Wondering if anyone has recent experience of applying for a retirement extension at Chaengwattana, Bangkok, using the combination method?

 

That is using an annual income verification letter from an Embassy (UK in my case) combined with an amount in baht deposited in a Thai bank, so that the total adds up to 800,000B.

 

My question is this: I have read previously that officially when you use the combination method, the Thai bank deposit does not have to have been  in the account for a full 90 days before the application, unlike the case where you are just using an 800,000B deposit to apply, when it does.

 

I had planned to leave permanently before my current extension expires next February, but it looks as though I need to delay this departure for a few months. I am probably going to have to apply for another extension, but want to transfer as little money from the UK to here as possible, as I will be leaving as soon as I can in 2018.

 

It would help if I didn't have to transfer and season an amount (without being able to touch it for living expenses) three months before my extension application, but simply transfer exactly the right amount a week or so before I apply.

 

So can anyone confirm that at Chaengwattana they do not ask for bank deposits used as part of the combination methods to be seasoned?

I don't want to risk it if not, and will just transfer three months early.

 

Thanks for any recent information!

 

 

It has been a while since I have seen a report about it but at that time they were wanted it to be in the bank for 3 months.

Thanks, ubonjoe.

 

I have now also found a thread about Chonburi where it was also reported that seasoning, even for the combination method, apparently began to be required at Chaengwattana as well in 2014

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/862696-chonburi-immigration-extension/

 

So better safe than sorry, I'll season!

 

59 minutes ago, partington said:

So better safe than sorry, I'll season!

Thats the best plan. It is definitely required and the general rule at CW. They can (discretionary) waive the 3 months, but I'm told it's only when the amount in the bank needed to reach the 800K is small.

AFAIK, CW started requiring seasoning for combo retirement extension funds about two years back. There was quite a discussion on the change here at that time, since requiring seasoning hadn't been done previously at CW for combo method applications.

 

At that time, I went to do my annual retirement extension using the income method and just for contingency purposes, asked the officer I was talking to about what I'd need if I ever wanted to do the combo method, and showed her my bank book and bank statement letter I'd brought along. And her answer was to say that my funds hadn't been seasoned as required, which came as quite a shock.

 

About that same time, others who actually were trying to use the combo method for their applications started running into the same un-announced change at CW and posting on it here. So the sharing of experiences and confirmations pretty much confirmed that CW had made that change -- but never bothered to tell anyone until they started showing up with un-seasoned combo funds and were getting denied.