mosan

@RocketDog you got your wires crossed up. A TM 47 is simply a 90 Day report. Seem you went to a whole lot of trouble unless you were really talking about a TM30...but then only you would know that 

Go back and read post #46...you'll be through this thing before you know it...Really is easy, it's just that many people can get you confused. And if you really need hand holding, send me a private message and I'll walk you through it step by step...

6 hours ago, NokNokJoke said:

I did a cursory look at the insurance application forms with the intention of trying to get coverage before I leave the US, but at least one carrier wanted a thai address.   So, not an address for immigration purposes.

 

Straying off topic, but on the O-A forms for DC, they have spaces for flight number.     I was not intending to book a flight until I had the O-A visa.  Any problem leaving blank or just putting something in there?  

I left that blank, because If I remember correctly, they wanted flight information for the Non Immigrant O VISA, but not for the Non Immigrant O-A VISA...

5 hours ago, Bkkjimbo said:

Never heard that before.

 

A 90 day non O can be converted to a 1 year EOS at local immigration?

 

 

Yes, a Non Immigrant O VISA can be converted into a 1 year extension of stay at a local immigration office.

6 hours ago, NokNokJoke said:

No mention of the insurance requirement on the DC Consulate site, yet.  I plan on applying for a Non O-A from there in the next few weeks, but probably not traveling to Thailand until early July.

I assume if the visa is granted....they can't retroactively require the insurance?

(Plan on getting it anyway,but not sure possible at this point without a thai address?)

I have a Non O-A from DC, and you do not have to have a Thai address...though they do ask on the additional information form for the application if you have any contacts in Thailand. And why would you have an address if you've never been before--of course, they don't know that, but putting a hotel/guest house as your first location would suffice.  

6 hours ago, KhunFred said:

I would just like to know if Medicare is considered adequate cover. I would have to fly home, but I am already paying for it.

Medicare does not provide coverage in Thailand...US or US territories only (if a facility is available), like in Guam.

6 hours ago, ianezy0 said:

I am so confused. I obtained my OA VISA in Australia last year. So, according to the ruling, I need to have the health insurance. Yet part of the requirement for the VISA was to have a deposit of 800k in a Thai bank AC, which I had.

so, do I also have to keep the 800k in the bank for 2 month prior and 3 month after, then 400k after that?

Also, when I come to renew the VISA, am I ok to do this at the IO in Thailand?

I too have a Non Immigrant O-A VISA, but I'm from the USA. However, there was no requirement to have the money on deposit in a bank in Thailand. I had the option to have the money in my home bank in the USA, or show the equivalent of 65K per month income from a pension going into my USA bank account.  I think if you look closely and perhaps ask, the same rule applies to Australia or the UK.  And yes, you can apply for an extension of stay, but then you're in Thailand and the money or monthly income must be deposited in a Thai bank--which means then you are subject to the seasoning requirements. Or, you can return to your home country and "renew" your VISA...which then means you will be subject to the insurance requirement when that comes into force, but still be able to have your funds sourced/deposited in your home country bank account.

2 hours ago, bigginhill said:

 

https://longstay.tgia.org/Home/Guideline

Guidelines.

---

Guidelines for applying Health Insurance for Long Stay Visa in Thailand

 

 

https://thaiembdc.org/visas/ What Type of Visa Should you Apply for?

 

 

Types of Visas	Purpose of visit to Thailand
Tourist Visa “TR” Single   Tourist Visa “TR”  Boxing training, scuba diving training  and yoga training	Those who wish to enter the Kingdom for tourism purposes.   Those who wish to enter the Kingdom for boxing training, scuba diving training, and yoga training.
Tourist Visa “TR” Multiple	This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom for tourism purposes, with multiple entries
Tourist Visa Category “MT”	Those who wish to enter the Kingdom for medical treatment at hospitals / medical facilities in Thailand.
Transit Visa Category  “S / TS / C”	To travel in transit through Thailand to proceed to the country of destination or to re-enter his/her own country: (Category “TS”)   To participate in sports activities(Category “S”) The person in charge or crew of a conveyance coming to a port, station or area in the Kingdom: (Category “C”)
Non-Immigrant Visa Category “B”	Those who wish to conduct business (Business)/ or work (Working)/ or work as a teacher (Teaching) in Thailand.
Non-Immigrant Visa Category “M”	Those who wish to work as a film-producer, journalist or reporter
Non-Immigrant Visa Category “ED”	Those who wish to study or do an internship in Thailand.
Non-Immigrant Visa Category “O”	Those who wish to stay with family in Thailand (Thai Family) or wish to do volunteering work with the state enterprises or social welfare organizations in Thailand  (Volunteering)
Non-Immigrant Visa Category “O-A” (1 year)   Non-Immigrant Visa Category “O-X” (10 years)           http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15385-Non-Immigrant-Visa-"O-A"-(Long-Stay).html Thailand Visa Information : Non-Immigrant Visa "O-A" (Long Stay) Non-Immigrant Visa  “O-A” (Long Stay)   This type of visa may be issued to applicants aged 50 years and over who wish to stay in  Thailand for a period of not exceeding 1 year without the intention of working.    Holder of this type of visa is allowed to stay in Thailand for 1 year.  Employment of any kind is strictly prohibited.   1. Eligibility             1.1 Applicant must be aged 50 years and over (on the day of submitting application).             1.2 Applicant not prohibited from entering the Kingdom as provided by the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979).             1.3 Having no criminal record in Thailand and the country of the applicant’s nationality or residence.             1.4 Having the nationality of or permanent residence in the country where application is submitted.             1.5 Not having prohibitive diseases ( Leprosy, Tuberculosis, drug addiction, Elephantiasis, third phase of Syphilis) as indicated in the Ministerial Regulation No. 14  B.E. 2535.              1.6 Employment in Thailand is prohibited.       And on their page of visa's available there is no O visa  http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908   According to this retirement is an O-A and long stay and the link for the insurance is for long stay visa holders .  Have I got it wrong?	Those age 50 years and over who wish to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 1 year without the intention of working. Employment of any kind is strictly prohibited.

All of that reading and you didn't notice that the word "retirement" was not anywhere to be found...

4 hours ago, carbon007 said:

I have been here 12 years and this is the first time I realise (have been explained) that a "Retirement" visa (which I have) is not the same as an extension of a "Non-immigrant O-A" visa.

Let us see how long time this distinction will be upheld

 

It seems to me that even with the above explanation, some still haven figured it out there is no such thing as a "Retirement Visa"...just that many people (and even some immigrations people) call "Extension of Stays" VISAs.  You either have a Non-Immigrant O-A VISA, which is issued in your home country, or you have a Non-Immigrant O VISA issued from wherever, which subsequently can be converted/extended by a "Extension of Stay" based on a reason of "Retirement" or "Marriage" or some other such reason.  

13 minutes ago, Pib said:

Correct.  Not given the ACH bank debit option via trial deposits for my bank (not to be confused with funding via debit card)..  In fact, one time I attempted to go the trial deposit method but as soon as I entered my routing number the TW system recognized it's one of the banks that interfaces with Plaid and immediately took me to the screen where your use the TW interface to log onto my bank.  

Did some research on the API and it seems that what you're doing is accessing your own account and sending the money to TW at the instant you're processing a transfer with them--which is not very different from them pulling the money from your account (also using the ACH system). What I'd like to know from you is how quickly TW then dispatches the money--and is received--on this end in Thailand. 

3 minutes ago, Pib said:

No, depending on your US bank you may need to logon to your bank account thru the TW interface.....this is what the poster meant when he said TW asked for his bank User ID/password.    TW using an API by Plaid which allows TW and your US bank to directly interface to fund the transfer.   When I do a TW transfer this is how I do it.  

 

Now if your US bank does no use Plaid, then a person needs to use the method you describe.  

Don't quote me on this, but I'm almost certain that TW gave me the option of which system to use when I signed up. So you're telling me that certain banks (your bank) "only" use the API by Plaid and you were not given the option of debit or SWIFT also?  

3 hours ago, SammyJ said:

and i tried to use transferwise from the US and found they wanted me to provide them with my US bank "details", meaning user id and pw--so they could do what they called an ach debit---giving out my bank details, regardless of tw's promise to keep all conidential (i understand that in other countries this is not done that way, but i contacted tw and searched their own help section and they explain this is the best way--for them, maybe, but not for me).  my own bank would freak and maybe hold me responsible if money goes missing, upon learning that i voluntarily gave out my user id and pw.  

 

tw did say i could instead, get details from them, and transfer the money to them, rather than them "pulling" is the term they used, from my US account.  However, they did not allow an ach transfer, which is free from my bank--guessing because they are not a US bank, but said i could wire transfer to them (cost of $50 from my US bank for any wire transfer--and they further warned me that doing it that way was likely to delay the transfer arriving at its destination by an unknown number of days.

 

and if you have read other threads on FB thai visa group, etc, their are times, not many, but it has caused problems for some, that not every tw transfer will show as an international transfer--there are ways around this, it has been indicated, but it requires several steps with tw in advance of your transfer etc--other words, it gets complicated.

 

so, as others have said, make a SWIFT transfer from your US bank and be done with it--my bank, currently is charging only $30 for an international SWIFT transfer--it's not free, but not complicated and from one bank to another--not an outside agency like tw.

TransferWise does (did) not ask for your user ID and password, they use your account number and routing number. The same numbers printed on the bottom of paper checks and deposit slips that have been used by banks and financial institutions for eons to access (pull or push) money to your account. If your bank allows you to initiate SWIFT transfers from Thailand then all well and good. TransferWise is doing nothing new, just providing a service cheaper and easier than most financial institutions can provide. Besides most of my transfers I've done over the last 6 months has averaged $21 in fees and, and the deposits arrive here in approximate 24 to 36 hours--all initiated from my phone or desktop in a matter of 1 or 2 minutes... I use Bangkok bank and all transfers have arrived coded as FTT (foreign telex transfer) to date.

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That is not required for the current direct deposits to Bangkok Bank via New York or the new International Direct Deposits (IDD) to Thai banks.

When they first announced IDD being available they stated they had be going to dollar account but changed it to Thai baht accounts. The transfers are done in baht.

 

Agreed, but the poster I was replying to was saying his bank could not send dollars to a Thai account. I was pointing out to him that you could send dollars and the requirement I listed was the "old" format of sending Social Security to a FCD account...

23 hours ago, Mansell said:

Went to transfer 6000 dollars US from my California bank and the charge with their horrible exchange rate was 6,500 baht, so I cancelled the transfer. I mentioned on here before that they won't transfer from a US bank in US dollars unless you have a US dollar account here. I checked with BKK bank and that is accurate.

You only need send US dollars to a "FOREIGN CURRENCY ACCOUNT" here if you want to "accumulate" dollars in Thailand "before" you exchange it into Baht--in order to take advantage of moving exchange rates. 

Most people send dollars directly to a Thai bank who exchange said dollars into Baht.

or 

If one is using the current Social Security setup, a Foreign Currency Account is required for such transactions. 

If your US bank told you they can't send US dollars to a regular Thai savings or current account, then they're grossly misinformed, or wanted to make money off you by charging currency conversion fees.

What Bangkok Bank told you was correct but I think you misunderstood the context of what they were telling you. 

22 hours ago, edwardflory said:

A

A note about WIRE or SWIFT transfers from USA

 

I have posted this several times on a few places. [[ Some sentences EDITED April 5 to clarify ]]

IF you have a THAI BANK ACCOUNT and a AMERICAN Bank account the easiest way for ""ME"" to transfer money to Thailand is:

 

I go INSIDE the THAI bank where "" I"" have "" My"" THAI bank account, I go to a teller, I give them ""MY"" FOREIGN DEBIT or FOREIGN CREDIT card with instructions to deposit the monies DIRECTLY into ""MY”" BANK ACCOUNT - at my bank they enter the money as XXXXXXTHB in the card machine. ===>>>Take your passport also.<<<===

 

I have found this is the easiest way and most economical way for ""ME"". A few transfers ago, for example: At ""MY"" Thai bank I transfered 21000 THB from my US bank ( to buy a new TV ) to my "households" expense" account.

Note: I use XE Currency converter as my exchange GUIDELINE ONLY!!
XE QUOTE for 21,000THB $668.43USD ... Used as a rate comparison ONLY!!!.

MY COST for 21,000THB transfered, exchanged to THB and deposited ... $670.45USD.
This includes ==>>ALL<<== bank fees and exchange charges. ( done in under 5 minutes )

$2.02USD TOTAL charges. I have never had total charges exceed $5.00USD over the XE Exchange rate.

 

One minute later, went outside the bank and withdrew 17,500THB at the ATM. Now I am watching my new TV, and also used it as a Android box 55 inch monitor when I wrote this.

 

Note: I have a Senior Citizen checking account in the US, this ==> MIGHT <== be a factor. ( I don't get charged for anything except NSF checks )
Note: YOUR foreign bank might have a LIMIT on money transfers.

Note: SOME THAI BANKS might require you to do this at Customer Assistance, COULD be extra charges!!

 

DO A ....{{{{ TEST TRANSFER }}}}.... of 10,000THB ( suggested because it is a even number ) to compare ""YOUR"" charges at XE.  Remember, YOUR US / THAI bank MIGHT charge differently!!!!

OTHER countries give it a try.

I know you had good intentions, but made it extremely difficult to read with all the brackets, arrows, etc.   Just do a test transfer using the exact same amount of money, say 10,000 Baht, using different methods, would have sufficed.

Cheers

Looks like the Department of Defense has decided not to participate...

Yes one can use the income method in the USA to obtain a Non-Immigrant O-A at a consulate (the ones that still do them) or the embassy in Washington DC.  Only need to show your US bank statements showing the income or letters from Social Security, Department of Defense, or some other recurring income that equals the monthly 65K... 

https://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/non-immigrant-visas/non-immigrant-category-oa/

1 hour ago, bootly66 said:

tried it at Nonthaburi and chaeng wattana, will not extend as it is hand written on the visa page "for marriage"

I believe you should make your life a little easier and just leave the country...short hop/long trip, your choice--if you can afford it, and start over again.  Get a Non-Imm. O/O-A based on Retirement, or a tourist VISA which can be turned into a Non-O once you get back. Short of that, I think you're hitting your head against a wall. Keep it simple and legal, and you'll be fine... 

Or, how about some Thais realize that your stay is most likely  temporary, (as in one year extension) regardless of any other factors. And, may not want to be caught holding the bag....if you're trying to finance...

P.S.  Been here 20 years, bought six vehicles, married to a Thai. Good income, paid for house/land usually sealed the deal.  Wanted was the usual 15-20% down payment (the more the merrier). Nothing else mattered. 

2 hours ago, crazykopite said:

I have a Thai issued yellow house registration book along with a Thai ID card . If I go anywhere or buy anything that requires them asking for your passport I get out my issued ID card and present them with it and as yet it has always been accepted no need to go to IMO for a confirmation of address which used to cost 500 baht a time I am a farang married to a farang and I have never had any issues after I got the card issued to me and due to our age we were informed it’s for life we don’t have to renew it .

Ok, so what does this have to do with buying a car on credit...or have you done so?

Suffering?

How can someone suffer when they receive something they never had in the first place?  

Now if you keep 800K/400K locked up in a Thai bank account, that is choice, not suffering...

42 minutes ago, murraynz said:

do i still have to do a tm30 /90 day report -- if i leave thailand each 90 days then return../???

im on a non o multi entry retirement ext. and live in my own condo.

It would be helpful if you tell us what immigrations office you use. The rules are often specific to a particular office.  Besides, a 90 day report is only required if you remain in country for 90 consecutive days. A TM 30 is to report residence at a particular location.  At my immigrations office they only want a TM30 if you leave and re-enter Thailand...also it's required to accomplished by the owner of the residence--which in this case is you.

17 hours ago, Odin Norway said:

On some dates it can even be cheaper to buy 2 tickets and only use the flight you need.Make sure to ask the airline.Not really what the airline like but no charge for missing your flight. 

I do something similar. When I'm in the US, I purchase round trip tickets from the US to Thailand and Back (Tampa-Bangkok-Tampa) even though I know I'm only going to use one leg of the ticket. The round trip ticket is $400 less than a one-way ticket.  

1 hour ago, Isaanman said:

I just wanted to report that I made an ACH transfer on April 3rd from my US based Wells Fargo account to the Bangkok Bank NY branch, as I have been doing for almost 2 years. The money came into my account today (the 5th) and shows up on my Bualuang MBanking app as an "international transfer." I have not yet updated my BB passbook to see whether or not it lists the transfer as an FTT transfer yet. But, the funds are in my account and accessible clearly on the other side of the April 1st deadline . . . At least, for now. For this, I am very grateful! ????

It has been recently reported by several members here that Bangkok Bank, NY was granted an extension on processing ACH transfers.  The only unknown factor is how long the extension was granted for as there has been no official memo posted by Bangkok Bank of Thailand or New York as of this moment...

7 hours ago, Pib said:

DFAS's answer above didn't address the question of, Do they used IAT format with their ACH payments?   Instead they thought the question dealt with their International Direct Deposit (IDD) program which uses SWIFT.  Unfortunately, Thailand is not on the DFAS IDD list of countries.

 

I think it was around Aug 18 when I sent an email to DFAS asking if Thailand was on the IDD list (although there website said it was not) or were they in the planning stages to add Thailand to their IDD list.  Answer was No.   

 

And then I called DFAS a couple of months ago....asked some ACH IAT questions....the DFAS rep was clueless about the subject.  And then we talked DFAS "IDD"....once again, No Thailand is not on their IDD list or projected to be even thought the SSA had added Thailand the SSA IDD list....the rep said each US govt agencies determines which countries are authorized on that agency's list.  

 

Now, my military retirement pay does not go to Bangkok Bank but I was just curious in trying to find out if DFAS payments via ACH are in IAT format or if they are planning to add Thailand to the DFAS IDD list.   I do know late last year when I was at HQ Bangkok Bank talking to one of their primary points of contact on this IAT goatrope she said the DFAS payments were not arriving in IAT format based on some initial analysis they had done.  "Most" SSA payments were (70% at that time...now they say 80%), some OPM payments, some VA payments, etc.  It was basically a case of some US govt payments were arriving in IAT format and some were not.     

 

I expect there are a couple thousand US military retirees living in Thailand and X-amount of those have their military pension payment going to Bangkok Bank.  I guess we'll find out come early April if DFAS payments continues to get thru.  Surely some will post on ThaiVisa if their payments got rejected. 

 

A person can call HQ Bangkok Bank in Bangkok at the numbers below to find out if your US govt payment (DFAS, SSA, VA, etc) is being sent in IAT format....you will need to tell them your name, account number, and approx amount of the last payment....just takes them a minute to look it up.

 

For the record, I knew all of the information you just alluded to.  I was trying to help a certain individual named @Danthai try to understand that receipt of his retirement pay was possibly in danger.  I jumped through the same hoops you did and made the appropriate adjustments so the funds I need arrive here in Thailand in a timely fashion.  Said individual was ignoring the forest for the trees until enough people chimed in, and he saw the light. I just gave DFAS one more pass just in case they had changed their minds and were implementing IAT/IDD...