What are the updated requirements for obtaining a Non-O retirement visa in Thailand regarding bank statements?

Apr 26, 2021
4 years ago
Scott ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
I don’t know if this is a change or not but if you have a Non-O based on retirement and used banked money (800k baht) the Udon immigration office wants to see a statement for the past year, not two months back. Of course it’s not on the handout they give you as you prepare your paperwork, it’s dropped in your lap when you think you’ve done everything you need to do. And of course your local bank branch can’t get that 12 month statement for you, they need a week to get it from the ‘main office’.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
Recent changes in the requirements for obtaining a Non-O retirement visa in Thailand state that if you are using banked funds (800,000 baht), the immigration office in Udon requires a full year's bank statement instead of just two months. This is not commonly mentioned in the preparatory materials provided. Local banks may take time to provide the year-long statement, with most being able to print six months on the spot and requiring additional time to acquire the rest.
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Ulli ********
does siam commercial bank do it in 1day, anybody knows?
Benjamin ******
@Ulli *******
I think that's a branch policy; ask your local branch what their policy is.
Tod *********
Okay, the seasoning of funds for banked money method changed a good while back.

BEFORE you needed to only have the 800K baht in your bank account for 2 months before your FIRST yearly extension based on retirement and then for 3 months for every yearly extension after that,

BUT

When they changed the rules it went to 800K baht in your account for 2 months before you apply for your extension, the funds need to stay in the account for 3 months AFTER you get the extension granted and then the balance can't fall below 400K baht the rest of the year. <- Those are the seasoning rules in effect for yearly extensions based on retirement using banked money method as proof of funds.

IF you're using a regular savings account (not a fixed deposit one) and don't update your bank book every transaction OR at least every month when you do update the bank book all it usually prints is a transaction summary (money in money out since the last update). That's NOT enough information for the immigration office to tell you met the proof of funds. SO they make you go to your bank and get a print out of a year's transaction history.

Most banks can print 6 months of that history on the spot and you have to order the other 6 months which takes about 5 days.
Scott ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
Yeah, I’m aware of the changes. My bank book is updated regularly and the balance never went below 1.2 million baht. The pain point is that I went in early to ask what I needed so I could do this once and was not given the correct information.
Tod *********
The changes started back at the end of Dec 2018 (when the aussie, UK and US consulates stopped issuing embassy notary letters guaranteeing funds overseas) is what started this whole "re-vamp" of both the monthly income method (where you now need to transfer IN to the country the 65K baht a month from abroad) and the banked money method (where it has to be in the account for 2 months before, 3 months after and then can't go lower than 400K baht for the rest of the year).

The official order was put out in Jan 2019
Lloyd ********
They need to check that the balance has not fallen below the 400k mark for the previous year.
Scott ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
When I went in last week to verify I had everything I needed (I did) there was a guy losing his mind because they were asking for something not specified. Now I know it was the exact same thing. It would be nice if they could update their documentation requirements or give accurate information when asked. I don’t know why the information has to change the moment you submit your application.
Marty *********
@Scott *******
I keep a checklist of what I need and update it each year. I look at comments of people’s experiences posted in groups like this and sometimes add more to the checklist. There is no harm in bringing more than you need, especially if it is cheap and easy to get. I always go as early as possible, 45 days in Bangkok and 30 days in other places to allow time to fix any problems that may come up.

The need to show a 1 year bank statement and the fact that some banks require a week to provide a statement has been true for a year and has been commented on many times. These FB groups can be valuable for this type of information. You can complain about immigration not doing what you think they should do but there are resources to fill in the gaps most of the time.
Scott ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Marty ********
That’s why I asked here a couple weeks ago, for current intel. I was told to go ask which I had already planned on doing, and did.

Feel free to close the comments. Everything that needs to be said has been said.
Lloyd ********
some people very rarely update their bank book, and all they get is a huge in and a huge out covering the year.
Tom *********
@Lloyd *******
But it's easy to update the bank book the same day as your IMM app-ointment. Just make a 100 TB deposit or withdrawal!
Lloyd ********
@Tom ********
BUT, that will not necessarily update it with EVERY transaction from the last year, it often lumps all the deposits and withdrawals together.
Tom *********
@Lloyd *******
Not BKK Bank.
Tom *********
And this year for the first time they wanted proof of the SOURCE of my US income for the monthlt transfers! And they wanted to see the 800,000 in the bank for 3 months before AND after the extension date!
Scott ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Lloyd *******
The bank book shows that.
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