I opened a second Thai bank a/c and transferred 800k from my first Thai bank because the first one had money from language schools and I did not want immigration officers to see my bank book as I do not have work permit.

But now having read somewhere in the forum that the 800k must be imported from abroad will I be ok?I want to change status from tourist to non imm and then apply for retirement extension.Hopefully Ubonjoe or one of the other wise men can help me.

Immigration requires proof the funds came from abroad to do change to a non immigrant visa based upon qualifying for an extension of stay for retirement.

It is not required for the extension of stay application.

You best option may be to go to Vientiane to get a single entry non-o visa based upon being 50 or over. You will need your bank book showing the 800k baht in the bank and a letter from the bank confirming your account and balance.

 

Thanks Joe.

I have one other question.When I apply for retirement extension how long does the immigration office hold on to my passport?I have heard it can be between 2 and 3 weeks.Is this correct?

16 minutes ago, billypla said:

Thanks Joe.

I have one other question.When I apply for retirement extension how long does the immigration office hold on to my passport?I have heard it can be between 2 and 3 weeks.Is this correct?

Most immigration offices do the extension stamp on the same day you apply and give your passport back to you. There are a couple that have you come back the next day to pickup your passport.

I think you might of heard the 2 or 3 weeks from somebody that was using an agent that claimed immigration had their passport. By there own rules immigration never holds passports that long.

Thanks

Joe, 

With regard to your Post#2 above. I recently "unretired" after 6 yrs. on a Retirement visa. I went back to work on a Non-immigrant "B" visa. At the time I did so, I topped up my retirement visa bank account to B 800,000 by bringing in funds from my home country. I did this to give myself maximum flexibility in terms of retiring again. It is already more than two months since I brought those funds in.  I have saved my Canadian bank statement which indicates a transfer out, though it does not indicate the destination country or currency.

In your opinion, is this likely to be sufficient for me to return to a Retirement Visa in a year or two ? Or perhaps I will be facing an implicit demand that I either "recycle" the B 800,000 through my Cdn. bank, or bring in an additional B 800,000 at that time ?

 

After 23 hrs., and at risk of dropping to page 3, I thought I would bump this up. Ubonjoe, I would appreciate your comments on my Post # 6. I would also appreciate comments from anyone else who has retired, "unretired", then retired again, all in Thailand.

23 hours ago, allane said:

Joe, 

With regard to your Post#2 above. I recently "unretired" after 6 yrs. on a Retirement visa. I went back to work on a Non-immigrant "B" visa. At the time I did so, I topped up my retirement visa bank account to B 800,000 by bringing in funds from my home country. I did this to give myself maximum flexibility in terms of retiring again. It is already more than two months since I brought those funds in.  I have saved my Canadian bank statement which indicates a transfer out, though it does not indicate the destination country or currency.

In your opinion, is this likely to be sufficient for me to return to a Retirement Visa in a year or two ? Or perhaps I will be facing an implicit demand that I either "recycle" the B 800,000 through my Cdn. bank, or bring in an additional B 800,000 at that time ?

 

There is no requirement to prove the funds came from abroad to a apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement.

Anyway your Thai bank book would reflect the funds came in from abroad and your bank would have records of it also.

So, If I understand the distinction between your Posts #2 and #8, because I am already on a Non-immigrant "B" Visa, the requirement to prove that the funds came from abroad does not apply to me.

13 minutes ago, allane said:

So, If I understand the distinction between your Posts #2 and #8, because I am already on a Non-immigrant "B" Visa, the requirement to prove that the funds came from abroad does not apply to me.

Proof the funds came from abroad is only required to change to a non immigrant visa from a tourist visa or visa exempt entry. You will not need it to apply for an extension.

 

Thank you very much.