Will I still require proof of 800k Thai Baht in a US bank account when retiring in Thailand?

You can apply for a 1 year nonO/A at the US Embassy and show the money coming into your account for a few months. When you move, set up a Thai account and transfer the required monthly amount into it every month for 1 year. By the time you need to renew, the thai account will show the requirement, without tying up $25,000. This was told to me by Siam legal last month.

Yes at least the first year. But you have to pun 65,000 baht in every month for a year. Then you can take out the 800,000

Tom Warner . . . You are mixing up “visa” with “stay permit”, the usual wrong wording of people who don’t know the difference between the two.

For the application to the 90-days Non-O Retirement Visa through the E-Visa online system in the USA, you need proof of EITHER 30,000 USD in your home bank account , OR proof of a minimum income/pension of 2500 USD per month, proved with your original income or pension documents.

However for the FIRST YEAR application to the 1-year EXTENSION OF THE STAY PERMIT BASED ON RETIREMENT on Immigration inside Thailand, you

EITHER

need proof of a minimum of 800,000 THB in your THAI bank account, seasoned for 2 months,

OR

a legalized by your embassy income affidavit over a minimum of 65,000 THB per month.

Since the US Embassy in Bangkok does not issue income affidavits any more, Immigration 2018 started to allow US citizens the proof by a 12-months bank statement of monthly incoming from abroad a minimum of 65,000 THB, month for month, not missing a single month.

So this means that a US citizen, for the first year extension, needs to use the 800,000 THB deposit, because he has not accumulated these 12 months of transfers, yet, in the first year.

I hope you have finally understood this by now and don’t call the 1-year extension a “retirement visa”

Our Crystal Ball is broken, we will send out for repair……soon

You are on the right path. Figuring it out. If you use an agent you become dependent on them… Just an fyi.

Contact a visa agent when you get to Thailand and get your information from them. They will do everything for you . It’s worth the money

You require 800 k baht in a Thai bank or 12 months of 65k deposited into your Thai bank account. Your USA pensions and money in the USA are not considered for your Visa and visa extension. Only the money in your Thai bank accounts are considered.

To apply for a visa in the US you can use funds in a US bank, either monthly income or a lump sum. If you are planning a 90 day Non-O visa followed by a 12 month extension of stay inside Thailand you need funds in a Thai bank for the extension and will need to show the 800k baht lump sum, at least for the 1st year

Applying in US for a 90 day Non-O outside of Thailand requires 3 months seasoning. You simply show the money in your US bank account. However once you get to Thailand you need to immediately open up a Thai bank account and transfer that 800k and let it season for 2 months before you apply for the 1-year extension.

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