Retiring to Hua Hin

[maccastime]

I am looking at relocating to Hua Hin in a few months,as i reach the big 60 soon.
So just a few questions i have in reguards to the big move.

1. Can any of you kind Expats advise me of the best way to transfer money from Australia to Thail?I plan on having my super company send monies per month into my bank here in Sydney,then i complete a net bank transfer to a bank that i open once in Hua Hin.However my bank will charge me $21 a time,so poss do the transfer every 2 or 3 months. will this be ok? as long as the yearly amount totals the required 800,000.?
2.Do i require a health certificate for Thail?
3. I had read somewhere that u may require a criminal record check? if so no probs i can obtain one here,however police will not release it to me,they will forward it to whoever req this.

Many thanks.

[hhfarang]

Welcome maccastime,

As I am not from Australia, I am not the best one to give advice on the method of money transfer from there but to qualify for the visa you have to have the full 800,000 in a Thai bank three months prior to applying for a (renewal of a non-imm O) visa for reasons of retirement. Alternately, you have to be able to show proof of income in an amount above 65,000 THB per month and I don't think that can be from regular transfers from savings. I think it has to be in a form guaranteed by a third party like a government or company pension although all that is currently required at immigration is a letter stating that you have such an income from your embassy. The American embassy only makes you swear under oath to get the letter, but I hear the the British embassy requires actual proof. Not sure about the Australian embassy requirements.

I got my first one in my home country and was not required to show the "in Thailand" monies until my first annual renewal or extension but was required to show proof of my monthly pension. I did have to get a police report proving that I was not a criminal from my local sheriff's department in the U.S. but that was over six years ago and I'm not sure whether this is still a requirement or not.

To be certain of the requirements you should check with the nearest Thai embassy or consul in Australia.

[maccastime]

Many thanx for the info,will def speak to Thai Embassy here in Sydney.
take care.

[lomuamart]

As hhfarang says, the financial requirements for an annual extension on the basis of retirement are either 800k THB in a Thai bank account for three months before application (the rules actually state two months for first application and three for each subsequent one. You'd need to check with your local Imm office as to what they want to see, time wise. Allow three months and you'll be fine). Alternatively, you can apply on the basis of average overseas income of 65k THB a month. This money does not need to come into Thailand but you'll need an income confirmation letter from your Embassy in BKK. What they will require to see from you is up to them. Imm will rely on the letter.

A third option is a combination of income and Thai savings as long as they total over 800k THB. So, for instance, 400K in a Thai bank account with overseas income (verified by Embassy letter) of 34k a month equals the 800k necessary. If you go the "combination" route, there should be no need for your savings to be in a Thai bank for 3 months before application. However, again I'd check with your local office to see what they want. Different offices interpret the rules differently.
As far as health and police checks are concerned, they're only necessary for an OA visa that's obtainable from The Embassy in your home country (a consulate can't issue one, BTW). The OA visa gives you one year permitted to stay stamp when you arrive here. If you are applying for annual extensions here in Thailand, there's no need for these checks.
I've no idea how to transfer money from Aus, but if you're going to apply for retirement extensions on the basis of income from there, there's no need for them anyway.

[Nereus]

I am looking at relocating to Hua Hin in a few months,as i reach the big 60 soon.
So just a few questions i have in reguards to the big move.

1. Can any of you kind Expats advise me of the best way to transfer money from Australia to Thail?I plan on having my super company send monies per month into my bank here in Sydney,then i complete a net bank transfer to a bank that i open once in Hua Hin.However my bank will charge me $21 a time,so poss do the transfer every 2 or 3 months. will this be ok? as long as the yearly amount totals the required 800,000.?
2.Do i require a health certificate for Thail?
3. I had read somewhere that u may require a criminal record check? if so no probs i can obtain one here,however police will not release it to me,they will forward it to whoever req this.

Many thanks.

1. The Australian Banks have stuffed around with this (the NAB anyway), and it becomes more difficult each time they change it. You can set up an Internet Banking process, but they now require a code sent via SMS to your mobile before you can complete the transaction, and they will not send the SMS to either an overseas / or roaming number. The yearly amount you mention is NOT a total for a year. If you are going to use 800 K Thai Baht in a Thai Bank account, then it must not fall below that figure for the 3 months prior to your application for extension to stay. (2 months the first year, or application). The other method is if you can prove 65,000 Baht per month income, it is acceptable. This money does not have to be in a Thai Bank, but you will require a letter from the Australian Embassy to prove the income.

2. A mental health check may be in order the way things are going here! However, it depends on which visa you obtain. If you just obtain a Non Img 0, rather than an 0A, then it is not a requirement.

3. Much the same situation as 2, depends on your visa. It is not compulsory to be a criminal, Thailand has a surplus of them at the moment!

The Bank interest rates in Thailand are virtually zero, so you do not want to have any more funds in a Thai Bank than absolutely necessary. I now have somebody on Australia TT funds to me a little before the 3 months deadline, as last year I very nearly got caught out with the NAB procedures. But it depends a bit on which method you intend to use for your retirement extension, and just how much funds you feel you need to have immediate access to in Thailand for unforeseen events.

[hhfarang]

(a consulate can't issue one, BTW)

I got my initial non-imm OA (for retirement) through a consolate in Coral Gables, Florida. The only Embassy at the time in the U.S. (and I believe still) was in Washington, D.C.

It took two weeks so maybe it was processed at the Washington Embassy, but I only had to deal with the consulate nearest my home in Florida...