BREAKING NEWS Foreigners now need to keep 800k in Thai bank for three months AFTER retirement extension is granted

[Pib]

13 minutes ago, Spidey said:

Then you have the added costs of a criminal record check and a medical certificate. My CRC took 2 months to be returned and my medical certificate was £120. For me, living in the North, it also meant a trip to London and an overnight stay in a hotel. And, after all that, I still wasn't granted my Non O-A.

 

For someone who doesn't visit the UK regularly, it's really a non starter. OK for someone who spends 6 months here and six months in the UK, but still expensive.

Yeap....totally agree...preaching to the choir I know.  The basic visa fee is the cheap part....it's the airfare, possible hotel bill, and just all the other costs associated with getting all the required docs and just making a long trip.  And let's not forget the time and effort which can take a toll on one's body and mind.  

 

I know some make it sound easy since they just happen to go back every year or two...the Thai embassy happens to be close by, and every thing is made to sound like a piece of cake in getting a new O-A visa.  But those folks are the exceptions.

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, Tanoshi said:

As someone who's continually lambasting Thai Immigration, it's policies and the levels of corruption, it beggars the question Jack, why haven't you follow your own advice.

Short version.  Passing through Thailand - never intended to stay long because of nightmare stories about immigration.  Met my now-wife who worked at a hotel where I was staying.  I had to know if she was "really like that" or putting on an act (as all people do to an extent, when they first meet - especially romantically).  I learned about how the Tourist Visa system worked (this site and elsewhere), and decided to give it a go until the illusion wore-off, so I would not spend the rest of my life asking "What If ???"

Years pass - she is still the same person I met - amazing - had given up on a relationship years before due to the programming of Western women into ... (you pick the adjective).  Thai food and culture are a great match for me.  I found Immigration's corruption-level to be manageable to avoidable, if one followed procedure.  Reports here of those on retirement and marriage were almost all good, at that time (I knew to avoid Phuket and Chiang Mai). 

 

About five years after arrival - got married when I am almost 50 anyway (so not for the visa).  It was then that the ugly side of the bureaucracy - the HATERS - became evident.  Trying to get married - amphoe after amphoe making up ways to prevent it.  Then the Non-O stamp - more corruption.  Then the marriage-extension - more corruption.  Strangers in uniforms staring at you like they'd like to kill you if they could get away with it - and my wife, too - like we were "prey."

 

I came in just as the path to stay legally and honestly was all going to hell, it seems.  Bummer.  But I still love my wife, and will remain to support her as long as possible.

[Spidey]

15 minutes ago, jvs said:

What if the agents money is in the account year round and they just change the names?Sounds a lot easier.

I have heard of some agents doing exactly that.

[notamember]

17 minutes ago, jvs said:

What if the agents money is in the account year round and they just change the names?Sounds a lot easier.

that would be falsifying documents

[notamember]

11 minutes ago, David Walden said:

Just look at the Royal Thai Embassy web site in your country under RETIREMENT VISA.  It's all there in black and white.  If it's good enough for the Thai Embassies worldwide to talk about it to be called as an O-A  M retirement visa as a retirement visa well that is what it is.  Talk about pedantics upon pedantics...get a life.'   "A rose by any other name will still be a rose".       http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/Home/visa

you or they or anyone can say it as often as you like but it is still not a retirement visa

its not pedantics, its just not a retirement visa , that is a fact

especially as there is no such thing as a retirement visa 

 

 

[David Walden]

5 minutes ago, notamember said:

you or they or anyone can say it as often as you like but it is still not a retirement visa

its not pedantics, its just not a retirement visa , that is a fact

especially as there is no such thing as a retirement visa 

 

 

No wonder these sites are clogged up with irrelevant tripe.  It doesn't matter we are talking about an O-A   M visa which you can retire on within Thailand.  Lord stone the crows.

[notamember]

13 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I have heard of some agents doing exactly that.

but that would be illegal but as done by the hard faced woman with the black Porsche Cayenne at the now closed visa office opposite Friendship

she charged 12k and forged the book part

in the end she sat on a load of applications until she had 2 million or so then left for Sweden

theres  warrant out on her and a contract 

see who gets her first

the person who she did visas for remain unaffected

 

[Spidey]

1 minute ago, notamember said:

but that would be illegal but as done by the hard faced woman with the black Porsche Cayenne at the now closed visa office opposite Friendship

she charged 12k and forged the book part

in the end she sat on a load of applications until she had 2 million or so then left for Sweden

theres  warrant out on her and a contract 

see who gets her first

the person who she did visas for remain unaffected

 

I know of far more reputable visa agents who do the same thing. They don't need to forge the book though (AFAIAA). Most charge 15 - 20k for the service.

[notamember]

6 minutes ago, David Walden said:

No wonder these sites are clogged up with irrelevant tripe.  It doesn't matter we are talking about an O-A   M visa which you can retire on within Thailand.  Lord stone the crows.

if you have  non O-A you are not retired in Thailand

you have been granted a one years stay, that can be stretched out to two years

you can use it to support a retirement extension application and show, income, cash or combo to support the application

even then you would not have a retirement visa as it does not exist

you would have an extension of a non O-A visa for the purposes of retirement

facts are facts Jack

 

[marcusarelus]

9 hours ago, Canuck50 said:

 

I will NOT use the bank deposit method for several reasons:

1. I will not tie up that amount of money in Thailand at a low interest bank rate and risk currency fluctuations when I can invest the money for a much better return in my home country.

5 years best Canada bank rate 2.5% Thai bank 2.0% Currency 30 to 24?  So how much have you lost keeping money in Canada?

[notamember]

5 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I know of far more reputable visa agents who do the same thing. They don't need to forge the book though (AFAIAA). Most charge 15 - 20k for the service.

maybe they do, but the only reason that they do that is that they do not have multiple units of 800,000 baht

agents who have the funds to deposit for multiple clients do not have to forge or alter anything

The bank produces genuine letters and bankbook photocopies etc for them

[markpbfree]

Does anyone know what this means exactly?  Will the monthly pension amount of 65,000 bt not be sufficient to qualify for a Visa or what?  Their changing their policies every day, this is getting to be almost not worth living here.  Another hoop to jump through.

 

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, notamember said:

An O-A visa is not a retirement visa

in fact there is no such thing as a retirement visa

I have O-A retirement visa and extensions.  I have been retired in Thailand for 20 years.  My passport is stamped retirement many times.  I think you are being pedantic.  I see on Thai Visa 1000 times.  Why do you try and act smart?  Do you know somebody who knows somebody who talks to an Immigration officer once a year? 

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, markpbfree said:

Does anyone know what this means exactly?  Will the monthly pension amount of 65,000 bt not be sufficient to qualify for a Visa or what? 

No changes for the income option. The new requirements are only for the money in bank option.

[Olmate]

24 minutes ago, notamember said:

you or they or anyone can say it as often as you like but it is still not a retirement visa

its not pedantics, its just not a retirement visa , that is a fact

especially as there is no such thing as a retirement visa 

 

 

Who really minds is the point I think! I’m retired and have an extension based on retirement stemming from an OAM issued at home Thai Embassy. I am elligble for another new visa to repeat that process without moving funds to banks here and without using agents.Thats the point of this discussion surely!

[madmen]

Short version.  Passing through Thailand - never intended to stay long because of nightmare stories about immigration.  Met my now-wife who worked at a hotel where I was staying.  I had to know if she was "really like that" or putting on an act (as all people do to an extent, when they first meet - especially romantically).  I learned about how the Tourist Visa system worked (this site and elsewhere), and decided to give it a go until the illusion wore-off, so I would not spend the rest of my life asking "What If ???"

Years pass - she is still the same person I met - amazing - had given up on a relationship years before due to the programming of Western women into ... (you pick the adjective).  Thai food and culture are a great match for me.  I found Immigration's corruption-level to be manageable to avoidable, if one followed procedure.  Reports here of those on retirement and marriage were almost all good, at that time (I knew to avoid Phuket and Chiang Mai). 
 
About five years after arrival - got married when I am almost 50 anyway (so not for the visa).  It was then that the ugly side of the bureaucracy - the HATERS - became evident.  Trying to get married - amphoe after amphoe making up ways to prevent it.  Then the Non-O stamp - more corruption.  Then the marriage-extension - more corruption.  Strangers in uniforms staring at you like they'd like to kill you if they could get away with it - and my wife, too - like we were "prey."
 
I came in just as the path to stay legally and honestly was all going to hell, it seems.  Bummer.  But I still love my wife, and will remain to support her as long as possible.

Why not take your wife with you back to 1st world [emoji288]

[madmen]

BJ back to work tomorrow although it does seem like he works 24/7 no sleep chasing bad guys [emoji16]

I think there will be some clarity next week

[notamember]

19 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I have O-A retirement visa and extensions.  I have been retired in Thailand for 20 years.  My passport is stamped retirement many times.  I think you are being pedantic.  I see on Thai Visa 1000 times.  Why do you try and act smart?  Do you know somebody who knows somebody who talks to an Immigration officer once a year? 

you have an O-A visa with an extension for the purposes of retirement

the extension has been renewed many times

not once has the extension thats been granted from the O-A visa ever been stamped RETIREMENT VISA

i am not acting smart, or being pedantic i am just reacting to people like you who are wrong and get upset at being called out and call me name's for calling you out on it

despite seeing it, saying and perpetuating it through this portal  many thousands even millions of times

It does not make it so

there is no such thing as a retirement visa and a non O-A is not a retirement visa

truth is the truth even if it hurts you but about that i care not

[notamember]

14 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Who really minds is the point I think! I’m retired and have an extension based on retirement stemming from an OAM issued at home Thai Embassy. I am elligble for another new visa to repeat that process without moving funds to banks here and without using agents.Thats the point of this discussion surely!

you use the O-A to support a renewal of the extension for retirement purposes

you are not eligible for a new visa, as i am sure you know O-A is only granted in applicants home country and is never renewed

you mat be eligible for a renewal of your extension based on the non O-A visa

[Olmate]

3 minutes ago, notamember said:

you have an O-A visa with an extension for the purposes of retirement

the extension has been renewed many times

not once has the extension thats been granted from the O-A visa ever been stamped RETIREMENT VISA

i am not acting smart, or being pedantic i am just reacting to people like you who are wrong and get upset to being called call me name's for calling you out on it

despite seeing it, saying and perpetuating it through this portal  many thousands even millions of times

It does not make it so

there is no such thing as a retirement visa and a non O-A is not a retirement visa

truth is the truth even if it hurts you

Truth is I don’t call u names and it don’t hurt me one way or the other! Now try to switch off this boring claim to flame!

[Olmate]

4 minutes ago, notamember said:

you use the O-A to support a renewal of the extension for retirement purposes

you are not eligible for a new visa, as i am sure you know O-A is only granted in applicants home country and is never renewed

you mat be eligible for a renewal of your extension based on the non O-A visa

Home country is what I was referring to as that’s where my bank is..please read my reply before jumping to respond!

[Andrew Dwyer]

Yeap....totally agree...preaching to the choir I know.  The basic visa fee is the cheap part....it's the airfare, possible hotel bill, and just all the other costs associated with getting all the required docs and just making a long trip.  And let's not forget the time and effort which can take a toll on one's body and mind.  

 

I know some make it sound easy since they just happen to go back every year or two...the Thai embassy happens to be close by, and every thing is made to sound like a piece of cake in getting a new O-A visa.  But those folks are the exceptions.

Yup, it works out expensive but is a good option to steer clear of the new rules.

 

Visa -£125

Police clearance -£45

Medical - (can be in Thailand ) £8

Docs notified - around £5 per doc.

 

Flights, if not already going to visit.

Hotel, if not staying local.

Transport, if necessary ( in my case , coach was cheapest from North )

 

I visit every 6 months or so, so worth considering in my case .

[notamember]

1 minute ago, Olmate said:

Truth is I don’t call u names and it don’t hurt me one way or the other! Now try to switch off this boring claim to flame!

you are not a mod to tell me anything

its a public forum where truth not rumor should be exchanged

this is the truth

ask UJ 

sorry you do not like the truth

[notamember]

5 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Home country is what I was referring to as that’s where my bank is..please read my reply before jumping to respond!

what difference does that make?

you will not be renewing an O-A , you will be applying for a new O-A 

i read your confused post

stop digging you are there already

 

[Sheryl]

Does anyone clearly understand how the combo method now works?

 

The way it is worded it seems like incoming transfers + funds on deposit must equal 800K AND that there must be a balance of 800K for 2 months prior and 3 months after the date etc etc which makes it no different than the 800K method. This makes no sense.

 

I suspect what they meant is that you must show monthly transfers and then, if these were less than 65K, the difference between the monthly transfers  * 12 and 800K must be in the bank 2 months before and 3 months after and no more than half spent etc....but this is not clealry stated and I am willing to bet most IOs will not understand, or even if they do will ntoi be willing to risk applying that understanding since it is nto clearly spelt out.

 

????

 

For those of us from the US, it is expected that SS will start IDD this year which will provide a low cost means of transferring money in but also for most of us the amount will be something below 65K.  I had concluded I would be better off just sticking with the 800K method but now that this too has been made difficult am back to rethinking it....

[ivor bigun]

And the benefit of that is what??
 
Just setting yourself up for potential misery down the line.

Why is it setting you up for misery? My son "owns" our house i am not miserable and have not been for the last 12 years.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[richiejom]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

Why not take your wife with you back to 1st world

1st world - 3rd World both are corrupt and put outrageous monetary requirements/obstacles to break up families... only those in denial aren't aware of this

 

Oh and I am for proper immigration controls but nationals from whatever country married to foreigners are used as a scapegoat while cheap labour etc can come and go freely

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

Why not take your wife with you back to 1st world

First, because it isn't that, any more - thanks to the middle class being obliterated by mass-immigration flooding the labor market (all sectors, including university-educated - they don't come with "their own money to spend").  Second, she loves living in Thailand, as do I (except for dealing with immigration). 

 

Even without those reasons, it would be stupid, because her nature could be obliterated by exposure.  Many a story about that to read on other forums.  If one wants a "take home" wife the PI is perfect (every single one I dated there) - but plan on it not lasting too long after.  Odds of it lasting may be higher than with a local in the West, but that's not saying much.

[Roy Baht]

1 hour ago, notamember said:

you or they or anyone can say it as often as you like but it is still not a retirement visa

its not pedantics, its just not a retirement visa , that is a fact

especially as there is no such thing as a retirement visa 

 

 

Yeah, the Non-Immigrant "O-A" (Long stay) visa is a one-year visa for people over 50 who satisfy certain requirements. It's for temporary residence (not permanent) so, technically, it is not a visa for people who want to retire permanently in Thailand. While this visa can be extended from year to year, there is no guarantee that the requirements for the following years will be the same as the requirements for the first year.  It's like any other one-year contract: if you rent an apartment for one year and agree to pay a certain amount of rent, the landlord has the right to raise the rent the following year--or even evict you.  In this sense, the Non-Immigrant "O-A" (Long stay) visa is not a retirement visa. Thailand does not offer a retirement visa.

 

 

 

[Olmate]

53 minutes ago, notamember said:

you are not a mod to tell me anything

its a public forum where truth not rumor should be exchanged

this is the truth

ask UJ 

sorry you do not like the truth

Please don’t tell your mum,I’m off to Sunday roast with my mates...their on retirement visa,s too...enjoy the last word!