Sorry if this has been brought up before but I don't get on this site as much as I used to and my age is catching up with me!

I've lived in Thailand for the past 22 years and for many of those years I did all the paperwork for my extension.

The first year after the UK embassy stopped issuing pension letters I was still able to extend my visa even though I had to pay an extra 3k baht.

But the next year I was refused and told to go see a visa agent. I didn't get an explanation but it could have been because my money hadn't been

in the bank long enough. I knew it wasn't any use arguing with the lady in charge so I went to a visa agent and I've been doing my extension the same way since ( 4 years )

I have now been able to salt away the 800k baht needed and also my pension is well over the 65k baht per month but what I want to know is can I gather all my paperwork 

and go along to Immigration and once again extend my visa and only pay 1.9k baht.

I also need to know if I require a TM 30 as I've never needed one while with the visa agent and I haven't been out of the country in the last 3 years.

Thanks for any help!!

Do the TM30 first, they may not accept an application without that, takes no time at all. Was the agent getting the extension from your own province? They might have questions about that. 

5 minutes ago, monsieurhappy said:

I've lived in Thailand for the past 22 years and for many of those years I did all the paperwork for my extension.

Where in Thailand do you live. 

Where is the agent located that you have been using. 

You mention insurance. 

Perhaps you originally had a Non O-A

In any event changing from agent to doing it yourself is not a simple now just show the money in bank. 

Immigration will look back over previous 12 + months bank statements to check financial compliance. 

Some folk would opt to exit Thailand just prior to expiry of extension and start over. 

Obtain a new Non O (retirement) then two months later annual extensions. 

 

Regarding your pension... you are alluding to is using income method. 

That requires you to show 12 months of transfers from abroad of 65k + 

5 minutes ago, proton said:

Was the agent getting the extension from your own province?

Having used an agent the OP will not be able to show show financial compliance for previous 12 months. 

The immigration office I use is Jomtien and always has been since it was moved from Pattaya soi 8.

I never mentioned Insurance!

The visa agent is located on Neun plab wan.

My bank statement ( or at least my bank book ) for last 12 months will not show anything below 400k baht but it will show the 800k baht that was put in by the visa agent.

Leaving the country is not very feasable as I have been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. If I need to go anywhere I pay for someone to drive, eg. when I see my doctor in Bangkok.

I can show 12 months of pension but in my pay-in book ( Bangkok bank ) it shows payments as BTN and FTT.

I have a P60 from my company pension but as yet have not received similar from DWP

Please let me know if you require any more information as I really would like to get this sorted.

Thanks.

2 hours ago, monsieurhappy said:

The immigration office I use is Jomtien and always has been since it was moved from Pattaya soi 8.

I never mentioned Insurance!

Indeed. You didn't mention insurance. Perhaps mixed your OP with another thread. 

Sir, since you have been using an agent and together with other concerns suggest you continue with using an agent. 

Pattaya has Many very good agents. 

Realize you have used one however you could consult with another if you wish. 

Many agents listed here. 

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1354256-i-need-names-of-visa-agents-in-pattaya/

 

3 hours ago, monsieurhappy said:

The immigration office I use is Jomtien and always has been since it was moved from Pattaya soi 8.

I never mentioned Insurance!

The visa agent is located on Neun plab wan.

My bank statement ( or at least my bank book ) for last 12 months will not show anything below 400k baht but it will show the 800k baht that was put in by the visa agent.

Leaving the country is not very feasable as I have been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. If I need to go anywhere I pay for someone to drive, eg. when I see my doctor in Bangkok.

I can show 12 months of pension but in my pay-in book ( Bangkok bank ) it shows payments as BTN and FTT.

I have a P60 from my company pension but as yet have not received similar from DWP

Please let me know if you require any more information as I really would like to get this sorted.

Thanks.

If you really want to get rid of the Agent, you have to check first if you fulfill the financial Requirements for the previous 12 month. You must have a minimum of 800k THB in your Bank account at time of your last Application for EoS and 3 month after, followed by a period of 7 month with a minimum of 400k THB and topped up again to a minimum of  800k THB two month prior to your date of application for a new Extension of Stay.

Next point is where your lat EoS was issued, please check the Stamp in your Passport. Should say "Chonburi Immigration.

Who is doing your 90 days Reporting, the Agency or yourself? If you do it yourself at Jomtien Immigration I don't see the point to renew your TM30 as you are correct registered  in Chonburi. If the Agency is doing it I would go for a new TM30.

56 minutes ago, UWEB said:

If you really want to get rid of the Agent, you have to check first if you fulfill the financial Requirements for the previous 12 month

The OP has not indicated compliance with money in bank method. 

Clearly uses an agent and will not be able to show what you outline. 

Also the pension "income method" will not work as immigration will check for compliance for both methods for "change from money in bank to income" 

The OP has 2 options. 

1. Exit Thailand and start over OR

2. Continue with agent. 

 

He doesn't want/cannot exit Thailand. 

Leaves one option. Agent. 

9 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

The OP has not indicated compliance with money in bank method. 

Clearly uses an agent and will not be able to show what you outline. 

Also the pension "income method" will not work as immigration will check for compliance for both methods for "change from money in bank to income" 

The OP has 2 options. 

1. Exit Thailand and start over OR

2. Continue with agent. 

 

He doesn't want/cannot exit Thailand. 

Leaves one option. Agent. 

That's why I have asked the OP  to check if he fulfills the financial requirements as first step. If not he has no other chance than using an Agent. Let's see if he is coming back with a clarification.

6 minutes ago, UWEB said:

That's why I have asked the OP  to check if he fulfills the financial requirements as first step

From the OP in his second post... 

"My bank statement ( or at least my bank book ) for last 12 months will not show anything below 400k baht but it will show the 800k baht that was put in by the visa agent." 

 

He cannot show compliance. 

Based on not being able to show 800,000 for 3 months after LAST YEAR'S extension, you will not be able to do it yourself this year.  

 

So use the agent one final time this year. But keep your own 800k on the books as required.  Then come this time next year, you'll be able to show compliance and you'll be able to do it yourself.

 

Just make sure you do your extension within the normal 30 day window before your current extension expires, as if you do it outside the normal window, it's a red flag that you obtained your extension with an agent and they will require you to do so again next year.

You are correct that I cannot show 800k baht for 3 months after last years extension but I can show 12 months of my pension being sent to my account in Thailand, the only problem I see there is the point I made about it appearing as FTT and BTN 

The FTT is what is always alongside my company pension and BTN along with my DWP pension. Maybe it would appear differently on a bank statement?

Unless someone can tell me differently it looks like I will have to go along with BrandonJT and wait until next year.

Just one other thing that I hope will not confuse this is that I have done my 90day almost always online. Once when I forgot I used the agent to pay my fine at Jomtien.

I appreciate the help you have given me I hope that in 12 months things work out a little better!

19 minutes ago, monsieurhappy said:

You are correct that I cannot show 800k baht for 3 months after last years extension but I can show 12 months of my pension being sent to my account in Thailand, the only problem I see there is the point I made about it appearing as FTT and BTN 

The FTT is what is always alongside my company pension and BTN along with my DWP pension. Maybe it would appear differently on a bank statement?

Unless someone can tell me differently it looks like I will have to go along with BrandonJT and wait until next year.

Just one other thing that I hope will not confuse this is that I have done my 90day almost always online. Once when I forgot I used the agent to pay my fine at Jomtien.

I appreciate the help you have given me I hope that in 12 months things work out a little better!

 

The 12 months of pension won't make a difference because you didn't meet last year's requirements.  You need to go a full year of being "clean" in order to apply by yourself the following year.

 

You can always try it yourself if you'd like.  Maybe you'll catch an officer on a good day, but the most likely outcome will be them turning you down and telling you to use an agent after wasting a few hours at the immigration office.

 

The 90-day report thing is irrelevant to this topic.

I was thinking that the 12 months of pension would be the same as money in bank. 

I used to use Wise when my 2 pensions were sent to my UK bank acc. and then send money over here when needed.

When I was diagnosed with PD I decided to have my pensions sent directly to my Thai bank acc. in case I was unable to 

use Wise or even use the computer! As it has turned out my condition is not as bad as first thought!

So from Oct. 2024 my pensions have been paid directly into my BB acc. each month ( over 65k each month.) + most of my money from my UK bank acc. which I drained to a sum that would just keep it open.

In that time my BB acc. has never been below 400k baht. I didn't think that my bank acc. needed  to be 800k baht when using the pension method!

I may be getting it wrong now, I'm thinking that I did meet the requirements from Oct 2024 to Nov. 2025 when my extension is due.

I will accept your better knowledge of the charade!

Thanks for your attention!  

3 minutes ago, monsieurhappy said:

I may be getting it wrong now, I'm thinking that I did meet the requirements from Oct 2024 to Nov. 2025 when my extension is due.

You are getting it wrong. 

By way of example.. I currently have extension retirement based on money in bank. 

I'm changing to income method. 

Point is immigration will check with compliance to both methods. 

So as a result for this current extension I'm satisfying both methods simultaneously. 

You have not done that. 

The 12 monthly transfers won't cut it. 

What's your age? Question has a reason

I am 78 years old!

It makes sense what you are saying!

Until this Bangkok bank and the Chinese reared it's ugly head I was quite content to go along with using a visa agent, I didn't need the hassle of doing it myself! but

suddenly the price started rising and I was told that I would have to travel ( rightly or wrongly ) to Bangkok to open another bank acc.

I decided that it might be better for me to try to get back to doing it myself!

It's bad enough that I have to put up with riding in a car for 1 1/2 hrs. each way when I go to see my doctor but the thought of riding all that way on a bus was quite frightening!

Anyway, that and the fact that when I was refused an extension 5 years ago was the deciding factor!

5 years ago I had been extending my visa every year for about 14 years without a problem! ( money in bank + pension letter from UK embassy )Then there is a problem even though I was doing it exactly the same way! 

There you have it! It as taken me a couple of years to build my pot up to 800k baht and for my pension to pay me more than the 65k baht each month.

So what you are saying is that right now my bank statement will show that 12 months ago my pensions were paying me more than 65k baht each month but I did NOT have 800k baht in the acc. to cover the money in bank scenario! 

 

20 hours ago, monsieurhappy said:

My bank statement ( or at least my bank book ) for last 12 months will not show anything below 400k baht but it will show the 800k baht that was put in by the visa agent.

How can a bank statement or book show that the Agent's 800k is still in the account?

It does not matter, for me in P'lok, WHERE the monthly money comes from as long as it does, every month, roughly the same date.

11 hours ago, monsieurhappy said:

I'm thinking that I did meet the requirements from Oct 2024 to Nov. 2025 when my extension is due.

 

2 minutes ago, monsieurhappy said:

So what you are saying is that right now my bank statement will show that 12 months ago my pensions were paying me more than 65k baht each month but I did NOT have 800k baht in the acc. to cover the money in bank scenario! 

 

We can assume your immigration file will note that you used 800K "in the bank" (from agent) for last year's extension, which they will demand be "checked for compliance" this year.  The general-rule is that to switch from "money in the bank" to "monthly-pension," one needs to do both for a full year.   Therefore, they will want to see the 800K minimum-balance for the 1st three months of last-year's cycle (Oct 2024 through December 2024, in your case).

 

OTOH, I don't see any harm in trying to apply yourself - claiming you qualified all of the last year via pension-payments.  Better odds if you have 800K for the last 2 months before applying this year - then apply with "money in the bank" vs the "pension method."  Just be mentally-prepared to be rejected.

 

7 minutes ago, monsieurhappy said:

I was told that I would have to travel ( rightly or wrongly ) to Bangkok to open another bank acc.

 

As you NOW have your own 800K, even when you use an agent this year, you can use "with your own money" - so no need for the agent to put money in your account.  That should avoid the trip to Bangkok to the bank/branch the agent uses, which still allows the agent-money xfer.

 

Check-around with other agents, if your previous one says they cannot do it.  I read reports that some Pattaya agents still use local bank-branches - only some requiring a Bangkok trip + considerably more money.

 

13 hours ago, monsieurhappy said:

appearing as FTT and BTN

 

As to the deposits - proving they are all foreign-transfers - coded FTT vs Bahtnet - it has been reported that if you get a Thai-language 12-mo statement, all of the payments will be listed as "foreign transfers."  If that is not the case with your bank/case, you can ask them for "credit advice" reports for the months which do not show "FTT," to prove they were foreign in-origin.

37 minutes ago, monsieurhappy said:

There you have it! It as taken me a couple of years to build my pot up to 800k baht and for my pension to pay me more than the 65k baht each month.

What part don't you understand from earlier posts/advice.

 

Your most recent extensions have been with an agent. 

Some folk will suggest that if you have the 800k you can magically switch to doing the extension yourself. 

In general the way to break from agent is to "start over" 

This would involve exiting Thai prior to next extension (without a reentry permit) and entering Thailand visa exempt. 

 

Unfortunately from Pattaya the border bounce would be Cambodia. 

Currently not possible. 

In any event you crossed that option out earlier. 

 

I can bang on however simple answer to your situation given age and health is to continue with use of agent. 

 

Here is thread with info re agents in Pattaya. Post from Today Daniels lists several.

There are heaps of good one. 

Even though you have an agent there are others that may not require trip to Bangkok. 

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1354256-i-need-names-of-visa-agents-in-pattaya/