Immigration and SSA

[jdean]

What does Immigration (Phuket) require to use monthly Social Security deposits to my Bangkok Bank accouunt to be used for the combined method for yearly retirement extensions (bank account plus SSA)?

[ubonjoe]

You will need proof of 12 months of transfers from abroad into a Thai bank account. Immigration will want bank one year bank statement to proof it and copies of your bank book showing them.

They may also want proof of the source of your income such as the annual statement you get from the SSA.

[Trvlr55]

On 12/1/2022 at 2:34 AM, ubonjoe said:

You will need proof of 12 months of transfers from abroad into a Thai bank account. Immigration will want bank one year bank statement to proof it and copies of your bank book showing them.

They may also want proof of the source of your income such as the annual statement you get from the SSA.

I recall reading in this forum before that for US Social Security or Pensions, it's required to have a letter from Embassy; which did not used to be an issue, but now, for whatever reason US embassy refuses to do.

 

Would be great if that is not the case, as I am in the same situation. Additionally I have steady monthly/yearly income from rental properties and investments, however unsure how to get this recognized officially. I probably qualify 100 percent with just Social Security with the upcoming yearly increase.

[timendres]

32 minutes ago, Trvlr55 said:

I recall reading in this forum before that for US Social Security or Pensions, it's required to have a letter from Embassy; which did not used to be an issue, but now, for whatever reason US embassy refuses to do.

The US Embassy will not issue any "verification" of SS or pensions, which is what became an issue when Thai immigration declared that simple affidavits of income would no longer be acceptable. There are, however, other embassies that will issue these verifications, and for those folks, these letters of verification are required, of course.

 

34 minutes ago, Trvlr55 said:

Would be great if that is not the case, as I am in the same situation. Additionally I have steady monthly/yearly income from rental properties and investments, however unsure how to get this recognized officially. I probably qualify 100 percent with just Social Security with the upcoming yearly increase.

If you transfer the required funds from outside the country (the transaction must clearly show the code for an international transfer) into a Thai bank account for 12 months, that meets the requirement. However, the concept of "retired" still applies, so in theory immigration might argue that an income from a full time job does not match that criteria. That said, I think I have only seen one post in the last four years even mentioning this case.

 

If I were you, I would just state that over your lifetime you have saved into an "individual" retirement account, and the income that you receive is generated by that retirement fund. Which is true, but simplified to avoid possible complications.

[zzzzz]

all you need show is the money came from outside Thailand and as long as your over 50....
seriously doubt any questions will be asked

[cjinchiangrai]

zzzzz is correct. Let the sources of income deposit into an account in the US, then transfer the amount you need into your Thai account each month. It does not need to be direct deposited from the source.