Back to Square One on Retirement Extension

[JJBloke]

Hi, my extension is till Nov 7th, so the 800k has to be there from August 7th. I will have money coming in but it won't be till after Aug 7th so I'll have to void my extension and start again. Thinking of a little trip to Myanmar in November then back in on a 30 day stamp then start the process again.

 

1. Is it correct that I will first get a 90 Day Non-O on the day I get the conversion and then go back near the end of that for the full year? (Can't remember)

2. If that's right, do the funds only need to be there on the day of extension application and can 'season' during that 90 days ? (only 2 months required initially I know)

3. For the conversion, is it minimum 15 days or 21 that need to be remaining on the 30 Day stamp?

4. My main question: The amount transferred from abroad will be enough to top up my funds in the bank already, probably I'll transfer about 500k. Will I need to verify a second time that the amount already in my account came from abroad, which it did, about 2 years ago, or could that be inferred by the fact that I've had a retirement extension recently? Is there any difficulty getting a proof from K Bank from so long ago if that's what I need to do?

 

Thanks in advance for considering q's 1-4,

 

JJB

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, JJBloke said:

4. My main question: The amount transferred from abroad will be enough to top up my funds in the bank already, probably I'll transfer about 500k. Will I need to verify a second time that the amount already in my account came from abroad, which it did, about 2 years ago, or could that be inferred by the fact that I've had a retirement extension recently? Is there any difficulty getting a proof from K Bank from so long ago if that's what I need to do?

Not aware that the funds have to be proven to have originated from overseas, just that the minimum 800 k baht has the required 90-day seasoning. Since you are starting over, the same should apply for the 60-day seasoning.

 

Better to name the Immigration office you will be using as it gets specific answers, including any issues with the local branches of K Bank with regard to letters, etc..

[buick]

1.  yes, you convert your visa exempt to the 90 day non imm O.  you apply, wait about two weeks then return to get the non imm O stamp in passport.  although the 90 days will begin from the date of your application (not the day the stamp is put in the passport).  then you extend before expiration of the non imm O.

 

3.  you need to have at least 15 days left on your entry (as noted above, it takes about two weeks to complete the conversion).  when i did the conversion from visa exempt entry, i went to immigration with 25 days remaining just in case i had some problem and needed more time to provide another document of some sort.

 

i can't help with the money 'seasoning', it continues to confuse me so i won't attempt an answer on that one.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

2 hours ago, JJBloke said:

Hi, my extension is till Nov 7th, so the 800k has to be there from August 7th. I will have money coming in but it won't be till after Aug 7th so I'll have to void my extension and start again. Thinking of a little trip to Myanmar in November then back in on a 30 day stamp then start the process again.

Do you have any income you could prove to combine with the money you have in the bank now to reach a total of 800k baht. That would be a solution to your problem.

 

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, JJBloke said:

Hi, my extension is till Nov 7th, so the 800k has to be there from August 7th. I will have money coming in but it won't be till after Aug 7th so I'll have to void my extension and start again. Thinking of a little trip to Myanmar in November then back in on a 30 day stamp then start the process again.

The difficulty of conversions vary by immigration-office. 

 

I am not sure what the policies of the Yangon Thai Embassy are with regard to obtaining a Non-O 90-Day Visa based on retirement there - but if your 800K Baht will be in your account before you depart - or if you have proof from a foreign-account showing an equivalent amount - it would be easier to re-start the process to a 1-year Retirement Extension with that Visa. 

Given there are not long-queues at the Yangon Thai Embassy, it would not be a great sacrifice of the trip to take your proof-of-income and try it - assuming you plan to be in Yangon during at least 1 day that the Thai-Embassy is open.

 

Hopefully someone with more knowledge of the Yangon Thai-Embassy's policies can let us know their specific requirements for this type of visa (health-check?  police-report? proof-of-retirement-status?).  As with everything in this arena, policies vary at each office/consulate/embassy.

[ELVIS123456]

31 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Do you have any income you could prove to combine with the money you have in the bank now to reach a total of 800k baht. That would be a solution to your problem.

 

Annual Income (proof of):  In my case, this meant getting a Stat Dec signed and stamped by my Embassy in Bangkok, which stated that I earned an amount PA (in my currency) - this was of course over the required amount  (800K Baht). Plus I provided a bank statement of what was in the Account.  I didnt have any 'proof' but the Stat Dec letter and about 300K in the bank.  

Can you get to your Embassy in Bangkok and get a Stat Dec signed and stamped?  If Thai Immi no longer accept an income Stat Dec letter, will someone please advise so.

 

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, ELVIS123456 said:

Annual Income (proof of):  In my case, this meant getting a Stat Dec signed and stamped by my Embassy in Bangkok, which stated that I earned an amount PA (in my currency) - this was of course over the required amount  (800K Baht). Plus I provided a bank statement of what was in the Account.  I didnt have any 'proof' but the Stat Dec letter and about 300K in the bank.  

Can you get to your Embassy in Bangkok and get a Stat Dec signed and stamped?  If Thai Immi no longer accept an income Stat Dec letter, will someone please advise so.

 

They still accept them.  A very few offices want an MFA cert in addition to the Embassy cert.  At least one (Jomtien) wants the MFA cert only for conversions to Non-O, but not for annual extensions.  At any IO's discretion, they may ask for additional proof of your income.

[YetAnother]

4 hours ago, JackThompson said:

proof-of-retirement-status?

this always confused me; BBank asked me for my letter of retirement (USA); i tried to explain to her that the USA has no such thing; you are retired when you say you are; there are no petitions,forms,approvals,letters

[JJBloke]

OP here again. Brit who lives near CW, so easier to get things done there. I quite fancy a trip with no Embassy visit, possibly Mandalay, so not to go back to the old visa run days!

 

Thanks for all replies, thanks Joe, but no income to combine with.

 

So the seasoning can begin after the conversion, i.e. happen during the initial 90 Day Non O?  i.e. on conversion you just have to show that the funds are there, but see below about source of funds.

 

I do understand that, when beginning, the funds are supposed to be verified coming from overseas, I did have to do that before, and have seen some posts here about some offices being very fussy about that.

So I have wondered about when people get into this position and whether the history of the funds has to be dug up again . Some people void the extension by mistake for various reasons, not necessarily going below the 800k.

 

Thanks all

 

 

 

 

[JackThompson]

39 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

this always confused me; BBank asked me for my letter of retirement (USA); i tried to explain to her that the USA has no such thing; you are retired when you say you are; there are no petitions,forms,approvals,letters

If I am not mistaken, any proof of regular income works, including an 'income letter' from one's embassy.  Bummer to have to get that, when you have the money in the bank meeting the full-amount.  But the OP isn't going to Savanakhet or Yangon (who may not need it anyway), so ...

 

41 minutes ago, JJBloke said:

Brit who lives near CW, so easier to get things done there.

Awesome.  In that case, yes, conversion is more straightforward (by the book).  But, CW used to (maybe still do) require showing the money came from outside the country For Conversions, which is one reason some folks went to nearby consulates for their initial Non-O, even when they could use CW.   For Non-O 90-days based on retirement at consulates - the money does not even have to be in a Thai bank.

I'm sure UJ will be along to set the record-straight on whether '500K verified from outside' of the total 800K is enough to meet the bar.

[Artisi]

How long after 7th August, 1 day, 1 month? 

 

[buick]

when i did the conversion at CW, the majority of my funds were in a US dollar account at bangkok bank.  i didn't have to provide anything proving the funds came from outside thailand (i assume because of the USD account and/or some coding in the bank book).

 

however, there was another TV member that did the conversion not long after me.  he had all the money in baht at bangkok bank.  as i recall, he had a bank letter certifying the balance but had to go to bangkok bank at CW and get a second letter related to the overseas part (the IO sent him down there due to incomplete package).

 

so you may have to go to the Kbank branch at CW as they've probably done these 'funds from overseas' letters more often than other branches.  when i asked about that type of letter at bangkok bank on silom rd, they had no idea what i was talking about (and turned out i didn't need it anyway).

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

If I am not mistaken, any proof of regular income works, including an 'income letter' from one's embassy.  Bummer to have to get that, when you have the money in the bank meeting the full-amount

i understand; i guess i am asking of logic of the 1979 immigration act on this; if i have 100,000,000 baht but no income, seems there is a bias against me; so the whole thing caves in; sure we all can currently go to our embassies and have them notarize a form whose numbers we made up, knowing they cant and wont check them, but why this step ? (Nothing Personal)

[JJBloke]

That's good info about getting the 90 day Non O at consulates outside Thailand, and didn't know that was on the menu at Sav'kht.

Especially good for US citizens who don't want to open a foreign account and have all the f**ca stuff.

Interesting that it's CW that has the rep for making a fuss about source. It would be nice to know what % of applicants they pull up on this.

Anyway I'm well informed now, a bit wiser,

Cheers team!