Getting a 1-year extension of Non-Immigrant (O) visa

    @gmf1313 Thanks for that info, i have retirement pensions that can cover the 65,000 but it is made up of SS and other company pensions which I assume qualify. I cant seem to fund out what the qualification is for a married couple?
My main concerns are arriving back in Thailand to find out that our joint income is not enough to qualify and secondly forced to acquire health insurance quickly at  a higher cost than expected.
Here  in PV we were able to get all information  re Mexico before we came without any unexpected financial surprises.
I understand every country is different and expect bureaucracy , thats life, but don’t want to make any mistakes at our age
   

    -@psscouser Siam Legal can give you some useful information at no charge by email. I don't think that you can do this as a couple, you are treated as individuals here, but you'll want to check that. You'll have to have separate bank accounts I think. Again, check that with the experts, not in forums like this. I don't actually make enough SS to qualify, so I add the difference to my transfer, since they have no way of knowing anything other than that my 67,000 shows up once a month via international transfer. Each month I send the same $375 around in circles, adding it back in when I transfer in. Sort of like laundering my own money. So if you use Wise you could do something like that. They don't care because they don't see anything but the deposit amount.

@rbakker Yes, you will convert to a non immigrant visa for a period, I think 30 days, they will tell you, and then you come back and get the retirement visa. When I did mine I was completely in the dark as to what they were doing, I just did what they said, came back when they said, and only a few days later did I look and see the retirement visa stamp. When I finally carefully scrutinized all my stamps then I figured it out.

@JonSt One year after the date on the last extension, or after the initial visa date. Go two weeks before.

    @martinoo2002
1900 Baht PLUS 3800 baht total 4700 baht for multi entry is that correct ??
   

    -@petercurr55 1900 for the extension and 3800 for the multiple entry. I remember it added up to just over $100 for the multi entry permit.

@psscouser

In this link you can read everything in any couples situation related to non o visa based on retirement.

https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand-vi … ement-visa

I have seen other posts where people say that Immigration requires the embassy of your home country to "certify" your income and the US embassy (and others) won't do it. Also, not everyone has an income that's high enough or steady enough or mainstream enough. Just depositing 800k is another, simpler, option.

I'll never use a visa service, too many people = extra complications

According to this website:

https://www.thaiembassy.com/faq/thailan … quirements

foreign couples *both* have to qualify for the income/savings requirements. So that's 1.6M in savings.

It's not an official website though.

        @gmf1313  Each month I send the same $375 around in circles, adding it back in when I transfer in. Sort of like laundering my own money. So if you use Wise you could do something like that. They don't care because they don't see anything but the deposit amount.

   

    -@gmf1313

Interesting and ingenious!

    According to this website:
https://www.thaiembassy.com/faq/thailan … quirements
foreign couples *both* have to qualify for the income/savings requirements. So that's 1.6M in savings.
It's not an official website though.
   

    -@rbakker

It just makes sense that since 800K is for 1 person, that 1.6M is for 2 persons.

            @gmf1313  Each month I send the same $375 around in circles, adding it back in when I transfer in. Sort of like laundering my own money. So if you use Wise you could do something like that. They don't care because they don't see anything but the deposit amount.   

Interesting and ingenious!
   

    -@Bigrad Wolf

Could you expand on that a little bit? Which document are you showing that only shows the deposits?

@rbakker

thanks for that link, I'm thinking I could  easily  qualify monthly income for myself and then deposit 800k for my wife to qualify separately?

Im still not sure if we have to have proof of medical insurance if we start the one year extension visa in Thailand?

@gmf1313

thank you for that information , I will follow up with Siam

    @rbakker
thanks for that link, I'm thinking I could  easily  qualify monthly income for myself and then deposit 800k for my wife to qualify separately?
Im still not sure if we have to have proof of medical insurance if we start the one year extension visa in Thailand?
   

    -@psscouser

For a non-immigrant O visa one-year extension you don't need proof of medical insurance. I don't know if it's different for married couples but I doubt it. Also, this was in Chiang Mai, in other places you may get different interpretations but again I doubt it'll be different.

Whether you can combine income and fixed amount, I don't know. I wonder if it would be possible and easier for married couples to just apply separately.

Yep, Will investigate further, Chiang Mai will be our destination spent many happy months there

I might add, mistakes will happen, but rarely are fatal. It just means delay and sometimes correcting forms and a few extra trips to immigration. Bottom line is for some people using a visa service is the best option, just do your homework and use a vetted reputable service - ask around for that.

@gmf1313     good advice, thanks

I came over on a Type O then extended it for one year. I am married to a Thai. I've done three one year extensions and have not had to show any long term insurance. The caveat is that I did come over here during the COVID pandemic so I had to have insurance to cover that. It had expired by the time that I did my 1st one year extension.

        @rbakkerthanks for that link, I'm thinking I could  easily  qualify monthly income for myself and then deposit 800k for my wife to qualify separately?Im still not sure if we have to have proof of medical insurance if we start the one year extension visa in Thailand?         -@psscouser

For a non-immigrant O visa one-year extension you don't need proof of medical insurance. I don't know if it's different for married couples but I doubt it. Also, this was in Chiang Mai, in other places you may get different interpretations but again I doubt it'll be different.
Whether you can combine income and fixed amount, I don't know. I wonder if it would be possible and easier for married couples to just apply separately.
   

    -@rbakker

@rbakker

Probably as you did, I am prepping early! I have to wait until the end of March to get to 60 days after entry on the non-O, but getting many docs in line now (copies of passport, TM30, etc.)

I ordered a 12 month bank statement just to hit it on the nose (even though they probably only look at the last 2 months). Did that through BKK Bank, but also learned one can get a copy of BKK bank statement for past year via app (not website). I realize they want the one from the bank, so I ordered that (and will get the last month and bank letter on application day).

One question I have is *exactly* how long the 800k needs to be in the account prior to applying. "60 days" seems to be how long one must wait after entry to apply for the extension. But, regarding deposited funds, the requirement on the CM Immigration handout implies the funds have to be in the bank for "2 months." (The wording on that doc us a little confusing in places.) I think I read on some forums that some IOs are cool with less than that... say 45 days... or having the deposit extend across two calendar months.

Obviously, I'm digging for specificity 'cause I'm just trying to get to game day asap!

I was told repeatedly that it was 2 months and not 60 days. So stick with 2 months! If you go for the extension on March 30 then the statement has to show the 800k was in there on January 30 (or before) and not touched in the meantime. That's what I did and no problems there.

Thanks. Yeah, I'm playing with one day. Your example is right on, but my "2 months" day is... a Saturday. Even with leap year I needed one more day to avoid waiting over the weekend!

The 800k will need to stay most of the time in the bank during your 1 year visa. If I am remembering right after you get the visa for 3 more months thrn like 6 months at the last half of the year.  So do not count on spending it and not keeping the account balance at 800k fir your 1 year visa.

I have been through the 90 day extension several times. They always enter the day that I start the 90 day and the day that it will end. I've counted the actual days on the calendar corresponding to those dates and it has always been days, not months. I also messed up once before and missed the 60 day thresh hold. On the calendar it counted out to exactly 60 days, not 2 months.

I'm also wondering if this might be another one of those things that can vary depending on the office that a person goes to.

For my visas that I do in the Bangkok office it's always days not months.

@rzugnoni

Yes, I think it might be. I read somewhere else (not in CM) that the IOs were ok with the funds being in the account less than 60 days. But I'll play by the expectation that CM is pretty tight and shoot for 60 (or 2 months)

@rzugnoni

Officially, for retirement extension, it is 2 months before extension, 3 months after extension at 800.000 the period in between a minimum of 400.000 thb

Marriage extension is different.

I'm on a Type O visa, not a marriage visa and it has always been days for me.

    I'm on a Type O visa, not a marriage visa and it has always been days for me.
   

    -@rzugnoni

NOt sure what you mean with 'has always been days for me'

Marriage is also a Type O visa, similar to retirement, just different requirements and rules, as explained

What I as explaining is not the time it takes for approval of your visa, but the rules on the bank deposit

Okay, to be safe, take the greater of 60 days and 2 months.