Possible Bank Issues with First Retirement Extension

[LosLobo]

I just realized, while doing my third 90-day report and reviewing my passport visa stamps, that I received a fast-track 90-day visa to retirement on the same day last June, I think giving me a total of 15 months instead of the usual 12.
 

I had originally planned to apply for my first extension in June, but now I see it will actually be in September.

Regarding my finances:

• I maintained 800K in the bank from May to June.
• After four months, I withdrew 100K.
• In January, I deposited 100K back, intending to keep it there until at least three months after getting the proposed extension.

Given that my visa duration is 15 months instead of 12, will this affect my ability to get the extension in September? Also, for my Bangkok Bank statement, would it be better to get a 12-month statement now and another in September, or should I handle it differently?

[DrJack54]

So an agent was able to obtain the 12 month extension at same time as the Non O retirement.

Did you provide the 800k in the bank at that time OR did agent cover the financials? 

15 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

I received a fast-track 90-day visa to retirement on the same day last June,

You received a Non O visa that provides 90 stamp and at same time agent was able to obtain 12 month extension added to 90 day permission of stay.

17 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

Also, for my Bangkok Bank statement, would it be better to get a 12-month statement now and another in September, or should I handle it differently?

Suggest you obtain bank statements back to issue of the Non O.

So in effect this means ~15 months of bank statements when you obtain your next annual extension.

 

Out of interest, if you had the 800k yourself in Thai bank account in your name only why did you even bother with an agent.

 

[LosLobo]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

So an agent was able to obtain the 12 month extension at same time as the Non O retirement.

Did you provide the 800k in the bank at that time OR did agent cover the financials? 

You received a Non O visa that provides 90 stamp and at same time agent was able to obtain 12 month extension added to 90 day permission of stay.

Suggest you obtain bank statements back to issue of the Non O.

So in effect this means ~15 months of bank statements when you obtain your next annual extension.

 

Out of interest, if you had the 800k yourself in Thai bank account in your name only why did you even bother with an agent.

Thanks, Jack.
 

I had my own 800k in the bank, but my local immigration office refused to issue me a Non-O visa despite initially saying they would.
 

To cut to the chase, I have difficulty traveling, and using an agent was the quickest and most cost-effective option.
 

The stamps are a bit ambiguous:

• One page has a Non-Immigrant stamp with visa number XXXx5/2567 written in blue ink, marked Category O, signed on 5 June 2024, with a smaller stamp below it of the same date and two signatures—one from the officer who signed the first stamp. It also has USED stamped across the top.
   
• The opposite page shows Non-O Retirement, valid from 5 June 2024 to 2 Sept 2024, with the same two signatures.
   
• The next page has a stamp with XXXX9/2567, signed by a different officer, marked Valid Until 2 Sept 2025, with Extension of Stay - Retirement printed on it, dated 5 June 2024.
   
• Below that, there’s a Re-entry Visa, valid until 2 Sept 2025, signed by another officer again, dated 5 June 2024.

I could provide pictures, but they would need editing. I’d rather not if possible without them.
 

I am assuming that the 12-month extension was added to the 90-day permission of stay and that the first visa was on both opposite pages, later canceled by the USED stamp. The second visa appears to be just an extension to 02 Sept 2025 starting from the signed date of 5th June 2024.

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

I could provide pictures, but they would need editing. I’d rather not if possible without them.

No need. What you outline is clear.

3 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

The second visa appears to be just an extension to 02 Sept 2025 starting from the signed date of 5th June 2024

This is not a visa. Rather extension of stay and prior to expiry (2/Sept/2025) you will obtain your next 12 month extension. 

 

For next extension apply one month prior to expiry with the bank statements and if there is an issue just exit and start over.

Which immigration office refused to issue the Non O.

Guessing prior to that you entered visa exempt. 

[Tod Daniels]

It is HIGHLY unlikely that you will be able to get a year extension on your own with "same day" Non-O / year extension stamps

Those "one-n-done" 15 month retirement visas (even banking your own money) EVERY immigration officer in the country can see the time line is not correct on those stamps. There's no way you could have walked in to immigrations on your own and got those stamps, they will 100% know they were agent gotten by the out of sequence date stamps
 

This is exactly why pattaya agents hold your passport for a month when they do Non-O with year extension, it spreads the stamps out to something that looks at least semi normal 🙂  

You clearly didn't follow the 3 months after the extension was issued; which in "real time" (not make believe same day agent gotten time 😮 ) would have  been counted from about 2 months after you got the initial Non-O issued)

Let's do the math as if you had gotten the Non-O and extension above the table 😉
Getting the Non-O on June 5th, that meant you could have applied for the year extension when you had 30 days or less left on that SO about August 5 would be the soonest at most offices (although some offices allow you to apply for an extension when you have 45 days or less)

That means counting from the earliest date you could have really applied for the extension if you did it above the table versus under it, you needed to have the funds in from June 5 to Aug 5 to hit the 2 month before requirement and then keep the funds in for 3 months after that to about 5 Nov before you could have pulled the balance down to 400K baht

When you go to get your next yearly extension your immigration office will certainly see that you got a "one-n-done" Non-O/year extension issued the same day. They will know it was agent gotten. If by some wild reasoning they still let you apply for the year extension, when you give them the year detail transaction report from the bank you will not meet the seasoning requirements no matter how you want to count it (actual day you got the year OR actual day you SHOULD have been able to get the year)

 

I've had several people use bangkok agents to get those one-n-done 15 month retirement visas in a day and most people get told by their immigration office next year to either bounce out/back and start OVER above the table or go back to the agent again to get the next year extension. <- meaning you're saddled with an agent for the foreseeable future on the stamps you had 

Sorry that was long, hopefully marginally helpful

[LosLobo]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Suggest you obtain bank statements back to issue of the Non O.

So in effect this means ~15 months of bank statements when you obtain your next annual extension.

So Bangkok Bank does issue statements for more than 12 months?
 

20 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

No need. What you outline is clear.

This is not a visa. Rather extension of stay and prior to expiry (2/Sept/2025) you will obtain your next 12 month extension. 

 

For next extension apply one month prior to expiry with the bank statements and if there is an issue just exit and start over.

Which immigration office refused to issue the Non O.

Guessing prior to that you entered visa exempt. 

 

Yes, visa exempt.

I am planning on applying 6 weeks beforehand.

Ranong. So if they buck on the extension I might have to go overseas, maybe Oz and apply for a 90 day O Non Imm. Easy in Oz online now.

Thanks for your help.

 

[LosLobo]

28 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

It is HIGHLY unlikely that you will be able to get a year extension on your own with "same day" Non-O / year extension stamps

Those "one-n-done" 15 month retirement visas (even banking your own money) EVERY immigration officer in the country can see the time line is not correct on those stamps. There's no way you could have walked in to immigrations on your own and got those stamps, they will 100% know they were agent gotten by the out of sequence date stamps
 

This is exactly why pattaya agents hold your passport for a month when they do Non-O with year extension, it spreads the stamps out to something that looks at least semi normal 🙂  

You clearly didn't follow the 3 months after the extension was issued; which in "real time" (not make believe same day agent gotten time 😮 ) would have  been counted from about 2 months after you got the initial Non-O issued)

Let's do the math as if you had gotten the Non-O and extension above the table 😉
Getting the Non-O on June 5th, that meant you could have applied for the year extension when you had 30 days or less left on that SO about August 5 would be the soonest at most offices (although some offices allow you to apply for an extension when you have 45 days or less)

That means counting from the earliest date you could have really applied for the extension if you did it above the table versus under it, you needed to have the funds in from June 5 to Aug 5 to hit the 2 month before requirement and then keep the funds in for 3 months after that to about 5 Nov before you could have pulled the balance down to 400K baht

When you go to get your next yearly extension your immigration office will certainly see that you got a "one-n-done" Non-O/year extension issued the same day. They will know it was agent gotten. If by some wild reasoning they still let you apply for the year extension, when you give them the year detail transaction report from the bank you will not meet the seasoning requirements no matter how you want to count it (actual day you got the year OR actual day you SHOULD have been able to get the year)

 

I've had several people use bangkok agents to get those one-n-done 15 month retirement visas in a day and most people get told by their immigration office next year to either bounce out/back and start OVER above the table or go back to the agent again to get the next year extension. <- meaning you're saddled with an agent for the foreseeable future on the stamps you had 

Sorry that was long, hopefully marginally helpful

 Thanks for your response.

I can only try to apply for the extension, but I will have a contingency plan just in case.

[DrJack54]

38 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

Ranong. So if they buck on the extension I might have to go overseas, maybe Oz and apply for a 90 day O Non Imm. Easy in Oz online now.

Let's back this up a little.

So where is agent that you used located? 

 

[DrJack54]

40 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

So if they buck on the extension I might have to go overseas, maybe Oz and apply for a 90 day O Non Imm. Easy in Oz online now.

Yes that's an option and eVisa for Non O retirement in Oz takes just few days.

Be aware that you can apply for eVisa outside of Thailand at nearby consulates.

All done using eVisa (online) does not need to be home country.

My pick would be Saigon 

[LosLobo]

8 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Let's back this up a little.

So where is agent that you used located? 

 

Bangkok.

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

Bangkok.

PM sent 

[Tod Daniels]

13 hours ago, LosLobo said:

Thanks for your response.

I can only try to apply for the extension, but I will have a contingency plan just in case.

Things that CAN help you if you're trying for an extension at the immigration office in in your province after you have an out of province agent gotten Non-O/extension.

You needed to have a TM30 filed back at your local immigration office the day you got back after getting the visa, (it has to be filed AFTER you got that visa for them to "count it")

Then you needed to be doing 90 day reports at the office that serves the area where you live for as long as you can BEFORE the next extension <- to show you really DO live up there 
AND
You need to go to your office well before your extension comes due (like at least 6 weeks early) to have them look at the Non-O visa/extension stamps AND tell you if they will issue the extension based on those stamps. It's either going to be the stamps or the seasoning of the funds that will run you off the rails getting this next extension

As far as your contingency plan to get OFF this current extension and on to a new Non-O visa

You can go to the thai consulate in Savannakhet or Vientiane Lao and get a 90 day single entry Non-O visa for 2000baht in just a couple days. They are on the online, you go to Lao, apply online, upload the documents, go to the consulate to pay for the visa, wait for it to be approved. NO need to go back to Oz to get that 90 day Non-O

[Tod Daniels]

Just in case people are not familiar with what I call "one-n-done" (a Non-O 90 day visa, one year extension and re-entry permit all issued the same day at the immigration office) 
This is what the stamps look like.

Every immigration officer/office in the country can take one look at those and know you didn't "push your own paper" <- get the visa/extension/re-entry on your own.
Remember the standard "time line" for that whole process would be

• Apply for the 90 day Non-O visa for 2000baht
• WAIT 2 weeks for the under review period
• go back get the Non-O visa and new 90 day stamp inked in
• WAIT 2 months or until you have 30 days or less left on that 90 day stamp
• go back and apply for the year extension for 1900baht
• get the re-entry permit

That's how people do it when they push their own paper and get their own visa/extensions and it spaces the stamps out over a 2 1/2 month period  

[PeachCH]

Easiest: let an agent doing everything, non-O, visa, extensions, financing, 90 days reporting.

 

[DrJack54]

53 minutes ago, PeachCH said:

Easiest: let an agent doing everything, non-O, visa, extensions, financing, 90 days reporting.

 

The OP obtained stamps in Bangkok.

In addition it was done in one hit as outlined in Tod Daniels posts.

 

The OP now wants to deal with Ranong. Also using his own financials. 

[CMBob]

The OP's situation is familiar to me although happened long ago.  I entered on a Tourist Visa and went to immigration (Hua Hin then) to convert to a Non-O and hopefully obtain an extension based on retirement.  I got both within an hour.  The Non-O visa (yes, it's a visa) was dated 2/27/09 and was stamped "USED." On the next page of my passport are two stamps: (1) a Stay Permit dated 2/27/09 with an expiration date of 5/27/09, and (2) a stamp also dated 2/27/09 with stay permission until 5/27/10.   

So, I too walked out that day with 15 months permission to stay.  I used no agent, had the 800k in the bank for at least a few months, and proceeded to obtain my own annual extension based on retirement a few weeks prior to May 27, 2010.  

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, CMBob said:

The OP's situation is familiar to me although happened long ago

Indeed over 15 yrs ago.

Also the OP is planning to obtain extension from another office to where stamps were issued. 

[LosLobo]

2 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

Things that CAN help you if you're trying for an extension at the immigration office in in your province after you have an out of province agent gotten Non-O/extension.

You needed to have a TM30 filed back at your local immigration office the day you got back after getting the visa, (it has to be filed AFTER you got that visa for them to "count it")

Then you needed to be doing 90 day reports at the office that serves the area where you live for as long as you can BEFORE the next extension <- to show you really DO live up there 
AND
You need to go to your office well before your extension comes due (like at least 6 weeks early) to have them look at the Non-O visa/extension stamps AND tell you if they will issue the extension based on those stamps. It's either going to be the stamps or the seasoning of the funds that will run you off the rails getting this next extension

As far as your contingency plan to get OFF this current extension and on to a new Non-O visa

You can go to the thai consulate in Savannakhet or Vientiane Lao and get a 90 day single entry Non-O visa for 2000baht in just a couple days. They are on the online, you go to Lao, apply online, upload the documents, go to the consulate to pay for the visa, wait for it to be approved. NO need to go back to Oz to get that 90 day Non-O

Thanks Tod,

I did later personally lodge a TM30 and my first 90 day at my local IMM office with subsequent online submissions as suggested by the agent. 

I called the IMM office previously about bank book entry copies and bank statements and they advised that their SOP is to submit documentation for a quick review same day before getting and paying for the bank letter.

So I will submit 6 weeks before and just not openly point out possible issues to them and prepare a back up plan.

[kingstonkid]

What would be the hassle or downside of forgetting the 15 month extension and working with the origianl 12 month  exrtension and going into Ranong and trying to extend that way.  The only downside that ican see is that they tellhim he has to wait and come back in 3 months.

 

I had/have the saem issue in that bangkok agents when Icame here wanted to give me a Bangkok address even though I lived in PT.  

 

I found that once i had the info and @LosLobo seems to have it all that it was just as easy to do it myself.  Most immigration are set up for people that have  mobility issues.  

 

Am I wrong?

[DrJack54]

32 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

So I will submit 6 weeks before and just not openly point out possible issues to them and prepare a back up plan.

Don't think they will allow you to apply 6 weeks early.

30 days prior to expiry is normal.

45 at some of the large offices.

 

BTW: Like the way your immigration office provides quick review prior to obtaining bank "stuff" 

 

[LosLobo]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Don't think they will allow you to apply 6 weeks early.

30 days prior to expiry is normal.

45 at some of the large offices.

 

BTW: Like the way your immigration office provides quick review prior to obtaining bank "stuff" 

 

Thanks Jack,

I plan to contact the IMM office here soon and ask for a comprehensive list of all their requirements, including lodging date timings.

Yes, the review seems a good idea at least you have a better idea upfront of the likelihood of approval, so you can put plan B into action instead of having to wait weeks. Though they still have the opportunity to reject it.
 

[LosLobo]

1 hour ago, kingstonkid said:

What would be the hassle or downside of forgetting the 15 month extension and working with the origianl 12 month  exrtension and going into Ranong and trying to extend that way.  The only downside that ican see is that they tellhim he has to wait and come back in 3 months.

 

I had/have the saem issue in that bangkok agents when Icame here wanted to give me a Bangkok address even though I lived in PT.  

 

I found that once i had the info and @LosLobo seems to have it all that it was just as easy to do it myself.  Most immigration are set up for people that have  mobility issues.  

 

Am I wrong?

Thanks for your response.
I am going to try to do it myself in September or earlier.
I am sure most Immigration offices are very caring and flexible but my IMM doesn't seem to be set up for these issues. I have even heard anecdotal reports of applicants for visas having to be wheeled into IMM Bangkok in hospital beds.

[Tookea]

You have a lot of good, intelligent responses here. But if it was up to me I would head to my local Immigration Office and ask them. Understand that every immigration office has the latitude to shape the policies and procedures for their office, and a baby hippo is what your local office says it is 🦛

[LosLobo]

I must admit they do shape their own policies and procedures but that was the original issue. After telling me twice that they would convert a visa exempt to a non-O, they later informed me that that would be breaking the law and to either apply in my home country or go to another Imm office. Though since getting my visa elsewhere they have been more helpful.
 

[DrJack54]

17 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

After telling me twice that they would convert a visa exempt to a non-O, they later informed me that that would be breaking the law and to either apply in my home country or go to another Imm office.

Doesn't help as immigration offices are a law unto themselves.

 

You could have asked them what a TM87 form is for or even stick it under their noses.

 

Granted would have gotten you nowhere. 

[DrJack54]

Off topic post removed