Combo method for the money requirement for a retirement visa extension?

[ThoMichael]

Hello, I have been gone from Thailand for many years, but thinking about returning. A friend told me the half income half money in the bank combo method, for the money requirement for a retirement visa extension was stopped in in some provinces. Is it still possible at Bangkok immigration or at offices in any other cities?

 

Any info is much appreciated.

[ubonjoe]

I think most immigration offices will accept a combination of money in the bank and proof of income tor reach a total of 800k baht.

Unless you can get proof of income from your embassy it will more than likely not be possible to use the combination option for the first extension since they will want proof of the income being transferred into a Thai from abroad for 12 months.

[ThoMichael]

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I think most immigration offices will accept a combination of money in the bank and proof of income tor reach a total of 800k baht.

Unless you can get proof of income from your embassy it will more than likely not be possible to use the combination option for the first extension since they will want proof of the income being transferred into a Thai from abroad for 12 months.

Thanks for your quick reply!  I receive a monthly pension from the US Social Security Administration that is around $1,400 per month. And if I have the current benefits letter from them?

 

Will that work if I put the balance to equal 800K in a Thai bank?

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, ThoMichael said:

Thanks for your quick reply!  I receive a monthly pension from the US Social Security Administration that is around $1,400 per month. And if I have the current benefits letter from them?

Will that work if I put the balance to equal 800K in a Thai bank?

Immigration requires proof of international transfers into a Thai bank for 12 months for a extension application. The rules state 2 or 3 months for the first extension but most offices will not accept them.

Prior to the end of 2018 it was possible to do a income affidavit at the US embassy of prove your income but the embassy stopped doing them then.

[ThoMichael]

Oh ok. well I think I can scrape together the 800k if I sell my car. So I guess if I go to Thailand and get a bank account and transfer 800k into it, that will work?

[EricTh]

4 minutes ago, ThoMichael said:

Oh ok. well I think I can scrape together the 800k if I sell my car. So I guess if I go to Thailand and get a bank account and transfer 800k into it, that will work?

Yes, that will work, it has to be 2 months before application and it needs to be 3 months after approval too.

 

You need to have more than 800k for your monthly expenses so that it will not go below 800k for these 5 months.

 

 

 

 

[KannikaP]

35 minutes ago, ThoMichael said:

Thanks for your quick reply!  I receive a monthly pension from the US Social Security Administration that is around $1,400 per month. And if I have the current benefits letter from them?

 

Will that work if I put the balance to equal 800K in a Thai bank?

Why do you need any letter from Social Security? Immigration do not care where the money is 'earned' as long as it comes into a Thai Bank every month and shows as a Foreign Transfer. Wise to Bangkok Bank works a treat.

$1400 is about Bht 50k when transferred.  So if you put Bht 200k in the bank, the total is 800k so should be accepted, as it is in my Imm Office in P'lok. 

Edited September 4, 2022 by KannikaP

[ThoMichael]

7 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Why do you need any letter from Social Security? Immigration do not care where the money is 'earned' as long as it comes into a Thai Bank every month and shows as a Foreign Transfer. Wise to Bangkok Bank works a treat.

$1400 is about Bht 50k when transferred.  So if you put Bht 200k in the bank, the total is 800k so should be accepted, as it is in my Imm Office in P'lok. 

It really would be great if I can make the combo method work. I will probably do the application at the Bangkok immigration office. 

 

Can I go to Thailand on a visa on arrival and open a bank account, and I think I can change the visa on arrival to the required Non-b visa in Thailand?, which would give me three months total to work with? 

 

Thanks for your help, this is all kinda complicated.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, ThoMichael said:

Can I go to Thailand on a visa on arrival and open a bank account, and I think I can change the visa on arrival to the required Non-b visa in Thailand?, which would give me three months total to work with? 

Since you are from the US you will get a 30 day visa exempt entry not a 15 day visa on arrival that only a few countries qualify for.

You can apply for a non-o visa based upon retirement at immigration and then near the end of the 90 days it allows you can apply for the one year extension.

Requirements for the non-o are here. https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022C1_09.pdf

[ThoMichael]

33 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Since you are from the US you will get a 30 day visa exempt entry not a 15 day visa on arrival that only a few countries qualify for.

You can apply for a non-o visa based upon retirement at immigration and then near the end of the 90 days it allows you can apply for the one year extension.

Requirements for the non-o are here. https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022C1_09.pdf

Thanks so much for this info. I will study the Thai immigration pdf doc and make sure I meet all of the requirements.

 

I have to step away from my computer until later today. Will check back later.

[RedArmy]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Since you are from the US you will get a 30 day visa exempt entry not a 15 day visa on arrival that only a few countries qualify for.

I do believe that visa exempt entries will actually be 45 days from October 1st - This can also be extended for a further 30 days, giving an initial 75 days in country & time to arrange your bank account & your financial affairs.

[ubonjoe]

20 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

I do believe that visa exempt entries will actually be 45 days from October 1st - This can also be extended for a further 30 days, giving an initial 75 days in country & time to arrange your bank account & your financial affairs.

I wrote about what he would get today not on/or after October 1st.

[RedArmy]

17 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I wrote about what he would get today not on/or after October 1st.

Not trying to undermine you brother in any way, just pointing out to the OP that should he arrive on or after 1st October, his visa exempt entry will be 45 days, just in case he was unaware of this.

[DrJack54]

OP, if you know the area you plan to live and hence immigration office you will be dealing with it would be helpful to indicate that.

You may then receive first hand report.

Some offices are not keen on combination method and make things tough. 

[Gweiloman]

You need to sell your car in order to raise 800k baht so presumably, you don’t have much savings. If you are fully dependent upon your social security for your daily expenses, 50k a month doesn’t go a long way. How about medical bills? Are you fully covered? 
 

Sounds very risky to me.

[lexilis]

Unless they have changed again, Chiang Mai Immigration does NOT accept the combination method.

[ThoMichael]

6 hours ago, RedArmy said:

I do believe that visa exempt entries will actually be 45 days from October 1st - This can also be extended for a further 30 days, giving an initial 75 days in country & time to arrange your bank account & your financial affairs.

That sounds great, Actually, I wouldn't be arriving until mid October. 

 

It says in the Thai Imm doc, a rental agreement for the last three months is needed. I will be staying in a hotel for the first few months, but I guess they accept that?

[ThoMichael]

4 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, if you know the area you plan to live and hence immigration office you will be dealing with it would be helpful to indicate that.

You may then receive first hand report.

Some offices are not keen on combination method and make things tough. 

I am not sure what area I will be staying in. Just around Khaosan road I guess, but if someone can recommend a good Immigration office. I will use that one.

[ThoMichael]

6 minutes ago, ThoMichael said:

I am not sure what area I will be staying in. Just around Khaosan road I guess, but if someone can recommend a good Immigration office. I will use that one.

It would be great if I could do the combo method.

[DrJack54]

15 minutes ago, ThoMichael said:

I am not sure what area I will be staying in. Just around Khaosan road I guess, but if someone can recommend a good Immigration office. I will use that one.

Sounds like you will be living (initially) in Bangkok and dealing with CW.

They allow combination method.

However for your first application I don't think they will accept your income as you have not been transferring funds.

BTW do you have a Thai bank account in your name only. 

 

Aside: if your budget is 50k per month Khaosan Rd area would not be best idea. 

Edited September 4, 2022 by DrJack54

[hotandsticky]

5 hours ago, RedArmy said:

Not trying to undermine you brother in any way, just pointing out to the OP that should he arrive on or after 1st October, his visa exempt entry will be 45 days, just in case he was unaware of this.

 

 

Quite right, he is obviously not coming today, he is still thinking about it.

[hotandsticky]

9 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Why do you need any letter from Social Security? Immigration do not care where the money is 'earned' as long as it comes into a Thai Bank every month and shows as a Foreign Transfer. Wise to Bangkok Bank works a treat.

$1400 is about Bht 50k when transferred.  So if you put Bht 200k in the bank, the total is 800k so should be accepted, as it is in my Imm Office in P'lok. 

 

 

....except that he will need to evidence 12 x monthly payments to a Thai bank at the time of his application. I don't believe that he is making any transfers at present.

[ThoMichael]

23 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

....except that he will need to evidence 12 x monthly payments to a Thai bank at the time of his application. I don't believe that he is making any transfers at present.

I am not making any transfers now, but I do still have a bank account at Bangkok Bank. I could transfer $1,400 this week and also transfer 200,000 baht, and have my social security direct deposits start the October 3rd. Could I maybe do the combo method in mid October?

 

I thought 2 months of income deposits are accepted on the first retirement extension application?

Edited September 4, 2022 by ThoMichael

[hotandsticky]

14 minutes ago, ThoMichael said:

I am not making any transfers now, but I do still have a bank account at Bangkok Bank. I could transfer $1,400 this week and also transfer 200,000 baht, and have my social security direct deposits start the October 3rd. Could I maybe do the combo method in mid October?

 

I thought 2 months of income deposits are accepted on the first retirement extension application?

No. Not to my knowledge..12 monthly transfers are required.

 

I have a similar issue in that I want to change next June from 800k in the bank to income.

 

I believe that to achieve that I will have to monthly transfers of 65k between now and my application next May

Edited September 4, 2022 by hotandsticky

[sanuk711]

10 hours ago, ThoMichael said:

well I think I can scrape together the 800k if I sell my car.

If you have to sell your car to make up the extra 400K --do you think your on a good footing to come here permanently?

 

The Other option ThoMichael is an agent--once you have set it up I think the cost ranges from 12K up..... for 15 months.

Depending on where you live--

[ThoMichael]

21 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Immigration requires proof of international transfers into a Thai bank for 12 months for a extension application. The rules state 2 or 3 months for the first extension but most offices will not accept them.

I was thinking if I go to Thailand, I will first try to find an immigration office that would accept 300,000 baht transferred into a Thai bank and my monthly (US Social Security) international transfers of $1,400 for 2 or 3 months, to do the combo method.

 

But make sure before I go to Thailand, I have enough money for living expenses and the 800,000 baht in my bank account at home, in case I need to transfer that also, to go the full 800,000 baht route. 

 

Are there any visa service companies in Bangkok that could maybe help me?

 

Edited September 4, 2022 by ThoMichael

[DrJack54]

16 minutes ago, ThoMichael said:

Are there any visa service companies in Bangkok that could maybe help me?

You could contact @ThaiVisaCentre to outline your options. 

[ThaiVisaCentre]

9 hours ago, ThoMichael said:

I was thinking if I go to Thailand, I will first try to find an immigration office that would accept 300,000 baht transferred into a Thai bank and my monthly (US Social Security) international transfers of $1,400 for 2 or 3 months, to do the combo method.

 

But make sure before I go to Thailand, I have enough money for living expenses and the 800,000 baht in my bank account at home, in case I need to transfer that also, to go the full 800,000 baht route. 

 

Are there any visa service companies in Bangkok that could maybe help me?

 

You can consult with our team (we are located in Bangkok).

Our offices can be found HERE, and our reviews can be found HERE.

If you need an online consultation we do have an around the clock support team which is reachable by @LINE as well.

[merlen10002]

I have lived in Thailand for 15 years, have used the Combo method every time , first in BKK for 5 years then 10 years in Pattaya, Jomtien  Immigration  I am Australian so can not get an letter from the Australian Embassy,  I have money in the Thai bank and money deposited each 28 days into my Thai bank that make up to over 800,000 Baht for the year, Centerlink in Australia arranged to deposit my pension direct into my Thai bank , Kasikornbank, I get a statement from the Kasikornbank, for the full 12 months that show all deposits, and the money in the bank , must have two letters from the bank , one for the deposits and one for the money in the bank, never had a problem, never used an agent ever always do it myself, so easy, ,, this is only my experience at Jomtien Chon Buri only may not work at all Immigration places. if any one wants to contact me they can I maybe able to help. OP may not be able to use this method as he may not have the income and money in the bank long enough,     

[DrJack54]

15 minutes ago, merlen10002 said:

I have lived in Thailand for 15 years, have used the Combo method every time

The OP, would be obtaining a non O and extentions.

For the non O and subsequent extension he will not be able to use income method which would also be same for combination method. 

Edited September 5, 2022 by DrJack54