monthly income for ret visa

[notrub]

Ubonjoe sent this link  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-obtain-a-pensionincome-letter-for-thai-immigration and they kindly sent me a letter showing what I had declared as income from both UK and France.  Sent some documents but just photocopies and not notarised.  Buriram immigration said OK about this letter but they also want to see some money.  They  don't want to see money sat in the bank doing nothing (say, 800k).  They want an active account that shows income but also that the money is being spent.  For me this time they will accept 3 months of deposits to my Thai bank for my upcoming renewal and seem to be happy that this money will also be spent.  If I understand this correctly that means I can show 65k at the beginning of the month, every month, going down to 10k (say) due to spending and then topped up by another deposit at the beginning of the month again.  If this is true it gets over the chicken egg problem of having to put aside enough to show 800k when it is time to renew/extend the visa again and still have spending money during the year. .  I have paid out over 1.5m in the last year building a house so my Thai 'spend' is OK for that part.  The new immigration office in Buriram is very friendly, BTW.

[ubonjoe]

There are few offices that have said they want to see the same thing. Kap Choeng immigration was asking for it at one time so it seems the new office in Burirom is wanting the same thing.

Not sure they expect the entire 65k baht coming in or even monthly. You could make bimonthly transfers and it would likely be accepted for example.

[notrub]

I am just going to transfer 70k on the 20th of every month and use that account for all my spending.  If they want to see a regular monthly deposit then that is what I will give them.  I don't mind going by the rules but they change so often it is difficult to keep track of.  For my 'O' visa application I got a letter from the bank stating that I had 1,500,120 on deposit and that had been there for 3 months.  My bankbook showed a balance of 1,500,210 and you will not be surprised that they made me go and get a new letter (and I missed the last ferry because of it).  I will be on tender hooks for the next few months waiting to see if what I am doing now is what they still want in 3 months time.  Thanks again for the letter link BTW.  A good service and hard to believe it is part of the UK government services.

[Upnotover]

5 hours ago, notrub said:

 I will be on tender hooks for the next few months

no you wont, tenterhooks perhaps.

[YetAnother]

notrub; that might not work; my government pension from the usa is direct deposited into a bangkok bank account; that account is a special account (sorry i forget the title of such an account)  that was hard to setup, took a while and was attended by confusion; they are special accounts (perhaps due to govt agencies involved ?) ; i was directed to do this by the largest govt pension in the usa (social security);there are a number of restrictions on those accounts; cant just withdraw and deposit and transfer like other 'normal' accounts; o and extra fees;

it does appear however that it would be as rock solid as possible to verify income 

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

notrub; that might not work; my government pension from the usa is direct deposited into a bangkok bank account; that account is a special account (sorry i forget the title of such an account)  that was hard to setup, took a while and was attended by confusion; they are special accounts (perhaps due to govt agencies involved ?) ; i was directed to do this by the largest govt pension in the usa (social security);there are a number of restrictions on those accounts; cant just withdraw and deposit and transfer like other 'normal' accounts; o and extra fees;

it does appear however that it would be as rock solid as possible to verify income 

What he plans on doing will work. He will be transferring the funds in from abroad into a regular bank account.

[IMA_FARANG]

It is possible to have your U.S. Social Security pension paid by a  direct deposit each month to your Bangkok Bank account in Thailand.

It requires some paperwork with the U.S. Social Security administration and also the head Bangkok Bank office in Silom Road Bangkok.

Once that is set up you get your U.S. Social  Security pension direct deposited monthly to your Bangkok Bank account.

I know, as I have been doing this since September 2014.

The exact amount in Baht depends on the Dollar/Baht exchange rate on that date

As long as your monthly income meets the 65K monthly Thai baht requirement it qualifies you for a annual yearly renewal of your retirement visa.

My direct deposit Social Security pension arrives from the Social Security office in Baltimore Maryland on the 4th of each month and is credited to my Bangkok Bank account here in Bangkok.

As I said I have been doing this for nearly 3 years now, or since September 2014, to be exact.