HI , for several years, Have been useing a Pattaya visa agent ,to put money in my BKK. Bank account.early this year there were some problems ,but the visa company got around this.

My circumstances have changed ,I can now put the 800k into aThai bank account. I have Siam Commercial,and BKK.Bank .Will i have problems next Febuary renewing my Extension, if i use the 800k method now?

regards

7 minutes ago, flyinghigh said:

Commercial,and BKK.Bank .Will i have problems next Febuary renewing my Extension, if i use the 800k method now?

What do you mean "if I use the 800k method now" 

Financial compliance is checked retrospectively. 

In February they will check financials back till start of current extension. 

Actually even 2 months prior to current extension. 

You could exit Thailand and start over with new Non O retirement

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What do you mean "if I use the 800k method now" 

Financial compliance is checked retrospectively. 

In February they will check financials back till start of current extension. 

Actually even 2 months prior to current extension. 

You could exit Thailand and start over with new Non O retirement

so I cannot put 800k into my Thai bank next week,and apply next febuary for another extension?

6 minutes ago, flyinghigh said:

so I cannot put 800k into my Thai bank next week,and apply next febuary for another extension?

No. 

 

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

No. 

 

Agreed. Unfortunately.

A good case study is how starting to use agents builds a kind of dependency. They may be the "easy" way out but there could be a price later.

14 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Agreed. Unfortunately.

A good case study is how starting to use agents builds a kind of dependency. They may be the "easy" way out but there could be a price later.

I obtained my current extension last Nov (retirement money in bank) 

Anyway the gf accidentally dipped my balance by 2k below 800k . 

I said.. Do you realize I now have to exit Thailand and start over. 

 

Fortunately I overlooked that I had a dormant bank account with a lazy 10k that will get me out of jail. 

Financial compliance is very strict with immigration. 

The 2k dip was for 2 days. 

No way would immigration overlook that. Rubbish imo. 

39 minutes ago, flyinghigh said:

HI , for several years, Have been useing a Pattaya visa agent ,to put money in my BKK. Bank account.early this year there were some problems ,but the visa company got around this.

My circumstances have changed ,I can now put the 800k into aThai bank account. I have Siam Commercial,and BKK.Bank .Will i have problems next Febuary renewing my Extension, if i use the 800k method now?

regards

My advice would be to put the 800K into either of your Bank accounts & next extension see Maneerat (8k) and you will only need a 3 month statement (NB, assumes you keep your Bank Book up to date & not have problems with consolidated entries I found it best to stick the 800k into a separate fixed deposit account, as you also get more interest that way). 
 

Next year you can do it on your own if that works better for you (I find it better to pay the 8K, up to me). 
 

 

1 hour ago, flyinghigh said:

Have been useing a Pattaya visa agent ,to put money in my BKK. Bank account.

 

Presumably Jomtien is the office which your agent has been using? But which is the actual office for where you live?

 

I am curious to the reply that indicate TS that he can't use his 800K to do extension next feb. I just get my extension thru agent help last week.prior to this, due the problem with BBL, I open an account with K bank and put in 800k. the follow days I am able to get the extension without the seasoning month. The agent said I do not need to keep the 800k in the bank for the next 3 month and for next year extension I just need the 800k 2 prior to extension. I am confused. Please advise. I don't mind keeping fund for the whole year but since the bank do not give interest, I might as well use the money for expenses. 

10 minutes ago, LespaulAN said:

I am curious to the reply that indicate TS that he can't use his 800K to do extension next feb. I just get my extension thru agent help last week.prior to this, due the problem with BBL, I open an account with K bank and put in 800k. the follow days I am able to get the extension without the seasoning month. The agent said I do not need to keep the 800k in the bank for the next 3 month and for next year extension I just need the 800k 2 prior to extension. I am confused. Please advise. I don't mind keeping fund for the whole year but since the bank do not give interest, I might as well use the money for expenses. 

Mind if I ask which agent you used, and how much they charged?

9 hours ago, LespaulAN said:

I am curious to the reply that indicate TS that he can't use his 800K to do extension next feb. I just get my extension thru agent help last week.prior to this, due the problem with BBL, I open an account with K bank and put in 800k. the follow days I am able to get the extension without the seasoning month. The agent said I do not need to keep the 800k in the bank for the next 3 month and for next year extension I just need the 800k 2 prior to extension. I am confused. Please advise. I don't mind keeping fund for the whole year but since the bank do not give interest, I might as well use the money for expenses. 

IF you didn't follow the seasoning requirement for the current extension you're on now (800K baht in the bank for 3 months AFTER the extension is granted, then not letting the balance go below 400K baht the rest of the year until you get it back to 800K baht 2 months before your next extension you will NOT be able to get an extension on your own (without an agent holding your hand or greasing the wheels) because you have to provide a year detail transaction history print out and the immigration office will see that you didn't keep follow the seasoning rules 

 

11 hours ago, flyinghigh said:

Will i have problems next Febuary renewing my Extension, if i use the 800k method now?

You will indeed have problems because you have show you met the seasoning requirements for the banked money method of the extension you're on now <- the one where the agent banked the money for you (for a short time) 
AND 
Those seasoning requirements are 800K baht in the bank for 3 months AFTER your extension was issued and then the balance can't go below 400K baht the rest of the year until you get it back to 800k a minimum of 2 months before your next extension

Because immigration offices require you to get a year detail transaction report from the bank they will see you didn't follow the seasoning rules for the current extension you're on now.  

That is why most people who try to get off the agent band wagon, either bounce out/back and start the whole Non-O visa/extension process over using their money OR bank 800K baht the day you have the agent extension issued and leave it parked in the account for a year so you can then do the following year's extension on your own using your funds 

 

10 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Agreed. Unfortunately.

A good case study is how starting to use agents builds a kind of dependency. They may be the "easy" way out but there could be a price later.

You can however put the 800,000 in now and use it for the 2027 extension. For next year you will have to use an agent again but that 800,000 will still be helpful as you will not need to use agent funds.

16 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

Presumably Jomtien is the office which your agent has been using? But which is the actual office for where you live?

 

jomtien

22 hours ago, flyinghigh said:

jomtien

 

In which case your only option is to exit Thailand and obtain a fresh non-O visa before re-entering, as already advised. I had wondered whether you might be able to exit Thailand and re-enter visa-exempt followed by a trip to your local immigration office to apply for a conversion of your visa-exempt entry to a 90-day non-O visa. But this won't be possible in your case because of an unofficial Jomtien requirement that your 800k will need to be seasoned for 2 months as in the case of annual retirement extensions. In any event there is also an official requirement that you will need to provide evidence of the foreign sources of your recently-deposited 800k.

I saw a popular Thai Lawyers YouTube saying it may Not be as easy to enter on Tourist Visa and convert to Non O and get an Extension of Stay.

 

Anyone know if things have changed or just become more difficult?

1 minute ago, J Branche said:

I saw a popular Thai Lawyers YouTube saying it may Not be as easy to enter on Tourist Visa and convert to Non O and get an Extension of Stay.

 

Anyone know if things have changed or just become more difficult?

The lawyer may have been focused on need to open bank account. 

For those without a Thai bank account then obtaining Non O retirement outside of Thailand (eVisa) best option. 

For those with existing bank account then no issue entering visa exempt and obtaining Non O at local immigration office. 

With exception of couple of offices. 

Already pointed out by @OJAS above. 

And you need to prove the money in the account is coming from abroad ? Not transferred from another thai bank account you got? 

On 7/6/2025 at 7:49 PM, DrJack54 said:

The 2k dip was for 2 days. 

No way would immigration overlook that. Rubbish imo. 

Have you asked? I dipped 50,000THB in Feb after a renewal in Dec the previous year. Admittedly I spotted it very quickly and replaced within a few hours. Nothing was said.

Do not forget that the granting of an extension is down to the senior IO at your immigration. He could, if you explained what happened, let you off with a warning and grant it.  

On 7/6/2025 at 7:49 PM, DrJack54 said:

I obtained my current extension last Nov (retirement money in bank) 

Anyway the gf accidentally dipped my balance by 2k below 800k . 

I said.. Do you realize I now have to exit Thailand and start over. 

 

Fortunately I overlooked that I had a dormant bank account with a lazy 10k that will get me out of jail. 

Financial compliance is very strict with immigration. 

The 2k dip was for 2 days. 

No way would immigration overlook that. Rubbish imo. 

You do know you can drop down to 400k after the first 3 months on your 12 month permission to stay and prior to the 2 months before renewal right?

On 7/6/2025 at 8:50 PM, LespaulAN said:

I am curious to the reply that indicate TS that he can't use his 800K to do extension next feb. I just get my extension thru agent help last week.prior to this, due the problem with BBL, I open an account with K bank and put in 800k. the follow days I am able to get the extension without the seasoning month. The agent said I do not need to keep the 800k in the bank for the next 3 month and for next year extension I just need the 800k 2 prior to extension. I am confused. Please advise. I don't mind keeping fund for the whole year but since the bank do not give interest, I might as well use the money for expenses. 

Thats all incorrect info from the agent. 800k 2 months before applying and 3 months after permission granted, then you can drop to 400k but not below until 2 months before next renewal. 

16 minutes ago, Dan O said:

You do know you can drop down to 400k after the first 3 months on your 12 month permission to stay and prior to the 2 months before renewal right?

Of course I'm aware of that. 

She made the withdrawal days after I obtained the extension taking balance to 798k.

The error was fixed within two days

40 minutes ago, Dan O said:

Thats all incorrect info from the agent. 800k 2 months before applying and 3 months after permission granted, then you can drop to 400k but not below until 2 months before next renewal. 

You have misunderstood the guy you quoted. 

That guy used an agent to obtain his extension to cover financial compliance. 

He will again require agent for next extension that's why the agent told him that keeping funds in bank will be irrelevant. 

In reality immigration checks back (not always) to bank records two months prior to last extension. 

 

Edit: the agents advice is correct. 

Read the posts carefully

23 minutes ago, worrab said:

Do not forget that the granting of an extension is down to the senior IO at your immigration. He could, if you explained what happened, let you off with a warning and grant it.  

I'm well aware of that and also aware that immigration is very strict on financial compliance. 

You were fortunate. However note your dip was 2 hours. Mine 2 days. 

Which immigration office. 

CW not very flexible on this. 

He could try it.

 

Then go out and come back in if it does not work.

11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I'm well aware of that and also aware that immigration is very strict on financial compliance. 

You were fortunate. However note your dip was 2 hours. Mine 2 days. 

Which immigration office. 

CW not very flexible on this. 

Luckily it was Hua Hin Immigration. Probably one of the best to work with in the country.

 

24 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Of course I'm aware of that. 

She made the withdrawal days after I obtained the extension taking balance to 798k.

The error was fixed within two days

Just clarifying for those that may not know and you weren't specific in the timing

34 minutes ago, Dan O said:

then you can drop to 400k but not below until 2 months before next renewal. 

Then you must add to it back to 800k.

4 minutes ago, worrab said:

Luckily it was Hua Hin Immigration. Probably one of the best to work with in the country.

The offices vary (sadly). 

By way of example. I use dedicated bank account for immigration and maintain 800k all year round. 

So CW always accepted photocopies of bank book pages etc. 

Then out of the blue wanted 12 month bank statement. 

Why?? They said there was two months of zero activity (deposit/withdrawal) 

Made me obtain 12 month statement downstairs. 

I don't like em. 

41 minutes ago, Dan O said:

400k after the first 3 months on your 12 month permission to stay

 

38 minutes ago, Dan O said:

800k 2 months before applying and 3 months after permission granted, then you can drop to 400k

 

 

This is the part I never understood.

 

Does the "2 months before, 3 month after" hinge on the day extension was granted, or the day the non-O visa would have expired?

 

I was asked this before so my general advice was to have the money at least 3 months before, 3 months after.