Can my wife use two bank accounts with 400k each for her Extension of Stay Based on Retirement in Chiang Mai?

Extension of Stay Retirement Visa Chiang Mai Immigration Thai Visa Rules Bank Account Requirements

Aug 5, 2019

5 years ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

My wife needs to renew her Extension of Stay Based on Retirement soon. We live in Chiang Mai. She is using the 800k baht method. Based on the new rules requiring that the bank account balance never go below 400k, she wants to open two Time Deposits with 400k each. One for 6 months, the other for a year. we just got a second hand report that Chiang Mai Immigration will not accept two bank accounts; that the full 800k has to be in one account.

Can anyone confirm that they used two accounts or that they were refused for doing that.

Thanks.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

A user inquires whether their wife can use two separate bank accounts, each containing 400,000 baht, to fulfill the 800,000 baht balance requirement for renewing her Extension of Stay Based on Retirement in Chiang Mai. Some responses indicate that local immigration may require the funds to be in a single account, while others suggest that it depends on specific immigration officers and their interpretation of the rules. There are mixed experiences shared by respondents, leading to uncertainty about the correct procedure.

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Jeff *******

ORIGINAL POSTER

Thanks for all the help.

To summarize the thread:

I acknowledge that most replies were meant to be helpful.

The replies basically fell into these categories:

1. Suggestions that my wife or I change visas.

2. I shouldn't ask at Thai Visa Advice. I should ask at Immigration.

3. A tangential debate as to whether fixed accounts are acceptable. Maybe some aren't. My wife's has always been accepted. That wasn't the question.

Thanks to

@Ivan ***********

who not only understood what and why I was asking, but his suggestion is even better than what I was trying to accomplish.

Because everyone has been so helpful, I'd like to pay that back with two suggestions:

1. Everyone using the 800k method should have their funds in a time deposit. if you don't you're leaving over 10,000 baht on the table. that more than pays for your next extension. Or a lot of beer. You're welcome.

2. If you plan your travel right, you should think about changing your visas. In 15 years I've never been to Immigration except for Certificates of Residency. No extensions, no 90 day reports, no TM 30's, no need for a Thai bank account.