Visa extension - retirement '' Vs '' married to a Thai national - Which one ?

[ThaiLife]

For many years now Ive been obtaining my annual visa extension using the married to a Thai national and having 400,000 Baht in my Thai bank option . Two things have recently change in my personal circumstances that now may offer me an alternative to using the 400,000 Baht visa extension renewal option

1. I have recently reached retirement age

2. I have recently had a monetary windfall and for the first time ever I have well over 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank .

The 800,000+ Baht has been placed in a fixed interest Thai bank account , but with access to the money at any time and this money is not being touched and will be left to accrue the account interest over time

I have a second Thai bank account where my monthly pension payment is deposited and this account is used for every day living expenses, this bank account balance is normally around 400,000 Baht , this Thai bank account is the one I normally use for the past married to a Thai national visa extension requirements.

Ive read that if using the retirement route to re new a visa extension , the financial requirement is 800,000 Baht deposited in a Thai bank account , and if the extension application is successful its granted there and then at the time of the application , where as using the the married to a Thai national and having 400,000 Baht in a Thai bank option, it normally takes about a month to get the extension approved and involves far more paper work and form filling , photos etc.

so my questions are

I can show immigration my new Thai bank account containing over 800,000 Baht and an accompanying letter from the bank confirming the account details, for a visa extension based on retirement . But the account shows no regular deposits or withdrawals , would that be acceptable to immigration.

I could all so show Immigration my second Thai bank account containing around 400,000 Baht ( or less ) and if required obtain a second letter from the bank confirming the account details , this bank account would show my monthly spending pattern .

I'm thinking that going down the 800,000 Baht retirement visa extension route would be a lot less hassle and time consuming .

Does the above look possible or is there some thing that makes it better to stay with my old 400,000 Bhat option and the hassle that comes with it .

Any constructive comments please

TL

[OJAS]

The general consensus on here is that retirement is definitely better than marriage as the route to go down at annual extension of stay time if you can meet the higher financial requirements, for precisely the reasons you mention. Some offices (notably Bangkok-Chaengwattana), however, do insist on a transaction being recorded against the account on the day of the bank letter. But maybe you could satisfy this requirement by making a token 100 THB deposit at the bank before asking them to update your passbook and issue the letter (and then pay their fee in cash to minimise the risk of the figures being skewed, which might attract unwelcome Immigration attention).

And you would definitely be advised to have your wife still accompany you to the immigration office for your first retirement extension at least.

[crazygreg44]

The general consensus on here is that retirement is definitely better than marriage as the route to go down at annual extension of stay time if you can meet the higher financial requirements, for precisely the reasons you mention. Some offices (notably Bangkok-Chaengwattana), however, do insist on a transaction being recorded against the account on the day of the bank letter. But maybe you could satisfy this requirement by making a token 100 THB deposit at the bank before asking them to update your passbook and issue the letter (and then pay their fee in cash to minimise the risk of the figures being skewed, which might attract unwelcome Immigration attention).

And you would definitely be advised to have your wife still accompany you to the immigration office for your first retirement extension at least.

with your wife have her ID, her Tabian Baan and a photo each of HER and of YOU ( for your residency TM form) . The bank letter has to have the original letterhead, be not a copy, showing balances for the recent THREE months. Dress ship shape, smile, and no worries.

a simple drawing of the location of her house in relation to the surrounding landscape will earn you appreciation from the immigration team.

since last year I was asked for a letter from a doctor, confirming I am at good health and free of viral diseases. Get yours at the local Doc for 200 THB.

Edited December 16, 2014 by crazygreg44

[Kerryd]

From my understanding, the Retirement option is considerably less hassle. Once per year I get a letter from the bank confirming the 800k (which is left, untouched, in a Term Deposit account) and a photocopy of the first (inner) page of the bank book (which shows the account number and account holder's name). The Jomtien Immigration office is apparently happy with that and I've never been required to show any withdrawals or additional deposits.

Then, once every 90 days you have to do the "90 Day Report". No big deal (although for some people you'd think they have to give up a kidney every time by the way they whine and complain about it).

Also, as you mentioned you have a monthly pension, you wouldn't actually need to have the full 800k in the account (as you could use the pension/deposit combination method instead but that also requires having your pension "verified" by your embassy). Personally, I'd say if you can afford it, stick the 800k in the term account and forget about it (until the next time you renew your extension or renew the term deposit). That way you do not have to worry about the vagaries of exchange rates affecting the "pension" portion of your requirement, you don't have to have get the pension "verified" by the embassy every year and you have a tidy little nest egg tucked away for emergencies.

The other advantage of a Retirement Visa is in the event you suddenly find yourself not married anymore. No need to scramble and change visas suddenly. If you travel (outside of the country) make sure you get the multi Re-Entry permit of course.

(I like that when I recently arrived the nice Immigration guy stamped my passport good until my Extension expiry date, 5 1/2 months from now ! Strangely odd though, as I normally go through the Premium (Fast Track) Immigration lane and those IOs would only stamp me good for 30 days regardless of the Visa and multi Re-Entry stamps (or expiry dates). Not sure why they do it differently than the guys in the regular Immigration lanes.)

[ThaiLife]

From my understanding, the Retirement option is considerably less hassle. Once per year I get a letter from the bank confirming the 800k (which is left, untouched, in a Term Deposit account) and a photocopy of the first (inner) page of the bank book (which shows the account number and account holder's name). The Jomtien Immigration office is apparently happy with that and I've never been required to show any withdrawals or additional deposits.

Then, once every 90 days you have to do the "90 Day Report". No big deal (although for some people you'd think they have to give up a kidney every time by the way they whine and complain about it).

Also, as you mentioned you have a monthly pension, you wouldn't actually need to have the full 800k in the account (as you could use the pension/deposit combination method instead but that also requires having your pension "verified" by your embassy). Personally, I'd say if you can afford it, stick the 800k in the term account and forget about it (until the next time you renew your extension or renew the term deposit). That way you do not have to worry about the vagaries of exchange rates affecting the "pension" portion of your requirement, you don't have to have get the pension "verified" by the embassy every year and you have a tidy little nest egg tucked away for emergencies.

The other advantage of a Retirement Visa is in the event you suddenly find yourself not married anymore. No need to scramble and change visas suddenly. If you travel (outside of the country) make sure you get the multi Re-Entry permit of course.

(I like that when I recently arrived the nice Immigration guy stamped my passport good until my Extension expiry date, 5 1/2 months from now ! Strangely odd though, as I normally go through the Premium (Fast Track) Immigration lane and those IOs would only stamp me good for 30 days regardless of the Visa and multi Re-Entry stamps (or expiry dates). Not sure why they do it differently than the guys in the regular Immigration lanes.)

Thanks for the comment guy's

Kerryd

My main concern is that as each immigration office may interpret things differently and when the immigration officer sees I have a Thai bank account with 800,00+ Baht deposited in it , and its not been accessed for over six months . Could the immigration officer ask where ive been getting the money to live on , if there's never been any movements in the 800,000+ Baht bank account .

I was thinking about trying this , get two bank confirmation letters , one from the account containing the 800,000+ Baht and a second bank letter from my other Thai bank containing around 400,000 Baht .

Take two sets of visa extension application paper work , one for a retirement application and the other application for a married to a Thai National , then first present the retirement application paper work along with the 800,000+ bank account information , if the retirement application is turned down because of the non movement of money in the 800,000+ Baht bank account , then submit the married to a Thai nation application paper work along with the 400,000 Baht account , which shows monthly movements of money .

Its a pain in the backside to assemble both types of visa extension paper work just in case , but it would give me a safety net of sorts.

The other scenario , only submit the paperwork for a retirement , but have the two bank account letters and hope if the immigration officer queries the non movement of money in the 800,000+ bank account , then show him the second 400,000 Baht bank account showing the monthly movement of money .

Or may be I'm worrying too much and overally complicating things

TL

[ubonjoe]

Just show the other bank book if asked for. You will not need a bank letter for it. It will suffice because it shows that you have money coming into the account.

[Guitar God]

What's the advantage of extension of stay based on marriage rather than retirement, other than not having to maintain 800k in the bank (or show 65k in income)?

Do you still need a multiple entry or reentry stamp to leave and return if it's based on marriage, or do you need one either way?

Retirement visa does not allow you to work or have a work permit. With a work permit you can import household goods duty free, with a retirement visa, you can't.

Is it easier to put a vehicle in your own name, easier to get a loan

Does it make it easier or shorten the process to apply for a residence permit or citizenship if it's based on marriage?

The retirement is simpler and you get your stamp the day you apply rather than getting a conditional approval and a stamp a month later for marriage but what would the OP be giving up by switching to retirement? What would I gain for going from retirement to based on marriage?

[MichaelJohn]

I too have 800k in a fixed term deposit account; never touch it and don't make a token deposit or withdrawal. It's got the same 800k it had in it 4 years ago when I did my first extension.

I go down the Retirement route as it's less hassle than the marriage route.

I've never been asked to show another "expenses" account although I do have a legitimate one and always take the book just in case.