Renewed my retirement visa on Thursday and absolutely nothing has changed, except that a health certificate is no longer needed.

I produced passport + copy, bank book + copy, bank statement and completed TM7, and was in and out in 10 minutes.

Elsewhere in this forum, someone said that the photo for TM 7 was not acceptable if stapled in place, so I glued it, and the immigration officer promptly added two staples!

No apparent change in the rules this year.

Three weeks ago I had my retirement Visa renewed here in Bangkok. I thought I had all the documents, but I had two things wrong:

- Same photo as last year

- No letter from the bank confirming that the funds have been transfered to from abroad.

When I drew the Examiner's attention to the fact that since last year there have been no movements on the bank account, except the update, she gave me back the whole paperwork and said: Talk to my supervisor. She then told the supervisor behind her that I refused to make a new photo (which was not true at all).

I tried to explain to the supervisor that the money in my Thai bank account was the same as last year, when it had been found acceptable. She said that this is a new rule. I asked why it was not published on their web-site. "Oh, web-site not update!"

So I had to go back to my bank and they had to dig deep to find out about the transfer of money of over a year ago (actually 15 months ago). And guess what: They came back with the news that the money had been transfered to them from another Thai bank. My Swiss bank had apparently transfered the sum to their Thai correspondence bank (Bangkok Bank), which then transfered it to Kasikorn Bank. (Puat huaa!)

Fortunately I was able to produce my E-banking transfer order to my Swiss bank, which showed the transaction Number. That allowed my bank here to make the necessary statement.

So back to Soi Suan Plu (with a new photo too) and then everything went smooth, I was even entitled to a smile from the Examiner.

Farang99 , I think that as long you are a guy on your own renewing the visa, you are OK. The problems arise when you are a couple. Just a few weeks ago a friend of mine was told to get her own bank account (she and her husband had a joint bank account) with her OWN B800,000. This was well after the 19th of September turn-around in rules. She and her husband have a 6 month spread in renewal times. So the rules are not the same as they were before, since married couples could use the same B800,000 for years. Another couple I know went in with their B800,000 in a joint account and had no problem.

The only consistent thing with Phuket Immigration is their inconsistency.

Has the rumour a few months back about needing to produce a "map" from immigration to ones place of residence ever happened?

Farang99 , I think that as long you are a guy on your own renewing the visa, you are OK. The problems arise when you are a couple. Just a few weeks ago a friend of mine was told to get her own bank account (she and her husband had a joint bank account) with her OWN B800,000. This was well after the 19th of September turn-around in rules. She and her husband have a 6 month spread in renewal times. So the rules are not the same as they were before, since married couples could use the same B800,000 for years. Another couple I know went in with their B800,000 in a joint account and had no problem.

The only consistent thing with Phuket Immigration is their inconsistency.

We had no problems in Pattaya extending our retirement visa. Joint bank account. Letter from Consul re pension. Letter from Bank.

They clipped the map I did of where we live into the bundle of papers.

Went back to collect passports.

No questions at all.

Has the rumour a few months back about needing to produce a "map" from immigration to ones place of residence ever happened?

Based on several post I have seen relating first-hand experience, some applicants have been requested to produce a map, others have not.

--

Maestro

Recently in Jomtien using 800K in the bank:

no map

no medical

no proof of foreign transfer needed

was told 3 month money seasoning NOT required for subsequent extensions

no credit card copies

one photo presented loose

Time with officer: 5 minutes

Good work, immigration, keep it up!

Edited October 28, 200718 yr by Jingthing