TylerBKK

Yes, indeed. I actually used to use SCB before and I always had to visit the branch close to me first to get all the paperwork before going out to CW, which was always extra effort. Nice to have it all under one roof out at CW. Then the S&P rating downgrade hit SCB in 2022 and that's when I made the jump to BBL. This year is the first time I will be presenting the BBL account though for an extension so that's why I had some questions about the statements.

Thank you. My savings account at BBL for the visa is not used for anything. Just interest going in and out. But I assume they will want the 12 month statements anyway. I'll check with my local BBL branch first to make sure I will be able to get two six month statements at the BBL branch at CW. Waiting 30-60 minutes for all the paperwork at BBL CW (if necessary) won't be an issue.

I believe statements aren’t required on fixed deposits because the money can’t be withdrawn intermittently during the year. Monthly statements are only likely required on savings accounts where money can be withdrawn anytime at will.

Right, you can transfer over 50K to BBL, SCB, and KBank. All other Thai banks the limit is no more than 50K in one transfer.

I am not sure, but I think Wise can only transfer more than 50,000 THB in one go to the 3 biggest banks in Thailand and none of the others. So another reason to bank at one of the 3 biggest Thai banks if you do a lot of transfers with Wise.

4 Thai banks had their credit ratings downgraded by S&P in mid 2022 because of having structural problems. 2 of those banks were SCB and KBank. BBL was not downgraded, in part because it is deemed systemically important to the country's economy and banking system and the international credit rating agencies like Fitch and S&P believe it will never become insolvent. I chose BBL at the time because some Thai banks were looking less secure and because it is the only Thai Bank, of the 3 biggest Thai banks (SCB, BBL, KBank) with a branch at CW immigration that wasn't downgraded. Also seemed like the safest and most convenient place to park the required visa money for the long term. Have had no problems with BBL and the suggested two 6-month statement solution also sounds fine.

I once had a problem after getting a new passport issued because the old passport number was still in the system. The only way I could resolve the issue was by leaving the country. Eventually I left and came back in on the new passport and then never a problem again.

Thank you. That sounds like a great solution. Not sure why that hasn't been discussed yet. You will probably have to pay for two statements, but it's well worth it for the convenience and time saved. I assume what that means is that any BBL branch can generate a 6 month statement on the spot for any time period and that only a statement request covering a period beyond 6 months is the challenge. Years ago I had a Thai bank account that didn't have a passbook and the bank could only create 1 month statements for the account and they would give me 12 of those. That worked too for immigration purposes. Immigration doesn't require it to be in one statement, just as long as the 12 month preceding period is covered by the statements.

Thank you for the helpful replies. The last time at CW I had used a foreign currency savings account with a balance of over 800K equivalent from another bank, which had a passbook, and it was also updated the day that the extension was applied for, but they still asked for a 12 month statement anyway, which I did have, so it wasn't a problem. Perhaps with Bangkok Bank accounts they know it could take up to a week to obtain a 12 month statement so they don't ask for it. Don't know.

I'm a bit confused about what immigration in CW requires for a bank statement if someone has the Baht 800K in cash in a Thai bank savings passbook account and is applying for a 1 year visa extension on the basis of retirement. Is it a 6 months or 12 month statement that is required on the statement? I would assume that they want a 12 month statement to show that the full amount of the 800K remained in the bank account for the 3 months immediately following the date when the previous 1 year retirement extension was granted. Also, if, for example, Bangkok Bank takes 5-7 business days to issue a 12 month statement, then how old can the date be on the statement, prior to the visa extension renewal application date, while still being an acceptable 12 month bank statement by immigration?

By the way, people usually think of making a deposit on the date of the visa letter issuance in order to cause some account activity for passbook updating purposes, but an account withdrawal is also perfectly acceptable in this instance. If you have an account with exactly a 800K THB balance which has been sitting there for a year, then it is likely that at least 100 Baht in interest was earned over the 1 year period year. So a withdrawal of 50-100 Baht shouldn't cause the balance to drop below 800K if you prefer to actually withdraw rather than deposit.

On the morning of the day that the visa will be renewed one can also transfer in or transfer out either 50 or 100 Baht electronically to the account before going to the bank for the letter so that the account already has some activity before getting the letter issued. This can be done without any transfer fee to or from any other Thai bank account using the internet banking app. It can also be done using a friend's account or another bank account you have at another Thai Bank. Alternatively you may also be able to log into your own bank's internet banking app in the morning and then simply do something like a cell phone service top-up for 20 Baht from the account and this should trigger some account activity on the account so that the passbook can be updated with a current balance entry on that day.

In conclusion, I decided to transfer in new funds in the amount of 800K into a new account so as not to disrupt the existing balance of the existing account currently being used for visa extension. But when I extend my visa again in early 2023 I wont be able to use the new account for the extension yet because it wont yet have a 12 month account balance history. So when I extend my visa early next year I still plan to present the old account and not the new one. My question is, as soon as I extend my visa again early next year using the old account, can I then immediately withdraw all the funds and close the old account since (for the following year’s extension in early 2024) I should be able to present the new account for the visa extension since by then it will have more than a 12 month balance history of 800K on deposit in the new account? And I assume for the 2024 extension there will be no need to show any information about the old account since the new account will fulfill the visa extension requirements in 2024 at that point? I am just a bit concerned that I close the old account in 2023 (after extending my visa) and then in 2024 they still ask to see the old account for some reason. Thus, this could be a problem if I close the old account in 2023 right after extending my visa. Is there any chance this issue could arise in 2024? Thank you.

In the past I have done both, brought the prefilled out form and photo myself and only paid the 1,000 Baht and on other occasions paid the 1,200 Baht and had them do it all for me. With the 1,200 Baht method I just handed them my passport and they took a digital photo and prepared the form electronically for me. It seemed to go faster the 1,200 Baht way. Either way works though.

Thank you. Zone 2 is the immigration entry area to the left hand side if you are facing the gates from the check-in counters?

Is it still easy to get a quick re-entry permit for 1,000 Baht on departure from Suvarnabhumi Airport? And, if so, does it still take only about 15 minutes to process? Also, is the counter still in the same place on the left side of the immigration counters at the immigration counters area on the Departures East side of immigration counters? Thank you.

Thank you all for your very helpful replies.

I am wondering if one is going to change the bank and account that they use to prove that they have 800K Baht on deposit in a Thai Bank for purposes of extending their visa for another year on the basis of retirement, and if they have extended the same visa for a couple of preceding years already on the same basis of retirement, if it would be necessary to show proof that the funds being shown in the new account were also brought in from overseas? Or is the proof of funds originating from overseas only required on the first one year visa extension and then if/or one switches banks/accounts it is no longer required to show any origination of funds? Thank you.