Thailand Visa Question No. 213/24: Phetchaburi immigration office in Cha-am – are the financial requirements different at immigration offices?
Questioner: Stevens
Is there a difference from consulate to province. I used to live in Phetchabun and could get a visa of 65.000 baht per month, it was accepted there and I was not asked anything else.
Now, I live in Cha-am, the rules are different and I have to prove 400.000 or 800.000 baht here.
How come? I think they are being difficult here… is this normal?
Reaction RonnyLatYa
The basic financial requirements that are asked are the same in every immigration office. That is officially fixed. Although the evidence required to prove these financial claims may vary locally.
For Retirement these amounts are:
Bank amount of at least 800 Baht
of
Income of at least 65 Baht
of
combination of bank amount and income that together must amount to at least 800 Baht on an annual basis (although sometimes a minimum bank amount of 000 Baht is required as bank amount).
These are the official financial requirements and you can also find them on the official websites of immigration and immigration offices.
- Visa Extension – In the case of retirement
https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/visa-extension/#1610937479150-0456cfd8-f864
Of course there could be a reason why they didn't accept your income and then only want to see a bank amount as a replacement. But they will have told you that too.
For your information.
Immigration offices are not consulates.
Immigration offices are owned by the Thai government and deal with the residence of foreigners in Thailand.
A consulate represents a country in another country. In other words, the consulates you find in Thailand represent that country in Thailand.
Additional question to the readers and specifically for those who use Phetchaburi immigration office in Cha-am
Are there any readers who applied for a one-year extension as Retired at this immigration office and were told that this is not possible with an income of at least 65 Baht and that a bank account of 000 Baht is therefore required..
This would also mean that a one-year extension as a Thai Marriage/Thai Child will also likely be refused if this is with an income of 40 Baht and a bank account of 000 is also required.
The combination method will therefore not be allowed as this is also in combination with an income.
This therefore concerns an income that is not accepted at all, regardless of the evidence you provide.
Can be important because it means that an officially allowed option is not accepted as an option without reason, even if you meet the requirements.
It is normal that it will be refused if you cannot provide the evidence, but this is not so important here.
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The financial requirements may differ not only from district to district but also from official to official!
Here in Huahin they take several numbers in the queue to make sure you don't end up with a particular official!
Regards,
Ron
The financial requirements are the same everywhere in immigration offices.
What may differ are the documents to prove those financial demands.
Well already three years ago but I did my year extension three times in the immigration office in Petchaburi and did this by means of the combination method. I did not experience any problems with this, I did not have 2019 in my account the first and second (2020 and 400.000) time and this was also accepted.
I am Dutch and therefore had my income declaration from the Dutch embassy.
Greetings Gianiko.
There are immigration offices that require at least 400 Baht for the combination method, but for others it doesn't matter.
The reason why some do require it lies in how they interpret the text below.
“3. Must have evidence of monthly income of no less than 65,000 Baht or
4. At least 2 months prior to the filing date and at least 3 months after being granted permission, an alien must have a deposit in a commercial bank located in Thailand of no less than 800,000 baht. After being granted permission for 3 months, an alien can withdraw the said deposit and must have the remaining balance in the bank account of no less than 400,000 baht or
5. Must have an annual income and a deposit in a commercial bank located in Thailand with total sum of no less than 800,000 baht as of the filing date. The said deposit must maintain in the bank account prior to and after the permission is granted and the withdrawal can be made under the same condition in the Criterion (4).”
https://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/visa-extension/#1610937479150-0456cfd8-f864
You can read the combination method in point 5. At the end it says “The said deposit must be maintained in the bank account prior to and after the permission is granted and the withdrawal can be made under the same condition in the Criterion (4).”
Criteria (4) is then the bank amount of 800 Baht. It states that you may never drop below 000 Baht the entire year. Therefore, there are immigration offices that then reason that if the same conditions apply as with that bank amount, you must have at least 400 Baht in the account the entire year.
It's a matter of how one wants to interpret the text in that immigration office.
Unfortunately, the questioner does not indicate how he intends to prove that income:
– if he is Belgian: then with an affidavit issued and certified by the Belgian embassy
– is he Dutch: with a letter of support from the Dutch embassy
– with proven monthly transfers.
So it's guesswork again but there must be a reason why it was refused because, especially in Cha-am, immigration has a very good knowledge of the regulations because there are a lot of foreigners there. So, they don't go with the wet vimger.
If the applicant uses monthly transfers, it is quite possible that this will be refused. This method is only applicable to people from countries where no affidavit or letter of support is delivered by their embassy.
So that he first inquires about the real reason for the refusal.
Only later found out that he is Belgian.
These monthly deposits are not officially limited to countries where Affidavit is no longer issued.
But it is the reason why monthly deposits came into being as an option.
But there are indeed immigration offices that refuse the monthly deposits if the embassy does issue an Affidavit.
Although that is actually contradictory, because even if an Affidavit is issued it is not a confirmation of the content. An Affidavit should in principle always be refused if it does not state that the correctness has been checked.
But fortunately for many there are those who still accept this, although you hear more and more that people also want to see a legalized one.
I have been applying for the extension in Cha-am for years based on the 65.000 baht income requirement (with a supporting letter from the Dutch embassy). No problem at all.
They are always very friendly. Only the appointment system is Thai style: you have to make an appointment online these days, but in practice the appointment time does not apply. First come first served and that is quite annoying when someone from a desk with 20 passports is just ahead of you.
Yes Anna, so Thai style, make an online appointment and then simply forget about it.
Well, an agency/agent that comes with 20 passports.
Even if he comes after you, he has priority.
That is 20 x 20.000 Thb, part of which falls into the lap of Immigration.
TIT.
Dear Wliiam,
before you write something like that and make the bill of 20x20.000THB you should try to find out which 'agents' come to immigration with 20 or more passports at the same time.
These are representatives of a company that employs foreign workers. In many places they even have a separate counter where their extensions are processed or they have priority in handing in those passports that are then processed separately.
Lung Addie,
I don't care which agents enter Immigration with many passports at the same time and are treated with priority. (as you yourself write)
The fact is that the Thai Immigration Law is crystal clear in requiring the applicant to appear IN PERSON at Immigration for renewal.
A photo of you will also be taken there during the application. (Also a legal requirement!)
Cannot be done if applicant is represented by 'agent'.
An extension costs 1900 THB. The stories of people who, for reasons of their own, give it to an agent and pay enormous amounts for it are well-known.
Lung Addie and Anna are ahead of me. At Immigration Office Cha-am the staff are very correct and friendly.
For extension of annual visa with monthly income 65.000 THB a letter of support from the consular department of the NL embassy is required. (For NL-ers)
Indeed, a visa support letter is normally sufficient.
But I found out later that he is Belgian and that was not possible for him.
An Affidavit does provide some certainty that it will be accepted.
Due to circumstances I have been using an 'agent' from Hua-hin for my retirement extension for the last few years, because I live in the province Phetchaburi that was always in Chaa-am. In my case it was about the 800k in a bank account. That always went well until the last time, the agent told me that I should come to Hua-hin, the management in Cha-am had deteriorated and they were difficult.
It turned out that 'the management' consisting of a woman had left Cha-am and was now in Hua-hin!
And why would management in Cha-am have deteriorated?
They are just doing their job correctly when they demand that you be present. Even with an “agent”.
There are exceptions if you can't move for whatever reason, but in normal circumstances you have to be there in person. The "agent" can handle it for you of course.
That is not difficult, but I think it is the correct thing to do.
Normally people always criticize immigration because all sorts of things are said to be incorrect.
Apparently, if they do their job correctly, it's not good either.
By the way, I would rather describe as something “questionable” that this “agent” specifically wants to follow that woman to Hua Hin.
August, at Thai marriage, used monthly income by means of support letter. However, in the underconsideration period, a copy of the bank book was still requested.
As Anna mentioned, no use of appointment system, just walked in. Everything is checked and then photo of us with witness and then consideration stamp and back a month later.
I also use a Thai Marriage.
The copy of the bank book must be delivered in Kanchanaburi already with the application. Everywhere I thought anyway.
It is best not to use the amount before the final stamp is obtained.
After the Under consideration period, when you come to collect that final stamp, immigration offices may check it again.
Afterwards you can do whatever you want with that amount.
As is already apparent from the responses, the reason for refusal is not that one does not accept income, but because the supporting documents that were provided were found to be insufficient. As I already suspected and also indicated in my response.
This happens more often in immigration offices, because the evidence that is accepted can sometimes differ locally.
A visa support letter is normally accepted everywhere. I have not read anywhere that this would not be the case. But we could recently read from a reader here that his visa support letter also had to be legalized. I do not remember where it was.
That legalization of a visa support letter is also rather exceptional I think because it is usually accepted as such. But that can also change of course.
However, the applicant is Belgian and a visa support letter is therefore not possible.
What could possibly be a replacement is an Affidavit from the Belgian embassy, but it is certainly not accepted everywhere as is sometimes claimed. And if it is accepted, there is also the possibility that it must be legalized again. That will also depend on the immigration office
There are also monthly deposits if you want to use an income.
But there are also rules for this, such as proof from the bank that this has happened in the last 12 months, around the same time every month and it must come from abroad.
And if proof of income is refused, then of course all that remains is the bank amount
Anyway, thanks for your responses.
It is guesswork and guessing. As long as the questioner does not give the reason for the refusal, because there is one, no one can give the correct answer.
That he first finds out why it was refused.
If I read all the responses, it is simply a mess at the various Immigration offices nationwide.
Uniformity in the implementation of the law is hard to find.
What requirements have been added on paper in Phuket alone in recent years and then disappeared again for applications for Retirement visas. You don't want to know.
Removed: Copy blue book, copy shanote, copy photos living room and kitchen. Only outside photos at the gate with house number. (What does that say?)
Double-up: own copies of 1 year's cash withdrawals, bank book + letter from bank with again 1 year's bank copies.
Now you have to submit a Google map with the location of the house, where you have lived for 14 years, when you extend your annual Retirement visa.
It seems that successive Colonels (bureau chiefs) add their own rules and remove some of those of their predecessors.
Childish nonsense.
“It seems that successive Colonels (bureau chiefs) are adding their own rules and removing some of those of their predecessors.”
It doesn't seem that way, it is. They want to show that their laws and regulations apply now and that's what you get.
While the official regulations are everywhere and if they would apply them everywhere it would make it so easy for everyone.
But you sometimes see things like that in the private sector too, when a new CEO comes into the company and suddenly other laws apply there too. I think that's called a need for recognition