will have to do the same.

This in turn opens a can of worms. Those that use a transfer service, such as Transferwise, will need to check how the transfer shows up on their statements. Some of them show the money being transferred from a local bank and not as an international transfer.

The idea of immigration wanting to see the money (400/800k) being spent was office specific and never present in any police order.

[iammike]

Thx @Starman (yet again)

Thx for the clarification, in my case I am using money in the Bank (fixed deposit which is in there at the moment already 538 days and the amount being WELL over the required amount)  but still the Immigration Office in Buriram was also scrutinizing my Savings account Bank Books from SCB, KSK and BBL to look for money coming in, they even needed copies of it. Even the Fixed Deposit account Book was looked at by 3 different IO's (if the Fixed account was closed there will be a BIG stamp across it with  ACCOUNT CLOSED)

I am going to extend for another year this week and I will report back on how it went, and just in case I made copies of my Savings account Books and HIGHLIGHTED the amount coming in from abroad (which also well exceeds the min. requirement (but only NOT monthly)

[Freddy]

As mentioned above I maintain the 800k in a separate account and when doing my recent extension there was no check on any other money coming in and being spent. Personally I think any Office that insists on checking this is on a bit of a sticky wicket as there is nothing in the legislation that supports the approach. Perhaps that is why it has stopped at the Buriram Office. If I am asked to show this again in the future I think I will be a little more challenging and ask why!! If I have met the legal requirements with the 800k then any other delving into my additional finances is actually quite personal.

[iammike]

+1 @Freddy

I forgot to mention that my experience that I wrote down in Post #11 was my First extension based on Marriage at Buriram Immigration.

Maybe this year will be different, in any case I will report back.

Or maybe I just have an untrustworthy appearance (55555555)

[secosteve]

The purpose of the new regulations is to ensure that the foreigners money is entering in to the Thai monetary system, in the case of the 400k and 800k this meets the criteria so nothing will change unless, you are showing money in the bank and income. If you are relying on any income then you will have to show it is paid in to a Thai bank account monthly. Previously some embassy letters just confirmed income so as from 2020 this will no longer be acceptable an practice and some embassies like the UK have now stopped issuing such letters.

For those of you that do wire transfers I can see no problem as long as they are done monthly and the bank can confirm the deposits, it is all going to depend on how pedantic the local immigration office wants to be.