65,000 baht monthly turned down

[bunta71]

An update on my continuing nightmare...been having an extremely difficult time getting a non-O in Malaysia. Went to Kota Bharu a few months back and got my non-o.

A couple weeks ago went to Krabi Immigration for retirement extension and was turned down because my 100,000 Baht monthly income was not directly deposited into my brand new Bangkok Bank account. I showed the printouts for one year from my Credit Union showing my monthly income from a pension and Social Security, totaling over 100,000 Baht monthly. The two main guys at Krabi immigration who have known me for about 10 years told me..." Jack we know you have money, BUT this must be deposited in the Thai Bank,etc. and that my bank statements were not enough proof. They both told me to go to Penang and get an O-A and with the one year, my bank changes will have time to occur.

Again the 65,000Baht method is what I have done for nearly a decade here. Turns out I made a post here about my intention to go to Penang as directed. I was informed correctly that the non-OA was out of the question. Thanks Ubon Joe for the info. So I read the various versions of requirements to get the O-A in Kuala Lumpur, and it seems it was not possible, depending on the source I was reading.

Off to KL with the family to simply get a non-O. I had the same statements from my american credit union along with all required documents. Now I had just been able to get a non-O in Kota Bharu 3 months earlier with the same docs. The lady went through our application and documents, and all was well until she saw the bank statement I brought showing again more than 100,000 baht monthly income. Turns out the day I printed out 24 pages of my years bank statements, my balance  that day, was $540. It clearly showed my valid deposits but she honed in on the balance that particular day. She kept pointing to the $540 and repeating..."Not enough!" I attempted to explain that I had brought the printout along just for re-reinforcement that I had more than the required $65,000 but I lost. My family lost...she was apparently not aware of the three methods of income. She kept asking for the discontinued US Embassy income affidavit and seemed oblivious to everything I said.

 

So we took the overnight train to Penang where I am now and will deliver my application in the AM to the consulate. I had called a few days earlier and spoke to a worker at the Penang consulate and he assured me all I needed to bring was any kind of income proof and that my bank statement would suffice. So tomorrow we will make another attempt for a non-O. If that fails, we will try to get a 30 day upon arrival stamp. Then we will selloff our new Honda 300 and everything else and find another country to get my abuse... so disappointed in the immigration people sending us to the wrong city in another country and the lady who disregarded my income...I am not the cheater they are after

[ubonjoe]

On what basis were you applying for a the non-o visa. The do not show one for retirement on their website and you do not qualify for a OA visa.

I think they were looking for at least 400k baht in the bank if you were applying for a non-o visa based upon marriage to a Thai.

 

[bunta71]

9 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

On what basis were you applying for a the non-o visa. The do not show one for retirement on their website and you do not qualify for a OA visa.

I think they were looking for at least 400k baht in the bank if you were applying for a non-o visa based upon marriage to a Thai.

 

My wife is a filipina...really have no clue as to why I do not qualify....and I was very clear as to the 65,000 income for a retirement ext. Lived here for many years and always did the same. I realize I don't qualify for the O-A, was doing a non-O, I was instructed by two immigration officials to go get an O-A in Penang....and who am I to argue with two of them

 

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by bunta71

[marcusarelus]

Where should he go to get a non O based on retirement?

[bunta71]

will attempt one in Penang

[xylophone]

9 minutes ago, bunta71 said:

will attempt one in Penang

Good luck............

[marcusarelus]

22 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Good luck............

Where would be better and why do you suggest it will not work in Panang?

[scubascuba3]

Isn't the problem the op isn't proving he has 65k+ baht coming into his THAI bank account monthly

[AAArdvark]

27 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Isn't the problem the op isn't proving he has 65k+ baht coming into his THAI bank account monthly

Exactly.  BTW $3,002. does not equal "more that ฿100,000".

Edited March 6, 2019 by AAArdvark

[gentlemanjackdarby]

1 hour ago, marcusarelus said:

Where should he go to get a non O based on retirement?

The OP didn't give pertinent details so, assuming that he meets the age and income requirements, he has two options:

 

His passport country(ies), since he will have legal residence there or;

 

Any other country in which he has legal residence, since Thailand embassies will (should) issue an O-A to folks with resident status in the countries in which they're located

 

The OP mentions that he's married to a Pinay so, depending on other facts not presented, he might might want to look into getting a Philippines SRRV, which would give him resident status in the PI.

 

That would give him a shot at getting an O-A in Manila AND give him the added peace of having a 'fallback' country in the neighborhood if he would rather not deal with returning 'home'

[phuketrichard]

rather than deal with the Penang consolute go to Banana guest house on Chula street an ask/pay them to help

 

Your print out,( not even close to official looking)  shows $3,000+ into your overseas account, but its not a thai account,where it needs to be.

with that paperwork i cant see u getting a Non O visa

Get a tourist visa

Edited March 6, 2019 by phuketrichard

[inlandchris]

From what I have just done, you need a bank printout for the year, stamped by the bank. That printout must show 800,000 baht or more total deposits. W-2 forms help but they want to see what comes into Thailand. However, all may change after a new government. Its really best to have atleast 800,000 in the bank. Unfortuneatly, I did not know the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai canceled thier affidavit of income service last year! I was caught with my pants down and really upset.

Anyone wants to make a petition for Senator Feinstein, 150 or more signatures.

The reason, the consulate didn’t give enough notice since retiement visa’s are renewed every year, the consulate should of had a year and-a-half to prepare its citizens instead of creating every retiree a heart attack.

[Almer]

Inlandchris, all out lives could be so much easier if there was a book of words for us to study, but if their was it would have to be read by IM officials who do enjoy inflicking pain, i wonder why when we help pay there  salaries and keep many thai's in work

[moe666]

The new rules are 65,000b deposited in a Thai Bank account each and every month. If you are one of the 4 nations who no longer provides the income letter. A lot of people are being caught out who do not keep up to date on the news in Thailand

[bunta71]

30 minutes ago, moe666 said:

The new rules are 65,000b deposited in a Thai Bank account each and every month. If you are one of the 4 nations who no longer provides the income letter. A lot of people are being caught out who do not keep up to date on the news in Thailand

Yes my problem is a matter of timing. I have re -opened a Bangkok Bank account but it can take 60 days for Social Security to change deposit. Not sure what all the talk of an O-A is about. It is an "O" that I am pursuing. I did receive an "O" in Kota Bharu about 100 days ago without any copies of my bank account. The banking deposit has not completed yet so if I get another 90 day non-O it will all be done. Being sent to get the non O-A was in Penang was at the direction of two different immigration officials that should have known better. Also the lady in KL who completely disregarded the 65,000 Baht method, along with being apparently unaware that the US Embassy stopped the income affidavits because she asked me several times for the letter from my embassy.  My perception was...is...that having the bank directly deposited into the Thai bank was more important when applying for the retirement extension rather than the non-O. Also for the mathematician, I have another bank account in Hawaii for another small Teamster pension that I choose not to include as the $3000 is way more than the 65,000 baht required but I do appreciate your math skills... another note, Krabi immigration requires at least two months of direct deposit completed before getting the retirement ext. We shall see what tomorrow brings...

[inlandchris]

RE: Moe66 The new rules are 65,000b deposited in a Thai Bank account each and every month. If you are one of the 4 nations who no longer provides the income letter. A lot of people are being caught out who do not keep up to date on the news in Thailand

 

Actually, the IM wants to see 800,000 bath or more (for the year) in your bank account, not 65,000 per month. If you want to take the yearly amount and divided by 12, that works too. However, I got the feeling not all IM agents think the same so this rule will vary for office to office and within the office too. Good luck. Still want to do a petition about the U.S. Consulate in Thailand if anybody is interested

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, bunta71 said:

My perception was...is...that having the bank directly deposited into the Thai bank was more important when applying for the retirement extension rather than the non-O.

You don't need "Thai" bank statements to get a Non-O from a consulate abroad - money proof in any bank will do.  And in Penang, you should be able to get a 1-year Non-O-ME based on retirement, also - vs the single-entry.  Best if that statement is backed up by Social-Security and Engineers Pension letters - but perhaps not necessary.

 

1 hour ago, bunta71 said:

Also the lady in KL who completely disregarded the 65,000 Baht method, along with being apparently unaware that the US Embassy stopped the income affidavits because she asked me several times for the letter from my embassy. 

You can get a letter from the USA embassy in KL - they only stopped them in Thailand.  Thai consulates in Malaysia are reported to accept these docs.  Staff there may be clueless on the goings-on at Bangkok embassies - and some may be presenting still-valid letters from last December. 

 

But, what worked in Kota Bharu should work, in theory, in Penang - as those are very similar. 

 

2 hours ago, bunta71 said:

Krabi immigration requires at least two months of direct deposit completed before getting the retirement ext. We shall see what tomorrow brings...

Good that they will do it with just 2-mo deposits.  In that case, you will not need a 1-year Non-O-ME for 5K Baht - and can go for the single-entry for 2K Baht - though the ME is reported possible at that location.

[cornishcarlos]

How much do you want for the Honda 300 ?

[Number 6]

A note to everyone.

 

Just assume the income deposit method dead. Have 4/800k in the bank three months prior and keep no less than 400k in the bank after (balance of year). Foolproof.

 

Barring that, find another country or return home.

 

Things have changEd - past tense, meaning they already have changed, not that they are in the process of changing.

 

OP - Savanakhet. Penang unfriendly fir a decade but understand you're already in Malaysia.

[marcusarelus]

12 hours ago, gentlemanjackdarby said:

The OP didn't give pertinent details so, assuming that he meets the age and income requirements, he has two options:

 

His passport country(ies), since he will have legal residence there or;

 

Any other country in which he has legal residence, since Thailand embassies will (should) issue an O-A to folks with resident status in the countries in which they're located

 

The OP mentions that he's married to a Pinay so, depending on other facts not presented, he might might want to look into getting a Philippines SRRV, which would give him resident status in the PI.

 

That would give him a shot at getting an O-A in Manila AND give him the added peace of having a 'fallback' country in the neighborhood if he would rather not deal with returning 'home'

That's obvious.  And obvious you didn't read my post that you didn't respond to.   What country in the neighborhood is the best to get a Non O visa based on retirement?

[pagallim]

2 hours ago, Number 6 said:

A note to everyone.

 

Just assume the income deposit method dead. Have 4/800k in the bank three months prior and keep no less than 400k in the bank after (balance of year). Foolproof.

 

Barring that, find another country or return home.

 

Things have changEd - past tense, meaning they already have changed, not that they are in the process of changing.

 

OP - Savanakhet. Penang unfriendly fir a decade but understand you're already in Malaysia.

Maybe I've missed a recent revision, however, I assume that the '4/800k' you refer to are for Marriage/Retirement extensions respectively.   I believe that the new requirements (for bank lump sum minimum balance for the year) are only applicable for Retirement, not Marriage.   Also, the 800k balance has to be maintained for 3 months after the extension, with 400k after.

[Thaidream]

3 hours ago, Number 6 said:

A note to everyone.

 

Just assume the income deposit method dead. Have 4/800k in the bank three months prior and keep no less than 400k in the bank after (balance of year). Foolproof.

 

Barring that, find another country or return home.

 

Things have changEd - past tense, meaning they already have changed, not that they are in the process of changing.

 

OP - Savanakhet. Penang unfriendly fir a decade but understand you're already in Malaysia.

You don't seem to be aware of the newly revised police orders indicating that the 65K  per month income method has been preserved or that the marriage money in the bank amount is still 400K or 4oK per month.  You might want to read these police orders so you can provide a true and accurate quote.

 

Many of us are well aware of the changes- and by the way- many of us are not leaving because we are already home.

[Mike Teavee]

15 hours ago, bunta71 said:

My wife is a filipina...really have no clue as to why I do not qualify....and I was very clear as to the 65,000 income for a retirement ext. Lived here for many years and always did the same. I realize I don't qualify for the O-A, was doing a non-O, I was instructed by two immigration officials to go get an O-A in Penang....and who am I to argue with two of them

 

 

Do you think that they meant go to Penang and get a Non-O Multi-Entry which would give you unlimited 90 day entries for 1 year?

 

 

[ubonjoe]

12 hours ago, inlandchris said:

The reason, the consulate didn’t give enough notice since retiement visa’s are renewed every year, the consulate should of had a year and-a-half to prepare its citizens instead of creating every retiree a heart attack.

The embassy and consulate announced on October 26th of last year they would stop doing the on January 1st. Also the affidavits are valid for 6 months.

I posted this topic on that day. https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1065147-just-received-some-bad-news-for-us-citizens-no-more-income-affidavits/

I suggest you enroll in STEP so you get updates from the embassy. https://step.state.gov/step/

[JackThompson]

4 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

What country in the neighborhood is the best to get a Non O visa based on retirement?

Single-Entry Non-O Visa based on Retirement - recommended are Penang and Savannakhet.  Based on the OP's experience - add Kota Bahru to that list.  Can also do them Vientiane, but they want medical and police docs.  Not sure about Vietnam.

 

A 1-year Multiple-Entry Non-O based on retirement has been reported successful at Penang and Savannakhet - which may be the best solution for those who want to keep the required financial-qualifications (income or funds on-deposit) in non-Thai banks.  The downside of this workaround are border-bounces every 90-days.

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Do you think that they meant go to Penang and get a Non-O Multi-Entry which would give you unlimited 90 day entries for 1 year?

Given they told him that 2 months foreign-xfers would be enough to get his 1-year extension (due to this year's "flexibility" and his familiarity with the IOs there), I think they meant a "Single-Entry Non-O" Visa.

[Mike Teavee]

14 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Given they told him that 2 months foreign-xfers would be enough to get his 1-year extension (due to this year's "flexibility" and his familiarity with the IOs there), I think they meant a "Single-Entry Non-O" Visa.

I read this "They both told me to go to Penang and get an O-A and with the one year, my bank changes will have time to occur." to mean that they were telling him to get a 1 year Non-O, which would be the Non-O ME.

 

2 months foreign xfers would be enough today (i.e. would cover Jan & Feb xfers or each month since the rules were brought in), but if he got a Non-O that covered him March-May, I would expect him to be asked for 5 months when he went to extend in June.

 

[inlandchris]

RE: Moe66 The new rules are 65,000b deposited in a Thai Bank account each and every month. If you are one of the 4 nations who no longer provides the income letter. A lot of people are being caught out who do not keep up to date on the news in Thailand
 
Actually, the IM wants to see 800,000 bath or more (for the year) in your bank account, not 65,000 per month. If you want to take the yearly amount and divided by 12, that works too. However, I got the feeling not all IM agents think the same so this rule will vary for office to office and within the office too. Good luck. Still want to do a petition about the U.S. Consulate in Thailand if anybody is interested

Did more research and everyone are correct, 800,000 in the bank and after the visa, min. 400.000 in the bank until 2-3 mos. before the next visa, 800,000 in the bank. Pitty the people who fell through the cracks of this sudden decision.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[gentlemanjackdarby]

11 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

That's obvious.  And obvious you didn't read my post that you didn't respond to.   What country in the neighborhood is the best to get a Non O visa based on retirement?

This concept of 'best' that seems to have crept into modern life is worse than useless since is pre-supposes that life is nothing more than a computer program in which all the variables are the same, when in real life, the facts and circumstances in each INDIVIDUAL'S case are almost never the same.

 

Since the OP posted while giving no significant details of his INDIVIDUAL situation, I simply posted a couple of general things that MIGHT be of help to him but, more importantly, would likely be of help to other board members who are paying attention and might want to make a PI SRRV their Plan B, or Plan C, or Plan D, etc. since the writing is clearly on the wall regarding easy access to Thailand

 

There is clearly a preponderance of thought on this board that an O-A is ONLY obtainable in one's 'passport country' when that is not the case, so I simply pointed out that this is not so.

 

Since you seem to be one of those who has had neither had the life experience nor yet grasped the concept that there are almost no things or situations in life that can be said to be 'best', whatever that may mean to any individual, I'll go on.

 

So, to satisfy your desire for 'best', I'll tell you what is 'best' in my IN MY SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES, although it may not be 'best' or even 'OK' for anybody else:

 

For me, it's 'best' to get a Philippines Courtesy SRRV since, as a U.S. vet, that residence visa is effectively free and it's good for as long as I wish to stay in the PI (assuming of course I pay annual renewal fee)

 

For me, it's 'best' to have a shot at getting an O-A outside my passport country (U.S.) and since the language of PI officialdom is English and I'm a native speaker of English, that eliminates one major hurdle that seems to confront most folks in Thailand when dealing with officialdom and bureaucracies such as banks

 

For me, although I can afford to get a retirement visa in any country in SE Asia except possibly Singapore, it's 'best' for me to get a PI SRRV since not only is the cost negligible, there are zero other hassles, such as hiring a maid or being subject to income tax (Indonesia) once one is granted the SRRV - no annual re-qualifying, no re-entry permits (Thailand) and the thing is good for life.

[bunta71]

11 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Do you think that they meant go to Penang and get a Non-O Multi-Entry which would give you unlimited 90 day entries for 1 year?

 

 

No they were both very specific about the o-a and discussed at length how the one year would get me plenty of time for the banking changes to occur. As to the income affidavit being available outside Thailand was news to me and I suspect others also can benefit from that and does explain why I was asked so many times for the embassy affidavit. Thank you for that tidbit. For a current update on my saga, I went to the consulate in Penang this morning with the same paperwork I have drug around now to 5 separate immigration entities. They had a gentleman outside before they opened checking everyone's paperwork before even entering the property. He then double checked everyone as they entered. Walked up to the window, exchanged pleasantries, and the man went through my paperwork, had absolutely no questions as he saw my bank statements that had no stamps, just printed out from my online banking for the last year showing every deposit and transaction. He then smiled, gave me the "ticket" to pick up my passport tomorrow afternoon.... visa is not in my actual hand but expect it to go as smoothly as it did 100 days ago in Kota Bharu. Very professional operation compared to the other various Thai Immigration facilities. There even was an enterprising young man parked outside with a van set up with copy machines AND a passport photo setup. Whoops! Actually before the righteous begin correcting me, it was a visa photo setup. So overall it was night and day between KL and Penang. Jack Thomson...thanks again for the info about the income affidavits availability at US Embassies outside Thailand. I believe this was the only actual true advice posted in this thread and will be useful to others instead of the usual attempts at tearing people down and appearing to have the correct knowledge... let us see what 2PM tomorrow brings

Edited March 7, 2019 by bunta71