Retirement Visa Extension and Wise (Transferwise)

[Nereus]

The correct terminology is "Credit Advice/Receipt". If you give the bank: 1) The date the transfer was made and where it is coming from, 2) amount of foreign currency, 3) date received in your bank, 4) amount in baht. It will be much easier and you should be able to get this at any future time. If they have to look it up it could take hours and is a lot of extra work for them. Big Boy did they ask for the source of the funds? In That Yang, they require you to show that the funds only come from a retirement account or pension fund. You have to have a letter showing this.

It is a great pity that this country that claims to be "the hub" of the World, cannot set up a simple automatic "credit advice/receipt" sent to a customers email each time there is a transfer. No problem to charge 35 Baht to online transfer funds from Hua Hin to Bangkok, despite there being recent news that this would no longer be the case.

I will post the following here, as it may be on option, not withstanding Big Boys efforts:

K PLUS enables expats to transfer funds overseas with ease

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1694488

“International Transfer”, the new updated feature from K PLUS, gives over 11 million K PLUS users, including expatriates in Thailand, peace of mind while their money is transferred through the app all over the world without worry.

KBank offers the overseas fund transfer via K PLUS app in six currencies: USD, GBP, HKD, SGD, AUD and EUR to more than 20,000 banks with 77,000 branches in 24 countries worldwide.

More at the link. Not sure if it is supposed to also include incoming transfers?

[T.O.M.]

Big Boy wrote:
" I'm sure if your evidence shows you have attempted to do what they asked since December (is when mine started), you must have grounds for appeal."

Appeal to who? It is not like there is a consumer board, where expats not happy with immigration decisions can file a complaint and expect the decision to be overturned...
And normally when you apply for your extension, you will under time pressure...especially if the extension is denied, which means you will have to the end of your present extension (+7 days) to leave the country.
The only appeal working here, is called a bribe...!! Unless you want to start all over again.
And it doesn't matter if the immigration officer's interpretation of the actual police-order is 100% wrong...They are always right.
As said before...we are very fortunate to belong to Hua Hin Immigration...very sensible officers working there.

[Big Boy]

At the very least I would have insisted on speaking to the boss. Everybody has a boss - can we not try Bangkok as well?

I am living proof that the leniency statement was legitimate. As that statement didn't originate in Hua Hin (or did it? I am starting to doubt myself), other Immigration Depts must be doing the same. Otherwise anybody who renewed mid-2018 would be refused their extension based upon income this year. SunandFun is the only one I know refused - surely he can't be the only one refused if Tha Yang are being so strict.

[HHTel]

Not sure if you can complain to the Ombudsman of Thailand. They seem to take complaints of a myriad of things including complaints of the various branches of the RTP of which immigration is one.

[Big Boy]

I've been thinking about this. When they clarified the Health Insurance requirements, they quoted an Immigration Helpline - it might be worth giving them a call to find out options, or routes of appeal.

The helpline phone number was given in this interview:

[SunandFun]

I've been thinking about this. When they clarified the Health Insurance requirements, they quoted an Immigration Helpline - it might be worth giving them a call to find out options, or routes of appeal.

The helpline phone number was given in this interview:

The number is for PKK Immigration.

[PJG]

Example of Credit Advise Letter from Bangkok Bank.
This is what you need to ask your Bank for

[img][/img

Bank letter Sample.jpg (69.17 KiB) Viewed 3578 times

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[Big Boy]

As I've said, I'm sure each bank will do things differently. That is not the same as Hua Hin Immigration showed me from Kasikorn Bank, and it is not what I am expecting to receive from the bank at the end of the month. This example is a lot less complex than the example I was shown, which included things such as source bank, amount sent, amount received, exchange rate, etc. This is why I queried the use of Transferwise several times (Kasikorn will not have the information). The example letter posted looks much better/more relevant to me.

I am not doubting that is what Bangkok Bank will be issuing, but please don't be surprised if your bank issues a variation.

I will post the 'monthly' Kasikorn letter I am issued with in a couple of days time.

[Governor]

As I understood the main problem with Transferwise is the way their system works is that cash doesn't actually come into Thailand from overseas, even though we fund the transaction from overses, the funds in and out are married up with people wishing to send money here along with those wanting to send money out, money doesn't actually cross borders.
So the final step of the funds reaching our accounts, is from an account in Thailand so shown as a domestic transfer, this is how all my transfers were recorded by Kasikorn, using the code "Dummy Branch". If this code will allow the Kasikorn Bank here to certify that the funds originated from overseas, and thus satisfied our friends in HH Immigration then all well and good.
When I moved back here last year I still had my Embassy letter so was able to extend my stay, I've since opened an account locally with Bangkok Bank and my deposits are recorded as "FTT", showing that the funds originated from overseas, I'm not sure why BKK Bank could do so but not Kasikorn.
If Immigration here are ok with Kasikorns "dummy branch" code then all well and good, even if we have to get a receipt every month.

I noted another post about sending money overseas via the Kasikorn app, I've tried to send cash to Singapore a few times, everytime I've been told that we can't process at the moment and to try later, so I used Dee Money and the transactions went through, and were funded via the KK App.

[Big Boy]

Governor, if you have read the thread, you will see that I have asked, and asked again and again. I have received assurances from both Kasikorn and Immigration that Transferwise won't be a problem, and it is what I used for this year's renewal. Having said that, I am due to transfer more money in the next few days. I will get my first transfer slip from Kasikorn, and then I will take it to Immigration to get confirmation it will be acceptable.

I will update this thread with the success or otherwise of my efforts. If it will not be acceptable, I will try to find out what needs to be done to fix it.

There is a lot of trial and error this year, but Hua Hin Immigration are working with us, not against us.

[Governor]

Yes Big Boy, of course I've read your thread, and I've just read it again, and whilst I can find your reference to the transfers into your account, you don't mention what the deposit code is used to confirm the funds have come from overseas, and you mention the need to ensure there are twelve transfers into your account next year, I can't see how the requirement for those transfers satisfies the Police Order that the deposits for those using the income method must originate from overseas.

As has been said, we all know that different offices, and indeed individual IO's, interpret the rules differently, it's of course the lack of consistency in the interpretion of Police Orders that makes our interaction with various Government Officials challenging.

I'm aware that some Immigration Offices have confirmed that all they will accept going forward is a bank book confirming deposits come from overseas backed up by a bank letter, if KK will provide such a letter on the back of the Credit Advice/Receipt then great, some offices have also confirmed that TransferWise paper trails, bank statements confirming that funds have been sent to TW and pension statements do not satisfy their requirements, all they want is sight of a bank book and a covering letter.

I'm glad to hear that the IO's here are working with us, but surely the evidence that funds have have originated from overseas still have to be met.

I'm not trying to be difficult or arguementative, I'm certainly not scaremongering and I'm not a barstool lawyer, we are all on the same side here, but we all have to satisfy the Immigrations ever changing requirements and hope that by the time our time comes for an further extension of stay, the rules haven't changed again or the local managers haven't moved on, with somebody less accomodating taking over.

[Dannie Boy]

Well as BB said in his last post, his next transfer will reach Kasikorn within the next few days and then he will take the details to Imm to see whether they are happy or not - let’s wait and see what transpires!!

[HHTel]

After reading Governor's post, I checked my passbook (Bangkok Bank) and sure enough cash deposited using Transferwise is indeed marked as FTT (foreign transfer). Therefore the bank's system must know somehow that it's come from abroad!

[Governor]

After reading Governor's post, I checked my passbook (Bangkok Bank) and sure enough cash deposited using Transferwise is indeed marked as FTT (foreign transfer). Therefore the bank's system must know somehow that it's come from abroad!

Indeed they do, even though TW deposits the funds from from of their three partner banks in Thailand, that's why when I moved back to HH I opened an account with Bangkok Bank in Bluport, and all subsequesnt transfers via TW have that coding which makes them compliant.
When I lived in Bangkok all my deposits where recorded by KK as "dummy branch", KK's main branch in Bangkok advised me that they wouldn't be able to issue a letter confirming the deposits came from overseas.
If KK down here record transfers differently or at least will issue a letter saying so, which acceptable to the local IO's here, then all well and good.

[Big Boy]

I too checked my passbook after Governor's post - not a single Transferwise transaction was present

I don't update my book very often The bank prints me a statement, and the manageress endorses it as authentic each year.

I too am curious to see the process work, and as it is month 1 for me, am prepared to to make a 2nd transfer via the bank this month. However, everything points towards the process going smoothly.

I did prove that I had sufficient pension (letter), so they can see I have the income.