After 12 or so years away, I will be returning to Thailand this October and I am trying to choose between the marriage and retirement route (was previously on a non-imm B for about 12 years but I no longer work so that's not an option).

I will obtain the 90-day visa here and my first extension will obviously have to be based on cash in the bank but after that I am hoping to switch to the monthly transfer method. If I understand correctly, I will have to show that these transfers come from overseas. My questions are:

1 Will transactions from overseas banks automatically show as international transactions in my bank statements? I have old bank accounts at SCB and Krung Thai that are still active but I don't have online banking or a debit card for them so I currently have no way of testing this before coming. Transfers would be from my HSBC account in the UK. Is either bank a better option than the other for showing transfers as international on the statements? Or would I be better opening a new account, when I arrive, with a different bank?

2 Do I have to provide the source of funds? I'm still a few years away from receiving my pension and my income would be predominantly from property rental and investments and so I'm not sure if that would be acceptable for a retirement extension. Do I need to prove that my income is actually from a pension, or aren't immigration too concerned about the source of funds for a retirement extension? If it needs to be pension income, then I would probably have to go the marriage route.

I know it's still some way off but I'm trying to plan ahead and get everything straight so that I get the right non-O visa to start. I don't know if it makes any difference but it is the Korat immigration office that I would be dealing with.

Any advice would be appreciated.

11 minutes ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

Will transactions from overseas banks automatically show as international transactions in my bank statements?

Not necessarily. I request the 12 month bank statement to be in Thai language and the transfers have Thai script that indicates "transfer from abroad"

For your initial deposit of 800k using money in bank method the funds do not need to be shown as international transfer.

Income method does.

For question 2 asking about source of funds that depends on immigration office.

Last Nov I changed from money in bank to income method.

I did not show source of funds just regular transfers 14th of each month.

I use WISE. I did unrelated transfer recently and was prompted by WISE if I require it to be shown as international transfer.

Note to change to income method you need to run both methods in parallel for 12 months. Showing compliance to money in bank method and 12 monthly transfers.

Suggest you opt for retirement since you are planning on using income method..

Money will not be tied up in Thai bank and you most likely need 65k per month to live. Nice option.

18 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Not necessarily. I request the 12 month bank statement to be in Thai language and the transfers have Thai script that indicates "transfer from abroad"

For your initial deposit of 800k using money in bank method the funds do not need to be shown as international transfer.

Income method does.

For question 2 asking about source of funds that depends on immigration office.

Last Nov I changed from money in bank to income method.

I did not show source of funds just regular transfers 14th of each month.

I use WISE. I did unrelated transfer recently and was prompted by WISE if I require it to be shown as international transfer.

Note to change to income method you need to run both methods in parallel for 12 months. Showing compliance to money in bank method and 12 monthly transfers.

Suggest you opt for retirement since you are planning on using income method..

Money will not be tied up in Thai bank and you most likely need 65k per month to live. Nice option.

Thanks.

I would happily go the retirement route if it isn't dependant on having to show the transfers each month are pension related.

I'm just a bit worried if my transfers from HSBC to SCB or Krung Thai will show as international transfers.

1 minute ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

I'm just a bit worried if my transfers from HSBC to SCB or Krung Thai will show as international transfers.

Do you use WISE for transfers.

As stated... I request bank statement in Thai language and it showed as international transfers.

Also WISE asked me "reason for transfer"... I select " Long term living experiences"

It then asked if I need to be shown as international transfer.

Failing all that you can also get "credit advice" From bank.

6 minutes ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

I would happily go the retirement route if it isn't dependant on having to show the transfers each month are pension related.

At CW io wasn't interested in "pension"

Some offices look for proof of pension. They shouldn't as it's pension OR income.

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Do you use WISE for transfers.

As stated... I request bank statement in Thai language and it showed as international transfers.

Also WISE asked me "reason for transfer"... I select " Long term living experiences"

It then asked if I need to be shown as international transfer.

Failing all that you can also get "credit advice" From bank.

No. I transfer directly from HSBC. I'll look into Wise.

Could I ask which bank you use? I've read that some transfers are routed via other Thai banks and therefore come in as local transfers. I'm not sure if this would be the case for SCB or Krung Thai nor not.

1 minute ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

Could I ask which bank you use?

I use Kasikorn. They are partner bank with WISE along with BBL and think SCB.

Aside: avoid BBL.

Yes it's possible funds can land with a bank eg BBL and then be routed to your bank.

That then shows as internal transfer.

That can be fixed with credit advice.

Has not been an issue for me.

Keep in mind you will initially using money in bank method.

If Non O obtained outside of Thailand the funds can be in any bank.

For 12 month extension using money in bank the funds do not have to shown from abroad

48 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I use Kasikorn. They are partner bank with WISE along with BBL and think SCB.

Aside: avoid BBL.

Yes it's possible funds can land with a bank eg BBL and then be routed to your bank.

That then shows as internal transfer.

That can be fixed with credit advice.

Has not been an issue for me.

Keep in mind you will initially using money in bank method.

If Non O obtained outside of Thailand the funds can be in any bank.

For 12 month extension using money in bank the funds do not have to shown from abroad

Thanks again. From a quick online search it would appear that transfers to SCB do not show up as international. Where does one get the credit advice from? SCB or the bank the funds were routed through?

Maybe it will be easier just to open a Kasikorn account and transfer through Wise as you do. A bit of a shame when I already have 2 accounts.

4 minutes ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

Maybe it will be easier just to open a Kasikorn account and transfer through Wise as you do.

Since you have existing accounts, I wouldn't bother.

As stated for your first extension you will be using money in bank method.

That does not require proof of international transfer.

For income method yes your concerns are valid.

Address that once in Thailand.

As posted earlier WISE seem to now offer service to have transfer tagged as international.

Also bank here in Thailand can advise you on "credit advice" from bank.

8 minutes ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

Thanks again. From a quick online search it would appear that transfers to SCB do not show up as international. Where does one get the credit advice from? SCB or the bank the funds were routed through?

Maybe it will be easier just to open a Kasikorn account and transfer through Wise as you do. A bit of a shame when I already have 2 accounts.

Does Wise not send to either of your current Thai Banks?

I have noticed that recently Wise offers inbound transfers to be marked as foreign inbound or not?

4 minutes ago, 0ffshore360 said:

Does Wise not send to either of your current Thai Banks?

I have noticed that recently Wise offers inbound transfers to be marked as foreign inbound or not?

I'm sure it will.

I've just read online that payments to SCB or Krung Thai aren't marked as incoming international payments, whereas payments to BB and Kasikorn are. I guess when I arrive in Thailand, I'll have to try and if not, then open a Kasikorn account.

9 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Since you have existing accounts, I wouldn't bother.

As stated for your first extension you will be using money in bank method.

That does not require proof of international transfer.

For income method yes your concerns are valid.

Address that once in Thailand.

As posted earlier WISE seem to now offer service to have transfer tagged as international.

Also bank here in Thailand can advise you on "credit advice" from bank.

Thanks again.

Do you happen to know if the credit advice would need to be requested from my bank or the bank that the payment was routed through?

7 minutes ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

Do you happen to know if the credit advice would need to be requested from my bank or the bank that the payment was routed through?

Pretty sure it's from bank that received the transfer.

However think there will be other options.

Concentrate on funds in bank method for first extension then investigate monthly transfer options once in Thailand

4 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

As posted earlier WISE seem to now offer service to have transfer tagged as international.

4 hours ago, 0ffshore360 said:

I have noticed that recently Wise offers inbound transfers to be marked as foreign inbound or not?

They ask this extra question during the transfer process but if you answer yes they then merely link you to instructions on how to obtain the foreign transaction paperwork from the bank in question yourself.

1 hour ago, treetops said:

They ask this extra question during the transfer process but if you answer yes they then merely link you to instructions on how to obtain the foreign transaction paperwork from the bank in question yourself.

Good to know.

My recent transfer I just skipped that option..

My last extension income method using WISE and obtaining bank statement in Thai was sufficient.

18 hours ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

No. I transfer directly from HSBC. I'll look into Wise.

Could I ask which bank you use? I've read that some transfers are routed via other Thai banks and therefore come in as local transfers. I'm not sure if this would be the case for SCB or Krung Thai nor not.

If you choose this option with Wise, it will show as an international one, regardless of which Thai bank you use. The transfer is a little slower than a normal transfer. They also now offer proof of foreign transaction receipt

2 minutes ago, Jaggg88 said:

The transfer is a little slower than a normal transfer.

My transfers from Oz using WISE are instant.

I do read posts of it taking time from some countries. Don't know why.

The reason of transfer option you pointed out is correct one to use.

I have been using my SCB account to show income. Transactions from the UK and Guernsey (RBS and Citibank) certainly do show as an International Transfer, so I can only assume that the same will apply for all direct transfers (HSCB to SCB). Having said that, if you refer to HSCB Thailand as the sender, they will not show as International.

19 hours ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

1 Will transactions from overseas banks automatically show as international transactions in my bank statements? I have old bank accounts at SCB and Krung Thai that are still active but I don't have online banking or a debit card for them so I currently have no way of testing this before coming. Transfers would be from my HSBC account in the UK. Is either bank a better option than the other for showing transfers as international on the statements? Or would I be better opening a new account, when I arrive, with a different bank?

2 Do I have to provide the source of funds? I'm still a few years away from receiving my pension and my income would be predominantly from property rental and investments and so I'm not sure if that would be acceptable for a retirement extension. Do I need to prove that my income is actually from a pension, or aren't immigration too concerned about the source of funds for a retirement extension? If it needs to be pension income, then I would probably have to go the marriage route.

1) Bank statements will normally show a code, which can identify funds as foreign transfer. I use SCB – and also Bangkok Bank – keep your SCB account, it's easy for 12-months statement, avoid using Bangkok Bank for the method with monthly foreign transfers, as they can only instantly provide 6-months statements.

2) In principle you are a tax resident, if you stay in Thailand 180 days or more within a calendar year. With the newer enforcement of tax rules we foreigners shall file a tax return. In some cases, it has been mentioned i AN-threds about foreigner's income tax that if one's income is taxed abroad, it might not be neccessary to file a tax return; but that is depending of the DTA (Dounble Taxation Agreement) betwen you home country and Thailand. Untaxed income transferred to Thailand is income taxable in Thailand. In the eFiling online system your foreign income is declared specified – i.e. pensions are reported separated from rental income, interest and dividens – and foreign paid tax can be deducted, if covered by a DTA. The eFiling is fairly easy to use. However, make a spread sheet or just some notes about each transfer you make and the origin of the funds, including tax paid abroad and the total income; also note the actual exchange rate. You need to file both total income, eventual tax paid abroad and funds transferred into Thailand in Thai baht currency.

A personal advice from me: Using the retiremen t extension is (way) more easy than extension based on marriage. If you can afford to keep 800,000 in a 12-month's bank deposit – 12-months for best interest – it's a failrly simple procedure to extend you stay annually.

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

My transfers from Oz using WISE are instant.

I do read posts of it taking time from some countries. Don't know why.

The reason of transfer option you pointed out is correct one to use.

I used it for years, and my BBL showed the code for international transactions. If you use personal expenses, it shows as a domestic transfer from the Wise bank partner, which I think is Kasikorn. It takes up to 72 hours because there is a physical intervention to make sure it shows as an international transaction. I don't use it anymore as I'm on a DTV, but I just asked my friend if he still does that, and he confirmed that it is the option he has to choose; otherwise, it shows as a domestic transfer.

19 hours ago, Colonel_Mustard said:

I guess when I arrive in Thailand, I'll have to try and if not, then open a Kasikorn account.

I used Non O-A income method for 9 years through KB, monthly 65k+ foreign bank transfers show in passbook and a Credit Advice Report is generated by the District International trade offices. Transfers have to be received in foreign currency such as USD and converted to baht by the Thai bank otherwise treated as domestic transfer.

Since 2022 I have the LTR visa, no more monthly documentation of foreign transfers.

21 hours ago, Jaggg88 said:

If you choose this option with Wise, it will show as an international one, regardless of which Thai bank you use. The transfer is a little slower than a normal transfer. They also now offer proof of foreign transaction receipt

agree .. 99% of the time it's less than 1 minute

and you can always download your transaction / receipts from Wise to match up against you bank receipts

Here is a cut/paste from post in another thread by @Upnotover

"A Wise transfer will show up on your statement (not in the book) as "รับเงินธุรกรรม ตปท" which Google translates to "receive money from Foreign transactions".  Make sure you print the statement in Thai as the English version will say "Trade Finance Deposit".  In my experience this will occur irrespective of the reason you give Wise for the transfer.

 I used Kasikorn statements for my last extension, no issues"

I pinched this advice for my last annual retirement extension using income method.

The Thai script on the transfers indicated "foreign transaction"

No issue.