Does a US bankruptcy affect my eligibility for a Thai retirement or education visa?

Jul 1, 2024
6 months ago
Bigd **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Question, does a US bankruptcy affect retirement or Education Visa or any thai visa?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
A US bankruptcy does not affect your eligibility for Thai visas like the Non-O or retirement visa, as credit history is not taken into consideration. However, background checks are relevant for certain visa categories (like Non-OA and Non-OX). Once a bankruptcy is discharged, it is typically no longer an issue. It's important to meet specific financial requirements for these visas, such as having a minimum balance in Thailand. Having a past bankruptcy may not automatically preclude you from obtaining a visa, as long as you meet the financial criteria.
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Paul ********
No. It has no bearing on Visa eligibility.
Peter *******
No they take anyone
Rob **********
No bankruptcy is not a criminal offense.
Mary ********
Once the bankruptcy has been discharged it's no longer relevant. If you are still in process of the bankruptcy, you likely cannot leave the country until it has been discharged. I am assuming you have it discharged though and are financially stable now.

We weren't even asked a question about it during our application, so it never came up. Had it I would have had to say something as I filed it years ago after a divorce that left me financially struggling after he emptied my accounts. (yeah, sometimes it is the woman who gets screwed over, believe it or not) they never asked and it never came up through the process.

You will need to fulfill the financial requirements to gain the correct visa. For example ours is a non O retirement - 800,000 Baht retained in a thai bank and I think there are times you can use a portion (but better to just leave it there for insurance / emergency use purposes) and then you need enough to live on besides those funds.
Robert *****
@Mary *******
cannot leave the country? Is that Australian law Mary? Wow.
Mary ********
@Robert ****
Nah that was back in the US in the 80s I wasn't allowed to leave the country until the bankruptcy was discharged.
Cris ******
No. I'm American. It does not.
Todd *********
No - it doesn't. But you definitely won't get LTR or Elite
Jason ********
@Todd ********
why is that?
Todd *********
@Jason *******
because he lacks the income and assets post bankruptcy proceedings
Jason ********
@Todd ********
could have been a chapter 13. Could have made money since the BK. Could own a home which was/is homesteaded. Not everyone that files bk is broke.
Todd *********
@Jason *******
he could.... but the odds are strongly against that. The vast majority are complete screw ups. But get another chance...
Bunny *****
@Todd ********
if it was 10 years ago?
Todd *********
@Bunny ****
sure - anything is possible. He could... maybe. But the odds of a guy who declared bankruptcy achieving the numbers required for LTR or being prepared to shell out 1.5M baht for a visa seem slim.
Peter **********
The US finally went bankrupt? I missed that! Such good news! Where’s the champagne?

PS: 🤣🤣🤣
Us *****
@Peter *********
the US can never be bankrupted as it has the ability to print money. All it has to do is issue bonds and all these suckers would buy it up.
Peter **********
@Us ****
Just kidding, bro. I’m not political. 😉

From an economic perspective, printing too much money lowers the exchange rates, thus reducing spending power on foreign products. The long term effect is more complex than that, but it indicates you can’t print money as much as you desire.
Us *****
@Peter *********
the US prints the most money and yet the dollar is so strong. When people say print, they are actually talking about issuing bonds. Of course you cannot print money without something to back it up
Peter **********
@Us ****
I’m very happy for you.
Stacey ****************
Sacha ****
Lol retirement visa requires 800,000 THB in a Thai bank account, cant be that bankrupt 😂
Roger ********
@Sacha ***
you're assuming the bankruptcy was recent.
Sacha ****
@Roger *******
well if a long time ago its wiped anyway
Roger ********
@Sacha ***
yes, 7-10 years old, but it still shows in many databases. It never disappears. It could have also been 5 years ago and peoples situations can be totally changed in that time.
Stephan ***********
@Sacha ***
Who said it has to be his money?
Sacha ****
Jae *****
Can you even leave the country if you're blacklisted for Bankruptcy?
Jeff ********
@Jae ****
you have no clue what you're talking about
Steve **********
@Jae ****
there is no blacklisting of travel or chewing gum with a Bankruptcy.
Vin *********
@Steve *********
Bankruptcy in the US means nothing. The rest of the world doesn't use credit scores.

Yes, you can be blacklisted for bankruptcy in many countries. It is a felony charge of not paying your debts.
Steve **********
@Vin ********
Not US..

Oh ! morally I think it's reprehensible, just not illegal
Todd *********
@Jae ****
of course you can. "blacklisted' for bankruptcy- WTF are u talking about.
Jae *****
We can't even apply for passport if blacklisted for bankruptcy in our country.
Kim *********
@Jae ****
you don't want to answer a simple question - this can mean 2 things
Todd *********
@Jae ****
which country?
Kim *********
@Jae ****
that's hard to believe - which country might that be?
Jay ****
Non o. No background check. Your credit has zero to do with your visas.
Garrett ***********
@Jay ***
Technically it could, one of the requirements of the elite visa is you can never have filed for bankruptcy
Jay ****
@Garrett **********
1 in 10,000+ might apply for elite visa. Technically op isn't even considering elite visa after a bankruptcy.
Kim *********
you really think bankruptcy is a criminal offense? It is not. But if it was deliberately to try to save some money and are convicted for fraud then it is another matter
Stuart *********
Criminal background checks are needed for the Non OA or Non OX visas only.

I have absolutely no clue if a bankruptcy would show on a criminal background check.
Terary **********
I had to provide my criminal back check. I went to the local court house and they provided me a state that I had no outstanding cases. This seems to satisfy the background check requirement. Its interesting to note that the local court house was in a different state than where I got in trouble.
Steve **********
@Stuart ********
why would a bankruptcy show up on a person's criminal record ?

Bankruptcy isn't a crime nor a misdemeanor

It's a financial option with court approval.

Like a divorce.
Stuart *********
@Steve *********
Like I said I would have no idea if it’s a criminal thing or a civil thing. I do visa stuff, not American legal stuff.
Steve **********
@Stuart ********
yes, if a bankrupsy was compounded with hiding or concealing assets that by law required revealing. Then you have a fraud case....but a series 11 or 7 or any court ordered restructuring is a civil event.....far removed from criminal.
Garrett ***********
@Stuart ********
It wouldn't
Jeffrey *******
@Stuart ********
not on criminal history. Bankruptcy appears on credit reports. Any arrest will appear on criminal background records.
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