Marriage Extension - Bank Account - Source of funds

[whybother]

I am in Thailand on a Non-O Marriage, with extensions for several years using income from employment with a Thai company (with a work permit).

I plan to change over to use money in a bank account rather than income, basically because the paperwork for showing income from a Thai company is a pain.

 

I have read that the source of the funds in the bank account has to come from overseas.  Is that correct?

[ubonjoe]

There is no requirement to prove the 400k baht came from abroad.

[DrJack54]

10 minutes ago, whybother said:

I have read that the source of the funds in the bank account has to come from overseas.  Is that correct?

That is only for obtaining a non O retirement within Thailand.

 

There is no requirement to show funds from abroad for extensions both based on marriage or retirement. 

[whybother]

From Siam Legal.

Qualifications of Thai Marriage Visa

• Must be married to a Thai national

  This is substantiated through a Marriage Certificate (Kor Ror 3) and Marriage Registration (Kor Ror 2). If the applicant got married abroad, the applicant or the Thai spouse must report the marriage to the amphur and obtain Kor Ror 22.

• Must meet the financial requirement
  • Security deposit of THB 400,000 in a Thai Bank Account for at least 2 months prior to the visa application; or
  • Monthly income of at least THB 40,000. A letter from the foreigner embassy has to be shown to verify this income

  Supporting documents as proof of the security deposit in a Thai bank are as follows:

  • Updated bank book or passbook
  • Bank letter stating that the money had been deposited to the account from an overseas source for not less than 2 months.
• Other documents that may be required to be presented:*
  • There are instances depending on the immigration office when a copy of an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry is also required. This affirmation is obtained by the foreigner from his foreign embassy in Thailand.
  • For the foreign nationals who are unable to obtain income affidavit from their respective embassies, they can show monthly income in a form of 12-month bank statement of their Thai bank account showing monthly deposit of THB 40,000 per month.

[DrJack54]

42 minutes ago, whybother said:

I plan to change over to use money in a bank account

Money in the bank method for extensions does not require to be shown money comes from overseas. 

 

Income method different.

 

Ignore the stuff you quoted from Siam Legal. 

Edited October 12, 2022 by DrJack54

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, whybother said:

Security deposit of THB 400,000 in a Thai Bank Account for at least 2 months prior to the visa application;

That is correct except for calling it visa application. It is a extension of stay.

 

7 minutes ago, whybother said:

Bank letter stating that the money had been deposited to the account from an overseas source for not less than 2 months.

That is completely wrong.

See: Number 18 here on the immigration website. https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?page_id=1890

Number 6 says nothing about it coming from abroad.

[TravelerEastWest]

19 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Money in the bank method for extensions does not require to be shown money comes from overseas. 

 

Income method different.

 

Ignore the stuff you quoted from Siam Legal. 

Agreed no requirement from experience to show it is from overseas - but who knows what some offices may ask for...

[whybother]

13 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

See: Number 18 here on the immigration website. https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?page_id=1890

18 / 6 In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn an average annual income
of no less than Baht 40,000 per month or must have no less than Baht 400,000 in a bank account in
Thailand for the past two months to cover expenses for one year.

 

Just to clarify - the money only needs to be in the bank 2 months prior and for the month of consideration?  It doesn't need to be there after that, until 2 months prior to the next extension?

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, whybother said:

Just to clarify - the money only needs to be in the bank 2 months prior and for the month of consideration?  It doesn't need to be there after that, until 2 months prior to the next extension?

Yes if the local immigration office requires proof at the end of the under consideration period.

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, whybother said:

Just to clarify - the money only needs to be in the bank 2 months prior and for the month of consideration?

Correct. 

Wash and repeat for future extensions. 

[whybother]

OK. Last question, I think.  

What type of bank account would you recommend?  Given you need to show proof of funds, would a passbook account be better, or an account where you can request statements at the branch?

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, whybother said:

Given you need to show proof of funds, would a passbook account be better, or an account where you can request statements at the branch?

Immigration prefers a account that has bank book for it. They do not like no book accounts.

[DrJack54]

17 hours ago, whybother said:

OK. Last question, I think.  

What type of bank account would you recommend?  Given you need to show proof of funds, would a passbook account be better, or an account where you can request statements at the branch?

If you are yet to open a bank account I would suggest one from this paste from advice from WISE. ...

Also be aware that SCB does not have a branch at CW.

Savings account or FD account is fine provided that the funds are instantly available without loss (apart from interest)

 

"You can send up to 2 million THB per transfer.

Please note that you’ll be able to send 50,000 THB or above per transfer only to the following banks starting from 7 January 2022 due to regulatory changes:

• Bangkok Bank Public Company

• Kasikorn Bank

• Siam Commercial BanK

[foreverlomsak]

I transferred from Work Permit/B Visa to retirement (800K in bank), without any requirement to show where the money had come from.

[Kwaibill]

On 10/12/2022 at 4:01 PM, DrJack54 said:

That is only for obtaining a non O retirement within Thailand.

 

There is no requirement to show funds from abroad for extensions both based on marriage or retirement. 

From Siam legal: 

• • Bank letter stating that the money had been deposited to the account from an overseas source for not less than 2 months.

[KannikaP]

On 10/13/2022 at 11:04 AM, DrJack54 said:

Savings account or FD account is fine provided that the funds are instantly available without loss

How can one get Bht 800,000 INSTANTLY , or transfer from a Foreign Account to a normal Bht savings account at a weekend?

EDIT. Yes you are right, you would not be going to Immigration on a weekend!

Edited October 14, 2022 by KannikaP

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

How can one get Bht 800,000 INSTANTLY , or transfer from a Foreign Account to a normal Bht savings account at a weekend?

EDIT. Yes you are right, you would not be going to Immigration on a weekend!

Bit lost in translation.

 

What I mean is that the funds must be readily available and no penalities for withdrawal.

 

So savings accounts and most FD accounts satisfy the financial requirements for immigration purposes. 

 

[DrJack54]

20 minutes ago, Kwaibill said:

From Siam legal: 

• • Bank letter stating that the money had been deposited to the account from an overseas source for not less than 2 months.

Siam Legal is wrong. 

[Kwaibill]

On 10/14/2022 at 12:28 PM, DrJack54 said:

Siam Legal is wrong. 

OK.

[Kwaibill]

Has anybody used the income method for financial proof on a marriage extension utilizing bank book and statement from the bank?

Don't understand the embassy recalcitrance, as in Costa Rica for example you can get proof of SS income at the US embassy in San Juan.

As the IRS and US Embassies are both under the executive branch <deleted> can't they communicate in the same way?

Ludicrous IMO.

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, Kwaibill said:

Has anybody used the income method for financial proof on a marriage extension utilizing bank book and statement from the bank?

I have done 4 of them since the embassy stopped doing the income affidavits in in December of 2018.

I have my SSA payments sent to my Bangkok bank account via their New York and they all are shown as foreign transfers with a FTT code.

[Kwaibill]

10 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I have done 4 of them since the embassy stopped doing the income affidavits in in December of 2018.

I have my SSA payments sent to my Bangkok bank account via their New York and they all are shown as foreign transfers with a FTT code.

Great, thanks. Just as I do, direct deposit of SS funds to Bkk bank, and they do show as foreign origin. 

I was pretty sure that was what the IO said on our last trip to Samut Prakan immigration, but my wife can be a worry wart (not without reason; I have "screwed the pooch" a couple times in the past).????

Edited October 20, 2022 by Kwaibill

[TravelerEastWest]

3 hours ago, Kwaibill said:

Great, thanks. Just as I do, direct deposit of SS funds to Bkk bank, and they do show as foreign origin. 

I was pretty sure that was what the IO said on our last trip to Samut Prakan immigration, but my wife can be a worry wart (not without reason; I have "screwed the pooch" a couple times in the past).????

I think I do the same as you SS goes to my US bank and then I send all at once a number of months income which saves me transfer fees.

[Kwaibill]

On 10/20/2022 at 3:08 PM, TravelerEastWest said:

I think I do the same as you SS goes to my US bank and then I send all at once a number of months income which saves me transfer fees.

Mine is actually direct deposit to my Bkk bank account via their NY branch. I believe they charge me $4.00 a month, and change to baht at the day's buy rate.

About $50.00 a year and no hassles. I see a bunch of complicated stuff on their website about deposit accounts and transfering into your savings account, etc. I arranged the US end via the SS dept. at the Manilla Embassy and went with my wife to our local  branch of Bkk. Bank. My SS is automatically transferred to my savings each month and I can transfer, use the ATM, etc.

[Onerak]

On 10/12/2022 at 4:23 AM, whybother said:

From Siam Legal.

Can we please stop asking questions from Siam Legal website. Every week, it has to be mentioned how SIam Legal is wrong in most cases. Please ask questions from official Thai immigration website. Please don't use Siam Legal website.