1 hour ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

Plus I only have to pay the 1900 baht each year, no payments to wife, her kids from a previous Thai marriage, pay for her sick parents and sick Buffalo up in a village in Isaan which is a quite a typical story I have heard from so many farangs in Thailand who told to me first hand over the last thirty years first when coming here on holidays and since after living here in Phuket for four years.

Wow, quite a putdown of all us guys married to Thais there, mate!

3 minutes ago, Ricohoc said:

So if my cousin (or anyone else) sends a US bank wire of 45,000 baht every month to my bank account here, that should show up as an international transfer.

When folk apply for their annual extension they obtain 12 month bank statement.

The monthly transfers need to be shown as international.

Some banks use certain codes eg BBL use FTT.

I'm with Kasikorn and by requesting statement in Thai language the transfers are shown as "funds from abroad"

Sometimes a transfer is sent via WISE partner eg BBL or Kasikorn then transferred into another Thai bank eg SCB.

This may show as an internal transfer and then you require "Credit Advice" from the bank to prove international transfer.

Covered in banking forum.

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

When folk apply for their annual extension they obtain 12 month bank statement.

The monthly transfers need to be shown as international.

Some banks use certain codes eg BBL use FTT.

I'm with Kasikorn and by requesting statement in Thai language the transfers are shown as "funds from abroad"

Sometimes a transfer is sent via WISE partner eg BBL or Kasikorn then transferred into another Thai bank eg SCB.

This may show as an internal transfer and then you require "Credit Advice" from the bank to prove international transfer.

Covered in banking forum.

Are you saying that some bank wires from the US don't show up as international?

1 minute ago, Ricohoc said:

Are you saying that some bank wires from the US don't show up as international?

No. I was referring to money transfer companies such as WISE etc.

On 5/22/2026 at 2:03 PM, DrJack54 said:

It must be minimum 40k per month.

You could ask immigration if they accept "combination method"

Phitsanulok IO accept my THB400k in the bank, and 35k per month via WISE, which will be changing to SWIFT via Barclays UK, as they charge Zero to send it, a slightly lower exchange rate, and Bkk Bank take 0.25% with a max of THB500. It shows as an International Transfer, FTT.

Just now, DrJack54 said:

No. I was referring to money transfer companies such as WISE etc.

Whew. Thanks. I didn't think so, but I was relying on your extensive experience with the monthly transfers. I thought maybe you had experienced or seen others have a bank wire problem.

Appreciate all of your help.

Edited May 25May 25 by Ricohoc

2 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

Phitsanulok IO accept my THB400k in the bank, and 35k per month via WISE

Good your immigration office accept "Combination Method" as they should as it's in the "rules" However some offices don't

1 hour ago, gamb00ler said:

In mid Dec '25, I changed to extension based on marriage from retirement... mainly because of CM Immigration's very strict interpretation of what financials are required when switching from embassy letter to funds on deposit.

Immigration was satisfied as long as I met the financials for my new marriage extension. Of course I did have the 800K on deposit as required by my original plan to get a retirement extension. They never suggested I start over with a new Non O.

May 2026, not possible anymore in Chiang Mai without the help of an agency.

I invite anyone who doesn't believe it to go and ask them personally, or give them a call.

Edited May 25May 25 by pub2022

16 minutes ago, pub2022 said:

May 2026, not possible anymore in Chiang Mai without the help of an agency.

I invite anyone who doesn't believe it to go and ask them personally, or give them a call.

That is because the IOs in CM, and many other offices, are getting a bung from the Agency, no?

3 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

I get the state pension and income from rent in the UK which I count as my total pension, the money left over each month goes into tax free ISA's in the UK where it is safe and sound, I only transfer into Phuket the money I need to give on via WISE as well, it arrives here in seconds into my Thai bank account.

My Thai partner has her own income and money from the rents she gets for her Thai houses, that makes for a prefect arrangement for me.

Which part of Essex are you from?

I had a Thai restaurants in Chelmsford for 20+ years as a side business, the property from rent is also in the same city near the train station.

I’m from romford

11 hours ago, Ricohoc said:

I will begin planning to make that transition immediately. It's better to bring in 40,000+ per month than to have almost a million baht tied up in banks that have gone off the rails with their regulations.

You need to go to immigration and ask them if they accept monthly transfers for marriage extensions. Some immigration offices do not accept monthly transfers as proof of income for marriage, and will only accept your proof of salary for a work permitted job inside of Thailand. So before you start implementing your plan, you should go check and make sure that it will even work.

4 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

You need to go to immigration and ask them if they accept monthly transfers for marriage extensions. Some immigration offices do not accept monthly transfers as proof of income for marriage, and will only accept your proof of salary for a work permitted job inside of Thailand. So before you start implementing your plan, you should go check and make sure that it will even work.

Thanks for that, but that was already done.

I've been here over 15 years. We know each other on a first-name basis. 😁

can I just jump aboard on this one , My marriage extension is due next month and I do have the 400k in the bank, but I would like to keep that as my reserve hospital money.

My company pension is well over 40K per month and is paid into Bangkok Bank. Is the procedure for showing the financial stuuf same as for retirement. My payments are always Bahtnet, so do I ask BBL for a credit statement for the transfers.......

20 minutes ago, Pasak110 said:

My payments are always Bahtnet, so do I ask BBL for a credit statement for the transfers.......

You need to find out what bank the money is actually going through before it reaches your bank account. If it's showing as a local transfer, that means it entered Thailand through another bank. That bank is the one that would normally issue the credit advice showing that it came from overseas. You can check with Bangkok Bank, and they can probably advise you where it came from and if they can do a credit advice or if you have to go to the other bank.

On 5/25/2026 at 1:01 PM, DrJack54 said:

Incorrect.

In any event the OP opted for what suited him and made a useful Report for others.

Your constant own situation posts are irrelevant

As are yours and most other peoples situations posts, unless of course you think you are special and above the rest of us with our own situation and opinions.

Edited May 27May 27 by JamesPhuket10

43 minutes ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

As are yours and most other peoples situations posts, unless of course you think you are special and above the rest of us with our own situation and opinions.

First up the OP gave a report re changing from based on retirement to based on marriage.

That has value especially for those considering doing the same.

Your post is about retirement being better. True some prefer less paperwork, no under consideration period etc.

Discussed in numerous threads.

You start by saying your extension is 1900b.

News flash all extensions are 1900b.

Then type about minimal loss of interest by having 800k tied up in Thai bank if using funds in bank method.

Look up "opportunity cost" along with average returns super fund.

On 5/27/2026 at 9:17 AM, JamesPhuket10 said:

As are yours and most other peoples situations posts, unless of course you think you are special and above the rest of us with our own situation and opinions.

When opinion varies from a situation report and descends into insults of those with a differing viewpoint you invalidate your own opinion.

Edited May 28May 28 by Old Croc

It wasn't the financial burden that prompted my change to a marriage extension, it was the introduction, after the fact, of the corrupt health insurance criteria.

I self-insure and keep more than enough funds here to qualify for retirement, an option I would prefer because of the extra paperwork, time and travel associated with marriage extensions.

When i made the change, I initially consulted an agent hoping to smooth the waters. However, she insisted it couldn't be done without departing and starting again and offered the dodgy alterative at a hefty price. I declined.

With my limited legal training, I studied the O-A legislation and concluded you definitely could change the reason for an extension. An IO tried to talk me out of it when I first applied, he didn't want the extra hassle either.

On 5/22/2026 at 2:03 PM, DrJack54 said:

It must be minimum 40k per month.

You could ask immigration if they accept "combination method"

Combination method is only available for extensions based on retirement, not Thai family.

18 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

Combination method is only available for extensions based on retirement, not Thai family.

Correct.

On 5/26/2026 at 7:27 AM, Pasak110 said:

My company pension is well over 40K per month and is paid into Bangkok Bank. Is the procedure for showing the financial stuuf same as for retirement. My payments are always Bahtnet,

The Bank of Thailand (BOT) developed BAHTNET (Bank of Thailand Automated High-value Transfer Network), which is a financial infrastructure to facilitate high-value funds transfer among financial institutions and organizations with current accounts at the BOT. The transfer of funds is completed in a Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) basis, which is final and irrevocable. BAHTNET was launched on 24 May 1995 with objectives to mitigate settlement risk among financial institutions that maintain current accounts at the BOT as well as to facilitate efficient, quick, and secure funds transfers to third parties.

Many company and private pension financial institutions use this method to transfer pensions to Thailand.

Your pension remittance will be forwarded to the BOT who convert the currency into Baht, before forwarding the remittance to the the HQ of your Thai bank, who then transfer the funds to your Thai branch account.

Your Immigration office may or may not be aware that anything coded as a Bahtnet transfer is indeed an overseas transfer to your Thai bank.

Can there be any other future benefits by having marriage visa than retirement?

Females married to Thai men, have different terms than us:

You are correct; Thai law does provide certain advantages for foreign women married to Thai men compared to foreign men married to Thai women, specifically concerning the ease of obtaining citizenship.Key legal and procedural differences between the two scenarios in Thailand:Foreign Women Married to Thai MenCitizenship: A foreign woman married to a Thai national can apply for Thai citizenship after roughly three years of continuous marriage, provided she meets other criteria (such as a valid Non-Immigrant O visa, an income, and passing a language test).Work Authorization: Spouses of Thai nationals can apply for a specialized work permit without needing a business to sponsor them, allowing for more flexible employment.

I have a retirement visa and 800k in the bank, which is not money that I need. When I married I never changed to a marriage visa because of all the extra paperwork. Just continued what I have.

12 minutes ago, Hummin said:

A foreign woman married to a Thai national can apply for Thai citizenship after roughly three years of continuous marriage, provided she meets other criteria (such as a valid Non-Immigrant O visa

A Non Imm O visa is invalid the minute you enter Thailand.
The IO will usually stamp 'USED' on the visa on entry.
I haven't held a valid Non Imm O visa since 2014.

She would however have Non Immigrant status and extended her temporary permission of stay.

On 5/25/2026 at 12:41 PM, JamesPhuket10 said:

I pay 1900 for my retirement visa each year, it is far less complicated than the marriage visa it seems, it took me 20 minutes from entering the immigration office this year in Phuket to when I left.

Plus I only have to pay the 1900 baht each year, no payments to wife, her kids from a previous Thai marriage, pay for her sick parents and sick Buffalo up in a village in Isaan which is a quite a typical story I have heard from so many farangs in Thailand who told to me first hand over the last thirty years first when coming here on holidays and since after living here in Phuket for four years.

I do have to put 800k in a bank in Thailand but the loss of interest is much less than it would cost me if I had a Thai marriage visa.

I am not saying the set up above is the norm form all Thai marriages to farangs, just the from farangs who sit around moaning so maybe it is not that common.

Remarkable how some people always present their own setup as the sensible model, then measure other people’s marriages by the worst stories from complaining farangs. Those stories are repeated to death, but that does not make them a balanced sample.

And honestly, what do those add-ons have to do with changing from retirement to marriage extension? There are positive sides to staying based on marriage too, and who knows what matters more in the future.

33 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

A Non Imm O visa is invalid the minute you enter Thailand.
The IO will usually stamp 'USED' on the visa on entry.
I haven't held a valid Non Imm O visa since 2014.

She would however have Non Immigrant status and extended her temporary permission of stay.

No matter what some think, most of us still talk about our basis of stay as marriage or retirement. Technically wrong, but normal conversation.

Try to live with it 😉

'Your Immigration office may or may not be aware that anything coded as a Bahtnet transfer is indeed an overseas transfer to your Thai bank.'

So that's a good to go then?, I just get a 12 month statement from BBL HQ,

Rock up at IO , highlight the BTN's on the statement and passbook, and when I get shaking heads from across the desk make them aware about Bahtnet. All sounds so easy then.......

2 hours ago, Hummin said:

No matter what some think, most of us still talk about our basis of stay as marriage or retirement. Technically wrong, but normal conversation.

Try to live with it 😉

Absolutely correct to mention your basis of stay as retirement or marriage.
It was your reference to a 'valid' Non O visa, as opposed an extension of temporary stay.

If you've entered Thailand, your Non O visa is now invalid.

Edited May 28May 28 by Liquorice

1 hour ago, Pasak110 said:

'Your Immigration office may or may not be aware that anything coded as a Bahtnet transfer is indeed an overseas transfer to your Thai bank.'

So that's a good to go then?, I just get a 12 month statement from BBL HQ,

Rock up at IO , highlight the BTN's on the statement and passbook, and when I get shaking heads from across the desk make them aware about Bahtnet. All sounds so easy then.......

When the British Embassy stopped the Income letters and some turned to using the monthly overseas transfers, many expats had already elected for their pensions to be transferred direct to their Thai bank accounts and the transfers were coded 'BNT' in a passbook, or 'Bahtnet' on a bank statement.
The overseas monthly transfer method was also new to local Immigration officials, different banks, different codes and for them it wasn't always clear the income had been transferred from overseas unless a statement stated 'International transfer'.

When first presented with the codes of 'BNT' and 'Bahtnet' an official from Bangkok bank kindly explained to our local Immigration it's meaning and method of transfer.
They have accepted such codes since as being an overseas transfer. That was back in 2019.

I would think Immigration are now quite familiar with the meaning of a Bahtnet transfer, but as previously advised, if you have any concerns ask your individual Thai bank what extra documentation they can provide as evidence is was an overseas transfer.

So just a side Q..........I use to live in CM for 7 years & left now back & was thinking of 800k method as I have it here already & supposedly less paper. I am not in CM anymore but word has it that where I am does send marriage based Non Imm O visa's to CM for approval.

So I see that 40k per month as pretty convenient & would like to know in a first go round I am guessing that does not work right? I mean I need to show 12 months of 40k a month right? So maybe retirement first year (800K already here 6 months) then back & marriage based on income next year when I have the 12 months of 40K + transfers? Correct?

Edited May 28May 28 by mania