Preparation for Extension Application

[DogNo1]

I plan to apply for an extension of my one-year permission to stay based on retirement on April 3rd so, as I went to the Indra Square Branch of Bangkok Bank today to withdraw money from my account, I decided to get my financial documents at the same time.  For 100 baht each, I got a statement of my transactions for the past six months and a statement certifying my ownership of the account which showed its present balance.  Among the transactions listed are foreign transfers into the account of over 65,000 baht in the months of January, February and March.  I plan to take these documents along with three month's statements from my American bank showing that I have over 65,000 baht's worth of dollars deposited to my account from pension-like sources each month (SS, CALSTRS and a retirement annuity.)  I will present these along with the other documents that I have submitted each year and hope that I will receive my extension of stay without problem.  In the past, like so many others, I used the embassy affidavit to prove my retirement income.  I have never had a problem in the past at Chaeng Wattana and hope that will not have one this time either.

 

[Tanoshi]

May I enquire why you didn't do an affidavit for this years application in April?

[NCC1701A]

3 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

I plan to take these documents along with three month's statements from my American bank showing that I have over 65,000 baht's worth of dollars deposited to my account from pension-like sources each month (SS, CALSTRS and a retirement annuity.) 

i would only present statements to them as they ask for them. start with Thai banks. 

 

 

[DogNo1]

Yes.  I guessed wrong that proof of income in one's home country would be acceptable so I didn't get an affidavit of income from the US Embassy.

[DogNo1]

Yes.  I'll hold back the home country statements and only show them if they are asked for.

[lamyai3]

5 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

May I enquire why you didn't do an affidavit for this years application in April?

If someone doesn't read Thaivisa (and specifically this subforum) it's highly likely many expats will be completely unaware of the change of rules until within a few weeks of doing their 2019 extension. 

[Tanoshi]

2 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

If someone doesn't read Thaivisa (and specifically this subforum) it's highly likely many expats will be completely unaware of the change of rules until within a few weeks of doing their 2019 extension. 

Many don't read anything, full stop.  ????

However I specifically asked the OP that question because he is a member of TV and by his own admission he knew but took a gamble on foreign statements being acceptable.

 

In the OP's shoes I'd take Thai bank statements from last April along with any funds he may have deposited.

It's possible CW could consider the combination method if the monthly income isn't sufficient.

It's very much down to the IO's this year and their level of leniency, without an Embassy letter.

[mtls2005]

12 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

For 100 baht each, I got a statement of my transactions for the past six months and a statement certifying my ownership of the account which showed its present balance.  Among the transactions listed are foreign transfers into the account of over 65,000 baht in the months of January, February and March.

 

I'm guessing you are planning on using the income route, and that you do not have 800,000 THB on deposit? And that you did not have 65,000 THB in foreign transfers prior to January 2019?

 

Did the Bangkok Bank branch seem to be aware of the document(s) which Immigration might require?

 

Is the six-months statement stamped/signed by a bank official?

 

Please report back after your run to Chaeng Watthana on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see which documents ultimately prove necessary and if three months of transfers are leniently accepted.

 

[racyrick]

Yes, please let us know if they are lenient or even know about the leniency policy the first year. Good luck

[tracy3eyes]

Hope they are or I am screwed. I have obtained an ext legitimately for the last 15 years but it might now be over. Not able to start transferring the 65k required until June, so will only have June, July & Aug to show when I go to immigration end of Aug to do RE. My pension is actually well in excess of 65K but due to other commitments particularly this year I am not able to start to transfer June.

With regards to proof of income I have P60's, and Annual increase letter from pension provider and home country bank statements.

There is going to be a lot of folk falling foul of these changes and it looks like I will be one of them. 

 

 

 

 

[DogNo1]

tracy3eyes:  I hope that immigration will be understanding of your reasons for not starting your transfers until June. Is there a way that you could deposit 800,000 two months before your renewal date? If not, perhaps an agent could be hired to facilitate immigration's leniency this year.  Next year you would have the full 12 months required.

[DogNo1]

I do not have 800,00 on deposit did not make 65,000 baht transfers prior to January when the new rules came into effect. The Bangkok Bank officer did seem to know what I needed and stamped and signed the document certifying my transactions for the last six months.

I will report my experience on Wednesday night or Thursday.

[JackThompson]

5 hours ago, tracy3eyes said:

There is going to be a lot of folk falling foul of these changes and it looks like I will be one of them. 

17 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

Yes.  I guessed wrong that proof of income in one's home country would be acceptable so I didn't get an affidavit of income from the US Embassy.

Keep in mind that some reports indicate that 1-Year Non-O-ME Visas based on retirement are available in Penang and Savannkhet, where you can use non-Thai bank + pension-letter proof of income.  You only get 90-days permitted-stay on each entry, but short of going to one's passport-country for the Non-O-A variety (1-year permitted-stay on entry), it may be the best option available.

[onera1961]

23 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

I plan to take these documents along with three month's statements from my American bank showing that I have over 65,000 baht's worth of dollars deposited to my account from pension-like sources each month (SS, CALSTRS and a retirement annuity.) 

Why do you want to show American bank statements unless asked for? Why do you want to burden IOs with unnecessary documents? Why do you expect IOs to understand American pension-like sources? 

[DogNo1]

I will not show my American bank statements unless they are asked for.  Also, thanks for the heads up about the non-O-A retirement visas available in Penang and Savannakhet.  I'll keep those places in mind if I need to fall back to option C. 

[mtls2005]

10 hours ago, onera1961 said:

Why do you want to show American bank statements unless asked for? Why do you want to burden IOs with unnecessary documents? Why do you expect IOs to understand American pension-like sources? 

 

Agreed. While some, including myself, will have these on hand during the next ext stay/ret application, I can't see them actually being requested. And they could easily be photoshopped, are not in any way "official" or "endorsed" documents, and can be confusing to understand to a non-native speaker unfamiliar with these sorts of things which seem familiar to us. And an IO is hardly a trained forensic accountant, willing to grind through multiple socsec/pension/annuity/misc income details, converting each month's revenue stream from USD to THB. The whole idea of the U.S. Embassy affidavit was to shift income statement authenticity to the applicant, backed up by a single, simple official Embassy-embossed document, which required just one conversion from USD to THB. 

 

Now, it seems like the only acceptable document will be an official cover letter/statement from a Thai bank official which shows at least 65,000 baht coming into the account from outside of Thailand, for some period of time between one and twelve months for applications made in 2019, with twelve months being required as of 2020.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

5 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

Also, thanks for the heads up about the non-O-A retirement visas available in Penang and Savannakhet.

You cannot get a non-oa visa at either of those locations. A OA visa can only be applied for in your home country or country of legal residence.

At the most you would be able to get a multiple entry non-o visa allows unlimited 90 entries for a year from the date of issue.

[onera1961]

22 hours ago, tracy3eyes said:

With regards to proof of income I have P60's, and Annual increase letter from pension provider and home country bank statements.

These are not acceptable to immigration unless asked for back up proof. The primary proof is the "income letter" from the embassy (if available) or money deposited into a Thai bank account. (if income letter is not available).

[DogNo1]

Thanks, Joe.  Scratch the non-OA in Penang and Savannakhet.

[Harry2]

On 31 March 2019 at 1:56 PM, DogNo1 said:

I do not have 800,00 on deposit did not make 65,000 baht transfers prior to January when the new rules came into effect. The Bangkok Bank officer did seem to know what I needed and stamped and signed the document certifying my transactions for the last six months.

I will report my experience on Wednesday night or Thursday.

Please do let us know what happened. I am ina very similar situation with two B65k+ monthly transfers & hoping to hit CW on Friday. Any tips warmly welcome

[DogNo1]

I failed to see an IO today.  I went just after lunch as I usually do and was given queue #174.  The lady at the desk said that there would be no possibility to submit my application today since the IOs were just then working on #74.  She recommended that I come back tomorrow at 0730.  It seems that the people who could expedite your paperwork for a fee are no longer there or at least I couldn't find them. I am debating whether to go tomorrow or wait until a date later in the month.   My extension expires on May 13th so I have some time.

Immigration was absolutely mobbed today in all departments and the traffic out and back was horrific.  Perhaps after Songkran will be better.  I would appreciate your opinion, Ubonjoe.

[lamyai3]

11 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

I failed to see an IO today.  I went just after lunch as I usually do and was given queue #174.  The lady at the desk said that there would be no possibility to submit my application today since the IOs were just then working on #74. 

This is surprising, I always go after lunch at CW and though they sometimes finish late I've always been seen the same day. Maybe they're taking longer with each application now... 

[DogNo1]

Report of Successfully Obtaining an Extension and Re-entry Permit.

 

Hi all.  After my experience of not getting to talk to an IO yesterday, I made a point of getting to CW at 0710 this morning.  Even so, I got the number of 295 in the waiting queue.  A male officer lined everyone up in sequence before the doors opened at 0830.  The people went in in a fairly orderly manner although there was some jockeying for position inside in front of the location where the respective queue numbers are given out.  I was surprised to get number 29 for the extension queue.  My number was called around 11:00. The IO, whose face I know, shuffled through my papers and found all of them to be correct except the bank letter that I obtained at Indra Square.  She sent me downstairs to get a new one and to update my bank book with a 100 baht deposit.  After this, all was fine.  She underlined my three monthly foreign transfers and explained that twelve will be necessary next year.  I had to write a short letter saying that I understood this and also had to fill out three forms.  I don't remember clearly the contents of all three but one was a statement in which I certified my address and then certified that I had certified my address.  I think that another acknowledged my understanding of the new financial requirements.  She mentioned that keeping 800,000, then 400,000 then 800,000 in the bank was the prefered method but acknowledged that the 65,000 monthly transfer was acceptable.  After lunch, I was able to get a single re-entry permit pretty quickly for 1,000 baht.  I had to stand while I was waiting because there was no chair available in the whole area.

This should be good news for those who are worrying  if less than twelve transfers will be acceptable.  The IO very clearly stated that this year, less than twelve monthly transfers will be acceptable.

CW now contains a huge number of shops and restaurants.  I found the pork and noodle soup at Hong Kong Noodle to be quite good.  The noodles  and a large lemon iced tea set me back 104 baht.

Good luck to those who will do their extensions later this year.  I advise getting there close to 7:00 if you want to see an officer before noon.

[scubascuba3]

Report of Successfully Obtaining an Extension and Re-entry Permit.
 
Hi all.  After my experience of not getting to talk to an IO yesterday, I made a point of getting to CW at 0710 this morning.  Even so, I got the number of 295 in the waiting queue.  A male officer lined everyone up in sequence before the doors opened at 0830.  The people went in in a fairly orderly manner although there was some jockeying for position inside in front of the location where the respective queue numbers are given out.  I was surprised to get number 29 for the extension queue.  My number was called around 11:00. The IO, whose face I know, shuffled through my papers and found all of them to be correct except the bank letter that I obtained at Indra Square.  She sent me downstairs to get a new one and to update my bank book with a 100 baht deposit.  After this, all was fine.  She underlined my three monthly foreign transfers and explained that twelve will be necessary next year.  I had to write a short letter saying that I understood this and also had to fill out three forms.  I don't remember clearly the contents of all three but one was a statement in which I certified my address and then certified that I had certified my address.  I think that another acknowledged my understanding of the new financial requirements.  She mentioned that keeping 800,000, then 400,000 then 800,000 in the bank was the prefered method but acknowledged that the 65,000 monthly transfer was acceptable.  After lunch, I was able to get a single re-entry permit pretty quickly for 1,000 baht.  I had to stand while I was waiting because there was no chair available in the whole area.
This should be good news for those who are worrying  if less than twelve transfers will be acceptable.  The IO very clearly stated that this year, less than twelve monthly transfers will be acceptable.
CW now contains a huge number of shops and restaurants.  I found the pork and noodle soup at Hong Kong Noodle to be quite good.  The noodles  and a large lemon iced tea set me back 104 baht.
Good luck to those who will do their extensions later this year.  I advise getting there close to 7:00 if you want to see an officer before noon.

did they ask for proof of income? or bank statement was sufficient?

[mtls2005]

12 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

The IO, whose face I know, shuffled through my papers and found all of them to be correct except the bank letter that I obtained at Indra Square.  She sent me downstairs to get a new one and to update my bank book with a 100 baht deposit.  After this, all was fine.  She underlined my three monthly foreign transfers and explained that twelve will be necessary next year. 

 

Thank you for the update.

 

Were the Indra Square and CW Bank statements/letters similar?

 

Were these in Thai, English or both? 

 

Did CW/Bank seem to understand what form of letter, or statement was required? (I wonder if CW/Banks will be able to provide 7 - 12 month - statement/letters going forward?)

 

When underlining the FTT lines, was that one or both of your statement/letters? Or copies of your passbook?

 

Re-reading your OP 

 

I decided to get my financial documents at the same time.  For 100 baht each, I got a statement of my transactions for the past six months and a statement certifying my ownership of the account which showed its present balance.

 

and am guessing that the "...statement certifying my ownership of the account which showed its present balance..." is the one which required re-issue with a same-day date and change in balance? I wonder if this is even necessary as it seems to apply to the 800,000 method.

[lamyai3]

12 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

Good luck to those who will do their extensions later this year.  I advise getting there close to 7:00 if you want to see an officer before noon.

This must be the "easier, faster" procedures they were promising. 

[DogNo1]

Yes, the statement proving my ownership of the account is the one that had to be issued by the CW Bangkok Bank branch.  Apparently the officer at the Indra Square Branch used the wrong form.  I regret not getting a photocopy of it to post as an example.  The FTT transactions were underlined by the IO on the six-month statement of transactions stamped and signed by the bank officer.  What was notable to me was that I had to update my bank book on that day and show it to the IO.   No photocopy was needed though.

One detail that I left out was that I was required to draw a map locating where I lived.  I just drew three pairs of parallel lines showing Ploenchit Road, Ratchadamri Road and Soi Mahatlek Luang 1 with a box representing the location of Grande Centre Point.  That was accepted. 

[montereyjp]

My experience today applying for a retirement ext at Chonburi immigration in Jomtien. I got there at about 0930 and the place was crowded but the check-in line went quickly, there was 9 people ahead of me at desk 8. It was about an hour wait. As I  waited for the person ahead of me to finish signing all his copies which I saw included copies of his bank book after which the IO explained how he had to come back in 90 days to show still had money in the bank..hmm.. In my case I had my affidavit letter from embassy dated 27 Dec 2018. This was excepted without question. The only question he ask was proof address in which I presented a copy of an invoice from Lazada. That was it.. took about 5 minutes.. I got my number and was told to pick up my passport tomorrow. P.S. I might of signed a form which stated I understood the new requirements but the IO said nothing..

[DogNo1]

I sign all of my copies in advance. The applicant who was told to come back in 90 days was obviously using the lump sum in the bank method.  I chose the monthly transfer of 65,000 baht into Bangkok Bank to avoid that.  Also, I get to spend the money right away rather than have it sit in the bank.

[wimpy]

On 4/5/2019 at 6:34 PM, DogNo1 said:

Yes, the statement proving my ownership of the account is the one that had to be issued by the CW Bangkok Bank branch.  Apparently the officer at the Indra Square Branch used the wrong form.  I regret not getting a photocopy of it to post as an example.  The FTT transactions were underlined by the IO on the six-month statement of transactions stamped and signed by the bank officer.  What was notable to me was that I had to update my bank book on that day and show it to the IO.   No photocopy was needed though.

One detail that I left out was that I was required to draw a map locating where I lived.  I just drew three pairs of parallel lines showing Ploenchit Road, Ratchadamri Road and Soi Mahatlek Luang 1 with a box representing the location of Grande Centre Point.  That was accepted. 

Thanks for the info. So did they ask for any documentation of where the 65,000 baht income came from or not?