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Will I face repercussions for dropping my retirement visa bank balance below 400,000 baht?

Feb 8, 2025
13 days ago
Peter **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
I have a retirement visa. Had the 800,000 baht in my Thai bank. Building a home and it has gone below 400,000 baht.

My renewal is due in March 2026.

I have today transferred 400,000 baht to top up my Thai account.

Will there be any repercussions for letting it go below 400,000 baht?

I have searched and am unable to find any reference to maintaining a bank balance of 400,000 baht.

Thanks.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The post discusses concerns regarding the lack of maintenance of the required 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account for a retirement visa and the implications this might have for future visa extensions. Comments emphasize that while you can drop to 400,000 baht after three months, failure to meet these financial requirements may lead to denial of future extensions. Suggestions include consulting with an immigration agent or starting the process again by applying for a new non-O visa if needed.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
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Douglas *******
Just leave country in a few months without a re entry permit and get a new retirement non o visa in Laos.
Mats **********
Move to Philippines and you will never have these issues with all Thai regulations and ever changing visa requirements/rules.
George *******
Don't worry about it, just go for your extension. The worst can happen is you'd have to go through the renewal again. I'm fairly sure immigration won't hold it against you.
Sarick **********
Consult the agent. Prepare 20k+ to fix the problem or leave the country and restart fresh.
Greta *****
I think your house will have to be demolished now
Tony ******
@Greta ****
ridiculous
Peter **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greta ****
seriously??
Toci *******
Going through an agency is not 100% ok because they tend to go around the law.

What I would do, is to go directly at the Immigration office and explain your situation to them.

If you are polite with them, they usually try to help, They can easily extend your visa for one month (1900 baht) in order to reach 60 days you need with 800k baht on the bank account.

I don't know exactly you expiring date, but maybe 30 more days can do it.
Martyn ***********
@Toci ******
no 1 month extension is available for retirement visa.. you'll be at the mercy of the officer and possibly they will need 'incentives' to smooth the process because of the situation..

Getting around the rules is exactly what he could need and what agents can do..
Brandon ************
@Toci ******
none of this is accurate. They don't care. If you didn't meet the requirements you didn't meet the requirements. And there's no such thing as a 30 day extension from retirement visa. They will simply deny the extension and tell you to leave Thailand.
Roger ********
My extension is granted with a simple letter from the bank, stating that I have 800.000 baht currently in my Thai bank account . 🤷🏻
Greg ***********
@Roger *******
for the 90-days visa, yes. For the 1-year extension, no, the 800K have to be seasoned in your account for 2 months and the bank letter needs to confirm this
William ***************
I miss read your question please disregard the answer I deleted .. Change to an extention based on marrage if you can .
Brad *********
how are you building a home? only locals can by land. thai wife?
Brad *********
Only problem is with a leasing the land is I have heard some horror stories.

would rather have a long term yearly house rental and not invest into the property
Todd *********
@Brad ********
it’s the land of opportunity for anyone who wants it
Nigel *************
@Brad ********
lease the land
Kevin **********
@Brad ********
You can build a home. Take out a 30 year lease on the land, get a usufruct clause, usually with consideration and a right of succession, again I would suggest with consideration and build.
Todd *********
@Brad ********
likely makes you wonder how thousands and thousands of foreigners own homes…
Daniel ************
you should use an agent to solve that issue
Peter **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Daniel ************
@Peter *********
if the agent cant solve it or the price is too high - you need leave the country / do a non o at the immigration for 1900 and do an extension after for 1900 - with all that bank papers - rental contract etc -
Greg ***********
@Daniel ***********
doing a Non-O at the Immigration is 2000 THB, not 1900
Daniel ************
@Greg **********
sorry yes - 2000 you right
Daniel ************
@Peter *********
cause you been under 400k / which is a no go -
John **********
If I'm understanding this correctly you fairly recently got an in country Non-O visa based on being over 50 and then got a 12 month extension of stay for the same reason. To get the 12 month extension of stay you need to have had 800k baht in a Thai bank account in your name for 2 months before you applied for the extension. You then need to have kept that 800k baht in your bank for three full months after obtaining the extension and not drop below 400k baht at any point in the year. The upshot is that you have not abided by the terms on which you were granted the extension of stay and so will likely be refused any further extensions. It's not insurmountable, you would just need to leave, return on a visa exempt/tourist visa and start over again, or get the 90 day Non-O while you are out of the country
Peter **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Mark ********
@Peter *********
Peter read my reply to Liam O’Connell- An Agent I am sure will sort it for you at a cost. However if you wanted to keep everything above board with no possible repercussions in the future for whatever reasons, I would just start again and do it legally, even if it means leaving the Country and returning and doing it all over again. Using an Agent to do a shonky fix could potentially leave you exposed. If you are not worried about the odds of running the gauntlet, use an agent. Cheers
Steve *******
Can't drop below 800k for the first 3 months of your extension and 400k for the rest. If you want to extend again it needs to be back up to 800k 2 months before you apply.

Any deviations would mean you'd need to start the process again by applying for a Non Imm O visa.
Steve ****
@Steve ******
appears he let it go below 400k during the visa period. Doesn’t that mean he has to start all over again ?
Steve *******
@Steve ***
Read my comment again, that's exactly what I said. Doh!
Tony **********
There's a good chance you will have to apply for a new non-o. If you're next extension isn't until mar-2026, how did you get your extension that would start Mar-2025?
Liam ***********
@Tony *********
all this agent talk about the 800k,how is this possible to do if all records and bank statements are required for the visa,?is there any chance you will lose your visa rights and get deported with no appeal if agents are not following the law and get caught or is this all legal?
Liam ***********
@Brandon ***********
thanks but from what I can gather there is a hell of a lot use the agent route to bypass the requirements and it’s no big secret on social media so everyone in immigration must know top to bottom
Mark ********
@Liam **********
Aussie bloke in Bangkok maybe 3 years ago give or take, spoke of the risks of using an agent. Yes, an accepted practice etc etc, however his cousin also aged in his 70’s, was using the Agent Method without the actual cash, he was married and had been living in Bangkok in his own Condo for 12 years. The Visa Company he was using got caught up in some separate investigation involving Police and Immigration. The Company was audited, and the cousins circumstances unfortunately came out in the wash, and he was deported, blacklisted never to return. Marriage and Condo gone aged in his 70’s. So unlucky for him and may never happen for others… maybe 🤔
Brandon ************
@Liam **********
immigration leadership changes sometimes multiple times per year. You never know what the new leadership will do.
Brandon ************
@Liam **********
if you use an agent that just helps you with paperwork then you have nothing to worry about. But if you use an agent that is helping you bypass requirements, there's always the possibility of having problems in the future
Nigel **************
@Tony *********
yeah I was wondering about that too
Brandon ************
If your next extension date is in March 2026 then it sounds like you just got an extension recently. If that's the case you are not allowed to drop below 800,000 for 3 months after you receive your extension, and then it can NEVER drop below 400,000 baht. If either of those is not met, you will likely be denied your extension next year. They ask for a 12 month bank statement and will review to ensure you met the requirements of the previous year extension, and if you did not they will not let you apply for your new one.

If that's the case, you'll either need to use an agent for the extension next year to bypass the financial requirements or you'll need to leave Thailand and return either visa exempt or get a new non-O visa and return.
Philip ***************
@Brandon ***********
vip visa Momay Jantima
*****
first and
*****
renewal they sort the finance out
Kim *********
@Peter *****
why the grinning emoji? Are you not aware of the fact that the transferred amount can be withdrawn immediately without problems with immi?? Apparently not
Peter ******
@Kim ********
i didn't realise i had sent that Kim. Slip of the thumb
Kim *********
@Peter *****
ohh sorry 😔
Peter ******
@Kim ********
I understood your reaction. Some of the comments and reactions on here are not always made with the best intentions
Dan *************
@Brandon ***********
wow. That is one well informed response! Well done!
Andrew ****
@Brandon ***********
what is the cost for a agent to do the retirement visas without the 800kbaht in the bank
Matthew *********
@Andrew ***
I used A&S. And it wasn't cheap but I paid for one day service for both non o 90 days stamp and retirement visa which was a total of 15 months. Took 4 hours after from the next day after I flew in. But I already had a bank acct. My interest on my savings acct easily pays for this each year. That extra
*****
in my American acct is a win for me at 5 percent interest.
Andrew ****
Thanks for everyone advise and comment but i am doing it new fresh from the start so maybe i dun want the hassle for the 1st year so i will opt to use a agency in pattaya but i duuno whats the fees like so i am trying to find out here since the main creator is talking about it .
Michael ********
@Andrew ***
29,000 baht for a multi entry visa, likely to be slightly less the following year
Brandon ************
@Andrew ***
I'm not really sure. I think if you are doing the conversion to non-O visa plus the first extension, maybe around 30,000 baht? Then if it's just the yearly extension after that it's maybe 15,000 baht?

It's cheaper if you use your own money in the bank, which the op would be doing as they already have the required funds, just not for the required time.
Mandu *******
@Brandon ***********
Any good agents you may recommend?
Benjamin *******
@Mandu ******
Maneerat Pattaya Soi Post Office (
****
)

*****
for extension but u need a Bangkok Bank book registered in Pattaya cost also 3.5k or if u really live there u can open an account by yourself for a few hundreds.
Michael ********
@Mandu ******
Maneerat Soi
****
Brandon ************
@Mandu ******
cheapest are in Pattaya. The owner of this Facebook group is also an agent that services anywhere in Thailand by mail but based in Bangkok
@THAI *****************************
Tim *******
@Brandon ***********
If this is the case, how do the agents simply put 800K into your bank account for one day and take it out the next day when the deal is done?
Brandon ************
@Tim ******
because the majority share of the money you are paying the agent is a bribe for the immigration officer.
Tim *********
@Tim ******
They are persuasive! If this happens, your challenge is how to get the subsequent renewal without using an agent again. But at least you have 12 months to think about it, maybe work out how to transfer to the monthly income method instead. Or just budget for continual agent fees
Ken *******
@Tim ********
i have an agent helping me with this for first time but I do meet the income requirements every month. How do i use that instead of the 800,000
Tim *********
@Ken ******
Each Immigration Office has a different interpretation, especially of this point. Ask your local office for their handout and see exactly what it says about monthly income. Clarify with them what evidence you would have to present. Some have said you must produce an affidavit from your embassy in Bangkok with your pension details, but UK and US embassies will not provide this. I know the US embassy can issue a formal letter saying they allow citizens to self-certify this point. As a UK citizen, the IO in Jomtien told me it was just too bad the UK embassy wouldn't give me an affidavit and I'd just have to use the 800k route.
John ********
@Tim ******
tea money for the inconvenience for the immigration
Matthew *********
@John *******
because they paperclip a lot of money to the application. Accepted practice. When I did this route, the immigration had a special deal and officer that a ton of application with money paper clip. It's a win win situation for everyone. No need to tie up funds that your not making interest off. They want to play games so play the game back to your advantage
Kim *********
@Matthew ********
no funds tied up if the monthly transfers are used
Matthew *********
@Kim ********
good look with monthly option. Most embassy no longer do to he affidavit and I can guarantee you on year one ALMOST no immigration will accept that method. Good luck trying. And some want proof of transfer to Thai bank on monthly method. But feel free to prove me wrong.
Kim *********
@Matthew ********
I don't talk about the 1st year - I am well aware that it is not an option. I talk about the following years. So your deposit is only tied up the first year if you had transferred the monthly payment during that year
Matthew *********
@Kim ********
good look finding an immigration that will accept it without the embassy affidavit
Kim *********
@Matthew ********
nonsense - it's EITHER transfers OR affidavit - not both!
Matthew *********
@Kim ********
good look with the transfer method. I can tell you not all immigration accept it. Nakhon phanom immigration will not accept it.
Kim *********
@Matthew ********
I am well aware of the fact that SOME won't accept it - more work for immi. I don't need luck (not look as you consistently write). My message was intended to inform those that probably are not aware of the fact that the money transferred monthly can be withdrawn immediately if one so wish.
Peter **********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
Thank you. I will contact an agent and tidy this up.

Appreciate your response.
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