Urgent questions prior to arriving in Thailand BKK

[Andrew Hayes]

Hi to all again !

 

i know I have posted about this before but as time has caught up with me I really want to capsulate my next moves. 

 

Background is that I have sold up here in the UK. After everything I am not left with what I thought. Bank screwed me as did ex wife !!

However I will have income from some online businesses and the 800000

to put in place at the Bank for the retirement visa. 

 

Monday is D day. Next week I will throw caution to the wind. And make my way to Thailand. 

 

My questions are as follows. 

 

1) I have no time to get a single entry tourist visa. So I will enter just on the exempt 30 day. 

If I do how many times can I extend this by ?

my plan will be to open an account asap and then put the 800000 baht so that it will sit for the mandatory 60 days and then be able to apply via the retirement visa route. 

 

2). As I intend to close everything here in the UK (new chapter in life) i also will just leave my UK account fairly empty. 

I would like to bring the 800000 so I can deposit it immediately when opening a Thai Bank account. 

Question. Could I bring the 800000 as a Bank draft or even travellers cheques? Has anyone ever done this.? 

And is it advisable. 

 

3) As I will end up in BKK would anyone who knows the ropes be willing to guide / help in the initial stages.? 

 

[ballzafire]

Seems like a rather hurried move. A Multiple-entry Tourist Visa (METV) would have been better to have first in your case.

Peruse the forums here, as these questions have all been asked before.

Good luck!

[overherebc]

Income??

Do you know how short a time 800,000 lasts in Thailand?

You haven't said anything about it so just askin'

Best intentions for questions by the way.

Don't change to baht in UK. Do it with Sterling here, rip-off rates for baht in UK.

[ubonjoe]

1. You can only get one 30 day extension of the 30 day visa exempt entry you will get.

    You will not be able to apply for a one year extension of stay (it is not a visa) based upon retirement if you first get a non immigrant visa (category O) entry. To apply for visa the money only has to be in the bank on the date you apply (there is no 60 day requirement).

2. You will need to show proof the funds came from abroad to apply the non immigrant visa I mentioned. Immigration will only accept proof from a bank that the funds came from abroad by way of a transfer from a bank outside the country.

After you get the non immigrant visa entry you can apply for the extension when you have the funds in the bank for 60 days.

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Do you know how short a time 800,000 lasts in Thailand?

I assume you missed this in his post.

32 minutes ago, Andrew Hayes said:

However I will have income from some online businesses and the 800000

to put in place at the Bank for the retirement visa. 

 

[Rhys]

..just asking, can you open a bank account on a Tourist visa?

 

[overherebc]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I assume you missed this in his post.

 

I did miss that.

What I would suggest now is that the OP takes some time. Come for a months holiday and look at things carefully. He can extend that VE for 30 days giving him nearly 60 days to be here and look at things as they exist now.

[DUS]

1 minute ago, Rhys said:

..just asking, can you open a bank account on a Tourist visa?

 

Yes.... but it might involve visiting more than 1 bank branch....

[overherebc]

3 minutes ago, Rhys said:

..just asking, can you open a bank account on a Tourist visa?

 

Yes, but you have to try a few different banks. Might be lucky with the first one, might not be.

[steve187]

if you are flying without a visa and you have no return flight booked within 30 days of arrival, then your airline may deny you boarding 

 

10,000 euro is the maximum you can take out of the UK in cash and or travelers checks. without declaring it.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

1. You can only get one 30 day extension of the 30 day visa exempt entry you will get.

    You will not be able to apply for a one year extension of stay (it is not a visa) based upon retirement if you first get a non immigrant visa (category O) entry. To apply for visa the money only has to be in the bank on the date you apply (there is no 60 day requirement).

2. You will need to show proof the funds came from abroad to apply the non immigrant visa I mentioned. Immigration will only accept proof from a bank that the funds came from abroad by way of a transfer from a bank outside the country.

After you get the non immigrant visa entry you can apply for the extension when you have the funds in the bank for 60 days.

Based on this provenance of funds from overseas, the OP needs to enroll with online banking with his current UK bank, leaving the 800 k baht equivalent there. Once the Thai bank account is established, the funds can be transferred via online banking from the UK at the appropriate time to meet the money seasoning and and/or visa shuffling exercises. The OP should check some recent threads on opening bank accounts in Bangkok to find the bank branches most likely to allow this.

 

That's the OP's Plan B covered. Plan A is do NOT burn any UK bridges.

[DILLIGAD]

So it seems your best bet is to keep your 800k Baht equivalent in a U.K. Bank where you can get online access to it from Thailand. Get a return flight and come over to establish step 2.

If you don't know, there are always different ways to 'skin a cat' here (Visa Agents) and suggest you are very careful with who you trust (Thai or farang). You may find many experts here propping up a bar in Thailand. Take things slowly and keep your money safely in your account.

 

Have you considered the other neighboring countries too? As some seem to have more relaxed visa regulations.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IMA_FARANG]

You can open a bank account on a tourist visa as I once did.

But that was back in 1982 and most banks today will have many reasons to tell you can not open an account.

They are all B---s---t however. (male cattle fecal matter)

if you are over 50 years old you may be able to do it.

Savanaket Laos will still give you a 90 say non O visa if you can show them the funds.

You can then use that 90 day NON O visa I believe to open a bank account and then use the funds (seasoned 60 days) to open that account and the get the needed one year retirement visa/.extension.

But it is a process, and many banks will still lie to you about needing  a job and work permit in  Thailand f  irst.

I opened my retirement account in 2011 with a cashiers draft check deposited in a Thai bank after having another account since 1982 for my Thai female partner.

Even then it was a problem to do it,

 

 

 

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

You can open a bank account on a tourist visa as I once did.

But that was back in 1982 and most banks today will have many reasons to tell you can not open an account.

They are all B---s---t however. (male cattle fecal matter)

if you are over 50 years old you may be able to do it.

Savanaket Laos will still give you a 90 say non O visa if you can show them the funds.

You can then use that 90 day NON O visa I believe to open a bank account and then use the funds (seasoned 60 days) to open that account and the get the needed one year retirement visa/.extension.

But it is a process, and many banks will still lie to you about needing  a job and work permit in  Thailand f  irst.

I opened my retirement account in 2011 with a cashiers draft check deposited in a Thai bank after having another account since 1982 for my Thai female partner.

Even then it was a problem to do it,

Usually, the request is for "proof of residence" - but shop other branches until one agrees to open an account without this.  Tell them you want to xfer 800K here for retirement.  If you have a Thai friend, take them along. 

 

Not sure about a bank-draft / cashier's check (or checks) for that amount - how long they would take to clear, here - nor the rules for exiting the UK with those.  Certainly no problem entering Thailand with them.  Someone else posted with the limits on cash or travelers-checks leaving the UK (the fees on trv-chks for that amount would be nuts).  If a cashier's check is lost, you are in for a real hassle.  I agree with previous-posters - do the online-banking thing - and clear it with the bank that you will be connecting from Thailand to that service.  It is also wise to inform any other source of plastic that you will be using the card(s) in Thailand.

Be aware that Laos Thai-Consulates now want an income letter from your embassy - even if it is not for the full retirement-amount - as "proof you are retired," to issue a Non-O (90 day single-entry) based on retirement.

Also be aware that without a Visa, your airline may require you have some sort of ticket heading out of Thailand - a cheap throwaway to Malaysia will do; this is the price for not obtaining a visa, first.

[jeab1980]

I did much the same as you many years ago. Pack it all awsy in UK and got a cheap return ticket. I did get a TV 3 back to back which you cant get now. I would stongly suggest you delay so you have time to get a TV that will give you 60days and can be extended to 90. You can then get a return flight for the end of the 90 day period which will give you enough time to decide if thaiilands for you. Open a bank account asap deposit some money and swift the larger amount over from UK bank doesnt cost much. Then if you decide to stay on you can apply for a change of visa to non o then go down the retirement extension option. Others like joe will guide you on that. Good luck dont burn all your UK bridges leave an option open.

 

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, jeab1980 said:

I did much the same as you many years ago. Pack it all awsy in UK and got a cheap return ticket. I did get a TV 3 back to back which you cant get now. I would stongly suggest you delay so you have time to get a TV that will give you 60days and can be extended to 90. You can then get a return flight for the end of the 90 day period which will give you enough time to decide if thaiilands for you. Open a bank account asap deposit some money and swift the larger amount over from UK bank doesnt cost much. Then if you decide to stay on you can apply for a change of visa to non o then go down the retirement extension option. Others like joe will guide you on that. Good luck dont burn all your UK bridges leave an option open.

 

Good advice and I totally agree on delaying the 'great escape' until after a more viable visa has been obtained. Hedging one's bets on getting everything cut and dried within the 30 + 30 day maximum stay of a visa-exempt entry isn't advisable, especially for a newbie.

[buick]

i opened two bank accounts with a tourist visa, bangkok bank main branch silom road and krungthai bank sukhumvit soi 22 branch.  opened USD and THB accts at both.  i needed a copy of my rental agreement plus a letter from the landlord saying the lease was legitimate.  i also needed a letter from the US embassy stating that my passport was legitimate.  i remember getting a form from bangkok bank but i think the US embassy used their own.  in any case, both banks accepted it.  i'm not sure about the success rate with a visa exempt entry but that is the info i can provide for a tourist visa entry.  i've read where other people did not need a lease or a letter from embassy so you never know (but i think they had a tourist visa).

 

i would suggest the OP make a trip to a nearby thai consulate to get a tourist visa (hong kong ?).  i'm not sure 30+30 is enough time to obtain a non imm O at chaeng wattana (CW) in bangkok using the 800,000 method.  will your UK bank be able to send the full amount all at one time ?  my bank in the USA limited me to 5k/per transfer, 15k per month.  i needed approx 23k to cover the 800,000thb.  you'll need to apply for the conversion before your 45th day in country (assuming you extend by 30 for a 60 days stay).

 

ps.  i opened the accts in feb 2016.