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Keith ************
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Keith ************
Ben Steel I transfer close to that amount for less than $20 with Wise.
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Keith ************
The way immigration verifies foreign transactions is typically by looking at the code on the bank statements. If yours aren't coded as foreign transactions, you may need to get what's called credit advice on each transaction. That doesn't seem practical.

The bank letter is basically the bank saying that the account is yours and the balance is as shown. You can try to see if the bank can issue some other sort of letter, but I don't think they will.

You can also go to immigration and plead your case. But in my experience they just point at the rulebook.

Most of us that have been here a while take the attitude that the less hassle we make it for immigration, the less trouble we have. If I were you, I'd pay an agent this time and set yourself up for next year.

If you have the option, start making your deposits to a non Thai bank now. Then, once a month, transfer 65k or more into Thailand. Make sure it's coded as a foreign transaction. Consider having a separate bank account for this, so all that immigration sees is international transfers, one per month, for the year.
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Keith ************
John Dawson or, they require an actual 65,000 baht be transferred every month for 12 months. No affidavit of income needed in this case.
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Keith ************
James Sing I've done it. There are several ways. Dee money is one (though they were flaky a few months back).
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Keith ************
Wise doesn't work like other transfer companies. Mostly, they match transactions in your home country, with transactions in Thailand. They basically shuffle money around inside both countries to make everyone whole. That can take longer.

If you're looking for an instant transfer service, it's probably not your choice. The bigger the amount, the harder it might be to match. What time of day it is in both countries may affect the speed, as well. And also, what reason you choose for the transfer. Plus, which bank you use.

Rumor has it that Kasikorn is their local partner, but online sources tell me they have many local partners. A transaction may come into k-bank and then go to your bank, if it's not Kasikorn.

If you choose "Funds for long term stay in Thailand" for the reason you're transferring money, Wise will attempt to code your transfer as international, rather than a local transfer (remember, it might come into one Thai bank first, and then transfer to another, thus appearing as a local transfer). I'm not sure what effect that has on transfer speed but I'm guessing it doesn't make it faster

Some transfers may need to be coded as international for immigration purposes.

So, what bank you use, what time of day you transfer, how much you transfer, what reason you choose for the transfer, and what bank you use can all affect the timing. Bangkok bank seems to be slowest at this point.
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Keith ************
As for coming from a pension, it depends on the office. I was asked if my income was from a pension, but was not asked to show pension documents. Clear it with your office.

As others have said, income-method transactions do need to be coded as from a foreign source. That's true in all offices that I know of. And yes, sometimes Wise is not successful at doing that. The best way forward is to read a few threads here and figure out if that's going to affect you.

In some offices, I've heard if you explain it to them, show them the transfer from your bank, show it hitting Wise, show it leaving Wise and then hitting your That bank account, that will be enough. You can ask and if they say no, go get the following.

You can always go to the local receiving bank (the first Thai bank that gets your money from Wise to transfer it to your bank) and get documentation that it was an international transfer. It's a pain, but not a disaster.

Or do straight international bank transfers, which tend to be more expensive but are coded correctly.
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Keith ************
There have been a couple of separate issues with Bangkok bank. One is, they have frozen some accounts. These are mostly people with tourist visas. The second is that some people have reported that, for a while, the mechanism for marking transactions as coming from a foreign source wasn't working when using Wise for transfers. If you're using the income method for extensions, the transactions need to be coded as foreign.
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Keith ************
Transferring money is not free. But it's more than offset by the interest you'll earn. You can't just use any transfer service to bring the 65k/month in. It must be coded as an international transfer by your Thai bank.

Before you open a bank account, search this forum about that subject. Some banks have more issues with this than others.
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Keith ************
@Pertti *********
do you mind if I dm you? I have a couple of questions about the Lamphun immigration office.
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Keith ************
@Luit ****************
the immigration office handled it for me when I got a new passport. After that, I didn't need to carry both passports.
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9 months ago
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