On 9/6/2019 at 10:26 PM, gk10002000 said:

of course at some point the Thais and I think many or most offices are going to be asking more and more people about where the money comes from and whether you work, or whatever.  The reason is that even though the transfers now must be showing that they come from overseas, that does not mean that the money originated from overseas.  The Thais are more than aware that you might still be working in Thailand, then transferring money overseas, then back into Thailand again.  They will be curious as to the actual source of the money.  Many things can happen

That sounds a bit paranoid. If you are officially retired, then you can easily prove that. 65k monthly isn't exactly a fortune, and why would Immigration go further than require every transfer to be foreign? Don't forget,this wouldn't be a problem if the UK,US and Aussie embassies required stamped and signed documents about income. It's not Immigrations fault whatever several posters here thinks.

The new requirements for >65k monthly from 20190101 isn't that hard to understand. They only concern 3 countries,the UK,US and Australia. Those 3 countries embassies don't issue income letters starting 20190101,while the rest of them still do. That's why Immigration demands bank letters from the Thai bank showing international transfers,and copies from the bankbook showing every transfer as foreign = FTT. These requirements are not negotiable at Immigration. Because of this,some do have problems with transfers,but that's another story. The >800k method is easier if you can afford it. 

My original question was if this 65k approach is ok in jomtien without actually having "income" or any letter to show existence of income. I.e only have proof of the 65k per mo FTT from Bangkok Bank

1 minute ago, mran66 said:

5 hours ago, Max69xl said:

The new requirements for >65k monthly from 20190101 isn't that hard to understand. They only concern 3 countries,the UK,US and Australia. Those 3 countries embassies don't issue income letters starting 20190101,while the rest of them still do. That's why Immigration demands bank letters from the Thai bank showing international transfers,and copies from the bankbook showing every transfer as foreign = FTT. These requirements are not negotiable at Immigration. Because of this,some do have problems with transfers,but that's another story. The >800k method is easier if you can afford it. 

My original question was if this 65k approach is ok in jomtien without actually having "income" or any letter to show existence of income. I.e only have proof of the 65k per mo FTT from Bangkok Bank

And I answered your question: A bank letter from your Thai bank showing international transfers, and copies of your bankbook showing every transfer as foreign. It should say FTT at every transfer. That's the bank code at Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn Bank. I don't know if there are other codes at other banks. I haven't heard of any required documents showing the source of income. 

8 hours ago, Max69xl said:

That sounds a bit paranoid. If you are officially retired, then you can easily prove that. 65k monthly isn't exactly a fortune, and why would Immigration go further than require every transfer to be foreign? Don't forget,this wouldn't be a problem if the UK,US and Aussie embassies required stamped and signed documents about income. It's not Immigrations fault whatever several posters here thinks.

Why would immigration ask for more?  Because they can, and have, whether justified or not

8 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

Why would immigration ask for more?  Because they can, and have, whether justified or not

Most of the immigration offices are not asking for anything else except the required documents. You are reading posts with inaccurate info. The OP was about Jomtien Immigration, and they don't ask for anything else but the required documents when applying for an extension. That's a fact. 

31 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Most of the immigration offices are not asking for anything else except the required documents. You are reading posts with inaccurate info. The OP was about Jomtien Immigration, and they don't ask for anything else but the required documents when applying for an extension. That's a fact. 

You are wrong.  There have been several posts not here on this one where local IO's were asking for more information, right or wrong, with or without understanding.  I am sure that will increase as cases start showing up where people did show transfers in the past, but going forward had none.  Of course that would knock them off their extensions when they go to file again, but the the point is they had gotten a year without having to transfer anything during that year and basically had no substantive income

8 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

You are wrong.  There have been several posts not here on this one where local IO's were asking for more information, right or wrong, with or without understanding.  I am sure that will increase as cases start showing up where people did show transfers in the past, but going forward had none.  Of course that would knock them off their extensions when they go to file again, but the the point is they had gotten a year without having to transfer anything during that year and basically had no substantive income

I am living in Jomtien, and I know exactly what they ask for. You don't seem to understand that people from the 3 countries which embassies aren't issuing income letters from 20190101, sometimes have problems with transfers not showing them as international, or they have a Thai bank which bank codes are not same as for example Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn Bank. Immigration are used to those two banks. That's why some people have to show documents that are not normally required. This happens a lot to Americans. 

For expats from other countries,there are no problems what so ever.

And I answered your question: A bank letter from your Thai bank showing international transfers, and copies of your bankbook showing every transfer as foreign. It should say FTT at every transfer. That's the bank code at Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn Bank. I don't know if there are other codes at other banks. I haven't heard of any required documents showing the source of income. 

Okay, thanks .

Just seems that there are somewhat conflicting comments around...

4 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Most of the immigration offices are not asking for anything else except the required documents. You are reading posts with inaccurate info. The OP was about Jomtien Immigration, and they don't ask for anything else but the required documents when applying for an extension. That's a fact. 

It ain't.

My friend was asked for money.

On 9/6/2019 at 4:16 PM, Ebumbu said:

Hypothetically, do you know whether anyone has actually succeeded at spending down a lump sum as "income"? 

Sure. Buy an annuity from an insurance company that will pay a guaranteed amount for your lifetime (and optional survivor). Or, self annuitize, putting that lump sum in guaranteed investments, like Treasuries (or riskier if you're bold, or need the extra cash); then plug in the amortization to see what amount you can pay out monthly to last until, oh, age 97 (or worst case, if you're in stocks, etc), whatever. Or, do the same thing with that lump sum under your mattress. Definitely an income stream, albeit "unearned." And for non-Roth IRA's, where required minimum distributions need to be taken annually -- this too is a form of income annuities taken from lump sums.

 

Yes, I can see where IO's might ask for source documents. But it becomes ridiculous if they're looking at these documents for some kind of absolute assurance that the cash flow shown for the previous 12 months will likely occur over the next 12 months.....  The smart IO would look at the RMD payouts from my IRAs as certainly more certain in the future than, say, the pension statement for a Venezuelan retiree. And, in fact, with this example -- you would think that income letters from the Venezuelan embassy should now be worthless..... Anyway, bottom line, show Immigration cash flow, as required, into Thailand. That's where the rubber meets the road -- and from the Thai perspective, makes absolute sense.

12 hours ago, Max69xl said:

I am living in Jomtien, and I know exactly what they ask for. You don't seem to understand that people from the 3 countries which embassies aren't issuing income letters from 20190101, sometimes have problems with transfers not showing them as international, or they have a Thai bank which bank codes are not same as for example Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn Bank. Immigration are used to those two banks. That's why some people have to show documents that are not normally required. This happens a lot to Americans. 

For expats from other countries,there are no problems what so ever.

Yes I understand Jomtien.  I do understand the embassy and transfer issues.  You don't seem to understand