I have applied for and received a 1year extension for my O-A visa for the last 20 years, based on finances from my UK pension. This proceeded without problems until last year when Immigration demanded a cash payment.

The extension is due again in early August, so I have been searching to see if there been any changes to rules.

I cannot find an official Immigration website, but many agency sites show the same requirements that applied over the last 20 years.

However I came across the following on the Pattaya City Expats Club website......

• You must have deposited the at least 800,000 baht* in a Thai bank from a source outside of Thailand,  OR

• Have a monthly income equal to or greater than 65,000 baht per month as stipulated in a letter from your country's Embassy to Thailand.  Note:  The embassies of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States will not provide such a letter, thus holders of passports from those countries must meet the 800,000 baht deposit in a Thai bank requirement to qualify.

It is true that the UK embassy will not provide a Proof of Income letter, but this has been so for several years and it has never been a problem for me in the past. My Thai bank statements have been accepted as proof of my pension ( I do not hold deposits of 800k baht.)

So to my query......can anyone advise if the Pattaya Expats article is correct or erroneous?

I will be very grateful for any advice or information on this issue.

DocTom.

You haven't been able to show "UK Pension" (as in money in your UK bank account) for proof of funds since the Brit embassy here stopped issuing the income from abroad notary affidavits back at the end of 2018.. 😶 So not for a good number of years, although before that you most likely were getting the embassy letter to show you met the monthly income requirements.

Be that as it may

If you were showing proof of funds by monthly income method the last few years you would have to have been transferring in to the country from abroad, to a thai bank account in your name only a minimum of 65K baht per month, each month, every month, for the previous 12 months before you apply for an extension.

To show you have done that;

you get a year transaction detail report from your bank,

you make sure that all those incoming transfers for the previous 12 months coded as international origin,
you update your bank book the day you apply

That should meet the requirements for proof of funds via monthly income method.. They still accept proof of fund by monthly income, just that you have to transfer in the 65K baht per month for the previous 12 months (which you obviously have been doing to get any extension by that method since the Brit embassy stopped the income notary letter

Edited July 26Jul 26 by Tod Daniels

9 minutes ago, DocTom said:

My Thai bank statements have been accepted as proof of my pension ( I do not hold deposits of 800k baht.)

So to my query......can anyone advise if the Pattaya Expats article is correct or erroneous?

My pp is Oz.

Oz embassy does not supply "income letter"

I use income method using monthly transfers of 65k+.

I provide 12 month bank statement and highlight the 12 monthly international transfers on the statement.

Note: some offices (incorrectly) may want proof of the payments is from a pension so folk need to obtain clarification from their immigration office.

Seems you use Jomtien (quoting expats club)

Did they really demand a cash payment?

How much

15 minutes ago, DocTom said:

last year when Immigration demanded a cash payment

no idea why the asked for that UNLESS you didn't have 12 months of incoming international transfers of 65K baht and they 'overlooked' it for a fee

No difference in O-A and O requirements?

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

No difference in O-A and O requirements?

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

Extensions from a Non O-A require insurance.

From Non O insurance not required

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Extensions from a Non O-A require insurance.

From Non O insurance not required

that's what i thought but no insurance mentioned, makes me wonder if Immigration wants cash in lieu

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

that's what i thought but no insurance mentioned, makes me wonder if Immigration wants cash in lieu

Doubt very much that would be the case..

OP needs to clarify and relate what the io actually stated.

On 7/26/2026 at 4:12 AM, Tod Daniels said:

no idea why the asked for that UNLESS you didn't have 12 months of incoming international transfers of 65K baht and they 'overlooked' it for a fee

so can you just transfer the amount in every month and then transfer it out a week later to a cd or another bank from there or do you have to leave it sitting in the thai bank?

2 hours ago, pomchop said:

so can you just transfer the amount in every month and then transfer it out a week later to a cd or another bank from there or do you have to leave it sitting in the thai bank?

You can do whatever you want with it.

Im not sure but isn't it easier to make a Thai elite card for the price of 500.000 baht with years of a visa instead of doing these prosess about 800.000/400.000 baht in bank or showing monthly income?

14 minutes ago, norsurin said:

Im not sure but isn't it easier to make a Thai elite card for the price of 500.000 baht with years of a visa instead of doing these prosess about 800.000/400.000 baht in bank or showing monthly income?

I think the cheapest Elite visa is presently 650,000 for 5 years up to 5,000,000 for 20 years. That money is then gone when the visa expires.

With the retirement/marriage options, the money is still yours (though some may be tied up for a certain period, except with the monthly income method).

2 hours ago, norsurin said:

Im not sure but isn't it easier to make a Thai elite card for the price of 500.000 baht with years of a visa instead of doing these prosess about 800.000/400.000 baht in bank or showing monthly income?

That's some EXPENSIVE convenience there. Spending ~$20,000 to save a little paperwork once a year.

I'm not an advocate for using agents at all, but if this was something someone was seriously considering, the ROI on paying an agent to take care of everything vs paying for an elite visa speaks for itself.

2 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

You can do whatever you want with it.

so u could just put 65 k in for few days then take it out and put it back for the next month? seems a giant loophole or maybe transferring 65 k out to a non thai bank might not work?

1 hour ago, pomchop said:

so u could just put 65 k in for few days then take it out and put it back for the next month? seems a giant loophole or maybe transferring 65 k out to a non thai bank might not work?

Income method requires min 65k/month transfers.

The transfers need to be shown as international transfers.

The money can be used as soon as its transferred.

Some folk have kicked around idea of do the transfer then return funds to home country for next transfer.

Ridiculous James Bond plan.

Those using income method use the money to enable living in Thailand.

1 hour ago, pomchop said:

so u could just put 65 k in for few days then take it out and put it back for the next month? seems a giant loophole or maybe transferring 65 k out to a non thai bank might not work?

The 65K deposit can be transfered same day to a second spend account.

The 800k deposit is entirely different.

Last renewal the overseas deposits I was asked to have my 12 months records for my TPP from BBK NY office. I now get via email from the help desk a record for monthly deposits

30 minutes ago, earlinclaifornia said:

Last renewal the overseas deposits I was asked to have my 12 months records for my TPP from BBK NY office. I now get via email from the help desk a record for monthly deposits

Don't understand what all that means.

Using income method immigration will want to see 12 month bank statement showing min 65k per month into your Thai bank account.

In addition the transfers need to be shown as international transfers

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Don't understand what all that means.

Using income method immigration will want to see 12 month bank statement showing min 65k per month into your Thai bank account.

In addition the transfers need to be shown as international transfers

Next renewal it will become clear onlly if the transfer is TPP which also comes as an overseas deposit.

The FTT details can be printed at any bank.

Now they want NY records of each transaction in addition to annual deposit records from home office.

5 hours ago, pomchop said:

so u could just put 65 k in for few days then take it out and put it back for the next month? seems a giant loophole or maybe transferring 65 k out to a non thai bank might not work?

You'd be wasting a lot of money in fees to transfer out of Thailand and then back in every month.

Your question is too complicated to answer here. First, there are many bases for Stay Extensions. These all depend on what type of visa you have and what basis you use for applying for an extension: Retirement, Marriage, etc. There are many.

From what you said in the article, I can tell you I use Retirement as a base, and monthly deposits of at least THB 65K. The deposits don't have to be cash. Mine are wired to my bank here from my bank in the US.

Good luck on your extension...

On 7/26/2026 at 3:19 PM, scubascuba3 said:

that's what i thought but no insurance mentioned, makes me wonder if Immigration wants cash in lieu

And this in turn makes me wonder whether, contrary to his PCEC reference, his immigration office is, in fact, Phuket who, alone in the Thai immigration office world, didn't start enforcing the mandatory health insurance requirement for historical non-OA visa holders up until around a couple of years ago. Maybe those who are unable to meet this requirement by virtue of age (as may be the case for the OP?) are now being offered the option of cash payments being made in return for a blind eye to be continued to be turned to this requirement? But, as already said, further clarification is needed from the OP on this and other points.

Edited July 28Jul 28 by OJAS

17 minutes ago, OJAS said:

And this in turn makes me wonder whether, contrary to his PCEC reference, his immigration office is, in fact, Phuket who, alone in the Thai immigration office.....

Good observation however that grandfather ing stop some time ago.

From OP other threads seems location perhaps CM.

In any event zero contributions from OP

@DrTom

Thread closed