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How can I prevent Immigration rejection when using overseas transfer funds for retirement in Thailand?

Thailand ImmigrationVisa IssuesRetirement VisaTransferWiseBank StatementsLong-Term StayNon-O VisaThai Bank Accounts
Nov 10, 2022
2 years ago
Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi!

Looking for advice:

ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED TODAY.

I use Transferwise for the monthly income option of my retirement from USA.

I use the drop down menu: " funds for longterm stay.."

Last November, 1 transfer was sent to Kasikorn. Kasikorn wrote a letter stating funds were from outside of Thailand.

This was rejected by Immigration yesterday and was told to leave Thailand.

How to keep this from happening?pp
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user faced immigration issues regarding proof of overseas funds for their retirement in Thailand. They attempted to provide a letter from Kasikorn Bank stating the funds were from outside Thailand, but it was rejected by immigration. Community members advised that a bank statement showing all deposits for the year may be necessary and suggested starting over with a lump sum of 800,000 baht in the Thai bank account. Additionally, they were advised to leave Thailand temporarily, return on a tourist visa, and then apply for the Non-O retirement extension. The issue was later resolved with the assistance of a visa agent.
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.
Kerry ***********
Glad you got it resolved
@Vicki ********
. Would you like to share how it was resolved? Many other ppl could benefit from it.
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Kerry **********
 A Visa Agent in Chiang Mai arranged it.
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
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Preeda ****************
How was it resolved? I will go through the same process in a few months
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Immigration in CNX would not accept it
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
I did the same.

And paid Kasikorn for this letter.
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Yes.
2 years ago
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Leslie *********
This happened to me the funds transferred from U.K. to Kasicorn then to Bangkok bank. I printed my statement from Wise which showed a payment to Bangkok bank via Kasicorn. Immigration accepted that. Kasicorn wanted to charge me 500 baht for a letter to say the same thing as my Wise statement. The wise statement shows a transfer from your home country into Kasicorn then the exact amount is transferred to Bangkok bank.
2 years ago
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John *********
It's called Wise now not Transfer Wise
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Yes. All of that was done.

Pages of Bangkok Bank statements showing monthly deposits.

But last November(2021), one transfer was sent to Kasikorn.

I use Transferwise because I'm a creature of habit.

Yes, I'm strange!
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Billy ******
 OK
2 years ago
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James ***************
@Vicki ********
 - or go see an agent......
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@James **************
 I have used Best Friend Visa for 4 years.

All was easy until this year.
2 years ago
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James ***************
@Vicki ********
 - sorry to hear you are having troubles this year. Hopefully you can get it sorted. Good luck.
2 years ago
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James ***************
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Kool *******
@Vicki ********
 your only option is to start over, with the bt800,000 financial option.
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Kool ******
 Thanks for the advice.
2 years ago
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Kool *******
@Vicki ********
 for the future, once you get this sorted, just direct deposit your pensions into your Thai bank account then you won't have this problem using the monthly deposit option. It is what I do, and it works very good with immigration. It also gives you a much better exchange rate than Wise.
2 years ago
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Kool *******
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Kool *******
A letter from your bank stating the money came from overseas isn't enough. When deposits are made into your account, where it came from is listed on your bank statement. This is what immigration wants to see, a bank statement listing all deposits for the whole year. Each deposit will show where it came from. If you used Wise correctly (it is called Wise now) your deposits will show overseas transfers. The name of TransferWise changed a few years ago, so it is strange that you use the old name when the actual name has been "Wise" all year, and all last year.

Being that immigration didn't accept what you gave them, you basically have to start over, with the lump sum of bt800,000 deposited in your Thai bank account for at least two months before you apply. Immigration didn't accept your monthly deposit method, so the bt800,000 deposit is your only option, and because you are forced to start over, it must come into your account from an overseas source. Also, you do have to leave Thailand. So just leave to a neighbouring country, come back on a tourist visa, and start over, getting a type O retirement extension when you get the bt800k into your account. This will get you 90 days to complete everything so you can get your 1 year extension.
2 years ago
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Tony *********
@Kool ******
 the funds for the 800k lump sum option do not have to come from overseas.
2 years ago
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Kool *******
@Tony ********
 the first time they do, and starting over is the same as the first time.
2 years ago
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Tony *********
@Kool ******
 when you go to immigration all they are interested in is a statement showing 800k balance over the year and a letter from the bank confirming the balance. They don't want to know the source of that income. That only applies if you're using the monthly income based on pension.
2 years ago
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Tony *********
@Kool ******
 my original lump sum of 800k came from my Thai earnings in Thailand.
2 years ago
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Tony *********
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Terry ********
@Kool ******
 Bangkok Bank is no longer showing a transfer as being foreign, even if “funds for long term stay in Thailand is selected on Wise. That’s my experience anyway.
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
What would I do to keep anything from going to Kasikorn?

I do use the drop down menu.
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
They did write the letter.

With the Best Friend Visa Agent sitting beside me.

Yes, I agree.

It doesn't make sense.

Yet,it happened.
2 years ago
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Kool *******
@Vicki ********
 you had to have physically entered your Kasikorn account number for it to go there. Wise doesn't just pick account numbers out of the air. You can also delete that account number from Wise. You, at some point did authorize a transfer into that account.
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Kool ******
 I have no Kasikorn account.

I never have had a Kasikorn account.

Only Bangkok Bank for 4 years.

I can't understand it. I kept asking Kasikorn.
2 years ago
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Kool *******
@Vicki ********
 you need to ask Wise how it happened, not the bank. You don't have a Kasikorn account so that transfer should have been completely rejected by Kasikorn bank. You can't have gotten a letter from them saying it came from an overseas source because you don't have an account. As immigration sees it, you missed a month so your monthly deposit method is voided for all the months before that November foul up. With no account the bank would have never written you a letter, as they would have refused the transfer automatically, as there is no account to deposit it into, so they don't have it. Lots of what you are saying doesn't make sense.
2 years ago
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Jeffrey *********
@Kool ******
@Vicki ********
 appears to be saying that the incoming funds went through Kasikorn en route to her account at Bangkok Bank, and that Kasikorn gave her a credit advice showing that the money had originated abroad. That's pretty common with Wise, but shouldn't be happening when she has a BBL account and selected "funds for long term stay" from the drop-down menu.

Many other people have reported successfully using those credit advice letters from intermediary banks at immigration offices, so either the officer she dealt with didn't understand what it was, or her local office just doesn't want anything that varies from the norm.
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jeffrey ********
Yes. This is the situation exactly.

Now I must find a way to reach Wise to clarify what went wrong.
2 years ago
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Carsten ************
@Vicki ********
 you can't clarify anymore after the immigration denied. They won't make a u-turn. That would mean loosing face.
2 years ago
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Dan ********
@Carsten ***********
 funny thing is, that although you are correct, there will be no u-turn or change of mind or even the chance to ask for it, there would be no 'losing face' - nobody gives a f$ck, but we would all be so grateful and appreciative of any I/O who thought outside of the box and could see the full picture here and sign it off. To have to leave the country and come in and start again is a ball-ache. But it is what it is, and that, is thailand. Good luck with that 🙏
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Dan *******
 Actually, they did do a u-turn.

Nothing is "set in stone" here.

And all faces remain intact
2 years ago
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Dan ********
@Vicki ********
 yes all faces remain intact, and even more favourably no doubt. Can I ask, was it same I/O, same office ? What was the mechanics of the process to make it understood, out of curiosity ? (Obviously brown paper envelope - Agent, Agent - I/O. So I don't know if it actually counts as a u-turn as such, but I'm sure it will do for you 😉
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Dan *******
 PM sent
2 years ago
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Vicki *********
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