Lack of evidence -800K reporting. Should I have some?

[jesimps]

3 hours ago, topt said:

I must be lucky then as never been rude with me..........

She is an ignoramous, no two ways about it.

[phuketrichard]

none of it really matters till next year and they check ur bank book/statement

under 800,000 for 5 months....rejected

drop below 400,000 the other 7 months.....rejected

 

[Onrai]

22 hours ago, Delight said:

The 800K Baht option is 800K Baht for 2 months prior to application and 90 days after a successful application. 800K has to be in your bank for that amount of time total. You have to show evidence (letter from your bank) on both occasions.

I see no mention of having to hold the money in your account after you have received the visa?? 1st time you apply for a retirement visa money must be in your account 90 days before visa will be issued. 2nd time you apply it has to be in you account 60 prior to visa being issued. 

Source Is immigrationbangkok.com

Proof needed

Your annual income or pension must be proven in the form of an affidavit from your foreign embassy or consulate.

To prove that you have sufficient funds in a Thai bank account you must provide the following documentation:

• An updated passbook/bank book which is in your name and from a recognized Thai bank.
• A letter from the bank clearly stating that at least 800,000 baht was deposited in your account from an overseas source, and has been cleared at least 2 months prior to the date of your retirement visa application.
• While it is not common procedure, in some cases you may be required to provide the following:
• Police clearance
• Medical certificate

 

[Martyp]

12 minutes ago, Onrai said:

I see no mention of having to hold the money in your account after you have received the visa?? 1st time you apply for a retirement visa money must be in your account 90 days before visa will be issued. 2nd time you apply it has to be in you account 60 prior to visa being issued. 

Source Is immigrationbangkok.com

Proof needed

Your annual income or pension must be proven in the form of an affidavit from your foreign embassy or consulate.

To prove that you have sufficient funds in a Thai bank account you must provide the following documentation:

• An updated passbook/bank book which is in your name and from a recognized Thai bank.
• A letter from the bank clearly stating that at least 800,000 baht was deposited in your account from an overseas source, and has been cleared at least 2 months prior to the date of your retirement visa application.
• While it is not common procedure, in some cases you may be required to provide the following:
• Police clearance
• Medical certificate

 

Your source is out of date. Starting this year you need to have the 800,000 baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months prior to your application for a 1 year extension and for 3 months after you get your extension. For the remainder of the year you must have a minimum of 400,000 baht. Two months before your next extension you have to have 800,000 baht again. A very few number of immigration offices, Jomtien for example, ask that people return 90 days later to show they have maintained the minimum 800,0000 baht. A small number of offices ask that your have 800,000 baht in your account for 3 months before your application. Of course, you need to check with your office to learn their particular requirements. Starting this year you also need to have health insurance from a Thai insurance company but some people are exploring whether they can use their foreign insurance.

[Just Weird]

4 hours ago, Max69xl said:

On 11/29/2019 at 2:51 PM, Just Weird said:

Thanks for that.  So the 90-day B800k-still-in-the-bank-report that the OP referred to is in addition to the normal retirement extension 90-day report that some offices also need money-in-the-bank confirmation for?  Is that correct?

Which immigration office checks the money in the bank when doing the 90 days report? 

No idea. 

 

See the last three words in my post..."Is that correct?", all I did was ask a question based on the OP, as you'd know if you bothered to read what I asked.

[Max69xl]

23 hours ago, Delight said:

 This makes sense

Given this why bother having to go to immigration after 90 days

Bank books could do the lot i.e Beginning -90 days and End.

it may go that way over time.

Copies of the bank book is what they check at Jomtien Immigration when doing the 90 days check. No bank letter is needed.

2 copies from the passport, the photo page and last extension +

2 copies from the updated bank book, the first page with the name and the last page. Every copy signed at the bottom in blue ink. 

[Onrai]

2 hours ago, Martyp said:

Your source is out of date. Starting this year you need to have the 800,000 baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months prior to your application for a 1 year extension and for 3 months after you get your extension. For the remainder of the year you must have a minimum of 400,000 baht. Two months before your next extension you have to have 800,000 baht again. A very few number of immigration offices, Jomtien for example, ask that people return 90 days later to show they have maintained the minimum 800,0000 baht. A small number of offices ask that your have 800,000 baht in your account for 3 months before your application. Of course, you need to check with your office to learn their particular requirements. Starting this year you also need to have health insurance from a Thai insurance company but some people are exploring whether they can use their foreign insurance.

So If I understand the process correctly-

1. 2 months before applying for a renewal on your retirement visa you have to have 800,000 bhat in the bank.

2. You are required to leave the 800,000 in the bank for 3 month after you get the visa. So, that is 5 months. Then you can use Up to 400,000 portion of the 800,000 for 5 months until you must once again prove you have 800,000 in the bank 2 months prior to your extension. 

 

Can you please I understand the new requirements correctly. In addition, what website are you using to reference the seemingly ever changing guide lines?

[at15]

i dont know how you guys stand for this kind of treatment. i was at immigration the other day and the amount of arrogance this woman portrayed in denying this man and his wife their visa report was so disturbing. the tonality of her voice was basically like you can fvkk off now i got you. fortunately i am not married or have any roots in thailand but if i did no doubt i would be moving back to my home country with my family. no way i could show my wife and kids that their leader/father has no self respect and has to beg to be allowed to live in the country.

Edited November 30, 2019 by at15

[Max69xl]

23 minutes ago, Onrai said:

So If I understand the process correctly-

1. 2 months before applying for a renewal on your retirement visa you have to have 800,000 bhat in the bank.

2. You are required to leave the 800,000 in the bank for 3 month after you get the visa. So, that is 5 months. Then you can use Up to 400,000 portion of the 800,000 for 5 months until you must once again prove you have 800,000 in the bank 2 months prior to your extension. 

 

Can you please I understand the new requirements correctly. In addition, what website are you using to reference the seemingly ever changing guide lines?

Those requirements from March 1 are officially correct. 

[Martyp]

32 minutes ago, Onrai said:

So If I understand the process correctly-

1. 2 months before applying for a renewal on your retirement visa you have to have 800,000 bhat in the bank.

2. You are required to leave the 800,000 in the bank for 3 month after you get the visa. So, that is 5 months. Then you can use Up to 400,000 portion of the 800,000 for 5 months until you must once again prove you have 800,000 in the bank 2 months prior to your extension. 

 

Can you please I understand the new requirements correctly. In addition, what website are you using to reference the seemingly ever changing guide lines?

You now understand the requirements correctly. I keep 800,000 in a bank account all year round so I don't worry about the changes month to month or year to year. I believe the new financial requirements came into effect earlier this year. You will have to do your own research on websites. You can search this group. This was much discussed and is old news. Or you could look at the Thai immigration website.

Edited November 30, 2019 by Martyp

[EricTh]

All these unnecessary checks is becoming a nightmare. If there's no proof, why go show in the first place?

 

 

[Onrai]

4 hours ago, Martyp said:

You now understand the requirements correctly. I keep 800,000 in a bank account all year round so I don't worry about the changes month to month or year to year. I believe the new financial requirements came into effect earlier this year. You will have to do your own research on websites. You can search this group. This was much discussed and is old news. Or you could look at the Thai immigration website.

Clear as mud. I liken the situation to the law requiring farang to have a thai or international motorcycle license. The only place this has every been enforced for me is in Chiang Mai. Never been checked in any other city. Conclusion, enforcement of many regulations is arbitrary and can vary from district to district. I suspect immigration offices that process lots of extensions- Pattaya and Phuket are more stringent than up north in Isaan. 

I too keep 800k in a bank account, but now realize that is a lot of money to tie just to satisfy a visa requirement. It now seems, at least for me, to use the 65k a month income requirement. 

Regarding the much discussed bit- I have found so many topics being discussed on this forum that have no bearing on my experience with customs, visa extensions and random regulation enforcements. Never been asked for proof of income 20k bhat income at either airport or land crossings from Cambodia or Lao. Never been asked for a prepaid return ticket, both of which are clearly outlined in the thai embassies requirements for entering the country,  and endlessly discussed in these forums. I won’t categorize difference experiences as misinformation, but it certain that the regulations are ignored, misinterpreted or strictly enforced depending on where you go for your visa extension.

[Max69xl]

5 minutes ago, Onrai said:

Clear as mud. I liken the situation to the law requiring farang to have a thai or international motorcycle license. The only place this has every been enforced for me is in Chiang Mai. Never been checked in any other city. Conclusion, enforcement of many regulations is arbitrary and can vary from district to district. I suspect immigration offices that process lots of extensions- Pattaya and Phuket are more stringent than up north in Isaan. 

I too keep 800k in a bank account, but now realize that is a lot of money to tie just to satisfy a visa requirement. It now seems, at least for me, to use the 65k a month income requirement. 

Regarding the much discussed bit- I have found so many topics being discussed on this forum that have no bearing on my experience with customs, visa extensions and random regulation enforcements. Never been asked for proof of income 20k bhat income at either airport or land crossings from Cambodia or Lao. Never been asked for a prepaid return ticket, both of which are clearly outlined in the thai embassies requirements for entering the country,  and endlessly discussed in these forums. I won’t categorize difference experiences as misinformation, but it certain that the regulations are ignored, misinterpreted or strictly enforced depending on where you go for your visa extension.

"The only place this has every been enforced for me is in Chiang Mai. Never been checked in any other city."

Then you haven't been to Pattaya/ Jomtien. They check for driver licenses frequently. 

Then the part about a needed pre-paid return/outbound ticket. If you apply for a 60 days tourist Visa in your home country, you must show a copy of the receipt for the ticket. No receipt,no Visa. That requirement has existed for 30+ years. 

[Onrai]

8 hours ago, Max69xl said:

The only place this has every been enforced for me is in Chiang Mai. Never been checked in any other city."

Then you haven't been to Pattaya/ Jomtien. They check for driver licenses frequently. 

Then the part about a needed pre-paid return/outbound ticket. If you apply for a 60 days tourist Visa in your home country, you must show a copy of the receipt for the ticket. No receipt,no Visa. That requirement has existed for 30+ years. 

I think you have confirmed my point: where there are a lot of farang at immigration offices the higher the probability of strictly enforced immigration rules.

While we could debate this endlessly- and Phuket is Pattaya I was never stopped in for a license or motorcycle license check. So, I think we can agree that there are at least two cities that check for motorcycle licenses while the vast majority do not. 

The 20k requirement was in reference to a post a month or so ago about a family arriving from Kuala Lumpur and being stopped and asked to prove he had the 20k. He didn’t have it and his thai wife had to go to the ATM to get the money to satisfy the immigration officer. Long string of comments from other people being stopped at the airport and asked for 20k financial proof. 

I do not see anything when searching “thai visa requirements” that there is a distinction in requirements between visa on arrival 60 day visa applied for in your home country. Thaiembassy.com does not make that distinction. 

[Matzzon]

The kind of point here. You have the burden of proof, not Immigration. If you provide proof and they are happy. Then noted in the computer and all good. Nobody in the smart car will knock on your door out of that reason anyway.

[Martyp]

9 hours ago, Onrai said:

Clear as mud. I liken the situation to the law requiring farang to have a thai or international motorcycle license. The only place this has every been enforced for me is in Chiang Mai. Never been checked in any other city. Conclusion, enforcement of many regulations is arbitrary and can vary from district to district. I suspect immigration offices that process lots of extensions- Pattaya and Phuket are more stringent than up north in Isaan. 

I too keep 800k in a bank account, but now realize that is a lot of money to tie just to satisfy a visa requirement. It now seems, at least for me, to use the 65k a month income requirement. 

Regarding the much discussed bit- I have found so many topics being discussed on this forum that have no bearing on my experience with customs, visa extensions and random regulation enforcements. Never been asked for proof of income 20k bhat income at either airport or land crossings from Cambodia or Lao. Never been asked for a prepaid return ticket, both of which are clearly outlined in the thai embassies requirements for entering the country,  and endlessly discussed in these forums. I won’t categorize difference experiences as misinformation, but it certain that the regulations are ignored, misinterpreted or strictly enforced depending on where you go for your visa extension.

I don’t think it is a problem of knowing the regulations and then not having experienced enforcement of the regulations. It’s when you don’t know the regulations and then unexpectedly get caught. People should know that the regulations regarding the 800,000 baht banked money method changed this year. Outdated websites don’t help. If I was to fault Thai Immigration concerning that change it would be that the announcement and rollout/transition was not well done. Law enforcement discretion is hardly unique to Thailand but it might be a little more extreme here. I can also fault TVF members for contributing to the confusion by posting incomplete reports. Their reports are often missing their location, immigration office, the date, their correct immigration status (assuming they even know what it is), and any number of important details.

[Onrai]

I agree 100%. I went to Vientiane to get my Non immigration type O_A visa. Ended up a the Thai consulate without an appt. and they said I needed an appt to apply. I went back to the thai blog I had been reading and sure enough it was a couple years old and out of date. I can’t describe the absurdity of the process at the USA consulate. Essentially for $US50 they will notarize any affidavit you present them. I hand wrote a letter that I had no criminal record in the USA and they notarized it. I could have been a convicted felon and they would have notarized it. Same with sufficient funds in a US bank. That was more believable because I did have a recent bank statement to verify funds. 

I really wonder about the chaos US immigration officers are facing with the recent continuous changes to our immigration policy. I empathize with immigrations trying to keep up with all the new policies and regulations but it doesn’t feel good to be on the receiving end of all these shifting policies.