Retirement Extension / Funds 3 Months Rule? / Timing?

[homeless007]

Here the situation:

1. Retirememt visa expires April 10th, 2010

2. 1.1 Mio Baht have been transferred to account on January 5th., 2010 (refilled from 600K.) 3 month rule?

3. I need to travel out of the country on April 4th, 2010

4. Will they accept an extension @ Pattaya Immigration on April 2nd, or 3rd, 2010?

Thanks for any advise!

[walailak]

you meant 2010 NOT 09! >-)

[Jingthing]

I think you mean 2010, not 2009.

Anyway, I think technically the seasoning period needed will be 90 days. I am also fairly confident they will stretch that rule and allow applications a week or two early (slightly under seasoned in other words). I think that because I read an article in Pattaya Today about a press release from Thai immigration when they starting enforcement the money seasoning again for subsequent extensions and the officer explicitly said that! Before that change, there was no seasoning at all needed at Pattaya for subsequent extensions based on the 800K bank account, now there is. I think bringing your air ticket will also help your case if there is any resistance. I also would NOT wait until the last minute before your trip, like I said, I think a week or TWO early will be tolerated. I am afraid you won't know 100 percent until you go. You could go in now and ask. If they say no, that's bad. But if they say yes, you STILL won't know for sure until the date of your actual application.

My response was based on my understanding of your question, that you were asking about whether they would tolerate a money seasoning application somewhat under 90 days. If I misunderstood what you were asking, sorry, I tried.

[homeless007]

you meant 2010 NOT 09! >-)

Thanks for the date correction, guys!

[thaiphoon]

Assume that you are already on extension of stay based on retirement as you talk about 3 month seasoning period (which is not a retirement visa). My understanding is that the seasoning period is whole calendar months, which is going to put you one day short. Maybe Chonburi immigration will be flexible, but probably not. You can try. Would agree with Jingthing to go there early to see if possible and not wait until the last day.

Edit:

An alternative thought: You say you already have 600k on your account here. If you have some income (pension/investment etc) coming in totalling 200k+ per annum that can be verified by your embassy in the form of an income letter, you could go the combination route which has no seasoning period attached.

[JohnC]

The way I read your question your extension expires on 10th April 2010, therefore any subsequent extension would be from that date even if you apply say one or two weeks early it will be post dated. In that case your money will in fact have been seasoned by the requisite number of days (90) by the due date of the extension therefore there is(should) be no problem.

My permission to stay (retirement) expires on 28th April every year and I usually renew up to a month early depending on the exchange rate and my renewal is always dated from the expiry date of my current permission to stay irrespective of the application date.

[Jingthing]

Does the written rules say 3 months or 90 days? In any case I am confident of what I read in that press release (small grace period allowed) and there have been no announced changes from that office since then to my knowledge.

[thaiphoon]

The way I read your question your extension expires on 10th April 2010, therefore any subsequent extension would be from that date even if you apply say one or two weeks early it will be post dated. In that case your money will in fact have been seasoned by the requisite number of days (90) by the due date of the extension therefore there is(should) be no problem.

My permission to stay (retirement) expires on 28th April every year and I usually renew up to a month early depending on the exchange rate and my renewal is always dated from the expiry date of my current permission to stay irrespective of the application date.

If using the bank balance route, funds have to be properly seasoned as at the date of application and not when the extension will start from.

[thaiphoon]

Does the written rules say 3 months or 90 days? In any case I am confident of what I read in that press release (small grace period allowed) and there have been no announced changes from that office since then to my knowledge.

This is from the Police Order:

2.22 In the case of a retiree: Permission will be granted for a period of not more than 1 year at a time.

(4) Account deposit with a bank in Thailand of not less than 800,000 Baht as shown in the bank account for the past 3 months at the filing date of the application. For the first year, the applicant should have that amount in his bank account for not less than 60 days or

[Jingthing]

Does the written rules say 3 months or 90 days? In any case I am confident of what I read in that press release (small grace period allowed) and there have been no announced changes from that office since then to my knowledge.

This is from the Police Order:

2.22 In the case of a retiree: Permission will be granted for a period of not more than 1 year at a time.

(4) Account deposit with a bank in Thailand of not less than 800,000 Baht as shown in the bank account for the past 3 months at the filing date of the application. For the first year, the applicant should have that amount in his bank account for not less than 60 days or

That is very odd using months for one part of it and days for another! It might be interesting to see the Thai version to confirm that.

You are correct of course, the seasoning is based on date of APPLICATION.

[lopburi3]

I seriously doubt it will be accepted early. The rule is 3 months on application and there is no room for exceptions. The first year there was provisions for officer discretion built into the rules. But nothing lost in asking.

If not accepted save the re-entry permit money and buy a new non immigrant O visa on your trip and 60 days after return you can start the extension of stay again.

[homeless007]

I seriously doubt it will be accepted early. The rule is 3 months on application and there is no room for exceptions. The first year there was provisions for officer discretion built into the rules. But nothing lost in asking.

If not accepted save the re-entry permit money and buy a new non immigrant O visa on your trip and 60 days after return you can start the extension of stay again.

Thanks to everybody!

[Jingthing]

This info ONLY applies to extension based on retirement applications at Chonburi Immigration located at Soi 5, Jomtien.

I will repeat this again. During the time period of the second part of last year, 2009, there was an article in Pattaya Today where an officer from PATTAYA immigration EXPLICITLY stated the following:

-- up until then, there was NO money seasoning requirement at Pattaya (NOT a special first year thing, that was the actual office POLICY) for SUBSEQUENT retirement extensions using 800K. (Seasoning had been required for first time applications and still is, two months.)

-- starting then, there WOULD be a money seasoning requirement of three months (or 90 day); I am not sure whether he said three months or 90 days

-- HOWEVER, there would be an allowance for applications where the money was seasoned for ONE or TWO weeks short of the 90 days or three months (similarly for the first time extension applications)

This is a different thing than Lopburi is talking about. So while he may be correct that they won't accept your application (you really never know for sure), he is incorrect in characterizing the nature of the previous non-enforcement at Pattaya (it was not a grace period, it was an explicit enforcement policy). Unlike Bangkok and other offices before the change in 2009 applicants were NOT warned to season their money the next year. On the contrary, when people asked about seasoning, the reply would be NONE NEEDED AT ALL. Therefore, clearly the no seasoning policy BEFORE was an explicit office enforcement policy. Then they changed it to the above explicit office policy that does require the seasoning but ALLOWS the money to be seasoned one or two weeks short (also allowable for first time extensions). Never presented as a special introductory leniency policy, rather presented as THE policy.

That all said, a few months AFTER the announcement by Pattaya immigration that they would be enforcing the seasoning period for subsequent extensions, Pattaya immigration became CHONBURI immigration. Whether this had any impact on the previously announced ENFORCEMENT POLICY (which explicitly allowed one or two weeks short on your money seasoning), I can't say.

Who can say? If somebody reports a recent application where such an application with a one or two week short money seasoning was accepted or rejected. Or, you could go into the office and ask if the explicitly announced enforcement policy starting the second half of 2009 allowing money seasoning to be a little short, is still in effect. If they say no, you can be sure it is no. I have read at least one report here of applicants using OTHER offices being rejected because of short money seasoning. However, I have never heard of such an application at Jomtien Soi 5 like that. In short, we don't know for sure what will happen with such applications, but to say confidently say it will be rejected when the most recent public announcement says such applications will be accepted, and we have no evidence that they will rejected from any reports, is a strong statement without backing.

[Jingthing]

I want to update the last post a bit about my recollection of the article in Pattaya Today. I am clear that I read about the one or two week leniency for the money seasoning requirement for the SUBSEQUENT extensions. I was focused on that because that is my situation. Up further thought, I can't say for sure whether they actually announced a similar leniency for FIRST TIME extensions. So please read the above post only about subsequent ones. Regrets for the minor error.

[Pib]

I know the OP asked about the 800K seasoning rule, but "if" the OP can can go the home country embassy income/pension letter route then there is no worry/need for funds seasoning. Just a thought "if" the OP can go the embassy letter route. Preaching to the choir I know.