What exchange rate is used when calculating monthly income for extension of stay based on marriage?

[GrahamMaddison]

I had a plan and it's gone "tits up"

my marriage visa extension of stay expires this month and I no longer have the required 400,000 thb to show in my bank account to enable me to get another.

Having said that, my pension income works out at around 179.50 a week ..now depending on the exchange rate used for calculation purposes, I may be okay ..for example, if they use an exchange rate of 51thb or above to GBP, I will be able to show the required monthly income of 40,000 thb or above..if however they use an exchange rate of 50 or below, I am screwed. ...... Does anyone have any ideas which exchange rate they use ..current or average across year?

My plan was that I would be able to refund my account when the sale of my property completed, but the buyer pulled out .aggh.

I am aware I can go to Savannakhet and get a new visa, but this is not ideal and only a last resort.

many thanks in advance for any helpful information.

graham

[MrWorldwide]

Not sure how they would do it for income but in the case of my Thai bank they wrote me a letter stating what my AUD balance would be in THB if converted at the bank's interest rate that day. Mine was well over the 800k I needed and that was good enough for Thai Immigration.

[glegolo]

According to my own experience from Khon Kaen theyv are using this website:

http://daytodaydata.net/

click on NOTES and than your own currency.. and check up BANGKOK BANKS rates, that is what Immigration do!!

Thios is what they did to me......

Good luck

'

'Glegolo

Edited July 9, 2014 by glegolo

[ubonjoe]

The will use exchange rate for the date you apply.

Converting your weekly income to annual income (52 weeks) and dividing by 12 months I get 778 pounds a month which at today's exchange rate (54.57) comes out to 42,445 baht.

You should get the income letter from the embassy and apply using the income. You have a bit of room at the moment.

If all else fails you could apply for a 60 day extension to visit your wife to give you a bit more time.

[GrahamMaddison]

Thanks guys for a speedy response.

From the looks of it, I may just be okay then ...I will be applying in Khon kaen so the info and link you sent Glegolo really helps.

Just waiting for my letter from the embassy then I will be set to go ...hope the exchange rate stays high.

Thanks again guys.

[firefox999uk]

£179.50 x 52 share by 12 = £777.83 per month

On my calculations an exchange rate of 51.43 will give you 40,003.80 Baht,

So I think you will more than OK as today’s rate is 55.1 (10^th July 2014)

I can also confirm that Glegolo’s post is correct about Khon Kaen Office

Using http://daytodaydata.net/

Good Luck.

edit ..just noticed i stated the wrong rate..it is in fact 54.34 today, but still more the enough.

Have a Nice Day.

Edited July 10, 2014 by firefox999uk

[Jeffrey346]

According to my own experience from Khon Kaen theyv are using this website:

http://daytodaydata.net/

click on NOTES and than your own currency.. and check up BANGKOK BANKS rates, that is what Immigration do!!

Thios is what they did to me......

Good luck

'

'Glegolo

They should not be using the notes rate. They should use the TT rate as that's the transfer rate + it's more favorable.

[Always18]

Every time I've produced my annual "proof of income" letter from the UK Embassy to our local (Sisaket) office, they have asked me what the current exchange rate is!

I just give them a suitably rounded figure and that seems to be accepted......................maybe I've just got an honest face................!

[gchurch259]

^{I do not know what country you are from. I am from the US and go to the US Embassy and fill out their form letter for inmmigration. Immigration looks at that and does not require anything from the bank. The US Embassy accepts what I state is my fixed monthly income. I have no problem qualifying. But, no one actually ask to see my income or any document which shows my income.}

^{They use the current exchange rate.}

[Jeffrey346]

^{I do not know what country you are from. I am from the US and go to the US Embassy and fill out their form letter for inmmigration. Immigration looks at that and does not require anything from the bank. The US Embassy accepts what I state is my fixed monthly income. I have no problem qualifying. But, no one actually ask to see my income or any document which shows my income.}

^{They use the current exchange rate.}

Only the US does that. All other consulates require income verification.

[tigermonkey]

Not sure how they would do it for income but in the case of my Thai bank they wrote me a letter stating what my AUD balance would be in THB if converted at the bank's interest rate that day. Mine was well over the 800k I needed and that was good enough for Thai Immigration.

Just curious, you seem to be stating that you have a Thai bank account in Australian dollars, since you refer to your "AUD balance". At what Thai bank can you get an account in foreign currency - I would be very interested in doing this also.

[MJCM]

Not sure how they would do it for income but in the case of my Thai bank they wrote me a letter stating what my AUD balance would be in THB if converted at the bank's interest rate that day. Mine was well over the 800k I needed and that was good enough for Thai Immigration.

Just curious, you seem to be stating that you have a Thai bank account in Australian dollars, since you refer to your "AUD balance". At what Thai bank can you get an account in foreign currency - I would be very interested in doing this also.

If I am not mistaken MrWW has a Kasikorn account

http://www.kasikornbank.com/EN/Personal/BankAccounts/FCD/Pages/ForResidentAccount.aspx

But you could ask other Banks in Thailand for example SCB

http://www.scb.co.th/en/personal-banking/deposit/foreign-currency/resident-account

Edited July 10, 2014 by MJCM

[DB2]

Sorry to highjack this thread, when using pension for extension of stay is it only the government pension or can you also use private pensions to calculate your income.

[Satcommlee]

If you still can show some money in the bank, that can be used to offset the required 40'000 THB a month..

If you got 200'000 seasoned for example then the monthly income requirement could be halved, don't quote me on that though... but maybe someone can confirm for sure..

[MJCM]

If you still can show some money in the bank, that can be used to offset the required 40'000 THB a month..

If you got 200'000 seasoned for example then the monthly income requirement could be halved, don't quote me on that though... but maybe someone can confirm for sure..

What i understand is that a combination of income and money in the bank when on marriage extension is not allowed, but its only allowed when on retirement.

Sent from my iPad so Please excuse any typos

[DB2]

thanks guys, I will be on a retirement extension so If I get 500,000 bht a year in pension income including private pensions, then all I have to show is 300,000 bht in a Thai bank account not sure if its right but I don't think the money has to be seasoned does it?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Sorry to highjack this thread, when using pension for extension of stay is it only the government pension or can you also use private pensions to calculate your income.

The income that can be used to qualify includes ANY regular monthly income -- government pension, private pension, bank interest, monthly stock dividends, income from rental property, etc etc.

When I go to Immigration, I usually bring a printout of the current exchange rate information from Bangkok Bank showing the current rate (which multiplied by my monthly income in U.S. $ is sufficient to meet their requirement in Thai baht).

The Immigration officers in BKK, who of course do extensions all day long, always seem to have a rate for the day that they use. I've never seen one looking it up during any of my visits. So I don't know what source they're using for their rate. But I always like having something in the way of a document to support my calculations, just in case ever questioned.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

What i understand is that a combination of income and money in the bank when on marriage extension is not allowed, but its only allowed when on retirement.

That's my understanding also. The combo method (bank deposits plus monthly income in some combination) is only allowed for retirement extensions.

For marriage extensions, it has to be either monthly income OR bank deposit.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

thanks guys, I will be on a retirement extension so If I get 500,000 bht a year in pension income including private pensions, then all I have to show is 300,000 bht in a Thai bank account not sure if its right but I don't think the money has to be seasoned does it?

AT MOST Immigration offices, no seasoning of bank deposit funds is required when using the combo method to qualify for a retirement extension.

There are, however, a few offices I believe that go their own way and do require it. Dunno about KK, one way or the other.

[sandyf]

When I did mine on Wednesday, the officer that checked the docs asked me what the rate was.

I watched the senior officer checking my docs and when she got to the income letter she reached for the calculator and then used her phone, I suspect to phone for a rate.

They were not interested in what was in the bank. I had included bank statement but without even looking she just handed it back.

[lopburi3]

As said there is no combo method when extending for marriage - either 400k or 40k per month income.

As said they used to ask and if you come up with a reasonable exchange rate they accept it - suspect they know about what most major currencies should be. But have noted my retirement letters have been converted into baht without my being asked last few years here in Bangkok now that they do not use file folders but have everything on computer screen.

[DB2]

Thank you all for this information, I just hope things don't change before I get there they might move the goal posts for retires.

[Anon999]

Generally they ask you what the exchange rate is today, in my experience, so just quote the TT rate. The best one is usually SCB, Bangkok Bank invariably has a lower rate.

[MrWorldwide]

Generally they ask you what the exchange rate is today, in my experience, so just quote the TT rate. The best one is usually SCB, Bangkok Bank invariably has a lower rate.

Depends on the day and the base currency - when I checked today Bangkok Bank actually had a better TT rate than SCB for AUD but the situation was reversed when I selected USD.