Immigration Success

[wgdanson]

I can only tell you my experience an hour ago at Phitsanulok Immigration, where I went and asked what are the new rules.

The Big Boss immediately said 800,000 and left the room.

Then I sat down with some nice ladies who explained the 800 in the bank method --- 3 months, cannot spend.

The income method which I can spend. I tried to determine whether it had to be 65k monthly and got lots of frowns.

No mention of a Combination method until........

Big Boss came back and said to my GF in Thai, that as long as my ANNUAL INCOME from Foreign sources, whether it be GBP or THB

totals 800k before my next extension in December, he would be happy, that's all he needs to see. No mention of 65k per month.

 

He also confirmed that I only need to report TM30 if I leave the country, trips to Phuket or Pattaya do not need it.

 

I Feel good.......................James Brown. 

I feel Fine.........................Beatles

I feel Love........................Donna Summer

 

Need a Federbrau now.

 

[Moonlover]

Good choice of beer! And I'm smiling right along there with you.

[worgeordie]

34 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

before my next extension in December

That's a long way off,just hope things don't change by then.

regards worgeordie

[wgdanson]

7 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

That's a long way off,just hope things don't change by then.

regards worgeordie

I got them to write it all down for me.

[sirocco]

Post 1, 
a big thank you for the return.
Have a nice week end

[nasa123]

Happy happy for you ????????????.

[Lacessit]

Congratulations. Having said that, this is where extensions are unnecessarily traumatic for retirees, simply because different offices have different rule interpretations. You would get my gold star if you could weave the same magic at Chiang Mai Immigration.

[JLCrab]

My guess would be that is a small office and the OP has been using it for many years so maybe the IMM folks don't know him by name but certainly would know him by sight. Makes a big difference.

[wgdanson]

1 minute ago, JLCrab said:

My guess would be that is a small office and the OP has been using it for many years so maybe the IMM folks don't know him but name but certainly would know him by sight. Makes a big difference.

Yes, yes, yes and yes. Cheers.

[LazySlipper]

2 hours ago, wgdanson said:

as long as my ANNUAL INCOME from Foreign sources, whether it be GBP or THB

totals 800k before my next extension

Sorry might have missed something, but how will you prove your annual income?

If you get money and withdraw it as you go, will you show them your ATM slips?

I would not be so overjoyed as you because I have too many times been told one thing that turned out to be another.

 

If things are as great as they seem I would love for you to come back after your renewal and confirm it was all as easy as that.

 

That said, best of luck!

[wgdanson]

5 minutes ago, LazySlipper said:

Sorry might have missed something, but how will you prove your annual income?

If you get money and withdraw it as you go, will you show them your ATM slips?

I would not be so overjoyed as you because I have too many times been told one thing that turned out to be another.

 

If things are as great as they seem I would love for you to come back after your renewal and confirm it was all as easy as that.

 

That said, best of luck!

As long as there are transfers from UK into my Thai bank saying International or Foreign transfers, it is OK. The New regulation says, as I read it, that the transfers must be at least 65k per month = 780k Annually, but my IO says he will accept a TOTAL of 800k which means an AVERAGE of 66,666 per month.

I shall get a letter from Bangkok Bank saying what my ANNUAL deposits from foreign sources have been a day or two before I do my extension.

I did ask if I could spend ALL the money which came into my Thailand banks and was told yes, by all means.

[JLCrab]

13 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

I did ask if I could spend ALL the money which came into my Thailand banks and was told yes, by all means.

Yes and I will presume that the IO was assuming you would be spending at least the bulk of your money IN Thailand.

[wgdanson]

11 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Yes and I will presume that the IO was assuming you would be spending at least the bulk of your money IN Thailand.

YES. Dunno about you, but 65k a month doesn't go THAT far if you have HEalth Insurance, wife & kids insurance, school fees, run a Vigo tax & insurance, internet & phones, and like the occasional bevvy or nice meal in or out.

I am not complaining at all. I could be in a 5k a month hovel in Pattaya wanking myself stupid and eating pot noodles if I wanted to. But would still need 800k a year to stay here!

I don't think the IO gives a monkey's where I spend it. I could easily speak to DeeMoney.

[racyrick]

I hardly would call that a success. That is not what the new rules says.

Your IO said show me 800,000 and frowned when you mentioned the 65,000 baht a month.

You should be able to have EITHER 800,000 in the bank method OR 65,000 transferred from overseas every month.

Your IO contradicts the new rules.

For those that are using the monthly method, I would not be too happy.

[wgdanson]

7 minutes ago, racyrick said:

I hardly would call that a success. That is not what the new rules says.

Your IO said show me 800,000 and frowned when you mentioned the 65,000 baht a month.

You should be able to have EITHER 800,000 in the bank method OR 65,000 transferred from overseas every month.

Your IO contradicts the new rules.

For those that are using the monthly method, I would not be too happy.

I have it written down, by him, that as long as my ANNUAL INCOME from outside Thailand is more than 800k, be it in GBP or THB, he will accept it. What more can I say.

The frowns came I think because they had no idea about the 65k. I do know what the new rules are, but it is the IO who is contradicting the new rules. I shall go by what he has told me he will accept.

For those using the monthly method, just carry on as you are.

[chainarong]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

That's a long way off,just hope things don't change by then.

regards worgeordie

They are a pretty good lot at Phit, been dealing with them on and off for over thirty years.

 

[luckyluke]

Great,

 

but hope  the boss is still there at the end of the year.

 

I admit I am rather prudent/skeptical, especially on long haul affairs.

 

[legend49]

17 hours ago, wgdanson said:

I got them to write it all down for me.

wouldnt be nice if they wrote it down as a policy and displayed it in all IO throughout Thailand so there is one rule?

[jimn]

I am sorry a bit of a misleading title, nothing you have written could remotely be called a success? You have had some clarification from your local immigration office who you admit do not understand the new income method yet. So good luck to you for obtaining your extension. Please post and tell the forum when you have actually been successful.

[jesimps]

"Big Boss came back and said to my GF in Thai, that as long as my ANNUAL INCOME from Foreign sources, whether it be GBP or THB"

 

That's the big stumbling block for a lot of us, showing that the annual income is from foreign sources. A Bangkok Bank account could be the answer, although some have said that even that doesn't always indicate an international transfer. I'm willing to be corrected.

 

Encouraging though, hope Pattaya Immigration are just as accommodating, although I seem to remember someone on here recently saying that PI told him that only the money on deposit method was acceptable.

 

Thanks for posting the report of your visit.

 

[robertson468]

Sounds like the Op is married to a Thai National, in which case he could have gone down the Retirement Visa for Relative (Husband, Father etc) which is 400,000 in the bank, seasoned for three months, or 40K per month, for 12 months, but Immigrations is making allowances on this since the amendment was not published until Jsnuary.  For instance my Visa was renewed October 2018 and should be renewed October 2019, but as it was three months into my one year visa before they published the amendment, Immigration, according to the article published in Thai Visa the other day will make an allowance for this situation because you can't be expected to obey the law if the law has not been promulgated!

[colinneil]

3 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

Sounds like the Op is married to a Thai National, in which case he could have gone down the Retirement Visa for Relative (Husband, Father etc) which is 400,000 in the bank, seasoned for three months, or 40K per month, for 12 months, but Immigrations is making allowances on this since the amendment was not published until Jsnuary.  For instance my Visa was renewed October 2018 and should be renewed October 2019, but as it was three months into my one year visa before they published the amendment, Immigration, according to the article published in Thai Visa the other day will make an allowance for this situation because you can't be expected to obey the law if the law has not been promulgated!

Where did you get 4000.000 from for retirement?

Married to a Thai or not on retirement you have to have 800.000.

[jimn]

9 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

Sounds like the Op is married to a Thai National, in which case he could have gone down the Retirement Visa for Relative (Husband, Father etc) which is 400,000 in the bank, seasoned for three months, or 40K per month, for 12 months, but Immigrations is making allowances on this since the amendment was not published until Jsnuary.  For instance my Visa was renewed October 2018 and should be renewed October 2019, but as it was three months into my one year visa before they published the amendment, Immigration, according to the article published in Thai Visa the other day will make an allowance for this situation because you can't be expected to obey the law if the law has not been promulgated!

Lol. You mean an extension of stay being married to a Thai national, that you can obtain if you are retired or not. Nothing to do with an extension based on retirement. 

[GreasyFingers]

Phitsanulok used to be my IO when we first moved here. We went straight there from the airport, no proper address of where we were staying, no receipts or lease. The boss filled out a TM30 in my gf's name and had her sign it to save us a 250km round trip. Great service, good to know they still have it.

[Christophers200]

I am not sure about the OP claiming success unless a new extension of stay is actually obtained using the new 'rules' 

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, wgdanson said:

I got them to write it all down for me.

Yes, and then eventually a new boss will come in and write

down his interpretation of it which will probably be a bit different.????

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, robertson468 said:

Sounds like the Op is married to a Thai National, in which case he could have gone down the Retirement Visa for Relative (Husband, Father etc) which is 400,000 in the bank, seasoned for three months, or 40K per month, for 12 months, but Immigrations is making allowances on this since the amendment was not published until Jsnuary.  For instance my Visa was renewed October 2018 and should be renewed October 2019, but as it was three months into my one year visa before they published the amendment, Immigration, according to the article published in Thai Visa the other day will make an allowance for this situation because you can't be expected to obey the law if the law has not been promulgated!

Sorry, NOT MARRIED.

[Respectthailand]

20 hours ago, JLCrab said:

My guess would be that is a small office and the OP has been using it for many years so maybe the IMM folks don't know him by name but certainly would know him by sight. Makes a big difference.

No begrudging here then.

[JackThompson]

19 hours ago, wgdanson said:

I could be in a 5k a month hovel in Pattaya

Nah.  Folks considering that should go for the 8K Baht / mo 22nd floor 45sqm in Jomtien with view of the ocean/islands (a 10-baht ride gets you to Pattaya).  There are plenty of those condos on offer now, thanks to immigration removing so many renters - though were 15K/mo or so, just a few years ago. 

Combine that with eating out every night at beachfront area restaurants (including tip), a 1-hr massage every few days (250 Baht incl/tip), see new movies at the theater and do some shopping with your GF - and still spend about 30K/mo. 

 

If you need to do Tourist-Visa Trips and extensions, add about 4K/mo (VIP-buses or Flights and no fan-room slumming), and a new passport every 2 yrs.

 

Health Ins (AXA Group via Pattaya Expats Club): 20K to 35K / yr. for under 60.  34K to 57K / yr for up to 70 (renewable up to age 75).

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, robertson468 said:

Sounds like the Op is married to a Thai National, in which case he could have gone down the Retirement Visa for Relative (Husband, Father etc) which is 400,000 in the bank, seasoned for three months, or 40K per month, for 12 months

Seasoning is 2 months for marriage-based, per published regs.  This is not related to retirement, though the "income" method for marriage-based says "pension" in the English translation, which some offices will use to disqualify non-pension incomes. 

 

But, some offices are shoe-horning in a 3rd month - requiring you to "re-show" your 400K is still there after the 1-mo under-consideration period (and if they are "still considering" after the first month, show it again after a 4th month).

 

I would not recommend anyone getting an extension by marriage unless they must - due to financial constraints, age (under 50), or the need to work in Thailand.  It may be OK at some offices, but at others it can be an absolutely dreadful experience for both the applicant and his wife.