TB Immigration Info Letter No 004/22: Immigration Jomtien/Pattaya – Year Extension Retired

Reporter: Jacques

Recognizable? You name it. Sometimes there are things that play in your head and then it is pleasant or necessary to talk or write about it. An anecdote written from life. In my case, the annual recurring ritual of the “retirement extension” had been discussed.

As most of us know by now, a similar battery of copies of documents must be made and shown every year before the stamp will be placed in the passport. A totally unnecessary theatrical event, which is unparalleled and which causes stress for the necessary applicants.

The application, regarding the financial part, can be done in three legal ways for an unmarried person with a Non immigrant O visa:

– Through the 800.000 Thai baht in a Thai bank account

– By demonstrating the income requirement of at least 65.000 Thai baht per month in a Thai bank account (only required for the application based on the Non-OA visa) or via a form (income statement, including pension and or AOW) at the Dutch embassy in Bangkok or Austrian consul (Mr. Hofer) in Pattaya. You only have to show an amount and nothing about the actual use (import) of this in Thailand.

– Through a combination of the top two and then a part must be declared through a Thai bank account and income through the Embassy or consul.

For years I used the services of the Austrian consul at immigration in Jomtien/Pattaya and the cost of this form is currently about 1610 Thai baht.

According to information, the applicant's income in Thailand can also be explained and proven by having a bank statement made from him or her with confirmation of these documents by the Thai bank itself. The costs for this vary between 200 and 300 Thai baht. For this method, an open-minded Immigration police officer must agree to it at the time of processing.

In order not to spend money unnecessarily and because in this banking way you actually demonstrate that you bring at least 65000 baht into Thailand, I had all documents drawn up through my bank and thought I could make the application with this. But yes you never have certainty in Thailand and certainly not if money can be involved and if there is no lack of tunnel vision by the relevant practitioner. So today I was a bit uncertain waiting for my seat. Fortunately I was not the only one with uncertainty, because the mood was cut again. Half past ten I was inside and there were still 8 people in front of me and they had to be dealt with before half past eleven, because then there is a one and a half hour rest and meal break for everyone in the building. The possibility of deploying the staff half and half (45 minutes for each group) and as such not having to close the toko has apparently never occurred to this group of officials.

Various applicants received comments on their application documents and were sent away with assignments. Fortunately, the only support officer who looked at the files of the applicants could still count on the support of a police officer dressed in a yellow polo shirt without rank insignia. This older man, with round glasses and gray and therefore not colored hair, was the last person to look through my documents before the break and he said to me “you are coming to demonstrate your income in Thailand with a bank statement.” I confirmed this. It turned out that I did not have a document available and that was a document that the bank needs to make when issuing the annual statement, which contained a bank confirmation whether I, the person of the passport and the Thai bank account are one and the same person. So something like prove that one and one equals two. Surprise, of course, because I had my valid passport and valid Thai bank book in my hand and documents had already been sent to me in this regard by the same bank. There is too much information and the bank employee can only exercise control in a similar way to that police officer, by using the eyes.

But yes, I thought not to complain too much and just do what is asked, otherwise there were no objections raised by this policeman. I go to my bank branch for the requested document with a covering letter, drawn up by that police officer. It was known to the bank clerk and for 100 Thai baht I was the man. Upon closer inspection of the bank statements, I saw that a similar document had already been drawn up by my own bank branch employee, with exactly the same Thai text and form structure. So now I had two and yes double sewn holds better.

After 13.00 pm I could come back to immigration and then hand over the paperwork and passport with the 1900 Thai baht. Thus happened. The policeman who had looked at my file was not there when I returned, only the support officer and he came to a different conclusion. I could not make this application with the bank papers, because for Dutch people the Austrian consul Mr. Hofer must be used. So I had to have the appropriate document of about 1600 Thai baht drawn up again based on my pension data. As we know, this cannot be checked with certainty (after all, I come with copies of my pension fund) and no inquiries are made at the Dutch pension institution by Hofer and his vice consul, who are not authorized to do so.

This aside and let's be happy that this option is offered and I think it is the same at the Dutch embassy in Bangkok. They will also not have a hotline with the pension fund and will certainly not receive information without my permission. It also says something about my pension in the Netherlands and that is sufficient for the application, but it does not show in any way that I have at least 65.000 Thai baht in Thailand, which I must demonstrate in accordance with the choice I made for applying for retirement extension through the bank method. The support person told me that he only follows the instructions and he cannot deviate from this. When I asked who can do this and who I can speak to about this, he said: “my boss and he is in the corner at the back of the building”. To my surprise, it was the same man who had gone through my file. I approached this man and nodded politely (the Wai applied), did so in accordance with the usual archive in this and the documents submitted, which shows everything and in my opinion the year stamp can simply be provided, provided he agrees.

From a distance I overheard the assistant informing his boss about the arrangement with the Austrian consul, Mr. Hofer. Then a light went on with the best man and he spoke the wise words that this was indeed the case and that as a Dutchman I can only do business through the consul or otherwise no departure and a one-way ticket to the Netherlands. Go to Hofer, Hofer was what he chanted. According to him, there were only three countries where the bank construction went ahead and that was America and the other two did not stick (probably England and Denmark). I had become quite irritated by now, because I had noticed that consultation with him was not an option. All efforts made so far have been in vain. He used some hand gestures that unmistakably invited him to leave the building, because he didn't want to talk any further. However, another policewoman (whom I had not mixed into the conversation) thought it necessary to inform me about the 800.000 Thai baht scheme and in such a way that I did not give my opinion about it.

I did have to say to the police chief that I myself was the police chief of the aliens police in the Netherlands of a similar open-plan office as can be seen in Jomtien and that the manner of treatment in this was disrespectfully conducted by him towards me and that the failure to answer my the question why the Hofer route had to be taken and he is not in favor of me raises the necessary questions. In my view, sometimes exercising discretion, which certainly applies in Thailand, is an option to consider. (In Dutch administrative law, a discretionary power is a power that grants an administrative body (such as the police through certain appointed employees) the freedom to a greater or lesser extent to take a decision in concrete cases as it sees fit.) Yes, I know , it is the strong shoes that can bear the wealth and it is not given to everyone. At the time, I sometimes used it incidentally, because even legal rules do not always cover the load. This police chief also said that this was Thailand. As if I was not aware of this and certainly now looking at him like that.

With the realization that it fell on deaf ears, so tomorrow I go to the Austrian Consul, Mr Hofer and tap off the 1600 baht for a document that is produced in 2 minutes. Still a significant advantage compared to applicants with the Non OA visa, who, in the way I advocate, are also required to demonstrate the minimum income of 65.000 in Thailand. In addition to the fact that with the Non OA, health insurance must also be demonstrated, which is therefore not the case with the Non O.

There are times when I wish I had rose colored glasses and this was one of them. Would have saved a lot of aggravation. But something in me thought it necessary to try this out. However, all the effort and wasted money turned out to be for nothing.

In hindsight I should have known better because nothing is what it seems with this instance and our queen would have said "he was a bit stupid." Let me be ahead of some critics and the difference between 1600 and 300 Thai baht is not that I will end up penniless. It could also be, but yes that is not proof, that a certain financial component is also part of the Hofer construction (a considerable amount is involved) and you do not want to deprive the poorly paid police officer and Hofer of that. On the other hand, the amount at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok is also so expensive and of course I do not suspect corruption. Considering this, I'm probably wrong (professional deformation), let's just leave it at that.

I now have the overvalued stamp in my passport again and I can stay for another year. What kind of income statement at the consul can yield happy faces for three parties. Everyone is happy and healthy again tomorrow.

Reaction RonnyLatYa

Still some addition to what the official rules according to the immigration order say.

– “By demonstrating the income requirement of at least 65.000 Thai baht per month in a Thai bank account (only required for the application based on the Non-OA visa)”

With regard to monthly deposits as Retirement, the order does not distinguish between a residence period obtained with an OA and an O. The financial requirements and proofs should be similar. (see order)

– According to him, there were only three countries where the bank construction went ahead and that was America and the other two did not stick (probably England and Denmark).”

In the text in the order, only the USA, UK and Australia are cited as examples (Such as) of countries that no longer issue Affidavit. Nowhere is it written that this means that only those countries can use the deposits.

“….due to the fact that embassies of various countries such as United States Of America, United Kingdom and Australia have canceled the issuance of income certification letter to their citizen since I January 2019,…”

CONFIRMED: Here is exactly what's needed for retirement & marriage extensions (income method) from 2019 – Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits – ASEAN NOW – News, Travel & Forum

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