Hello folks, here's a description of what took place this week as I accompanied my friend on the Retirement Extension Adventure. US Citizen applying for 5th consecutive retirement extension in Jomtien DUE first week of August. Previously used US Embassy Notarized "Letter of Income" but after hearing in Oct 2018 about the "possible" change, he opened up an account in Pattaya's Bangkok Bank Branch Big C Extra. When US Embassy officially announced no more letter, he began using Transferwise in Jan 2019 to transfer 67,000 baht per month from US Bank to Bangkok Bank. Deposits showed up as Foreign Telegraphic Transfer Jan - Jun. The July deposit showed up as SMT. NO idea what that term stands for. More on this later. Went to Bangkok Bank Branch told them needed 7 months details and letter from Bank for Immigration Purposes. Bank says if you want today they can only give letter/details for last 6 months. If you want longer than 6 months it will take 5 business days. Friends decides 6 is enough. Go bak in 3 hours, pick up what he thought was needed and off to immigration. NO JOY! Jomtien says Bank letter and details no correct BUT gives copy of what bank should provide. Back to Bank, a bit of a mildly confrontational discussion, but no raising voices or scowls. Seemed bank Service Personnel weren't keen on being shown or confronted that they were wrong with the initial letter they provided. In any case, they fixed it all up correctly and another 200 baht. Back to Jomtien, copies of everything including front page details and last page details of bank book. Jomtien agent reviews and says they understand US people having difficulty meeting 12 month requirement this year so not necessary. BUT, he told my friend he must have 12 months deposits next year in ONE Bank account. All ended well and he retrieved his passport today with the new 1 year retirement extension. He's a happy camper. PS: He is still unclear on international transfers. Option he's heard was having to go to Banks Main Office (Not a branch) to get correct information in passbook and letter for immigration next year. Remains a mystery.
TLDR : Answer Summary
The post describes the journey of a US citizen applying for their fifth retirement extension in Jomtien, Thailand. It details the process of obtaining the necessary bank documentation to prove monthly income via international transfers, specifically mentioning issues encountered with Bangkok Bank regarding the correct type of letter needed for immigration purposes. After initial setbacks and discussions with bank staff, the correct documentation was obtained, allowing for a successful visa extension despite not meeting the standard 12-month requirement this year. Comments provide additional insights into banking terms and suggest how to handle potential future issues with transfers.
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.
