Bangkok Basha

Fort Collins is one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country right now. Regularly makes the list of "most livable U.S. cities". It does have good public transportation, an excellent Senior Center, and a very nice climate (cold winters but with mostly dry snow and sunny days). Small college towns are usually a good bet for retired seniors but few have walkable streets (Fort Collins does, but it's very spread out) and supermarkets in the town centers. Supermarkets are dominated by large chains with giant parking lots like Walmart. I hear Silver CIty NM is nice, but probably no public transportation. 

14 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

So if i had to recommend anywhere it would be somewhere in the Rocky Mountain West.

 

Rapid City SD, Deadwood SD, Missoula MT, maybe Cheyanne WY, although I'm not a fan of the area.

Then you get to the rather more pricier parts of Colorado. Vail, Beckenwood, although to those in the know it's just 'Breck'.

Fort Colins CO might also be a good choice. Straddles that price point, and the big city/small city thing, although it's flat and boring, it's still close enough to Denver

 

The smaller towns, like Deadwood, by definition going to be closer to the local supermarket. As you scale up to the likes of Fort Collins, transit becomes available

Could someone please share the links from previous posts on how to transfer from a Non-OA to an O?

17 hours ago, rastlin said:

None taken.

 

My purpose was to inform regarding my recent experience and to suggest to others in a similar spot as me (frequent travelers to Thailand but within the posted "rules" for entry) that getting a retirement Visa might be better than counting on immigration to enforce the rules as posted.

 

Sorry if the post is not worthwhile. 

 

 

 

 

This is actually very useful, since I know a number of older travelers who own property here, but go and come repeatedly on visa exempt status, and are concerned that they could also be questioned about the frequency of their visits. Thanks for posting. 

On 11/29/2019 at 6:08 PM, bangkokgalaxy said:

"I rushed to SCB and got a letter from them showing the 3 transfers to BKK Bank as international, and went back the following Monday to CM Immigration, and they refused to look at it. And as my previous Extension had expired the day before (on a Sunday), they told me I needed to leave the country..."

 

Did they refuse to look at the bank letter because "your previous extension had expired" or because they won't accept the bank letter that confirmed your international transfers? I

 

 

I have the same issue with my bank statements (they show as SMART transfers) Today, a visa agent insisted that I get a bank letter that will clarify that all my transfers came from international sources would suffice. 

 

Does anyone know if immigration accept the bank letter?

The first agent I saw accepted the SCB letter, but her supervisor noticed that I had been there the last work day before- i.e. the Friday, and asked me if I had seen another agent (which my paperwork clearly indicated I had). I was then taken to the agent who had denied me, and who had in fact asked me to get the SCB letter, but the two huddled, and decided I would not get an extension, and then marked through the stamps the agent had already entered, and then told me to leave the country. I almost lost my temper, but gratefully did not. After a pleasant 2-day stay in Phnom Penh, I returned via Suvarnabhumi and had no problems with a visa exempt entry.

Good luck with this. I was turned down flat at Chiang Wattana in August 2019 for having only ten months out of 12 with the minimum 65,000/month transfers (so much for 'flexibility'). The last month (July 2019) I had more than 65,000, but all but one were SMT (Smart) transfers via TransferWise and were not recognized by Immigration as they technically show as domestic transfers. Turns out TransferWise was using SCB Bank as their intermediary bank before it was transferred to my bank (Bangkok Bank). I rushed to SCB and got a letter from them showing the 3 transfers to BKK Bank as international, and went back the following Monday to CM Immigration, and they refused to look at it. And as my previous Extension had expired the day before (on a Sunday), they told me I needed to leave the country immediately and return on a visa exempt, and reapply after I transferred 800,000 to my BKK Bank account (and recognized I would have to wait two months to do that). I duly left Thailand the same night for 48 hours in Cambodia, returned visa exempt, and flew back to the U.S. two weeks later and applied for a new retirement visa from the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington. The embassy only needed proof of my Social Security income (in excess of 65,000/month), an FBI police check (easy to get), and the usual other paperwork, and the new visa came back in two weeks. As it was before Oct. 1, no proof of insurance was required. I am now ensuring that every month's transfer is recorded as "FTT" (international transfer), not SMT, and still use TransferWise to do that. I realize that not everyone is willing or able to return home to apply for a new retirement visa as I did, but that was my choice rather than having to deal with Chiang Wattana again until next year (I hope). 

Be advised that depending on your age, Pacific Cross requires a complete physical exam and check-up to be submitted with the application. I applied at the age of 73. I went to Bangkok Christian Hospital and got the check-up, and submitted the exam and receipt with my application, and was reimbursed the cost of the exam after I paid for the annual premium (in one lump sum initial payment, btw). The insurance broker had the physical exam results reviewed by Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya (where I applied), and several exclusions were written into my policy). My original policy did not include Out Patient Coverage, but they have just informed me that I can upgrade my policy to meet Thai Immigration's new requirement of THB 40,000 in OP coverage for the price of THB 10,000 additional fee. The initial process took several weeks, and I expect the additional policy rider will also take some time. I am convinced that only a Thailand-based insurance policy will meet the requirement. I also have out-patient coverage with U.S. Medicare Part F (minus a deductible), and with coverage overseas for the first 60 days of travel, but it doesn't meet the Thailand Immigration requirement. 

Can anyone comment on whether a "Fixed Account" is OK for the 800,000 minimum required deposit for a Extension of Stay? I already have two accounts, one savings and one fixed, and I'd prefer to use the fixed one rather than open a new savings account just for this purpose. Thanks in advance. 

CW Immigration flatly refused to accept three deposits to my Bangkok Bank account that were "SMT" instead of "FTT", and denied my renewal in spite of having transferred more than 1m baht during the previous 12 months. Even after I got a letter from TransferWise's correspondent bank- Kasikorn- confirming that the transfers they received from TW and passed along to Bangkok Bank were incoming foreign currency transfers. Go figure.

My experience at Chaeng Wattana last week is instructive for two reasons. They disallowed three transactions in July 2019 made using TransferWise, because they showed up on my statement as "SMT" (Interbank Transfer) because TransferWise started using Kasikorn Bank as their intermediary bank in Thailand. Even after I got a letter from Kasikorn Bank stating that the transfers they received in my name were indeed international ones, the agents at Immigration refused to accept them. I also had only one transaction in August, 2018 for THB 32,000, and they absolutely required 12 consecutive months. That in spite of the fact that I had transferred over 900,000 in the 12 months total- no averaging. I was denied an extension, and as my previous extension had expired over the weekend, I was told that I was now on overstay and should leave the country immediately and come back on a visa exempt entry, which I did. The only option for me was to transfer 800,000 and re-apply, but since that would require 2-3 months ''seasoning", I decided to say <deleted>> it and just return to the U.S. and apply for a new retirement visa there. It's actually much simpler in terms of paperwork. 

Medical insurance is indeed mentioned on the Royal Thai Embassy website for the very long-term, ten year visa (O-X).

• – Applicant must have a bank deposit of no less than 3 million bahts in Thailand or a bank deposit of no less than 1.8 million bahts and annual income of no less than 1.2 million bahts. Such amount must be maintained in bank deposit in full for at least one year, and keep at no less than 1.5 million bahts thereafter.
• – Applicant must have a Thai health insurance for the duration of stay, with coverage for outpatient treatment of no less than 40,000 bahts and inpatient treatment of no less than 400,000 bahts.

Are they now requiring proof of insurance when applying for 0-A visas?

When did these rules start? I thought they started in January. In any case I did have 6 months from January to June covered, and 5 months before that. Still confused. 

Thanks so much for the responses. Elviajero, what is a "Non-O" as opposed to a "Non O-A" which is what I have now and have had Extensions for the past 3 years?

Anyone used a visa agent in Cambodia? My current Extension of Stay on a retirement visa is expiring before I could renew it at the last minute due to failure to meet the 65,000 monthly transfer requirement for one month out of 12 last year. Turned down flat at Chaeng Wattana yesterday. Does the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh issue Non O-A visas?

Does anyone know if a Non-O-A retirement visa can be obtained at the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh? My current one is going to expire before I can process an Extension of Stay (I waited too long to start the process and lacked some paperwork when I applied on the last day). Any information most welcome. Thanks.

"Combination method" not working at Chaeng Wattana, at least for me. In spite of having transferred nearly 1 million baht over the past 12 months, I was denied for having one single month a year ago with less than the required minimum of 65,000 month. And not only did they want to see the passbooks and photocopies of every page, they wanted "credit advices" from my bank (Bangkok Bank) for every single foreign currency transfer. I was unable to provide those for July 2019 because I had used TransferWise for three transactions this month, and only one of them showed up as "FTT" (foreign currency) tranactions. The other two were "SMT", or interbank transfer via Kasikorn Bank, TransferWise's correspondent bank here in Bangkok. It was a complete mess, and the agents were neither helpful nor even slightly encouraging. So much for "lenience" in this first year of no embassy affidavits. My current Extension of Stay expires this Sunday, so I will have to start over from scratch and apply for a new Non-O-A Retirement Visa somewhere else. Any suggestions most welcome? Cambodia? I would like to avoid the expense of traveling back to the U.S.

What time do the doors open at Chaeng Wattana, and what time do they start handing out queue tickets?

I'm going into Chang Wattana this week with only THB 715,000 in total monthly deposits for 12 months, but with over 65,000/month in the months since January, when the U.S. Consulate stopped providing affidavits. I have almost 150,000 in two Bangkok Bank savings accounts, so I'll find out if they accept that as a "combination" or not. Otherwise, I'm back to square one and may have to fly back to the U.S. and apply for a new Non O-A retirement visa there and start from scratch. I plan to consult with a law firm first to see if they have any options if refused Extension. 

How can a tenant (not an owner) file his/her own TM 30 upon return? (Assuming the landlord does not?)

I'm worried that recent transfers to my Bangkok Bank account using TransferWise show up as "Interbank Transfer Via Smart", and not FTT as previous ones had. I'm going to Bangkok Bank tomorrow to get 12 months' worth of foreign deposits, and they may not count those as foreign deposits for purpose of the letter required (I'm using the THB 65,000/month method). If this does not work at Chang Wattana Immigration, I'm screwed, as I only have a week before my current Extension of Stay expires on Aug. 4. My neighbor who is also on a retirement extension of stay, but who has not made the required deposits for the past year (using ATM cash advances instead) is returning to the U.S. to apply  for a new retirement visa, something I hope I won't have to do. I'm prepared to go the agent route and pay to expedite an extension of stay as the much cheaper alternative, but how do I go about finding one? Thanks in advance. 

Someone I know was at Chang Wattana today. TM 30 is definitely required, and those applying for Extensions were fined 800 bahts for not having reported within 24 hours of their last arrival, as shown on the TM 6. The fine itself was not the problem, it was the time it took for the two agents in Section B (who are also dealing with 90 day reporting) to fill out the identical paperwork in triplicate (no carbon paper here). In the case of my friend, the process took 2 and a half hours, as the vast majority of those applying for Extensions of Stay did not have a TM 30. On any given day, that number could be in the hundreds. If this sound like chaos, it is. Immigration don't have the personnel to deal with this, and there were a lot of dissatisfied "customers" today. Given the number of expats living in Bangkok alone, and the thousands of them who fly in and out on a daily basis, the new policy is completely unworkable. Does that mean that sanity will prevail? You guess.

I have never submitted a TM30, but have only had to do one (1) 90-day notification in 3 years (I have otherwise always traveled outside of Thailand before the next 90-day notification was required, and have never submitted a TM 30 on return). When I did the single 90-day notification, and when I have applied for Extensions of Stay (each of the last 3 years), I have not been asked for a TM30 at Chang Wattana. I do take a copy of my residential lease and a copy of the most recent rental receipt (for the Extension). A friend from Phuket says he has always submitted a TM 30 each time he returns from abroad. My condo building management has submitted a TM30 for each foreign tenant (as far as I know), and asked for a copy of my passport to do that several years ago (and they have no idea when I have traveled since then). Has something changed? Thanks in advance.

Can someone over 65  get a work permit in Thailand? I was under the impression that they cannot.