soisanuk

A few weeks ago a friend told me her son, who uses a Pattaya Agent for renewing his extensions at Jomtien Immigration as he does not have the 800k in the bank, was told by his agent that he needed to switch from Bangkok Bank to another bank as Jomtien Immigration was no longer accepting agent renewals using Bangkok Bank. I renewed my extension on the 3 July at Jomtien Immigration. I use the 65k monthly income method and do not use an agent. I use Bangkok Bank and no question was raised. So, it is apparently that Jomtien Immigration is not accepting Bangkok Bank accounts if the extension is being done by an agent.

I contacted the person in the PCEC who handles their webpages on Immigration issues. He noted that although not specifically mentioned in their checklists for Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration, their main webpage for Extending a stay showed He said he has seen this thread and as a result has moved the above into a more prominate posirion on that page and has now included similar notation on other pages including their checklists. Jingthing also wrote: I have only seen one report by someone that said he was told to expect such a visit and have not seen any follow-up confirming such a visit actually took place. I will be renewing my own retirement extension next week and if a new requirement, will, I am sure, also be told to expect it.

This has also been my experience for several years now. I usually go early morning when they open - even so, it has always been to come back after 2pm the next day to pick up the passport. As to visit to residence, I will find out this coming week as I will be going to Jomtien Immigration to renew my retirement extension.

From some articles and reports I saw a few years ago, Bangkok Bank staff were pushing for the purchase of an accident insurance policy when opening an account. The annual fee was around 3,000 baht as I recall. Someone I know that pays for an annual accident policy pays his insurance broker a fee of around 2,400 baht for the policy.

The Pattaya City Expats Club has a webpage on obtaining a Residency Certificate from Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration office - Jomtien Beach Road Soi 5 - https://pcec.club/ResidencyCertificate

I get it regularly from a Pattaya pharmacy.

Agree - Immigration has now for several years required only sufficient time on the passport to cover the period of stay for entry. Thus there should be should be no problem in the airline allowing boarding. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if applying at a Thai Embassy/Consulate for a Visa still requires the passport to have 6 months validity.

The Pattaya City Expats Club has a checklist which is usually up to date. https://pcec.club/CHECKLISTS-Extensions-of-Stay

The Pattaya City Expats Club has the following on their website which has a link and instructions for doing the report - https://pcec.club/online-90-day/ It also notes that it may not always work even when it should:

Correct for reporting in person. For online reporting, it is 15 day up to due date (I usually do before the due date, but once let it almost slip by me and did it on the due date - it was accepted.

That would be the case. If you leave Thailand and return, the next 90 day report cannot be made using the online system. When I received my new passport in March 2024, I did the report at Immigration when I had the stamps transferred from my old passport. I did my next and subsequent online 90 day reports with no problems. I received my latest approval just before Songkran.

That may be Bangkok Bank's (or that particular location) policy, but that doesn't make it the policy of all Thai banks, or even other Bangkok Bank branches. The advice often given to foreigners, even those visa exempt or tourist visa, is to keep trying the different branches until you find one that will open an account. Likewise, several agencies offer assistance in opening a Thai bank account. The Pattaya City Expats Club has this comment on their webpages about banking in Thailand: bravo19 To obtain an OA visa, you must apply at a Thai Embassy/Consulate in your country of residence, it is not available from Thai Immigration. To obtain a Non-O from Thai Immigration, you need to show you have 800k baht in a Thai bank OR, if using monthly income, a Monthly Income verification from your Embassy (such verification is not available for holders of passports from Australia, UK, USA, & now Canada). Once you have a Non-O Visa, you can use Thai bank passbook/statements to show monthly deposits from a foreign source of at least 65k baht to get an annual extension of the permission to stay.

That may depend on location and the agent. Currently an agent in Pattaya that assists in opening bank accounts notes the following on their website:

If in Pattaya, MOTS is an agent that many use to assist in opening bank accounts as well a getting a Thai driving license. oldcpu A Non-Immigrant O Visa for purpose of retirement may be available at a Thai Embassy or Consulate in a neighboring country by showing one meets the financial requirements, i.e. equivalent of 800k baht (in a foreign bank is usually acceptable) or evidence of a monthly income equivalent to or greater than 65k baht. Probably less expensive than returning to their home country. JoseThailand To get a Non-Immigrant O Visa for retirement at Thai Immigration, you need to have already opened a Thai Bank account to deposit the required 800k baht.

That is what I do. Stock up with bottled water (I wouldn't dare drink tap water and neither do my Thai friends) and food. I manage to stay occupied with book reading and watching movies and shows on the TV. My Thai companions, of course, go out usually each day to Enjoy! Delivery services are generally available except on the 18th & 19th in Pattaya - especially the 19th - bumper to bumper traffic on all the main roads - and lots of splashing.

Applurinol and Colchocin are the two tablet medications I take and have done so now for many years (originally prescribed by a Dr at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya recommended them as a preventative). And yes, the Dr also recommended eating less chicken - but that was and is my main staple. I also eat beef fairly often. I haven't had gout since taking these medications.

If money transferred was in savings for income or pension earned before Jan 1 2024, then it is not assessable income and no tax filing is required. Another thing you may want to consider is, if your son is of age and has a bank account of his own, you could transfer the money as a "gift" - the threshold is quite high - Gifts to Parents or Children: Gifts valued under THB 20 million per tax year to parents or children are generally exempt from tax. Source: https://www.expattaxthailand.com/gift-tax-2024/

The Pattaya City Expats Club has the following on their Expat Recommended Health Providers web page:

Agree, Pupen's is very good. I do believe they take bookings, but not for weekends including Friday. Also, agree with post regarding Bang Saray - you will need transport, but better atmosphere. The one I have gone to (forget the name) is on a pier out over the water, so a nice view.

It has been a few years ago that I used their Baht Remittance Service. It took about 11 days from the time I sent money from my USA bank to Bangkok Bank's NY Branch and it arriving in my Bangkok Bank account in Thailand. The process: 1 Downloaded the Application which is a pdf form, completed it, and emailed it to the NY Branch along with the Identity page from my passport. [link for doing the download is on their webpage https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Foreign-Remittance 2. Using my USA bank on line banking, I ordered a check* payable to the NY Branch and had it sent by snail mail to the NY Branch's address. 3. The NY Branch after depositing the paper check, waited for it to clear. 4. The NY Branch then converted the dollars to baht** and transferred it to my Bangkok Bank account here in Thailand. 5. Although they remitted the money to me based on the emailed application, at the time I used the service, they required the original be sent to them by snail mail and if not sent, they would not not process any future transfers. [In looking at their current information, that appears to no longer be a requirement, but that may have been in info I received confirming approval of the application] * Personal checks mailed to them are not acceptable, but they will accept it as a bank money order if sent by your bank [I confirmed by email with them beforehand that they would accept my USA bank's issued paper check] - see Item 11 under Terms and Conditions which are on the 2nd page of the Application Form. ** They will send US dollars if requested, but according to their website, the fee will be $55 [IMO unnecessary unless being sent to a US Dollar account rather than a baht account - when I did my transfer, unlike US banks, the exchange rate used by the NY Branch was the same as used by their HQ here in Thailand.

When I set up a joint account with my Thai partner at Bangkok Bank several years ago, I was asked if I wanted it to require both of our signatures to withdraw funds or only one by either of us. We chose either one of us and also not to have an ATM card, only the bank book. It is my understanding that even if you have a will designating your beneficiary for all your bank accounts, for them to get access, the executor must still use an attorney to apply to the probate court for an order to be given to the bank allowing access. Since I wasn't sure whether being a joint account that the joint owner would also be barred from taking the funds without the probate court order if I died, I advised my partner to quickly take the bank book to the bank and withdraw the funds before the bank was notified of my death. However, it was my partner that died first - being 26 years older, that was not anticipated. We had needed the funds earlier for something else, so there wasn't much in the account. It was a few months later that I was at the bank and informed them the joint account holder was deceased. They said I had to close the account, they had me withdraw the funds and they closed the account. Nothing was said about needing a court order.

Correct! The NY Branch does have other methods for doing transfers referred to as: - International Automated Clearing House Transfers (IAT) - Baht Remittance Service - Domestic Wire Transfer The Pattaya City Expats Club has a web page describing the change from domestic ACH to IAT and the 3 methods shown above - https://pcec.club/BangkokBankNY. The web page notes the Domestic Wire information is old and that one should check with the NY Branch to determine is they still accept Domestic Wire Transfers.

This is posted on the Pattaya City Expats Club website:

The initial drop down window doesn't show it. You need to scroll down - it is the last item in the "purposes" on the list.

Earlier this year, after renewing my passport, I filed a new TM30 and later did the 90 day report in person. For my next 90 day report, I did it online - no problem. Next month, I am due to file another one which I plan to do using the online system.