Retirement Extension Easily Obtained At Chiang Mai

[Viceroy]

This morning at Chiang Mai Immigration Office I was granted the 13th one-year extension of my non-immigrant visa, for retirement. My packet of papers included the TM.7 plus one copy each of passport, proof of monthly income totalling more than Baht 65,000, bank letter, income affidavit signed by the relevant consulate, and bankbooks for savings and fixed deposit accounts (the fixed deposit is a resident account on which Bangkok Bank has paid the prevailing rate of interest since 1994).

Apart from a new requirement that the income affidavit must be ‘fresh’ every year, there were no surprises.

Immigration officers were cheerful and friendly, as always.

[ProThaiExpat]

I have only been doing it in Chiang Mai for six years and my experience is the same. I thought for safety reasons I would have the bank include in their letter the amount of my last international transfer and its origin. I suspect not necessary for those extending for their second time or more, but it is easy for the branch to access through their computer the last international wire transfer so why not.

No MFA stamp required in Chiang Mai as yet, it would seem. I wonder what it will be like after October 1st when the Pattaya rumor suggests MFA will be involved. I will allow enough time to get the MFA stamp if required, and will certainly report my experience either way.

[mopenyang]

Congratulations, but why are you providing bank book info if you have the affidavit regarding monthly income of more than 65,000 baht?

[Viceroy]

Congratulations, but why are you providing bank book info if you have the affidavit regarding monthly income of more than 65,000 baht?

Some years ago an immigration officer suggested that they liked to see information about bank accounts even for those qualifying by virtue of monthly income. It is a very easy thing to do, and so I have continued the custom. The immigration officers do seem interested.

[mopenyang]

Thanks for the response and explanation.

[hhfarang]

Does anyone know if English records from a U.S. bank showing regular ATM withdrawals in Thailand is accepted as proof of frequent money transfer. I get a monthly pension and it is easier and cheaper to use ATMs than to try to get my bank to do international transfers. I have all the other required paperwork including the affidavit of monthly pension income from my embassy but I have also seen that immigration wants to see regular transfers into a Thai bank (I guess to prove that you are not working illegally here). This is for an extension of a retirement visa. I've been here three years and the last two times I extended I had the required 800,000 in the bank but I built a house and no longer have the required sum on deposit, so I have to go with pension income this time.

Thanks!

[ProThaiExpat]

hhfarang: I would feel more comfortable in my advice if I knew what type of document you have that shows ATM transfers into Thailand by your U.S. bank?

I would suggest that individual immigration officers in Chiang Mai vary somewhat in the use of their discretion in satisfying themselves that you meet the financial guidelines for retirees and their need to "document the file."

Clearly, a bank book is their preferred method of proof, but if you haven't deposited your ATM withdrawals in your bank account and have not kept your ATM receipts, then a document from a U.S. bank may well do, if they want some proof of your bringing the pension into Thailand. You can judge for yourself how persuasive the bank document you have from the U.S. is and whether it is clear that the ATM transfers are being made into Thailand.

My personal opinion based upon my own six years of renewal in Chiang Mai and my diligent monitory of all posts on retirement matters, is that once the immigration officer sees the Consulate Pension Letter and your Bank Letter, assuming you pension letter falls short of 800K a year, they have little interest in anything else.

After all, if your of apparent retirement age and have a pension based on retirement, the chances are your retired and receiving enough money to support yourself in Thailand, which is their objective in verifying.

I would go into immigration about three weeks prior to your current extension expiry with the U.S. Bank document in your pocket and supply everything else, awaiting a request for a bank book or further documentation regarding your spending habits in Thailand. Surely you have a bank book. If not, that fact alone may raise eyebrows or red flags and cause a thorough look see. After all, you can't give them something you don't have, and if they balk, you have three weeks to hurry around trying to satisfy them before your expiry date.

My guess is that if you have any decipherable and reasonably official looking proof of money transferred into Thailand to show them upon request, they will let you renew with perhaps a warning about the following year. Of course, if you have deposited your ATM withdrawals into your bank account or have the ATM slips themselves, and they match your U.S. Bank document, you are in a much stronger position.

Edited August 31, 2007 by ProThaiExpat

[hhfarang]

hhfarang: I would feel more comfortable in my advice if I knew what type of document you have that shows ATM transfers into Thailand by your U.S. bank?

I would suggest that individual immigration officers in Chiang Mai vary somewhat in the use of their discretion in satisfying themselves that you meet the financial guidelines for retirees and their need to "document the file."

Clearly, a bank book is their preferred method of proof, but if you haven't deposited your ATM withdrawals in your bank account and have not kept your ATM receipts, then a document from a U.S. bank may well do, if they want some proof of your bringing the pension into Thailand. You can judge for yourself how persuasive the bank document you have from the U.S. is and whether it is clear that the ATM transfers are being made into Thailand.

My personal opinion based upon my own six years of renewal in Chiang Mai and my diligent monitory of all posts on retirement matters, is that once the immigration officer sees the Consulate Pension Letter and your Bank Letter, assuming you pension letter falls short of 800K a year, they have little interest in anything else.

After all, if your of apparent retirement age and have a pension based on retirement, the chances are your retired and receiving enough money to support yourself in Thailand, which is their objective in verifying.

I would go into immigration about three weeks prior to your current extension expiry with the U.S. Bank document in your pocket and supply everything else, awaiting a request for a bank book or further documentation regarding your spending habits in Thailand. Surely you have a bank book. If not, that fact alone may raise eyebrows or red flags and cause a thorough look see. After all, you can't give them something you don't have, and if they balk, you have three weeks to hurry around trying to satisfy them before your expiry date.

My guess is that if you have any decipherable and reasonably official looking proof of money transferred into Thailand to show them upon request, they will let you renew with perhaps a warning about the following year. Of course, if you have deposited your ATM withdrawals into your bank account or have the ATM slips themselves, and they match your U.S. Bank document, you are in a much stronger position.

Thanks PTE for that detailed answer. I have a few ATM receipts, but not many. The record from my bank is simply a printout of a online search of my personal U.S. account activity showing ATM withdrawals only. They state the amount and where the ATM was located so they all list a town or city name in Thailand. The record shows at least four ATM withdrawals per month in the amount of 20000 Thai Baht each for the entire year. I do have a local bank book but there is only about one month's income currently on deposit there. They can look at past years and see that I have transferred in around 6 or 7 million baht over the three years I've lived here that was used to build my house.

Hope that's good enough.

Thanks again

[hhfarang]

hhfarang: I would feel more comfortable in my advice if I knew what type of document you have that shows ATM transfers into Thailand by your U.S. bank?

I would suggest that individual immigration officers in Chiang Mai vary somewhat in the use of their discretion in satisfying themselves that you meet the financial guidelines for retirees and their need to "document the file."

Clearly, a bank book is their preferred method of proof, but if you haven't deposited your ATM withdrawals in your bank account and have not kept your ATM receipts, then a document from a U.S. bank may well do, if they want some proof of your bringing the pension into Thailand. You can judge for yourself how persuasive the bank document you have from the U.S. is and whether it is clear that the ATM transfers are being made into Thailand.

My personal opinion based upon my own six years of renewal in Chiang Mai and my diligent monitory of all posts on retirement matters, is that once the immigration officer sees the Consulate Pension Letter and your Bank Letter, assuming you pension letter falls short of 800K a year, they have little interest in anything else.

After all, if your of apparent retirement age and have a pension based on retirement, the chances are your retired and receiving enough money to support yourself in Thailand, which is their objective in verifying.

I would go into immigration about three weeks prior to your current extension expiry with the U.S. Bank document in your pocket and supply everything else, awaiting a request for a bank book or further documentation regarding your spending habits in Thailand. Surely you have a bank book. If not, that fact alone may raise eyebrows or red flags and cause a thorough look see. After all, you can't give them something you don't have, and if they balk, you have three weeks to hurry around trying to satisfy them before your expiry date.

My guess is that if you have any decipherable and reasonably official looking proof of money transferred into Thailand to show them upon request, they will let you renew with perhaps a warning about the following year. Of course, if you have deposited your ATM withdrawals into your bank account or have the ATM slips themselves, and they match your U.S. Bank document, you are in a much stronger position.

Hello again,

I just wanted to follow up with information. First, my question wasn't really about Chiang Mai as I live in Hua Hin. I just meant it to be a general retirement visa extension question.

I got my extension today in thirty minutes at the Hua Hin Immigration office. They were extremely nice (as usual) and polite. All I presented to them were:

Passport with 2 copies.

Bank book (note: I do not have the required 800,000 on deposit).

Bank letter with 1 copy verifying the amount I do have on deposit -

they kept the copy and returned the original to me.

Yellow book with 1 copy (farang "house paper") to prove my address.

Embassy letter with one copy verifying that I have a pension income greater than 65,000 baht per month -

they kept the copy and returned the original to me.

TM-7

TM-8

2 photographs

5,700 Baht fees

That's it, no questions asked, went very fast.

I did not have a medical certificate, nor was there any mention of the need for one, and I did not have to show proof of a regular transfer of funds into a Thai bank. I use ATMs to get my money here and took a printout from my online banking account at a U.S. bank showing regular ATM withdrawals in Thailand but was not asked for such proof so the printout never left my brief case.

Hope this helps anyone else trying to figure out what is needed but remember that other immigration officers/offices may have different requirements.

[ProThaiExpat]

hhfarang: Thank you for the detailed and informative post. I only mention where I did the extension and limit my information to a specific immigration office so if there is any discrepancy in reporting it can be isolated to a specific office.

I was perplexed by the amount you paid for your extension.

Did you perhaps apply for a multiple re-entry permit at the same time as you requested an extension. That might explain the fact that you paid more than the standard fee of 1900 Baht for an extension???