What Should I Bring When Renewing My Non O Visa with a Retirement Extension in Thailand?

Question

I had an interesting  and slightly irritating problem at Immigrayion today.  I had gone to extend my Non O visa with Retirement extension and had all the relevant paperwork. Or so I thought.
Everything went as planned until the final hurdle when they asked me for my previous bankbook, as I had taken the one I was issued last December. There was a lot of confusion, mostly on my part as my Thai is minimal. They said I had to go to the Bank and get a Statement that would cover the 6 months preceding the entries in my Bankbook. I had the required funds in my account more than 2 months before my application so I couldn't understand the problem. The Officer wanted to make sure that my balance had not dropped below the minimum 400,000 baht, specified in the new rules. I tried to get a statement at the Bank in Mae Sai to settle the issue, but because the statement was over 6 months old, they had to request it from Bangkok and it would take 5 days and incur a fee. The only solution was to drive 35 km back home to pick up my old bank book and return to Mae Sai before they closed.
So please make sure that if you are renewing/extending a Visa, in my case a Non O, have proof of income going back a year.

Ask Thailand · Answer

The post discusses an expat's experience extending their Non O visa with a Retirement extension, highlighting the importance of having an up-to-date bank book and proof of funds from the past year to avoid issues at Immigration.

James ******** · Answer

Thank you for your helpful advice.

Good luck on your extension 😉

Commenting closed

Chris ********** · Answer

I agree that they were doing their job correctly.  My post was really about making sure that when applying for another years extension,  it's important to make sure you have up to a years entries in your Bank book. Dont just turn up with a newish one like I did! As always,  the staff at Mae Sai were friendly and polite! And because the border is closed, it's all but deserted. Thanks for all the feedback guys.

Raymond ******************************************* · Answer

Understand your frustration but also understand the officers inquiry. They can't bend the rules anymore.

Marty ********* · Answer

Yes. This has been the policy for several months. It is also a good reason to apply for your extension as early as possible so that you have time to fix any problems that may arise.

Robert ******* · Answer

Last year you applied for an 1 year Extension of Stay and you promised to keep the 800.000 Thb for another 3 months on that same bank account and the rest of the year you would keep the balance not lower then 400.000 Thb.

I do not see any problem if Immigration does not believe the crossed fingers behind their back or their nice blue eyes, but want to see the bank book with proof that you did as promised.

What Should I Bring When Renewing My Non O Visa with a Retirement Extension in Thailand?

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