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How can I ensure my Wise app transfers meet Thai immigration requirements for a retirement visa renewal?

Thailand retirement visaVisa renewalImmigrationBank transfersWise appMonthly income optionExpense verificationExpat advice
Oct 7, 2021
3 years ago
Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
My first retirement visa is nearly ended. I want to renew it and based on the monthly income option. I’ve asked others the following question with unsatisfactory responses, so I’m hoping someone here has some experience and is able to reply.

I’ve been sending the required amount, and more, by wire transfer from my American bank to my Bangkok bank account for more than a year now.. But in recent months I’ve been transferring that amount using the Wise app, because it is cheaper and faster. But someone suggested to me that immigration may not accept that form of transfer, or, alternatively, my Thai bank may not issue the required documentation if that is the means of transfer.

Is there some form of “authorized“ transfer that I should have been using to support my request for a retirement visa? Has anyone met that requirement while transferring money to their bank using an app like Wise as opposed to a wire transfer from a foreign bank to a Thailand bank?

I undoubtably meet the spirit of the law, but I’m unsure about the letter of the law. Advice please. By the way, I am in Chiang Mai, if that makes a difference
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user seeks guidance on using the Wise app for transferring funds to support their retirement visa renewal in Thailand. They have concerns about whether the funds transferred via Wise will be accepted by Thai immigration and their bank for visa purposes. Users in the comments highlight that transfers must be correctly labeled as international and suggest using 'long-term stay' as the reason for transfers. They emphasize checking bank statements and ensuring that all transfers are properly documented to avoid complications with immigration.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
  • Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
  • For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
  • Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
  • Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
Tod *********
Okay, this is more and more turning into a thread about WISE and the purview of this group is NOT how you can cheaply move money into thailand.

That's a topic for another f/b group out on the inter-web related to thailand.

Believe me you're going to get NO sympathy from any immigration officer at any office because you didn't bring the money in correctly with the correct incoming foreign remittance code. Miss even ONE of the 12 and can't prove it came from abroad and you're done using monthly income for the year extension.

It is not a perilous undertaking, but it requires you know what you're doing and it has to work flawlessly each month every month for the previous 12 months before you apply for your next extension.

Good Luck with it.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
When I check my Wise account online there is a transaction record for each transfer which clearly shows that I transferred US dollars that was received as an equivalent amount of Thai baht into my Bangkok bank account, including the account number into which it was deposited. I’m hoping this will help pave the way to the requisite bank letter. I will post again when the process is complete to let everyone know how I fared and how they might do things better than I have managed to do thus far..
3 years ago
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Tod *********
@Richard *************
 the WISE account data has NOTHING to do with what you need to show the immigration office. It's ONLY what it codes in at when the money hits your bangkok bank account AND even selecting "long term retirement" option doesn't mean that every transfer from wise will code as an international transfer.
3 years ago
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Harry ********
SIMPLE....

Go to each Wise transaction, click on details, and you'll have the details of the international transaction....
3 years ago
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Benjamin ******
@Richard *************
 Wise has nothing to do with getting the extension of stay based on retirement. It simply is used to transfer money into a bank account.

It’s how it’s marked on your bank statements that matters. If it’s marked international, it’s good; otherwise you’ll have problems 😞
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Benjamin *****
 I recognize all that; but I’m ferreting for ways to get around the anticipated problems. Whether I succeed or fail will depend on how punctilious the officials will be. It’s not the end of the world if I run into an unsurpassable bureaucratic obstacle, but if you don’t try you never win.
3 years ago
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Bobby ********
Richard Allen Jones. Anything is worth a go of course, but I think you'll find
@Benjamin *****
 and
@Wannikea ********
 are correct. Immigration are incredibly anal with this detail. In their minds only Thai bank accounts can be trusted, and even these need to be authenticated by the bank. Anything foreign is a fake, forgery or illegal and cannot be trusted. Remember also the transfers must be done for each calendar month. Having two in February does not make up for none in March. And not one baht below the minimum amount or it doesn't count. Although the monthly transfers is by far the best method for extending a visa, it does require careful monitoring.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Bobby *******
 So I am beginning to understand
3 years ago
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Richard **************
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Wannikea *********
@Richard *************
 no need to reinvent the wheel here.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Wannikea ********
 I really do appreciate all the comments from everybody. I’m on a steep learning curve here because I just didn’t pay that much attention to the requirements of this option in the past. I just assumed if you transferred money into your THAI bank account that was enough, but clearly it isn’t. There’s a lot of minutia involved, traps for the unwary.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Wannikea ********
 indeed, but a little tweaking of the system might help those like me who meet all the requirements but may nevertheless be disqualified by some detail that does not serve the purpose of the law, and does serve to eliminate the need for thinking on the part of those who administer the law. Such as the nature of bureaucracy.
3 years ago
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Wannikea *********
@Richard *************
 best case scenario is you look at your bank app right now and the details of the deposits, there will be some kinda code which will either become your friend or your frustration. If the bank statement letter request looks to have the listed deposits coming from overseas you're in luck, worst case is you also show the immigration officer the matching Wise statements for each of those deposit amounts and dates as coming from overseas and landing in your acct matching the banks letter, and maybe just maybe you might elicit a desired result.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Wannikea ********
 Thanks for that input.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
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Wannikea *********
@Richard *************
 your Wise record isn't the bank statement, that's what immigration wants to see with the corresponding overseas transfer code with each deposit.
3 years ago
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Wannikea *********
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
It just goes to show that dealing with what appears to be an easy and reasonable requirement on the surface, is a bit like peeling an onion. There’s just more and more to confront, and in the end you end up crying.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thanks everyone!!!
3 years ago
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Bob **********
If you use the funds for long stay on the Wise app it's shows up as an foreign transfer no problems
3 years ago
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Reiner *********
@Bob *********
 well but it comes through their partner bank and they send it to you witch is then domestic .. that’s the problem
3 years ago
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Bob **********
@Reiner ********
 well your set up wrong every transfer asks reason for transfer and you check funds for long stay and yes it all goes through another bank
3 years ago
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Tod *********
@Bob *********
 that is not always correct. IF you use Bangkok Bank AND you select long term stay there is a 90+% chance that the deposits will code as international BUT other banks are sketchy at best AND that's why I say GO to your bank and update your bank book EVERY month after you bring in the money to check the code in the bank book yourself.
3 years ago
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Tod *********
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Paul ********
I had this problem a few years ago. Go into Transferwise a/c and locate the routing of the funds. This will tell you which bank they sent to. That bank will give you evidence they received funds from abroad and which bank they forwarded the cash to. My problem was getting the local bank to understand my needs and so I had to find the regional HQ. As it happens Bangkok Bank uses TMB and Krungsri uses Kasicorn. Now as stated by other posters the path is streamlined by Bangkok Bank but the old way still works...
3 years ago
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Tod *********
You can get a "credit advice" paper every time you transfer using WISE into your bank here if it doesn't show as an international transfer. You should also update your bank book every month (as sometimes not doing that will not print a detail of the transactions only a money in money out summary)

You will still need the "regular bank letter" in addition to the year transaction detail report along with a list of just the incoming international transfers (if your bank can print them).

Also remember that it's 65K baht a month each month every month for the preceding 12 months before you APPLY for your extension <- not from when your current one runs out.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
 Thanks for that. As noted, I have been transferring money into my Bangkok bank account for well over a year.
3 years ago
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Tod *********
@Richard *************
 and what I'm saying IS if every one of those transfers isn't coded on your bank book as an international transfer you're going to need to get the credit advice from the bank showing it originally DID come from abroad.

So check your bank book, LOOK at the codes next to the deposits and read the key in the back or front of the bank book that tells you what the codes mean. Every transfer needs to show as international
3 years ago
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Tod *********
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Reiner *********
Well here on phuket you need to show that you transferred it from your account … trough … your Thai account …exactly 12 times a year … make copies of every transfer from the us bank and same from bangkok bank … show both … here they accept it this way … don’t worry
3 years ago
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Bobby ********
When you do the transfer through Wise, you must transfer to a Bangkok Bank account and use the last option in the reason for transfer box. Wise specifically set this up to accommodate these transfers for visa extensions. This shows up in your bank account as a foreign transfer (code is FTT) and is acceptable by immigration
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Bobby *******
 gosh, I have not been doing that. I’ve been choosing things like general living expenses and rent when I use Wise.
3 years ago
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Bobby ********
Richard Allen Jones. That's a HUGE error as these payments will not be flagged for the "special attention" required to show as a FT
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Bobby *******
 but, but…nobody told me!
3 years ago
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Tod *********
@Richard *************
 which doesn't negate the fact that you need to show proof you moved the money into your account from abroad.
3 years ago
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Bobby ********
Richard Allen Jones. But who did you ask?
3 years ago
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Bobby ********
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Fabrizio *******
In my case I first had to find out the partner bank of Wise, that was Bangkok Bank, then ask to Bangkok Bank to print out the document that show the transfer of the 800.000 baths to give to the Immigration officer together with my Krungsri updated Bank Statement. Luckily at Chaeng Wattana Bangkok Bank is just next to Krungsri and I could print these documents all there 😀
3 years ago
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Reiner *********
@Fabrizio ******
 yes this works here to
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Reiner ********
 I think perhaps you misunderstood my comment.
3 years ago
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Reiner *********
I mean it’s logical that they want to see where it comes from abroad
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Reiner ********
 If the purpose is to show that you’re bringing money into Thailand, yes that is logical. If the purpose is just to ensure that you have income and do not become a public ward, the fact that it’s international would seem to be irrelevant.
3 years ago
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Benjamin ******
@Richard *************
 it is what it is. If the money is sent domestically, then logically you may be working in Thailand illegally. If the money is sent internationally, then it’s from a pension.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Benjamin *****
 My comment may have been too obtuse. Be that as it may, I have gleaned from other comments here, that while the money was indeed sent internationally (but not from a pension), The mechanics of a Wise transfer may result in what appears as a domestic transfer (although I do not work here, legally or otherwise). Apparently it all comes down to selecting a particular reason for the transfer when using the Wise app, some thing I was not aware of before and which may disqualify me from using an option that I meet all the requirements for. Such is the nature of unyielding bureaucracy.
3 years ago
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Reiner *********
@Richard *************
 disagree it’s relevant as the transfer through WISE send it to their partner Bank and then to you … the second is domestic….
3 years ago
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Fabrizio *******
@Reiner ********
 that's why you ask the papers of the international transfer to the Wise Partner Bank (in my case Bangkok Bank) and not to your final bank (that can be different than Bangkok Bank, in my case Krungsri).
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Fabrizio ******
 This is an interesting notion. My receipt from Wise indicates that his partner was Dee money.
3 years ago
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Fabrizio *******
@Richard *************
 Yes, they may have various partners. I also was surprised to discover that money did not go directly to my Bank Krungsri when I instructed Wise when sending. And Krungsri told me to ask to Bangkok Bank, where I even not have a bank account. But luckily these 2 banks are very near at Chaeng Wattana 😄 and I fixed the problem in 30 minutes.
3 years ago
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Fabrizio *******
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Martin *******
If you use Wise and Bangkok Bank, selecting "long term stay in Thailand" as the reason for the transfer ensures the incoming funds are annotated as "International". Other Thai banks may record it as a local transfer as that is the way Wise works apart from the case above. You may have issues with immigration accepting Wise and/or bank documentation if the bank's side shows "local".

Lots of useful information in this group.

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3 years ago
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Wannikea *********
The transfers via Wise must use the correct reason (long stay funds or whatever it is) to register as foreign deposit transaction. You can also join the TransferWISE Solutions Thailand group to get advice and pointers on this.
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Wannikea ********
 Nice tip. Thanks
3 years ago
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Wannikea *********
@Richard *************
 part two of that is it only seems to work with Bangkok Bank accounts.
3 years ago
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Wannikea *********
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Barrie *************
@Wannikea ********
 Yes.
3 years ago
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Barrie *************
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Benjamin ******
> want to renew it and based on the monthly income option.

Might *NOT* be possible depending on the country of your passport. IF you're from a country where the consulate issues a letter saying you make more than 65K THB a month, you can not use the income method. I KNOW the USA does not offer this letter.

> But someone suggested to me that immigration may not accept that form of transfer, or, alternatively, my Thai bank may not issue the required documentation if that is the means of transfer

It depends on how it's being marked on the bank statement. IF it's marked as an international transfer, you'll be fine. If it's marked as a domestic transfer, it won't be accepted.

Have you looked at your bank statement to see if these transfers are being marked as domestic transfers (I believe from Bangkok Bank?) or international transfers?
3 years ago
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Richard **************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Benjamin *****
 I have looked at my bank statements and they offer a number of codes, but none that seem to equate with either an international transfer or domestic transfer. I suppose I’ll make a trip to the bank and seek clarification there
3 years ago
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Barrie *************
@Benjamin *****
 You can get a letter from the other bank involved. Normally Kasikorn.
3 years ago
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Barrie *************
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