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Can I deposit cash into my Thai bank account for my visa requirement, and what are the cash limits for carrying money into Thailand?

Cash DepositsThailand Visa RequirementsCarrying Cash in ThailandBank Account RegulationsNON-O VisaCash Declaration LimitsInternational Money TransferExpat Financial Considerations
Apr 26, 2024
7 months ago
Greta *****
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hypothetical question...

Let's say I have opened a bank account with an agent so there is not rush to deposit 800k.

Can I bring cash with me and deposit it in the account as baht? (Of course according to the conversion rate)?

What is the limit for carrying cash inside Thailand? Is it $10000?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The post poses a hypothetical scenario about depositing cash into a Thai bank account to meet visa requirements, specifically relating to the 800,000 baht rule for the Non-O visa. Community members discuss the necessity of transferring funds from abroad and clarify the limits on cash brought into Thailand. Generally, rules stipulate a maximum of $20,000 cash may be brought into Thailand with declaration, while cash exceeding $10,000 must be declared when leaving the USA. Discussions also emphasize that deposits must be verifiable as international transfers to meet immigration requirements.
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Henrik *****
You just have to declare the money, then you can bring any sum.

But for some visa purposes, it needs to be transfer through the right channals
7 months ago
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Russell *******
If you want the option of transferring your money back overseas, you need to show a international tranfer of your original funds. At least that's how I understand it.
7 months ago
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Donovan *********
Can’t travel with more than 10 thousand out of the US
7 months ago
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Mark **********
I believe international rules limit you to entering nearly any country with 10,000 or more in the local currency that must be reported. In the USA, law enforcement is allowed to confiscate any amount of your funds or property with no evidence or allegation of a crime, it's called asset forfeiture. To get your funds/property returned requires you to prove your funds/property came fro a reputable source so it is incorrect to assert under US criminal law "you are presumed innocent until proven guilty"
7 months ago
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Neale **********
Spend a few dollars and bank transfer it for your own security. You gotta be nuts to be carrying that much around.
7 months ago
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Julius *********
I tried this and half the money I tried to deposit was rejected because the notes had a defect.
7 months ago
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Kev *********
@Julius ********
 yes notes are rejected for any minor imperfection. A ball point pen tiny line for example. Also, I experienced, the larger the denomination the better the exchange rate.
7 months ago
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Kev *********
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Nongnuch ********
@Greta ****
 there is a fat chance that at the Superrich Head Office in Bangkok you will get the BEST currency exchange rate of the whole of Thailand. However when carrying a large sum of money out of the office and taking it to a bank, I would prefer to be in the company of two strong guys 🙂
7 months ago
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Steve **********
@Nongnuch *******
 Americans don't need. they all carry !
7 months ago
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Paul ********
@Nongnuch *******
 why would you carry that much money about when you can do a transfer?
7 months ago
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Paul ********
@Nongnuch *******
 that’s says foreign currency. That money sent from another country
7 months ago
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Nongnuch ********
@Paul *******
 this is just typical bad Immigration English. What they mean is that a foreign money transfer must have been made and that you need to prove it
7 months ago
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Paul ********
@Nongnuch *******
 TIT
7 months ago
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Paul ********
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Paul ********
@Nongnuch *******
 but her money needs to come in from a foreign country to qualify for a visa. Reading between the lines.
7 months ago
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Nongnuch ********
@Paul *******
 yes, but only when applying for a initial 90-days retirement Non-Imm-O Visa inside Thailand, proof of foreign origin is needed. Proof of origin is not needed when having entered with a Non-imm-O retirement visa and applying for the extension
7 months ago
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Nongnuch ********
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Nongnuch ********
@Paul *******
 well, for large sums, it used to pay off bringing them in cash. I used to work in the jewelry trade. I used to arrive with 50.000.- US Dollar in cash, and the wholesale jewelry company took care of exchanging them at the best rate one could get in Bangkok. They employed armed couriers. If had had transferred it through a bank, or even if there was a service like WISE, I would have lost around 1200.- US Dollars in fees and exchange rates, compared to a cash exchange
7 months ago
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Nongnuch ********
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Nongnuch ********
However BEWARE: Cash taking out of the USA has a limit, everything exceeding 10.000.- USD needs to be declared at the U.S. customs on the airport
7 months ago
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Nongnuch ********
you are allowed to bring UNLIMITED foreign currency into Thailand. You will need to declare cash money at the Thai customs at the airport if exceeding 15.000.- US Dollar. In case you need to prove that the money came from abroad, the receipt of your declaration you will receive from the Thai Customs Office, is a perfect proof
7 months ago
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Robert ********
@John *********
 unless you stay under the 180 day in a calendar year then technically you can bring all the money in you want and not have the Remittance tax on you
7 months ago
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John **********
@Robert *******
 true. But then why bother
7 months ago
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Robert ********
@John *********
 when you move there the following year Permanently I was
7 months ago
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Robert ********
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Durrant ********
You can bring as much cash as you want as long as you declare it with proof its yours
7 months ago
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John **********
It depends what you want to do with that money and assuming you declare it at both ends. If it's for an initial non-o visa inside Thailand some immigration offices require that the 800k shows in your bank as originating from overseas but for an extension of stay they do not. If all your doing is trying to get round thai tax regulations regarding remitted income I think you will fail.
7 months ago
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Leonard *********
@John *********
 by “initial non-o” you are referring to the 90 day visa? And by “extension of stay” you are referring to the 1 year extension?
7 months ago
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John **********
@Leonard ********
 yes
7 months ago
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John **********
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Declan **********
You have to be able to show the transfer has originated from abroad
7 months ago
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Paul ********
The reason they ask for deposits from abroad is so they can make sure you’re bringing money in from a foreign country and not owning a bar and putting money in from Thailand. They want you to bring money into Thailand to spend here. Wise is a great way of bringing it in and great rates.
7 months ago
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Kevin ***********
@Paul *******
 that being the case how can agents facilitate this deposit when they're all in thailand
7 months ago
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Graham ******
@Kevin **********
 Because they do it illegally and that is what you pay for
7 months ago
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Paul ********
@Kevin **********
 only problem with doing this with an agent is its illegal and if you were to be unfortunate to be on the other side of the police and they looked at your file or your agent was investigated you could have it revoked and given a ban from Thailand. My motto.

If you can’t do it then you can’t afford to live in Thailand
7 months ago
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Kevin ***********
Ideally I'd love to get across before hand
7 months ago
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Kevin ***********
@Paul *******
 yes I've heard that too Paul but I'm looking at a way to do visa because my two pensions now equal 70,000 baht per month then in 4 years my state pension added will give me 110,000+ per month
7 months ago
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Paul ********
@Kevin **********
 65,000 a month qualifies as the minimum income monthly.
7 months ago
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Paul ********
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Paul ********
@Kevin **********
 they have arrangements with banks to show the money in their accounts. Also give a qualifying letter to say it’s from overseas. The same hr the money goes back. I saw an agent facilitate this in Bangkok bank last month
7 months ago
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Kevin ***********
@Paul *******
 cool that the answer I was looking for cheers
7 months ago
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Kevin ***********
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Paul ********
@Kevin **********
 ok agents open a bank account and she leaves his money in his country ( as the post is about bringing cash over) she then make a transfer to the open bank account using wise as the engine to put it into her account. Is that simple enough?
7 months ago
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Kevin ***********
@Paul *******
 yes Paul I understand what your saying about that but when someone doesn't have the 800,000 these Agents claim they can facilitate your bank having this amount showing for visa purposes
7 months ago
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Paul ********
@Kevin **********
 look at her message she wants to bring cash over in person so you are on the wrong track mate
7 months ago
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Kevin ***********
@Paul *******
 yes Paul I understand that's what she wants to do but I just querying how agents manage to make the deposits for other people getting visas and not transferring the required 800,000 into their accounts when the agents are already in thailand. I fully understand her ? This is my ? On top of her ?
7 months ago
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Michael *******
@Kevin **********
 they spread a little happiness around with immigration officers - if you take this route you will be trapped, it’s very difficult to legitimize you visa in subsequent years as immig know your previous application was dodgy - you would have to leave country and start all over
7 months ago
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Michael *******
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Hristo ***********
@Paul *******
 not sure that wise will qualify as similar companies don't transfer the money directly. So your transfer may appear as local in your statement.
7 months ago
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Kev *********
@Hristo **********
 Wise now have an option in ' Reason for Transfer' which now satisfies immigration.
7 months ago
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Keith ************
@Kev ********
 yes. You have to select 'funds for long term stay' or similar wording in a drop down menu.
7 months ago
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Graham ******
@Keith ***********
 Yes, the last item here
7 months ago
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Graham ******
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Paul ********
@Hristo **********
 wise is the app that sends the money to your Bank in Thailand and I send money monthly to my Bangkok bank to qualify for my income. FYI
7 months ago
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Paul ********
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Steve **********
I know several people are saying the money must be transferred from overseas to fund the 800K but that was not my experience. I never had to show anyone anything and it most definitely was not transferred from outside of Thailand.

I’m not saying to do this because everyone’s situation is different but that’s what happened with me.
7 months ago
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Brian ***********
@Steve *********
 same . Brought CASH which was declared . No issues
7 months ago
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Tony *********
@Steve *********
 same here. I transferred the money from within Thailand.
7 months ago
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Tony *********
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Marty *********
I think you can carry as much as you want but you need to declare it at customs when it reaches a certain amount. I carried $9,900 USD into Thailand once and avoided the need to declare $10,000.
7 months ago
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Chris *******
Remember cash deposited will not be counted towards your 800k .

It has to be 800k from international transfers.

Whether or not an IO will look that close is anyone's guess.

I wouldn't chance it.

You can carry as much money as you want if you declare it.

Undeclared cash under 20k US.
7 months ago
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Robert *****
@Chris ******
 10K
7 months ago
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Chris *******
@Robert ****
 no sir, you can.

Thailand allows up to 20k US.

Individual countries have rules on how much you can take out of the country cash undeclared but that is not what the question is.

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7 months ago
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Robert *****
@Chris ******
 I know Thailand allows 20K but leaving the USA with more than 10K UNDECLARED is a problem.

It's legal to travel with more than $10,000 in the United States and abroad. You have the right to travel with as much money as you want. However, during international travel, you need to report currency and monetary instruments in excess of $10,000
7 months ago
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Chris *******
@Robert ****
 that has nothing to do with the original post.

His question is answered.
7 months ago
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Chris *******
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Ian ********
For the Non O extension you have to transfer the funds from abroad and the bank statement shows international transfer
7 months ago
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Chris *******
Must be transfered from your bank account abroad..

No cash allowed
7 months ago
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Tony *********
@Chris ******
 my transfer came from within Thailand.
7 months ago
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Tony *********
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Jan ******************
Limit—-> $20K USD into Thailand, how much you’re allowed to leave with varies of course. US $10K, Norway $2,5K without declaration.
7 months ago
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Faron *************
I think it needs to be transferred from abroad
7 months ago
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Faron *************
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