Immigration vows strictness on retirement visa requirements

[Jingthing]

They can use the combo method including the income below 65k monthly plus Thai bank account money totalling 800k annualized. So 800k in bank not needed.

Sent from my GT-S5360B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Mario2008]

The rules since Nov. 2008 have already been posted in this thread and is how immigration handles cases.It might be that there is a lot lost in translation.

To me it seems that immigration might be trying to say is simply that a person applying for an extension based on retirement must fulfill the requirements by him/herself, so no joint accounts. (In the past a joined account was often allowed, provided it was at least 1,6 million baht).

If one of the partners doesn't have 800,000 baht or otherwise meets the financial requirements, he/she will have to apply as dependent and not for an extension based on retirement him/her self.

So this is really much ado about nothing?

The other partner just applies as a dependent. Shows nothing except a marriage certificate and life goes on??

Say it ain't so. The whiners at TV will have nothing to whinge about!!

I really think is more a misunderstanding/communication error than a real change of the rules. But comming days as members will report their experiences will tell.

[Mario2008]

Thank you.

According to my most recent enquiries with the Thai Consulate in Sydney, I can apply for a Thai/Spouse visiting visa to see my 5yr old Thai daughter, for e.g. $225 for an multiple entry 12 month visa with no banking or income requirements needed.

The Thai Consulate staff maintain that the 400,000 quoted in the Phuket Gazette article was incorrect.

I had to pressure for this info over the phone. The information they kept referring me to on the website substantiates it.

Do not confuse a visa with an extensions of stay.

400,000 (or an income of 40,000 a month) is required for an extension of stay based on Thai wife or child, not for getting a visa based on the same reasons.

[kentfx]

Why should a falang married to a thai be treated any different from what i have seen thai woman seem to cost more to keep than a falang wife think it is time to move onto the next door neighbours Malaysia, Cambodia or even the Philippines.

Laos. You'll never regret it.

[ubonjoe]

 

 

 

_{Why is a  "married to a Thai" visa only requiring 400,000? Makes no sense that it should be 400,000 when two people are being supported. Why not 1,600,000 baht for a married farang?}

 

I had that same thought, the reason that popped into my head was that a Thai can work.

Although 400,000 for a falang/Thai couple and 1,600,000 for a farang couple sure is some difference.

 

 

 

I can see many reasonable differences, even spiritual ones that may be why its less for a Thai/farang couple. For example the Thai/farang couple would have many more "family" expenses than a completely independent retired "couple" or don't have to fee anyone else.

 

My question is, regarding the op, where it says that the alternative to the banked amount of 800,000 is 3 months of pension or investment income of at least 65,000 baht a month prior to the application, does anyone know if there is a similar income level applied as an alternative to the Thai/ Farang's amount of 400,000?

 

Income of 40k baht for extension based upon marriage.

There is no 3 month income proof needed for either type of extension unless it is for marriage and the applicant has a work permit and showing tax payments for proof.

 

 

Thank you.

According to my most recent enquiries with the Thai Consulate in Sydney, I can apply for a Thai/Spouse visiting visa to see my 5yr old Thai daughter, for e.g. $225 for an multiple entry 12 month visa with no banking or income requirements needed.

The Thai Consulate staff maintain that the 400,000 quoted in the Phuket Gazette article was incorrect.

I had to pressure for this info over the phone. The information they kept referring me to on the website substantiates it.

This topic is about requirements to get an extension of stay at immigration not a visa from an embassy or consulate. Are you married to your daughters mother or have legitimized your parenthood. If not you may not be able to get the visa from Sydney.

[Maggusoil]

Thank you.

According to my most recent enquiries with the Thai Consulate in Sydney, I can apply for a Thai/Spouse visiting visa to see my 5yr old Thai daughter, for e.g. $225 for an multiple entry 12 month visa with no banking or income requirements needed.

The Thai Consulate staff maintain that the 400,000 quoted in the Phuket Gazette article was incorrect.

I had to pressure for this info over the phone. The information they kept referring me to on the website substantiates it.

Do not confuse a visa with an extensions of stay.

400,000 (or an income of 40,000 a month) is required for an extension of stay based on Thai wife or child, not for getting a visa based on the same reasons.

Yes, thank you.

The quoted article in this op was about visas and not extensions of stay, however this is also very interesting.

[sabaii69]

thais love to shoot themselves in the foot.

[ubonjoe]

 

 

Thank you.

According to my most recent enquiries with the Thai Consulate in Sydney, I can apply for a Thai/Spouse visiting visa to see my 5yr old Thai daughter, for e.g. $225 for an multiple entry 12 month visa with no banking or income requirements needed.

The Thai Consulate staff maintain that the 400,000 quoted in the Phuket Gazette article was incorrect.

I had to pressure for this info over the phone. The information they kept referring me to on the website substantiates it.

 

 

Do not confuse a visa with an extensions of stay.

 

400,000 (or an income of 40,000 a month) is required for an extension of stay based on Thai wife or child, not for getting a visa based on the same reasons.

 

 

Yes, thank you.

The quoted article in this op was about visas and not extensions of stay, however this is also very interesting.

Actually it is about extensions. The wrong terminology was used in the article. You should note that it is about the Phuket immigration office. They don't do visas unless it is tied to getting an extension.

[biplanebluey]

Noting that last sentence,he says that forign retirees married to a Thai wife may opt for a marriage visa.WHY------- as I read it there is no change in the req for a farang married to a Thai -----800,000bt in my a/c covers me for my retirement visa and my Thai wife needs nothing----- Am I missing something here?

[robertson468]

Why should a falang married to a thai be treated any different from what i have seen thai woman seem to cost more to keep than a falang wife think it is time to move onto the next door neighbours Malaysia, Cambodia or even the Philippines.

Let me put it in simple terms for you.........Thailand belongs to Thai People and they can bring into effect any laws they consider appropriate. Good luck on moving on.

[Mario2008]

Noting that last sentence,he says that forign retirees married to a Thai wife may opt for a marriage visa.WHY------- as I read it there is no change in the req for a farang married to a Thai -----800,000bt in my a/c covers me for my retirement visa and my Thai wife needs nothing----- Am I missing something here?

If married to a Thai wife and over 50 you have two options:

1: extend on reason of being retired and show 800,000 baht

2. extend based on your marriage and show 400,000 baht.

[redutedog1]

while were on this subject of visa's and money

what is the best Bank to deposit money into and what is the best interest rates can i get.

thank you

[ravip]

_{Why is a "married to a Thai" visa only requiring 400,000? Makes no sense that it should be 400,000 when two people are being supported. Why not 1,600,000 baht for a married farang?}

Is it so complicated to understand?

Simply because she is a citizen of Thailand, isn't it?

Or have I missed something?

[ubonjoe]

Noting that last sentence,he says that forign retirees married to a Thai wife may opt for a marriage visa.WHY------- as I read it there is no change in the req for a farang married to a Thai -----800,000bt in my a/c covers me for my retirement visa and my Thai wife needs nothing----- Am I missing something here?

 

 

If married to a Thai wife and over 50 you have two options:

 

1: extend on reason of being retired and show 800,000 baht

2. extend based on your marriage and show 400,000 baht.

Retirement also 65k baht income or a combination of money in the bank and income totaling 800k baht.

Marriage 40k baht income. No combination allowed.

[Artisi]

Immigration vows strictness on retirement visa requirements

Fine. Meanwhile they will continue to evade "strictness" on things that REALLY matter .. like corruption, lack of adequate health and safety standards, lack of road and driving education and enforcement, lack of an HONEST education system, competant police force ... the list goes on. It's too depressing.

Stuff you Thailand ... I'm retiring over the hill in Cambodia.

Do you need a hand to pack and transport your gear "over the hill".

[Artisi]

So what??

I doubt that any foreign couple would have trouble stumping up the money.....and it isn't as though you have to PAY the money, just stick it in an Interest Bearing Bank Account for the prescribed amount of time each year. I leave my 400K in the bank year after year, it earns a bit of interest and I have no worries.

Same same, plus it's a good if ever needed.

[ubonjoe]

while were on this subject of visa's and money

what is the best Bank to deposit money into and what is the best interest rates can i get.

thank you

Any of the larger banks are OK other than Krung Thai.

They all offer fixed term accounts in the range of about 3%. But it has to be a standard account that you can take the money out with no delay with only penalty being loss of interest.

[tartempion]

Well Thailand doesn't make it easy isn't?

ON PURPOSE.

[ParadiseLost]

Noting that last sentence,he says that forign retirees married to a Thai wife may opt for a marriage visa.WHY------- as I read it there is no change in the req for a farang married to a Thai -----800,000bt in my a/c covers me for my retirement visa and my Thai wife needs nothing----- Am I missing something here?

If married to a Thai wife and over 50 you have two options:

1: extend on reason of being retired and show 800,000 baht

2. extend based on your marriage and show 400,000 baht.

The way I see it is that there are a lot fewer hoops to jump through if you choose the Retirement Extension route, such as not having to prove you are in an actual relationship.

It was mentioned earlier that the marriage extension allows one to work, but I refute this statement as the same WP requirements apply whether a Non-o or Non-b visa is held.

The statement that you are "allowed to look" for work is meaningless as everyone can do this - if you find a position then the restrictions come into effect and there is no priviliged treatment for married foreigners.

So, for a foreigner wishing to live in Thailand; if you have a substantial pension then you are welcome in the country, but if you are married to a Thai national you are only condoned, until your money runs out.

I am now 50, married since 2006 to a Thai national. I have been working in other Asian countries (IT industry) only because I do not have a Thai WP. It's not all bad, I get to travel and I keep all my earnings outside of this country. No point in puttng all my eggs into this basket if the rules keep changing every time some dimwitted "official" opens his mouth in order to impress other dimwits.

[ubonjoe]

 

Noting that last sentence,he says that forign retirees married to a Thai wife may opt for a marriage visa.WHY------- as I read it there is no change in the req for a farang married to a Thai -----800,000bt in my a/c covers me for my retirement visa and my Thai wife needs nothing----- Am I missing something here?

 

 

If married to a Thai wife and over 50 you have two options:

 

1: extend on reason of being retired and show 800,000 baht

2. extend based on your marriage and show 400,000 baht.

 

The way I see it is that there are a lot fewer hoops to jump through if you choose the Retirement Extension route, such as not having to prove you are in an actual relationship.

 

It was mentioned earlier that the marriage extension allows one to work, but I refute this statement as the same WP requirements apply whether a Non-o or Non-b visa is held.

The statement that you are "allowed to look" for work is meaningless as everyone can do this - if you find a position then the restrictions come into effect and there is no priviliged treatment for married foreigners.

I am now 50, married since 2006 to a Thai national. I have been working in other Asian countries (IT industry) only because I do not have a Thai WP. It's not all bad, I get to travel and I keep all my earnings outside of this country. No point in puttng all my eggs into this basket if the rules keep changing every time some dimwitted "official" opens his mouth in order to impress other dimwits.

You can't get a work permit with just any non-o visa. You can get one with a visa or extension of stay based upon marriage but not retirement.

If married to a Thai the registered capital s reduced to 1 million baht and the number of Thai employees is also cut in half.

Also since you can can work there is none of the requirements needed to get an extension based upon working. IE: no minimum salary, no need for it to be a limited company, audits and etc.

[aguy30]

This has become a convoluted mess of comments. Regardless of what you might call the visa or extension or whatever, lets get back to the simple reason why a farang married to Thai has to show a yearly source of 400,000 and a single retired farang need to show 800,000 baht. That is only 200,000 per person for the farang married to a Thai. Just doesn't make sense to have it reversed. Someone supporting two people show have to show more available income than a person that supports only himself.

Edited December 6, 2013 by aguy30

[aguy30]

Tiffer, on 05 Dec 2013 - 16:15, said:

aguy30, on 05 Dec 2013 - 16:08, said:

_{Why is a "married to a Thai" visa only requiring 400,000? Makes no sense that it should be 400,000 when two people are being supported. Why not 1,600,000 baht for a married farang?}

Because this is how it is.

Try not to think too much .

Shall I assume that not thinking works for you?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Any of the larger banks are OK other than Krung Thai.

They all offer fixed term accounts in the range of about 3%. But it has to be a standard account that you can take the money out with no delay with only penalty being loss of interest.

Just curious Joe... Why did you exclude Krung Thai as a potential bank for stashing extension funds?

I've never had an account with them. But I've also not heard anything especially more negative about KT than any of the other comparable Thai commercial banks.

[mgjackson69]

So, for a foreigner wishing to live in Thailand; if you have a substantial pension then you are welcome in the country, but if you are married to a Thai national you are only condoned, until your money runs out.

I disagree...I am currently on extension of stay based on marriage. My requirement is 40000 THB/month or 400,000 THB on deposit for at least 90 days.

As the rules sit now, when I retire (another 10 - 15 years) I will continue doing extensions based on marriage. My "pension" will more than cover the income requirements for either extension basis.

I do not mind the extra effort required for the extension based on marriage...I think some people tend to exaggerate the hardship.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This has become a convoluted mess of comments. Regardless of what you might call the visa or extension or whatever, lets get back to the simple reason why a farang married to Thai has to show a yearly source of 400,000 and a single retired farang need to show 800,000 baht. That is only 200,000 per person for the farang married to a Thai. Just doesn't make sense to have it reversed. Someone supporting two people show have to show more available income than a person that supports only himself.

The issue you're raising isn't the subject of this particular thread... And none of us here make the Immigration rules or particularly know why they do what they do.

But if I were a guessing man, I'd guess it has to do with the notion that a farang guy married to a Thai woman is already putting money back into Thailand via financially supporting the wife, children, and potentially her extended family, whereas a single unmarried farang might be spending just on himself and not so directly on Thais.

But I'll certainly agree with the straight economic notion, that a single unmarried farang might have fewer expenses than his married with children and family counterpart.

But... AFAIK... none of us are consulted when they make and change the rules.

[ubonjoe]

Any of the larger banks are OK other than Krung Thai.

They all offer fixed term accounts in the range of about 3%. But it has to be a standard account that you can take the money out with no delay with only penalty being loss of interest. 

 Just curious Joe... Why did you exclude Krung Thai as a potential bank for stashing extension funds?

I've never had an account with them. But I've also not heard anything especially more negative about KT than any of the other comparable Thai commercial banks.

 

I have heard complaints about customer service.

Also unless things have changed they were not paying interest on foreigner's savings accounts.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

If I was going to stash 400,000 or 800,000 baht in a Thai bank, I'd certainly want it to earn some interest, even if it be only 2 or 3%...

In the past, I know there's been an issue regarding interest credits depending on whether a farang's bank account is coded by the Thai bank as "resident" vs. "tourist" or some such titles. Typically, they pay interest on resident accounts, but not ones coded as tourist, from what I understand.

It's less clear to me that any particular Thai bank doesn't pay interest for farang accounts period, meaning for all accounts. But I guess I ought to check more on that issue.

[Westaurel]

Because having family in Thailand you will pay less or inherit of house and pay the thai price. Also you don't need to spend much more money than retired couples !

[Mudcrab]

aguy30, on 05 Dec 2013 - 16:08, said:

_{Why is a "married to a Thai" visa only requiring 400,000? Makes no sense that it should be 400,000 when two people are being supported. Why not 1,600,000 baht for a married farang?}

I will simplify what I said for those of you that can't understand. The names or types of visas is not the point.

A farang comes to Thailand and gets some sort of visa arrangement to stay. He must have 800,000 baht security deposit in the bank if it is a retirement extension. He is only supporting himself.

Another farang comes to Thailand and wants to stay. He gets married and is supporting a wife but only has to have 400,000 in the bank. That's two people being secured on half the money.

It is illogical to require half the funds to support two people (or more) when they will likely have close to double the expenses of single person. If the government is worried that the farang will have large expenses then that is more likely to happen when he is supporting two people and the extended family. Even more probable there will be emergencies and even more so when there are children. The 400,000 is completely inadequate in this situation. A working wife with a "really good" job might make 15,000 baht/month (180,000 per year) but not likely with a poorly educated Issan wife. That is still less the 800,000/year total. It is rare for a lucky farang to have a working wife and not one that expects to be taken care of. Makes perfect sense that someone supporting two or more people should have to have more SECURITY money in the bank. Well, that might not be true when Thainess and Thai logic are considered. Perhaps ThaiVisa members are acquiring Thai logic.

My poorly educated (University) Issan wife owns her very nice home. We live here with very little expense, no rent etc..no bar girl fines or whoring. My 400,000 baht stays in the bank and we live on my other income...quite modestly, but we are able to go overseas 2 times a year to Australia where we also have a home.

So what really is your point?

You need to understand that the monetary requirements are for expenses to be incurred in the next 12 months...you get sick or whatever..its a guarantee of sorts that you won't be a burden on the Thai people and rightly so.

You want the right to retire where you see fit? based on what... a sense of superiority over the Asian peoples? Or simply because your pension allows you to just live here...and any changes to the regulations threatens that? Good luck old mate.

[mgjackson69]

Any of the larger banks are OK other than Krung Thai.

They all offer fixed term accounts in the range of about 3%. But it has to be a standard account that you can take the money out with no delay with only penalty being loss of interest.

Just curious Joe... Why did you exclude Krung Thai as a potential bank for stashing extension funds?

I've never had an account with them. But I've also not heard anything especially more negative about KT than any of the other comparable Thai commercial banks.

I have heard complaints about customer service.

Also unless things have changed they were not paying interest on foreigner's savings accounts.

On the customer service side, my local branch of KTB is top-notch. That is only my experience at my branch (Chok Chai, Korat).

Regarding paying interest, I cannot speak to that. When I opened the account it was sort of a 'placeholder', to get an account opened. If/when I decide to bring a significant amount of money here I will shop around a bit more.