Retirement Visa by the 65K thb method

[mtls2005]

27 minutes ago, fredscats said:

Let imm enlighten you on next renewal

Brilliant.

 

 

[Tanoshi]

3 hours ago, LatPhrao said:

Thank you! for clarifying UJ's point...and you're the first post that imho 'get's it'. Monthly deposits,  short term visas, visas extended, border happing as necessary - for 12 months.  Pray that it works.

You appear to be making hard work of achieving your goal.

You are aware land borders aren't currently open for 'border hops'.

 

Why not just get a Non Imm O-A Visa that will permit you stay in Thailand for 12 months on entry.
You can make your 12 x 65K transfers during this time, then at the end of the 1 year exit/re-enter VE, apply for Non O at Immigration, then a 1 year extension of stay.

[fredscats]

3 hours ago, bbko said:

IMO, Bangkok Bank & Wise transfers, is the best choice for expats using the monthly deposit method.

Plenty of threads on Asean Now on how to set it up properly to avoid any problems.

Good luck on that one

[Lemsta69]

41 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Perhaps you or your Head of Imm contact could clarify how using WISE to transfer money from one bank to another is "not bank to bank"?

 

Is using SWIFT "bank to bank" acceptable? Is having an SSA benefit directly deposited "bank-to-bank" acceptable?

 

I mean for those of us who are unenlightened?

 

 

I'm not sure why old mate can't simply answer your question. I think what he's trying to say is that when you use Wise or similar services they don't actually transfer the funds directly from your US bank to your Thai bank. 

 

they bypass the old, slow and expensive SWIFT network and instead send the THB to you from one of their partner Thai banks. 

 

I suppose this is why the "Head of Immi" doesn't like it, assuming that whole conversation wasn't just a dream ????

[Gottfrid]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

But the immigration order allowing transfers into a Thai bank account states it does not have to be 12 months if it is the first one.

 

Yes, exactly. ???? Also something that should not be anything that people actually think. I will be very hard for a person that has not been living in Thailand before, to have sent money for a year to their own bank account. ????

[Tanoshi]

2 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

I suppose this is why the "Head of Immi" doesn't like it, assuming that whole conversation wasn't just a dream ????

More likely he doesn't understand it.
Always show as 'International' transfers on my Bangkok Bank statements using 'Wise'.

[DrJack54]

8 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Why not just get a Non Imm O-A Visa that will permit you stay in Thailand for 12 months on entry.

Seems so obvious now you put it in type. 

Didn't think of that.

Could add that if he wished to grab the extra year with the exit reenter prior to the non O-A expiry that would be an option.

Yes insurance requirement but good option imo.

[Tanoshi]

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Seems so obvious now you put it in type. 

Didn't think of that.

Could add that if he wished to grab the extra year with the exit reenter prior to the non O-A expiry that would be an option.

Yes insurance requirement but good option imo.

Yes, includes the mandatory Health Insure, but that will probably work out cheaper than 'trips' and short term Visa costs over 12 months.
Guarantees staying in Thailand 12 months without any of the other hassles.
Could get a 2nd years stay but would require the Health Insurance again and for extensions from a Non Imm O-A, hence I suggested exiting/re-entering VE > Non O > 1 year extension with no mandatory Health Insurance.

[DefaultName]

10 hours ago, bojo said:

Could I butt in and ask.....I am returning soon too after having been away for a while and I have a Thai account with over the 800K Thb needed to applu for a non O......However I am unclear as to whether the funds need to be shown from coming in from overseas, which in my case they haven't........ My funds have been there for years from savings etc within the Kingdom...Thanks......................

If you haven't used that account for a while, you may want to check that it's still open and that your money is still there.  There have been reports of dormant accounts being closed - I haven't heard if you can get the money back.  TIT, so it's likely in someone's pocket.

[fredscats]

32 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

More likely he doesn't understand it.
Always show as 'International' transfers on my Bangkok Bank statements using 'Wise'.

Try it   LOL

[Liverpool Lou]

16 hours ago, Lite Beer said:

16 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, enter Thailand visa exempt.

Place 800k in your Thai bank to obtain your non O retirement.

Then obtain extension using money in bank method.

All very simple but requires you to have the funds.

If that's impossible use an agent.

Expand  

Please don't go the dodgy agent route.

Correct, just use a normal agent.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

4 hours ago, Henryford said:

The problem for me was to get the incoming 65k shown as overseas income.

And many banks now have a 50,000 baht limit.

Nonsense, no Thai banks limit the amount of incoming transfers to credit a Thai bank account.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[mtls2005]

55 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

I think what he's trying to say is that when you use Wise or similar services they don't actually transfer the funds directly from your US bank to your Thai bank. 

Well any SWIFT transfer goes through an intermediary bank, unrelated to the origin and destination banks. So there's that.

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, Hummin said:

Explain please,

 

If they force me to use agent, when I have my complete paperwork as requested, I will report them, and if necessary, If that give me trouble, I will move from Thailand. 
 

I will not be forced to use agent, when I qualify for a valid visa on every request they have! I apply for renewal of my visa 45 days prior to end date, so they can try every trick they want. 

No one will ever force you to use an agent when there is still the option of dealing directly with you Immigration office.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

2 hours ago, fredscats said:

This is not bank to bank

Perhaps you or your Head of Imm contact could clarify how using WISE to transfer money from one bank to another is "not bank to bank"?

WISE is not a bank, that's possibly how.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Hummin]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No one will ever force you to use an agent when there is still the option of dealing directly with you Immigration office.

Seems many give up and feeling forced to go that way, since they feel stressed out by the immigration, and I can understand that, especially if you start the whole process with little time left before your time is up on your previous visa.

 

As said, many who have stayed here for long time, who is old, and it takes energy and unecessery time to give them what they ask for like the one I previous mentioned, I can understand that he become nervous by them hassling him like that.

 

He asked an agent about price for international yellow vaccine passport, and the agent wanted 5000 baht to fix it for him, and I told him what to do, and it cost him 50 baht pluss taxi and the time.

[Liverpool Lou]

42 minutes ago, DefaultName said:

If you haven't used that account for a while, you may want to check that it's still open and that your money is still there.  There have been reports of dormant accounts being closed - I haven't heard if you can get the money back.  TIT, so it's likely in someone's pocket.

"I haven't heard if you can get the money back.  TIT, so it's likely in someone's pocket".

Total nonsense, the BoT has confirmed that balances of accounts closed because of dormancy can be reclaimed on production of suitable ID documentation.

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Nonsense, no Thai banks limit the amount of incoming transfers to credit a Thai bank account.

Wise recently changed policy.

Limit of 50k per transfer to some Thai banks.

Recently had to transfer (using Wise) 3 million baht.

I had to use my Kasikorn account.

Not my preferred option as that's my dedicated account for immigration purposes.

 

[Liverpool Lou]

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

18 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Nonsense, no Thai banks limit the amount of incoming transfers to credit a Thai bank account.

Wise recently changed policy.

Limit of 50k per transfer to some Thai banks.

Recently had to transfer (using Wise) 3 million baht.

I had to use my Kasikorn account.

Not my preferred option as that's my dedicated account for immigration purposes.

I'm referring to Thai retail banks, Wise is not a bank.   Thai banks do not restrict the amount of deposits to their customer's accounts.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[DrJack54]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I'm referring to retail Thai banks, Wise is not a bank.   Thai banks do not restrict the amount of deposits to their customer's accounts.

Many (most) people use Wise for transfers. 

This was about transfers. 

What Thai banks do is somewhat irrelevant if one of the major transfer companies only deals with couple of banks for 50k +.

I must check with OFX also. 

[Liverpool Lou]

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

9 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I'm referring to retail Thai banks, Wise is not a bank.   Thai banks do not restrict the amount of deposits to their customer's accounts.

Many (most) people use Wise for transfers. 

This was about transfers. 

The comment I responded to claimed that "many banks now have a 50,000 baht limit [on incoming transfers]".

 

They do not.  That was a false claim on this thread about incoming transfers.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[AjarnMartin]

5 hours ago, soisanuk said:

Yes, you are free to spend the money. The only requirement is you show evidence that at least 65k is deposited in the account Each Month and it originated From Outside Thailand.  I use this method for my annual extensions - previously used the Embassy letter until the USA Embassy stopped issuing them.

 

In my case I use Wise (formerly Transferwise) to transfer the money from my USA bank to my Bangkok Bank Account which the bank records with the FTT (foreign transfer) code.  This is not the case with many other Thai banks, they will record it as domestic because Wise uses one of their partner banks (Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank) for the funds - if your account is with another Thai bank, the funds will come from a partner bank and they will treat it as a domestic transfer.  Even with Wise, there have been some hiccups, i.e. they sending money through Kasikorn instead of Bangkok Bank resulting in it not being recorded with the FTT account.  In such cases, I had sufficient funds available to make a second transfer by another means that did get properly recorded thus still had no problem showing I made the required transfer in each month.

 

As with many things dealing with Immigration here, the documentation requirements can differ between offices. I use Chonburi (Pattaya) Immigration.  For proof of monthly transfers, they want an original bank letter listing the foreign deposits to your account for the 12 months preceding your renewal application (this is in addition to the usual letter providing evidence you have an account in your name which is also required for those using the 800k in the bank method).

 

I can confirm that, like Soisanuk, I transfer money from the UK every month via Wise and it generally works well. However, due to ‘banking glitches’ I’ve so far had two transfers this year that came via Kasikorn and were registered as ‘domestic transfers’ NOT ‘TFF’ by my Bangkok Bank account. This also presents no problem as nearer my visa renewal date in September, I will get the necessary documentary proof from Kasikorn that it was money originated from my UK bank and diverted via Kasikorn to Bangkok Bank. I’ve done this each year it happens with no problems at Thai Immigration.

[Nickelbeer]

5 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I think the only 'dodgy' ones are the ones not so well known where people try to shave off a little money quoted from the 'less dodgy' ones ! You get what you pay for !

ALWAYS use an agent. Parking large sums of money in a Thai bank is unnecessary. If your income is 65 thousand baht or more, you owe it to yourself to avoid the "money in the bank" method.

[Lemsta69]

43 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Well any SWIFT transfer goes through an intermediary bank, unrelated to the origin and destination banks. So there's that.

 

 

true, but SWIFT is "legit" because the cabal said so ????

[fredscats]

34 minutes ago, AjarnMartin said:

I can confirm that, like Soisanuk, I transfer money from the UK every month via Wise and it generally works well. However, due to ‘banking glitches’ I’ve so far had two transfers this year that came via Kasikorn and were registered as ‘domestic transfers’ NOT ‘TFF’ by my Bangkok Bank account. This also presents no problem as nearer my visa renewal date in September, I will get the necessary documentary proof from Kasikorn that it was money originated from my UK bank and diverted via Kasikorn to Bangkok Bank. I’ve done this each year it happens with no problems at Thai Immigration.

not this year you wont

[Thingamabob]

....all of which goes to prove that a retirement extension backed by 800k deposited permanently in an account in your name only is the easiest way to go.

[Brick Top]

17 hours ago, fredscats said:

Lots of flies......will not do just showing amounts   need confirmation letters of pensions coming in   plus plus plus whatever extra the imm dream up to get you to use agent

That is certainly not the case in Phuket , I have recently renewed mine and I just needed a 12 month bank statement showing 12 monthly International transfers and a bank guarantee letter to prove it was my account

[DefaultName]

5 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"I haven't heard if you can get the money back.  TIT, so it's likely in someone's pocket".

Total nonsense, the BoT has confirmed that balances of accounts closed because of dormancy can be reclaimed on production of suitable ID documentation.

Good, being done correctly then.

[LatPhrao]

11 hours ago, sitta said:

Is it easy open Thai Citibank account, I do have an account with CityAustralia?

It's been a long time ago that I opened the Citibank account. At the time I just needed to show my Citi account information in the US.  I think it should be easy, each month I get Citibank TH e-mails offering rewards for referring someone to open an account.  Even though they are advising that eventually UOB will take over the Citibank accounts.  An agent told me that's likely 6 months away.  If you have a Citi account in Australia it should be a cinch.  Very nice, helpful people at the Bangkok branch across from Terminal 21.

Edited March 16, 2022 by LatPhrao

[LatPhrao]

9 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

You appear to be making hard work of achieving your goal.

You are aware land borders aren't currently open for 'border hops'.

 

Why not just get a Non Imm O-A Visa that will permit you stay in Thailand for 12 months on entry.
You can make your 12 x 65K transfers during this time, then at the end of the 1 year exit/re-enter VE, apply for Non O at Immigration, then a 1 year extension of stay.

Yes, if only it could be that straightforward. I am on a US passport but making my initial moves from Argentina, which despite having residency, the Thai embassy won't issue a Non Imm O-A visa from here.  So first the move, a few months on a Visa Exempt and then deal with next steps. Hoping to avoid having to return to US and apply. Thanks the good advice which may serve someone in simpler circumstances.