My Experience Extending my Retirement "Visa" last Friday.

[Tanoshi]

4 minutes ago, steve73 said:

Thanks Tanoshi, useful info.

I opened my FD account in Feb 2019, and will get the first interest payment in Feb 2020 - it'll just keep going as it a 24 month account.

So I will need to submit my claim in Jan-Mar 2021...  Is that correct?

Can you remind me again then please ;-))

Correct if 24 month FD. March 2021.

You'll remember don't worry, otherwise it will roll into a 0.5% interest rate.

 

You can file late returns from previous years, but have to pay a 200 baht late submission fee for each year.

[Captain 776]

My typo........I meant U S Consulate.  Do they still do income letters?

 

thanks

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Captain 776 said:

My typo........I meant U S Consulate.  Do they still do income letters?

The embassy in Bangkok and the consulate in Chiang Mai stopped doing them on January 1st.

Notice is here on their website. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

 

[skatewash]

3 minutes ago, Captain 776 said:

My typo........I meant U S Consulate.  Do they still do income letters?

 

thanks

The US Embassy Bangkok decided to no longer provide income letters to their citizens.  In response, Thai Immigration created a new method for those affected whereby they can make monthly deposits (40,000 for marriage and 65,000 for retirement) sourced from overseas sources into a Thai bank and qualify for an extension of stay in that manner.

[jacko45k]

22 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

ncorrect.

Fixed term deposit accounts are opened local at your branch.

If you had an existing Savings account at that branch then your passport and proof of address is all that's required.

I popped into a local branch (not the one all of my previous accounts were based) of Bangkok Bank as my FD had matured and was able to transfer money to a new FD. It was only later I realized that FD is now based at the  local branch.

They even suggested moving my savings account there.

Edited February 28, 2019 by jacko45k

[marcusarelus]

2 hours ago, skatewash said:

The US Embassy Bangkok decided to no longer provide income letters to their citizens.  In response, Thai Immigration created a new method for those affected whereby they can make monthly deposits (40,000 for marriage and 65,000 for retirement) sourced from overseas sources into a Thai bank and qualify for an extension of stay in that manner.

And what would that new method be (that they didn't do before).

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

And what would that new method be (that they didn't do before).

Previously Embassy letters were obligated. They will now accept  proof of monthly transfers from overseas into a Thai bank no embassy letter required.

Although Embassy letters are still accepted, up to 6 months old. 

Edited February 28, 2019 by jacko45k

[skatewash]

3 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

And what would that new method be (that they didn't do before).

The monthly-deposit method.  Lots of threads in this forum explaining it.

[marcusarelus]

1 minute ago, jacko45k said:

Previously Embassy letters were obligated. They will now accept  proof of monthly transfers from overseas into a Thai bank no embassy letter required.

Is this a country wide rule and are all immigration offices following the same kind of documentation requirements?  Are all Thai banks agreed on what kind of documentation they will provide? 

[marcusarelus]

Just now, skatewash said:

The monthly-deposit method.  Lots of threads in this forum explaining it.

I have not seen a bank letter documenting the deposits as being from abroad.  I think it is only fantasy at this point. 

 

What proof are all the different immigration offices going to request of deposits?  Will a bank book be sufficient or some kind of bank letter if so where is the government policy concerning the specifics of the deposit proof?

[jacko45k]

8 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Is this a country wide rule and are all immigration offices following the same kind of documentation requirements?  Are all Thai banks agreed on what kind of documentation they will provide? 

Perhaps a rhetorical question. I take a risk making a one-size-fits-all statement I guess. 

[skatewash]

6 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Is this a country wide rule and are all immigration offices following the same kind of documentation requirements?  Are all Thai banks agreed on what kind of documentation they will provide? 

Well, this is still Thailand, so the answers are: yes, it's a country-wide rule (the rule originated at the highest level Immigration Office, no, and no.  ????

 

People have applied for extensions and gotten them based on the new monthly-deposit method.  I would not expect a great deal of consistency between immigration offices or banks at this point in time and possibly in the future, too.

[skatewash]

8 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I have not seen a bank letter documenting the deposits as being from abroad.  I think it is only fantasy at this point. 

 

What proof are all the different immigration offices going to request of deposits?  Will a bank book be sufficient or some kind of bank letter if so where is the government policy concerning the specifics of the deposit proof?

I have not seen a bank letter other than the standard bank letter that states that the named person has a bank account with a particular balance on a particular date.  But of course, that could be used in support of an application in addition to a bank statement that indicated 12 monthly deposits of the required amounts.

 

I imagine it will work like the rest of immigration works, guidelines that originate at a central office and are interpreted at the local offices.  Not sure why this method should be any different.  As more people apply using this method how it is implemented in specific details will probably become clearer.  Also, more people can be expected to use this method when the embassy letters already issued exceed their six-month validity date.

 

To be fair to Thai Immigration they probably weren't expecting four embassies to unilaterally decide to stop producing the income letters and leave their citizens unable to comply with the existing requirements.  The monthly-deposit method is far from perfect and has many unanswered questions associated with it, but given those four embassies decided to abandon their citizens, it's considerably better than nothing which is what they would have had if Thai Immigration hadn't stepped in to fill the breach.

[marcusarelus]

32 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Well, this is still Thailand, so the answers are: yes, it's a country-wide rule (the rule originated at the highest level Immigration Office, no, and no.  ????

 

People have applied for extensions and gotten them based on the new monthly-deposit method.  I would not expect a great deal of consistency between immigration offices or banks at this point in time and possibly in the future, too.

I think I missed it.  Has anyone gotten a retirement extension based on the monthly method without an embassy letter yet (since the letters would be good till June) ?  Could you like it for me? 

Edited February 28, 2019 by marcusarelus

[JackThompson]

Thai Immigration told the embassies that their letters were inadequate, whereupon ...

 

3 hours ago, skatewash said:

The US Embassy Bangkok decided to no longer provide income letters to their citizens.  In response, Thai Immigration created a new method for those affected whereby they can make monthly deposits (40,000 for marriage and 65,000 for retirement) sourced from overseas sources into a Thai bank and qualify for an extension of stay in that manner.

It was the least they could do, since their action initiated what came after. 

 

That is not to say the embassies are blameless, as I believe they should have continued providing the letters, with a disclaimer to applicants that Thai Immigration might not accept them as valid.  Then, let Thai Immigration be the ones to reject them or not - ball back in their court.

[jacko45k]

4 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

That is not to say the embassies are blameless, as I believe they should have continued providing the letters, with a disclaimer to applicants that Thai Immigration might not accept them as valid. 

So they would be issuing letters specifically to people that say those people may not accept the letter. Quite a head scratcher.

Edited February 28, 2019 by jacko45k

[marcusarelus]

1 minute ago, jacko45k said:

So they would be issuing letters specifically to people that say those people may not accept the letter. Quite a head scratcher.

The same as giving visa information but not telling anyone what office you are talking about.  Maybe it will work at your immigration office and maybe it won't.  Quite a head scratcher. 

[ubonjoe]

13 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I think I missed it.  Has anyone gotten a retirement extension based on the monthly method without an embassy letter yet (since the letters would be good till June) ?  Could you like it for me? 

There has been at least one report of it.

There was one for Chiang Mai. They just needed the standard bank letter used for the money in the bank option and a bank statement showing the transfers into the country.

[skatewash]

13 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I think I missed it.  Has anyone gotten a retirement extension based on the monthly method without an embassy letter yet (since the letters would be good till June) ?  Could you like it for me? 

 

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, skatewash said:

 

Thanks

[Tanoshi]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I popped into a local branch (not the one all of my previous accounts were based) of Bangkok Bank as my FD had matured and was able to transfer money to a new FD. It was only later I realized that FD is now based at the  local branch.

They even suggested moving my savings account there.

It's important to move your account to a local branch especially if you move out of the Province where you opened the account to avoid 'out of Province' ATM charges. 

[jacko45k]

Just now, Tanoshi said:

It's important to move your account to a local branch especially if you move out of the Province where you opened the account to avoid 'out of Province' ATM charges. 

I am only talking of the distance between 2nd Rd and Sukhumvit in Pattaya.

[marcusarelus]

2 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

It's important to move your account to a local branch especially if you move out of the Province where you opened the account to avoid 'out of Province' ATM charges. 

FD?  Why ATM?  Don't you just leave it there?  Isin't that the point? 

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

It's important to move your account to a local branch especially if you move out of the Province where you opened the account to avoid 'out of Province' ATM charges. 

TMB card no ATM charges anywhere in Thailand.

[Pib]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

TMB card no ATM charges anywhere in Thailand.

 I guess you are talking a TMB All Free account/debit card.  Yeap, no ATM withdrawal fees but on interest on the account either.  Give up one benefit to get another benefit.

[sfokevin]

It’s best if you move to establish a local branch and move your bank account over... There will inevitably be a situation when you need something in a hurry only to told that your home branch is the only place to do what you want done...

 

That being said I would make sure IO approves any account move for balances used for visa purposes... It seems there is essentially a permanent seasoning period... So how does one move from one account to another without breaking this rule? To my mind a mid year bank account move would put you in the profile of a visa agent user in the eyes of an immigration officer...

 

Ah such is the life in the rabbit hole of immigration rules...  

Edited February 28, 2019 by sfokevin

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, marcusarelus said:

FD?  Why ATM?  Don't you just leave it there?  Isin't that the point? 

It was general advise, not everyone uses an Fixed term account.

[Tanoshi]

7 minutes ago, sfokevin said:

That being said I would make sure IO approves any account move for balances used for visa purposes... It seems there is essentially a permanent seasoning period... So how does one move from one account to another without breaking this rule?

You transfer the account.

[sfokevin]

5 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

You transfer the account.

Would you try transfering an account under the old rules during the preliminary 3 month seasoning period?... You would most like find an immigration officer very unhappy with you making such a move during that seasoning period... Now with the new rules you basically have 400k that must be seasoned for the full 12 months... moving that will also likely put you in a bad place with immigration 

Edited February 28, 2019 by sfokevin

[Tanoshi]

1 minute ago, sfokevin said:

Would you try doing that under the old rules during the preliminary 3 month seasoning period?... You would most like find an immigration officer very unhappy with you making such a move during that seasoning period... Not with the new rules you basically have 400k that must be seasoned for the full 12 months... moving that will also likely put you in a bad place with immigration 

I moved Provinces 2 months before doing an extension at my new office under the old rules.

I transferred my accounts to a new branch of the same bank.

They issued new books, new account numbers, but notations of the transfer in the new books.

I took both books to the IO and had no problem whatsoever.