No Combo with SSA!

[armadillo215]

On 8/1/2019 at 7:29 AM, wwest5829 said:

Just adding a note as 

I am also in Chiang Mai. I have my SS ($1292.00 a month = insufficient to meet 65,000 monthly transfer requirement) to my US financial institution. About $2200.00 is then automatically transferred to BBK NYC showing up in my account here within 2 business days. I am aware of the new September cutoff of BBK NYC not accepting my financial transfer as it does not meet their formatting requirements. I have set up a Transferwise account as backup but Transferwise has started that they cannot guarantee it will be credited as an FTT transfer by Bangkok Bank. The term, ”catch 22” comes to mind. Problem of trying to make one rule applicable to all and dealing with Americans which is like herding cats. Extension of stay granted earlier this month but not without going through the banking steps you outlined.

I use Tranferwise every month and it does show as FTT in by book. Don't worry plus it is less expensive and faster. I transfer money to my transferwise acct. just as I did to my BKK acct. in NY then I let it sit there until the exchange rates are in my favor. Then forward on to my BKK acct. and that rate is guaranteed for 48 hours. I like it. PLUS they don't charge you for depositing money into your acct.

[armadillo215]

On 8/1/2019 at 7:29 AM, wwest5829 said:

Just adding a note as 

I am also in Chiang Mai. I have my SS ($1292.00 a month = insufficient to meet 65,000 monthly transfer requirement) to my US financial institution. About $2200.00 is then automatically transferred to BBK NYC showing up in my account here within 2 business days. I am aware of the new September cutoff of BBK NYC not accepting my financial transfer as it does not meet their formatting requirements. I have set up a Transferwise account as backup but Transferwise has started that they cannot guarantee it will be credited as an FTT transfer by Bangkok Bank. The term, ”catch 22” comes to mind. Problem of trying to make one rule applicable to all and dealing with Americans which is like herding cats. Extension of stay granted earlier this month but not without going through the banking steps you outlined.

I forgot to mention so you'll know since you haven't used T/W yet. There are two ways to transfer funds into your T/W acct. 1) you give them your US acct pin and acct. info and they transfer the money to the T/W acct. you set up but there is a nominal charge for that or 2) you set up an acct. you can transfer to from your US acct. to the T/W acct just as you do when transferring to BKK NY. Now this assuming you as I do receive your SS direct deposit to your US bank then that transfer is at no cost. 

[armadillo215]

On 8/3/2019 at 12:47 AM, Tony125 said:

You say you only see unsubstantiated rumors from people who "SAY they got a letter saying there would be a cut off. Others (or you) said they never got a letter from Bangkok Bank saying they would stop ACH transfers. Below is the letter I got from Bangkok Bank, can't locate the other one pushing the date to Sept 1st to give their customers time to make other arrangements. I also used BofA to send ACH transfer to BKK Bak NY address but as of Sept 1st you can't. Can send Wire from BofA using online service.

Please look at my two posts at the top of page 7. This will answer your question and give you a very very good option. The posts are self explanatory...Good luck...

[Thailand]

On 8/1/2019 at 8:12 AM, Jeffrey346 said:

Not everyone has the ability to deposit 800k in a Thai bank tho they may have the combined income of 65000k/mo

He is one of the holier the thous that keep popping up so try to put down those whose planning has gone awry due to unexpected circumstances.

[Thailand]

On 8/1/2019 at 5:33 PM, PaceArrow said:

Good news, received my Retirement Extension today from Korat office, after being denied last week over the less than 12 monthly income deposits. What happened, a personal trip to the Immigration Bureau BKK yesterday with the higher ups on clarification of Police memorandum dated 26 December spelling out the guidance on waiving those months during the first year of transition period with phone calls to Div !V boss to make it happen. Very satisfied with the results, they were very nice to me today!!!! 

Would be a good idea to provide the details of the officers to whom you spoke in Bangkok and any documentation you may have to assist others in the future.

[EricTh]

If immigration require the embassy letter for the combo option, they should be fair and also request the embassy letter for the 12 months 65k option.

 

I don't see the reasoning behind granting one and not the other based on embassy letter.

[Dante99]

24 minutes ago, EricTh said:

If immigration require the embassy letter for the combo option, they should be fair and also request the embassy letter for the 12 months 65k option.

 

I don't see the reasoning behind granting one and not the other based on embassy letter.

So you are suggesting that Immigration should make things more complicated and difficult for many using the income method.  Great idea, very helpful.  Oh, not really, I think it is a very poor idea and am sure many will agree.

[Bill97]

If immigration require the embassy letter for the combo option, they should be fair and also request the embassy letter for the 12 months 65k option.
 

That is a nasty idea. Why would you want something like that?


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[amexpat]

3 hours ago, EricTh said:

If immigration require the embassy letter for the combo option, they should be fair and also request the embassy letter for the 12 months 65k option.

 

I don't see the reasoning behind granting one and not the other based on embassy letter.

The 65K monthly goes into a Thai bank that provides a letter, statements, and pass book.

What role would an embassy have? 

[EricTh]

2 hours ago, amexpat said:

The 65K monthly goes into a Thai bank that provides a letter, statements, and pass book.

What role would an embassy have? 

It's the same argument if thread starter i.e. Mamasan uses a combo of 30k every month but he has to get an additional letter from embassy.

 

What role would an embassy have? Maybe to verify that these are actually pension and not recycle money from friends/relatives back home??? Just a wild guess but don't quote me.

Edited August 27, 2019 by EricTh

[amexpat]

If you can't make life better for yourself, maybe you can make it worse for other people.

 

When I renewed, the I O didn't give a hoot where the 65K came from. It was a foreign xfer to Thai bank. 

 

[CMBob]

The combo method always involved both income (verified by an embassy/consulate affidavit) and money in the bank (verified by bank letter) along with various copies of things.  To my knowledge, the only way to prove the income component of the combo method has always been by way of the income affidavit issued by an embassy/consulate. So far, to my knowledge, Immigration has not relaxed those requirements for the combination method. So, if your embassy/consulate will no longer do the income affidavit (e.g., the US, UK, etc.), then the combo method isn't available to you.  Apparently (if somebody has actually tried it and succeeded or failed, please post), nothing has changed with the combo method for those with an embassy/consulate that will issue the income affidavit for the income portion of the combo method.  (Whether Immigration will or should relax the proof method for the income portion of the combo method for those countries no longer issuing the income affidavits is not currently known). 

 

The straight income method historically also required an embassy/income letter but Immigration has relaxed that requirement for some countries (at least for the ones no longer issuing income affidavits) and is allowing income to be proved for those countries by the showing of monthly foreign deposits to a Thai bank account in the proper amount.  For those who have an embassy/consulate that still issues the income affidavit, nothing has changed at all.  And, as Amexpat has pointed out, Immigration doesn't care where the monthly amount came from as long as it was the proper amount and came from a foreign source into your Thai bank account.

 

The third option - keeping money in the bank - used to require proof (by bank letter along with various copies) that you kept 800k for 2 months prior to application for first-time applicants (3 months prior to application for subsequent annual renewals) but you could spend all the money right after you obtained your annual extension.  That's changed to require the 800k to be there two months prior to application,  keeping 800k there for 3 months after the application, and keeping 400k there the rest of the year.  For those permanently parking 800k in a Thai bank account, nothing has changed at all. 

[stament]

800k is the way to go if it's an option for individuals as seems much less hassle.

[EricTh]

16 hours ago, CMBob said:

The combo method always involved both income (verified by an embassy/consulate affidavit) a

 

Well, the other forummers have already tried the combo method without embassy affidavit and their applications were not accepted as reported in this forum.

 

The confusion comes when immigration allowed the 65k option for some applicants without embassy letter when the rules said it is necessary. 

 

So immigration can be quite inconsistent and confusing.

 

Edited August 28, 2019 by EricTh

[CMBob]

2 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

Well, the other forummers have already tried the combo method without embassy affidavit and their applications were not accepted as reported in this forum.

 

If you would have read the next sentence that paragraph in my post, you would have learned that's exactly what I said.

Edited August 28, 2019 by CMBob

[CMBob]

2 hours ago, EricTh said:

The confusion comes when immigration allowed the 65k option for some applicants without embassy letter when the rules said it is necessary. 

 

The rules only required a certain amount of monthly income; however, the requirement of an embassy/consulate affidavit to show/prove that was just how they applied it.  Heck, I thought it was quite nice of Immigration to lessen that requirement for those who could no longer get the embassy/consulate letter.  And, as you suggested before, it would be nice if they also lessened that requirement for those seeking the combo method.  Maybe they will (or won't). 

[Bill97]

 

 
The confusion comes when immigration allowed the 65k option for some applicants without embassy letter when the rules said it is necessary. 
 

 

Confusion comes from people like you who post incorrect information like the above.

Since some embassies stopped the letters Immigration provided a 65k way without a letter.


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