New Requirements for Retirement in Thailand

For those who may not be aware, several Embassies (UK, USA, AUS & DNK) have stopped issuing income affidavits, letters & declarations which were used to renew the yearly visa extensions.

The Thai gov't issued new requirements starting March 1, 2019. The following is a summary of the new rules:

01) For extensions based on marriage, you must be able to show 40k THB per month income, and for extensions based on retirement, you must be able to show 65k THB per month income transferred into a Thai bank every month from outside of Thailand.

Or,

02) For extensions based on marriage & retirement, you must be able to show a minimum of 400k THB on deposit in a Thai bank for the entire year, and in addition, for extensions based on retirement, you must be able to show a minimum of 800k THB on deposit in a Thai bank for a period of 2 months prior to your extension application and you must maintain that 800k THB for a period of 3 months after the extension is granted. The rest of the year, the balance shall not fall below 400k THB.

With kind regards...

As I understand it the 400k for a marriage extension only has to be in a thai bank for 2 months prior to applying.There is no rule to keeping it there for 12 months.
Some offices however ask for 3 months, and some want it there until after the period of consideration.

You're correct. It doesn't say anything about having to keep the 400k for the entire year or for 3 months afterwards for extensions based on marriage. I was summarizing what I read from someone else's post on another forum. There's also some confusion on the other forums whether it's 2 or 3 months before application depending on if it's your initial extension or a renewal. I'm not an expert, just trying to give people a heads up on this forum that some things changed. See marriage rule below from Thai Immigration website:

(6) In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn an average annual income of no less than Baht 40,000 per month or must have no less than Baht 400,000 in a bank account in Thailand for the past two months to cover expenses for one year.

I'm switching to the extension based on marriage if you don't have to keep the money in the bank after the extension is granted...   :)

It's possible to receive a Non-O based on marriage to a Thai citizen at Savannakhet's Thai Consulate, on the other side of Thailand's Mukdahan.

    A Non-O Multiple Entry will be issued without financial proof.
   You'll need:

   1. Original Marriage Certificate and a copy of it.
   2. Signed Copy of wife's ID.
   3. Eventually, but not necessary, the house book. ( Tabien Baan)
    4. Copies of ALL passport pages.

  You'll have to spend a night in Laos, apply for the visa/extension in the morning and pick it up the next afternoon. It's 5,000 baht and you'll have to leave Thailand every 90 days.

Zeus.wmo wrote:

You're correct. It doesn't say anything about having to keep the 400k for the entire year or for 3 months afterwards for extensions based on marriage. I was summarizing what I read from someone else's post on another forum. There's also some confusion on the other forums whether it's 2 or 3 months before application depending on if it's your initial extension or a renewal. I'm not an expert, just trying to give people a heads up on this forum that some things changed. See marriage rule below from Thai Immigration website:

(6) In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn an average annual income of no less than Baht 40,000 per month or must have no less than Baht 400,000 in a bank account in Thailand for the past two months to cover expenses for one year.

I'm switching to the extension based on marriage if you don't have to keep the money in the bank after the extension is granted...   :)


There's also some confusion on the other forums whether it's 2 or 3 months before application depending on if it's your initial extension or a renewal.

   As far as I remember, it's three months for the first time and two for the following ones.

I dont think the info is correct about amt s to have to hold ..u can remove it soon after u have completed your visa renewal .... make sure u get credible info !!!!!

..you forgot to mention it is called 'extortion'.

I understand from recent article that for over 60 there is no requirement for a deposit of 800,000 or 400,000 but you do need to either have B200,000 in a Thai bank or receive at least B20,000 income per month.this was stated in Phuket News Fen 15-21 edition. Can anybody confirm that?

@Urollet.

That not what it say.


But under "GRANDFATHER RULE".

Stunningly, under the new order the old provisions that people who have been living in Thailand for continually on a retirement visa since before Oct 21, 1998 (**See correction below)  can still apply under the exact same conditions that they were first approved.

Under this “grandfather rule”, applicants who are over 60 still only need to show that they either have B200,000 in a Thai bank, or receive at least B20,000 income per month.


Likewise, applicants under the same grandfather rule who are 55-60 years old can apply showing that they have B500,000 in Thai bank account or an income of B50,000 a month.

For these people there is no option to provide a combination of monies to reach any special target, Col Acheep explained.

They must have the money in the bank or receive the required monthly income; they cannot add them together to try and reach any special figure, he said.

However, there is no minimum balance required to be kept in a Thai bank account, he noted.


So only if you enter Thailand and stay here continually on a retirement visa(Extension) since before Oct 21, 1998, Can you use this.

Kindly.

urollet wrote:

I understand from recent article that for over 60 there is no requirement for a deposit of 800,000 or 400,000 but you do need to either have B200,000 in a Thai bank or receive at least B20,000 income per month.this was stated in Phuket News Fen 15-21 edition. Can anybody confirm that?


Your info is totally wrong! There's no 20,000 baht income or 200,000 baht on your bank account rule at Immigration in Thailand. You need 800 k for a Non-O based on retirement and 400 K for a Non-O based on marriage.


   The 20,000 baht is an amount that the Immigration might ask you to show, some officers do not let people in at certain airports if they can't show this amount. Nothing to do with a visa, or an extension of stay.

@Isaanfarang

He is not Total wrong, As you can read from what i poste.

Under the "GRANDFATHER RULE". the 20.000 / 200.000 baht still is good to use.

IF one meet the requirements in it.

Kindly.

Never done that wrote:

@Isaanfarang

He is not Total wrong, As you can read from what i poste.

Under the "GRANDFATHER RULE". the 20.000 / 200.000 baht still is good to use.

IF one meet the requirements in it.

Kindly.


My apologies, but I've never heard of anything similar. Is it possible to post a link to a website, please?

   This topic is too important for all of us who want to live in the Kingdom of Thailand.

    Thank you very much.

Never done that wrote:

@Urollet.

That not what it say.


But under "GRANDFATHER RULE".

Stunningly, under the new order the old provisions that people who have been living in Thailand for continually on a retirement visa since before Oct 21, 1998 (**See correction below)  can still apply under the exact same conditions that they were first approved.

Under this “grandfather rule”, applicants who are over 60 still only need to show that they either have B200,000 in a Thai bank, or receive at least B20,000 income per month.


Likewise, applicants under the same grandfather rule who are 55-60 years old can apply showing that they have B500,000 in Thai bank account or an income of B50,000 a month.

For these people there is no option to provide a combination of monies to reach any special target, Col Acheep explained.

They must have the money in the bank or receive the required monthly income; they cannot add them together to try and reach any special figure, he said.

However, there is no minimum balance required to be kept in a Thai bank account, he noted.


So only if you enter Thailand and stay here continually on a retirement visa(Extension) since before Oct 21, 1998, Can you use this.

Kindly.


Thank you very much for this very useful information. Living here 16 years, it's the first time that I've heard about such a regulation. Kind regards.

Please see latest rules below for extensions based on retirement effective March 1, 2019.
Kindly...
The requirements for a retirement extension according to the new police order are as follows:
(1) Must have been granted a non-immigrant visa (Non-Im)
(2) Must be 50 years of age or over
(3)  Must have evidence of having income of no less than THB 65,000 or;
(4) At least 2 months prior to filing date, and at least 3 months after being granted permission, the alien must have fund deposited in a bank in Thailand of no less than THB 800,000. The alien can withdraw the fund 3 months after being granted permission and the remaining balance must be no less than THB 400,00 or;
(5) Must have and annual earning and fund deposited with a commercial bank in Thailand totaling of no less than THB 800,000 until the filing date. The said fund must remain in the account prior to and after the permission is granted and the alien can make a withdrawal under the same conditions as stated in (4).
The new requirements to keep 800k baht in the bank for three months after the retirement visa is granted is effective from 1st March  2019.

https://www.immigration.go.th/read?cont … 5d3589c929https://assets.thaivisa.com/forum/uploa … 382652.jpg

..so does the 'grandfathering rule' apply to those aliens already holding an extension of stay (retirement) prior to this new amendment (in earthly words; whatever conditions you had to comply with when you made your original RV are still the case, as long as you have continuous extensions of stay..or does this new rule apply to all extensions of stay regardless?

@Pukatai.

Not for this new amendment.

Like it say in the law:

people who have been living in Thailand for continually on a retirement visa since before Oct 21, 1998

So only if one meet this requirements

3)  Must have evidence of having income of no less than THB 65,000 monthly or;

Isaanfarang wrote:

You'll have to spend a night in Laos, apply for the visa/extension in the morning and pick it up the next afternoon. It's 5,000 baht and you'll have to leave Thailand every 90 days.


is that 5,000B every 90-days, or once annually,...with the mandate to leave/return every 90-days?

jana611 wrote:
Isaanfarang wrote:

You'll have to spend a night in Laos, apply for the visa/extension in the morning and pick it up the next afternoon. It's 5,000 baht and you'll have to leave Thailand every 90 days.


is that 5,000B every 90-days, or once annually,...with the mandate to leave/return every 90-days?


It's a 5,000 baht visa fee for a Multiple Entry annually, but when you've got to leave Thailand every 90 days, you always have to pay for a visa, usually Laos, or Cambodia. Of course, could you also go to any other country of your choice. 

   You can basically cross the border and go back to Thailand immediately. Some Cambodian Immigration officers now have started some strange rules that you've got to stay in Cambodia overnight or fly into Thailand by plane, especially Poipet.

   Such a visa, usually good for seven to fourteen days, is around 1,400 baht, cheaper if you've got US dollars.

if you are in Thailand, Just go to your local immigration office and ask. Each office is run by different boss, therefore requirements are bit different. 

If you are outside thailand, go or email Thai Embassy for current requirements

pikfreedom wrote:

if you are in Thailand, Just go to your local immigration office and ask. Each office is run by different boss, therefore requirements are bit different. 

If you are outside thailand, go or email Thai Embassy for current requirements


People are discussing the topic for some particular reasons. perhaps one of them is that they do not want to waste time to visit the local Immigration a few times. Some of us live many miles away from the next Immigration bureau and knowing certain rules and regulations can't be a mistake when planning to live here for long. Kind regards./