Issanraider

I am planning to return to Thailand for retirement towards the middle of September and this is my plan of action, however if anyone sees any flaws in it please tell me. 1. I am depositing the equivalent of 1m baht into my Siam CB account by transfer from my Lloyds Bank account tomorrow. 2. when I arrive in Thailand I will get 60 days visa exempt stamp in my passport. 3. About 20 days from the expiration of the 60 days I will attend Khon Kaen immigration office armed with relevant documents and apply for a non immigrant O visa which will then give me another 90 days. 4. About 20 days before the non O expiry date I will apply for 1 year extension of stay based on retirement by which time I will not allow my account to drop below 800k baht. It seems simple enough to me but have I missed anything obvious that could cause a problem to this plan?

Thanks to all for the replies. I will pursue the Non O eVisa before I leave

Thanks for the replies. Will my connecting flight to Khon Kaen count as the onward flight. The monies will not be sent to SCB until next week so do they need to have been in there for 2 months before I get an eVisa in the UK. (Sorry for lack of question marks but for some reason my laptop wont type them!)

All being well with my house sale which is going through legal procedures at the moment, I hope to return to Thailand permanently by the end of September by which time a deposit of well over 1 million baht will have been in my Siam Commercial account for over 2 months. Thankfully I will now get 60 days visa exempt when I arrive, after which I will apply for a Non Immigrant O visa at Khon Kaen immigration, followed by an application for a retirement extension of stay. My question is will I be able to travel out on a one way ticket on Emirates Airline who I will be using as I have a lot of air miles to use, or will I be expected to get a return ticket given that I will not have a visa stamped in my passport before I leave. If anyone has an answer to this I would be much obliged.

Yes I have a savings account and a deposit account with SCB which I have had for over 20 years now, both in my sole name. Thank you for your help on this 👍

I am planning to arrive in Thailand with the (hopefully) 60 day visa on arrival and then apply at Khon Kaen immigration office for my non O Is that the correct procedure or should I be doing something different?

Could someone please clarify on this point? if I transfer about 1.2 million baht from my UK bank to my Siam Commercial bank savings (atm) account pending my planned retirement in Thailand at the end of August, can I withdraw any money from that account upon my arrival provided I leave at least 800k in that account for the purpose of applying for my extension of stay or does the full amount in that account have to remain untouched before I apply for the extension of stay? Also upon my arrival can I transfer 800k to a deposit account for say one month before my application on the basis that I can show that the required amount has been deposited for 2 months albeit in 2 different accounts? I would appreciate any help on this point.

Many thanks for the advice. I thought that the 800k baht confirmation had to be in my Thai bank account to get the non O over here but it is good to know that isn’t the case. I may do the 60 day +30 day option while waiting for my 800k to sit in my SCB account for 2 months. Thanks again for the advice

Firstly I apologise if this topic is covered previously but I have trawled through and cannot find it. I lived in Thailand from the years 2005 to 2012 when I returned to the UK to look after my father who passed away a couple of years ago. I originally had a work permit as I was working for a Thai law firm and after the job finished I had an extension of stay based on marriage with the required funds in my Siam Commercial Bank account which I have had for over 20 years. Unforunately for reasons that I will not go into, my wife divorced me without my knowledge as we lost contact during my return to the UK as I was here for much longer than I anticipated. We were reconciled in 2019 and I have been making regular trips to see her since Covid restrictions were lifted. We have not remarried. I now wish to return to live in Thailand but until I have obtained the proceeds of the sale of my house which is currently going through, I do not have the required 800k baht in my SCB account. I will be able to transfer it on completion of the sale but I want to get a non immigrant O visa here which will give me 90 days in Thailand during which time the 800k baht will be sitting in my account in readiness for the application for retirement extension of stay. However upon researching the procedure here it seems that I have to have either proof of marriage with 400k baht, or 800k baht already deposited. Is there any way I can come to Thailand on a 30 day visa on arrival and then apply for a Non Immigrant O whilst in Thailand or do I have to deposit the money in SCB first and kick my heeels around in the UK for 3 months before I come over. I will be living in Khon Kaen and will have proof of residency. A friend who lives in Thailand has suggested that I just come over on the 30 day visa on arrival and rely on the services of an agent but I would rather pursue then official line of application if possible. I would appreciate any help you could give me on this dilemma Many thanks

Forgot to add that I have transferred money into my savings account before from my Lloyds account here without any problems

Thanks to all for their responses. Seems that what I was told by SCB is correct so I think my best and safest option is to send the money to my savings account and then transfer it to the fixed interest account as soon as I arrive in Thailand. I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable carrying over £20k in cash and assume I would be questioned at my departure airport in England as to why I was doing so

I am hoping to return to Thailand permanently by the end of this year and have a residence with my common law wife in Khon Kaen. I have had 2 accounts with Siam Commercial Bank for several years, having lived in Thailand for 7 years before returning to England in 2012 to look after my father who has now passed away. One of the accounts is a regular savings account i.e a current account and the other a Fixed Deposit Account. When I sell my property in England which is currently going through, my plan was to send about 1 million baht to the Fixed Deposit Account by way of telegraphic transfer and leave it there for the required period in order to get my 1 year extension of stay. However upon recently visiting a branch of SCB in Khon Kaen I told by one of their English speaking staff of my intention and she told me that it is not possible to transfer money into that account telegraphically and that the money will need to be sent to the savings account and then transferred over to the Fixed Deposit Account by doing a personal visit. I find it difficult to believe that I can't do it by way of direct transfer but would appreciate hearing from anyone who has encountered this problem, or indeed managed to do a successful transfer in the manner I was proposing. many thanks