Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

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whitedesire
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Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by whitedesire »

All this sounds a bit convoluted to me.

If you are a newbie, I suspect you cant get a retirement visa with just the 65k per month as you wouldn't have 12 months of sending it.

Secondly, does this 65k per month have to be from government pensions or state pensions or can it just be from a bank account.

I won't ask any more questions just yet. 2 is enuf.
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Gaybutton
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Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by Gaybutton »

whitedesire wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 7:48 am does this 65k per month have to be from government pensions or state pensions or can it just be from a bank account.
As long as you can prove that at least 65,000 baht was deposited into your Thai bank account from abroad for 12 consecutive months, they don't care what the source of the money is.

I don't know how that works now for first time retirement visa applicants, but however it works, if it were me I would be trying to get the retirement visa within Thailand rather than from your home country. That way you would have the "O" visa instead of the "O-A".
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2lz2p
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Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by 2lz2p »

whitedesire wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 7:48 am All this sounds a bit convoluted to me.

If you are a newbie, I suspect you cant get a retirement visa with just the 65k per month as you wouldn't have 12 months of sending it.

Secondly, does this 65k per month have to be from government pensions or state pensions or can it just be from a bank account.

I won't ask any more questions just yet. 2 is enuf.
The Pattaya City Expats Club's website shows the following is required by Pattaya Immigration (https://pcec.club/Chonburi-Immigration):
Holders of passports from the United Kingdom, United States of America, and Australia, are required to prove they have the equivalent of at least 65,000 baht in monthly income.

Immigration rule requires the applicant show they have transferred at least the equivalent of 65,000 baht into their Thai bank account, as follows:

Funds must be from a foreign source
Fund must be transferred in each and every month as follows (no averaging):
First time application for extension, period should for 2 or 3 month before application for extension.
Renewal of extension, period is required to be for the 12 months preceding the application for extension.
As to evidence of source, their website shows:
Photocopy of document showing source of income (e.g., Statement of Pension amount from source not over 6 months old may be asked for by the Immigration Officer)
Up2u

Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by Up2u »

"As to evidence of source, their website shows:

Photocopy of document showing source of income (e.g., Statement of Pension amount from source not over 6 months old may be asked for by the Immigration Officer)"

In the old days, when Americans could use the affidavit of income from our Embassy, I always brought documentation with me (tax returns, pension letters, SS statements, etc.) although I was never asked for it. When I visited immigration, my pension letter and SS statement was part of the document package noted and accepted by reviewing immigration official.
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Gaybutton
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Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by Gaybutton »

I did my extension today. I decided to stick with the 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account method this time around. Maybe I'm too paranoid, but I just don't trust that immigration rules won't change yet again due to the Covid crisis. I decided against going with the 65,000 baht per month method and just keeping the 800,000 baht in the account anyway. I didn't want to chance the temptation to spend it until I am quite certain Thailand won't change the rules. I've lived with it this long, so I'll just have to live with it one more time. We'll see how it goes next year - if I'm still alive. I'm not getting any younger.

If you choose the 800,000 baht method, they still give the form requiring you to go again 3 months later with your updated bank passbook to prove you still have at least 800,000 baht in the account and never went below 800,000 baht.

You know something? I have no idea what happens if you do let your account fall below 800,000 before the 3 months is up. And I don't want to find out the hard way.

I made an appointment with immigration using the QueQ app. Making the appointment was quite simple. You choose the date and time you want and choose from a dropdown list of reasons for the appointment. "Retirement Visa" was one of the choices. Once you've done that, you click on the "submit" icon and that's all there is to it.

Then something a little strange (but strange is not exactly something new in Thailand) happened. A few days before the appointment date reminders started coming in asking that you go back to the app on the appointed date and confirm the appointment. There will be an icon to click to make the confirmation. Only one minor problem. It doesn't work. I must have tried 20 times before I finally gave up. Instead of confirming, a message kept popping up saying you can't confirm.

Oh well, I went to immigration at the appointed time anyway. You know that crowded long line outside filled with people waiting their turn to go in? You know how many people were in that line today? None. Zero.

I just walked right up to the door. An attendant came out. I was going to show her that I had made an appointment, but the app wouldn't let me confirm. She knew that already. She said that part of the app isn't working, but no problem. They have my appointment on record from the app and were expecting me. She sent me in and they already had my appointment form filled out from their end and knew I was there for the retirement visa. They handed me the form and sent me right to the retirement visa desk.

Immigration was as empty as I have ever seen it. There weren't more than 20 people inside doing whatever they had gone to immigration to do. There were no foreigners at all at the retirement visa desk and they took me immediately. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. It took me much longer at the bank getting the "letter for immigration" than anything else.

I learned something. from now on any time I have to go to immigration, I'll be using the QueQ app.

Totally quick and painless this year. And there have been times in the past when it took over an hour and a half just waiting for my turn.
Jun

Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by Jun »

Gaybutton wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 3:48 pm I made an appointment with immigration using the QueQ app.
1 Is the QueQ app for ALL immigration appointments, including tourist extensions ?

2 If you are not lucky enough to get an attendant coming out, how do you know your turn is up ? Does it provide a queue number on the board ?
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Gaybutton
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Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

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Jun wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 6:45 pm 1 Is the QueQ app for ALL immigration appointments, including tourist extensions ?
ANSWER: Among the appointment types there are two possible choices. One choice is "Tourist Visa". Another choice is "Other". If it were me, I'd choose "Other" since you're not applying for a new visa. You're only trying to extend the one you already have.

2 If you are not lucky enough to get an attendant coming out, how do you know your turn is up ? Does it provide a queue number on the board ?
ANSWER: There is always an attendant at the entrance door. The only reason the attendant was standing inside the door, rather than outside when I arrived and was the only person trying to enter, was most likely because today was so hot it felt like a million degrees outside and the inside is air conditioned.


Johnny Carson: "It was so hot today . . ."
Entire audience calling out: "How hot was it?"
Johnny Carson: "It was so hot today the trees thanked the dogs."

(Don't ask me why I remember that.)
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Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by 2lz2p »

I did my renewal this past Thursday - no changes from my original post starting this thread.

This year, I decided to get my bank letter re transfers (I use the 65k monthly income method) from the Bangkok Bank customer service counter at Tesco Lotus South. This was on Tuesday the preceding week as they need at least a week to obtain the information from their Bangkok HQ.

Arriving at the customer service counter around 11am, there was no one waiting. I explained what I needed and showed the "sample letter" that Jomtien Immigration gave me 2 years ago. The rep completed some forms, copied my passport, took my phone number, and collected 200 baht and told me to come back the following week. On the following Tuesday, my partner did some shopping at Lotus and stopped by the bank to inquire if it was ready. They said yes, but it was late in the day, so I went in on Wednesday last week to pick up the letter. This time there were a couple of people ahead of me.

But, instead of the letter, they gave me bank statements covering the previous year. I explained that Immigration would not accept statements as they wanted the letter and I again showed her the sample letter (2 years ago when I did my first renewal without an Embassy letter, I did get bank statements but they were not accepted and I had to get the bank letter listing the transfers).

They prepared the letter using the bank statements, but it took them about an hour to do so as they were handling other customers that came in. I also had them provide the bank letter verifying my account information and current balance - this is the same letter required of those using the 800k in the bank method which is also required an must be dated on the date of renewal application or the day before if you go in before the banks open. There was a 100 baht fee for each of the two letters.

With both bank letters in hand I went to Immigration about 8:20am as I needed to get a photo from the shop next door (50 baht for one). There was a line of about 20 people ahead of me (I had made an online Queue appointment for 9am that morning and planned to use it if needed). When the doors opened at 8:30 am, the line moved fast and I was at the information counter about 8:35am. None of the people in line ahead of me were there for a retirement extension, so I didn't mention my 9am appointment as my Queue number from the information counter was #1 for the retirement desk.

I went to the desk and was immediately processed, which took about 5 minutes as the Immigration Officer went through the documents highlighting with a yellow marker various items on the documents including each monthly transfer of 65k+ (I had other transfers that were also listed). He then gave me the usual 2 documents to sign (acknowledging (1) the penalties for overstay and (2) that I had to report any change that affected my qualification for the extension). Payment of the 1,900 baht fee and I was finished. It was still before my online appointment time so I went back online and canceled the 9am appointment. There was no change in the documents required from last year, those being:

 TM.7 Application for Extension of Stay

 Photograph

 Original –Passport

 Photo Copy of passport - Identification page, Non-Immigrant Visa, All Extensions of Stay stamps, and Latest entry into Thailand stamp (in my case, for the Visa it was the stamp showing I had originally entered on a category O Visa as I have renewed my passport a couple of times)

 Photo Copy of TM.6 Departure Card

 Original Bank Passbook showing transactions for 12 months preceding the date of application - in my case, I had not regularly updated it so it did not show all transactions** - also it needs to show a transaction on the day of application (done at the Bangkok Bank branch close to Immigration - withdrawal from ATM and then an update to the passbook to show the transaction)

 Photo Copy of Bank Passbook(s) pages including identity page, transactions for the previous year, and the ending page with the balance agreeing with that shown on the Bank letter verifying the account.

 Original –Bank Letter verifying Account

 Original -Bank Letter showing transfers from source outside of Thailand for the 12 months prior to the application date

 Copy of document showing source of income - in my case a downloaded document from my pensions provider

 Copy of Lease with copy of landlord's ID card and House Book.

 Extension Fee –1,900

** The Bangkok Bank customer service representative when I first visited indicated that they could have provided the letter using the passbook if it had been updated regularly to show all transactions for the year - that would have saved the 200 baht fee and one week wait. So I will try to remember to do that for this coming year.

As usual, I was given a "claim check" and told to pick up my passport the next day (Friday) after 2pm. I arrived on Friday about 2:30pm and there was a line of about 10 people which I bypassed holding up my "claim check" and saying "I'm picking up my passport" so they would know I wasn't cutting into the line. On entry, I went to desk 8 and picked up my passport and checked the stamp -- all okay, good for another year.

Since it was also time for my 90 day address report I then went to the counter to get a queue number (by that time, there was no longer a line) which was #200 - at desk 4 they were on #184. It went fast, but there were a couple ahead of me that had to pay fines for being late. So, it was about 3pm when had my new report receipt and on my way home.
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Gaybutton
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Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by Gaybutton »

2lz2p wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:58 pm I explained what I needed and showed the "sample letter"
I, for one, have no idea what that "sample letter" looks like or what is in it. Can you post a copy of it for us?
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Re: Another Year - Retirement Extension Approved

Post by Gaybutton »

2lz2p wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:24 am Here is a copy of the one I rec'd for this year's renewal
Thank you very much. It looks simple enough. Apparently as long as you keep your passbook updated, getting the letter is not difficult. I've already done my extension this year, so I'm stuck with the 800,000 baht until next year, but when I next go in to extend the visa (I said extend the visa, not renew it. That way bkkguy won't get upset.) I'll try to get approved using the 65,000 baht method and hopefully be able to free up that 800,000 baht just sitting there in a Thai bank account.
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