What are the bank requirements for extending a Non-O visa in Chiang Mai as an expat over 50?

I believe that the OP has the answers needed for his question.

Thanks all for your helpful replies 😊

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@Jeff *****

Let’s clarify please….

Did you just receive the 90 Day non o visa about two months ago? Is this the very first time that you are applying for a one year extension?

If you are using bangkok bank, you can request the 12 month statement be sent to you email using the Bua Luang app, free of charge. It would usually be ready after a few minutes. Print it out . No need to go to the bank and pay for that.

Clearly says 1 year, so to be sure, just go to the bank 7 working days before and request a year statement

I just got my first one year extension to my non o (retirement) visa in Chiang Mai last month. Immigration wanted to see the bank letter as you describe but only wanted a six month statement which I obtained at the Bangkok Bank branch at central airport plaza on the spot with no waiting.

Do I need to show 800,000 baht when applying for first 90 day Non-o visa?

Just a point on bangkok bank. A branch can only print out 6 months worth of statements but that should be more than sufficient for you this year as it is your first extension. Next year you will need to go to your branch a week before you plan to apply for your extension and request 12 months statements, I'd get 13 months to be safe as they need to cover the date you were issued your last extension going forward

Members... THIS is for the CHIANG MAI IMMIGRATION OFFICE...

PLEASE reply if you have a recent experience. Thanks.

It appears that you have to get your Thai Bank account updated within 7 days of your applying for the one year extension of stay as retired.

Read the graphic...

5.1 balance letter within 7 days

5.2 proof of the funds are from international transfer

I recommend you go to bank and ask for the letter proving that you transferred the funds internationally .

ASK them how long will it take for them to provide the letter.

Make sure you request it within the 7 days prior to your application date for submission of your one year extension of stay as retired

And the Post you included in your post... also about getting the one year extension of stay as retired at Chiang Mai Immigration

"A very common question in this group is about what is the easiest process to get a retirement Visa. I just went through the process of converting from a Tourist Visa to a Non-O Visa based on retirement in Chiang Mai. You have to complete 2 sets of documents in blue ink as follows:

= TM 86 form since I entered on a Tourist Visa. You would complete the TM 87 form if you entered on Visa Exempt.

= Copy of passport including information, visa stamps and entry.

= Copy of TM 6 (if you have one) and TM 30 (showing residence)

= Photographs that are pasted to the TM 86 forms

= Bank certificate letter showing your account and balance (800,000+ Baht). Can be issued up to 7 days before you apply. Bangkok Bank charged 100 Baht for the letter.

= Copy of bank book showing 800,000+ balance. The bank book has to be updated on the day of your Visa application. NOTE: The balance in your bank book must match the Bank letter. This messed me up since I had a transaction on my account that lowered the current balance by 1000 Baht. The nice lady at immigration explained the problem and told me to go deposit 1000 Baht, update the bank book and come back with updated copies. They kept my documents and waited for me to come back. There was a long line at the bank but quickly figured out depositing cash at one machine and then updating my bank book in another so I didn’t have to wait in line. I then needed updated copies which you can get behind the immigration building.

= Completed acknowledgement form of penalties for visa overstay

= Copy of my Tourist eVisa that was issued in the US. That wasn’t on the list of requirements. Luckily I had a copy with me.

= 2000 Baht application fee

NOTE that Chiang Mai requires 15 WORKING DAYS to process the Visa. They accepted my documents on 27 July and told me to come back on 22 August. That was 18 week days because of the holidays during that period. You need to make sure you take holidays into account. Also, you can only apply when you have 30 days or less left on your permitted to stay period so the window is short. In my case I applied shortly after I did the 30 day extension of my Tourist Visa.

My paperwork was apparently processed on 11 August as you can see from the Visa stamp. 11 Aug was the start date vice when they stamped it into my passport on 22 Aug. My Non-O is good till 8 Nov. I’ll need to apply for my one year extension at least 15 working days before that date.

Also included is a picture of the instructions posted on the wall at Chiang Mai Immigration."

THIS is the most recent post about getting the One year extension of stay at Chiang Mai as Retired...

YOU POSTED it on January 16th...

*** Chiang Mai Immigration Non-O (over 50) application report ***

I read a useful post ( in this group and thought I would add my own report as well. I arrived on 14-01-2024 (two days ago) on a 30-day visa exempt entry and went to Chiang Mai immigration at the airport today to apply for an in-country Non-O based on being over 50 ("retirement visa"). 1/) in this group and thought I would add my own report as well. I arrived on 14-01-2024 (two days ago) on a 30-day visa exempt entry and went to Chiang Mai immigration at the airport today to apply for an in-country Non-O based on being over 50 ("retirement visa").

After all was settled, I was told to come back on Feb 6 (I guess that works out to 15 working days from today) but the lady did mention that it might not actually be ready then and I might need to come back the next day instead. Not sure what that's all about but it's no big deal either way for me. I was told to go to counter 3 between 13:00 and 16:00 on that date and there was no need to get a queue.

Here are a few potentially useful details.

(1) I mostly knew what documents I needed thanks to that post I referenced so my first order of business was to go the bank to get the account statement and get my bankbook updated. I asked for two copies but was told each copy is 100 THB and I wasn't sure that I needed two original copies so I just had one original made plus a photocopy, which seemed to be just fine in the end.

(2) My bank didn't open until 10:00 so I guess it isn't possible to get an early start if you are so inclined unless it's possible to get your passbook updated via ATM (maybe someone who knows can comment on that). If that is possible, I guess you could go 1-6 days early for the bank statement and then hit an ATM in the morning to update your passbook and get to immigration early.

(3) After the bank I went to a copy shop to print out copies of my TM30 and make copies of my passport data page and visa/entry page. I should have made copies of the bankbook but forgot so I had to do that at immigration (they have a copy center there which is 2 THB per copy; you can also get photos made there if needed). A volunteer told me I only needed copies of my first and last bankbook page and that passed muster with the official document check people as well, but after I officially submitted everything to the processing counter they asked me to go make copies of the missing pages as well.

(3.5) You generally need to sign your name to every page you end up copying/printing (TM30, bankbook, passport pages) so don't forget to do that. You also need to add your phone number under your signature on the main visa application (there is no field requesting it though).

(4) Speaking of volunteers and document checks... when you first arrive you pass a small booth, tell the attendant what you are there for and you receive a queue number. Then you go to an outdoor (but shaded) area to fill out and organize all your documents. There are a few volunteers on duty there to help you out and it's a wise idea to show one of them all your documents after you finish to make sure you have everything in order. They helped me catch a few things I missed. Once cleared with a volunteer, you wait for your queue number to be called. You then go to the relevant counter and an official immigration employee will check that everything is in order and give you a new queue number. You then go into the main building to counter 7 to submit your documents.

(5) I had zero wait inside the main building to submit my documents. Then, as I mentioned, I had to make some extra copies and then given my instructions to come back on Feb 6. I think that all took 15-20 minutes. The longer wait was for document organization/check, especially as I arrived around 10:45 and they take their lunch break from noon (?) until 13:00. It actually wasn't bad though as I just walked the short distance to Central Airport and got some lunch and walked around. When I got back around 13:00 I had to wait about an hour before my queue number was called so I guess in all I waited about 3 hours from arrival to the point of submitting my documents and then another 15-20 minutes, so probably 3.5 hours in total.

(6) After submitting my documents inside the main building, I was asked to state what my occupation was prior to retirement. I was also asked to provide a Thai person's name and phone number as a reference. I hadn't read about this before (and nobody in the document control area asked me to do that either) so I don't know if everyone gets asked that or only some people. That can actually be a bit tricky as I almost exclusively communicate with my Thai friends via Line. Luckily I knew the phone number of one friend and used it.

(7) I am attaching a photo I took of the Non-O requirements posted on the wall. The post I reference also attached a similar photo but it wasn't the same (his looks like a photo of a paper whereas mine is of a sign hanging on the wall). The main difference is that the prior poster's information does not say you need a copy of a house or rental agreement whereas the one I saw posted does. For the record, I did NOT need to submit that so I guess the original poster's attachment is more accurate.

Finally, as the admins here often point out, different offices have different requirements so this report should only be considered applicable to Chiang Mai."