What is proof of funds and how much money do I need to show at immigration?
Proof of funds is evidence you can pay for your trip, usually bank statements. A few countries publish a figure, most just require sufficient funds.
Updated
What counts as proof of funds
Bank statements from the last three to six months, in your own name, are the standard document. Consulates want to see a real account with a steady balance rather than a single large deposit made a week before you applied.
- Full bank statements, stamped by the bank where the consulate asks for that
- A bank letter or balance certificate confirming the account and current balance
- Payslips or a letter from your employer showing regular income
- Cash in hand, which is what a border officer means when a published figure exists
- Prepaid flight and hotel confirmations, which show costs you no longer have to cover
If somebody else is paying, you need their documents plus a signed letter confirming they support you and how you are related. A sponsor's statements without that letter usually get rejected.
Countries that publish an actual figure
Only a minority of destinations name a number, and those that do publish it on their immigration site. Here are real published examples rather than rules of thumb.
Thailand
Thai immigration asks visa-exempt arrivals and visa on arrival travellers for 10,000 baht per person or 20,000 baht per family. Tourist visa and non-immigrant visa holders are asked for 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family, and children under 12 are exempt.
You can meet it in Thai baht, in an equivalent foreign currency, or with supporting payment documents. Checks are occasional rather than universal, but they do happen.
New Zealand
Visitors need at least NZ$1,000 a month to live on, or NZ$400 a month if their accommodation is already paid for. A sponsor can cover the requirement instead, which is why the accommodation part matters so much.
The Schengen countries
There is no single Schengen figure. Each member state sets and publishes its own daily amount, and several tie it to their national minimum wage so it moves every year, so check the consulate of the country you are entering first.
What to do when no figure is published
Most countries say only that you need sufficient funds for your stay. The officer weighs how long you are staying, whether flights and accommodation are already paid, and what you say you are doing there.
A workable benchmark is enough to cover your remaining accommodation, your daily costs, and a way out of the country. Do not trust a figure you found on a forum, because the only number that counts is the one on the destination's own immigration site.
How a paid booking helps
A confirmed, paid hotel booking removes the single biggest line from your daily budget, and officers can see that at a glance. New Zealand puts that logic into its published figures by dropping the monthly requirement from NZ$1,000 to NZ$400 when accommodation is already covered.
When you pay for a stay on trip1 you get a confirmation showing the guest name, the property, the address and your dates. Keep it in the same folder as your bank statements so you can hand over both together.
When you actually get asked
Proof of funds comes up constantly in visa applications and only occasionally at the border. Officers are more likely to ask on long stays, one-way tickets, first visits, or where the trip looks expensive next to what you have told them.
Important: Never borrow money to inflate a balance for a screenshot or submit a doctored statement. Consulates read the transaction history, and a refusal for a false document follows you into every future application you make anywhere.
Proof of funds at immigration - FAQ
It depends entirely on the country. Most only say you need sufficient funds, but a few publish a figure - Thailand asks visa-exempt visitors for 10,000 baht per person or 20,000 baht per family.
Recent bank statements in your own name are the standard proof. Bank letters, payslips and cash also count, and prepaid flight and hotel confirmations reduce how much you need to show.
It is uncommon on short visa-free trips, but it does happen. It is far more common inside a visa application, and on long stays or one-way tickets.
Yes, indirectly. A confirmed paid booking shows accommodation is already covered, and New Zealand for example lowers its monthly figure from NZ$1,000 to NZ$400 when accommodation is prepaid.
Most consulates ask for the last three to six months. Provide full statements rather than screenshots, and make sure the account is in your own name.