Onrai

3 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Yes,the visa company you're referring to is completely wrong.

The 90 days report has NOTHING to do with the so called 90 days check, which is the 800k check 90 days after the 1 year extension based on retirement at Jomtien Immigration. No one will ever ask you about money when doing the 90 days report. The 90 days report is a verification of your last reported address,nothing else. This is a well known fact among expats but you're no expat,right?  

As to the lawyers and immigration services that outline the criteria on their website and make their living by navigating the visa process- well I am not sure I will dismiss their statements as inaccurately. And I don’t know what being an expat has to do with anything. I do live in Thailand, I do have a retirement visa, I did do the whole process myself and I am in compliance with the immigration code as spelled out on 

 

First of all why does everyone who responds always reference Jomtien?  I live in Loei and things may be done differently in Isaan. 

The 90 day check is only applicable after you have been in thailand 90 days. YOu can have a retirement visa, as I do, and since I travel outside the country frequently I am not required to do a 90 day address check because i am never in Thailand for  90 days. And that is clearly outlined and defined on immigration.go.th. And yes I am an expat with a non retirement visa. 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

My reply to your report about your 90 day address report was that of course they didn't ask you to show your bank book then because 90 address reports are completely SEPARATE from the mandated show bank book reports being mandated by a few offices such as Jomtien 

Ok. Few moving parts here. When I went to do my 1st 90 reporting , from the date I received my retirement visa, immigrations  told me I didn’t need to report since I had left the Thailand and hadn’t been back 90 days. So, essentially if I continued to travel and left Thailand every 90 days , as I do, and never return to my Amphur where I am registered then I wouldn’t have to do my 90 day reporting. My tm-30 is required within 48 hours upon returning to the Amphur I’m registered in. If if stayed in my Amphur I would have had to do my 90 day reporting but wouldn’t have had to report to immigrations about my address since I hadn’t left the Amphur. So as far as I understand -there are 2 separate reporting requirements needed.

1. YOu leave your Amphur you need to report online or in person that you are back within 24 hours

2. You don’t  leave your Amphur for 90 days you need to do your 90 day reporting to immigrations.

Not exactly crystal clear but that is the way it was explained to me.

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

My comment which is definitely correct is that 90 day address reports are a completely different report than when immigration at some offices requires people to show up 3 months after their extension to show that their bank book still has at least 800k on it and didn't go under. 

I am not talking bout 90 day address reports in my post. Read the post.

On 1/10/2020 at 12:52 PM, Jingthing said:

You posted false information above. There is NO CONNECTION between 90 day address reports and the mandated SHOW the 800K money written ORDERS given at some immigration offices.  None at all! Nobody credible has said that there is. So your report that this didn't come up at a 90 day address report is 100 percent irrelevant.

So every visa service advertising on the internet must be wrong and you must be right.

Frankly, I think I will choose to believe the companies that make their living running visa services.

If I have learned one thing is regardless of what you read from the Thai consulate or immigration websites it is completely arbitrary on how these rules get enforced. 

Example 1. When I did my 90 day immigration reporting retirement visaI didn’t have to show proof that my 800k was still in the bank.

Extreme example 2- names and places omitted to protect the innocent and guilty. My friend didn’t have 800k in the bank, nor any record of 65k baht being deposited on a monthly basis. He walked into immigration at 3.55 pm and walked out with a one year extension at 4.35 pm. Cost 17,000 baht to the immigration officer. Happened 3 days ago. It was the IO that suggested this method of extending since he didn’t have the money.

19 hours ago, IvorLott said:

I imagine some 'round up', followed by a mass expulsion of foreigners would cause irreparable long-term damage to Thailand's already frail tourist industry, let alone her equally frail international reputation (especially in Human Rights).

Bangkok is the most visited city in the world. Look it up. I wouldn’t categorize Thailand as having a frail tourist economy. 

When you apply for your new passport check the box on the application that you are requesting the large 52 page passport. 
Even then page 8 is the first page you can use for entrance/exit stamps. 

On 12/30/2019 at 4:38 AM, Chazar said:

Buy a  car and expect the  odd bump.

if  they are stupid   enough to be on the road they have to expect the inevitable, I  gave up  caring about this  years  ago

While the above answer in no way addresses the question being asked it completely ignores a phenomena that I have only seen in Thailand. The consensus is that Thai’s get have one of the highest per capital road death rates. Tell that to the dogs. I have never seen so many dogs sleeping on the side of the road, in the middle of the road, crossing the road in the middle of traffic. They don’t seem concerned about Thais driving ability. Some how they are convinced that they aren’t going to get hit. It is amazing that in the the  USA any dog wandering the road immediately causes people to questions the owner’s responsibility and carelessness for letting their dog loose. 

A few observations about dogs in general:

Dogs bark.

Dogs sense fear and if you are afraid of dogs they sense it immediately.

Dogs will run in packs if not controlled and locked up at night.

Small dogs seem to be more vocal than larger breeds.

Dogs are trained to attack, protect and kill in the USA. People have trained pit bulls to be aggressive. 

I don’t like all the barking at night. I don’t like it here and it was just as bad in the USA. 

3 hours ago, Momofarang said:

Well, since you have only 63 posts you probably assume you are a fast learner. But the very official figure of unpaid medicals bills is 500 000 000 Bahts. So if a deabeat Farang spends, hence brings into this excrement hole 500 000 Bahts a year, 1000 deadbeats will cover the loss for the Thai economy. And most of us spend a lot more then that.

So that is your rationale for not paying medical bills? Even the lowest income expats easily make up for what the thai govt. lost in providing free care to foreigners? What we spent in the economy easily wipes out the Farang that don’t pay. That is probably the least logical exculpatory explanation I’ve ever heard? And if you perceive Thailand as an excrement hole, why in God’s name are you living here?There are 195 countries in the world to choose from. Certainly you could find one that better suits your needs. 

Excrement hole sounds just like a Trump right wing supporter would say. 

12 minutes ago, Speedhump said:

The real annoyance is that the 90 day reporting can't be done online because the system only works when there's a 'z' in the month. Tried it again last week. 

What does that even mean?????

10 hours ago, DUNROAMIN said:

I don't believe the BS that is being spun by the government, as to "farangs" not paying their bills. Can you provide me with written proof that all Expats living here racked up these unpaid bills of billions of barht.

I didn’t say “all” expats are not paying for their insurance. All I can go by is what I have read in the past on the Thai visa forum and news. It seems pretty cavalier to suggest that your conspiracy theory and the thai elite concocting a means to line their pockets is any more plausible. And do you have any proof to substantiate your theory? 

And can you explain why you think it is tourists arriving here with no medical insurance vs. expats living here that cause the problem. 

Logic would suggest that the longer you the higher your chances of needing medical care. 

Your comment about surgery and the hospital demanding payment up front is not my experience. When I went for a minor surgery I paid after the surgery. My girl friend who just had breast cancer surgery paid during a week long visit in the hospital. In the same ward as my girl friend with a 65,000 bill that we could over hear that they didn’t have the money to pay. 

3 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

I think you would find its not unpaid bills that is the major problem. Its the fact that we dont pay taxes and fund the subsidised medical system. Yes, government health care is reasonably priced, because its subsidised. We can pay in full for healthcare and its only ever a percentage of the cost, Thai tax payers are paying the rest.

If you have ever been to hospital for a major procedure or accident care in thailand, its very hard to skip without paying.

 

Although its presented as foreigners are not paying their bills, its more a case of foreigners dont fund the system that pays most of the bill.

 

Insurance will, by default, move foreigners into the private system and out of the subsidised system

Point well taken. 

On 12/7/2019 at 2:47 AM, sunnyboy2018 said:

Im sorry to say that the filial piety you describe is a primitive, agrarian,  third world, sexist phenomenon.  In Thailand as in the rest of Asia it's the female who carries the burden of family honour and material support. Never the males. It is wrong and does not exist in modern societies that have justice and social equality as major goals.  East is east and West is west and never the twain shall meet. Im sorry to say the fault lines in the foundation of your relationship that were covered up in Issan are revealed on return to a modern industrial parliamentary democracy and the societal norms that underpin it. Its a very sad situation and one I have been aware of for decades. Its not just Thailand but everywhere where close extended families are the norm women bare the brunt and are negatively impacted. The myth of inter family cross generation support is actually a claustrophobic web of control and emotional dependance. I have noticed this in The Arab world and even Irish,  Italian and Portuguese families. Good luck with everything. You're a better man than I am Gunga Din.

Of course it is an outrage to want to take care of the your family that raised and nurtured you. Best to ship them off to an assisted living facility, grumble about how much it cost and visit them once a year. That is the goal of your post industrial parliamentary democracy. Live your life with no thought, or responsibility for family or elders. What a wonderful dystopia you describe- right out of Animal Farm or 1984.

As a side note you might want to read an in depth study from the Journal on Aging on explaining the factors involved in taking care of the aged in rural Thailand. See link below.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890406514000619 

I agree 100%. I went to Vientiane to get my Non immigration type O_A visa. Ended up a the Thai consulate without an appt. and they said I needed an appt to apply. I went back to the thai blog I had been reading and sure enough it was a couple years old and out of date. I can’t describe the absurdity of the process at the USA consulate. Essentially for $US50 they will notarize any affidavit you present them. I hand wrote a letter that I had no criminal record in the USA and they notarized it. I could have been a convicted felon and they would have notarized it. Same with sufficient funds in a US bank. That was more believable because I did have a recent bank statement to verify funds. 

I really wonder about the chaos US immigration officers are facing with the recent continuous changes to our immigration policy. I empathize with immigrations trying to keep up with all the new policies and regulations but it doesn’t feel good to be on the receiving end of all these shifting policies.

8 hours ago, Max69xl said:

The only place this has every been enforced for me is in Chiang Mai. Never been checked in any other city."

Then you haven't been to Pattaya/ Jomtien. They check for driver licenses frequently. 

Then the part about a needed pre-paid return/outbound ticket. If you apply for a 60 days tourist Visa in your home country, you must show a copy of the receipt for the ticket. No receipt,no Visa. That requirement has existed for 30+ years. 

I think you have confirmed my point: where there are a lot of farang at immigration offices the higher the probability of strictly enforced immigration rules.

While we could debate this endlessly- and Phuket is Pattaya I was never stopped in for a license or motorcycle license check. So, I think we can agree that there are at least two cities that check for motorcycle licenses while the vast majority do not. 

The 20k requirement was in reference to a post a month or so ago about a family arriving from Kuala Lumpur and being stopped and asked to prove he had the 20k. He didn’t have it and his thai wife had to go to the ATM to get the money to satisfy the immigration officer. Long string of comments from other people being stopped at the airport and asked for 20k financial proof. 

I do not see anything when searching “thai visa requirements” that there is a distinction in requirements between visa on arrival 60 day visa applied for in your home country. Thaiembassy.com does not make that distinction. 

4 hours ago, Martyp said:

You now understand the requirements correctly. I keep 800,000 in a bank account all year round so I don't worry about the changes month to month or year to year. I believe the new financial requirements came into effect earlier this year. You will have to do your own research on websites. You can search this group. This was much discussed and is old news. Or you could look at the Thai immigration website.

Clear as mud. I liken the situation to the law requiring farang to have a thai or international motorcycle license. The only place this has every been enforced for me is in Chiang Mai. Never been checked in any other city. Conclusion, enforcement of many regulations is arbitrary and can vary from district to district. I suspect immigration offices that process lots of extensions- Pattaya and Phuket are more stringent than up north in Isaan. 

I too keep 800k in a bank account, but now realize that is a lot of money to tie just to satisfy a visa requirement. It now seems, at least for me, to use the 65k a month income requirement. 

Regarding the much discussed bit- I have found so many topics being discussed on this forum that have no bearing on my experience with customs, visa extensions and random regulation enforcements. Never been asked for proof of income 20k bhat income at either airport or land crossings from Cambodia or Lao. Never been asked for a prepaid return ticket, both of which are clearly outlined in the thai embassies requirements for entering the country,  and endlessly discussed in these forums. I won’t categorize difference experiences as misinformation, but it certain that the regulations are ignored, misinterpreted or strictly enforced depending on where you go for your visa extension.

2 hours ago, Martyp said:

Your source is out of date. Starting this year you need to have the 800,000 baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months prior to your application for a 1 year extension and for 3 months after you get your extension. For the remainder of the year you must have a minimum of 400,000 baht. Two months before your next extension you have to have 800,000 baht again. A very few number of immigration offices, Jomtien for example, ask that people return 90 days later to show they have maintained the minimum 800,0000 baht. A small number of offices ask that your have 800,000 baht in your account for 3 months before your application. Of course, you need to check with your office to learn their particular requirements. Starting this year you also need to have health insurance from a Thai insurance company but some people are exploring whether they can use their foreign insurance.

So If I understand the process correctly-

1. 2 months before applying for a renewal on your retirement visa you have to have 800,000 bhat in the bank.

2. You are required to leave the 800,000 in the bank for 3 month after you get the visa. So, that is 5 months. Then you can use Up to 400,000 portion of the 800,000 for 5 months until you must once again prove you have 800,000 in the bank 2 months prior to your extension. 

Can you please I understand the new requirements correctly. In addition, what website are you using to reference the seemingly ever changing guide lines?

22 hours ago, Delight said:

The 800K Baht option is 800K Baht for 2 months prior to application and 90 days after a successful application. 800K has to be in your bank for that amount of time total. You have to show evidence (letter from your bank) on both occasions.

I see no mention of having to hold the money in your account after you have received the visa?? 1st time you apply for a retirement visa money must be in your account 90 days before visa will be issued. 2nd time you apply it has to be in you account 60 prior to visa being issued. 

Source Is immigrationbangkok.com

Proof needed

Your annual income or pension must be proven in the form of an affidavit from your foreign embassy or consulate.

To prove that you have sufficient funds in a Thai bank account you must provide the following documentation:

• An updated passbook/bank book which is in your name and from a recognized Thai bank.
• A letter from the bank clearly stating that at least 800,000 baht was deposited in your account from an overseas source, and has been cleared at least 2 months prior to the date of your retirement visa application.
• While it is not common procedure, in some cases you may be required to provide the following:
• Police clearance
• Medical certificate

9 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

LOL - do you know how long it actually takes to find then buy a piece of land, then clear it, find an architect, get planning permission, prep it (flatten/drainage), then actually build it, put the gardens in, design the interior, deal with all the BS at EVERY STEP, etc, etc..

 

thats where the two times price comes in! - 2 years of

 

 

You comments makes it sound as if you are doing everything yourself. You a a real broker to find the land, you have an architect to draw up the plans, you have a surveyor, you have an engineer and then maybe you work as the general contractor or not. IN the USA if you make a 12-17% profit you have done well. Name one  investment that returns 300-400% in two years. 

If the number of you tube videos and posts on thaivisa  about how little you can live on in Thailand is any indication-scraping together the minimum bank account balance I think is going to be more challenging for most people. I saw a YOu tube video yesterday about a couple documenting living on a $600/mo budget in Chiang mai for a months. Lots of comments that people were living on way less than that. Even with the caveat that this was a one month experiment and the couple normally live on US$1000/month puts them at half the required monthly income they need to show. 

I think the new insurance requirement works out to be 2,500-3,000 a month to meet the minimum. So, if we take this couple as an example, is it easier to come up with US$100 or US$1000/mo?

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

This is NOT the official website of the Thai Embassy. "

OK. So does that make the information incorrect? It is coming from a law firm that helps people meet Thai visa requirements. I still have never been asked for for proof of 20,000 bhat per month. That requirement seems to come up on many posts a couple times a week. Still never been asked for a return paid in full ticket. One might argue if they are a law firm, taking your money to get you a visa, then they have even more to lose by giving out incorrect information. 

https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand/thailand-tourist-visa.php

Here is what is required from the Thai embassy website. I would love to know how many people think it is accurate? Personally, I have never been asked for a round trip ticket paid in full. Never been asked to prove I had 20,000 bhat per month. I totally agree it depends on who you get, where you enter, possibly your appearance?? It is a gamble and I would be very surprised if I am the only farang that has escaped the basic visa requirements. 

As a further observation- (big generalization) but Thais are not really readers. How many book stores do you see in a city? Not many. I would suggest that a lot of the info. that is disseminated as memos may not be read, or has one IO that is assigned to read, interpret and communicate the info. to others. I am not trying to impunge Thai intelligence, rather they have other preferred methods of learning, one being extremely keen observation and memory skills.