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Luckydog

You have to have 800000bht in the Bank here when you take or renew a Retirement Visa, but you can still use it between annual renewals I find.

I know that you are supposed to leave that amount in your account, but who knows if you do not?

Just as long as it has been in the bank for three months prior to your visit to Immigration it's ok..... imo.

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Lite Beer

You are allowed to use the money and top it up again next year.

stroller

Who says so?

This is the rule. And it has to come from abroad.

blackgang

It seems that Immig. is happier if you use that bank money for living expenses and then top it up with funds from abroad to show that you do actually import money for living expenses.
I have the required monthly income so just put some each month in my bank account and withdraw it during the month and add more next month and they just look at my passbook and smile and hand it back.

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Luckydog

I hear that you have to have a new letter from your Embassy confirming your State Pension each year now. Before I used the letter that was done for me two or three years ago......they cost about 1800bht. Which is too much IMO.

Oh my mate says that he thinks if you have the required 800000bht in the bank you don't need that letter. Is that so gents?

stroller

That's right.
One or the other, or a combination of money in the bank and monthly income.

blackgang

I used to have to have a new letter every year when doing my extension in BKK, but I have never had to have a new one every year in CM, so I continue to do it here, plus I have just moved back to CM.
And if you have a letter from your bank that you have the 800K then you would not need an embassy letter because you have the 800K in one chunk instead of monthly installments.
But if the Baht falls to shit again, like it and the Mex. Peso did then it will cost you a hell of a lot more than 1800 baht.

DrAndy

"Stroller" is familiar with the old peoples retirement stuff

You just need a bank letter confirming the amount

somchy

What I've been told: if you have the 800,000 in the bank you DON'T need to get a letter... if you don't have 800,000 in the bank and partially depend on income then you need a letter from your embassy verifying the income portion.

jandajoy

Weird.
I was talking to a bloke the other night. He'd got a retirement visa. Worried about making sure he had the same amount in the bank for his next visa.

WHY

Put the money in a decent fund 8% +. Go for a 1 year multi O. The interest covers the cost.

No worries.

The same guy said he had to pay 1000bht every time he left LOS.

I don't understand or see any advantages in the retirement set up.

Please let me know if I'm wrong.
Happy to be corrected

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Ivor Biggun

The whole thing's a bollix.

Bill Donnell

I have attained a retirement visa and have renewed it once. Will renew again in Oct. this year.

No money in bank is needed. Just go to the American Embassy in Bangkok and request the form to show income for a Thailand retirement visa.

The clerk will give you a form to fill out. The form asks you to state your annual income.

Write down any amount you want.

The clerk will ask you to swear if this is true.

Swear that it is true.

Take the form to Thai Immigration and it will be accepted as proof of income with no questions asked and you're home free.

blackgang

Thats right, and then it is up to the officer that is doing your visa if you need a bank account or not,
There is no cut and dried rules at Immigration, each officer and office is autonomous and can do as they wish, At BKK they said I needed a new letter every year and a bank account with 200k in it.
so I went back to BKK for my first renewal and after that I came to CM and I used that same letter for 6 years and I did maintain a bank acct, but never had over 50k in it, This year I did get a new letter tho, but had no trouble getting my renewal in less than an hour.
So it is impossible to say exactly what is going to happen or be required until after you have your renewal and are going down the road,, each and every person gets different treatment.

Norton

I found they may also ask for a bank statement showing the last three months activity.

HINO

They are the Immigration office. They have the discretion to ask any question they want or request any further documents they want to justify giving an individual what they are applying for. Its in their rule book written in Thai in the section that says when in doubt ask for more paperwork. They can accept the minimum but if the applicant is showing signs of sweat or anxiety they are required to ask more questions and get more proof.

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If you take the time to do the job right the first time you won't need to "find" the time to go back a second time

HINO

Luckydog

Just renewed my retirement visa for another year but at what cost?

Almost 5000bht between the Bank,British Embassy and Immigration......

Oh well!