Renewing Retirement Extension Based on Monthly Income Method

[rickb]

Today I renewed my Extension of Stay Based on Retirement at the Suphanburi Immigration Office.  I used the monthly income method of greater than THB 65,000 each month.  Everything went extremely smoothly and quickly.  The paperwork I provided Immigration included the normal copies of my relevant passport pages, a printout of all activity with my Bangkok Bank Savings Account for the last six months, a computer generated letter from Bangkok Bank giving my full name, Savings Account number and amount in the account as of today.  I also provided them the original of my Savings Account book.  As a little background of my particular case, I opened my Bangkok Bank Savings Account in February 2019 and had a total of six international wire transfers into the account, beginning in early March through the last deposit in early August.  Each deposit arrived in the account within the first week of each month.  I did not have a full year of deposits.  Each deposit was indicated in the bank book as "FTT" and on the six month printout as "International Transfer."  I also provided the IO with a Credit Advice for each of the six deposits, but I don't think they needed that.  One thing I did NOT provide was the Bangkok Bank letter itemizing all of my International Transfers only, like we seen provided by other TV members when renewing their extension of stay.  My local Bangkok Branch told me that they could not provide me with that form.  Apparently, it wasn't necessary in my case.  The only other thing I may have had going for me was that I am wheelchair-bound and maybe that fact alone encouraged the IO to be lenient with me.

After giving all of the above listed documents to the IO, I was asked to sign two different forms, both of which I have signed in previous years.  They also took my picture and that was it.  I also did my 90 day report at the same time.  I was in and out of the office in less than 15 minutes.  I am very pleased, to say the least.  The IO did remind me that next year I will need to show 12 international transfers and have a printout from Bangkok Bank of 12 months of account activity, along with all of the other documents that I provided this year.  

 

I should also mention that of the six international transfers that I had, the first four were done with TransferWise and the last two were done by SWIFT wire transfer from my US bank to my Bangkok Bank account here in Thailand.  I was also fortunate that each of the TransferWise transfers were indicated in my bank book as "FTT."  So I had good luck in that respect.  

[jesimps]

Thanks for that. I look forward to seeing a similar leniency report from Jomtien.

[bobonzo]

thanks. all good info

[sumrit]

Thanks for the update. Another success using the income method from another Immigration Office.

Edited August 6, 2019 by sumrit

[Redoubt]

Terrific information Rick.  I will be moving to Tailand from Florida, USA, during January 2020; and plan on residing in the Isaan Region.  I hope to open a Thailand Bank Savings Account prior to arrival if possible.  I also do hope to thereafter have one of my government (US) pensions deposited monthly into that account.  It shall exceed the 65,000 Baht requirement for monthly income.  I will most probably arrive in Thailand under a NON OA Retirement Visa.  Can you please kindly let me know the answers to some naive questions I have, as I truly am a pilgrim:  How many consecutive months of my account receiving these monthly deposits will probably be required before I can successfully apply for a O-A Retirement Visa?; At the time of applying for that desired appropriate visa in Thailand, how much money must be, or is required to still remain within the bank account?; Is there anything else my particular plans may require per your experience sir?  Thank you Rick for any assistance you may be able to render.  Sincerely, Robin

[Danthai]

I am renewing my visa, this time for marriage income method. I'm told there should be no problem. I too will have 7 months deposit from pensions. My FTT transfers exceed necessary 40,000 by approx 10,000. When checked they said give them a copy of my DFAS and SSA pensions to indicate income. Said get visa advice and BKK letter Next year will have to show 12 months, of course. So hopefully many will be given lieniency this year. Good luck to all. Prepare an emergency trip to HCMC OR Savannaket just in case.

[berrec]

re: "My local Bangkok Branch told me that they could not provide me with that form" 

 

Lots of luck not providing this supporting BBK bank letter at CW Immigration for your visa renewal, "do not pass go do not get you Visa"

 

"Apparently, it wasn't necessary in my case." count yourself lucky mate.

 

Of course the statement from your BKK bank branch that they cannot provide this letter is total rubbish; many BBK bank branches do provide this letter as posted previously in other threads on TV, they are just lazy unhelpful individuals.  

 

It justs shows once again how dysfunctional Thai institutions are; they lack any logic or common sense in implementing consistency in policy and procedures across their organizational divisions or branches.

[OzMan]

I need to renew my retirement visa this November. Last month I brought 1.5 million baht in cash from Australia and deposited it in SCB. One SCB savings account holds 850k baht which I do not plan to use, the other SCB account holds 650k baht which I use for day to day expenses. Is bringing in this amount of money as cash, without proof, acceptable with immigration as proof of income?

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, sumrit said:

Thanks for the update. Another success using the income method from another Immigration Office.

Why is it so hard for Thailand to get all it's IOs to have the same rules in pure black and white so that these individual offices cannot use  their own "interpretation" of the rules?

IMO, it's down to Thailand not liking expats retiring here, they just keep giving us more hoops to jump through as the years pass, and why? Because they can.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Redoubt said:

Terrific information Rick.  I will be moving to Tailand from Florida, USA, during January 2020; and plan on residing in the Isaan Region.  I hope to open a Thailand Bank Savings Account prior to arrival if possible.  I also do hope to thereafter have one of my government (US) pensions deposited monthly into that account.  It shall exceed the 65,000 Baht requirement for monthly income.  I will most probably arrive in Thailand under a NON OA Retirement Visa.  Can you please kindly let me know the answers to some naive questions I have, as I truly am a pilgrim:  How many consecutive months of my account receiving these monthly deposits will probably be required before I can successfully apply for a O-A Retirement Visa?; At the time of applying for that desired appropriate visa in Thailand, how much money must be, or is required to still remain within the bank account?; Is there anything else my particular plans may require per your experience sir?  Thank you Rick for any assistance you may be able to render.  Sincerely, Robin

Not trying to put you off, but as things stand today, you are going to have a lot of problems when dealing with Thai immigration. You can do yourself a big favour by getting a reputable agent, most of them are, to handle everything for you.

[NoshowJones]

26 minutes ago, berrec said:

re: "My local Bangkok Branch told me that they could not provide me with that form" 

 

Lots of luck not providing this supporting BBK bank letter at CW Immigration for your visa renewal, "do not pass go do not get you Visa"

 

"Apparently, it wasn't necessary in my case." count yourself lucky mate.

 

Of course the statement from your BKK bank branch that they cannot provide this letter is total rubbish; many BBK bank branches do provide this letter as posted previously in other threads on TV, they are just lazy unhelpful individuals.  

 

It justs shows once again how dysfunctional Thai institutions are; they lack any logic or common sense in implementing consistency in policy and procedures across their organizational divisions or branches.

Another good reason why the OP should use a reputable agent.

[NoshowJones]

28 minutes ago, OzMan said:

I need to renew my retirement visa this November. Last month I brought 1.5 million baht in cash from Australia and deposited it in SCB. One SCB savings account holds 850k baht which I do not plan to use, the other SCB account holds 650k baht which I use for day to day expenses. Is bringing in this amount of money as cash, without proof, acceptable with immigration as proof of income?

Yes, but you will still have a lot of unnecessary hoop jumping to go through.

[sfokevin]

22 hours ago, rickb said:

My local Bangkok Branch told me that they could not provide me with that form.

Do you mean they could not provide the letter at all or just not on the spot....

 

My branch manger said that they couldn’t give it that day because they only have 6 months history on the computer... They would need to order a full year statement from BKK and with that they could draft a statement... In a week or so..

[DogNo1]

Redoubt:  you are confused about the names of the visas.  An O-A visa can only be obtained from an embassy in your home country.  Depending on which visa you arrive with determines what you do next.  If you arrive on a 30-day visa waiver, you can convert to a 90-day Non-O visa at immigration, then apply for a one-year extension of stay (not a visa) before the end of the 90 days.  I imagine that the transfer of over 65,000 baht into your Bangkok Bank account each month, including the month of your arrival, will be accepted for your first one-year extension.  After that, it will have to be 12 monthly transfers (one each month.)  If you arrive on a visa waiver, you should apply for the conversion to Non-O 15 days after you arrive.  If you plan to arrive on a different status such as a tourist visa or an O-A visa please inquire further on the forum.  Welcome to Thailand.

[mosan]

3 hours ago, Redoubt said:

Terrific information Rick.  I will be moving to Tailand from Florida, USA, during January 2020; and plan on residing in the Isaan Region.  I hope to open a Thailand Bank Savings Account prior to arrival if possible.  I also do hope to thereafter have one of my government (US) pensions deposited monthly into that account.  It shall exceed the 65,000 Baht requirement for monthly income.  I will most probably arrive in Thailand under a NON OA Retirement Visa.  Can you please kindly let me know the answers to some naive questions I have, as I truly am a pilgrim:  How many consecutive months of my account receiving these monthly deposits will probably be required before I can successfully apply for a O-A Retirement Visa?; At the time of applying for that desired appropriate visa in Thailand, how much money must be, or is required to still remain within the bank account?; Is there anything else my particular plans may require per your experience sir?  Thank you Rick for any assistance you may be able to render.  Sincerely, Robin

First of all, if you get a Non O-A (multiple entry) in the US you will be covered for up to two years--providing you exit and re-enter Thailand just prior to the expiration of the visa.  

 

Second, you cannot apply for a Non O-A inside of Thailand. Non Immigrant O-A visas are only obtained in your home country e.g. Thai Consulate, Washington, D.C.  However, what you will be doing here is applying for an "Extension of Stay" which will require 12 monthly deposits of 65,000 Baht or more. Then again, you'll also have the option of placing 800,000 Baht in your Thai bank account which will serve the same purpose--there are some additional requirements, but as you'll arrive on a Non Imm. O-A, no need to sweat the details on that just now. You'll have more than enough time to determine if you want to go that route.

Edited August 6, 2019 by mosan
clarity

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, OzMan said:

I need to renew my retirement visa this November. Last month I brought 1.5 million baht in cash from Australia and deposited it in SCB. One SCB savings account holds 850k baht which I do not plan to use, the other SCB account holds 650k baht which I use for day to day expenses. Is bringing in this amount of money as cash, without proof, acceptable with immigration as proof of income?

If you keep over 800,000 in a Thai bank you can use the money in the bank method. Needs to be in the bank for at least two months before yOu apply for an extension of stay ( you're not renewing a visa). 

 

If if you were to apply using the MONTHLY income method you would need 65,000 or more per month with proof it was made using a foreign transfer. They won't average lump sums over several months.

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

IMO, it's down to Thailand not liking expats retiring here,

Surely if that was the case they would simply stop issuing visa/extensions?

 

The Thai authorities are not known for their niceities - if they wanted you out, you'd be gone.

Edited August 6, 2019 by KhaoYai

[Lemonltr]

The OP stated that he will need 12 International transfers next year. Hope not. I will apply for my extension shortly with over 65k deposited FFT since and including January., but after that I intended just to bring in what I needed and when I needed then 2/3 months prior to next year's extension bring my bank balance up to 80k. Surely that's acceptable? 

[KhaoYai]

2 minutes ago, Lemonltr said:

Surely that's acceptable?

Income method or lump sum? I ask about lump sum because you mention 80K - do you mean 800K?

If using the income method then no, it is not acceptable. You need to show an income of 65,000 baht for each of the 12 months prior to application. The rules are quite clear on that.

[Lemonltr]

3 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Income method or lump sum? I ask about lump sum because you mention 80K - do you mean 800K?

If using the income method then no, it is not acceptable. You need to show an income of 65,000 baht for each of the 12 months prior to application. The rules are quite clear on that.

Sorry I meant 800.000 baht. 

[sumrit]

3 minutes ago, Lemonltr said:

The OP stated that he will need 12 International transfers next year. Hope not. I will apply for my extension shortly with over 65k deposited FFT since and including January., but after that I intended just to bring in what I needed and when I needed then 2/3 months prior to next year's extension bring my bank balance up to 80k. Surely that's acceptable? 

This year, if using the income method, immigration have applied flexibility on the number of transfers along as you have transferred at least 65k each month because it's impossible to do a full 12 months.

 

Starting January 2020 you must transfer a minimum of 65k each and every month for the full twelve months.

[KhaoYai]

1 minute ago, Lemonltr said:

Sorry I meant 800.000 baht. 

Then you don't have to worry about monthly income at all. Its either 800,000 in the bank OR 65,000 per month.  I believe the 800,000 has to be in your Thai bank account 2 months before the application (I think some offices require 3 months). I also believe the 800,000 has to stay for 3 months after the application at which time it can drop down to 400,000 until nearing your next extension.

 

Check those details but you certainly don't need the income AND the money in the bank.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

Surely if that was the case they would simply stop issuing visa/extensions?

 

The Thai authorities are not known for their niceities - if they wanted you out, you'd be gone.

I agree with your post, but I'll put it another way, we are not welcome here, only our money.

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

Then you don't have to worry about monthly income at all. Its either 800,000 in the bank OR 65,000 per month.  I believe the 800,000 has to be in your Thai bank account 2 months before the application (I think some offices require 3 months). I also believe the 800,000 has to stay for 3 months after the application at which time it can drop down to 400,000 until nearing your next extension.

 

Check those details but you certainly don't need the income AND the money in the bank.

Or it has been suggested that some Imm Offis will do the combination method still eg 400k in the bank and 32.5k per month. Ask at your Imm Office.

[rascalman]

My income comes into my credit union in US. THEN I get as I need it. Have been told even though I have adequate income that it will not be accepted? 

Do you know answer please? My income over 4,500 USD monthly. Thanks. 

[Redoubt]

6 hours ago, mosan said:

First of all, if you get a Non O-A (multiple entry) in the US you will be covered for up to two years--providing you exit and re-enter Thailand just prior to the expiration of the visa.  

 

Second, you cannot apply for a Non O-A inside of Thailand. Non Immigrant O-A visas are only obtained in your home country e.g. Thai Consulate, Washington, D.C.  However, what you will be doing here is applying for an "Extension of Stay" which will require 12 monthly deposits of 65,000 Baht or more. Then again, you'll also have the option of placing 800,000 Baht in your Thai bank account which will serve the same purpose--there are some additional requirements, but as you'll arrive on a Non Imm. O-A, no need to sweat the details on that just now. You'll have more than enough time to determine if you want to go that route.

Thank you very, very much.

[Redoubt]

6 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

If you keep over 800,000 in a Thai bank you can use the money in the bank method. Needs to be in the bank for at least two months before yOu apply for an extension of stay ( you're not renewing a visa). 

 

If if you were to apply using the MONTHLY income method you would need 65,000 or more per month with proof it was made using a foreign transfer. They won't average lump sums over several months.

Thank you.

[Redoubt]

8 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Not trying to put you off, but as things stand today, you are going to have a lot of problems when dealing with Thai immigration. You can do yourself a big favour by getting a reputable agent, most of them are, to handle everything for you.

Thank you very, very much.  I have contacted an apparently excellent firm to represent my interests.

[Redoubt]

7 hours ago, mosan said:

First of all, if you get a Non O-A (multiple entry) in the US you will be covered for up to two years--providing you exit and re-enter Thailand just prior to the expiration of the visa.  

 

Second, you cannot apply for a Non O-A inside of Thailand. Non Immigrant O-A visas are only obtained in your home country e.g. Thai Consulate, Washington, D.C.  However, what you will be doing here is applying for an "Extension of Stay" which will require 12 monthly deposits of 65,000 Baht or more. Then again, you'll also have the option of placing 800,000 Baht in your Thai bank account which will serve the same purpose--there are some additional requirements, but as you'll arrive on a Non Imm. O-A, no need to sweat the details on that just now. You'll have more than enough time to determine if you want to go that route.

Thank you very, very much.

[Redoubt]

8 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

Redoubt:  you are confused about the names of the visas.  An O-A visa can only be obtained from an embassy in your home country.  Depending on which visa you arrive with determines what you do next.  If you arrive on a 30-day visa waiver, you can convert to a 90-day Non-O visa at immigration, then apply for a one-year extension of stay (not a visa) before the end of the 90 days.  I imagine that the transfer of over 65,000 baht into your Bangkok Bank account each month, including the month of your arrival, will be accepted for your first one-year extension.  After that, it will have to be 12 monthly transfers (one each month.)  If you arrive on a visa waiver, you should apply for the conversion to Non-O 15 days after you arrive.  If you plan to arrive on a different status such as a tourist visa or an O-A visa please inquire further on the forum.  Welcome to Thailand.

Thank you very, very much.