Interesting experience yesterday doing a first time retirement extension. When acquiring the initial Non-Immigrant O-A visa, the only concern was for the amount of money held in a Thai bank. Yesterday, despite having over 1.3 million in Bangkok Bank, I was rejected because only B540K was in a savings account and over B820K was in a current account. It was explained that though the MFA did not care about which account money was held in when granting the visa, Immigration does and each applicant must have over B800K in a Thai savings or fixed deposit account, regardless of age or history of the current account. Simply put, current accounts do not count and will not be considered in the extension process.

I pointed out that the translation they supplied was wrong, and helped them correct the English to make the above points clear (they are clearer in the Thai text).

Has anyone else run into this technical issue before?

It has always been a savings account. You are not the first try and have it in a current account and be denied.

Thanks! Actually, 5 officers told me I was the first example they have seen...but despite all of the reading I have done here and elsewhere, including their own instructions, this point has never called out clearly. Ah well, hopefully helpful to someone else!

In addition to savings accounts, supposedly, most Immigration offices will also accept so-called fixed deposit accounts, which are those that have stated durations like 1 year or 4 years, and a corresponding fixed interest rate if you keep the deposit in for the full term.

Only deposit accounts are accepted in which the money is not tied-up in the sense that you can always get the money out (with or without loss of interest).

Accounts in which the money is deposited without any possibility of withdrawing during the agreed term are not accepted.

It has always been a savings account. You are not the first try and have it in a current account and be denied.

OK once again I learned something today, even thought it was my first year retirement extension this month, and of course the money was in my account for more than 3 months,

a mere chance it was indeed a saving account, for I did not know

Many people do not realize that getting a visa from an embassy is not the same as getting a extension of stay from Immigration. You found out the hard way that they are two separate government enities under two separate branches of government.