Can I use the 65,000 THB per month method for my Thailand Non-Immigrant O visa from the start?

Are you in Thailand or in your home country? Applying in your home country doesn’t need to put money in a Thai bank. Just show your bank accounts, stock portfolio that show you have money to support yourself.

In 2 years they might change the requirements , you could come over for vacation before tge move have a non O and open a bank account then transfer at least baht a month, then when you come back you'll be all set with the monthly deposits for the year

you have 2 years to save 800k baht

Well in 'two years' I would think you would have been able to save and acquire the 800k and sit on it for a year while you're dropping the 65k monthly...and remember you can spend the 65 after you deposit it...technically a work around would be to withdraw most of the 65k each month, transfer it back to the home bank via western union or other than your Thai bank and recycle the money to deposit again the next month to your Thai bank...you lose a little in the fees but hey man...ya gotta do what ya gotta do...

800,000 is required , good luck to your deal avoid complications ;

If you can you're better off keeping the 800'000 Thai Baht in the bank account and just leave it there if you can. I realise everyone's financial situation is different and it's horses for course scenario.

The only eay I know to go partially around the 800 000thb is to get à marriage visa ,then the requierement goes down to 0thb but you have to marry à thai citizen.

The 800 000thb has to be in your bank account I believe for 3 months (2 months prior to the 1 year extension and 1 month after) then can be lowered to 0thb for the rest of the year.

A piece of advise, go to Immigration and ask what kind of paperwork will be required so thst they can accept your 65 000bht monthly instead. Immigration officiers have an increadibly large leeway to block you whatever the law says (or your interpretation of it is).

In my case, on top of my monthly transfers, I have to show proif or provenance of my fonds ( pensions) and à letter from my bank confirming the 65 000bht monthly(not bank statements). They have the last word.

I started with a retirement visa several years ago, and never had a Thai bank account. Always used the possibility to provide proof of a monthly income from more than 65.000 THB. A combination of a document from the consulate and screenshots of my (Dutch) bank statements of the most recent 3 months.

non-O Visa. 90 day's

I know that the US embassy won't do the $65,000/month thing anymore. You need to deposit the cash

The 800,000 THB has to be in a Thai bank for a year? What is the best visa for 2 months per year.

Yes, correct, first 800k, then 65k

u might want consider other asian countries ,i hear a year visa in cambodia is only 250 usa dollars ,no money in the bank and no 90 day check ins .

informed by who? once you land your money in a Thai bank, it will be blocked for at least a month, I know a case that it is blocked for 1 year, Krungthai bank if not mistaken. Get a letter from your embassy that proves that income, and apply for a 1 year visa oversea (not in Thailand). Or just use an agent, and stop worrying about it.

Id say one of the most complicated visa systems in the world besides NK . It feels like they are purposely putting off people staying.

The world will be a different place in 2028. Try and save the 800,000 or more by the time you retire.

Unfortunately you are going to be treated differently depending on who you deal with. Some of the Immigration women must have daddies in high places because they act like they are gods. Heaven help us!

Not many people have per Month pension so it is tourist visa only route

our must do 800k for 1st year

Some use agents for 90 days whicb takes 5 minutes

Waste of money

Chris Bailey... I deleted my answer to you! You are a VERY rude and ungrateful man. I have worked for the police here. My only objective is to help others to make a wise decision about their future and keeping their funds safe.

Calling me a liar repeatedly is unacceptable. Your replies have been reported.

Just marry a Thai legally and show 400,000 in a Thai bank 2 months before you renew your visa it’s so simple…so much talk here about what to do and when to do it…

I thought I would be doing the 65/month method also. For more than the past 2 years I have been making deposits of 65+. The first year they told me the same thing they told you. The second year I was told the bank stopped providing the necessary paperwork but for 25,000 they have a "friend" that can get the visa for me.

One thing to understand is that different immigration offices have different policies. Some are simply straight forward some are legal scam centers. It has a lot to do with which office you are using.

In the end I paid 15,000 for renewal. It seems worth it to me.

As you are from the UK and because the British embassy in bangkok doesn't provide income certificates any longer you have no option but to use 800k for the first extension of stay which must be in a Thai bank account for 2 months before you apply, it has to stay in the bank for 3 months after you get the extension and can't drop below 400k at any point. At the same time as you open the bank account also start transferring 65k baht every month from overseas, which you can spend as soon as it arrives, and use that for the 2nd extension of stay

I'm no Thai immigration expert, just an expat who's been living here on a retirement extension for over 14 years but this does look a bit like a 'catch 22'. You have to prove you have the funds so have to have 800,000 Baht in the bank to get the first extension and after that you have to prove you have the income so if you have to transfered 65,000 each month for the next 12 months then you can use that instead of the 800,000 in the bank. Here's the catch, you start with 800,000 in the bank and the transfer about 800,000 more during the next year and you can't touch the first 800,000 (Ok it can drop to 400,000 after 3 months but must go back to 800,000 3 months before the next renewal). Assuming you are living on the 65,000 each month then you end up with 800,000 in the bank when you do your 2nd year renewal and still have to transfer 65,000 each month that I'm assuming you are living on so unless you are using the 800,000 for a large purchase like a car it stays in the bank and you just end up with more paperwork to do than using the 800,000 in the bank method. This is why I've always done the 800,000 bank method as most of my large purchases were in the first year of being here and I coulldn't touch that sum in the bank. Just my take on it and other people will think differenly.

Why do a retirement visa when you can do a marriage visa showing 40,000 baht minimum income per month? The visa is the Non-Immigrant O (Marriage) Visa extension, which requires showing 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account or a 40,000 THB monthly income. The income does not have to be a pension; it can come from overseas earnings, salary, or other legitimate sources, provided it is transferred to a Thai bank.

Unfortunately any advice you receive today may not be valid in 2 years. Secondly many embassies will not provide the evidence you need to prove your monthly income. Best of luck.

You need bth800.000 for retirement or bth400.000 for spouse visa,

Get an agent first time. Once you get the visa and bank account add 65,000 each month. Then you can do it by yourself

you need to keep the 800,000 in a bank until they accept your $65,000 per month method.

Get a Thai bank account more than a year out from retirement. Used an approved method to deposit the required amount into the account. When you move to Thailand you will have the required deposits for the visa.

I pay 21k to agent for me it’s ideal …

My friend is going to the British embassy this week, to get affidavit for proof of pension, it’s costing him 25K, with an agent, it’s his first Visa !

Deposit the 800k on your account, after getting the visa you can then switch to 65k per month. If you don’t have 800k on your saving account at your age you have done something wrong during your lifetime and Thailand is probably not a country for you

Can you just put 5 million Thai baht in the bank and not do anything else. I was worried if they knew I had money they would work out how to get some or tax it, requirements / rules just keep on changing all the time

The same account I have my 800k in I transfer 75k per mth to … and withdraw 70k baht for living expenses… and update my book at the tellers window; at the end of the year I will have 800k + in the bank - my book will reflect 14 months of deposits of 75k and withdraws of 70k …. Then I can drop my 800k down to 400k because I am on a Non -O family ties (married)

It is the case

Short answer NO ! You have to transfer the minimum 65k per month (must be monthly 12 separate transfers ) to then convert to this method.

I believe that some Overseas Thai Embassies will accept that. Then issue a Non O Retirement Visa. However what you get is 90 days followed by a requirement of an extension granted by an Immigration Office. That’s valid for 12 months. Without the lump sum in the bank the answer is going to be No. They will allow it however on any subsequent extensions, but there are strict rules, get it wrong and no visa. To be honest with you it’s far more straightforward to just deposit 800K and write it off effectively. There’s good reason for it and That’s the price you pay to live here long term.

I wish you well

The law is definitely that you have to show the monthly funds from a foreign bank for 12 months before you can use that route. Furthermore, you must go to your bank and pay for a special document that documents everyone of those deposits and take it with you to immigration before you can use that route. (I.e. You can't just print out 12 months of bank statements for proof.)

BTW, it is rare that people use that approach. When I did, both the bank AND the immigration officials had to talk it over because not everyone knew about it. Furthermore, immigration even asked me, "Why don't you just put the full amount in the bank?" But we just stuck to our intention, and since it's the law, they had to accept the monthly funds route.

all is changing now, I read this morning

800K THB is not a lot of money. If that is a barrier, perhaps rethink your plans

I tried to use the 65 k method after one year imigration said no.

AGENT .. problem solved!!!

You must have the 800,000 in the bank for your first extension as soon as you get your first extension you start putting 65,000 a month in the bank every month without exception for the entire year so when your next extension is due, you can switch to the 65,000 a month program

800,000 initially then 65k a month.

What is your plan in the event 2 years from now the NON-O is no longer available?