Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Retirement Visas specifically the 800,000 Baht bank balance requirement associated with Thai Retirement Visas. 

As we have noted in other videos on this channel, there are essentially two ways of maintaining either an O-A or an O Retirement Visa and extending that status on an ongoing basis. One can either show an income, primarily pension income of 65,000 Baht coming into a bank account in Thailand on a monthly basis and be able to prove that up usually with bank statements or bank books showing that amount of money. Another method is just maintaining a balance of 800,000 in a bank account and being able to show that balance at the time one applies for a Retirement Visa or to extend a Retirement Visa. 

The reason I got to thinking about this I was reading in the Pattaya Mail, pattayamail.com, I was reading online an article titled: Thailand's new rules for Retiree Visas sound alarm bells. This doesn't really have anything to do with the general thrust of this article. I urge those who are watching this video go check that article out but quoting directly: "Whilst the income rule is 800,000 Baht in the bank," maybe I think they meant to say the balance rule is 800,000 Baht in the bank, "or in foreign income shipped in monthly, that equates to only about 25,000 US dollars and can sometimes be avoided if a friend loans you the cash." Yeah, the point we are trying to make with this video is this notion of "oh you only need it for the moment in which you do it so I had a friend put in the money and then I gave it back to him after I got my Visa". You need to be very careful with that. I am not necessarily saying that that doesn't work. There are a million ways to skin a cat. As you will see on any forum regarding Thai Immigration, they do things tremendously differently depending on where you are at. Some things will work depending on timing and depending on location; depending on the officer and some things will not work for the exact same reasons. So don't presume any methodology is going to necessarily work all the time. Also let's not forget going back to the "Big Joke" era which I am sure sends chills up many expats spines, he promulgated regulations and practices, enforcement practices, which required people to not only show their bank balance of 800,000 Baht but to also show back up and prove it again and prove that it had been in there prior to the time that the application for extension was submitted. So there was a “two months prior” and a “3 months after” requirement and for this reason this notion that you just take a quickie loan and you got your 800,000 problem solved that is not necessarily the case. 

So the reason for this video is I just kind of wanted to point out to folks, not really pointing any fingers at anybody even mentioning it, yes it may be possible to do that. I am not saying it is not, but be careful.