Proof of funds for US social security income for Visa

[regularguy]

I am planning to go to Chiang Mai in October on a 60 day tourist visa and then apply for a retirement visa when I am there.

I just started receiving monthly US social security direct deposits to my bank account in the US two months ago. I plan on using a combination of this monthly income and savings as i am just short of the 65 k bhat monthly requirement.

So, my question is do I just bring a couple months of my US bank statements to show my monthly SS deposits and additional savings?

I also have the original letter for the SS Administration showing the amount to be received and when the payments would be started.

Should this be enough to prove the financial requirement or do I need to do more?

 

Once I receive my retirement visa, I will be going back to US a couple of times to prepare for my move. Is there any restrictions on going back and forth between US and Thailand?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

[ubonjoe]

Moved to here.

It would be best if you got a single entry non-o visa for being 50 or over from one of the honorary consulates in the states instead of a tourist visa. They will issue one without financial proof. List of them is here. http://thaiembdc.org/royal-thai-honorary-consulates-general-in-the-u-s/

It can difficult to do a change of visa status for a tourist visa entry at Chiang Mai immigration to get a 90 day non immigrant visa (category O) entry. 

Then during the last 30 days of the 90 day entry from the visa you could apply for a one year extension of stay at immigration.

To prove you SS income you will need to a income affidavit at the US consulate in Chiang Mai. That is the only thing immigration will accept. You will need no proof of income to do the affidavit.

The money in a Thai  bank portion will need to be in the bank for 60 days on the date you apply for the extension.

After getting the extension you will need a re-entry permit for your trips out the country to keep it valid. The fee for a single re-entry permit is 1000 baht and multiple is 3800 baht.

 

[Tanoshi]

Deleted

 

 

Edited June 22, 2017 by Tanoshi

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

You will need no proof of income to do the affidavit.

today this is true; us consulate will charge USD 50 for the notary; but they do Not check; it is the 'honor system';

you will need get the form, near the exit door and make an appt online prior;

i and others expect this to change in the future, following the recent australia 'proof of income' developments

[ubonjoe]

Just now, YetAnother said:

i and others expect this to change in the future, following the recent australia 'proof of income' developments

It cannot change unless they change the law or regulation that prohibits them for verifying anything.

The Australian embassy did an about face and dropped the requirement after about a month.

[Dante99]

Do they want before tax gross income, adjusted gross income, after tax income, after tax cash flow or what?

[ubonjoe]

Just now, Dante99 said:

Do they want before tax gross income, adjusted gross income, after tax income, after tax cash flow or what?

The 65k baht requirement is gross income before any deductions.

[Dante99]

Thank you.  No deduction for taxes, alimony payments, child support payments, or loan payments, it is a favorable deal.

[IMA_FARANG]

You do not NEED to have a Social Security "proof of income" as currently the immigration will accept the U.S. embassy income statement.

However, there are ways to have proof of your monthly Social security pension from the U.S. if you are willing to do a little work.

You CAN get a yearly notification, even here in Thailand mailed to your Thai address, as the Social Security will provide  you a form stating your monthly pension  statement either online if you have a on-line Social security account, or they will provide you with a yearly form intended for you to file with your yearly income tax return.

you can even have such a form that states your monthly pension sent to a family member in the U.S. and have that family member forward it to you in Thailand.

In short, if you are cautious you can provide documentation of your monthly Social Security Pension  here in Thailand that you can photocopy here and provide to Thai immigration if they ask for  it.

I know, as I have a direct deposit Social Security pension  direct deposited to My Bangkok bank account monthly, and I receive an annual summary of those deposits  and amount of Social Security Pension by international mail direct form the Social Security Administration in Baltimore each year.

My Bangkok Bank passbook also shows my monthly deposit of pension coming in each month.

That also will be accepted by immigration as Proof if they question me.

as I  said you do Not NEED this proof at present, but if you want to there are a number of ways to show evidence of your monthly income if you are a cautious person and willing to do a little work to get that proof.

 

 

[Langsuan Man]

7 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

However, there are ways to have proof of your monthly Social security pension from the U.S. if you are willing to do a little work.

If you consider logging into My Social Security  a little work

 

Just log in and click on the link for your official benefits letter:

 

[riclag]

What is the dollar amounts for a marriage visa requirement.,If you choose to split it? Money in the bank plus monthly income

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, riclag said:

What is the dollar amounts for a marriage visa requirement.,If you choose to split it? Money in the bank plus monthly income

Only an embassy or consulate would accept both income and money in the bank to get a non-o visa if they required financial proof.

For an extension of stay based upon marriage there is no combination of money in the bank and income allowed.

[riclag]

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Only an embassy or consulate would accept both income and money in the bank to get a non-o visa if they required financial proof.

For an extension of stay based upon marriage there is no combination of money in the bank and income allowed.

sounds like your saying when applying for a non o single entry in the states you can show a combination but when applying for extension of stay non o based on marriage at IO it must be 400k in the bank or 40k per month

[ubonjoe]

Just now, riclag said:

sounds like your saying when applying for a non o single entry in the states you can show a combination but when applying for extension of stay non o based on marriage at IO it must be 400k in the bank or 40k per month

In the states they would not ask for proof of fund to get a non-o visa. To get a multiple entry non-o in Penang for example they would accept both.

To apply for an extension at immigration it is 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months or proof of 40k baht income. No combination allowed.

[dingdongrb]

Just so folks know, yes I get the US Consulate affidavit each year, provide when doing my visa, and it was never an issue except for one year, Immigration wanted to see income proof...  I provided a copy of my US Tax Return......  That occurred about 5 or 6 years ago and has never occurred since. However as usual I tend to have a copy of everything 'under the sun' at hand when I renew my visa as we all know it doesn't always seem to be the same requirements every time.

 

.... and on that note I did my 90 day last week, this time as well as the last time they don't seem to be wanting that document listing all your personal info (mother/father info, where do you shop, what websites do you visit, etc.), when did they stop requesting that?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just to elaborate a bit for the OP....

 

--If you're applying for some kind of Thai visa at a consulate or embassy in the U.S. that may require bank deposit funds like an O-A visa, those funds need to be on deposit in a U.S. bank, and the related proof for the Embassy/Consulate would come from that bank.

 

--But, if you're applying for an extension of stay (based on retirement or marriage to a Thai citizen) inside Thailand from Thai Immigration (something that some people call a visa -- let's not debate that here), those funds have to be on deposit in a Thai bank, as Joe explained above.

 

As far as some kind of Social Security monthly income statement is concerned, it's a good thing to have just in case.  As stated, the U.S. Embassy/Consulate in Thailand -- when asked to issue a monthly income affidavit on behalf of Americans who will use it at Thai Immigration -- doesn't require documentation. But you're making a sworn statement that the amount you're declaring is accurate.

 

However, it's always possible -- not usually likely, but possible -- that Thai Immigration at some point might also ask to see some kind of documentation for whatever monthly income a person is claiming.  They don't usually do that, especially in Bangkok, but it's always possible, and equally good to always be prepared, just in case.

 

[au82tiger]

I will be applying for a 1 year extension of my Visa soon.  I will need to get the certification letter from the Embassy, and my current extension expires on 6 November 2017.  I live in Khon Kaen and there will be an Embassy Outreach held, in Udorn Thani, on July 21st.  Would an Income verification completed in Udorn on July 21st be accepted on or about November 1st?  That would be just  over 90 days old (112 days to be exact), or will I need to travel to Bangkok?  Obviously much closer to go to Udorn Thani.  The Embassy outreach in Khon Kaen will be in late November... too late to help me I'm afraid.  

[ubonjoe]

11 hours ago, au82tiger said:

I will be applying for a 1 year extension of my Visa soon.  I will need to get the certification letter from the Embassy, and my current extension expires on 6 November 2017.  I live in Khon Kaen and there will be an Embassy Outreach held, in Udorn Thani, on July 21st.  Would an Income verification completed in Udorn on July 21st be accepted on or about November 1st?  That would be just  over 90 days old (112 days to be exact), or will I need to travel to Bangkok?  Obviously much closer to go to Udorn Thani.  The Embassy outreach in Khon Kaen will be in late November... too late to help me I'm afraid.  

Immigration will accept a income affidavit that is up to 6 months old when you apply for the extension.

[au82tiger]

Thanks Ubonjoe.

[rodknock]

if you are in the states, i would suggest getting a retirement visa there.

in the long run it is much simpler. if you live on the west coast apply at the LA. consulate.

you will need to get a doctors statement and a background check from the police.

it was easy to get a retirement visa from them. you can get either a single or multiple entry. then all you have to do is a yearly extension of stay. you will also need to do 90 day reports, but they are easy.

you can show ss income and savings combined to meet the 65,000baht requirement.

[regularguy]

I decided to get my O-A visa in the USA via the Thai Embassy in Washington DC by mail. It only took 1 week to get it approved and mailed back to me. Thanks for all the input.

I just have a follow-up question. On the visa under the No. of Entry it has M listed. I assume it means multiple entry.

I am planning my initial retirement trip to Thailand soon and plan on spending about four months to travel and determine where I want to live. I will then return to the US for two to three months in order to sell my home, car etc.

I will then come back to Thailand to live permanently. Do I need to do anything regarding my visa, contacting Thai immigration, paperwork. etc. so I can re-enter?

 

 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

During the one year of validity of your OA, you get stamp good for another year every time you enter..yes it is multi entry.  Good move getting it at Kalorama.  Did you get the State po!ice clearance or a local one?  

[gk10002000]

3 hours ago, regularguy said:

I decided to get my O-A visa in the USA via the Thai Embassy in Washington DC by mail. It only took 1 week to get it approved and mailed back to me. Thanks for all the input.

I just have a follow-up question. On the visa under the No. of Entry it has M listed. I assume it means multiple entry.

I am planning my initial retirement trip to Thailand soon and plan on spending about four months to travel and determine where I want to live. I will then return to the US for two to three months in order to sell my home, car etc.

I will then come back to Thailand to live permanently. Do I need to do anything regarding my visa, contacting Thai immigration, paperwork. etc. so I can re-enter?

 

 

Just a note, next year when going for an extension you again will have to show funds on deposit IN Thailand or do the income verification method.  Mentioning it because I believe some people use the cash method in the USA account when getting the visa in the USA, but those funds won't work next year when in Thailand because the funds have to be in a Thai bank

[regularguy]

22 hours ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

During the one year of validity of your OA, you get stamp good for another year every time you enter..yes it is multi entry.  Good move getting it at Kalorama.  Did you get the State po!ice clearance or a local one?  

I got the criminal background check from the state. I had to request it by mail so that I could get a certified/notarized form. The application instructions stated it needed to be certified original from the state or FBI and I couldn't print it from an online source. I originally went to the county sheriff's office but they only do a local search.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

Yeah, they have made that harder...I found a clinic that does the medical form for 55 USD...I thought that was going to potentially be several hundred.  

[Kim1950]

On 6/23/2017 at 8:29 PM, ubonjoe said:

In the states they would not ask for proof of fund to get a non-o visa. To get a multiple entry non-o in Penang for example they would accept both.

To apply for an extension at immigration it is 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months or proof of 40k baht income. No combination allowed.

Seems I can't find a this 90 day single entry non-o visa for being 50 or retirement being offered in the US. One's for volunteering or journalism. Then those visas begin once they are issued. Then you would have 30 days to season any necessary money for 60 days to then apply for an extension that's a tight scheduling window for  committing to airfare, travel, and preparation. I have read some Thai Banks have offices in the US. Could you set this up in advance of travel?

[ubonjoe]

19 minutes ago, Kim1950 said:

Seems I can't find a this 90 day single entry non-o visa for being 50 or retirement being offered in the US.

Contact a honorary consulate. They will do one. Info here: http://thaiembdc.org/royal-thai-honorary-consulates-general-in-the-u-s/

Try contacting the consulate in Portland. They have been reported as doing them by mail.

[Kim1950]

46 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Contact a honorary consulate. They will do one. Info here: http://thaiembdc.org/royal-thai-honorary-consulates-general-in-the-u-s/

Try contacting the consulate in Portland. They have been reported as doing them by mail.

Thanks, I'll look. A person said he transferred money as needed from his US bank to the Bangkok Bank in NYC which was than available to him in Thailand. This saved on costs on wire transfers. So to be safe could I, if needed, season money with this transfer without ever being in Thailand. Then I am not crammed to work this within 30 days. I do have SS and a military disability which could cover things, but I would like a safty cushion.

 

 

[Tanoshi]

You can transfer money through the Bangkok bank branch in NYC to an account in Thailand.

You need a Thai Bangkok bank account first to do this.

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/TransferingFunds/TransferringIntoThailand/ReceivingFundsfromUSA/Pages/ReceivingFundsfromUSA.aspx 

Edited August 3, 2017 by Tanoshi

[Kim1950]

46 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

You can transfer money through the Bangkok bank branch in NYC to an account in Thailand.

You need a Thai Bangkok bank account first to do this.

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/TransferingFunds/TransferringIntoThailand/ReceivingFundsfromUSA/Pages/ReceivingFundsfromUSA.aspx 

I am assuming I can setup the account in the US. Then wire money into the account. Then if I am in Thailand I have access to the account and also have money being seasoned in the same account for Visa Requirements. Maybe not. Though that would be a good service.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Kim1950