Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

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sometimewoodworker
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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by sometimewoodworker » February 24, 2019, 7:27 am

No problem,

I just opened a MTD account with the branch just beside the food market a little further than immigration on Phosri rd.

You will need TG with blue book & ID card, you and your passport. The minimum is 500 Baht but to get 1.3% you need 100,000 or more, AFIK you need a regular savings account before you can get a fixed term deposit that goes up to 2.15% for 48 months. You can get online banking. I did not want or get an ATM card.

I believe that CIMB Also has good accounts.
Last edited by sometimewoodworker on February 25, 2019, 2:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.


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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by tamada » February 25, 2019, 7:02 am

Nev wrote:
February 23, 2019, 10:37 pm
Hi,

A Lot Of Guys on this site talk Bollocks and have done for years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TA.
Yes you do. Agreed.

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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by pipoz4444 » February 25, 2019, 11:17 am

I think some people forget that the purpose of, or idea behind a Forum, is to exchange information & views, or simply present information which may be of interest for debate and or even just comment on a particular topic/issue, arguably within the Confines or Charter of that Forum, as permitted by the Forum Moderators and is not to be determined by the Individuals using that Forum. \:D/

What is of interest to one party or individual may not be of interest to another. That is the Norm of a Forum :-k ](*,)

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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by parrot » February 25, 2019, 11:21 am

20+ years of doing immigration things, I've learned that: what happens in Nongkai, Pattaya, or Phuket doesn't necessarily happen here. More often than not, the horror stories are theirs, not ours. This time around, it could be different, but I'm betting Udon rules will continue to be different from the others.....and that's historically been good for Udonites.

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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by Bandung_Dero » February 25, 2019, 3:14 pm

parrot wrote:
February 25, 2019, 11:21 am
<snip> This time around, it could be different, but I'm betting Udon rules will continue to be different from the others.....and that's historically been good for Udonites.
Your certainly right there! The day we ceased our visits to the Nong Khai office (and Mr Happy as well as Ms Buy any Crap I'm selling today) and move our Imm business down to Udon was a gift from the gods. Be it though the airport office was a bit of a shambles.
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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by ajarnudon » March 3, 2019, 11:32 pm

"Don't forget that if you use income and are one of the 4 affected you must start transfers in from abroad now, also there is no combination method for any other extension than retirement."
Are you implying that income derived in Thailand cannot be used to meet the income requirements?

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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by sometimewoodworker » March 4, 2019, 8:18 am

ajarnudon wrote:
March 3, 2019, 11:32 pm

Are you implying that income derived in Thailand cannot be used to meet the income requirements?
No, but very few are.

If you are working, have a work permit, are paying taxes, are on a family extension (parent, child, wife). You certainly can use your Thai income tax returns, and pay slips.

The relevant guidance has not been changed.
Only for Criteria (5) paragraph 1 and (6), the applicant must attach a funds deposit certificate issued by a bank in Thailand and a copy of a bankbook, or attach documents proving that the parents or alien husband earns an average monthly income of no less than Baht 40,000 throughout the year, such as any particular individual income tax return together with payment receipt,
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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by ajarnudon » March 6, 2019, 9:56 pm

One of the problems that arise here is that it is easy enough to demonstrate the regular pension bank deposits in one's own country, but not so easy to demonstrate what such payments were worth in Thai baht at the time the payment was made. This has been recognised by Thai Immigration and hence the requirement that payments be made to a Thai bank account in Thai baht. Australian pensions are paid fortnightly, and in my stat decln last extension (May 2018) I set out the fortnightly amount, and showed the calculation 'times 26 divided by twelve' to show the average monthly amount throughout the year (as set out above). However, Udon IO insisted that fortnightly payment multiplied by two was the correct monthly amount. This method (with a falling Aussie dollar) didn't meet the requirement, and they sent me back to the Embassy to do a new stat decln simply stating that my monthly pension was THB XXX - about 42,000 THB at the time. That worked.

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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by ajarnudon » March 6, 2019, 10:43 pm

"Don't forget that if you use income and are one of the 4 affected you must start transfers in from abroad now, also there is no combination method for any other extension than retirement."
Well, I am happy to say that I am one of the converted and have arranged for my Oz pension to be paid into my Thai bank account. Pension payments to Oz bank accounts are made fortnightly, and my last one was on Feb 28. But payts to overseas bank acounts are paid every four weeks, but with the added benefit that the Reserve Bank makes the payment at the mid-rate of the day (that is, in the middle of the buying and selling rates of commercial banks - this represents a saving of about 0.6% every payment. Visited the govt website to check that it was happening, then fell out of the chair. My next payment was to be a transitional period, and I would get my next payment on 21 March. BUT the amount would only be about 107% of the fortnightly amount , not 150% as I had expected for an extra week. After I dusted myself off and gained some compusure, I found another page on the site indicating that the next payment for overseas recipients would be for the period up to 13 March; the indication of 21 March was apparently a backstop estimate for bank processing. In my own experience SWIFT transfers of small amounts of say THB 15,000 will be in my Thai bank account in around 12 hours, BUT transfer THB 200,000 and it won't hit my Thai account for 3 days - one or both baks hold onto the funds to get temporary interest-free funds.

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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by sometimewoodworker » March 6, 2019, 11:14 pm

ajarnudon wrote:
March 6, 2019, 10:43 pm
"Don't forget that if you use income and are one of the 4 affected you must start transfers in from abroad now, also there is no combination method for any other extension than retirement."
Well, I am happy to say that I am one of the converted and have arranged for my Oz pension to be paid into my Thai bank account.
You could hit a snag, the UK pension payments direct to Thailand are actually local transfers from City Bank Thailand. So you will have to be sure that the Oz payments don't follow a similar pattern.

Udon has already ruled that the UK payments do not qualify.
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Re: Latest news release from Pattaya Immigration - Bad news for retirees, some better news for married folk

Post by ajarnudon » March 6, 2019, 11:21 pm

No, for sure, Oz pensions are paid direct from the Reserve Bank of Australia by SWIFT wire transfer to the nominated Thai bank account.

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