400,000 baht for marriage visa

[The Snark]

Disturbing news. This is somewhat conjecture, based on some facts picked up yesterday at Chiang Mai Imm.

Nationals from the US, Canada, G.B. and Aus appear to be targeted. Certifications of income from those governments is no longer accepted. Even social security statements are not acceptable. Direct deposit transfers into a Thai bank account with restricted access are (the) acceptable proof of income if from those countries. This rule regarding income validation was implemented in June or July this year. Method of deposit of money into your bank account is being closely scrutinized. Direct deposited is preferred. My copies of bank deposit records got the yellow highlighter treatment.

Your entire history in Thailand is being scrutinized. My passports were examined and photocopied back to year 2000.

So they have eliminated much of the source of incomes as means to meet extension requirements.

 

Conjecture: They wish to eliminate most expats from those four countries. They will probably be moving to eliminate the 400,000 baht tier. This is based upon these restrictions being applied to persons from those four more affluent countries. Many other foreign nationals are not similarly restricted.

[jacko45k]

11 hours ago, jesimps said:

plus they didn't ask to see bank book when I returned for stamp after sending for approval to Bangkok, so if I'd wanted, I could've spent the 400k straight after the interview.

You can spend the money. It is only a retirement extensions where the money needs to be kept, 800k for 3 months then 400k. 

[sead]

21 hours ago, whopper said:

The IO at chiang mai immigration said the 400000 has to come from abroad yesterday. Now I am really confused .   

Yes, why did you have to ask.....

[Gweiloman]

Disturbing news. This is somewhat conjecture, based on some facts picked up yesterday at Chiang Mai Imm.
Nationals from the US, Canada, G.B. and Aus appear to be targeted. Certifications of income from those governments is no longer accepted. Even social security statements are not acceptable. Direct deposit transfers into a Thai bank account with restricted access are (the) acceptable proof of income if from those countries. This rule regarding income validation was implemented in June or July this year. Method of deposit of money into your bank account is being closely scrutinized. Direct deposited is preferred. My copies of bank deposit records got the yellow highlighter treatment.
Your entire history in Thailand is being scrutinized. My passports were examined and photocopied back to year 2000.
So they have eliminated much of the source of incomes as means to meet extension requirements.
 
Conjecture: They wish to eliminate most expats from those four countries. They will probably be moving to eliminate the 400,000 baht tier. This is based upon these restrictions being applied to persons from those four more affluent countries. Many other foreign nationals are not similarly restricted.

When you say the 400k tier, do you mean the marriage extension? How would they be able to do this only for the 4 countries whilst keeping it available for other nationalities?


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[The Snark]

2 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

When you say the 400k tier, do you mean the marriage extension? How would they be able to do this only for the 4 countries whilst keeping it available for other nationalities?


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Would apply for everyone. But C.M. Imm is especially hard nosed about expats right now. They don't speak for the entire Imm.

 

[Neeranam]

On 10/17/2019 at 5:45 AM, puchooay said:

The actual official time for extension based on having a child is zero. Only need to show 400k on the day of application.

Well the information immigration told me had actually  cost me a lot of money.

They said 14 days before and come back around a certain date, then keep it in for a month.

[BKKrichard]

20 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Well the information immigration told me had actually  cost me a lot of money.

They said 14 days before and come back around a certain date, then keep it in for a month.

Have the same at CW
400K 2 months in advance
1 months after application extension 

[SteveK]

On 10/16/2019 at 6:35 AM, elviajero said:

they will not ask or check where it came from.

This is not right. I applied for my first marriage extension recently. My wife was questioned by 2 immigration officers about how I obtained the money in my Thai bank account. I have deposited about 3 times from 2 different accounts in the UK and they asked about those deposits.

[Skallywag]

On 10/16/2019 at 3:48 AM, Blue bruce said:

can I take the 400,000 and deposit it into my Thai bank account and use it for my Marriage extension or must i send it out of the country and send it back into Thailand.

Is this your first extension base on marriage?  Have seen that a house blue book/yellow book is needed, but assume if you rent a house/ apartment after the one you are in is sold, that works also

There are requirements other than just the 400,000 baht is all am saying as you may already know.  

 

 

- TM 7 Application.

- 1 Photo (4 x 6 cm).

- Copy of passport, main page, visa, TM 6 arrival / departure card.

- Copy of marriage certificate.

- Copy of Kor Ror 2 (long tabien) from Amphur office.

- Copy of house registration (blue book / tabien baan).

- Copy of wifes ID card.

- Letter from bank to prove 400,000 Baht in bank for at least 3 months.

- Map location of house, hand drawn. 

- Photo's of marriage / at house / in front of house and so on

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

This is not right. I applied for my first marriage extension recently. My wife was questioned by 2 immigration officers about how I obtained the money in my Thai bank account. I have deposited about 3 times from 2 different accounts in the UK and they asked about those deposits.

What annoys me is why they question my wife, and not me.

I sold some gold and bitcoin.

[ubonjoe]

26 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

What annoys me is why they question my wife, and not me.

It is on the standard statement she has to complete that is in Thai. It is a general question about the source of your money.

After completed you both have to sign it.

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

This is not right. I applied for my first marriage extension recently. My wife was questioned by 2 immigration officers about how I obtained the money in my Thai bank account. I have deposited about 3 times from 2 different accounts in the UK and they asked about those deposits.

I should of included your post in the one I already did. 

It is not a requirement to prove the the money came from outside the country.

 

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

It is on the standard statement she has to complete that is in Thai. It is a general question about the source of your money.

After completed you both have to sign it.

 

[dzodun]

Thanks!

So what happened to the rule that one could have a pension that added up to more than 400,000 baht per year for a visa based on marriage to a Thai?

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[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, dzodun said:

So what happened to the rule that one could have a pension that added up to more than 400,000 baht per year for a visa based on marriage to a Thai?

You can do the extension by proving a monthly income of 40k baht.

If using transfers for the proof you need to have proof they came from abroad.

[fvw53]

On 10/16/2019 at 10:11 AM, ubonjoe said:

Only at 1 or 2 rogue offices that wanted it in the bank for 3 months since the were using the old rules for retirement extensions.

Not sure they are still doing that or not since it is now since is now 2 months for them as well.

 Can Ubonjoe confirm that I/O will not ask for origin of 400.000 THB as long as it is in my account 2 months before the application day / I could do the same in stead of the annoying and expensive monthly transfer from abroad I am doing now.

[Peter Denis]

8 minutes ago, fvw53 said:

 Can Ubonjoe confirm that I/O will not ask for origin of 400.000 THB as long as it is in my account 2 months before the application day / I could do the same in stead of the annoying and expensive monthly transfer from abroad I am doing now.

When using the +400K Funds-in-Bank method it is NOT required to provide evidence of the foreign origins or the source of those funds, when applying for a 1-year extension of stay.

[fishtank]

2 hours ago, fvw53 said:

 Can Ubonjoe confirm that I/O will not ask for origin of 400.000 THB as long as it is in my account 2 months before the application day / I could do the same in stead of the annoying and expensive monthly transfer from abroad I am doing now.

No need to show source of cash.

[overherebc]

My belief was if married extension was applied for there is no need to show the source of the 400,000 lump sum.

If a retirement extension was applied for the 800,000 lump sum must come from overseas for the first application only. Any further retirement extension can use that same 800,000 if it remains in the bank untouched all year.

[Peter Denis]

4 minutes ago, overherebc said:

My belief was if married extension was applied for there is no need to show the source of the 400,000 lump sum.

If a retirement extension was applied for the 800,000 lump sum must come from overseas for the first application only. Any further retirement extension can use that same 800,000 if it remains in the bank untouched all year.

That's fully correct.

And the REASON your local IO requires you to provide evidence of the foreign origins (and source) of the funds when using the Monthly Income Transfer method is quite logical.

As you only need to provide evidence that the funds arrived once a month on your Thai bank-account, you could easily 'carrousel' the funds back and forth from a 2nd account (hence the foreign origin requirement).  And the reason that IO sometimes also requires you to provide evidence of the SOURCE of those monthly transfers from abroad, is similar as you could do an international 'carrousel' of the same amount without you having regular monthly income.

When using the Funds-in-Bank method the funds need to be parked on your personal Thai bank-account for the required time, so there is no need for IO to require evidence of the foreign origin or the source of the 'initial transfer'.  The only exception being when applying for the Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.  In that case the foreign origins of that very first transfer of 800K needs to be proven (but proving the source of those funds is not required as that is irrelevant).

 

[ubonjoe]

58 minutes ago, overherebc said:

If a retirement extension was applied for the 800,000 lump sum must come from overseas for the first application only.

For the first extension it is not required. It is only required when applying for a 90 day non-o visa entry at immigration primarily due to there is no requirement for it to be in the bank for any amount of time when the application is done.

[RubbaJohnny]

So if I switch to immigration from marriage in the future I will need to transfer 8ook on deposit here out of Thailand first , then send it back in again?, or take the cash for day trip once border bounce possible again?

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, RubbaJohnny said:

So if I switch to immigration from marriage in the future I will need to transfer 8ook on deposit here out of Thailand first , then send it back in again?, or take the cash for day trip once border bounce possible again?

No you don't. There is no rule that states you have to prove where it came from for a extension of stay application.

[Mai mee]

36 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

For the first extension it is not required. It is only required when applying for a 90 day non-o visa entry at immigration primarily due to there is no requirement for it to be in the bank for any amount of time when the application is done.

OK, so now I'm getting confused here... I'm planning to move to Thailand permanently, and hoping to arrive back in Thailand within the next month or so. I was vacillating between trying to get a non-o (retirement) single entry 90 day in the States, (which seems possible now, but it wasn't before) and entering on that, OR, getting a SETV and applying for a non-o (retirement) at immigration in Phuket and getting a one year extension on that visa based on dumping a million or so baht into my Bangkok Bank savings account and just leaving 800K+ in there at all times for as long as I want to stay in the Kingdom (this seems to be the most foolproof system?) After that just transfer over whatever I need for day to day expenses, as I need it..  (I own a condo in Phuket in a Thai company if it makes any difference).

 

I have been planning on transferring the funds before I depart the States, but I need to be very sure they show clearly as having originated abroad. Am I understanding correctly that it will be at immigration when applying for the non-o visa (not the 1 year extension of stay for purposes of retirement) that the source of the funds will come under scrutiny? Also is it generally accepted that Transferwise is the best way to transfer those funds from my US account to my Bangkok Bank account to assure that those funds register as clearly coming from abroad?

 

Thanks,

Gordo

[ubonjoe]

19 minutes ago, Mai mee said:

I was vacillating between trying to get a non-o (retirement) single entry 90 day in the States, (which seems possible now, but it wasn't before) and entering on that, OR, getting a SETV and applying for a non-o (retirement) at immigration in Phuket

Getting a non-o visa for retirement is an option that is shown on the embassy website but you will have to have the 40/400 baht medical insurance valid for at least 90 days to do the application. It is the same insurance required to apply for OA long stay visa.

Getting a single entry tourist visa or now you can also get a certificate of entry and do a visa exempt entry is a good way to avoid the insurance requirement. The visa exempt entry would be good in your case since you will be ready to do the application shortly after leaving the 14 day quarantine.

 

19 minutes ago, Mai mee said:

I have been planning on transferring the funds before I depart the States, but I need to be very sure they show clearly as having originated abroad. Am I understanding correctly that it will be at immigration when applying for the non-o visa (not the 1 year extension of stay for purposes of retirement) that the source of the funds will come under scrutiny? Also is it generally accepted that Transferwise is the best way to transfer those funds from my US account to my Bangkok Bank account to assure that those funds register as clearly coming from abroad?

You will need to show proof the 800k baht was transferred from abroad.

Since you have a Bangkok Bank account transferwise is good option since the transfer will be shown as foreign transfer in you bank book and on a bank statement. You though need to be sure and select the reason for the transfer as being needed for immigration purposes. That is the last option on the dropdown menu for the reason when you do the transfer,

[Mai mee]

???? Thanks Joe, so assuming I get the money into my Thai bank before I leave, would it be fair to describe the rest of the process at immigration to pretty much a sure thing?

[ubonjoe]

22 minutes ago, Mai mee said:

Thanks Joe, so assuming I get the money into my Thai bank before I leave, would it be fair to describe the rest of the process at immigration to pretty much a sure thing?

That is correct. 

[Mai mee]

awesome, many thanks

[jacko45k]

7 hours ago, overherebc said:

If a retirement extension was applied for the 800,000 lump sum must come from overseas for the first application only.

Not completely exact. It is only required for a conversion of an exempt or TR Entry to that of a non-O based on retirement. For the actual 12 month extension (first on that entry), based on retirement, simply 2 months seasoned in a Thai bank.

[overherebc]

20 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Not completely exact. It is only required for a conversion of an exempt or TR Entry to that of a non-O based on retirement. For the actual 12 month extension (first on that entry), based on retirement, simply 2 months seasoned in a Thai bank.

Wasn't posting about TR entry or a Non O.

My local office wants to see the 800,000 has come from overseas when you apply for a 'first' 12 month retirement extension. It could be 65,000 a month income as well.

They decide on the source, not the applicant.

And, as I said, 'if' you choose to leave the 800,000 in your bank all year they will accept that on your second year application. I didn't say you 'had' to leave it all year.

[Peter Denis]

9 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Wasn't posting about TR entry or a Non O.

My local office wants to see the 800,000 has come from overseas when you apply for a 'first' 12 month retirement extension. It could be 65,000 a month income as well.

They decide on the source, not the applicant.

In that case you are dealing with a rogue IO.  As there is NO requirement that you need to prove the +800.000 THB are from foreign origins WHEN APPLYING FOR A 1-YEAR EXTENSION based on your original Non Imm O Visa.

When using the +800K Funds-in-Bank method you only need to prove the foreign origins of those funds when you apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa.  As you need to prove the foreign origins at Visa application, it is quite logical that you do not need to prove that again when applying for 1-year extensions of that original Non Imm O Visa.