for retirement visa NON – O-A based on income need to deposit 65k THB in Thai bank monthly ?

[cdemundo]

for retirement visa NON – O-A  based on income need to deposit 65k THB in Thai bank monthly ?

I know you have to provide an income certificate for proof, but can it be in a US bank?

[tonray]

No,,,the whole point would be to prove you have money to live off in Thailand

[cdemundo]

1 minute ago, tonray said:

No,,,the whole point would be to prove you have money to live off in Thailand

sorry I was silly enough to ask 2 questions.

Both were yes/no.

 

[tonray]

2 minutes ago, cdemundo said:

sorry I was silly enough to ask 2 questions.

Both were yes/no.

 

Yes to 65K in Thai Bank

No to keeping it in US Bank

[LivinLOS]

8 hours ago, cdemundo said:

sorry I was silly enough to ask 2 questions.

Both were yes/no.

 

yes/no 

[MarcIssan]

It goes beyond just that...and I'm no expert on the matter but have had a few run-arounds.   

 

So my first O visa application I had 800,000+ bt in a Thai bank.  Everything went OK.  The following year (2020) I tried to apply with a statement from the bank showing the required monthly deposits but I was 9 days short of the required period ..12 months aka 365 days of time.  I had 11 months and 21  days deposit history which was not good enough.

 

Oh...and 3 minutes later they backdated the requirement to the date the income rule was adopted which for me was 16 months prior now 12 months.  I got <deleted> and left.  I called Khon Kaen immigration and they said no problem...but when I told them I was in Udon...well "No problem" turned into "Kannot".  They told me I had to follow the rules of Udon immigration.

 

So I went back to Udon and showed where I had the 800,000 in the bank..part was in my US dollar account at Bangkok
Bank and part was in my Thai baht account in the same bank.  Nope that won't work because they are not in the same account.  I said I could  combine them and come back the next day and show over the 800,000 but Nope...that won't work either.  It won't all be in the same account for the required 3 months time prior to renewing the visa..so nope that won't work. 

 

So I sent my wife to Bangkok with a bunch of documents to get notarized at the American Embassy and the Thai embassy with the idea of applying for a marriage visa and showing 400,000+ in the bank which was already in there for over 90 days.  I forget what the documents were but it seems I had to disavow ownership in property etc.  Nope that didn't work because one of the  documents had my wife's married name on it and she needed it to have her maiden name notarized instead.  Booking appointments at both embassies delayed the process and I was already running out of time.

 

As it was, I was now 9 days late and  alas I had to pay their extortion/expediting fees for them to look the other way on the money part and get my visa extension.  4500 baht late fees and 16,000 baht 'expediting' fees later I walked out with my extension. <deleted> I was <deleted>.

 

Ok this year (2021) I went in early to ask a few questions and the bank statement isn't enough...I had to prove where the income came from.  Why I asked!  They couldn't allow me to work so it cannot come from a job and selling drugs is illegal!  I went home, logged on to the USA government pension site, downloaded a bunch of monthly and annual statements showing my monthly income, took all that to the bank to get a statement from them showing the monthly deposits, paid my fees to the bank and YAY got my extension in May of this  year without having to pay any extra 'expediting' fees.  They said the documents from  America needed to be notarized and I said..."ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"  I explained that I didn't vote for Joe Biden and that he  was not going to sign anything on  my behalf.  I don't think they got the joke.  They accepted the printed statements because it had the official American seal..or so I think.

 

I figured I'd celebrate that day because next year there was likely going to be new rules that I don't qualify for and it will be back to paying the 'expediting' fees so I may as well enjoy my success while  I can.

 

Good luck sorting this out.  

[wwest5829]

Up to the individual, but I have used the monthly income method since retiring to Thailand in 2011. My funds are earning income with investments in the US rather than “parking” 800k in a Thai bank.

[cdemundo]

3 hours ago, MarcIssan said:

It goes beyond just that...and I'm no expert on the matter but have had a few run-arounds.   

 

So my first O visa application I had 800,000+ bt in a Thai bank.  Everything went OK.  The following year (2020) I tried to apply with a statement from the bank showing the required monthly deposits but I was 9 days short of the required period ..12 months aka 365 days of time.  I had 11 months and 21  days deposit history which was not good enough.

 

Oh...and 3 minutes later they backdated the requirement to the date the income rule was adopted which for me was 16 months prior now 12 months.  I got <deleted> and left.  I called Khon Kaen immigration and they said no problem...but when I told them I was in Udon...well "No problem" turned into "Kannot".  They told me I had to follow the rules of Udon immigration.

 

So I went back to Udon and showed where I had the 800,000 in the bank..part was in my US dollar account at Bangkok
Bank and part was in my Thai baht account in the same bank.  Nope that won't work because they are not in the same account.  I said I could  combine them and come back the next day and show over the 800,000 but Nope...that won't work either.  It won't all be in the same account for the required 3 months time prior to renewing the visa..so nope that won't work. 

 

So I sent my wife to Bangkok with a bunch of documents to get notarized at the American Embassy and the Thai embassy with the idea of applying for a marriage visa and showing 400,000+ in the bank which was already in there for over 90 days.  I forget what the documents were but it seems I had to disavow ownership in property etc.  Nope that didn't work because one of the  documents had my wife's married name on it and she needed it to have her maiden name notarized instead.  Booking appointments at both embassies delayed the process and I was already running out of time.

 

As it was, I was now 9 days late and  alas I had to pay their extortion/expediting fees for them to look the other way on the money part and get my visa extension.  4500 baht late fees and 16,000 baht 'expediting' fees later I walked out with my extension. <deleted> I was <deleted>.

 

Ok this year (2021) I went in early to ask a few questions and the bank statement isn't enough...I had to prove where the income came from.  Why I asked!  They couldn't allow me to work so it cannot come from a job and selling drugs is illegal!  I went home, logged on to the USA government pension site, downloaded a bunch of monthly and annual statements showing my monthly income, took all that to the bank to get a statement from them showing the monthly deposits, paid my fees to the bank and YAY got my extension in May of this  year without having to pay any extra 'expediting' fees.  They said the documents from  America needed to be notarized and I said..."ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"  I explained that I didn't vote for Joe Biden and that he  was not going to sign anything on  my behalf.  I don't think they got the joke.  They accepted the printed statements because it had the official American seal..or so I think.

 

I figured I'd celebrate that day because next year there was likely going to be new rules that I don't qualify for and it will be back to paying the 'expediting' fees so I may as well enjoy my success while  I can.

 

Good luck sorting this out.  

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I appreciate your willingness to be helpful, very rare around here.

As far as demonstrating 12 months of deposits, can that be in a US bank or do I have to make deposits in Thailand for a year before I apply?

I understand that you may not know the answer as your situation was different.

Thanks for a helpful answer!!!

[cdemundo]

3 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Up to the individual, but I have used the monthly income method since retiring to Thailand in 2011. My funds are earning income with investments in the US rather than “parking” 800k in a Thai bank.

Thank you for your helpful reply.

Do you recall when you first applied did you have to show 12 months of deposits in a Thai bank before applying?

[cdemundo]

This was on the DC Embassy website, I had looked on the LA Consulate website and did not find this.

 

https://thaiembdc.org/2020/11/17/oalongstay/

O-A visa: US or Thai bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht. In the case of submitting a bank statement, a letter of guarantee from the bank (an original copy) is required

 

==

"a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht."

 

a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 400,000 Baht plus 34K THB per month.

 

Note to self: Wise-ass comments often accompany wrong information.

[sqwakvfr]

The Income Certificate for an Non Immigrant OA application at an overseas Thai Embassy/Consulate is from the the agency or specific entity that actually pays the recipient.  This can be a government agency or private entity.  I have applied for 3 OA Visa 's from the Los Angeles Consulate and each time I submitted an original Income Certificate from a public pension agency.  The money from my pension has always been deposited into a US bank.  The income certificate and where it is deposited are two different issues.  In order to extend an OA visa at Thai Immigration using the 65K Baht Income Method the monthly pay has to be deposited into a Thai bank or transferred into a Thai Bank on a monthly basis.  

[wwest5829]

8 hours ago, cdemundo said:

Thank you for your helpful reply.

Do you recall when you first applied did you have to show 12 months of deposits in a Thai bank before applying?

I fear my experience could be out of date as I applied for my O-A Visa for Thailand through the Thai Consulate in Chicago. a decade ago. In applying I had to submit a medical certificate, a police letter and my financial statement showing I could support myself in Thailand (so no need for a year’s worth of deposit before being granted a Visa). I believe it still holds true that the original O-A Visa can actually be used for the first two years retiring in Thailand if you exit and re-enter the country toward the end of the first year. After that, you will be getting “extensions of Stay”  rather than new Visas.That being true, you will need to have money to live on during that time so establishing your income pattern should not be a difficulty. Again, we say TIT referring to changing requirements at times so we have to keep our wits about us. If you plan to bring in less than the required 65K baht a month, some find it preferable just to leave the 800 K on deposit in a Thai bank. For me, I need the 65K a month for our family of 3 to live on. Should I wish, I could change to a marriage Visa reducing the income requirement or bank deposit … as I would still need 65K for our monthly spending it is not pertinent for my case. Hope this helps.

[MarcIssan]

9 hours ago, cdemundo said:

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I appreciate your willingness to be helpful, very rare around here.

As far as demonstrating 12 months of deposits, can that be in a US bank or do I have to make deposits in Thailand for a year before I apply?

I understand that you may not know the answer as your situation was different.

Thanks for a helpful answer!!!

It has to be in a Thai account and all in the same account and all in Thai baht.  At least here in Udon this is the requirement. It seems every immigration office has the liberty to interpret the law as they please.

[MarcIssan]

Just now, MarcIssan said:

It has to be in a Thai account and all in the same account and all in Thai baht.  At least here in Udon this is the requirement. It seems every immigration office has the liberty to interpret the law as they please.

But...if you are first arriving in Thailand and don't have a year's worth of statements I am not sure what immigration will require.  You might look into an O-A visa based on marriage.  I got that arranged in the USA before arrival.  It does require you to leave the country every 90 days and in these days with covid...I don't know how all that might work or if that is still the rule.  Then near the end of my year I switched to an  O visa based on retirement.  I put 800,000 in the bank, then took it back out just as fast once I got the  visa.  Nobody ever checked whether I kept it in for the required period of time.  You could do the O-A visa and start the monthly deposits so at the end of the O-A visa you would have the required 12 months history of earnings.  Or you could continue with the marriage visa and qualify on the monthly statement as well..it is 40,000 bt per month as I recall.  My friend doesn't have the 65k monthly and applied for and received a visa based on marriage but never mentioned he had to leave Thailand every 3 months.  As you see I know only what I know or have experienced.

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, MarcIssan said:

You might look into an O-A visa based on marriage. 

There is no such visa.

You got a multiple entry non-o visa based upon marriage that allows unlimited 90 day entries for a year.

Then during the last 30 days of one of the 90 entries from the visa you applied for a one year extension of stay based upon retirement.

[sqwakvfr]

If the question is about applying for a new OA Visa from an overseas Thai Consulate then money in a  Thai bank is not required.  Also, remember the need for Health Insurance that meets the 400K IPD, 40K OPD and the $100,000 USD Covid 19 coverage requirement.  My first OA Visa was really simple.  It was drive to the Consulate and drop my application packet.  Then I would return the next day and pick my passport with the Visa.  Those days are long gone.  It is now a combination of Evisa with uploaded documents(some documents have to be scanned as JPG and some have to be in PDF) and then mail the passport.  Also, one now has to apply for a COE.  I just got my COE to return to Bangkok in a week and this time the COE process was easier(I got the COE approved in 2 days)..  

[cdemundo]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

There is no such visa.

You got a multiple entry non-o visa based upon marriage that allows unlimited 90 day entries for a year.

Then during the last 30 days of one of the 90 entries from the visa you applied for a one year extension of stay based upon retirement.

Not a concern. Not married. No marriage on the horizon.

thanks.