Tha Yang Immigration Office - Extension Of Stay Requirements Seem Especially Strict

[miketu]

Hi all,

I went to the Tha Yang Immigration office today to try and get an Extension Of Stay (EOS) approval on my OA Retirement Visa.  But the Tha Yang Immigration office seems to have the strictest requirements yet for an Extension Of Stay.  Aside from the mandatory requirement of Thai only Health Insurance, they have the following financial proof requirements:

 

- 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account, plus proof of at least 3 months of 65,000 baht per month bank deposits in a Thai bank account.

 

- If you don't have 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account, then you have to show proof of at least 12 months of 65,000 baht each per month bank deposits.

 

This is great news for Thai banks, but shouldn't the requirement be for the Extension Of Stay applicant to prove their past financial ability to live in the country??  Immigration won't even accept one year of credit card statements from my home country bank showing the tens of thousands of baht spent each month in Thailand over the past 14 years, and paid off each month.  Plus a Thai Yellow Book showing my ownership of a condo in Thailand for 14 years??

 

Cui bono??  Don't left the door hit you on the way out of our country! 

 

Philippines??

 

[uncleP]

Seems pretty standard .

[Theicemaiden]

11 hours ago, uncleP said:

Seems pretty standard .

When you say it “Seems pretty standard”, do you mean it’s a standard requirement that is demanded up and down the country, and is required by the relevant Police Order?
 

Or you mean it’s pretty standard at this office as they like to make up requirements on the hoof, because they can?

[JeffersLos]

8 minutes ago, Theicemaiden said:

When you say it “Seems pretty standard”, do you mean it’s a standard requirement that is demanded up and down the country, and is required by the relevant Police Order?

 

Yes, those financial requirements are the normal ones in every immigration office?

 

 

Are you married to a Thai (your name and gender says female), if you are a foreign female married to a Thai male, you can get a 12 month extension based on marriage without showing any funds whatsoever. ???? 

[Lacessit]

I've never heard of an additional income requirement. 800K baht on deposit 2 months before extension, and 400K baht before that, is all that should be needed.

I keep it simple by leaving the 800K in the account year round.

Perhaps someone in the Tha Yang office is looking for a bribe.

[theoldgit]

18 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

Yes, those financial requirements are the normal ones in every immigration office?

You may well be right, but I’ve never come across it before.

[miketu]

Yes, I thought you only had to show 3 months of deposits in a thai bank???  What's the policy of other immigration offices??  Hua Hin??  Udon??

[Baerboxer]

On 9/22/2020 at 4:53 AM, uncleP said:

Seems pretty standard .

 

No it isn't

[JusticeGB]

There is no requirement to show 800,000 and 65,000 for the last 3 months. The full 800,000 must be in the bank for at least 3 months before renewing a retirement Visa. Looks like they are wanting you to use an agent so they can get a brown envelope. 

[jessc]

800k in the bank (seasoned for 2 months prior to extension application)

-OR-

65k fixed income a month for 12 months

-OR-

A combo of money in the bank and monthly income that combined total 800k year are the standard financial criteria for a non-O/OA retirement extension. 

 

Financial criteria for non-O marriage extension are different. 

[ujayujay]

3 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

There is no requirement to show 800,000 and 65,000 for the last 3 months. The full 800,000 must be in the bank for at least 3 months before renewing a retirement Visa. Looks like they are wanting you to use an agent so they can get a brown envelope. 

800k 2 Months before renewing is required!

[miketu]

Which Thai Immigration office has the most lax financial requirements? 

 

The Tha Yang immigration official I talked to actually seemed apologetic of their requirement for 800K in a thai bank for 2? months + 3 consecutive months of 65K deposits in a Thai bank, or 12 months of 65K baht each.  They advised me 'on the side' to find the most lax immigration office (Phuket?) and go there for an extension using a "home" Phuket? address. 

 

Any opinions on the most lax Thai immigration office concerning financial requirements?

 

[silver sea]

On 10/8/2020 at 4:14 AM, miketu said:

Which Thai Immigration office has the most lax financial requirements? 

 

The Tha Yang immigration official I talked to actually seemed apologetic of their requirement for 800K in a thai bank for 2? months + 3 consecutive months of 65K deposits in a Thai bank, or 12 months of 65K baht each.  They advised me 'on the side' to find the most lax immigration office (Phuket?) and go there for an extension using a "home" Phuket? address. 

 

Any opinions on the most lax Thai immigration office concerning financial requirements?

 

 

On 9/22/2020 at 4:35 PM, Lacessit said:

I've never heard of an additional income requirement. 800K baht on deposit 2 months before extension, and 400K baht before that, is all that should be needed.

I keep it simple by leaving the 800K in the account year round.

Perhaps someone in the Tha Yang office is looking for a bribe.

 

On 10/7/2020 at 3:52 PM, jessc said:

800k in the bank (seasoned for 2 months prior to extension application)

-OR-

65k fixed income a month for 12 months

-OR-

A combo of money in the bank and monthly income that combined total 800k year are the standard financial criteria for a non-O/OA retirement extension. 

 

Financial criteria for non-O marriage extension are different. 

 

I had a Non Imm O-A from the RTE in London. It was on its second year and was due to expire two months ago (20th August). Usually, I return to the UK each August, but because of Covid restrictions, I decided to stay another year in Thailand instead. The chances of reentry to Thailand from the UK are slim.

 

In July, I did my 90 day report at the small satellite Immigration Office at Bluport in Hua Hin. I said that my O-A would expire soon and that I planned to apply for an extension of stay at the main Immigration office on the outskirts of Hua Hin. 
 

The official was very helpful and handed me a blank application form (TM7) and a sheet which listed the documents needed to support the application.
 

The sheet is a photocopy of a list someone has typed on A4: one half in Thai, one half in English. Being a copy of a copy of a copy, many times over, the typing is faint in places. For this reason, I won’t show you a screen shot.

 

I have quoted the sheet below:

 

Retirement Visa

 

1. Application form (TM7) and one 2 inches photo (4x5 cm)

2 A copy of passport (must be Non Immigrant visa)

3 Extension fee 1900 baht

4. The applicant: 50 years old or older
 

 

5. Proof of financial statement.

 

“A certificate letter from a bank of savings or fixed account book in Thailand, which shows at least 800,000 baht saved in the account for the past 2 months. Also, 800,000 baht must be saved in the account for the whole 3 months after the visa is approved. After that time, the applicant can withdraw from the account, but there must less than 400,000 bath in the account, or“
 

I have quoted as typed on the sheet, but the last line should probably read: “.....but there must BE NOT less than 400,000 in the account., or”

 

Their requirement concerning proof of income is a separate paragraph which follows the paragraph about savings, which I have quoted above.
 

Also the above savings paragraph ends with the word “or” and so it is indicating that proof of savings or income are separate options with separate rules.
 

I quote below the income paragraph (one word I could not read, so I have shown it as ****):

 

”The applicant must earn total income of at least  800,000 baht a year (from savings, fixed money **** bank account pension, and the social welfare) for this case. The applicant must show the amount of money in the bank account for at least 2 months from the past, and also 3 months after the visa is approved, then the applicant can withdraw money, but there must be not less than 400,000 baht in the account.”

 

6. Copy of house registration, or rental holding contract, or residence map.

7. For Non O-A need Thai Health Insurance website long stay tgia org.
 

For what it is worth, I believe that the Tha Yang Immigration Office is wrong concerning an application relying entirely on savings only. You do not have to prove your income as well. 
 

You only have to prove both savings and income if you are relying on a “Combo” e.g. 300,000 savings and the balance of 500,000 (which together total 800,000) from income over 12 months.
 

I am assuming from your OP that you want to rely on savings only, although you have income too.

 

My advice would be to post a new thread on the Thai visas, residency and work permits forum:

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/forum/1-thai-visas-residency-and-work-permits/

 

Ask them to confirm that Tha Yang is indeed wrong; and to quote the relevant regulations from the official rule book in both Thai and English.

 

As you probably know, the moderators and members on that particular forum are very experienced and can quote you the relevant regulations. You can then print off the regulations and show them to Tha Yang Immigration Office.

 

Finally I would confirm, that using the information sheet quoted above, I got my extension of stay from the main Hua Hin Immigration Office on 19th August without any problems.
 

I also did my 90 day report at the satellite Immigration Office at Bluport, Hua Hin in September; again, no problems.

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by silver sea

[miketu]

Thanks silver sea for the info.  Unfortunately, I said the hell with it and am back in the u.s. for now, after a year, and will wait for thailand to open up again and apply for another OA visa.

 

Philippines anyone???

Edited October 11, 2020 by miketu