IO demands a 12 month statement from 1st time retirement extension from an O visa - right or wrong ?

[Andrew Dwyer]

So in Aug I took a trip to the U.K. without a re entry permit on my retirement extension ( from a 2016 OA visa ) intentionally.

Returned visa exempt, applied for and obtained an O visa with expiry of Dec 14. Today I went to immigration to apply for retirement extension, I obtained the bank letter and a 3 month statement. The IO is adamant I need a 12 month statement , which needs a few days to obtain.

Right or wrong ?

 

My reasoning:

Anyone entering first time with a visa exempt, obtaining an O visa and subsequent extension would not have a bank account for 12 months. The fact that i have been here previously on an ( OA ) extension is irrelevant imo .

 

 

[ubonjoe]

I assume they are wanting proof you kept the 800k baht for 3 months and then at least 400k baht in since you applied for a extension based upon retirement before. 

You still have time to get the statement since you can apply for the extension up to day it ends.

[FritsSikkink]

"I took a trip to the U.K. without a re entry permit on my retirement extension ( from a 2016 OA visa ) intentionally."

Did you do this because you didn't maintain the 400K during the rest of the year?

[Andrew Dwyer]

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I assume they are wanting proof you kept the 800k baht for 3 months and then at least 400k baht in since you applied for a extension based upon retirement before. 

You still have time to get the statement since you can apply for the extension up to day it ends.

Yes, I have a month to sort this and have applied for a 12 month statement already ( will probably return on Monday ).

 

But this is surely a grey area as i, in effect, started again and, imo, my previous ( OA ) extensions should be irrelevant.

Not a big deal as all is local here for me but am wondering if this happened to the ex OA visa holders who recently followed the same path ?

[Andrew Dwyer]

4 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

"I took a trip to the U.K. without a re entry permit on my retirement extension ( from a 2016 OA visa ) intentionally."

Did you do this because you didn't maintain the 400K during the rest of the year?

No I didn’t, I did it to avoid the mandatory health insurance from an OA extension.

But I do see how the IO could interpret it in that way and want to see a 12 months statement as proof, good point.

[worgeordie]

Up here in Chiang Mai they require 12 months statements everytime

you do your extension .

regards Worgeordie

[buick]

i got a 90 day O august 2021 from CW.  went back to do one year extension in mid october 2021 and only had to supply the bank book (plus copies of the pages).  no statements.  same when i did the first renewal of the one year in oct 2022.

 

i originally had an O that had expired as i'd been outside thailand for awhile.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I went to immigration to apply for retirement extension, I obtained the bank letter and a 3 month statement

Which immigration office

[Andrew Dwyer]

21 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Up here in Chiang Mai they require 12 months statements everytime

you do your extension .

regards Worgeordie

Yes but I am talking about the first extension from an O visa, subsequent extensions I expect to be 12 months statement required as I had to supply 12 months for my previous extensions.

[Andrew Dwyer]

11 minutes ago, buick said:

i got a 90 day O august 2021 from CW.  went back to do one year extension in mid october 2021 and only had to supply the bank book (plus copies of the pages).  no statements.  same when i did the first renewal of the one year in oct 2022.

 

i originally had an O that had expired as i'd been outside thailand for awhile.

That is what I was expecting, to prove that the 800k was in my bank for 2 months prior by using bank book only, I got the 3 month statement as I was already in the bank, never expected a 12 months statement request.

[Andrew Dwyer]

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Which immigration office

Ayutthaya.

[Andrew Dwyer]

So, I understand that some IO’s request a 12 month statement on extension and some don’t but irrespective of this:

Should I have to justify compliance from a previous extension with a 12 month statement when that story has finished and I am starting again with a new O visa and subsequent extension which, imho, should only require 2 months compliance of the 800k rule ??

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Should I have to justify compliance from a previous extension with a 12 month statement when that story has finished and I am starting again with a new O visa and subsequent extension which, imho, should only require 2 months compliance of the 800k rule ??

I think they may suspect that you got the new non-o visa to dodge the requirements to keep 800/400k baht in the bank.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

I think they may suspect that you got the new non-o visa to dodge the requirements to keep 800/400k baht in the bank.

 

Yes Joe that must be the case, I accept that ……. but still don’t agree with it .

[brianthainess]

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

need a 12 month statement , which needs a few days to obtain.

looking forward, Change your bank. 

[skatewash]

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

looking forward, Change your bank. 

Most banks, other than Bangkok Bank, seem to be able to produce a 12-month bank statement on the spot or at worse pickup next day at start of business.  Bangkok Bank is the only one I know that must forward the request to its headquarters in Bangkok and takes about a week to receive the statement.

[KannikaP]

7 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Most banks, other than Bangkok Bank, seem to be able to produce a 12-month bank statement on the spot or at worse pickup next day at start of business.  Bangkok Bank is the only one I know that must forward the request to its headquarters in Bangkok and takes about a week to receive the statement.

So order it last week, and ask them to post it to you. They did for me.

[skatewash]

3 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

So, I understand that some IO’s request a 12 month statement on extension and some don’t but irrespective of this:

Should I have to justify compliance from a previous extension with a 12 month statement when that story has finished and I am starting again with a new O visa and subsequent extension which, imho, should only require 2 months compliance of the 800k rule ??

Maybe this will help.  When you are on a retirement extension whether you complied with the minimum balance requirements is in part determined retroactively when you apply for your next retirement extension.  You were on a retirement extension (albeit from a Non-OA).  You are now applying for another retirement extension (this time from a Non-O, with a gap in between).  The only time they could determine if you complied with the minimum balance requirements of your previous retirement extension is when you are applying for your new retirement extension.  I'm guessing they don't agree that they missed their opportunity to check the compliance of your last retirement extension because you chose to leave the country, re-enter, and ultimately apply for another retirement extension.  While your intention was (clearly) to switch from the Non-OA to the Non-O in the only way you could, it might look to immigration like you were trying to avoid scrutiny for complying with your last retirement extension and now that you are applying for a new retirement extension it's a good opportunity for them to close that loop so to speak.

[eboy]

@Andrew Dwyer You state: "No I didn’t, I did it to avoid the mandatory health insurance from an OA extension." When you enter Thailand on an O visa (not 0A) are you required to show any proof of health insurance? If so, what kind do you have? And how costly is it?

 

I ask because I'm thinking of doing what you did, that is, switching to an O visa from OA, and I'm trying to determine if it will cut my costs.

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, eboy said:

I ask because I'm thinking of doing what you did, that is, switching to an O visa from OA, and I'm trying to determine if it will cut my costs.

Insurance is not required for a extension of the 90 stay from a non-o visa when applying for a extension.

[skatewash]

9 minutes ago, eboy said:

@Andrew Dwyer You state: "No I didn’t, I did it to avoid the mandatory health insurance from an OA extension." When you enter Thailand on an O visa (not 0A) are you required to show any proof of health insurance? If so, what kind do you have? And how costly is it?

 

I ask because I'm thinking of doing what you did, that is, switching to an O visa from OA, and I'm trying to determine if it will cut my costs.

The OP returned to Thailand visa-exempt and purchased his Non-O at immigration in Thailand.  If he had purchased it outside of Thailand it is possible the embassy/consulate would have insisted that he show proof of health insurance in order for them to issue the visa.  That is why many people do it the same way as the OP.  In either case, when extending the permission to stay from that Non-O visa there is no health insurance requirement.

[Andrew Dwyer]

18 minutes ago, eboy said:

@Andrew Dwyer You state: "No I didn’t, I did it to avoid the mandatory health insurance from an OA extension." When you enter Thailand on an O visa (not 0A) are you required to show any proof of health insurance? If so, what kind do you have? And how costly is it?

 

I ask because I'm thinking of doing what you did, that is, switching to an O visa from OA, and I'm trying to determine if it will cut my costs.

When initially planned incorporating a visit to my home country with an opportunity to lose the OA extension back in March 2020 I planned to get an O visa from a Thai consulate ( Hull ) .

Of course Covid19 hit and the consulate closed so my trip was abandoned.

When I finally decided I should make another attempt to lose the OA extension, May 2022 , the U.K. consulates were still closed and the alternative of obtaining an O visa from Thai Embassy was being reported as being complicated plus health insurance was also required so I chose to go the visa exempt/O visa in house route.

Am not sure if health insurance is still required for an O visa from Thai Embassy in London is still required but visa exempt/O visa in house is simple and costs 2000 baht, with the extension the usual 1,900 baht and no health insurance required.

[piston broke]

Use an agent !

 

Simples .....

[skatewash]

7 minutes ago, piston broke said:

Use an agent !

 

Simples .....

Unless something goes wrong and then it can become a nightmare.  If their passport is lost, or it takes much longer than promised, I doubt those people think the process was "simple."

Why would someone give their valuable passport to someone for weeks who very possibly mails it out to some other province in Thailand, when they can hang on to their own passport and get an immediate decision on getting their extension in person at the immigration office?  For 1,900 baht.

[hakancnx]

4 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Up here in Chiang Mai they require 12 months statements everytime

you do your extension .

regards Worgeordie

I have never, during my 8 years, been told to show a 12 months statement here in Chiang Mai.

I have the 800.000 in a separate fixed deposit account. 

[skatewash]

2 minutes ago, hakancnx said:

I have never, during my 8 years, been told to show a 12 months statement here in Chiang Mai.

I have the 800.000 in a separate fixed deposit account. 

Because of the type of account and the fact that there is probably almost zero activity on the account (except for interest) they may accept just a copy of the pages from the passbook.  I asked for a 12-month statement from Bangkok Bank a few years ago for a fixed deposit account and all they did was photocopy the relevant pages of the passbook and stamp the pages with the bank seal.  It was accepted in Phuket.  In Phuket they generally always require an official bank statement, other immigration offices may have less strict rules.

 

[worgeordie]

6 minutes ago, hakancnx said:

I have never, during my 8 years, been told to show a 12 months statement here in Chiang Mai.

I have the 800.000 in a separate fixed deposit account. 

So have I , and they always request a 12 month statement from me , you must be special .....

regards worgeordie

[billd766]

4 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

So, I understand that some IO’s request a 12 month statement on extension and some don’t but irrespective of this:

Should I have to justify compliance from a previous extension with a 12 month statement when that story has finished and I am starting again with a new O visa and subsequent extension which, imho, should only require 2 months compliance of the 800k rule ??

AFAIR the IO has a standard list nationwide to go on. However the IO can ask for any additional information that  they deem necessary and this one is.

 

At KBank here in rural Kamphaeng Phet a 12 month statement on bank paper cost 200 baht and is done in about 30 minutes.

 

At Bangkok Bank in KPP the same document costs the same 200 baht, plus 100 baht for the bank guarantee letter and takes a minimum of 3 working days, extra copies are free.

 

My advice is to get the 12 month statement for the IO, grit your teeth, smile a lot and do it.

 

The IO can ask for what he wants and he can also refuse the application if he feels that way inclined.

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, skatewash said:

Maybe this will help.  When you are on a retirement extension whether you complied with the minimum balance requirements is in part determined retroactively when you apply for your next retirement extension.  You were on a retirement extension (albeit from a Non-OA).  You are now applying for another retirement extension (this time from a Non-O, with a gap in between).  The only time they could determine if you complied with the minimum balance requirements of your previous retirement extension is when you are applying for your new retirement extension.  I'm guessing they don't agree that they missed their opportunity to check the compliance of your last retirement extension because you chose to leave the country, re-enter, and ultimately apply for another retirement extension.  While your intention was (clearly) to switch from the Non-OA to the Non-O in the only way you could, it might look to immigration like you were trying to avoid scrutiny for complying with your last retirement extension and now that you are applying for a new retirement extension it's a good opportunity for them to close that loop so to speak.

Yes, I realise that now from previous replies.

What would be interesting would be their reaction if I had defaulted on the previous extension financial requirements and started over with an O visa because of this.

Could they refuse my O extension based on a misdemeanour of my OA extension , or fine maybe ??

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 minutes ago, billd766 said:

AFAIR the IO has a standard list nationwide to go on. However the IO can ask for any additional information that  they deem necessary and this one is.

 

At KBank here in rural Kamphaeng Phet a 12 month statement on bank paper cost 200 baht and is done in about 30 minutes.

 

At Bangkok Bank in KPP the same document costs the same 200 baht, plus 100 baht for the bank guarantee letter and takes a minimum of 3 working days, extra copies are free.

Yes, BKK Bank here state 3 working days, I have in the past ordered a 12 statement on Tuesday am and they called me Friday to say it’s ready with enough time to do the extension that day.