Type "O" Retirement Visa Question Please

[JimMorris]

Thanks. I used a FCA (foreign currency account) at a bank in Thailand for purposes of obtaining my retirement visa. FCA accounts in Thailand typically don't include a passbook or an ATM card. I receive only printed monthly statements on this account in the post from the bank. So that is why I mentioned that I assume 3 months of printed bank statements would be enough. I can also obtain an account balance letter from the bank dated a day prior to applying for the visa renewal as I did when applying for the 90 day visa extension.

 

[phuketjock]

9 hours ago, JimMorris said:

I received my 90 day visa with no difficulty at all. Worth noting is that during the 15 day review period that you are not permitted to leave the country. But probably very few people would plan to leave during that period anyway.

 

With regards to the annual renewals (once you have the one year visa) and when you are required to show that the money has been in your account for at least 90 days prior to renewal, what sort of documented evidence do they typically require for this? I assume 3 months of printed bank statements would be enough?

 

Also, how long prior to expiration of your existing 1 year visa do you need to apply for the renewal?

Jim the requirements for renewing your one year extension of your permission to stay on the grounds of retirement

( it is NOT a VISA. ) are exactly the same as the requirements for your initial application which is also not a visa.

So just retain all the paperwork from your initial application and you will be good for any subsequent renewals.

[JimMorris]

18 hours ago, phuketjock said:

Jim the requirements for renewing your one year extension of your permission to stay on the grounds of retirement

( it is NOT a VISA. ) are exactly the same as the requirements for your initial application which is also not a visa.

So just retain all the paperwork from your initial application and you will be good for any subsequent renewals.

Thank you. For the first extension the paperwork is a bit different though. I needed to first show that the money is in the account when applying for the 90 day extension. Then I will need to show the money is still in the account 60 days later when I apply for the 1 year extension. With the renewal of 1 year extension however I will need to show that the money has been in the account for 3 months prior. So the documentation I will need will be slightly different. That is what I had asked what sort of paperwork do they want to see to show that the money has been in the account for 3 months prior to applying for the 1 year extension renewal. So I am assuming 3 months of my most recent bank statements and a letter from the bank reconfirming the balance in the account will suffice. 

 

I am still curious though how long prior to expiration of the 1 year extension should I apply for the new 1 year extension. Typically I think you can apply for visa renewals/extensions up to one month prior to expiration of your current visa.

[phuketjock]

2 hours ago, JimMorris said:

Thank you. For the first extension the paperwork is a bit different though. I needed to first show that the money is in the account when applying for the 90 day extension. Then I will need to show the money is still in the account 60 days later when I apply for the 1 year extension. With the renewal of 1 year extension however I will need to show that the money has been in the account for 3 months prior. So the documentation I will need will be slightly different. That is what I had asked what sort of paperwork do they want to see to show that the money has been in the account for 3 months prior to applying for the 1 year extension renewal. So I am assuming 3 months of my most recent bank statements and a letter from the bank reconfirming the balance in the account will suffice. 

 

I am still curious though how long prior to expiration of the 1 year extension should I apply for the new 1 year extension. Typically I think you can apply for visa renewals/extensions up to one month prior to expiration of your current visa.

Jim the documents required for your first and any subsequent retirement extensions is exactly the same

, but be sure to check for any additional requirements that immigration may have come up with in the year

since your last application.

The only thing different is the seasoning  for the money in the bank, it is 60 days on your initial extension

and 90 day on all extension renewals after that. This difference does not in any way affect the required

documentation for any extension.

I am not 100% sure but I believe some I.Offices will accept applications up to 45 days early but I don't know

which ones. You can also wait until the last day of your current extension is you like life on the edge.

 

[JimMorris]

I have a couple more remaining questions please on getting the 1 year extension:

 

1 - When applying for the 1 year extension, can it be done anytime after 60 days time into your 90 day extension and before the 90 days is up? I thought I read somewhere that you are supposed to do it right after 60 days has passed, so just wanted to make sure it can be done anytime between the 60 day and 90 day periods.

 

2 - Also, does the second letter from the bank need to state in the letter that the money has remained in the account for the last 60 days or does immigration keep a copy of the first letter in your file so that they can match up the two bank letters to see that the balance hasn't decreased and that the money has remained in the account over the last 60 days?

 

Thanks

[observer90210]

A small question regarding the THB 800'000 in a Thai Bank.

 

If the money is bought in in foreign currency on arrival, would that be challenged later that it did not come from abroad ? What would be the smartest way to get it cleared if the amount is bought in cash ?

 

I was thinking about declaring it to customs on arrival and if they give a paper or a slip, it could be used to justify to the I/O later that the money did come from abroad ?

 

Any suggestions, comments welcome - Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

5 hours ago, JimMorris said:

I have a couple more remaining questions please on getting the 1 year extension:

1 - When applying for the 1 year extension, can it be done anytime after 60 days time into your 90 day extension and before the 90 days is up? I thought I read somewhere that you are supposed to do it right after 60 days has passed, so just wanted to make sure it can be done anytime between the 60 day and 90 day periods.

2 - Also, does the second letter from the bank need to state in the letter that the money has remained in the account for the last 60 days or does immigration keep a copy of the first letter in your file so that they can match up the two bank letters to see that the balance hasn't decreased and that the money has remained in the account over the last 60 days?

1. You can apply for the one year extension during the last 30 days or 45 days at some offices. of the 90 entry from the non immigrant visa. There is no requirement to do it immediately at the 30 day point. You can do it up to the last day of the 90 days.

2. The bank letter only confirms your account and the balance in it on the date it is written. Copies of your updated bank book is used to prove it has been in the bank for 60 days on the date you apply for the extension.

 

[ubonjoe]

3 hours ago, observer90210 said:

A small question regarding the THB 800'000 in a Thai Bank.

If the money is bought in in foreign currency on arrival, would that be challenged later that it did not come from abroad ? What would be the smartest way to get it cleared if the amount is bought in cash ?

I was thinking about declaring it to customs on arrival and if they give a paper or a slip, it could be used to justify to the I/O later that the money did come from abroad ?

You only have to prove the funds came from abroad if applying for a non immigrant visa at immigration. For the one year extension of stay it is not required.

If applying for the non immigrant visa the only thing that immigration will accept is a letter from the bank confirming the funds came from abroad. Others have tried bringing the equivalent of 800k baht in cash, declaring it and presenting currency exchange receipts but they were not accepted by immigration. They had to go out for a single entry non-o visa at a nearby embassy or consulate.

[JimMorris]

10 hours ago, observer90210 said:

A small question regarding the THB 800'000 in a Thai Bank.

 

If the money is bought in in foreign currency on arrival, would that be challenged later that it did not come from abroad ? What would be the smartest way to get it cleared if the amount is bought in cash ?

 

I was thinking about declaring it to customs on arrival and if they give a paper or a slip, it could be used to justify to the I/O later that the money did come from abroad ?

 

Any suggestions, comments welcome - Thanks.

Is there a reason you are not able to transfer the money in from abroad as a telegraphic bank transfer? Is it that perhaps you don't have a local Thai bank account?

 

One used to be able to do overseas transfers to your own name at Bangkok Bank using the bank's general account, even if you didn't have a bank account with them.

 

Then all you needed to do was to go to their branch on Silom, show your passport, and they would give you the cash that you wired in to yourself. They also gave you a receipt for the incoming transfer.

 

I am not sure if Bangkok Bank, or any of the other banks still offer this service, as this was a long time ago that I had friends who did this. But you could check with some of the big banks to see if any of them offer this service at present.

 

I assume a receipt from the bank showing the incoming transfer in your name would be adequate to get the 90 day visa extension, but then you would need to open a bank account and keep that money in the account for at least 60 days in order to be able to get the 1 year extension later.

[JimMorris]

6 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

1. You can apply for the one year extension during the last 30 days or 45 days at some offices. of the 90 entry from the non immigrant visa. There is no requirement to do it immediately at the 30 day point. You can do it up to the last day of the 90 days.

2. The bank letter only confirms your account and the balance in it on the date it is written. Copies of your updated bank book is used to prove it has been in the bank for 60 days on the date you apply for the extension.

 

Thank you for clarifying. I am actually using a FCA so there is no bank book to update, but I do receive monthly statements in the post showing my balance once per month. I assume copies of the statements, along with the letter from the bank, should be adequate?

 

By the way, is there also a 15 day review and waiting period (as there is on the 90 day extension) on the 1 year extension application? Or do they issue the 1 year extension immediately upon the date that you apply for it?

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, JimMorris said:

Thank you for clarifying. I am actually using a FCA so there is no bank book to update, but I do receive monthly statements in the post showing my balance once per month. I assume copies of the statements, along with the letter from the bank, should be adequate?

When you get the letter to confirm the balance in you account in Baht from the bank ask them for a up to date statement.

 

1 minute ago, JimMorris said:

By the way, is there also a 15 day review and waiting period (as there is on the 90 day extension) on the 1 year extension application? Or do they issue the 1 year extension immediately upon the date that you apply for it?

No wait after applying for the one year extension of stay. It will be done while you wait.

[JimMorris]

34 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

When you get the letter to confirm the balance in you account in Baht from the bank ask them for a up to date statement.

 

No wait after applying for the one year extension of stay. It will be done while you wait.

Great idea on the statement, thanks!

 

Good news on the no wait on the extension. I am scheduled to fly out in about 15 days, so I'm glad it can all be done before I leave.

[observer90210]

14 hours ago, JimMorris said:

Is there a reason you are not able to transfer the money in from abroad as a telegraphic bank transfer? Is it that perhaps you don't have a local Thai bank account?

 

One used to be able to do overseas transfers to your own name at Bangkok Bank using the bank's general account, even if you didn't have a bank account with them.

 

Then all you needed to do was to go to their branch on Silom, show your passport, and they would give you the cash that you wired in to yourself. They also gave you a receipt for the incoming transfer.

 

I am not sure if Bangkok Bank, or any of the other banks still offer this service, as this was a long time ago that I had friends who did this. But you could check with some of the big banks to see if any of them offer this service at present.

 

I assume a receipt from the bank showing the incoming transfer in your name would be adequate to get the 90 day visa extension, but then you would need to open a bank account and keep that money in the account for at least 60 days in order to be able to get the 1 year extension later.

Hi and thanks for the information. I wanted to bring in cash to cover 6 months expenses and get a better exchange rate by changing it myself. The bank transfer rates are never as good as doing it yourself in a money exchange booth like SuperRich for instance. But as UbonJoe mentioned above, cash won't work for the 800k requirement, so I'll just forget the idea!

Edited February 28, 2018 by observer90210

[observer90210]

21 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You only have to prove the funds came from abroad if applying for a non immigrant visa at immigration. For the one year extension of stay it is not required.

If applying for the non immigrant visa the only thing that immigration will accept is a letter from the bank confirming the funds came from abroad. Others have tried bringing the equivalent of 800k baht in cash, declaring it and presenting currency exchange receipts but they were not accepted by immigration. They had to go out for a single entry non-o visa at a nearby embassy or consulate.

Ok Thanks UbonJoe for the valuable advice.   Guess I will just forget bringing in cash.

[JimMorris]

On 3/1/2018 at 4:34 AM, observer90210 said:

Hi and thanks for the information. I wanted to bring in cash to cover 6 months expenses and get a better exchange rate by changing it myself. The bank transfer rates are never as good as doing it yourself in a money exchange booth like SuperRich for instance. But as UbonJoe mentioned above, cash won't work for the 800k requirement, so I'll just forget the idea!

When you transfer money in from overseas via a telegraphic transfer and then exchange it to Baht with the receiving bank, you actually get a better exchange rate than the published rates at the banks.

 

Bank's published rates are for cash exchanges, but they give a slightly higher rate for incoming transfers, which are rates that often aren't published. But you can call the bank or go in to ask their T/T exchange rate at any time.

 

I once compared the rates on incoming transfer exchanges versus the rates for cash exchanges at places like Super Rich and they were almost identical. Cash is different, Super Rich is better than the banks for cash, but transfers are nearly the same so hardly worth it to deal with cash.

 

Also, I found that UOB normally gives the highest rates of all the banks for exchange on incoming transfers, but good to recheck their rates to be sure.

Edited March 2, 2018 by JimMorris
Clarification

[JimMorris]

As I am planning to leave the country shortly after getting my 1 year extension, I am wondering if I should bother to get the re-entry permit done at Immigration at the same do I go for the extension?

 

For the last few years I always get my re-entry permits at the airport upon departure. It is always very fast that way. Is there any advantage of getting it done while at Immigration? I am thinking it will still be faster to just get it on the way out at the airport?

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, JimMorris said:

For the last few years I always get my re-entry permits at the airport upon departure. It is always very fast that way. Is there any advantage of getting it done while at Immigration? I am thinking it will still be faster to just get it on the way out at the airport?

That depends on how busy the re-entry desk is at your immigration office.  After getting your extension, I would check the queue.  If it is long, go to the airport early - if it is a short-queue, you can get it out of the way at the immigration-office.

[JimMorris]

Just refreshing my memory as I will soon be applying for another 1 year extension on the basis of retirement. As far as I recall, I will need all of the following to apply for the renewal of extension:

 

1 - Form TM.7

2 - 1 Photo

3 - A letter from the bank showing account balance and dated the same date as when applying for the extension of stay.

4 - Statements from the bank showing account balance for the prior 3 months (I am using a FC account, which is a statement account and I don't have a passbook or ATM card for it).

5 - Photocopies of all related visa and entry stamps in my passport and a photocopy of my T.M.6 entry form.

 

Did I leave anything out?

 

Thanks.

[jacko45k]

Proof of address?

TM30 (not all offices)

Edited February 26, 2019 by jacko45k

[JimMorris]

On 2/26/2019 at 9:21 AM, jacko45k said:

Proof of address?

TM30 (not all offices)

Thanks. I don't recall being asked for proof address in the past. Also, have never been asked to submit a TM30 for anything I don't believe.