Retirement Visa Extension Bank Letter For Bangkok Account

[davejones]

I'll be moving to CM in March and need to do my visa extension in April using the 800K in bank method. My money is in a Bangkok branch of Bangkok Bank, so I'm wondering if it's straightforward to get a bank letter from Bangkok Bank in CM. Or will they expect me to get it in Bangkok, because that's where the account is. It's not possible for me to open a CM bank account in time, so I need to use the account from Bangkok.

Which branch of Bangkok Bank in CM is best to use?

[FredLee]

You can open a BBK account here in CM in about 15 minutes since you already have a BBK account in Bangkok. You can open it with very little deposit. (I used 5000 baht). While you are opening the account, they can have the manager approving and signing the bank letter based on your Bangkok holdings. At least that is what they did for me. I opened my account in CM at the MaeJo branch.

[babyjesus]

I had the opposite experience. Kasikorn bank in CM said they couldn't write the letter based on my BKK Kasikorn account. They did offer to have me transfer the 800k to an account with them in CM (and pay 1% fee for transfer.) I went to my BKK branch for the letter.

[mcgriffith]

Moved to the Visa forum, with a live link remaining on CM.

[mcgriffith]

You'll either have to fly down to Bangkok to get the letter (within 7 days of your application date in April) after moving here in March 2013, or move the money up here to a Bangkok Bank branch in Chiang Mai at least 90 days before the extention application date (monies need to be seasoned 90 days, in that specific account).

Many farang here in CM use the Bangkok Bank branch located in the Kad Suan Kaew shopping center. Farang friendly, and used to these sorts of issues.

Either way it is a bit complicated, but doable....

[mesquite]

Agree with FredLee above. I've had good luck with Bangkok bank and I would recommend using a branch close to where you will be living or spending time.

[davejones]

I think I will try to get the letter from CM branch without moving the money. If that fails I'll have to revert to the income option and get a letter from British Embassy, as I know they can do that by post. Or maybe I could get it done here before moving to CM. Do you know if they will accept a letter from the Embassy that's 5 weeks old?

[Mapguy]

You'll either have to fly down to Bangkok to get the letter (within 7 days of your application date in April) after moving here in March 2013, or move the money up here to a Bangkok Bank branch in Chiang Mai at least 90 days before the extention application date (monies need to be seasoned 90 days, in that specific account).

Many farang here in CM use the Bangkok Bank branch located in the Kad Suan Kaew shopping center. Farang friendly, and used to these sorts of issues.

Either way it is a bit complicated, but doable....

Absolutely! Transferring accounts among branches is not as easy as one might think!

[Beetlejuice]

I think I will try to get the letter from CM branch without moving the money. If that fails I'll have to revert to the income option and get a letter from British Embassy, as I know they can do that by post. Or maybe I could get it done here before moving to CM. Do you know if they will accept a letter from the Embassy that's 5 weeks old?

No need to worry about the having the account 3 months prior to your visa extension application.

When you move to Chiang Mai in March, open an account with a Bangkok Bank branch in Chiang Mai. Then when you attend Immigration for the extension of your visa, just show them your old Bangkok Bank – Bangkok branch passbook and the new Chiang Mai account. They will be able to see that you have had the required money in the bank within the prescribed time period and that all you have done is changed bank branches.

[wayned]

But they will still require the letter from the bank, and , from what I'm hearing BKB in CM won't write a letter confirming funds in BKB Bangkok. TIT!

[Zodiac]

OP: I previously lived in BKK and have my Bangkok Bank account there at the Head Office but have recently moved to Pattaya. Before I left Bangkok I spoke to a manager at the head office of the Bangkok Bank(I have his name card and contact details) and he said that when it comes to the time of my one year renewal I can go to any branch of the Bangkok Bank in Pattaya to get the confirmation letter of my 800 k deposit.

As I understand it, no need to open a Pattaya BKK Bank account.

My renewal is due in February.

Of course I may get a different story when I go to get the letter at a branch Bangkok Bank here in Pattaya!

So will be interested to learn your experience.

[jaideeguy]

And my local BKK Bank manager warned me that starting now, the letter for immigration is sent from BKK, so allow for an extra week to get the letter in hand.

[Kron]

OP: I previously lived in BKK and have my Bangkok Bank account there at the Head Office but have recently moved to Pattaya. Before I left Bangkok I spoke to a manager at the head office of the Bangkok Bank(I have his name card and contact details) and he said that when it comes to the time of my one year renewal I can go to any branch of the Bangkok Bank in Pattaya to get the confirmation letter of my 800 k deposit.

As I understand it, no need to open a Pattaya BKK Bank account.

As in most cases here it is down to how helpful the person is that you are dealing with.

Last month Ranong Immigration had an issue with my Bangkok Bank account held in Chumphon. Went to the Ranong Bangkok Bank and they said they could not help, I would have to deal with my branch in Chumphon. So just be careful what one person might say for others might not agree.

By the way what the Immigration Officer picked me up on was rather pedantic so I went back to the Office, saw another Officer, and got my visa extension.

[ubonjoe]

I think I will try to get the letter from CM branch without moving the money. If that fails I'll have to revert to the income option and get a letter from British Embassy, as I know they can do that by post. Or maybe I could get it done here before moving to CM. Do you know if they will accept a letter from the Embassy that's 5 weeks old?

There is UK consulate in CM. Info: http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/other-locations/chiang-mai/

No need to do mail in or make a trip to Bangkok.

[davejones]

There is UK consulate in CM. Info: http://ukinthailand....ons/chiang-mai/

No need to do mail in or make a trip to Bangkok.

I looked for that on the British Embassy website and didn't see it. So problem solved. I'll use the income method and get my letter in CM. Thanks.

[R123]

And my local BKK Bank manager warned me that starting now, the letter for immigration is sent from BKK, so allow for an extra week to get the letter in hand.

if what jaideeguy says is true then it will affect a lot of people. Is it being said that if a person banks with the Bangkok Bank and is not living in Bangkok then one needs to go to one's local BKK Bank to apply for the letter and then wait a week for the letter of confirmation to come from Bangkok? Can anyone else confirm that this is now what is happening?

Many people myself included go to my local Bangkok bank on the same day(or the day before) going to immigration for the retirement extension. If this is indeed the new practice it will be necessary to go to the bank at least a week before the time of the extension application.

[lopburi3]

Local managers often say things to avoid doing things so would not get too excited about one report.

[Beetlejuice]

There is UK consulate in CM. Info: http://ukinthailand....ons/chiang-mai/

No need to do mail in or make a trip to Bangkok.

I looked for that on the British Embassy website and didn't see it. So problem solved. I'll use the income method and get my letter in CM. Thanks.

That`s no problem and so glad I am getting the credit for giving you this information. But the question is; do I deserve it?

[davejones]

There is UK consulate in CM. Info: http://ukinthailand....ons/chiang-mai/

No need to do mail in or make a trip to Bangkok.

I looked for that on the British Embassy website and didn't see it. So problem solved. I'll use the income method and get my letter in CM. Thanks.'t

That`s no problem and so glad I am getting the credit for giving you this information. But the question is; do I deserve it?

Why shouldn't you deserve it?

[lopburi3]

Because you were told that in post 14 by ubonjoe?

[davejones]

Because you were told that in post 14 by ubonjoe?

I seemed to have misquoted somehow. Thanks ubonjoe. And thanks for pointing it out lopburi3.

[thaibeachlovers]

OP: I previously lived in BKK and have my Bangkok Bank account there at the Head Office but have recently moved to Pattaya. Before I left Bangkok I spoke to a manager at the head office of the Bangkok Bank(I have his name card and contact details) and he said that when it comes to the time of my one year renewal I can go to any branch of the Bangkok Bank in Pattaya to get the confirmation letter of my 800 k deposit.

As I understand it, no need to open a Pattaya BKK Bank account.

My renewal is due in February.

Of course I may get a different story when I go to get the letter at a branch Bangkok Bank here in Pattaya!

So will be interested to learn your experience.

Local branch would not write a letter, so I had to transfer money to a new account at great expense to myself. If they can tell me my Bkk balance up here, why the )*^%^&&&*&* can't they write me a letter here. TiT!

[lopburi3]

They can but have no incentive to do so if you do not have an account there. They should have been willing to obtain from Bangkok however but probably did not bother to provide that option either. Government workers have greatly improved in the last decade or two. Bank workers not so much.

[Jingthing]

What are the expenses involved in transferring the account location?

[davejones]

What are the expenses involved in transferring the account location?

It depends how much money is in the account and how you move it. Doing a transfer between accounts can cost 1,000 baht even if you are transferring money between accounts in the same branch. This is how it works if you transfer online. A free option is to go to the branch and withdraw the money and then put it in the new account.

In my case this won't work because I'll be arriving in CM less than a month before renewing my visa. So if I withdraw the money in cash I won't have the money in my account for a continuous three month period. I'm not going to CM before then so there's no way for me to open an account there before I arrive.

Anyway I've already decided to go the income route, so it's no longer an issue for me.

[thaibeachlovers]

What are the expenses involved in transferring the account location?

They charge a fee for withdrawing money from a non local account based on the amount withdrawn ( not a flat fee ), so for 800,000 was not a small amount. It's as though computers don't exist in LOS!

[wayned]

I don't see any expenses iat all. You open a new account and withdraw the money from one and deposit the money in the new account. Only problem is acount numer changes, which has to since the first three digits identifies the bank branch. The reson that the brach won't write the letter on the Bangkok Branch goes back to the route of many of Thailand's problems, shear laziness!

[thaibeachlovers]

I don't see any expenses iat all. You open a new account and withdraw the money from one and deposit the money in the new account. Only problem is acount numer changes, which has to since the first three digits identifies the bank branch. The reson that the brach won't write the letter on the Bangkok Branch goes back to the route of many of Thailand's problems, shear laziness!

That would only work if you physically go to where the original bank A/C is to withdraw the money, then travel to where the new A/C is to deposit it. Travelling to Bkk and back to Chiang Mai would cost as much or more than the withdrawal fee in C M on a Bkk branch.

[wayned]

I don't see any expenses iat all. You open a new account and withdraw the money from one and deposit the money in the new account. Only problem is acount numer changes, which has to since the first three digits identifies the bank branch. The reson that the brach won't write the letter on the Bangkok Branch goes back to the route of many of Thailand's problems, shear laziness!

That would only work if you physically go to where the original bank A/C is to withdraw the money, then travel to where the new A/C is to deposit it. Travelling to Bkk and back to Chiang Mai would cost as much or more than the withdrawal fee in C M on a Bkk branch.

I have two bangkok bank bank accounts and can, and have, withdrawn money form the accounts at other branches. I do not have to go to the bank where the accounts are. I can also transfer it from account to account or to my account in another bank via internet banking.

[davejones]

What are the expenses involved in transferring the account location?

They charge a fee for withdrawing money from a non local account based on the amount withdrawn ( not a flat fee ), so for 800,000 was not a small amount. It's as though computers don't exist in LOS!

Yes, computers exist here. In case you don't know, Bangkok Bank has online banking, as o the other banks. But it costs more to transfer via online banking than it does at the branch. For most things it's cheaper to go to the branch to get it done.