BertM

26 minutes ago, SailingHome said:

I should be more clear. I am here on the misnamed "Marriage Visa". I report every 90 ndays and in December must renew the visa. I can't understated as a USA citizen what to do to show MY SSDI income in a form Thailand will accept. I am 48. 49 in December then 1 more year to the retirement visa. Any help greatly appreciated.

Ubonjoe is the TV expert on these matters, but based on what you just wrote, if extending based on marriage, you will need to show 12 mthly xfers of 40k THB per mth or more from overseas into a Thai bank and you would provide immigration with your bank book & bank letter showing those transfers came from overseas. It can be any income, not only SSDI. So, you can set up to xfer your SSDI directly here (ask Ubonjoe how to set up) or you can put your SSDI in a US bank and then make international wire xfers (probably more costly).

29 minutes ago, SailingHome said:

I am USA citizen

1 hour ago, SailingHome said:

December isn't far away. No way possible I will ever in Social Security have savings. Am I going to have to go back to visa runs and long stays away from Thailand? 

 

Cheers

Sorry, no more embassy letters for US citizens. Embassy quit issuing them because they would not or could not verify incomes. If you want to get an extension based on retirement, you must transfer a minimum of 65,000 THB per month into a Thai bank from overseas and be able to prove it with a bank book & bank letter or you can use the 800k method. If you can't do either of those two things, then yes, you may have to go back to visa runs and long stays away from Thailand. Or, you can borrow the money to put in the bank or try using an agent. Somehow, I think you probably already knew all of above. Good luck...

6 minutes ago, pt1001 said:

mate take your vietnam nonsense somewhere else. I cant say how many times iv said im not interested in vietnam. 

 

Thank you all very much for your amazing responses and genuine knowledge its massively appreciated. How can i mark this thread as resolved?

You can private message Ubonjoe and ask him to close it. Just find one of his replies, click on his profile and send him private message asking him to close this thread.

On ‎7‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 11:42 PM, pt1001 said:

Well thats the plan really i dont have intentions of telling people i work i just want to come here as a "permanent tourist" i dont care what loopholes i need to jump through to do it...aslong as i dont get busted... managed 5 years in spain under the radar but i need to know the ins and outs....

How do you plan to stay in Thailand as a "permanent tourist" at the age of 29? You really need to get that figured out first and then decide if you're willing to spend the money to do it and if it's possible and if you're willing to take the risks with Thai Immigration. Then, you can worry about where to live, how much rent to pay, how much electricity cost, etc. I'm sure there are plenty of guys on the forum who can advise on different ways to stay here full-time if it's possible. I'm really curious myself on how someone your age can stay here legally... The only ways I know of are buying an Elite visa, getting an ED visa or getting married to a Thai...

1 hour ago, Tanoshi said:

As an SMT transfer to your local account.

TW tag all transfers to the HQ's as FTT transfers.

BKK note that tag when transferring to a BKK local account.

KK and TMB do not.

 

Try requesting an annual statement  from KK's HQ for the International Transfer code, otherwise you'll have to request a Credit Advice receipt for proof of the foreign transaction.

Just asking... Do you think all IM offices will accept the Credit Advice receipts if the xfers show up as SMT or SMART codes in the bank books & statements? I read a few earlier posts that some IM offices only wanted the standard bank letter & bank book with FTT codes only and nothing else was acceptable... It would be very disappointing to have gone the whole year transferring 65k per month, then have some of the xfers show up as SMT or SMART codes in the bank book and your local IM office denies your extension and won't accept any other documentation that may prove the xfers were from overseas. I guess some people are willing to risk it...

53 minutes ago, BrianBkyn said:

I know. Exactly. But that is what happened. His address was the hotel he stayed in for one night. He has to go to Pattaya now every 90 days because that is where he got his extension done - though he had a Bangkok address. It is crazy. He will get the TM30 from the hotel every time. My guess based on nothing is that Pattaya knows exactly what is going on but also knows how he got his extension and so passed him through. Don't rock the boat. This may catch up with him at some point if these discrepancies are noticed by someone.

If your friend met all the requirements, he could have gotten the extension in BK. Either, he didn't meet the requirements or the agent just didn't want to deal with CW. In either case, he now has an extension, so he can keep going to Jomtien for his 90-day reports or he can (should) change his address to BK (like I did last year). I moved to Bangkok in Jan 2017, but did my extension in Jomtien in Sep 2017 even though I was living in BK. I put my BK address on the forms, but they either didn't care or didn't look at it. I changed my address at CW in Bangkok in Sep 2018 when I did my last extension, so now I file in BK. So, if your friend meets all the requirements next year, he can change his address and do his extension in BK. If he doesn't meet the requirements, then he's at the mercy of the agents I guess... That's the best I can figure...

9 minutes ago, mosan said:

You missed the point that no one should be intending to show up at immigrations with 12 different forms.  The TW documents should be used get the reference numbers of said transfers so that a bank (be it TMB Kasikorn, or Bangkok Bank) can provide you with a letter that shows your transfers and verifies that they originated--through TransferWise--from an overseas location. 

You missed the point. I never said 12 forms. I just said separate forms which meant separate forms from what immigration wants; a standard bank letter and bank book with all transactions coded as foreign. Up to you... I don't even use monthly method and my Swift wire xfer fees are free anyway... so I don't need to worry about running all over to get separate forms from international banking centers.

14 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

I know nothing of US bank practices but you would be wise to check what exchange rate you are given on those transactions.  I've seen several UK banks claiming to do cheap or even free transfers abroad but when you look into it, they get their money by giving you a poor exchange rate.  If yours is good, then you are lucky indeed.

I transfer USD and do the THB conversion in Thailand at Citibank since they offer me better rates than most of the Thai banks. I then transfer THB (no fees) to KBank to use for my yearly  extension. 

55 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

You do understand that TW is a domestic transfer in Thailand and funds are not received by K Bank "from overseas".

I guess some people prefer to do it the hard way to save some THB. Some Immigration offices may not even accept all of those separate forms. I wouldn't want to make 12 monthly TW transfers and then go to the banks asking for documents showing transfers came from overseas, only to show up at immigration and be told that those documents are not acceptable. Then, you're screwed and have to start over.

41 minutes ago, lucky2008 said:

Swift fee - 65USD

Intermediary bank fee - 20USD

Destination bank commission 15USD 

 

Total fee for Swift per transfer- 100USD

 

I make 3 transfers per month

 

Total Transferwise fee per transfer 16.00USD (Fee will vary depending on amount) 

 

Total savings =3024USD per year

Wow... Thai immigration only requires one transfer a month to meet the requirements for extensions. When I do a Swift xfer from Chase, there's no Intermediary banks involved and no fees at my bank in Thailand. I guess I'm fortunate. 

52 minutes ago, lucky2008 said:

I'm also with Chase and they always charge me 45USD for all international Swift transactions.

 

What type of relationship do you have with them exactly if I might ask? 

Chase Private Client...

6 hours ago, lucky2008 said:

So how much exactly are we saving compared to those using Swift? 

 

Not hard to figure out. 

 

Depending on the originating bank the SWIFT charge for the US can be anywhere from 45USD -65USD per transfer.

 

The Bangkok Bank charge is 0.25% of the total amount (minimum fee of 200 baht and a maximum fee of 500 baht). However, an intermediary bank (between the sending bank and Bangkok Bank) may also deduct an additional handling fee before sending funds to us. This handling fee ranges between 15USD -20USD

 

Doing multiple transfers per month can get quite expensive. 

 

Sometimes I make up to three transfers per month with TW at 25USD per transfer.   

 

For the money I'm saving on a yearly basis I really won't mind visiting Kasikorn once a year. 

 

Not everyone is paying Swift fees. My bank (Chase Bank) in the US, does not charge me any Swift fees due to my relationship level with them. I'm so glad I don't have to hassle with TW and have to worry about xfers not being coded correctly.

24 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Do you think Thai Immigration will be informing the public of the new rules before they take effect or wait till they can deny the extension because of spending money not supposed to be spent? 

New 800k/400k rules already are in effect since March 2019 I believe... The police order has been posted numerous times on this forum in other posts. Good luck...

9 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

Instead of trusting anyone you should just call CW and ask them yourself.

Good luck on your journey. Hope your trust in random Visa agents doesn't bring you into too much trouble.

He will take care of the TM28 when he does my 90-day reporting next week. And, he's not random. I used him last year. He was only trying to make sure they did the TM30, if not he would take care of. And, I do trust him that I don't have to report to anyone every time I spend a night away from my residence. Like I said, we will see what happens this year. Anyway, it would be cheaper to pay the 800b than make 6 trips to CW to report in or pay agency to do, or fight with the Leasing company to do and make sure they did. Good luck to you too.

1 minute ago, ThomasThBKK said:

He's wrong.

Especially on the out of country trips.

Residency changes are unrelated to tm30 anyway, tm28 is for your residental address change.

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
 

We will see... His agency is one of the largest in Bangkok, so I trust him more than some stranger on the internet... Back to enjoying my retirement... logging off..

Just spoke to my Visa agency attorney in BK since I moved to a new unit in the same building this month. He told me to ask the Leasing office if they filed the TM30 for my new unit or if they were going to. If not, he would take care of it. I am not going to file it myself (my choice). I also asked him about reporting when returning from out-of-country trips or in-country trips and he said I did not have to report to anyone upon my return since my permanent address did not change. I was hoping he would say that. I cannot imagine having to report to my Leasing office or to Immigration like some convict having to report to their probation officer every time I traveled. We already report every 90 days either by doing a 90-day report or with the TM6 when returning from overseas. I will see how things go this year since the new regulations went into effect in March. Good luck to all.

7 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

They don't care about that, they fine every foreigner instead, because thailand.

Sent from my LYA-L29 using 

7 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

They don't care about that, they fine every foreigner instead, because thailand.

Sent from my LYA-L29 using Tapatalk
 

 

Thanks. I will get the receipt from leasing company and make sure they filed it. ????

39 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

These rules are from March 28: https://www.dejudomlaw.com/asean-today-march-2019/ , read tm30 section

 

Nothing you did and how it was handled in the past matters, it changed recently.

Yes. I read the rules and they state it is the owner/leasor's sole responsibility to file the TM30 and not the foreigner. The foreigner is only responsible to obtain a copy of the TM30 receipt from the owner showing it was filed with IM. So, I should have no problem getting that receipt from my Leasing company.

12 minutes ago, hadock said:

"It will need to be at or above 800k for the two months prior to application for extension of stay "

 

Yes, this i know and this the IO told me also. But i apply now for a non immigrant O, and not an extension. I dont want to do an extension, i  just want the 90 days non immigrant O visa, as i go back to germany in around two month.

 

 

 

 

Maybe you can start over again if they deny you. Just put back enough money in account and reapply.

11 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

US citizens area allowed to have 2 original passports?  Do you mean to have two USA passports?  I like the idea but I doubt that is true.  Or do you mean they can have passports from two countries?

Not easy to get, only specific situations as shown below:

You can only get a second US passport if:

• You have more than one international trip coming up and you need to get visas, meaning your current passport will be out of your possession for some time.
• You have stamps in your passport that may result in denied entry to another country (e.g., an Israeli stamp in some countries).
• If you can prove your job requires you to travel frequently. Flight attendants, pilots and journalists covering foreign news, for example, likely qualify for a second passport.

6 hours ago, sniggie said:

There are problems with this once one is up and running on the income method. It has been suggested that Immigration will want to see the transfer at around the same time each month to prove that they are indeed pensions. So I am transferring exactly 65K at the beginning of each month to make it easy for an IO and topping up as necessary later in the month.  As I posted once before, if I tried to live on only 65K a month I'd soon be single! There is also the thought that, if I fall foul of the dreaded 'internal transfer' scenario one month, there should be time to do a Swift transfer to cover it.    

Why don't you just transfer on the 5th of each month instead of trying to time it exactly for the 1st of each month. You seem to be causing yourself added anxiety each month for no good reason. Nothing in the rules state that it needs to be on the 1st of each month. And, since it's not really a pension being directly transferred over, then trying to do it on the first to make it seem like a pension is really a wasted effort. All they have to do is ask for your pension statement and you're found out. I'm on the 800k method now, but if I ever decide to switch to the monthly xfers, I would do them in the middle of the month. Up to you...

4 hours ago, Toany said:

I was asked today to report my change of residence every time i spend a night in a different place by my local immigration office.  This i would have to do twice a week, every week.   They seem to treat us worse than criminals.  I really think they are trying to make it difficult for us to live here.  I'm beginning to wonder if it is worth all the hassle.

 

They also expected the owner to travel 200 KM to see them personally.

I have never been asked to report my change of residence when I stay in hotels inside Thailand or when I leave the country. I have never notified Immigration upon my return. I have never notified my Leasing company and they never asked me to notify them. I have not had any problems with CW Immigration in Bangkok and have not been questioned one time about a TM30. Guess I have been lucky...

When an odd or wierd question like this is posted, I always look at the person's profile. This person signed up on TV just 2 hrs ago to ask this question. I would guess he is out of money and looking for a reason for the authorities to send him home for free. If not, then I have no idea why he would post this... Surrender for what reason... maybe he's suicidal?

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 10:18 AM, mtls2005 said:

Quite a few "posts", just wondering if we can circle back to the OP.

The post you are wanting to circle back to is from Feb 2018. Since there are literally thousands of agents in Thailand, it would be easier to get recommendations on agents that people currently use instead of asking about a particular agency from a post that is more than a year old. Some agencies that I am familiar with are; TSL & Associates on Wireless Road in Bangkok, Siam Legal & Bangkok Buddy. Good luck...